Jesus, Barabbas, and Pilate

In this fourth sermon in Lent we encounter Jesus and Barabbas in front of Pilate. We take some time to discern who each of these persons are and come to realize that only by the grace of God are any of us pardoned by the act of Jesus taking our place.

The Prodigal

Guest Speaker Johnathan Wright shares with us words of insight and wisdom surrounding the parable of the Prodigal son.
What would it be like to offend the father so much and yet be received back with overflowing grace?

Emergency Brake

This is the final sermon in the Hitchhiker series. Today we encounter an arrogant, stubborn, and dense Prophet. Jonah determined that the city of Nineveh should be destroyed and he was confounded when God decided to grant them mercy. Actually he was angry that God didn't give them what they deserved.

Jonah needed to learn an important lesson about God's forgiveness. Jonah needed to be reminded that God was in charge.

We need to learn the same thing. That even though someone really hurt us and we want to see God bring the wrath down on them, that we are not called to judge, but to forgive, just as He has forgiven us!

If there is someone who you still hold animosity against, make today your day to forgive them.

The Rainbow

This sermon begins with the rainbow; the covenant that God made with Noah and all creation. From there we look briefly the way God extends his covenant to humanity throughout history.
In this message we come to understand that God is a covenant God and we are a covenant people.

But what does it mean to be in a covenant relationship with someone?
What kind of covenants have we already entered into? What are the benefits and expectations?
This sermon helps us to take an honest look at our relationship with God.

Selective Hearing - the sermon that did not get preached

Well this sermon was anything other than what I expected. I organize and plan a six month preaching calendar and this is the fifth month into what I planned in January. The sermon that I wrote fit very much with what I was thinking from this text in January however when it came to Sunday morning I knew that I would be unable to preach it. There are just times when the congregation has to hear the Holy Spirit doing the preaching and not the pastor. (which sometimes feels like a lecture and one sided rebuke) Whether I was right or wrong in not preaching this sermon I will never know. But after reading the text on Sunday I asked the congregation to share what they heard the passage saying to them. The good news is they basically preached the same sermon that I had written, but it was not me saying it. It was the congregation allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through them.
I know this is a bit unconventional, but I also knew that because of the difficulty and poignancy of James that my words could have been misinterpreted. (That fine line between a pastor illuminating the text and standing in front of it I think)
Anyway, I did not record the pseudo sermon but I did decide to post the PDF of what I had prepared. If you would like you can read it and comment.

The Day of Salvation

This sermon is an exciting venture as we compare our Christian lives to the Titanic. We like our luxury liner, but find out the only way to make it to the other port is to abandon our life and get on the life boat called "faith in Christ." This analogy is powerful and exciting as I draw in the responsibility of fathers to their children like unto Paul's sacrificial giving of himself to the early church.

The Economy of Grace

In this third sermon in the series, "America in Crisis" we look at the difference between the worlds economy and God's economy. While the difficulties of the world and our economy barrage us, we are reminded that God's grace provides a different kind of economy for Christians to live in. It is an economy that gives us hope and stability in a tumultuous time.
As such we believe that God has provided a stimulus package for us that is life changing. It is called grace.

The Religious Bailout

In our current economic situation this message connects the dots to help us understand that we are in an even greater spiritual crisis. The good news is that God has paid a great price to provide a bailout package that will cover all the cost of sin.
The central message in this sermon is that we need to take advantage of God's offer in Jesus Christ.
Although this message is presented in a fun parody on recent government press conferences, it is very serious in the need of all people to claim their personal and spiritual bailout package from God. If you have never made Jesus your personal lord and savior, at the end of the message there is a short prayer that you can pray that will begin your personal faith journey in accepting the great measure of God's love and grace for yourself.