Latest Sermons

Psalm 84 is a “Pilgrimage Psalm” encouraging the faithful as they travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the prescribed Feasts. The psalmist describes his powerful longing to be in the Temple, in the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is passionate in his love for God’s house and the whole direction of his life, […]

Psalm 39 is a Lament psalm: the psalmist cries out in the midst of suffering, the sinfulness of his life and the world, and the heavy hand of God upon him. It is a dark psalm of a man in desperation–even ending with the plea for the Lord to look away from him that he […]

The nations rage and the peoples device a vain thing against the Lord and his anointed. But the Psalmist assures his readers that the Lord is in control–he laughs at the nations. He is judge. He has set his anointed on the throne–who will rule and judge–and all are warned to serve him and be […]

Psalm 1 is the Introduction to the Psalter: the book of Psalms (1-150). It presents as a Wisdom poem contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked, inviting the reader deeper into the Psalms. Blessed is the one who delights in God’s law and meditates on it day in and day out–who is transformed by a lifetime […]

James warns his readers against making plans, spending and using wealth without reference to God. He warns us against this same illusion of control–that if we plan, we can guarantee outcomes or if we have wealth, it is our to use as we please. Our life is short and only God is sovereign over all […]

Note: At the beginning of this sermon, Pastor Johnny Kurcina addresses the topic of child sexual abuse that took place at another church between 1990-2002. In James 2:14-26, James calls out the hypocritical nature of believers in the churches. Faith without works is dead–it is useless, it does not save. Both a words only faith […]

[Unfortunately, the audio file for the sermon was not able to record directly through the sound system resulting in a less than ideal recording.] As James, the brother of Jesus and head of the church in Jerusalem, begins one of the earliest letters in the New Testament, he calls his readers to develop steadfastness–faithful endurance–in […]

Matthew 28 and 2 Corinthians 4-5 Faithful Christianity or honest Atheism are the two worldview systems with the most complete philosophical consistency and intellectual integrity. Atheism says we are here by chance and life is meaningless. Christianity claims there is a creator and a savior in the person of Jesus–and it all hinges on the […]

Before he was handed over to the Romans, Jesus knew who would betray him. Yet, rather than call out Judas by name, he gives him a chance to repent and gives the disciples a valuable opportunity for self-reflection. While he does say one person in particular will betray him, Jesus tells the disciples that they […]

In Matthew 15, Jesus has an unusual interaction with a Canaanite woman. She calls on Him for help, and He seems to ignore her. She asks again, and this time he seems rude. What is going on here? Where is the Jesus who loves the forgotten, who listens to the neglected? Jesus, in his behavior, […]

After witnessing Jesus with his own eyes, John the Baptist is sent to prison, and from prison asks Jesus if he really is the Christ. After seeing God pour down from heaven, Elijah is pursued by Jezebel’s armies and asks God to end him. Many churches can treat doubt like a sin, but many heroes […]

In the final entry of our Visions and Values series, Johnny reminds us of how God called the Israelites to care for the land of Babylno during their time of exile. Although Babylon was not their eternal home, it was their home for the present, and they were meant to make it a home that […]