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Sermons |
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January 29, 2012 -Love to the Core Mark 1:21-28 In today’s scripture, the power of Jesus’ love is sufficient to pierce through the shouting of a possessed man and restore him to his pure, God-made soul. Jesus’ love still holds power to penetrate our craziness and make us whole.
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January 22, 2012 -Your Next Step of Faith Mark 1:14-20 Simon, Andrew, James and John respond to Jesus’ invitation the moment they hear it. In Jesus’ time, people would be shocked that these young men left their families and livelihoods to follow Jesus. But, when the chance of a lifetime comes to do God’s will, we should take it. Now, will we? |
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I Samuel 3:1-10 Stay Tuned When Samuel first hears God’s call, he mistakes it for the voice of his guardian, Eli. To truly follow Christ, we must listen to God’s voice above the voice of all others. |
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Mark 1:6-11 Start Fresh So much of who we become is shaped by where we came from. Jesus’ baptism reminds us that our faithfulness begins in the knowledge that we are made and redeemed by God. |
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January 1, 2012 - Let God Lead Matthew 2:1-12 Let God Lead Today we begin a brand new year and the example of the three wise men teaches us to let God take the lead in the adventure ahead! |
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December 25, 2011 -Merry Christmas John 1:1-14 Merry Christmas! Please join us for special Christmas hymn-singing as Christmas falls on a Sunday morning this year! |
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December 18, 2011 -Strength for the Journey Luke 2:1-7 Strength for the Journey Under a climate of oppression by Rome, Joseph, and his pregnant wife Mary are forced to travel long distances. Sometimes completing our faith journey requires great strength and endurance. |
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December 11, 2011 -We’ll Get Through it Together Matthew 1:18-24 Don’t Miss the Best Part! On this second Sunday of Advent, Joseph very nearly misses the biggest moment of his life because of his sense of shame. He learns, and we learn as well, that the savior to be born forgives and loves us as we are. |
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December 4, 2011 -Don’t Miss the Best Part! Matthew 1:18-24 Don’t Miss the Best Part! On this second Sunday of Advent, Joseph very nearly misses the biggest moment of his life because of his sense of shame. He learns, and we learn as well, that the savior to be born forgives and loves us as we are. |
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November 20, 2011 -Blessings in Peasant’s Clothing Matthew 25:31-46 Blessings in Peasant’s Clothing One of the easiest ways to meet Jesus is to help someone who‘s helpless. More than all of our religious rules and guidelines, a heart of compassion blazes a straight path to God. |
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November 13, 2011 -God Blesses Our Risks Matthew 25:14-30 God Blesses Our Risks Jesus makes it clear that God doesn‘t want us to live in fear of making mistakes. The Parable of the Talents teaches us to take holy risks, investing boldly in the Kingdom of God. |
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November 06, 2011 -God Even Blesses Messes Matthew 5:1-12 God Even Blesses Messes This is All Saints Day, and Jesus preaches about blessings for unexpected saints – the poor, the meek, the hungry. It is not those who have their act together, but those who serve with faith who will be blessed. |
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October 30, 2011 -Consecration Sunday Matt. 20:1-16 Special Guest Pastor Ruben Esponda of the Gethsemane UMC preaches a bilingual sermon with Host Pastor James Dollins translating from Spanish to English. |
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October 23, 2011 -When in Doubt, Love God & Neighbor Matt. 22:34-40 When In Doubt, Love God & Neighbor The Bible is a huge book with lots of commandments. Once in a while, we want to ask, “What was it I was supposed to do again?” Jesus simplifies what God expects of us: Love God and neighbor and you'll be all right. |
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October 9, 2011 -What We Want vs. Whom We Need Exodus 32:1-14 What We Want vs. Whom We Need Despite God’s faithfulness to the Israelites, they quickly turned to worship a golden calf. We can easily turn from our loyalty to God towards obedience to desires, self-interest, even anger. Let’s commit to practicing faithfulness to the one who is so faithful to us. |
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October 2, 2011 - The Freedom to Belong Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 The Freedom to Belong God frees his people from slavery, but knows that, left to their own devices, they will be enslaved to their own weaknesses. We’ll look at God’s 10 commandments and consider how God’s good laws also free us. |
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September 25, 2011 - Visible Faith Exodus 17:1-7; Matt. 21:28-32 Visible Faith In Exodus, we read of yet another story where God’s actions reveal how much he loves his people. In Matthew, we’re reminded to let our actions do the same. |
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September 18, 2011 - Consider the Source Exodus 16:2-15 Consider the Source As we continue through Exodus, we recall God’s many saving actions for his people. Still, the Israelites kept forgetting that the source of every blessing was God. When we feel like complaining, let’s remember who gave us every blessing we’ve already been given. |
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September 11, 2011 - Good Power, God’s Power Exodus 14:19-31 Good Power, God’s Power On this very day, 10 years ago, we witnessed one of the most devastating days in our nation’s history. Still, as people of faith, we proclaim that destructive human power can never overcome God’s goodness. |
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August 28, 2011 - It’s for You Exodus 3:1-12 It’s for You Wouldn't it be great if God instructed us as plainly as he did Moses, through a burning bush? Yet still, Moses thought God might have called the wrong guy. How will we know God's call when we hear it? |
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August 21, 2011 - Recognizing Christ Exodus 2:1-10; Matt. 16:13-20 Recognizing Christ Simon Peter remarkably recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah. Miriam recognizes a glimmer of hope that will save her baby brother Moses. Let us recognize Christ and then begin to live for him. |
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August 14, 2011 - Be Reconciled Genesis 45:1-8; Matt. 15:21-28. Be Reconciled The story of Joseph and his brothers teaches the power of reconciliation. Jesus and a Canaanite woman also make their peace. God’s plan turns out to be much bigger than our differences with others. |
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August 7, 2011 - I Lift My Eyes to the Hills Psalm 48:1-3; Matthew 4:23—5:2 I Lift My Eyes to the Hills Lay Leader Mary Decker will preach about the many mountains we must climb in life. Thankfully, God guides us, or even moves mountains to help us. |
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July 31, 2011 - Wrestling with Grace Genesis 32:22-31 Wrestling with Grace The strange, wonderful story of Jacob’s wrestling match with God reminds us how challenging faith can become. But when we earnestly struggle with our deep fears and doubts, we, like Jacob, may be overwhelmed by God’s love. |
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July 24, 2011 - Blessings for Rascals Genesis 28:10-19 Blessings for Rascals It’s almost shocking that God blesses Jacob who was such a weasel. It goes to show that God’s grace can be showered on just about anyone – even us! |
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July 17, 2011 - Perplexed, yet Blessed Genesis 22:1-14 Perplexed, yet Blessed At times, God’s call to us seems to make very little sense. Abraham certainly felt this way when asked to sacrifice his son Isaac’s life. We’ll discuss historical background for this story, and God’s invitation to faith, even amidst our confusion. |
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July 10, 2011 - So Miraculous, It’s Funny Genesis 17:17-22 So Miraculous, It’s Funny God truly throws Abraham and Sarah for a loop when he tells them that they’ll bear a son, Isaac. We should always be prepared for God to act in ways that defy our imagination. |
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July 3, 2011 - The Blessing of Second Chances Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17; Gen. 3:8-13, 22-24. The Blessing of Second Chances The story of Adam and Eve tells of the failings of human beings, but more importantly, it shows that God lets us learn from our mistakes and begin again. When we do stumble and sin, may we always look for God’s blessing of forgiveness and a new beginning. |
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Genesis 1:1-2:3 Begin Again In order for us to know how to begin practicing our faith, let’s begin at the beginning of creation, remembering to care for ourselves and for this creation which God has called “good.” |
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June 12, 2011 - God’s Breath-Taking Spirit Acts 2:1-12 God’s Breath-taking Spirit The diversity of our world, even of the Christian church, is dizzying. On this Pentecost Sunday, we remember that God’s Spirit moves throughout history to turn our chaos into God's unity. |
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June 5, 2011 - Not Just For Us Acts 1:1-11 Not Just For Us Come celebrate Communion with us on this Ascension Sunday when we remember how Jesus was raised into heaven. He leaves us with a clear message: The good News is not just for us, but for all people. Our own souls are healthier when we share the blessing we've been given. |
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John 14:15-21 Why We Serve Why should we serve? It’s a fair question. Why don’t we simply believe in Jesus and wait until we go to heaven? Jesus reminds us, as any loved one would, that if we truly love him, our actions will show it. |
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May 22, 2011 - More Walk, Less Worry John 14:1-14 More Walk, Less Worry When Jesus teaches, “I am the way,” he is calling us to trust in his grace and truth, not to depend only on ourselves. Rather than hear his words to mean “our way is right,” let us ask ourselves instead whether or not we truly trust Christ’s way above our own ambitions. |