Sermon: Tidings of Possibility

“Tidings of Possibility”
(December 13, 2009) We celebrate the birth of Christ as a miracle, but it sometimes seems that the miracle is not that he is born or how that may have happened. The miracle is that joy happens, even and especially in the midst of tremendous pain and fear and suffering. This is good [...]

Sermon: Tidings of God’s Reign

“Tidings of God’s Reign”
(November 29, 2009) Advent is a time of waiting, but do we know what we are waiting for? The Gospel reading paints a frightening picture of ‘the coming of the Son of Man,’ and in many ways God’s reign is frightening to those who are comfortable with the status quo. But can [...]

Sermon: Defined by Generosity

“Defined by Generosity”
(November 23, 2009) In the end, the question of how we use our resources comes down to this: how do we want our lives to be defined? By fear? By scarcity? By self-indulgence? Or do we want to be defined by our generosity and our single-minded pursuit of God’s vision for us and [...]

Sermon: Cultivating Contentment

“Cultivating Contentment”
(November 15, 2009) Too often, we buy into the idea that something– money, success, stuff, food, can fill the empty feeling inside us. The truth is that we will always have a sense of being incomplete without the deep peace of God, the One for whom we yearn. Perhaps our feeling of discontent [...]

Sermon: Wisdom, Vision, and Finance

“Wisdom, Vision, and Finance”
(November 8, 2009) In this sermon, we take a more practical look at some of the ways to curb our prodigal nature (our wasting and spending). But for any of these practical things to matter, we need to first know what our vision is. Like the prodigal child, when we have no [...]

Sermon: When Dreams Become Nightmares

“When Dreams Become Nightmares”
(November 1, 2009) We think we want to live the “American Dream,” but we see that all too often and far too easily, this dream becomes an unsustainable nightmare. That’s because it is a false promise, that money– the love of it, the protection of its bottom line– is what will make [...]

Sermon: My Ways are not Your Ways

“My Ways are not Your Ways”
(October 18, 2009) Often, we attribute to God human-like attributes: not just flesh and hair and gender, but limited loving, justice, or forgiveness. God reminds us that especially when it comes to provision, new life, and forgiveness (which we might just sum up as grace), God does not fit inside [...]

Sermon: Live Out Loud

“Rethink Church, Reboot Church: Live Out Loud”
(October 11, 2009) We conclude the sermon series examining the practices of the early church in Acts 2:42-47, using their example as a starting point for ways we might not only rethink church but “reboot” it by going back to the beginning. The early church did indeed preach the [...]

Sermon: Every Meal a Celebration

“Rethink Church, Reboot Church Every Meal a Celebration”
(October 4, 2009) We continue the sermon series examining the practices of the early church in Acts 2:42-47, using their example as a starting point for ways we might not only rethink church but “reboot” it by going back to the beginning. This week, we find that [...]

Sermon: Daily in the Temple

“Rethink Church, Reboot Church: Daily in the Temple”
(September 27, 2009) We continue the sermon series examining the practices of the early church in Acts 2:42-47, using their example as a starting point for ways we might not only rethink church but “reboot” it by going back to the beginning. This week, we discover that the [...]