Lost

This sermon is #2 in the Hitchhiker Series. This week we look at chapter two of Jonah when the prophet prays from the depths of "Sheol".

In this message we learn that God never abandons us. God is there to hold us fast in the most difficult of situations. Not only that, but we also learn that God "controls", or "designates" such seasons in our life as times for us to grow, and for us to learn to trust in God.

Silent Stranger

This sermon series takes a look at the life of Jonah, the run-away prophet. Are we trying to run the opposite direction that God wants us to go in life? Are we living in fear of some of the obstacles in front of us? How can we learn to face those situations with faith rather than fear.

Harry Emerson Fosdick said it very well, "Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable - and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life, while faith rejoices in its God."

Extravagant Generosity

This is the last of the Bearing Fruit Series. Extravagant Generosity is one of the key components of healthy and vital congregations. Generosity is a form of giving of one's self to others for a cause. Part of our responsibility is to be able to give ourselves; (prayers, presence, gifts, service, witness) in effort to fulfill the mission statement of the church.
As a church our mission statement can be summarized as "Geneseo is committed to reach out, receive, relate, nurture, and send out faithful disciples."
The real question of this sermon is, "Are we committed to this mission statement? And how is God calling us to be a more committed Christian?"

Risk-TakingMission and Service

This is the fourth sermon in the Bearing Fruit Series. It's focus is as the Title says it. Again much of this sermon is resourced from the "Five Practices Leader and Media Manual" by Robert Schnase.
This sermon specifically targets the way churches enact charity or "Risk-Taking Mission and service." The first is a way we make ourselves feel good that we are doing something. The second is vital to a healthy church community and is what Christ expects from his followers.

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?