Activate The Power Of Prayer
Made For A Miracle Sermon Series
March 18th, 2018
Fifth Sunday of Lent.
Rev. Dan is preaching.
Joshua 3:1-8
Prayer is powerful and it unlocks power.
In this chapter of the book, the author talks about the four dynamics of prayer. They are: 1) wait, 2) obey, 3) expect, and 4) act. Which of those four parts is currently missing from your prayer life? This week we will look at prayer as a power source to the miracles that God is trying to work through each one of us. My coach, Rev. Shane Bishop says this, “Prayer plants dynamite and evangelism detonates it. You can’t detonate what has not been planted.” Let’s light the fuse on the prayers of God’s people as we work to be his miracle workers.
Activate The Power Of Faith
Made For A Miracle Sermon Series
March 11th, 2018
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Pastor Paul is preaching.
God’s love, when we finally recognize and take hold of it, inevitably leads to a new awakening.
Yet embracing God’s love is merely a launching point. God would have us know the joy of a transformed heart, and new purpose for a new life we now embark on with God. The motor that launches and sustains us on this new journey is called faith. Faith is a powerful force with endless potential, but it is also a quandary for many of us. How do we possess it, much less wield it? We aren’t the first to confront such questions. Peter confronted them all as he stepped off the edge of a boat to mosey across the surface of a lake. Let’s take a closer look.
The Miracle of Love
Made For A Miracle Sermon Series
March 4th, 2018
Third Sunday of Lent
Pastor Paul is preaching.
Luke 15:11-24
If we are, indeed, made to be a miracle reflecting God’s love and glory into the lives of others, we must first strive to understand and embrace God’s love and grace to the fullest extent for ourselves.
In “Made for a Miracle”, Mike Slaughter declares that “Everything begins with our own understanding of God’s unfailing, unconditional love.” Though a true appreciation for God’s love is beyond our reach in this world, our ability to experience His perfect plan for us is still dependent on soaking in and processing as much of His love as we possibly can. Luke’s account of the story of the Prodigal Son will be our guide as we take one more pass at delving deeper into God’s unconditional love for us.
Miracles Come With A Cost
Made For A Miracle Sermon Series
February 25th, 2018
Second Sunday of Lent
Rev. Dan is preaching.
Luke 12:13-21 and Luke 9:1-6
When we start to live a life that sees ourselves as made for a miracle, it means that some of our own priorities will and/or must fall by the wayside.
If we live lives that focus only on our own personal gain, wants, and desires, it is almost impossible to become the miracle in someone else’s life. What must we do to align our priorities with those of Jesus Christ in the world? Will we keep at it enough to trust in the Lord that when we live for him he will always take care of us? We just may have to rethink what “Take care of us” means for the rest of our lives.
You Were Made For A Miracle
Made For A Miracle Sermon Series
February 18th, 2018
First Sunday of Lent
Reverend Dan is preaching.
Luke 8:49-9:2
You were made for a miracle.
It’s not always easy to see ourselves as miracle workers. We don’t feel gifted, called, or equipped to perform miracles in the world. In fact, we would rather be recipients of the miracles than the deliverer of the miracle. If I am truly going to be a miracle worker, what must I do in my life? I just don’t see myself as a miracle worker right now so something must have to change in my life order for me to become one. What do I do next? Is there a next?
Ash Wednesday
February 14th, 2018
Ash Wednesday
Rev. Dan is preaching.
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
John Newton wrote the world famous hymn, “Amazing Grace.”
He could only pen those words after he was able to see himself as a wretch in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. There is a reason for the ashes in the shape of the cross on Christian’s foreheads this Ash Wednesday. The ashes symbolize the fact that we wholly and completely realize that we are sinners. The cross symbolizes the fact that it is Jesus Christ and his suffering, death and resurrection that ultimately set us free from our own sinfulness. Ashes and the cross. It is a journey from the ashes of Ash Wednesday to the empty tomb of Easter Sunday.
Welcome to Lent 2018.
Lent Sermon Series: Made For A Miracle
Did you know that you were made for a miracle?
In the Gospel of John Jesus says that we will do greater things than he has ever done. Jesus says it, about YOU! It’s hard to believe that you or I were made for a miracle but we were. What keeps us from seeing ourselves as miracle workers when Jesus tells us that we were made for a miracle?
In Lent 2018 we will be taking a journey on a path that leads us to seeing ourselves as miracle workers in the world. We will learn that miracles take two things and that miracles are not for us. Please join us this Lent on a journey that will lead you to be a person of miracles.
Below are the upcoming worship events for our season of Lent. To learn more about each sermon, please click on the sermon title!
February 14th, 2018: Ash Wednesday
February 18th, 2018: You Were Made For A Miracle
February 25th, 2018: Miracles Come With A Cost
March 4th, 2018: The Miracle of Love
March 11th, 2018: Activate the Power of Faith
March 18th, 2018: Activate the Power of Prayer
March 25th, 2018: Activate Health and Healing
March 29th, 2018 (Maundy Thursday): Love = Miracles
March 30th, 2018 (Good Friday): Prayer Reflection, & Communion
March 30th - April 1st, 2018: 24 Hour Prayer Vigil in the Chapel
April 1st, 2018 (Easter Sunday): What Do You Expect From Easter?
When Is It Finally My Turn?
The Land Sermon Series
February 11, 2018
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Rev. Dan is preaching.
John 5:1-15
In this text from John the paralyzed man kept wondering when it would be his time to be healed.
When would someone finally lift him into the pools of healing water? Healing was so close but yet it remained just out of his reach. When is it my turn? Have you ever asked that question? When will I get the great job? When is it my turn to get married? When will I get the big raise? When is it my turn? The man realized that it was not the waters that would heal him but an encounter with Jesus Christ. Maybe it’s not our turn because we have been waiting in the wrong line our whole lives. Maybe we have been looking in the wrong place and looking to the wrong person. How does everything change when we start the question with one word, “JESUS, when is it my turn?”
Church Rocks
The Land Sermon Series
February 4, 2018
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany.
Pastor Paul is preaching.
Matthew 16:13-20
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.”
These are the words of Jesus spoken to perhaps his most passionate follower during His ministry. Of this there is little question. A great deal of question surrounds this reference to a rock, however. Was Peter himself the rock? Was Jesus the rock? Was Jesus pointing to a rock as He spoke? Was Dwayne Johnson standing in close proximity (pop culture joke, if you don’t get it no worries!). Questions certainly abound with regard to this statement by Jesus. Now I don’t want to cheat you out of your own interpretation of this text. However, at least for me, these questions were all I answered as our tour group stood in the exact location Jesus was likely standing in as He spoke these words. I can’t wait to share “Church Rocks” as we launch this short sermon series. Don’t miss it.
Sermon Series - February 4th & 11th, 2018: The Land
Depending on how we approach it, God’s Word for us can be experienced as anything from empty words on a page to the very breath of life and source of all wisdom for our lives.
Numerous factors play a part in determining the nature of our encounter with Scripture. Do we come with open ears and expectant hearts? Are we willing to invite others to share their insights with us? Are we willing to do the work of true study, learning the historical and literary context in which the text was written? One additional privilege that serves to breathe even greater life into the text is a trip to the land itself, the sacred space that serves as its setting. Thanks to the generosity of this church and your investment in the growth of your leaders, your two pastors have been blessed to see and experience that land for themselves. While we’d love to have taken you ALL with us, we know this isn’t realistic. But we can do our best to bring Israel to you. Enjoy a short sermon series in which we seek to bring to life several passages based in locations we actually visited and experienced first-hand. Welcome to the Holy Land!
Forgotten Power
January 28, 2018
Fourth Sunday After The Epiphany
Rev. Dan Bogre is preaching.
Mark 1:21-28
When you were a child do you remember a certain toy?
Do you remember not playing with it for a while and then discovering a month or a year later? You forgot how much you loved it. That toy becomes brand new all over again and you remember. The problem is that we have forgotten that Jesus is powerful. He had the power to overcome death, cast out demons, rise from the grave, forgive our sins, and give us eternal life. Somehow we have forgotten the power of Jesus Christ in our lives and in this world. Forget superstitions, I have Jesus Christ in my heart. In today’s text the people are amazed that even the demons obey Jesus. Have we forgotten his power?
Into The Deep
January 21, 2018
Third Sunday After The Epiphany
Rev. Michael Teston is preaching.
Ezekiel 47:1-7/Luke 5:1-11
Is it “worth it?”
Do we grasp the realities around being part of the baptized? What might it mean to own that label, that brand? How might life look immersed, branded in the name? Have you wondered what it might mean to live in the deep end of life?
A Sky Full of Stars
January 14, 2018
Second Sunday After the Epiphany
Rev. Michael Teston is preaching.
Matthew 2:1-2/Jeremiah 31:12-13
Can you imagine the stars aligning for you in 2018?
Or will this be just another year to flip through the calendar X-ing out the days as fast as possible. It could be different you know, your journey into this new year. Maybe it’s time to get a fix on some new coordinates, maybe even open yourself to wonder as you wander into this new year. Let’s be clear, there will always be obstacles to the wonder of the new year ahead, but that didn’t stop those ancient travelers nor should it stop you.
Still Creating
January 7, 2018
Epiphany Sunday
Rev. Dan is preaching.
Genesis 1:1-5/Revelation 21:1-5
At the beginning of the Bible God creates.
In the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we hear, “Behold, I am making everything new.” As we enter 2018 do we realize that God is not done with us? For some of us that makes us happy and for others that makes us sad. Does knowing that God is not finished making you new make you happy or sad? Does it frustrate you or excite you to know that in God’s eyes you are not a finished product. We have been and always will be clay in the Potter’s hands. In 2018 will you let him keep making you new? What will “new” look like for you this year?
The Rest of the Story
CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP - Lighting the Christ Candle.
2017 Advent Sermon Series: Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph
Luke 2:1-20
There is so much more to the story of Jesus than just his birth in the manger.
Christmas Eve is just a snapshot of Jesus and who he was and is to the world. Is that the type of faith that we have in him? Is our faith in Christ just a snapshot in our lives when things are really bad or really good? Joseph lived a life that was FAITHFUL so that generations who would come after him would live in faith. So many times his story could have gone in some other direction which would have changed our stories forever. What will the rest of your story look like after Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem again this year? Is Jesus just a snapshot or is your life now all about the story?
The Journeys that Choose Us
December 24, 2017: Last Sunday of Advent - Lighting the candle of LOVE.
2017 Advent Series: Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph
Pastor Paul is preaching.
Luke 2:1-5
For Jesus, life would both begin and end following a journey from the region of Galilee south into Judea.
Journeys often serve as book ends, or at the least defining moments in our lives. Most of Jesus’ defining journeys in life were ones He never would have chosen. Perhaps we can relate to Jesus in this way. Yet this doesn’t stop the journeys from choosing us. Let us consider together the journey Joseph faithfully guided his wife and unborn child on. No doubt, it will be marked by plenty of displeasures. Maybe your journeys have been defined by great agony or distress as well. Yet while God has no desire to see us face trial, sometimes it is life’s most epic journeys that provide our greatest “coming of age” moments. And all the more when we have our eyes open to God’s providence working in our midst.
But I Am Afraid...
December 17, 2017: Third Sunday in Advent - Lighting of the candle of JOY.
2017 Advent Sermon Series: Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph
Rev. Dan is preaching.
Matthew 1:18-21
Don’t be afraid? Are you kidding me?
The angel has just told Joseph that the son Mary is about to have was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that he is going to save the world from all their sins. He then tells Joseph to not be afraid. How can Joseph not be afraid after hearing that news? As if Mary being pregnant and knowing that he was not the father wasn’t bad enough, Joseph now is told by an angel that this baby is going to save the world. When God reaches right into the midst of our everyday, normal stories, things always change. They will always change for the better but it is scary. That is why the angel started with the words, “Do not be afraid.” When is the last time you were afraid of doing something for God in your life? Maybe this Christmas it’s time for all of us to hear the angel comfort us as we live into God’s call in our lives to be FAITHFUL.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
December 10, 2017: Second Sunday in Advent - Lighting the Candle of Peace
2017 Advent Series: Faithful: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph
Rev. Dan is preaching.
Matthew 1:18-19
Can you even imagine what was going through Joseph’s mind when Mary gave him the news that she was pregnant?
I cannot imagine all of the thoughts and options that were running through his mind. He has not been visited yet by the angel to tell him what is truly taking place. He is left to his own thoughts, fears, angers, and frustrations. What would we do in that situation and where would we turn in order to remain FAITHFUL throughout the whole ordeal?
A Man Without A Name
December 3: First Sunday of Advent - Lighting the candle of HOPE
Communion Sunday
2017 Advent Series
Rev. Dan is preaching.
Matthew 13:53-58
In the text today from Matthew, the people don’t even mention Joseph’s name.
They just ask, “Isn’t he the carpenter’s son?” They do not call him Joseph. They just call him the carpenter. Is that what that community thought of Joseph? Did Joseph let the views of others shape the view he had of himself or was he able to remain faithful to God and to the call God gave him to raise his son? We live in a world today where social media can paint quite a picture of each of us whether that picture is the truth or not. Do we allow the views of others to compromise the people that God created us to be as we live FAITHFUL?