Theme:            We submit our will to listen to God’s will and find joy in aligning our desires with God’s will in the world around us.

Purpose:          The congregation will explore the process of humbling selfishness in order to find satisfaction and joy in God’s will.

Scriptures:       Romans 8:18-30          We do not consider the sufferings of the present times worth comparing what will be revealed. All things work together for Good for those in Christ Jesus.

                        Luke 12:13-31 Parable of the wealthy man, seek first the Kingdom of God.

Questions: How do we know what God’s will really is? Is God’s will more than that we live by the laws and rules of the bible or is there something more? Who decides what the will of God is on earth? In the flood, God willed that an event that killed a lot of people, does that mean that God will for bad things to happen in the world today? What difference does it mean that we pray together for God’s will? What do we need to do as God’s people together in order to be faithful to God’s will?

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Theme:            We need to experience the gift of sacred space and holiness in order to know God’s presence in a powerful and mysterious way.   

Purpose:          The congregation will explore where they experience what is sacred and holy in their lives.

Scriptures:       Hebrews 10:19-25       We are cleansed to enter together into worship.

Acts 2:1-21      The Holy Spirit pours out on all people, enabling glorifying God in every language.

Questions: What does Pentecost mean to us today? What does it mean to share the Holy Spirit in our lives together? What is the holiness of God? What does it mean to hold God’s name in holiness? Does that mean we should not swear or is it something more? In what ways does God’s holiness affect our perspective about the world around us? How is it important that we have some things sacred together? How does God’s Holy Spirit renew what is sacred in our relationships with one another? How does the holiness of God’s Name and Pentecost draw us together as one people?

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Theme:          We come to a relationship with a heavenly father that provides healing and becomes our source of confidence in the world.

Purpose:         The congregation will consider their experience with “father” and will seek to know God as a healthy heavenly father.

Scriptures:     Romans 8:31-39           Spirit of God intercedes, Abba Father.

                        Matthew 6:5-8            Your Father knows what you need before you pray.

Questions: Who is our “Heavenly Father?” What does it mean to call God “Father?” How does our relationship with our earthly father affect our relationship with God as father? Is God really masculine or is it a parenting relationship? How do we relate to God as a healthy father – child relationship? How do we learn to find joy in our sharing God as our Father together? What do we need to imagine or picture in our mind to find God’s presence comforting and reassuring?

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Theme:            God calls us to be in fellowship in order to grow in faith together.  

Purpose:          The congregation will understand their need for one another in relationship together.    

Scriptures:       1 Corinthians 12:12-17 Just as the body is one and has many members, so we are all one body.

                        Luke 11:1-4 The disciples ask Jesus to tach them to pray.

Questions:

Why do we say the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday? Why do we say “our” instead of “my?” Where does the Lord’s prayer come from? Why is it different in Luke than in Matthew? What difference does it make that we say it in worship? What difference does it make when we worship together?

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Sermon:           “Signs of Christ’s Reign”         

Theme:            The reign of Christ is seen in the way in which we share God’s forgiveness, love, healing, and peace.

Purpose:          The people will seek to submit their relationships to Christ’s love and healing.      

Scriptures:       Revelation 21:1-6        The reign of God brings healing and reconciliation to all people.

                        John 13:31-35 Jesus commands that we love one another, and that is how we are known as his disciples.

Questions:

What does it mean to us that Jesus’ command was to love one another? In what ways are our relationships with one another as Christians a sign to the world of the reign of God? How do we reflect the sacrifice that Christ has made in our relationships with one another? How do we practice a relationship which recognizes God’s love which cares for every tear of His beloved children? What does it mean to us that it is the desire of God to make His home among “mortals?” What does this say about the way we view the weaknesses and challenges that those near us are struggling?

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Guest Preacher: Chaplain Darren Beachy

Pleading the 5th:
Honor Our Father and Mother

Scripture readings:
Ephesians 6:1-9
Exodus 20:1-12

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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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