Pastor Matt’s Monday Message: Recent Episodes
Rev. Matthew Ricks
In John 8:1-11 we read a powerful story of Jesus forgiving someone and giving them their life back and so much more. If we can grow in our faith and trust of Christ, we can find the same thing. We can find release from the small and enormous amounts of guilt we carry around in our lives. This guilt can way us down and hold us back all our lives. Christ shows us a new way ... a lighter way where the burden is removed.
Jesus performs a wild miracle seemingly because his mom bugs him to death. Plus, he probably was just a good son. We walk away being reminded of what we are to be believe and do in life.
Today, a guy wanted to know what he had to do to get eternal life. A question many of us may be concerned with. Jesus sort of answered his question, but ended up teaching him a lesson that he didn't come for.
So often, we want to know why we have to suffer. We can learn a lot about suffering by watching how Jesus went through it in today's scripture.
Today, Jesus has been turned over to the the high priest, Annas, for questioning. What transpires as Peter is at the gate and Jesus is in the inner courtyard is fascinating!
This is part of a sermon series in which we walk with Jesus from his arrest to his death. We can learn a lot about what he said and did during this time. Most importantly, we will find the extravagant love he has for each one of us.
"Marriage is probably the chief cause of divorce." - Maj. Frank Burns from MASH. Frank was right. Marriage can get a little hard. In Ephesians 5, Paul has advice for us.
We'll walk through Ephesians each week and explore why Paul wrote these people, what he wrote, and if there is anything we can take away from it. This week, simply put, Paul reminds us to be thankful for what God has done.
We often think about all of the people who played a role in Christmas: Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, and others. However, there is one character who rarely gets mentioned ... with good reason.
Christmas is a conflicted time. Joy. Sorrow. Hope. Despair. We are all walking around dealing with different things. We are trying so hard to make life perfect and everything just right. Charlie Brown was trying to do the same thing when he was put in charge of the Christmas play. However, everyone told him that his just messed it all up. Surprisingly, Linus of all people sits everyone, and us, straight about Christmas.
This week, we'll look at Luke 2:1-7 and the role of the innkeeper in the Christmas story. You might be surprised what happens in the sermon.
Pastor Matt sat down to talk with Timmy Dennison. Timmy has been growing and changing through his faith. Listen to part of his story.
Many people want to know who the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is. More of them want to know what we believe. That is a tricky question. Hopefully, you'll find some answers in the podcast. More importantly, maybe you'll be inspired to think about what it is that you believe.
Baptism is one of the church's oldest spiritual habits. Yet, there are many opinions on what baptism means and whether it is even important. Let's take a look at it.
Communion is something that seems to be less and less popular as non-denominational churches and mega churches spread. However, we have to wonder, "Is there still value in taking communion?" Can it make a different to us as individuals, a church, and a world?
Luke 7:1-10 is an epic story of the power of trust, but also who Jesus is. One man, whom Jesus never expected it from, brought more faith in him than anyone in Jesus' own people had. Not only was the guy healed, but Jesus must have been overjoyed that someone "got" him ... understood who he truly was.
There is a really interesting story from Luke 7 that describes Jesus encountering a prostitute. All there is to say is this: pay attention to how he reacts to her. Pay attention to how he reacts to Peter. If we do those things, we will see that God's grace is huge and welcomes in all kinds of people ... no matter who they are or what they have done. This is the kingdom that Jesus has come to establish and everyone is loved there.
Poor ol' Job went through toughest of times. He tried his best to make sense of it and he begged God for a trial. Chapter 29 shows us where Job is at his purest ... just pouring his heart out longing for the good old days.
This message goes along with a book we have been studying in church called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In John 2 the writer tells us a story about Jesus turning a TON of water into fine wine. The story is not told to amuse or amaze us. It is told to encourage us to believe in Jesus and have a crazy love for him.
This week, we look at the deep importance of faith and trust. As Christians, we profess our faith in Christ not just once, but every day.
So many churches and people of faith forget the gift of the Holy Spirit that God has given to us in our lives. The Holy Spirit strengthens us, guides us, encourages us, and so much more. Christ told his followers they wouldn't be alone when he ascended to heaven ... they would have the help and the presence of that Holy Spirit.
There is an ancient story that demonstrates the power of prayer. That's the story that I want to share with you today. What we'll learn is that when we engage in persistent and specific prayer, God makes things happen.
There is a fascinating story tucked away in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. In short, he encourages them to give of their money. However, the most important point to catch was that he was asking them to give for a good reason ... for a mission that God sent him on. Here and now, we still have a mission that God has given to us and we must give all that we can to it.
There are a ton of issues that we are facing in our society today. The Christian faith has a lot to say about each issue. This we, we look at how people, especially young women, see their bodies and the problems that arise. We'll also talk about what our faith says about that.
This one idea can change your entire perspective on life: long before you ever needed it or asked for it, God provided you grace. That kind of kind is truly amazing.
40 Acres is a song that symbolizes just how how and unimaginable God's love and grace are.
This week start a sermon series on songs from the band Caedmon's Call. We focus on the song April Showers. There is such a need in this world ... so much poverty, injustice, and disaster. Someone's got to go to these people. We might just be the April Showers for them.
2 Chronicles 20:1-19 tells us the story of a battle that Judah was up against. No one seemed to have the right perspective on the situation. They were all afraid and didn't know what to do. However, one man saw that God could do the impossible in that situation.
Pastor Matt sat down with Ron O'Daniell to talk about difficult people. They had an interesting and long conversation. Ron opened up with great honesty about the people he has dealt with and how his faith has helped him along the way.
This week, we continue our series on dealing with difficult people. To better understand what Jesus meant by loving your enemies, we take a closer look at how he treated the difficult people he had to deal with.
People. They can be really difficult. They can be jerks. So, what does Jesus want us to do with them? With this message, we start a journey trying to figure that out. Inspired by Bob Goff's book Everybody Always, maybe we'll even have a few laughs along the way.
In what might seem like an incidental story from Jesus' adolescence we learn about the habits that made him the great man of faith that he was. We can also mimic those actions and grow by leaps and bounds.
In the Old Testament, we read a lament, a poem that King David sang when King Saul and his friend Jonathon died in battle. David sings to honor the sacrifices they made for Israel. However, he specifically sings for the sacrifices that Jonathon made as David's best friend. As we look at this and the way Jesus lived and died, we see that sacrifice is such a crucial part of faith.
Today, think about your life, who you are, and what you do. Many people, after thinking about these things, feel like they don't matter at all to the world. Our faith has another message to deliver to us: we're all vital in God's kingdom.
Staleness. It can get in our bread, cereal, frozen waffles, and even our marriages. Worst of all is when it creeps into our relationship with God. Today, we look at people who show us a way forward when the excitement has taken a step back in our faith.
Owen O'Daniell and Pastor Matt got together and gabbed about John 8:1-11. They discussed guilt and what we should do with it.
John 8:1-11 tells us the story of a woman caught in adultery. That's a situation that is embarrassing enough in this day and time. Two thousand years ago in the Jewish world it could possibly end your very life. The woman, dragged before the religious people of the day, was out of options ... until Jesus just happened to show up in her life.
Often, we think that the Christian life is measured by how well we can keep all the rules ... do all the things we are told in the Bible. However, that is Pharisee thinking, not Jesus thinking. Today, Jesus shows us in Matthew 22 what the Christian life is all about.
People have many opinions about what makes a church a church. It is definitely more than four walls and a roof. This message is about what happens under that roof. It is about how the brothers and sisters of Christ are called to treat one another.
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health issues we face in the United States. People are divided over how to best deal with it. Meditate? Medicate? Perhaps all of those solutions have a role to play. But I believe there is a hidden element in this fight against fear.
Jesus' resurrection is an incredible story ... one that is almost too hard to believe. But, that is exactly what the gospel write, Luke, is asking us to do.
Jesus had one last meal with his disciples that is recorded in the gospels. In it, he issued a monumental challenge to them: serve others.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people around him called out, "Hosanna!" This was an exclamation of praise. However, it touches on something else: our need for a help ... a savior.
Today, we complete the last mile of our journey with Jesus to the cross. We hear his finals words and witness his final breath. However, he has one last lesson to teach us about the meaning of life.
This week we will continue to follow Jesus to the cross. Pilate still struggles with Jesus ... he doesn't understand who Jesus is or what kind of king he is. So, Pilate caves into the crowd and allows him to be beaten and executed. We often have a hard time understanding why Jesus had to suffer. Inevitably, we also wonder why God allows suffering at all. This scriptures begs that question and leaves us thinking.
This week, as we continue journeying with Jesus toward the cross we see him being questioned by the Roman governor, Pilate. It is an interesting exchange. Jesus technically is the one on trial, but Jesus cleverly turns it around to put Pilate on trial to find what the truth is. Pilate was like so many people in our world. He struggled with what was true. Truth stood before him and he had to decide what to do with it. We all do.
As we continue to follow Jesus on his journey for arrest to death, we see that he was questioned intensely by religious leaders who didn't approve of him. He stood his ground no matter what the circumstances. However, one of his followers simply couldn't remain firm to his convictions no matter how many times he tried. We are all like Peter and will face times where we could compromise our faith and convictions.
Today, we look at what it means to lay our lives down for God and others. It is so easy to live only for ourselves. Jesus pushes us to live for something and someone far greater!
Often, when we are young, we dream big dreams and don't see many limitations. As we get older we start to give up on those big dreams. Even worse, we give up on seeing God as the god of all possibilities. Today, some people challenge us to maybe pick those big dreams back up.
Mark 1 tells us about how John came baptizing people to get them ready for the arrival of Christ. It is a story full of change. While change may be uncomfortable and hard, it is often just what we need.
Trying to grow a close relationship to God is our daily endeavor. However, there are going to be days when we get distracted, don't pray much, or maybe we haven't done anything to connect to God. However, stories about Elijah, a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son all remind us that God is constantly keeping us in relationship even if we've neglected our spiritual habits.
At some point in our lives, we all feel hopeless. Life can feel overwhelming with work, health problems, bills, and more. Jesus shows us that there is always hope to be found.