Sermons

Matthew 3:13-17; 2 Kings 5:1-19 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIwhjVkf9yU

Matthew 2:1-12 ; Proverbs 2:1-15 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Felip6057-E

John 1:1-14 Rev. Dottie LaPenta Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvMgDXQ6TLs

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAwDCM7ZrkM

Joseph teaches us that we never truly know what a critical part we play in the unfolding story of God’s redeeming love in the world. More people play almost invisible parts, like Joseph, than play famously miraculous parts like Mary. Psalm 36:5-9; Matt. 1:18-25 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXvyppLyX-8

Truth be told, most Christians probably want a moderate Messiah for Christmas– someone personally comforting but not practically challenging. But that is not who Jesus was and is. Isaiah 35:1-10; Matt. 11:2-19 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmSzDb8a9rw

If we want to find peace on earth, we must reject all perspectives and practices which support and justify destructiveness. Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFma55zCOcY

So, even if things look bleak because of human sinfulness, that does not mean we alone control how the story ends. God began this story, and only God can decide if and how it will end. Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DJbxL0gKZE

When we affirm Christ is our King, therefore, we are saying our highest authority is our good Shepherd, who is committed to defending the afflicted and eliminating all forms of oppression and harm.

I want to remind you of how the Christian practice of gratitude is supposed to make us different from other people, like the standout few in the story, and why we are called to embrace the practice of gratitude as a way of transforming both our lives and our world. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22; Colossians 2:6-7 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V_J73onCnQ