Month: April 2018

Sermon:           Strength Flows From Christ

Theme:            Our real source of strength and confidence flows from knowledge of God and love which that knowledge creates within our hearts.

Purpose:          The congregation will examine their source of strength and need to practice love in order to know confidence.

Scriptures:       1 John 4:7-21  There is no fear in love, we must love one another because God is love.

John 15:1-8     Jesus says: I am the true vine, abide in me.

Questions:

What does Jesus mean when he says that he is the vine and we are the branches? How do we connect to God as our source for strength and wisdom? In what ways does God’s love flow through us in fellowship and mutual support for one another? What impact does judgement, bitterness, and resentment play in interfering with our strength and confidence? What is meant that “perfect love casts out fear?” How do we come to know and practice that perfect love?

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The parables in Luke 15 are about noticing what is lost and going on a search to find it. Those of us with the most have the most to lose. Would we notice who or what is missing from that which we have? And if someone is missing, are you willing to do whatever it takes to get them back?

Scripture Readings

First reading: Luke 15:1-10

Second: Luke 15:11-16, 25-32

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Sermon:           “In Defense of Doubt”

Theme:            Our faith is shaped through walking with Christ and experiencing the living gift of God’s presence in our lives.

Purpose:          The congregation will open themselves to the experience of exploring faith and doubt.

Scriptures:       1 John 1:1-2:2 God is light, in him is no darkness, and we have fellowship through Jesus death and resurrection.

John 20:19-31 Jesus appears to the disciples and offers the Holy Spirit.

Questions:

What role has doubt played in your own faith? In what ways has your faith changed and evolved in the course of your life? What would you want to share with someone who is in a time of transition or change in their faith?  What difference does fellowship with other Christians play in growing closer to God through doubt? How should we develop an attitude of exploration and curiosity that builds our faith?

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Sermon:           “This is Our Good News!”

Theme:            The resurrection is the message of God’s love and justice overcoming everything, including death so that we live in confidence and unending joy.

Purpose:          The congregation will embrace the meaning of the resurrection for their own life.

Scriptures:       1 Corinthians 15:1-11 The testimony of witnesses to the resurrection.

John 20:1-18   The story of the resurrection

Questions:

What does the resurrection mean to us today? How can we live as those whose confidence comes from God’s victory over death and suffering? How do we put the challenges and problems that we and those whom we love face into a perspective that is shaped by the promise of the resurrection? What is God seeking to teach us in and through the resurrection in practical terms? What can we do to face the challenges we experience of death and suffering with confidence and peace?

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