Latest Sermons

(Luke 8:26-48) Both the man possessed with a Legion of demons and the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years needed Jesus to heal them, to save them and to return them home. We all have a longing to belong, for permanence, for places which we were made for–we desire to be home. But […]

(Luke 7:36-50) In the search for significance and meaning we stray far from our God intended order (Gen 1) because we are inherently sinful (Gen 3). Rather than seeking our significance in God who created us, we seek to be gods and find significance on our own. In Luke 7 a sinful woman lays down […]

(John 2:1-11). Jesus first miracle is turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. What does this say about what Jesus came to do? He came to bring a kingdom of celebration. Jesus is the source of all of true joys–of our longings for happiness fulfilled. (Part 4 of a seven part series on Desires)

(John 4) We all desperately long to be loved and accepted, to be known deeply and intimately. But because we are alienated from God, we are alienated from each other. Jesus reconciles the woman at the well to God the Father so that she can be reconciled to herself–her sin and need–and be reconciled to […]

(Luke 15:25-32) The older brother obeys his father and follows all the rules to obligate his father to him, to get his father’s stuff. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus implicates Pharisees who through their moral goodness and religious performance seek to control God. All of us have Older Brother tendencies. We assume […]

(Luke 15:11-24) The younger brother desires freedom, to find heaven on his own. He does not realize that what he really needs can only be found in his Father’s house, until he finally comes to his senses and returns. But even then he is not fully prepared for the lavish love and generous grace of […]

(Jeremiah 29:4-14) Israel was called to seek the welfare, the shalom, of the city of Babylon – their place of exile. We too are called to seek the welfare of the places to which God has called us, to make our town, neighborhood, school and office more like it was meant to be and more […]

(Galatians 3:26-4:7 & Luke 8:1-3, 19-21) Jesus redraws family on the basis of those who trust & follow him. The church is the extended family of God: loving one another, enjoying life, laughing & crying together, committed to one another. (Part 3 of a four part series looking at the Vision & Values of Christ […]