Jordan Rimmer Sermons: Recent Episodes
Jordan Rimmer
This is a telling of the Christmas story I did for our Wonderful Wednesday. This even is a sort of Bible study meets potluck. It is pretty chill. We took a lot of time to talk about and digest this story, but I did not record the entire session. Just the story.
The wind picked up right as I started to preach and makes the recording bad at first. It calms down by a couple minutes in.
A word about this recording. I know the quality is not real good. In the summer we do worship outside so I am limited on my ability to record. In this sermon, I went directly into communion. There was not good stopping point for the recording, so I left the communion liturgy in. Finally, I added some lions to our communion plates.
There are some oddities in this recording. I was outside preaching it so there is some wind and background noise. It started to sprinkle a little bit at one point so we paused to address that. Also, some flies kept biting me and at one point a killed one. It was too hard to edit all that out, so enjoy all the fun.
This was a loaded Sunday. We had our last service inside before we go outside for the summer. It is also the last service before our renovation gets started. We honored graduates and took on new members. After church we took a group picture and removed all the hymnals, Bibles, and small furniture.
I took this sermon to reflect on the day and why God cares so much about space.
In this sermon, I talk about how the church is meant to exist for people beyond its doors. Deep down we all know we should be missional. The challenge is how to do this. During the sermon, I invite my friend Bill Webster to share about he led his church to be more in the commmunity.
This entire service was built around the theme of Jesus as the bread of life. Bread was baking in the sanctuary during the service. The sermon functioned to stretch people's thinking about the images of bread on their way to eating large pieces of fresh bread for communion. You can watch the entire service on the livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpkS9IWqhpM.
In this sermon, I make use of the Prayer or the Breastplate of Saint Patrick, which we had just done as a congregation.
I did a handout introducing Celtic Christianity. It is available at:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/apbelz5jkokyxds/Introduction%20to%20Celtic%20Christianity.pdf?dl=0
Last week we looked at the origin story of humanity in Genesis. This week, we look at the finale story of Revelation.
This sermon was inspired by the book "Heirs of Eden" by David McDonald.
We look at the origin story of humanity in Genesis. Next week, we will look at the finale story of Revelation.
This sermon was inspired by the book "Heirs of Eden" by David McDonald.
Rev. Dr. Cody Watson Jr., Senior Associate, Emeritus of Frontier Fellowship
Cody is a veteran of Frontier Fellowship, having joined our staff in 1994 as one of the original four mobilizers recruited by our first executive director, Harold Kurtz. Prior to that, his ministry experience includes interning with Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), serving as a missionary for three years in South Korea and three in Bangladesh and directing the Presbyterian Center for Mission Studies in California.
A dedicated mobilizer through the decades, Cody’s focus is primarily in South Asia where he promotes the strategies of Disciple Making Movements and Oral Bible Storying. Through the years, he’s helped countless congregations engage with least-reached peoples around the globe. Their continuing commitment to the frontier serves as Cody’s legacy as he passes the frontier mission vision to the next generation. His experience, wisdom and faithfulness continue to bless and strengthen our staff, partners and ministry.
Frontier Fellowship invites believing communities to engage people groups where the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom is not yet known.
This is my Easter 2022 sermon. Thanks to Leonard Sweet and Sheila Walsh for the imagery.
Next week I am starting a sermon series on the Great Prayers of the Bible, but before I do, I decided to do a crash course in prayer. This sermon is a primer on prayer--what is it, what is it for, what are the types of prayer, what is the purpose of prayer, how do you get started with prayer...?
For this sermon, I had a handout with blanks. You can download one with blanks at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ji2x4q9z01ytj3m/CRASH%20COURSE%20IN%20PRAYER%20SERMON%20WITH%20BLANKS.pdf?dl=0 and you can get one filled in at https://www.dropbox.com/s/adhb9skr7bzetjn/CRASH%20COURSE%20IN%20PRAYER%20WITH%20ANSWERS.pdf?dl=0.
Preached on December 5, 2021 at the Northminster Gala to celebrate 170 years of ministry and 70 years at our current location as well as serving as our church Christmas party and a dedication of the renovated social hall.
The text of the sermon
https://www.dropbox.com/s/spa3l4dc4t4z40b/12%20Days%20of%20Christmas%20at%20Northminster.pdf?dl=0
Gala Bulletin
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s6ud2u6q7gz0g7e/Northminster%20Gala%20Bulletin.pdf?dl=0
Church History
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i49k2wy8qgurzs8/Northminster%20Church%20History%202021.pdf?dl=0
Gala Placemat
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4h8rz4mcwvunlor/Gala%20Placemat%202021.pdf?dl=0
Here I look at why change is so hard and how to think about change as a Christians. My scriptures are Romans 5:3–5, Hebrews 13:8, Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21, and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
This sermon was an introduction to a communion experience using my father's Army communion kits from Operation Desert Storm. You can read about the kit and grasp part of the experience at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ay06la2u8wwvnup/Chaplains%20Communion%20Kits.pdf?dl=0.
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For Lent, we are walking with Jesus toward the cross and the resurrection. This week we travel through Jericho and into Bethany. There is a handout to go with the sermon that you can download HERE. You can also watch this sermon on Youtube with pictures in the video HERE.
In this sermon I share from my dissertation and a book I am currently writing about how story works and how to approached the Christian faith as story.
Here I talk about salt and light and how we should shine and spread Jesus-seasoning in this dark and bitter world.
In this sermon I finish the series on Salvation History. I take a look at what the Gospel means in light of this grand story. I owe a lot to the work of Matthew Bates in his books Salvation by Allegiance Alone and Gospel Allegiance. Both helped me think through what the Gospel is and what faith really means.
I take a look at how the story of the Bible ends by looking at 6 symbols. Each of these represents expectations of the First Testament that Jesus fulfills yet also leaves undone. I then look at how Revelation shows the fulfillment of those expectations. We live in the "now and not yet" of this conclusion, and that should give us hope.
Here we look at the rest of the New Testament and the movement of the Gospel from Jerusalem, through Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the world. We are part of that movement today.
Here I slow down the pace of this sweeping salvation history and look at the personal stories of Thomas and Peter after the resurrection.
This sermon for Easter 2020 looks at the death and resurrection of Jesus and why it is the crux of salvation history.
We are moving through the whole story of the Bible--salvation history. Here I take a look at the story of the exile and where it fits in the Bible.
I didn't know when I laid out this series the way the coronavirus would be impacting our world. But God did. As I studied the exile, I realized that we feel in some ways that we are in exile.
This sermon was preached for video on the first week of a cancellation of church due to the Coronavirus. I reflect on the situation and ask where our hope really comes from.
When we were young, we read about the judges as heroes. As adults, these stories seem more fitting for an HBO series than a Sunday School lesson. What is the meaning of this dark and violent book, especially in the grand narrative of salvation history?
Here is how Moses, the Exodus, and the Wilderness fit into the large story of the Bible and point to Jesus.
In part 2 of this series, I look at Abraham and his descendants. I consider Abraham's faithful responses to God's leading as well as God's promises of blessing.
I am kicking off a sermon series that will go 10 weeks (with a few gaps) telling the large story of the Bible through some of the epochs of the story. Here, I develop the problem of sin and how bad it is, so that we look through the rest of the Bible at how God will fix this problem.
In this sermon, I flowed right into communion. Each person came forward, saw themselves in several mirrors with words of the fall written over them (unloveable, worthless, sinner, ugly, broken...). Then they took communion and came to another set of mirrors with other words (holy, forgiven, loved, valuable, precious...).
In this sermon, I talk about what it means to walk in the Spirit. If you are not producing fruit, then there is something blocking and/or you are not walking. I reflect on my experience with the Holy Spirit, then I talk about spiritual gifts.
I get a lot of questions about the Trinity and specifically about the Holy Spirit, so I am taking three weeks to give a crash course. In this first sermon, I develop the Trinity not as a theological construct but as a means for experiencing and relating to God. I use a picture of this carving, coming from the Cartmel Priory.
The three wise men saw the star, interpreted it, pursued it, and found and worshipped the baby Jesus. But some other men were less wise. I call them the 3 unwise me who, like the chief priests and scribes that identified Bethlehem and did not go and see for themselves, missed their moment. There are stars on our horizons. How do we make sure we wisely see, interpret, and follow them.
In this sermon after Christmas, I talk about the implications of Christmas. I first talk about the theology of the incarnation, but then I turn much more practical to talk about what it means for us to be incarnational Christians.
This year, for Advent, we are taking a little road trip. We are going to go to Nazareth, Jerusalem, Egypt, and Bethlehem. We are particularly interested in what these places add to the story of the birth of Jesus. In this sermon, we visit Bethlehem, the city of bread, salvation, and kings.
You can see the slides I used as a PDF HERE.
You can watch the video on YOUTUBE HERE.
This year, for Advent, we are taking a little road trip. We are going to go to Nazareth, Jerusalem, Egypt, and Bethlehem. We are particularly interested in what these places add to the story of the birth of Jesus. In this sermon, we visit Egypt, which Matthew uses to clue us in to the identity of this baby.
You can see the slides I used as a PDF HERE.
You can watch the video on YOUTUBE HERE.
This year, for Advent, we are taking a little road trip. We are going to go to Nazareth, Jerusalem, Egypt, and Bethlehem. We are particularly interested in what these places add to the story of the birth of Jesus. In this sermon, we visit Jerusalem, the city with so much history and meaning that the birth of Jesus almost had to relate to it.
You can see the slides I used as a PDF HERE.
You can watch the video on YOUTUBE HERE.
This year, for Advent, we are taking a little road trip. We are going to go to Nazareth, Jerusalem, Egypt, and Bethlehem. We are particularly interested in what these places add to the story of the birth of Jesus. In this sermon, we visit Nazareth, which is most notable for how un-notable it is.
You can see the slides I used as a PDF HERE.
You can watch the video on YOUTUBE HERE.
This sermon I gave while the confirmation class was leading the service and I let them make suggestions for my sermon. We had been working at telling the big story of the Bible. They have to do it in 7-8 minutes. In this sermon, I tell the story of the Bible chronologically in 12 minutes, and talk about why knowing the big story of the Bible is important.
In this series, I am looking at the Apostle Paul. The series runs parallel to my congregation reading the book The Call by Adam Hamilton and doing the same study in Sunday school.
Here I look at what Paul may have looked like, how to understand his suffering, and his ultimate legacy.
In this series, I am looking at the Apostle Paul. The series runs parallel to my congregation reading the book The Call by Adam Hamilton and doing the same study in Sunday school.
In this sermon, I look at Paul's writings, how to read someone else's mail, and the entire book of Philemon.
In this series, I am looking at the Apostle Paul. The series runs parallel to my congregation reading the book The Call by Adam Hamilton and doing the same study in Sunday school.
In this sermon I take on some of Paul's harsher moments, particularly his view on women. Along the way, we learn about the importance of historical and literal context and reading ancient books for modern wisdom.
I am indebted to the book Paul Behaving Badly for helping me think through some of these issues.
In this series, I am looking at the Apostle Paul. The series runs parallel to my congregation reading the book The Call by Adam Hamilton and doing the same study in Sunday school.
In this sermon, I take a look at Paul's missionary approach. I reference a missions fair that we are having after the service and the fact that it is World Communion Sunday.
In this series, I am looking at the Apostle Paul. The series runs parallel to my congregation reading the book The Call by Adam Hamilton and doing the same study in Sunday school.
In this sermon, I take a look at Paul's theology, but I do so without using any jargon or insider language.
I am indebted to Rob Bell's film The God's aren't Angry for inspiring the overall message of this story.
In this series, I am looking at the Apostle Paul. The series runs parallel to my congregation reading the book The Call by Adam Hamilton and doing the same study in Sunday school.
In this sermon, I take a look at the big picture of Paul's life and set the stage for our study of Paul.
In this very different kind of sermon, I use football as an analogy for church. I act as the coach and talk about what a church does and what I think our church needs to do. Attached are my visuals.
So many people only know the first half of the Jonah story, and most people don't understand it. While I want to do a series on this story some day, it was fun to try to tell the story in one shot.
This wee little man becomes a big hinge for the Gospel of Luke, the star of a cherished children's song, and now, hopefully, and example for you and I.
The good Samaritan is not the simple parable you might expect. This is a radical story that will mess with your thinking.
Here is the story of Daniel and the lion's den. I pay special attention to the exile and the circumstances that led to this encounter.
I have always wanted to preach about Benaiah. I am so thankful for Mark Batterson's book In a Pit in a Lion on a Snowy Day.
Here I look at the real story of David and Goliath. Thanks to Malcolm Gladwell for his insights into this story.
This begin my sermon series on stories of the Bible. We look at Jacob, his wives, his wrestling, and the struggle he had to trust God.
In this short homily, I look at why we praise God with music. Does God need our music, or is it for our benefit? I then look at the impact of music on cheese, and what that means for us.
In this audio, Dr. Steven Tuell teaches a Sunday School class titled "Reading from the Left Hand Side of Your Bible." He goes over common objections to reading the Old Testament and why he thinks Christians should be in that side of the Book.
Dr. Steven Tuell came to my church and preached from Isa 65:17-25 and Revelation 21:1-6.
For Mothers Day, I take a look at one of the most important mothers of all time--Mary the Mother of Jesus. I take a look at her life, her interactions with Jesus, and how she is an example to us.
We look at the story of Balaam, the prophet for profit. Why does God get mad when Balaam goes to Balak even though God tells him to go? Why does Balaam get so mad at his ass?
Here I talk about the Cross as a recapitulation. According to Romans 5, Jesus retells the story of Adam. He is doing that in our lives, too.
This sermon unpacks the way the Bible uses legal imagery including judgement, righteousness, the Day of the Lord, the Bema, and the Final Judgement. I use these ideas to talk about what Jesus accomplishes on the cross, which is more than just a legal act, but also an act of reconciliation.
I take a look at the images of ransom and redemption, looking at Old Testament law, the Book of Ruth, images of God as redeemer in the Old Testament, then finally Jesus Christ as redeemer and giving his life as a ransom. I end considering what it means that our lives and the lives of others are so valuable to Christ that he would pay the price of his life for us.
This sermon begins my 2019 Lent sermon series. I am taking a look at the meaning of Christ's Crucifixion by looking at the metaphors or symbols that the Bible uses to describe what Christ accomplishes on the cross. This sermon introduces the series and looks at the meaning of the term Atonement.
THIS SERMON: There is a day coming when all things will be restored. That does not mean that things will just be put back together, but that all the wrongs of the world will be made beautiful. Darkness turns into light. We long for that day, and cling to the hope of that ending until that day comes.
THIS SERIES: In life, we are sometimes forced to walk through shadowlands. We can get scared, lost, and angry as pain, suffering, and grief surround us. We must learn to understand, navigate, and journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Most importantly, we must remember that we are not alone. Christ is with us and we are with each other. Pastor Jordan Rimmer will preach the series simultaneous to his friend Pastor Chris Thomas from First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn, MI. Sunday School curriculum will also be available for the series that was filmed by Pastors Chris and Jordan. You can watch them at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwS2NaLexncln9qUJ4wJhsg.
THIS SERMON:
After Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal in amazing fashion, his life is threatened. He runs for his life when he should have been most confident. But aren't anxiety and depression just like that? In his weakness, God cares for him and reveals himself in the whisper or still small voice.
THIS SERIES: In life, we are sometimes forced to walk through shadowlands. We can get scared, lost, and angry as pain, suffering, and grief surround us. We must learn to understand, navigate, and journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Most importantly, we must remember that we are not alone. Christ is with us and we are with each other. Pastor Jordan Rimmer will preach the series simultaneous to his friend Pastor Chris Thomas from First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn, MI. Sunday School curriculum will also be available for the series that was filmed by Pastors Chris and Jordan. You can watch them at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwS2NaLexncln9qUJ4wJhsg.
THIS SERMON: I begin this sermon talking about Zebras and the impact of stress on the brain. I then turn to the impact of stress on the soul. But God does not take away our stress. He even prays that we would be left in the world. So we have to learn to deal. We have to trust that God can redeem bad situations, trust him to guide our steps, and give ourselves some grace along the way.
THIS SERIES: In life, we are sometimes forced to walk through shadowlands. We can get scared, lost, and angry as pain, suffering, and grief surround us. We must learn to understand, navigate, and journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Most importantly, we must remember that we are not alone. Christ is with us and we are with each other. Pastor Jordan Rimmer will preach the series simultaneous to his friend Pastor Chris Thomas from First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn, MI. Sunday School curriculum will also be available for the series that was filmed by Pastors Chris and Jordan. You can watch them at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwS2NaLexncln9qUJ4wJhsg.
THIS SERMON:
Jesus was fully human and understands what we go through, not in an abstract way, but because he feels those things. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he sweat drops of blood from the pain he was anticipating.
A part of the sermon, I refer often to a PowerPoint. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDES.
THIS SERIES:
In life, we are sometimes forced to walk through shadowlands. We can get scared, lost, and angry as pain, suffering, and grief surround us. We must learn to understand, navigate, and journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Most importantly, we must remember that we are not alone. Christ is with us and we are with each other. Pastor Jordan Rimmer will preach the series simultaneous to his friend Pastor Chris Thomas from First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn, MI. Sunday School curriculum will also be available for the series that was filmed by Pastors Chris and Jordan. You can watch them at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwS2NaLexncln9qUJ4wJhsg.
THIS SERMON:
When Jesus comes to see Lazarus, he is late by Martha’s standards. She lets him know so. Is this a lack of faith, or does it show that she has faith Jesus could have healed Lazarus? Maybe our honest laments are more an act of faith than of doubt. THIS SERIES:
In life, we are sometimes forced to walk through shadowlands. We can get scared, lost, and angry as pain, suffering, and grief surround us. We must learn to understand, navigate, and journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Most importantly, we must remember that we are not alone. Christ is with us and we are with each other. Pastor Jordan Rimmer will preach the series simultaneous to his friend Pastor Chris Thomas from First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn, MI. Sunday School curriculum will also be available for the series that was filmed by Pastors Chris and Jordan. You can watch them at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwS2NaLexncln9qUJ4wJhsg.
THIS SERMON:
Part of the scariest parts of the darkness is the unknown. But God never promised we would understand. He only promised that he will be with us. Maybe we are asking the wrong questions. Job is a book of his friends trying to explain the pain that job goes through, but at the end God rants about how is Job to know. All along, the real answer to why suffering is happening is that God and the devil had a bet. The point is that the answers are unknowable.
THIS SERIES:
In life, we are sometimes forced to walk through shadowlands. We can get scared, lost, and angry as pain, suffering, and grief surround us. We must learn to understand, navigate, and journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Most importantly, we must remember that we are not alone. Christ is with us and we are with each other. Pastor Jordan Rimmer will preach the series simultaneous to his friend Pastor Chris Thomas from First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn, MI. Sunday School curriculum will also be available for the series that was filmed by Pastors Chris and Jordan. You can watch them at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwS2NaLexncln9qUJ4wJhsg.
It is a new year, and with the new year comes new year's resolutions. In this sermon, I take a look at why I think Christians should embrace new year's resolutions, how the principles of succeeding at resolutions are biblical, and how for Christians self-help and success literature get's the process wrong.
In this short sermon on the Sunday after Christmas, I talk about the let down after Christmas, and living an Advent faith when all the bows are put away.
In this sermon, I look at the struggles we have experiencing Christmas because we are so busy and consumed by DOING Christmas. I then use Galatians 4 to talk about the importance of the holiday. I conclude with the poem below.
The Nightmare Before New Years by Jordan Rimmer
Twas the Nightmare before New Years, and all through the land Everyone was stirring, as fast as they can. The decorations were hung, but were they enough? Paying off all this credit card debt will be tuff.
The children were tucked in and dreaming upstairs Of expensive toys that they’ll break and they’ll lose and won’t share. Mom and I were exhausted, and fell fast asleep For this was a pace that we just could not keep.
It was snowing outside and starting to pile In the morning I would have to shovel a while. Man, was the winter always rough on my back. And we are travelling this week and didn’t yet pack.
The kids would wake up before the crack of dawn To open their toys, and all day they will yawn. Then we’d dash to see family throughout the day And we’ll eat and we’ll talk while all the kids play.
As the day moves along a smile turns to a frown Somebody’s bound to have a melt-down. It might be a kid who didn’t get enough sleep Or an adult with too many secrets to keep.
Is this really what Christmas is all about? That we run and we spend and we stress and we shout? We hustle and bustle and wear ourselves thin. Is there something more happening that we just won’t let in?
Then we realize with a great amount of fear: We are going to have do this all again next year? But bigger, and better, and nicer, and more More shopping, more cookies, of everything—more.
Or we could choose differently here, you and I. We could hold on to love and give up the lie That Christmas is all about presents and stuff We could look at it differently, but it will be tuff.
Maybe it’s not about presents at all Or decorations or cookies or sales at the mall. Maybe the holiday is all about love. That started with Christ who came from above.
The love that was laid in the manger of hay Changes the way we love others today. Maybe this Christmas we can more than get through. Merry Christmas, I say, and God’s blessings to you.
One of the challenges of life is that joy and suffering often go together. Love involves risk. The wonderful part of life are not offset by the painful parts, but they go together. I take a look at the testimonies of Simeon and Anna, what this all must have been like for Mary, and what we can learn from them.
I take a look at the families of the Christmas story- Zechariah and Elizabeth with John the Baptist and Mary and Joseph with Jesus. Through them I reflect on the struggles that we often feel in our families and relationships during the holidays. Maybe this gives us insight into what it means that Christ brings peace.
This sermon starts my 2018 Advent sermon series. Here I rework a sermon from a few years ago to talk about the importance of Advent and why I think it is so bad that we are losing it.
I take a look at what the image of a Yoke entails and use the words of Jesus to describe the essence of grace.
This is my stewardship Sunday sermon. I try to change the conversation about what it means that we are stewards.
In this sermon given for Reformation Sunday 2018, I take a look at my churches history, especially focused on how we are reformed, Presbyterian, and Celtic. I take a look at Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and our Celtic roots.
This sermon was delivered for Veteran's Day in 2018. It was a build up to a special communion experience using my father's used field communion kits.
This is a keynote I gave at a conference recently. It is an introduction to my ideas about being a Story Pastor. Enjoy.
This sermon series is last sermon in The Way series. I take a look at the last week of Jesus' earthly life to consider waht kind of savior Jesus is and what it means to follow in the Way of Jesus.
This sermon series is part of a 6 week emphasis at Northminster which includes personal reading, Sunday school at all levels, and sermons. The series follows along the book The Way by Adam Hamilton.
In this sermon, I look at the Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. I preach the last 3/4 of my sermon from a well that I had made.
This sermon series is part of a 6 week emphasis at Northminster which includes personal reading, Sunday school at all levels, and sermons. The series follows along the book The Way by Adam Hamilton. In this sermon, I look at the Jesus calming two storms on the Sea of Galilee and what that means for storms in our lives today.
This sermon series is part of a 6 week emphasis at Northminster which includes personal reading, Sunday school at all levels, and sermons. The series follows along the book The Way by Adam Hamilton.
In this sermon, I look at the teaching ministry of Jesus, especially at the most important theme--the Kingdom of God.
This sermon series is part of a 6 week emphasis at Northminster which includes personal reading, Sunday school at all levels, and sermons. The series follows along the book The Way by Adam Hamilton.
In this sermon, I look at the healing ministry of Jesus, particlarly the healing of the mand that was lowered throught he roof to Jesus.
This sermon series is part of a 6 week emphasis at Northminster which includes personal reading, Sunday school at all levels, and sermons. The series follows along the book The Way by Adam Hamilton.
In this sermon, I take a look at the baptism and temptation of Jesus and reflect on what a 1st century Jew might see in these stories.
This sermon is from kickoff Sunday where Sunday school begins for the new year. In this sermon, I take a look at what it means to know God and how important the mind is in our faith. I then look at the history and development of the doctrine of the Trinity and use that to consider how we go about doing theology today. I realize that description makes this sermon sound nerdy, but the point was to show the importance of exercising our mind not for our mind's sake but for our heart's sake.
In this sermon I look at the call of Samuel and especially at the idea of "tingling ears." I then ponder how we hear, discern, and follow God's leading in our own lives.
This is the final sermon in my 4-Chapter Gospel series. I must say this has been a very rewarding sermon for me. It has pushed my theology and my way of explaining the gospel, and it seems to have helped others do the same. In this final chapter, I look at how it is not enough for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and take us to heaven. The story requires the restoration and consummation of all things.
After a recap, I look at the redemption chapter. While we often say that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, I show that the story is so much bigger. It is not just our sins that have to be redeemed, but the whole world must be redeemed. Further, it is not just the death of Jesus that is saving, but his life, teachings, miracles, healings, resurrection, and ascension that all play part in the salvation, salving, or salvaging work of Christ.
In this sermon, I recap the 4-chapter gospel and my main points about creation. Then I look at the Fall, and how humanity (and creation with them) has missed the mark and fallen short of God's glory. This impacts our lives every day.
In this sermon, I follow up my introduction to the 4-chapter gospel by looking at creation. I emphasize that everything is God's, everything is good, that we order and fill in the image of God, and we rest becasue we are not God.
Here I begin a sermon series on what has been called the 4-chapter gospel. It is a model of talking aobut the grand narrative of the Bible and our faith as Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Many Christians, unfortunately, only have a small understanding of 2 of the chapters. We need a robust and full picture of what the good news really is.
This wraps up my sermon series on the Psalms. I take a look at the most familiar and beloved Psalm, but there is a lot more going on here than most people realize. Some of the problem is that this text is overly familiar. Some of the problem is that we are reading figuritive language that is 2,000-3,500 years old in the Bible and we have to do some work to understand them. Particularly, we have to understand what 1st Century shepherds were really like.
In this sermon, I continue to look at the Psalms through Walter Brueggemann's scheme of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. I take a look at Psalms written for after the storms and the wisdom that they have for us.
In my conclusion, I read some pieces from a lecture that Charles Spurgeon did. You can read it at
http://www.the-highway.com/articleSept99.html
This sermon continues my series on the Psalms inspired by the work of Walter Brueggemann. In this one, I look at Psalms for those times in our lives where we are disoriented and dislocated.
In this sermon I use the structure of story to introduce a paradigm for reading the Psalms. I use Walter Bruggemann's concept of Psalms of Orientation, Psalms of Disorientation, and Psalms of Reorientation. I then look quickly at Psalm 8 as an example of a Psalm of Orientation.
This is the beginning of a sermon series on the Psalms. In this sermon, I introduce how the Psalms work and what the Psalms are like. Along the way, I try to make the argument that we miss something when we don't use the Psalms as a cornerstone of our spiritual lives.
In this sermon, insired by Diana Butler Bass and Harvey Cox, I talk about the order of our faith. I think that the Jewish faith and the early Christian faith began with belonging, then moved to behavior, and then finally beliefs were developed to give langauge to what the people were feeling and experiencing. Somewhere along the line, we reversed the order, and we have prioritized belief. What we have tended to neglect in our faith is our behaviors--the practices of the faith that build our belonging and make our beliefs alive. In this sermon, I talk specifically about Sabbath, Scripture, and Prayer.
In this sermon, I take a look at what a sermon does, how I approach sermon, and how to listen to a sermon.
In this sermon, I break down the Reformed order of worship. Why do we worship the way we do, and what does that tell us about the meaning of worship?
This is actually an extended children's sermon that I did on our church worship space. I decided to include it on the podcast because a lot of people found it helpful to learn about our sanctuary as a Tabernacle or Temple. Enjoy.
In the previous sermon, I took a look at what happened to the world and the church. In this sermon, I consider what the future is for the church and how the church should respond.
In this sermon I follow the lead of the tribe of Issachar, which Chronicles tells us "understood the times and knew what Israel should do." Here, I analyze how our world has changed and how we can understand our times. In particular, I talk about how we now live in a post-Christendom and postmodern world in the West. Net week, I will talk more about how we can respond.
This was an interesting Sunday. It was Easter, but it was also April Fools Day. I had a little fun with it.
I have a confession to make. I have never really understood why Palm Sunday is such a big deal. At least, until this year. And this sermon is the result of that study.
In this sermon, I finish the story of Ruth. I look at how Boaz remains a man of honor in the way he works toward marrying Ruth, how Ruth ends up being the great grandmother of King David, how the Book of Ruth shows the love of Jesus, and what the book teaches us about faith.
Here we go into chapter 3. We have to do a lot of background work to understand what is going on, but with the idea of redeeming and the idea of winnowing. Also, is this some kind of illicit midnight rendezvous?
This sermon continues with the story of Ruth. Here, she goes out to gleen and meets and man named Boaz. She and Naomi are blessed by him, and the question of God's goodness and kindness start to be answered.
This begins my Lent sermon series on the Book of Ruth. This sermon paints the context and starts the story of Naomi's return to Bethlehem with her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth.
In this sermon, I take a look at the four relationships that we are created in and how the fall breaks them on. I then look at how Jesus heals all four relationships and calls us to be ministers of reconciliation.
In this sermon I take a look at 1 Corinthians 3:1-15 and the way Paul talks about Christian maturity. We need to move past being a fleshy or carnal Christian and learn to live both trusting God to bring growth while also being faithful to what God calls us to do.
Here I take a look at the process that people (and churches) go through as the mercies of God transform us into something new and how part of that process involves us renewing our mind.
In this sermon, based on John 15:1-11, takes a look at the image of the vine and the branches. I then apply these ideas to the practice of discernment. Finally, I share my journey of discernment which led me to Northminster Church.
Why is the parable of the prodiagal son a bad name for the parable? How does the audience of the parable help interpret the parable? Why are there details like pigs, a fatted calf, a cloak, and the sound of dancing? In this sermon, I take a look at this familiar parable that we are not so familiar with.
I am indebted to Timothy Keller, Matt Chandler, and Kenneth Bailey for helping me rethink this parable every time I study it and preach it again.