Intentional Faith Development

This sermon takes a serious look at out understanding and commitment to growing our faith. Faith is more than just believing in an invisible God. Faith gives us purpose and empowers us to understand why God created us. While this sermon focuses on faith development it reverberates with a feeling of purpose. By growing in faith we find our God given purpose.

In all honesty we must admit that there is not such thing as a graduation certificate in faith. Even with a Masters or Doctorate in religion we can never know and understand everything about God.
With that understanding we can look at our faith as a set of stairs leading toward a closer relationship with God. Each step is different, longer, higher, shorter, wider. Sometimes it is difficult and sometimes it comes easy. The whole key to growing in faith is just to keep on climbing, never be content with where we are.

Passionate Worship

This is the second sermon in the "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations" series.
The challenge of encountering God in Passionate Worship is one of the most difficult concepts a congregation can face. We don't know what it would feel like to come face to face with the living God. (Maybe it would cause us all to come to worship with a different attitude)
So how do we change the way we approach worship?
Can we learn that it is not about what we get out of worship, but what we bring to worship that is really important? Can we come with an attitude of anticipation and excitement rather than a mindset of criticism?
Let's worship God.

Radical Hospitality

This sermon is written in conjunction with the sermon series and congregational study written by Bishop Robert Schanse, The Five Practices of Fruitful congregations.

It takes a serious look at how we offer hospitality in comparison with the Biblical mandate to extend the Radical love and grace of God with limitless and out of our comfort zone hospitality. With all that God has done for us, we should be seriously asking ourselves what more can we do to offer God's Radical Hospitality to others?

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.

Puzzled

This sermon is a rather unique and interactive sermon designed to promote unity in the body of Christ. It helps members of the church to recognize that they are a part of the family and that the family is still missing members. It is a sermon that focuses on community and outreach. We used a picture of the church during this sermon and had members of the congregation take a piece (3" piece) and write a thought about the church on it. Then by length of time that they had been a part of the community (not focused on membership) we began putting it together. The best part was to let them see that the puzzle was still missing pieces when we were all done.

Armed and Dangerous

This sermon draws the lines of connection between the spiritual world and our our daily lives. Each of us face days when trials overwhelm us. Each of us encounter trouble in relationships or situations. What is it that is really coming against us, and how can we have the strength to overcome those difficult times? How well dressed are we for the Spiritual battle that we face in this world on a daily basis?

Paroled

In this final sermon of the Prison Break series we find David convicted of his sin, experiencing the consequence, and humbly repenting. His behavior leads to healing and reconciliation with God.
This is a challenging passage for today's world because most people believe that reconciliation is a joke; it is not possible. When faced with a conflict of perspectives or tension of disagreement, most people would rather walk away and avoid the situation. But that is not what the Bible teaches us.
Reconciliation is possible, and in fact it is the core of our Christian faith. That is what the Cross is all about. Christ died to to reconcile us with God. Now we must do the same with the world.