Messages on Faith
Give THanks with a Grateful Heart
The sermon revolves around the movie “Shenandoah,” where Pastor Wayne describes the protagonist, Charlie Anderson, as initially indifferent to church and religion. Despite his reluctance, he fulfills his late wife’s wish by taking the family to church, mostly out of duty. The central theme emerges when tragedy strikes, and Charlie questions the purpose of giving thanks to a seemingly distant God. Pastor Wayne relates this to personal experiences of worry, emphasizing that excessive worrying is often fueled by a desire…
It’s Not Fair
The landowner engages workers for his vineyard at the beginning of the workday. They agree to a wage for the work. Then, at several different times in the day, he engages more workers. When the end of the day comes, the workers line up to receive their wages. All of the workers receive the same wage regardless of the number of hours worked. Is this fair? Is it fair that someone who acknowledges God and lives as they are called…
Rekindle the Gift
This morning we begin a new lectionary based sermon series, “Not Ashamed.” The scripture focus for the next four weeks is 2 Timothy. In the text this morning, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Paul urges Timothy to “rekindle the gift of God that is in you” (v. 6). Join us as we explore what it means to rekindle the gift.
Opened the Heart
On May 24, 1738, John Wesley reluctantly attended a meeting of Christians on Aldersgate Street in London. While the leader was reading from Luther’s Preface to the Book of Romans, Wesley experienced a feeling of utter joy and contentment about salvation. He referred to this moment as his heart was “strangely warmed.” Our texts this morning: Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 2:10, 22-22:5; and John 14:23-29 speak in their own way about opening our hearts to the message and calling…
Character And Calling: Faith
We continue our Lenten series, “Character and Calling.” Our focus is on faith as we look at the scripture for this morning, Philippians 3:4b-14. In this passage, Paul begins by listing his resume. As a pious Jew of the day, he has it made. However, he calls it all rubbish when compared with what Christ has accomplished in his life. His message is that you can have it all, but if you don’t have Christ, you have nothing. Today concludes…
Not One Stone
Our text this morning is Mark 13:1-8. Jesus informs the disciples that the Temple that they are admiring will be destroyed… not one stone will be left. And he was right. The Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. Jesus also goes on to remind them that while there will be wars and disasters, no one should interpret them as a harbinger of the end of time. “No one knows, except the Father, when that time will come.” Join us as…
Three Simple Rules: 1. Do No Harm
There was a very successful reform movement to the Church of England in the eighteenth century. It was founded by a quirky priest named John Wesley. This movement required accountability to a faith that was active. This movement eventually became a church in North America, the Methodist Episcopal Church. The General Rules of the Methodist Societies served as the core of this movement. They are: Do no harm. Do good. Attend to the ordinances of God (or observe the spiritual…
The Prayer of Faith
What is the prayer of faith? James calls us to pray in earnest. He calls us to pray constantly and to make prayer the center of our lifestyle. Our scripture is James 5:13-20 and it is the focus of our lesson today. Thank you for joining us as we explore this message together.
Body and Soul
The epistle of James constantly reminds us that our faith must be lived out as followers of Christ. The passage for this morning is James 2:1-17.
True Freedom 2021
On this July 4th, 2021, we hear a lot about freedom. But what does that really mean? John 8:31-36 gives us a clue. Jesus tells us that the truth will set us free. The Gospels tell us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. So why do we seek to find salvation in political “messiahs” instead of turning to the one true God?
