Month: April 2019

Sermon:           “Jesus Comes to Us”  

Theme:            Jesus makes his presence known to all who seek to know him and seek him.        

Purpose:          The congregation will continue to seek Christ’s presence in their lives.      

Scriptures:       Revelation 1:4-8          Jesus will come with the clouds and proclaims he is the beginning and the end, the Almighty.

                        John 20:19-31 Jesus appears to the disciples, and again appears to Thomas.

Questions

What do we need to experience so that we can receive the resurrection with all of its meaning? How do we see our lives differently through the confidence of the power of God to overcome death? What do we need in order to take the resurrection seriously in our perspective towards the problems and fears that we face? In what ways does Christ become for us a source of strength and confidence over all of the evil that is in the world? How can we participate in the reign of Christ that overthrows the powers of evil and darkness in the world?

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Sermon:           “Why are You Weeping?”      

Theme:            The gift of Easter is a promise of resurrection life that renews us in hope and restores us to a constant anticipation of God’s renewal.       

Purpose:          The Congregation will renew their hope in Christ.   

Scriptures:       1 Corinthians 15:19-26           Christ is the first fruits of resurrection and our source of eternal life.

                        John 20:1-18   The empty tomb, Jesus appears to Mary.

Questions:

What does the resurrection really mean to us? How does the gift of Christ’s resurrection make a difference in our fears and worries? How can we receive the resurrection as more than a theological or traditional event? How can we receive the resurrection as a sign of God’s power to overcome death? What difference does it make to us to orient our lives around God’s love and power?  How can we participate with Christian’s throughout the ages in the triumph of the resurrection over the forces of death and evil?

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Sermon:           “Choosing: The Past or the Future?” 

Theme:            God invites us to lay aside our past history and accounts against one another and to instead extend grace to one another.

Purpose:          The congregation will intentionally practice grace and forgiveness rather than holding onto the grievances of the past.    

Scriptures:       2 Corinthians 5:16-21 We no longer regard others from a human point of view, all have become new in Christ.

                        Luke 15:1-3, 11-32      The parable of the Prodigal Son and the older brother, a story of forgiveness and struggling to choose love over resentment.

Questions:

What does it mean for us to cease to see people from a human point of view? How do we open our minds and hearts to seeing people differently? Does forgiveness mean that we allow others to take advantage of us? How do we practice grace and forgiveness while at the same time recognizing healthy boundaries and wisdom in relationships? How is the story of the Prodigal Son a story of God’s grace and our need to develop healthy relationships?

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