Vineyard Manhattan: Recent Episodes

Vineyard Manhattan

We are a Christian church in New York City that is part of Vineyard USA. Vineyard Manhattan longs to see faithful people beholding God — proclaiming, enacting and embodying the Kingdom of God in the communities and institutions of New York City.

This is the eleventh and final episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on September 3rd, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the significance of how we handle pain and suffering in this life. In the final chapter of James, Wisdom exhorts us to tell the truth about our pain before God and others (prayer and confession). When we do this, we allow God to turn our wounds from signs of death to signs of spiritual life and growth!

This is the tenth episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on August 27th, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the experience of waiting in life. Although we admire those with great patience in waiting, we don’t want to wait ourselves. Yet Wisdom tells us that waiting means living, and growing, and so we can stand up, alive, in times of painful waiting, and in doing so witness to the reality of life with God.

This is the ninth episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on August 20th, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores our relationship to money. Wisdom tells us that although money corrupts and only increases our desire for profit, we can have a right relationship to money that views it as a physical sign of the spiritual cost God paid on our behalf, one that allows us to grow spiritually in our generosity.

This is a special Summer 2023 Episode. In this sermon, preached on August 13th, 2023, Guest Pastor Clint Morgan explores our common experience of comparing ourselves to others, and what wisdom has to say about comparison. Harmful comparisons focus on others, and helpful comparisons shift that focus from others to ourselves, but Wisdom calls us to faithfully shift our gaze from others (and ourselves) to Jesus - the most healthy comparison that will draw us closer to Him as our primary role model.

This is the eighth episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on August 6th, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the experience of ubiquitous conflict in our lives, and how wisdom gives us the humility and faith to trust God as the ultimate just judge, tell the truth about the reality of our hearts through life with Jesus, and stand firmly and faithfully even in the contingencies and conflict of our lives.

This is a special Summer 2023 episode. In this sermon, preached on July 30, 2023, guest speaker George Boateng explores the human experience of hardship, giving up, and God’s loving faithfulness toward us even in our failure. This is discussed through the lens of Isaiah 40:28-31 and the story of God’s people Israel.

This is the seventh episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached at a rooftop service on July 23, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the concept of ambition, why we have it, and what “good” ambition looks like, in a world and a city full of driven, ambitious people. James 3:13-18 tells us that good, wise ambition is selfless, gentle, fair, impartial and sincere...mercifully channeling its energies toward others rather than ourselves - this is the type of ambition that our city needs. Note that audio may be lacking in quality at various moments due to the outdoor recording.

This is the sixth episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on July 16, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the power of speech, why words matter and why it’s so hard for us to say good words to others. In James 3:1-12, wisdom tells us that only when we receive God’s good words over us will we be so filled that we can pour out sweet words of life and merciful welcome over others.

This is the fifth episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on July 9, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the concept of belief, why it matters, and how it ultimately has the power in our lives to enable us to change, through the lens of James 2:14-26. Wisdom is exchanging a dead, intellectual belief in God for a living, believing faith in God for the good things he has for us in the present circumstances of our lives.

This is the fourth episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on July 2nd, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the elusiveness of fairness, why we long for it and if there is true hope for it in our lives. James 2:1-13 tells us that to live wisely is to live not under the law of condemnation but under the law of liberty, seasoned with mercy that triumphs over judgement.

This is the third episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on June 25, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores how we can live a life that works, a life that “goes right”, even when we often fail in our pursuit of meaningful things. Wisdom graciously urges us to evaluate our lives by a new standard, built on the fact that God can (and will) get our lives right within us, even when we fail. These concepts are explored through James 1:19-27.

This is the second episode of Wisdom For Life, our summer 2023 expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on June 18, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the distinction between living life as though we are living, or living life as though we are dying. In a world where we can often live our lives as objects that are acted upon (dead), Wisdom discerns and believes, through faith, that in salvation God is moving our lives from death to life, and therefore we can let our lives live, in Christ, without trying to manipulate them to achieve some external outcome. These concepts are explored through James 1:9-18.

This is the first episode of Wisdom For Life, a new expository sermon series on the book of James. In this sermon, preached on June 11, 2023, Pastor Adam Schalter explores how to live a life that can’t be ruined. In a world where we often feel like our lives are ruined when trials and troubles prevent us from getting the things we think we need or want, James exhorts us to be concerned not with what are achieving externally, but with who we are becoming on the inside. These concepts are explored through James 1:1-8.

This is a special episode on Baptism, entitled “What Kind Of Death Will You Die?”. In this sermon, given on May 28th, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter explores this question on death: what if we could turn death back on itself by dying to the things that control us and make us look like we are dead? This death-ending death is symbolized in baptism as we identify with Jesus, and enables us to walk in newness of life. These ideas are discussed through the lens of Romans 6:1-4

This is the fifth episode of our Empowered sermon series, entitled “Who Can Love Me?”. In this sermon, given on May 21st, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter explores the nature of Love, in particular our difficulty in loving others, and seeks to answer the question “Can anyone truly love me?”. These questions are discussed through the lens of John 14:15-17.

This is a special Mother’s Day sermon episode on “God language” entitled “How Should I Speak About God?”. In this sermon, preached on May 14th, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter examines the language we use to speak about God, and why it matters that we know who to call on when we need help. Adam explores these topics with a specific focus on the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9).

This is the fourth episode of our Empowered sermon series, entitled “Who Can Give My Life Meaning?”. In this sermon, preached on May 7th, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter looks at the question of meaning in our lives, and how we can have hope that the “road of our life” will continue on, and not come to a dead end. These questions and ideas are explored through the lens of 1 Peter 4:6-11. Note that audio quality is inconsistent during the first 5 or so minutes, but improves for the rest of the episode.

This is the third episode of our Empowered sermon series, entitled “Who Can Speak To Me?”. In this sermon, preached on April 30th, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter explores our need for a divine, “second-person'“ voice to speak into our lives, and how we can be empowered to hear that voice, through faith. This concept is discussed through the lens of Deuteronomy 18:15-22

This is the second episode of our Empowered sermon series, entitled “Who Can Bring Me Healing?”. In this sermon, preached on April 23rd, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter looks at our cultural narrative around healing and worthiness (needing to “deserve” healing, or to be worthy of receiving good things), and how the Holy Spirit empowers us to be healed through faith. These questions and ideas are explored through the lens of Luke 7:1-10.

This is the first episode of our new 2023 Pentecost sermon series, "Empowered”, entitled “Who Can See My Future?”. In this sermon, preached on April 16th, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter explores our cultural anxiety around what the future may bring, and how the Holy Spirit empowers us to receive revelation from God. These concepts are discussed through the lens of John 16:12-15.

This is the fifth and final episode of our Lent/Easter 2023 sermon series, entitled “Jesus Is Not A Zombie (And You Don’t Have To Be One Either)”. In this sermon, preached on Easter Sunday, April 9th, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter looks at the details of Jesus’ resurrection and appearance to His disciples, as described in John 20:24-29, and exhorts us to allow what is alive to “Be” alive, by letting faith find its way into our lives. Jesus is alive, He is not the “Walking Dead”, and we don’t have to be, either.

This is the fourth episode of our Lent 2023 sermon series, entitled “There Is Power To Make Life Different ”. In this sermon, preached on Palm Sunday, April 2nd, 2023, Lead Pastor Adam Schalter examines our ubiquitous longing for something new and different in our lives, as well as the hope we have for the power to satisfy that longing through faith. These topics are explored through the lens of Luke 19:28-40.

This is the third episode of our Lent 2023 sermon series, entitled “Third Time’s The Charm”. Ray Longwood talks about what it means to be a disciple of Christ through the lens of Jesus’ third prediction of his death in Mark 10:32-34. Ray is the lead pastor of the Experience Vineyard Church on Long Island, NY.

This is the second episode of our Lent 2023 sermon series, where Ronalda Nicholas speaks on humility through the lens of Matthew 18:1-4. Ronalda is a long-time resident of Hell’s Kitchen, an accomplished academic and pastor. She has been on staff with a number of churches in New York City and recently took a job on the pastoral team of the Hope Network.

This is the first episode of our Lent 2023 sermon series, focusing on the time leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection when he begins to predict His death. In this first sermon, Clint Morgan explores what it means to follow Jesus through the lens of Mark 8:31-37. Clint is a bi-vocational Vineyard pastor and a part of the Vineyard Manhattan family who has decades of experience pastoring in New York City and New Jersey.

This is the eighth and final episode of our 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the experience of loneliness in the life of faith, and how we can be at home in God right now through the path He has given us in Jesus. This is discussed through the lens of Psalm 25:16-20.

This is the seventh episode of our 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the challenge of doubt in the life of faith, and how we can access and experience true spiritual reality in spite of our uncertainty. This is discussed through the lens of Hebrews 11:1-10.

This is the sixth episode of our 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the concept of time in our current cultural context and how it intersects with the life of faith, through the lens of Titus 1:1-3.

This is the fifth episode of our 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores what it means to find real rest in the life of faith, when burnout and exhaustion are such real and prevalent experiences in our culture. These topics are discussed through the lens of Exodus 20:8-11.

This is the fourth episode of our 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the life of faith and the question of meaning in a world where we are expected to find and express meaning for ourselves. These topics are discussed through the lens of Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.

This is the third episode of our 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the cultural phenomenon of the “death of God” and the resulting crisis of meaning through the lens of Jeremiah 29:4-14.

This is the second episode of our 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores the concept of believing in God in our current cultural context when we can explain things without God.

This is the first episode of our new 2023 sermon series: Why Does It Feel Like God Isn’t Real? In this first sermon, Pastor Adam Schalter explores and engages with the topic of believing in God in our current cultural context through the lens of Isaiah 37:8-20.