Sermon: “Because He Is Risen…”
Theme: By Christ’s rising from the dead we are freed from our bondage to the past and our fears of the future.
Purpose: The congregation will celebrate and rejoice in the gift of the resurrection.
Scriptures: Isaiah 25:6-9 On this day we receive a feast of gladness because death no longer has power over us.
John 20:1-18 Christ is raised and witnessed by Mary.
Questions:
What is different in our lives because of the gift of Christ’s resurrection from the dead? What is the difference between “resurrection” and “resuscitation?” How is our perspective on life changed by the knowledge that death has been defeated? What becomes our purpose in life as people who have the message of hope over death to share? What can we do to truly celebrate the resurrection?

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Sermon: “Humbly, Riding on a Donkey”
Theme: Christ comes to us in humility, and we know Christ when we take on the same lowliness and servanthood.
Purpose: The congregation will seek to know Christ through setting pride aside and seeking to live faithfully.
Scriptures: Mark 11:1-11 The Palm Sunday Procession into Jerusalem.
Philippians 2:5-11 Have this same mind that was in Christ Jesus.

Questions:
Why did Jesus choose to ride a donkey into Jerusalem at that time? Did he know that he was fulfilling a prophecy or did it just happen that way? Why did everyone get so excited about Jesus coming to Jerusalem that day? In what ways did Jesus contrast with other leaders of the same time? What difference does it make to us if we seek to be humble and willing to serve God? Is servanthood still something worth practicing?

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Sermon: Too Broken to Pray
Theme: Prayer is a relationship with God that at times transcends words, and at times is challenged by not conforming to our will. “Thy will be done.”
Purpose: The congregation will recognize that we pray to a God that does not conform to our will yet loves and walks with us at all times.
Scriptures: Romans 8:26-30 We don’t know how to pray, but God has determined that we will be conformed to the image of the son.
Mark 14:26-42 Jesus prays that the cup pass, disciples cannot stay awake to pray.
Hebrews 4:14-16 Jesus has been tested in all ways that we have been, grace in time of need.

Questions:
How do we handle the times when we are too upset or angry to pray? Does God become angry with us when our prayers are selfish or angry? What if we accidently pray something that is not good for us? Will God punish us if we tell God off or pray in a disrespectful manner? Why do some feel the need to pay in very formal ways? What does it mean when we say in the Lord’s prayer: “Thy will be done?” Do we really want God’s will or are we at times just being polite?

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Daylight Savings Time
Sermon: “Unanswered Prayer?”
Theme: As Christians we are at times challenged by prayers that are unanswered, or events that cause us fear and doubt.
Purpose: The congregation will understand prayer as a living relationship with a sovereign God that at times is difficult.
Scriptures: Luke 18:1-8 Parable of the unjust judge
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 Pray without ceasing, do the work of God.

Questions:
Why do some of our prayers go unanswered? Did we do something wrong or is there another reason why prayers that seem so right do not result in what we believe should take place? How do we “Pray without ceasing?” Is God really like an unjust judge that doesn’t care or was Jesus trying to make some other point? What does persistence accomplish with prayer? Does persistence actually wear God down to our point of view or does it change things for us somehow?

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Sermon: “And When You Pray”
Theme: Prayer is a practice that we work on individually as we grow in our relationship with God.
Purpose: Recognizing the value of prayer, the congregation will seek to develop their prayer practices.
Scriptures: Matthew 6:5-8 Pray in silence, and God knows what you need before you ask.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Paul describes the height and depth of spiritual experiences.

Questions:
What do we need to do in order to be good at praying? Are there particular tricks or techniques that make prayer work? What does it mean to have a strong and healthy prayer life? In what ways is prayer about experiences? What should we feel when we pray? If we don’t really feel differently, does it mean we are not praying correctly? Why should we pray since God already knows what we want before we ask?

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Sermon: “Those Who Pray”
Theme: The people who live by prayer will practice discernment and seek wisdom from God.
Purpose: To recognize that Christians are serious about prayer, because it is our sole source of strength and wisdom.
Scriptures: Matthew 7:12-20 Beware the easy way, you will know them by their fruits.
Isaiah 6:7-10 We live in a generation that is slow to listen and hesitant to open themselves to what God is saying.

Questions:
Do we take prayer seriously? Is prayer for us a source of strength and direction or tradition? Do we actually listen for God to speak to us? Are we prepared to be changed by prayer? Are we willing to see ourselves differently and make changes in our lives as a result of a powerful prayer life? Are our doubts and questions about prayer because we don’t know how to use prayer effectively in our own lives?

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Sermon: “Sick with Envy”
Theme: Envy kills us by constantly robbing us of our ability to see or appreciate the image of God within us.
Purpose: To see that a healthy self-image begins with practicing kindness and acceptance of others.
Scriptures: Matthew 20:1-16 Parable of the Laborers in the vineyard.
Galatians 5:16-21 Do not gratify the flesh and give into the works of the flesh.

Questions:
How does envy make us sick? How is our ability to love and accept love affected by envy? What is God’s desire for our self-image? How is envy an attack both on others and on our souls? In what ways is envy a lack of trust in God? How do we deal with our envy? What is the source of our emotional attacks of envy? How can we reduce our envy?

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Sermon: “Be Angry, but Do Not Sin”
Theme: Wrath is when we allow our anger to run our lives, define our relationships, and destroy our ability to grow in love and fellowship.
Purpose: The congregation will become sensitive to the destructive power of wrath and practice the discipline of releasing hostility through patience.
Scriptures: Ephesians 4:26-5:2 Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Be angry but do not sin.
Matthew 5:21-26 Do not be angry with your brother or sister or be prepared to pay the judgment.

Questions:
Is there a difference between wrath and anger? What happens when we are hostile and angry for a long period of time? What affect does our anger have on our relationship with God? What affect does our hostility have on the people who are near us? Can we actually control our anger? What do we have to do in order to be people who have a healthy relationship with our anger?

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Gluttony vs. Temperance (Moderation)
Sermon: “Never Enough To Fill Us”
Theme: Gluttony is the sin of using something tangible such a food or possessions to create feelings of being worthy, and valuable. Gluttony causes us to starve to death spiritually while being smothered and buried physically.
Purpose: The congregation will understand Gluttony and will begin to see the patterns in themselves so that they may be free.
Scriptures: Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus.
Galatians 5:1, 13-15 Be free, do not use your freedom for self-indulgence.

Questions:
What causes us to become gluttonous? What happens when we begin to try and fill the void in our hearts with meaningless things? How do we address the sin of gluttony in ourselves before it kills us? How do we move forward to drawing our value and purpose from our knowledge of Christ and our meaningful relationships? What is temperance and how do we really use it as a spiritual discipline to bring growth and healing in our lives?

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Sloth vs. Commitment
Sermon: “Love and Serve”

Theme: God calls us to commit our way to serving Christ and to be willing to use our time to glorify God.

Purpose: The congregation will understand that serving God is not about “looking busy” but about discerning the will of God and living by that will.

Scriptures: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Those who will not work should not eat, but do not tire of doing what is right.
Matthew 7:21-29 The house that is built on the rock as opposed to building on sand.

Questions:
What is sloth? Is it possible to be busy, and doing a lot of things, but at the same time not using your time in a healthy manner? In what ways is sloth destructive? Why are we always too busy to serve God? Why is sloth a problem in terms of enabling us to grow in our faith? How do we learn to practice service and submitting our time to God? Why is it some who think they are doing many things that are important find out that they are actually serving their own ego and not serving Christ?

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Pride vs. Humility

Sermon: “Destructive Pride” 8:00 Baptism

Theme: The sin of pride is to place our own will above God’s and in that way to destroy our relationship with God.

Purpose: To examine what it means to be humble versus what it means to be absorbed with our own will.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 8:2-5, 12-14, 17-19 Warning against the destructive power of Pride.
James 4:5-12 Humble yourselves and banish pride so that you may be close to God.
Mark 7:18-23 It is from within the heart that evil intentions come.

Questions:
What is the difference between having a good image of yourself, and the sin of pride? In what ways does pride actually hurt anyone else? What does humility have to do with a healthy self-image and healthy relationships? How does pride make it impossible to trust and appreciate God’s presence? What are the destructive powers of pride in the world around us? How are arrogance, selfishness, and unforgiveness related to the sin of pride?

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Lust vs. Chastity

Sermon:  The Destructive Power of Lust

Theme: We destroy our relationships through lust when we reduce another human being from being the “image of God” to a commodity, property, or something that functions only for our gratification.

Purpose: To sensitize the congregation to what makes a “monster” and to recognize the significance of what sin does in our lives.

Scriptures:  Matthew 5:27-30 Everyone who looks with lust has already sinned in their heart;
James 1:2-4, 12-17 Temptation is not to ruin us, but to teach us wholeness.

Questions:
What is lust really? In what ways is it destructive to see people as property or as tools for our own benefit? Is lust destructive if we just “keep it to ourselves?” Or does lust create a monster within us, that damages relationships and causes us to be in conflict with God? What does it mean to practice “chastity?” Is chastity more than just keeping our minds off of things we shouldn’t think about? Does chastity have more to do with having a healthy view of the people around us?

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