Sermons

Wrestling with God and with issues of faith will change us. However difficult, it is important to engage in that struggle, and God stands ready to meet us.

Prayer that is persistent, has the right priorities, and is rooted in God's power can truly transform our faith and the way we live.

This series looks at the songs ancient pilgrims used to sing as they made their way to Jerusalem.. When Judah and Israel were conquered their people were sent out all over the ancient world. This was called the Diaspora, or dispersion. Three times a year, Pentecost, Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, Jews from various parts of the world would celebrate religious feasts by making pilgrimages to Jerusalem, to worship in the Temple. As they walked up the hill toward the Temple they would sing Psalms 120-134, the "Songs of Ascent."

A half-truth is a deception of sorts. Christians commonly express beliefs that are true in part without conveying the whole picture, and often the missing parts make a big difference. This series explores the rest of the story for five such concepts.

The message of Jesus depends on the Resurrection. How would our lives be different if it had never happened?

The church is a hospital for sinners and sufferers, a place for imperfect people. It is the imperfect people who join in the procession shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"

One of Jesus' favorite teaching methods was the parable, and parables in Matthew address a favorite subject, the Kingdom. Over the centuries his parables have been subject to extremes of interpretation, both overly allegorical and overly simplistic. In reality Jesus used parables to both reveal and conceal important information, depending on who was listening.

We are engaged in a struggle of far more importance than the Super Bowl contest.

Even our anger and complaining may make God smile with patience because he knows what he has for his faithful people, which is here and still to come.

There are many words or concepts key to Christian faith that we don't like to talk about much. This short series examines three of them.

This is the perfect time to take a look at our faith life and to re-commit to God.

Many of us dread this time of year because it has stopped being about what it should be about, focusing instead on greed and materialism. This series connects to the Advent Conspiracy movement (www.adventconspiracy.org), which seeks to restore the meaning of Christmas.