Sermon:           “Change is the Only Constant”

Theme:            We are always in process, and accept our partial understanding and growth as a part of our relationship with Christ.

Purpose:          The congregation will understand and accept we are in a constant process of growing and change.

Scriptures:       Romans 12:1-5            Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Matthew 11:25-30      Wisdom comes from God, Jesus invites us to take his yoke and his burden.

Questions:

What do we mean that we are reformed and reforming? What happens when faith does not have room to change and to adapt to the changes in the world around us? How do we know when to remain firm and when to be open to changes? How do we handle when some have let go of beliefs and perspectives that we still hold firmly? How does a strong relationship with Christ enable us to know when to be open to change? How does a weak relationship with Christ cause us to become stubborn and unwilling to recognize the changes happening around us?

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Sermon:           “What We Believe”     Theme Our faith calls us to unity and diversity, which is what makes us unique in that we are one body with many different ways of seeing what God is doing.

Purpose:          To affirm that we are diverse but brought together by the common love of Christ.

Scriptures:       John 13:31-34  I give you this commandment, that you love one another.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 I handed down to you what I in turn had received.

Questions:

Where do our beliefs about God come from? What are the authorities that we trust in order to believe? How do we handle other people holding beliefs that are different from ours? How can we be strong enough in our faith that we can allow others to see and believe differently from ourselves? Why do some attack other people’s beliefs while we are able to be respectful and open to different points of view?  How do we respond to those who are unwilling to be respectful and open to others?

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Sermon:           “We Trust in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior”

Theme:            We are defined by our relationship with Jesus as our guide and the one who provides us for all our needs.

Purpose:          The congregation will focus on our relationship with Christ as our primary guide and direction.

Scriptures:       Isaiah 43:1-7   The Lord God will be with us when we pass through trials and will provide for our needs.

Mark 9:14-29  The disciples were unable to do anything for the man’s son, and needed to be in prayer in order to have ability.

Questions:

What difference does it make that we trust in Jesus Christ? Do we trust more in money, influence, insurance policies, and power than we trust in Jesus Christ? Is Jesus Christ truly our Lord, the authority for the decisions we make individually and as a church? Or do we tend to trust in things we can control? In what ways are we practicing our faith so as to be in submission to Christ Jesus? In what ways do we need to change so that we can truly identify that we are serving Christ rather than our own egos or carrying out traditions?  In what ways are we like the disciples, needing to work more at prayer, fasting, and focusing on Christ in order to be effective in our work as a church?

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Sermon:           “The Word Became Flesh”

Theme:            Christ’s presence is a real experience of God’s loving power in a form that we can experience and we can be renewed through a living, fleshly presence of God.

Purpose:          The congregation will seek to become more engaged in Christ’s presence in their lives.

Scriptures:       Jeremiah 31:7-14        God promises to bring healing, peace, and consolation to all of the people.

John 1:1-18      The Word became flesh, and the experiences we have of God are through Word become flesh in our midst.

Questions:

What difference does Christmas make to us now that the presents have been unwrapped and the New Year has come? How do we experience God’s presence in our lives? What can we do to experience God more fully? What difference does it make that Jesus was born two thousand years ago? Are experiences of depression, sadness, anxiety, and fear a lack of faith? How do we come to know Christ as the “Word become flesh?”  What is our role in helping others to know and experience the presence of Christ as living human care?

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Click to listen to the Message by Rev. Paul Zoschke from December 27, 2015 – Finding Christ at Worship

Sermon:           “The Gift of a Shepherd

Theme:            God sends us direction and love so that we may joyfully participate in the reconciliation and justice that is from God.

Purpose:          The congregation will be open to direction in seeking justice and peace.

Scriptures:       Micah 5:2-5a   The Lord will send ones to shepherd the people and lead them in security and righteousness.

Luke 1:46-55   Mary’s Magnificat, the description of the Messiah as one who will care for the poor and bring justice.

Questions:

Are we ready for Christ’s call to humility and openness? Why do we want to preserve our own myths of control and power rather than open our hearts to the security of God’s steadfast love? What is it about keeping control that is so attractive to us, even when we know that we are not actually in control? How do we open our hearts to receive Christ when we are slow to embrace God’s call to justice and mercy? How do we let go of our grasp of the things that are not that important in order to focus on the gifts that come from God and which last?

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Sermon:           “The Way to Joyfulness and Peace”

Theme:            A relationship with Christ calls us away from empty living and sets us free to know meaningful relationships and lasting joy.

Purpose:          The congregation will take time to think about what is important in their relationship with God and what is getting in the way.

Scriptures:       Philippians 4:4-7         Rejoice in the Lord, The peace that passes all understanding.

Luke 3:7-18     John the Baptist calls the people to a new relationship of righteousness with God.

Questions:

How does John the Baptist fit into the Advent season? What does it mean to seek to be renewed by focusing on our relationship with God over and above our traditions? What might happen if we take seriously a call to find meaning in God’s love and purpose? How do we learn to set aside the things that get between us and our healthy relationships with God and our family? In what ways would a renewal of our hearts result in renewal of other parts of our lives? How do we commit to what is really important for Christmas?

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Sermon:           “Preparing the Way for the Messiah”

Theme:            We humbly submit our hearts to God for the stripping away of what separates us from Christ and draws us back into our old hostilities, anxieties, and grudges.

Purpose:          The congregation will pray and offer to God their hearts, offering to be released from attachment to control, revenge, and those things that attach them to past hurts.

Scriptures:       Philippians 1:3-11       The one who has begun the work in you will bring to completion a harvest of righteousness

Malachi 3:1-4  The messenger will come

Luke 3:1-6       John the Baptist will come to bring a refiners fire.

Questions:

In what ways do we see our faith as “A work in progress?”  Why do we schedule ourselves to be so busy, and not set aside time to enjoy the gifts of the Advent season? What is it we are trying to ignore or leave behind? In what ways is there “hard work” to be done, dealing with loss, grief, and change so that we may welcome the gift of Christ’s love? In what ways do we need to focus on our own need to grow so that we may fully enjoy the gift of Christmas? How can we set aside time for spiritual renewal as we approach the gift of Christmas?

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Sermon: “Something New for Christmas”

Theme: If we will be awake to what God is doing in our midst, the Messiah will transform and change our world so that we may experience the fruit of love and grace in our relationships with God and others.

Purpose: The congregation will seek to let go of their needs for control so that they may be open to change that God will bring.

Scriptures: Luke 21:25-36 See the signs but know what to focus upon.
Jeremiah 33:14-16 Promise of a branch of righteousness

Questions:
What needs to change in our lives in order to be ready to receive Christ in a new and powerful way? Do we want to be changed? Do we want a fresh sense of Christ’s presence enlivening us? Or are we more determined to have a Christmas that reaffirms our memories and keeps alive what was important to us in the past? What needs to go in order to have something fresh in our hearts and relationship with Christ for Christmas? What needs to be stripped away that has been in the way of enjoying Christ’s love and presence fully in our lives?

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Sermon:           “Reaching Out in Love”

Theme:            The body of Christ has meaning and purpose by reaching out in love (and does not exist for any other purpose.

Purpose:          The congregation will seek to live and function as the Body of Christ, and measure success of our work together by being those who reach out in love to the world.

Scriptures:       James 1:22-27 Do not be hearers only but be doers of the word.

Luke 9:23-27   If anyone to be followers, let them take up their cross, what does it profit if they gain the world but lose their purpose?

Questions:

In what ways is the “body of Christ” doing the work of Christ today? Do non-church people see Christians as generous and compassion or as judgmental and self-righteous? What do we need to do so that God’s love flows more fully through our actions? Does our religion reflect James description:  “²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world?”  Do we worry more about our needs and rights than about living faithfully the love of Christ in daily actions? What are some specific changes we could make to better show the love and grace of Jesus?

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