Things to Ponder

Sermon Text: Romans 12:1-5

 

While the gospel is a message of what Christ has done for us, it can only be fully understood as it is lived, and the Church's responsibility is to witness to that love in the same cruciform way. As Christ gave his body, so we give our bodies. This is what Paul stresses when he writes "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice." And we know this changes lives because someone did that for you - someone gave of themself and witnessed to you so that you could witness to others. So let's do our shared work as a church looking for those who need that love and support.

 

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Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-7

 

Pastor Sam stumbled across a social media post that claimed that the main tenet of each religion is basically the same., "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." While there's value to understanding the similarities of religion and the humanity of those who practice them, we also do well to discover what is distinct about Christianity. That distinctiveness we call the gospel - Christ crucified, buried, resurrected, and living today. That is the core of our faith, and is the key to understanding it all - even love.

 

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Sermon Text: Luke 19:1-10

 

What does a life – shaped by Kingdom realities, priorities, and values – look like? How do we worship here and go to work on Monday? We can't do it i the style of Babylon; it begins by waiting. Waiting leads to discipline, and discipline leads to passion. And that is a recipe for a vibrant life of God.

 

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Sermon Text: Galatians 2

 

We celebrated a baptism today, which intersected nicely with Turntable. If baptism is to mean anything, it has to help us live well, which means it has to be able to speak love and hope to us on our worst days. So we "learn a hard lesson" at the baptismal font, that we are crucified with Christ. But in that death, we know that Christ accompanies us always, and whispers love and hope throughout our life.

 

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Sermon Text: Romans 57:15-24

 

Armed with the most wonderful story in the world, why is it that so few believers seem to live as if it makes a difference? Truth is, it's really hard to move into the new life of Christ. As U2 sings, we find ourselves unsteady and unsure. The path forward? To keep practicing the new life, doing the small things that keep us moving forward, trusting that God is bringing the new life inside of us to fruition. Just keep singing.

 

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Sermon Text:  Romans 5, Psalm 40

 

This song moves our conversation about "Babylon" from the global to the personal. Babylon makes false promises, and yet there's this nagging sense of hope, that things can be different. In Romans, Paul teaches us that in Adam, we are all fallen, but in the second Adam, Christ, we are all made new. This is reflected in the Editors lyrics - our "broken hearts" of shame are turned into the "broken hearts" of freedom and joy. And as a church, we are called to share that new life with others.

In our Bonus Content, we talk about a simple prayer that can help us tell this deeper truth - the truth about Christ, and the truth about ourselves - and how this prayer can move from confession to rejoicing.  Let us introduce you to the Jesus Prayer.

 

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Sermon Text: Isaiah 21; Luke 4

 

This song is taken right from Isaiah 21, where Isaiah pronounces judgment on Babylon. Babylon is one of the major themes of the entire Bible. What is Babylon? Why is she judged? And what does it mean to live faithfully in the midst of her? Into the midst of another Babylon - Rome - just comes and shows us an entirely new Kingdom.

 

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Sermon Text: 1 Chronicle 16:7-15; Psalm 42

 

Last week, we celebrated a baptism. This week: do you remember your baptism? Baptism makes present the reality it proclaims - the cross of Christ and new life! If it is so core to our identity, we cannot allow it to become a distant memory or an old certificate. We must remember regularly. And when we do, God transforms us.

 

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Sermon Text: Matthew 3:13-17

 

Today, we celebrated the baptism of Everett! So we wondered about the sacrament of baptism: what is the truest thing about us? At its core, baptism is a desire to say unequivocally the truest thing about you, That you are the beloved child of God. Full stop. And that is why we baptize children. We want to say it before anyone else whispers anything else to you. Before you decided to follow Jesus, Jesus decided to follow you, and called you, and seeks to lavish on you grace and mercy and peace and growth and discipleship and the very Kingdom of God.

 

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Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 17; Matthew 14:13-21

 

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