Sermons

Rooted in Christ Paul was convinced that in and through our Savior Jesus the Christ God is in the process of changing everything. The ‘down side’ of this good news is that you have to be vulnerable to experience change. That’s why the most vulnerable people in our world seem to have a way of pointing us most clearly to what God is doing.    ~ Alan Brehm Psalm 85 Colossians 2:6-19

Living from a place of Rest Jesus invites all of us who are worried and distracted by many things to sit and rest in his presence, to hear his words of grace and truth, to know that we are loved and valued as children of God, to be renewed in faith and strengthened for service. ~ Elisabeth Johnson Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42

Bearing Fruit Using the metaphor of agricultural growth, Paul implicitly compares the gospel to a seed, one that God planted…The point for Paul is that the Gospel bears fruit. It’s productive; it does something. In Paul’s view, the gospel is not just a report of something that God did in the past (“Jesus died for our sins back there”) but a message that is active toward the future, a hope that empowers the way people live here and now.   …

Trusting Without Reservation …faith is not believing without proof but trusting without reservation ~ William Sloan Coffin If we mistakenly think God is controlling our lives rather than preserving, cooperating, and guiding us, the first hint of difficulty in our lives shatters our ability to ‘trust without reservation.’ With a more robust understanding of God’s gracious providence, we are better able to discern how to make the most of God’s providential actions in our lives, regardless of what external pressures…

Spirit-Led The story of Elisha picking up the mantle of Elijah is a story about God empowering and equipping the next generation of servants and witnesses to God. We too are invited to pick-up the mantle of faith from our predecessors, employ it to witness to God’s saving power, and, when the time comes, to pass it down to the generation after us. God’s Spirit will do the rest.                ~ Pastor Shandi 2…

Desolation & COnsolation Many times we stop expecting God in the seemingly obvious places because we have been trained to seek God only in the extra-ordinary. However, God’s abiding presence can still be experienced in the daily mazes of our lives, whether we are facing abundance, adversity, or dulling routine. The presence of God is not always obvious but God remains present to us. ~ Pastor Shandi 1 Kings 19:1-15a Psalm 42 Luke 8:26-39