UConn RUF: Recent Episodes
Lucas Dourado
Podcast from large group gatherings of Reformed University Fellowship on the UConn campus. Unless otherwise noted, all sermons are from Rev. Lucas Dourado, RUF campus minister at UConn.
God's command to be strong and courageous, with assurance of His presence, as we go where He calls.
We begin our series on the Apostles' Creed thinking through who God the Father is and what He's like, and what that means for us.
Jesus warns His disciples about putting their trust in treasures on earth and instead urges them to seek first His Kingdom.
Jesus's most challenging teaching in the sermon on the mount about active love for enemies.
Jesus explains that He is all about the law, and gives the example of anger and murder to explain what He means.
Jesus tells the disciples' their purpose in living out the life of the Kingdom, that others will come to know God and glorify Him.
We get a big picture of the Kingdom of God through Jesus's parable of the great banquet.
Paul prays that God would strengthen the Ephesians for the mission to which they are called.
Paul now explains the story of his audience and how they were saved, to show that they were made for greatness.
At the onset of this letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul is overflowing with the good news of God's grace.
Jesus' triumphal entry shows that He is THE KING and that He is the humble king we need.
While the disciples posture for greatness, Jesus and a blind beggar show them the path to greatness.
Through Jesus's transfiguration, we see that we were meant for glory and the secret of entering into glory.
Peter's confession of Christ provides the opportunity to consider the good life and how submission to Jesus is the only way to be free.
While Jesus's invitation to a Syrophoenician woman seems harsh, it is transformational.
Jesus feeds the 5,000 and in the process gives the disciples freedom to be inadequate, the care of a faithful shepherd, and true rest in His love.
Jesus demonstrates his power over the storm, his purpose for the storm, and his presence in the storm.
Jesus's parable of the sower gives us a key to understanding His work in the world and in our lives.
Through his kindness to tax collectors and sinners, Jesus distinguishes how the gospel is something new that cannot just be added on to religion.
Jesus calls the first disciples and we learn what it means to follow Jesus and how we can.
We examine the account of Jesus's baptism to answer the question of why Jesus is the perfect twist in the story of the world and in our stories.
Paul begins to wrap up his letter to the Philippians by reminding them to stand firm. Standing firm means that they must be intentional about relationships and rejoicing, paying particular attention to practicing God's presence in the midst of anxiety.
Paul goes over his resume and concludes that it is garbage compared to the righteousness of Christ and being found in Him. Much of this material comes from Matt Howell's sermon on this text.
We take a closer look at how the gospel changes us into those that pursue others in love through the lives of Timothy and Epaphroditus.
Paul encourages the Philippians to grow in their faith and tells about how this will work.
Paul calls the Philippians to unity by reminding them who they are in Christ and pointing them to His example.
Paul's incarceration in Rome gives an opportunity to see God's mysterious work in life, the definition of life, and the key to life.
In the beginning of this letter, Paul gives thanks and prays for the Philippians, giving us insight into the power of the gospel to make us those who serve, lovers, and holy people.
After His Resurrection, Jesus reinstates Peter and we see how God deals with failures like us.
Jesus is the true vine, the one who can restore His people and He calls us to abide in Him.
Jesus washes his disciples' feet, symbolizing His deep love for them and setting an example for the radical ways in which they are called to love.
Jesus waits, weeps, and wakes Lazarus from the dead to show the realness of sadness and the hope of His resurrection.
Jesus uses the occasion of healing an invalid to interact with the religious leaders about their hearts.
John's gospel begins by demonstrating the centrality of Christ, and we look at what that means for us.
We look at Pentecost as the culmination of God's saving work and what it means for us today.
We look at the fact of the resurrection, the meaning of the resurrection, and the power of the resurrection in Luke's account.
The first in our new series focusing on the final days of Jesus. We look at our need for a King and how Jesus is the humble King that we need.
We look at the topic of anxiety, and the tools the gospel gives to overcome it as we think about our future.
The difference between isolation and loneliness, and how God overcomes our isolation and loneliness in Christ.
Contrary to the popular notion that sex is dirty, shameful, and not to be talked about, the Bible celebrates sex as good and also teaches that sex only makes sense in the context of a covenant.
The account of shame entering the world gives us insight into the challenge of relationships and God's response to Adam and Eve's sin gives hope for how relationship can be restored.
We were made for love! Love is the standard, love is active, love begins with God, and entering into relationships of love is how we experience God.
Jesus's parable of the ten virgins reminds us of the goodness of the feast to come and the importance of being watchful.
The God who can handle doubts enters into covenant to show the depth of his love and commitment to His people.
Psalm 38 uncovers the darkness of sin and separation from God, and points us to the mercy of God found in Christ who overcomes sin at the cross.
The tower of Babel story gives us a glimpse into the ways we try to save ourselves and how God comes down to save us in spite of our rebellion.
The first murder show's us the hiddenness of sin, the viciousness of sin, and the way that God overcomes sin by His grace.
Sin enters the world and we examine the essence of sin, the effects of sin, and how God puts an end to sin in Christ.
Genesis 2, situated before Adam and Eve rebelled against God, gives us a picture of human life as God intended. It shows us what we were made for, and we get glimpses of how true humanity can be recovered.
We begin our series, The Story of Life, by looking at the creation account in the first chapter of the Bible. In it, we learn about God, about our world, and about ourselves.
God goes on trial before His people to enable them to trust Him to quench their thirst.