Year: 2016

Through the risen Christ the veil of our personal egos, our fears, and our sins are all stripped away. Through the risen Christ we are no longer blind. Christ sheds light on the truth of our lives and the source of our salvation.

Sermon:           Jesus Asks: “Do You Love Me?”

Theme:            As we allow our ego and control to be stripped away we are able to be fully part of the compassion and love of Christ.

Purpose:           The congregation will focus on releasing their sense of power and control in order to be a part of the flow of Christ’s love.

Scriptures:       Revelation 5:11-14      The worship of “The Lamb that was Slaughtered” in heaven.

John 21:1-19   Jesus commissions Peter and the disciples to “care for the lambs” of God.

Questions:

When we claim to love Jesus, what is expected of us? How is the love for God related to love for the people around us? If we love God, what is our behavior towards the people created in God’s image going to be? How is Jesus’ love demonstrated towards Peter and the rest of the disciples after they had failed and been unfaithful? Can we truly worship God and be judgmental towards other Christians? What does it mean to submit our attitudes and beliefs to Christ?

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Sermon:           “We Shall Believe”

Theme:            God invites us to explore and struggle with our doubts so that we can be in a fully joyful relationship with Christ that involves our emotions and our minds.

Purpose           The congregation will explore their faith and feel joyful about living in the midst of doubt.

Scriptures:       Acts 5:27-32    Peter and the Apostles give account of Jesus to the High Priest and Sanhedrin.

John 20:19-31 Jesus appears to Thomas and breaths upon them the Holy Spirit.

Questions:

How did you come to believe in Jesus as more than simply a “historical figure?” What does it take for Jesus to be someone who matters in our lives today? What steps do we have to go through in order to experience the resurrection? How do we move from “believing” to living our lives based on the knowledge of Jesus?  What is your testimony or story of what it means to have encountered the resurrection? What would you tell the officials has been changed as a result of God’s gift of Christ’s raising from the dead?  Are you like Thomas, who needed to have an encounter with Chris that opened his mind and heart to believing?

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Sermon:           “Open the Gates and Let Christ In”

Theme:            Christ comes into our lives to open a new opportunity for righteousness and peace, if we will let go of our “inner Pharisees” and welcome the cleansing which will lead to our healing.

Purpose:          The congregation will welcome Christ’s presence to renew and open new avenues for healing.

Scriptures:       Luke 19:28-40 Jesus enters Jerusalem Triumphantly on a colt.

Philippians 2:5-11       Have the same mind that was in Christ, that he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.

Questions:

What does it mean to fully invite Jesus into our lives? What does submission to Jesus mean to us today? Do we really want to submit our grudges, our grievances, and our hurts to Jesus? How do we open ourselves to cleansing of the remainder from the anger and memories of the past? What does it mean to have the mind of Christ which is willing to suffer humility for the sake of peace? What difference is there between humility for Christ and making ourselves a target for further abuse?

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Sermon:           “Suffering: The Search for ‘Why?'”

Theme:            In the midst of our pain and discomfort we need a purpose and reason in order to work toward healing and peace.

Purpose:          The congregation will understand the need for disciplines that bringing meaning and purpose to their own and other’s suffering

Scriptures:       Philippians 1:21-30     Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel, living and suffering have purpose of serving God.

Matthew 5:10-15        Blessed are you when you are persecuted, a light should be allowed to shine clearly for all to see.

Questions:

How do we deal with suffering that seems to have no meaning or purpose? What is it about the suffering of the young, or those who seem undeserving of pain that is so hard for us spiritually? What difference does it make that suffering have a meaning to it? In what ways can we participate in finding meaning in suffering? What is the difference between seeking meaning in the midst of pain or suffering and trying to justify bad things happening?

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Sermon:           “Who Am I Supposed to Become?”     4th Sunday of Lent

Theme:            In seeking healing we seek God’s work to give more than freedom from illness, but a gift of wholeness, meaning, and fulfillment of God’s purpose as Christ’s people.

Purpose:          The congregation will examine themselves and seek to know their gifts and abilities for serving Christ as a way of moving beyond focus on illness.

Scriptures:       Psalm 130       I wait for the Lord, through whom comes hope for healing and wholeness.

Mark 2:1-12    Jesus heals the paralytic by forgiving his sins; so that God may be glorified.

Questions:

What gives our lives real meaning? What does it mean to us that our purpose is to “Glorify God and to enjoy relationship with Him?”  How do we work towards our healing and wholeness? In what ways is the process of being healed a spiritual journey? How do we handle times when illness causes us to feel “at war” with our bodies? How do we understand the relationship between our spiritual needs and our physical needs? What does sin have to do with illness?

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