Sermons – Hager Park Church: Recent Episodes
Sermons – Hager Park Church
ON KICK-OFF SUNDAY we welcomed our Clubhouse Kids to join Pastor Mark up front as he shared their first Clubhouse lesson with them. This is a fun time for the whole congregation as the adults get to watch and listen in to our Children’s Ministry’s Clubhouse experience. The Clubhouse theme for September is Friendship […]
IF JESUS IS GOD, He has complete authority over life and death. Jesus clearly demonstrated in this Scripture His power over illness and death. Such a statement of Jesus’ sovereignty can lift our faith and also raise questions. Placing ourselves into the intriguing scene, we can see the needs and feel the emotions. Why would […]
“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME” (PHILIPPIANS 4:13). A very famous verse that most of us have memorized even if we could not have quoted where in the bible it was from. However, most of us have taken this passage out of context and have made it mean something unintended by […]
DO YOU KNOW THE WORD PERSEVERATE? Nancy used to use that word a lot when she taught Kindergarten. She would have five-year-olds that just couldn’t let go of a particular thought, concern, or worry and they would get stuck on it unable to focus on anything else. That’s Perseveration. Sometimes in our life together, we […]
“I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL TO WIN THE PRIZE,” says Paul. But what is the prize that Paul is talking about. For years I thought Paul was talking about Heaven. If that were the case, this week’s message would be in contradiction to last week’s, Faith-Alone-In-Christ-Alone, message. So, what is the prize that Paul […]
PAUL KNOWS what it’s like to try and work your way to heaven. He was a Pharisee, and possibly the most zealous of his sect. Then he met Jesus! Now he understands that righteousness comes through faith and not by works. In these first eleven verses of Philippians chapter three, Paul is warning his brothers […]
THOUGH PAUL IS RESTRAINED under house-arrest in Rome, he is still able to receive guests. Timothy has been with him much of the time and has become a vital conduit to the outside World. Additionally, the Philippians have sent to his aid, Epaphroditus, a good friend and co-worker of Paul’s. But now, Paul is sending […]
In Philippians 2:12-18 Paul tells them to “Work Out their Salvation” and they will “Shine like the stars”. The Christian Rock band from the 90’s, The Newsboys. On their album, “Take Me to Your Leader” their song “Shine” spoke directly to that sentiment. The lyrics go like this… Shine, make ‘em wonder what you got […]
MESSAGE: Most of us have seen something we thought was not right, unjust or evil. Have you then ever thought to yourself, “It’s not my problem?” Jesus took a group of his followers aside and talked to them about righteousness, the kingdom of God, and their purpose in life. He told them they were “the salt […]
IT MAY TAKE MORE EFFORT AND THOUGHT TO MAKE THINGS SIMPLE. This is true for followers of Jesus about sharing our faith with others. Jesus gave all of us the assignment (Matthew 28:19-20) of making disciples for Him. This includes all sorts of people we meet wherever we go. We are to teach them to […]
Paul says to the Philippians, “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind” (ESV). That line always makes me think of “The BORG” in Star Trek. They are of one mind, but there is a difference and that difference makes all the difference when we are living Koinonia — Common Life — Together. […]
“To Live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul makes this amazing statement to the Philippians in chapter one verse 21 of his letter. It’s a statement that’s easy to say and hard to mean and live out. But as you read his letter you are inclined to believe that he does, in fact, […]
“Koinonia – Common Life” includes fellowship, serving, partnership and friendship but it includes even more. It includes the shared experience of sin and suffering that we all go through along our journey. Those experiences can sometimes become chains that hold us back or imprison us in our past. Koinonia comes when we share the experience […]
Philippians is unique amongst the Pauline Epistles. It’s the most encouraging and joyous of his letters even though he writes it from a Roman prison cell. We can feel his love and gratitude overflowing for the Philippians in these opening sentences of the letter: “I thank my God every time I remember you”, “I always […]
Right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to the crowd, “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” This is usually a passage used by pastors to talk about giving and stewardship. But this Sunday, I want to use it to speak to our graduates in much broader terms. Mostly because what they have isn’t money (maybe debt but not money). What they do have is promise and possibility — new goals and new experiences and as they stand on the precipice of all that potential, Jesus is asking, “Whom will you serve, My treasure or the worlds?”
Just as Timothy’s Mother and Grandmother made a deposit of faith in him, so too, do our mothers influence and help grow our faith along the way. Whether we are two, teens, twenty or twice that, our mothers play such an important role in our lives.
How would you answer that question? Maybe you would answer the same way Jesus did when asked about the greatest commandment, “To love God above all and your neighbor as yourself.” Isn’t the degree to which we do that the primary measure of spiritual maturity? I wouldn’t say no but, how does one measure how much we are loving God and loving our neighbor? There may be a simple and measurable place to begin. In this message we explore two of the Old Testament’s minor prophets to discover the answer.
The Bible gives us windows on a life of serving Jesus as our Lord. Certainly, there are a multitude of joys and opportunities to witness God in action; miracles happening and lives changing. There are also times of suffering and difficult questions. Vignettes of Peter and Paul help us put life into perspective as we deal with our own failures and imperfections. Loving, following, and just being with Jesus daily may surprise us in what we willingly decide to leave behind. It may also almost astonish us at what we will withstand as the Lord strengthens us with His grace.
On this Sunday our students take over and lead the whole church in what the Kingdom of God looks like from their perspective. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to share their voices with our whole church body. Taylor Grose, our Youth Director shares a message from Romans 12:1-13 titled, “That We Belong to One Another.”
IT’S GEMS (Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior) SUNDAY . . . Join us as we celebrate our GEMS ministry here at HPC. This year marks the 50th year that the GEMS ministry adopted Micah 6:8 as the organization’s theme verse and aim. Which asks, “What does the Lord Require of us? And the reply is, “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” And so, Pastor Mark will be sharing his message called, “Walk the Micah Road” Join us as we celebrate all our girls and women who have worked so diligently all year to grow into that theme verse.
CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! We celebrate our risen Lord. What a glorious day for us, but on that first Easter Sunday morning things felt a little different for those that first encountered the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome arrived at the tomb wondering how they were going to enter the tomb and anoint Jesus’ body. Much to their surprise, the stone was already rolled away, and Jesus’ body was gone! A young man, dressed in white, told them that Christ is Risen, and to go tell the disciples. BUT they don’t. Instead, they run away in fear and tell NO ONE! They FAIL! The End. Mark’s Gospel ends here (Mark 16:1-8). Discover the rest of the story . . .
On Thursday of Jesus’ Biggest Week, He and His disciples are preparing to celebrate the Passover meal. The Passover meal commemorates God’s Salvation event for Israel, which took place in Egypt, when the Spirt of Death passed over every home whose door was covered with the blood of the Passover lamb. Jesus, however, is preparing for something new, a reinterpretation of the Passover meal and a new Passover Lamb. Jesus is creating a New Exodus event and this time it’s for the redemption of all people, everywhere.
There is no evidence in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus and His disciples made the journey to Jerusalem on the Wednesday of Jesus’ biggest week. It looks like they remain in Bethany for a midweek breather. Maybe they are just getting ready for what is to come on Thursday and Friday. And so, we pick up the story on Wednesday evening at Simon the Leper’s house where Jesus and the disciples are just finishing dinner. A woman enters and gives Jesus a most valuable gift. Join us as we unpack the deep meaning behind this gift and The Most Valuable Gift yet to be given.
How do you feel about End-Times discussions? That’s what Jesus is having with Peter, James, John, and Andrew in the very spot where Zechariah predicts (Zech. 14:4) these events will take place, the Mt. of Olives. Theologians call this teaching, “Jesus’ Eschatological Discourse.” Eschaton being the Greek word for last or final.
We unravel the meaning of the withered fig tree. On their way into Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, Jesus and His disciples pass by the fig tree that Jesus cursed the day before. Peter notices that the tree is now dead and withered to its roots. This is not only a prediction of what is to happen to the Temple and its empty religion but it’s a picture of what will happen to every person without the resurrection power of Christ in our lives. Ours is a fig tree future without Jesus. But with Jesus even what is dead can come alive again and bear fruit!!!
THE BIGGEST WEEK
Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, which appears in Matthew, Mark and Luke, but we are less familiar with Jesus’ cursing of the fruitless fig. At the very least, we understand the cursing of the fruitless fig less than the cleaning of the temple. A fig tree in Judea in the month of March or April (the time of the Passover) would NOT have had figs on its branches. Jesus knows this. So why curse it? That’s what we are going to find out on Sunday as well as how this event is directly connected to the main event on Monday of Jesus’ biggest week, the cleansing of the temple.
THE BIGGEST WEEK
The season of Lent has begun. Lent is a season of reflection and preparation prior to Easter. It’s a time when we reflect on Jesus’ suffering. We take action to identify with that suffering to more fully take part in the celebration of His resurrection on Easter Sunday morning. This year we will be reflecting the seven days of Holy Week during our Lenten sermon series. Each Sunday will reflect what happened on each of the succeeding days of Holy Week. I’m calling it, “The Biggest Week”. We begin with Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, that’s right we are celebrating Palm Sunday this week, five weeks early, compete with a children’s Palm Parade at the end of the service.
This week we will be looking at the “Big Six” that is, the six biblical passages that directly mention homosexual behavior. There are three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament. We will look at what each actually says, and the talk about some of the arguments that affirming people make to refute what seem to be clear prohibitions to homosexual behavior. Join us as we dig into the Word while we remember that we are always talking about people and not simply a theological issue. Let’s seek God’s guidance together.
This week we resume our sermon series, “People at Issue.” We explore what the Bible has to say about Marriage and Sexuality.
Cattle ranchers out west build fences to keep the cows from wandering off. Ranchers in Australia, however, build no fences but dig wells so the cows stay near the water. Fences and wells. Often in church, we can build fences, enforce lots of rules, to keep people safe, but our fences can also keep new people from coming to Jesus. After all, fences keep cows and in and out of a field. What if instead of fences, the church was known for being a well of living water?
Normally we hear the words of 1 Corinthians 13 at a wedding ceremony. But Paul didn’t write those words for a wedding or even for a couple. Paul is writing to the Church at Corinth. He is writing to the body of believers and giving them direction on how to be the Church of Jesus Christ. They had been arguing about who was the greatest preacher or teacher and making claims on whose was the best. They were arguing about the gifts of the Spirit and which ones were superior. They were reflecting the values of their culture more than Christ. And so, Paul tells them to put on the gift of Love above all things. But what does it mean to love LGBTQ people in today’s world. Does it mean we can never judge or does it mean something else? Join us Sunday as we explore the second of our five messages on LGBTQ people and the Church.
In our new sermon series, “People at Issue”, we will be exploring what the Bible has to say about Marriage and Sexuality specifically around LGBTQ relationships and how the Church is to respond. In the past the Church could, and did, talk about LGBTQ people as an issue that needed to be solved. Today, we are beginning to understand that “it” is not an issue, rather they are people. So, how does the Church stand up for Biblical truth and love people at the same time.
WHAT A WAY TO BEGIN OUR NEW YEAR!! Worshiping together as the Body of Christ! New Year’s Day falls on Sunday this year and won’t happen again until 2034. To celebrate the Lord’s Day and the first day of the year is an extra blessing for this Sunday. Worship begins at 11:00 AM with our Praise Band followed by Baptism, Pastor Mark’s message on “The Shema” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and celebration of The Lord’s Supper.
How the story of Christmas teaches us how to follow Jesus. The Birth of Jesus changes everything! God is with us! If that is true, and the bible tells us it is, then nothing should stop us from testifying to that truth in our own lives. It was true for the shepherds that night because the Truth of God was told to them by God Himself. The truth told to them was confirmed in Community as they gathered around the manger with Mary and Joseph. And their experience of it all was shared with all who would listen. Has God’s Word changed you? It so, you have a testimony to share with others. The spiritual discipline of testifying is something to be practiced.
When we hear the word “study” what thoughts come to mind? Does your anxiety begin to grow? Maybe it brings haunting flashbacks of grade school or college exam weeks? In school, the goal is amassing knowledge in order to regurgitate it later in a very formalized way. However, study as a spiritual discipline is vastly different. Join us as we journey to Christ through the eyes of the wise men and the religious elite. Which group do you think will best resemble how a disciple studies?
What runs through your mind when you hear the word Meditation? Nothing? Well, that’s the point, isn’t it? It is as if you are thinking about Eastern Religious Meditation. However, it’s quite the opposite if you want to practice Christian Meditation. The goal of meditation as a Spiritual Discipline for Christians is to fill your mind with the things of God and mediate on that. In Luke’s Gospel account of Jesus’ birth, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Lk. 2:19). Mary was meditating on God’s activity and His Word. On Sunday we will explore all that Mary treasured and pondered and learn how we too can meditate on the things of God in our own lives and in His Word.
When Mary greets Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit prompts corporate Worship. John, the baby growing in Elizabeth’s womb, leaps with joy, Elizabeth honors Mary and recognizes her faith and Mary glorifies the Lord. Together they worship God and experience His presence. How do you experience God in Corporate Worship. Do you come prepared to meet God? Are you open to the work of the Spirit, recognizing who God is? Are you changed and called to action as you leave each week? Corporate Worship is vital to our spiritual growth, let’s “not give up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25). Rather, let’s worship God together and be transformed.
We conclude our three-week series on Marriage and Relationships this Sunday with a special message from guest speaker, Barbara Yandell. Her message on “Singleness” (and the church) will help us refocus our understanding on what it means to be part of God’s family and how we should live and love and do ministry with everyone […]
Drs. Matt and Marka Steensma will share from their hearts things they have learned in their own marriage along with biblical truths on how God designed marriage to be an intimate relationship. It is within that relationship that we will experience much joy, happiness, and fulfillment. As physicians they also have a unique perspective on […]
We are excited to welcome Steve Norman from “Winning at Home!” Steve is a pastor, award-winning author, speaker, and coach who loves to communicate the truth of God’s Word. Steve is a gifted speaker who has spent the last 25 years serving local churches in the Detroit and Grand Rapids areas as a church planter, […]
Join us for our final message in our Daniel Dare Series. This week we will learn how to stand up to the cultural tool of Misrepresentation. How is it that Daniel gets thrown in the Lion’s Den? Daniel 6:3 says, “Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators” which led to them wanting to stand him […]
We all know what it means when we hear the saying, “The Handwriting is on the Wall”. But do you know where the saying comes from? Daniel chapter five is the answer. King Belshazzar, the vassal king of Babylon, is warned by God in the middle of a banquet by an aberration of a handwriting […]
Do you remember that old TV show, “Lost in Space”? Where that really bad prediction of a robot would warn, “Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!” That’s how I see Daniel Chapter 4, as a warning of Danger on the horizon for King Nebuchadnezzar and for us if we don’t change our ways. Chris Hodges says, “Virtually […]
“Misplaced Worship” – Daniel 1:1-2; 3:1-6; 6:1-10 Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Be careful what you worship, for what you are worshiping you are becoming.” We are created to worship. And so, we will worship someone or something. Our culture is constantly smothering us with alluring idols to worship. Often without us even recognizing them as […]
What’s in a name? Shakespeare posed this question in his play, “Romeo and Juliet” It turns out there can be a lot of meaning tied up in a name. But what’s more important is our identity. Where do you find your identity? Is it in your name, your title, your children, your accomplishments or do […]
Have you ever ended up in a particular situation or place and thought to yourself, “How did I end up here?” I’m sure that’s what Daniel and his friends must have been thinking as they found themselves in the service of a pagan king 900 miles from home. This week we are going to answer […]
Our guest this week is Dr Timothy Brown who is the President and Henry Bast Professor of Preaching Emeritus of Western Theological Seminary where he taught for 25 years and was President for twelve. He is now a certified public school substitute teacher in Holland Michigan where he lives with his wife Nancy!
Pastor Mark has a special message planned for everyone! He is asking that all kids in PreK through 5th grade come up to the front of the Worship Center after our Congregational Prayer on Sunday morning. He will kick off the Clubhouse 252 theme for September—which is TRUST. For those of you who ask, “What […]
It’s Labor Day Weekend, we remember and celebrate our work, our labor, and our laborers. Officially, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. For Christians it’s also a day that we should celebrate the gift of work given to us by God. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord […]
The Story of Esther comes to its moment of truth. Will God ultimately be with His people? Will God deliver the Jews on Judgement Day, “the 13th Day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar”? There seems to be a looming dread hanging over the people of Persia, there is just something other-worldly about […]
God has been turning things around. Chapter eight was filled with God’s “Reversals of Destiny” for both Esther and Mordecai. God also pronounces His Ironic justice for Haman. But He’s not done yet! As Carol Bechtel says, “This is not just a story about individuals; the fate of a whole people hangs in the balance.” […]
This is your time to see the invisible hand of God turn things around. This is your time to see the faith you placed in God proofed out as God changes your circumstances. This is your time to see how God’s mysterious purposes and timing will be revealed. Chapter seven continues the reversal of destiny […]
Esther 6 is the pivot point of the entire story. Its dramatic reversal of destiny was not prompted by human actions (although many occur later). Everything turns on this seemingly mundane statement in Esther 6:1: “On that night, the king could not sleep.” A series of divinely orchestrated events (spanning just 14 verses) plunge evil […]
Continuing in our series THIS IS YOUR TIME from the book of Esther. We learn what happens next after an edict was issued to kill, destroy, and annihilate all of the Jews in Susa on a single day. As Esther takes time to seek the Lord she allows Him to change her and is given […]
We come to the most famous line in all the book of Esther, “Who knows, but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? There is an answer to that question. There IS someone who knows, and that someone is God!!! God Knows!!! And God’s purposes and plans are […]
We return to the story of Esther this week where we left our protagonist being crowned Queen over all of Persia sitting on her throne next to King Xerxes and Mordecai her cousin demonstrating his loyalty to the King by reporting two scoundrels who had planned an assassination attempt of the King. Esther delivers her […]
In an effort to have a good and positive effect on the character and personality of those around us, let’s continue our training from the lessons Jesus taught on how to impact others. This week is part two of a mini-series that Pastor Jim Lester is sharing with us. Think of those you affect by […]
In one way or another we all influence others. It may be just a few or many. Hopefully, our influence will have a good and positive effect on the character and personality of those around us. Think of those you influence by your speech, attitudes, and behavior. We may shape the lives of people we […]
You might want to put on your seat belts because we will be moving fast through all the different scenes in this divine drama. We are being introduced to the key characters in God’s Jewish/Persian drama. The Jew, Mordecai, Hadassah (Esther) the orphan and Hegai the eunuch in charge of the king’s harem. Now Hegai […]
NEW SUMMER SERMON SERIES BEGINS THIS WEEK SUNDAY, JUNE 19: “This is Your Time” — Pastor Mark invites you on a journey as we take a survey of the Book of Esther. Esther is unique to the Cannon of the Old Testament. For one thing, the author never mentions God anywhere in the whole book. […]
When someone close to you says; “The most incredible thing happened to me.” Naturally you want to hear the story. But some people tell stories in such detail that after ten minutes you still don’t know what happened and why it was so incredible. You might want to say, “Please stop! Just tell me what […]
The Church of Jesus Christ was born on Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s followers. For years one of the overemphasized manifestations of that day has been the gift of speaking in tongues. But the Holy Spirts work and presence goes far beyond that one particular gift. In fact, there are […]
Pastor Mark completes his Mental Health Awareness Month sermon series called “You Are Not Along.” Join us as we rejoice with Elijah as God Empowers to move forward in his mental health recovering by recommissioning him for service and pairing him with a new mentee. A mentee that will walk with him on his journey. […]
We continue to explore the Be Nice action plan for mental illness as he walks through Elijah’s mental health emergency in 1 Kings 19. This week we will be looking at verses 9-14 as God challenges Elijah to think differently about his struggle and about God Himself. Pastor Mark will also challenge us to challenge […]
We track with Elijah as God Invites him to His care and recovery from a Mental Health Crisis. God treats Elijah with love, dignity, and respect as He cares for him along the winding path of recovery. God never gives up on Elijah and He won’t give up on you or those you may know […]
We begin our new series focused on Mental Health called, “You Are Not Alone!” When we struggle with our mental health, we often believe we are alone. That’s exactly what Elijah believed. He believed that even God had left him. Elijah felt so alone that he wanted to die. But the good news for Elijah […]
What does is look like to live as those made alive in Christ in these days. Particularly around the issue of Covid-19. How do we handle vaccination and non-vaccination? How are we to be as the church when we don’t all agree? Paul tells us to set our hearts on things above, not on earthly […]
All that we have been learning boils down to this, “Abiding in the Vine” but being missional challenges our traditional understanding of what it means to Abide. There is pain when we fail to abide and there is even pain when we abide well. However, if we choose not to abide in the vine intentionally […]
God’s Mission needs Mission Partners—People who are all-in and following Jesus wherever He goes even if the road He travels is difficult and hard to accept. Our scripture text for Sunday shares one of those hard teachings of Jesus and how many of His fair-weather disciples, on hearing this teaching, turned away and no longer […]
The word missional has been thrown around a lot in the last several years. It’s a word that conjures up a lot of different ideas for people. In fact, there are many misconceptions about what being missional is all about. This week we are going to delve into a few of the most common Missional […]
There has been a lot of talk in the last year about being “Woke” in a social and political sense. Don’t worry, we aren’t going to talk about that, but we are going to talk about a “Woke” of a different kind. The church needs to wake up to the fact that “we aren’t in […]
You’ve heard that old dilemma question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”, right? Well, have you ever asked that same question about the church and mission? Which came first, the church or the mission? Dick Wiendenhef answers like this, “God doesn’t have a mission for His Church, God has a Church for His […]
Join us on Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00AM in person or online as we worship God and share our answers to prayer. We welcome Rev. Dr. Barbara Yandel to our pulpit as one of our Missionaries to the Muslim World. Dr. Yandel founded her ministry “Hope for the Nations” 20 years ago and has been […]
Pastor Mark shares his journey of understanding and engaging God’s mission in his life and in the World. From inviting friends to church, to sharing the Good News of Jesus’ with many along the way—including his missteps. We are all on mission with God if we are believers in Jesus, but we are all at […]
Re-Engage the Mission of God Do you know the story of Nehemiah? He was the cupbearer for the Persian King. He was also a Jewish man who had been part of the exiled Israelite nation. That’s exactly where he would have remained, had he not taken initiative. He responded to some terrible news from Jerusalem […]
This Labor Day Weekend we Praise God together because He has done great things for us!! Imagine standing on the edge of the Red Sea after the parted waters closed. Looking up the shore and down and realizing that not one of your people is lost, everyone is present and accounted for, not one has […]