Sermon: “Seeing Christ in Each Person”

Theme: Faithfully following Christ calls us to confront our own partiality and seek to be welcoming, accepting, and compassionate towards all people.

Purpose: The congregation will examine and consider how they judge and condemn

Scriptures: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Faithfulness requires honesty and respect for all.
James 2:1-13 Being partial towards people who have signs of wealth or power is not living in Christ’s love.

Questions:
In what ways do we tend to prejudge people? What are some of our weaknesses in reacting favorably or unfavorably towards people’s appearance or other mannerisms? In what ways do we need to be active in recognizing our bias and prejudice? What can we do to offset those attitudes? When is it that we have opportunities to grow in love and acceptance, particularly towards those who appear in a manner that is challenging for us? What can we do in order to be more welcoming and compassionate towards individuals whom we have previously prejudged?

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Sermon: “One Can Only Run So Far”

Theme: The story of Jacob and the Angel is the story of having to face one’s own faults and experience God’s steadfast love in the midst of our humanity.

Purpose: The congregation will understand that God’s desire is not just that we participate in spiritual practices but that we live in healthy relationships as God intended.

Scriptures: 1 John 3:18-24 Let us love not just in words but in truth.
Genesis 32:1-32 Jacob prepares to meet Esau, and wrestles all night with an “angel”.

Questions:
What does it mean to wrestle with God? Jacob’s wrestling began when he no longer could run away from his problems. How does wrestling with God differ from just fretting over our worries? How does wrestling with God’s message lead to a change of life? In the wrestling match God “injured” Jacob by taking away his ability to run away. In what ways do we need our ability to run away eliminated in order that we may grow in faith and knowledge? How does wrestling with God move us from people who “love in word or speech” to becoming people who love in deed? How does wrestling with God become an important part of moving to a new and deeper level of living faithfully?

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Churchnic (Outdoor worship and cookout Bring something to share) Communion.

Sermon: “Washing Away the Corruption”

Theme: God brought an end to the era of extreme corruption while showing grace in the midst of disaster.

Purpose: The congregation will understand the story of Noah as a story of God’s righteousness and human fallen nature; and will look at themselves as the recipients of grace and forgiveness.

Questions:
Why did God have to destroy humanity in order to end sin? What was the purpose of the flood? Why did God need Noah, couldn’t God have done things without a human doing the “hard work?” Did it work? Does it appear that God has emotions and responses that we don’t tend to see God as having today? Did God make mistakes in creating humanity in the way that they were created? What does this story say about judgment and grace? What does this story say about the accountability of humanity as opposed to the accountability of individuals? Are there sins of the whole of humanity as opposed to sins of individuals? What’s the difference?

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Sermon: Becoming Who We are Called to Be
Theme: The call of Abram was not a story of heroic discipline but of simple faithfulness.
Purpose: To understand that often we begin our journeys of faith not knowing what we are actually doing.
Scriptures:  Hebrews 11:8-19, 39-40 By faith God acted through Abraham, but the promise was not perfected in them at that time.
Genesis 12:1-9 The Lord Calls Abram.

Questions:
Why was it necessary for Abram to separate from his family and his culture in order that God could do something new? How do we learn to be willing to walk by faith? Is it possible for us to encounter God in new ways without sacrificing something which we currently hold dear? Is it possible to be renewed and transformed without being willing to experience significant changes? In what ways was Abram a man of faith? In what ways was Abram just following small, simple steps? What does it mean to us that the covenant was given to Abram and Sarai? What does that covenant mean to us today? Why did Abram and Sarai have to go through a “name change” in order to complete the process of receiving God’s promise to them?

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Sermon: “What Went Wrong?”
Theme: To understand that the story is one explaining the difference between being in relationship with God and not being in relationship with God.
Purpose: For the congregation to appreciate the call to know God and grow in God’s love.
Scriptures: Romans 5:12-14, 18-21 Sin entered the world through Adam, but grace abounds.
Genesis3:1-24 Story of the first man and the first woman and the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.

Questions:
What does “The Tree of the Life” mean to us? What does “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” mean to us? In what ways does innocence have to be lost in order to gain knowledge? Is it possible to know about evil without being stained by it? Is it possible to know about good without having had some encounter of evil? Is naive innocence better than wounded wisdom? How has the gift of forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice healed our separation from God and from one another? In what ways is the gaining of knowledge at the cost of relationships? What causes us to experience shame?

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Sermon: “Faith Tested by Fire”
Theme: At times our faith calls us to stand up to trials and conflicts that in the end will strengthen us and draw us closer to God.
Purpose: The congregation will understand that faith put into action becomes stronger and enables us to know Christ more fully.
Scriptures: 1 Peter 1:3-9 We rejoice even though we may suffer various trials.
Daniel 3:1-7, 13-30 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the fiery furnace.

Questions:
What does it mean for us to have our faith “tested by fire?” What role does standing firm in the face of adversity play in our coming to know Christ more fully? Is it possible to have a deep and meaningful faith without at times encountering opposition? How do we deal with opposition and challenges in ways that are respectful and filled with the love of Christ? In what ways is Christ especially revealed to us in the midst of the “fires” we face? What are some of the times when people of God have been tested throughout history, and in what ways have their faith shown out as a result?

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Sermon: “Are We on God’s Side?”
Theme: God is on the side of righteousness, justice, and peace rather than on the side of power or might.
Purpose: The congregation will recognize that power and authority bring responsibility.
Scriptures: 1 Samuel 17:4-11, 31-40, 45-47. David meets Goliath’s threats with faith in God and using his own capabilities.
Romans 12:3-8 Let each person use the faith and gifts that they have been given.

Questions:
What is the real message of the story of David defeating Goliath? How is it we always see ourselves as the “David” in these stories when most of us are the more powerful and influential people in the world? What warnings should we take from this story (as we recognize our own power and influence)? What is the story really about? What should we learn about David’s claim that faithfulness and trust in God are what will bring victory rather than might or power? Do we focus more on faithfulness? Or we more interested in “Might and Power?”

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Sermon: “The Cost of Arrogance”
Theme: Samson did not recognize that his strength flowed from his relationship with God, and this forced a journey of restoration.
Purpose: The congregation will understand that our power and strength needs to come from our relationship with God.
Scriptures:  Judges 16:4-22 Samson falls in love with Delilah and she betrays him.
Matthew 10:16-22, 34-39 Jesus warns the disciples of betrayal, and rejection, that those who will follow have to set relationship with God above all else.
Questions:
Why do we retell the story of Samson and Delilah, especially to children, when it is a story of such deceit and bloodshed? Was Samson just not very intelligent in his relationships or was God in some way using his lack of ability to restrain himself? What does it mean to be so personally devoted to God as a Nazerite? How is it that some people are so focused on personal devotion that they are not able to see what impact their decisions have on others? How can God use such a violent and unrestrained man as Samson? Was it a good thing that he killed so many Philistines? What is with the conflict between the Philistines and the Judean people? How has our view changed of how to bring peace?

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Sermon: “On the Way to Nineveh”
Theme: The sin of Jonah was to treasure his resentment more than God.
Purpose: We become aware of how we justify our hostility and resentment in place of faithfulness to God.
Scriptures: Jonah 1:1-6, 1:15-2:10 Jonah is swallowed up by the Whale and spewed out.
Matthew 7:21-23 Some will say they are faithful but will not act in the knowledge of God.

Questions:
What is the difference between having “strong convictions” and being stubborn? Jonah’s prejudice against the people of Nineveh got in the way of his relationship with God. Do we ever do that? Are there times when our unforgiveness, prejudice, or other grudges make want to defy God’s direction to us? Why did God use such extreme means to return Jonah to the path He had set for Jonah? Was that for the benefit of Jonah or for the Ninevites? Why did God choose Jonah even though God knew Jonah hated the people of Nineveh? Are there ever times God will call us to go or do things so that our attitudes will be changed?

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Sermon: The Lions You Will Face
Theme: Daniel’s decision as to how to live his life meant that he was in danger of losing it.
Purpose: To see in Daniel’s story that he had to choose what manner of life he was going to live, and to claim a life that is full rather than one that complied with other’s expectations.
Scriptures:  Daniel 6:1-28 Daniel thrown in the lion’s den.
Romans 8:31-39 What will separate us from the love of Christ?

Questions:
What is the cost of our being faithful to God and true to ourselves? When are we tested and tried, to prove what we believe and to hold fast to our values? What kind of person never has their values or beliefs tested? What is the difference between holding true to our beliefs or values, and being stubborn as we refuse to question or to grow? How do we learn to be people who know what to hold fast to, and where to compromise? What are the values that we will never compromise upon?

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