Sermons

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

Jesus gave him a story instead, one which asked him not just to think about his duty, but also to feel another’s need. To understand the reason for the Law, the lawyer had to feel for the victim on the road.

Everywhere you look, people with itchy ears are listening to voices leading them and the world into harm rather than blessing.... because the truth is that humanity has always had itchy ears, not just now or in his day.

Whatever your faith tradition, or even if you don’t claim a particular tradition, maybe this Sunday can remind us of some basic beliefs, beliefs that are not so tightly bound to one tradition that they can’t cross into and bring meaning to many faith journeys. Psalm 84; Luke 18:9-14 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paD09wPGLHI

Everywhere you look, people with itchy ears are listening to voices leading them and the world into harm rather than blessing.... because the truth is that humanity has always had itchy ears, not just now or in his day.

God is love and therefore the essence of the Gospel is love, not just for those we think are deserving, but for everyone. Jesus commanded that we who call ourselves his disciples must “love our neighbors as ourselves,” a command that requires empathy to fulfill.