MCF Sermon Podcast: Recent Episodes
Marina Christian Fellowship
As we continue our Lenten series entitled, "Course Correction," we meditate on the John 3:1-17 and Pastor Kevin shares a message on what it means for him to experience a new birth when he is being kept up at night by his worries and anxieties. Follow along with this podcast using the notes in our E-bulletin.
We kick off Lent with a new sermon series called, "Course Correction." This podcast episode includes a contemplative reading of the Gospel passage before Kevin brings a reflection on the wilderness as the solitude we need to fight the battle over our true identity. Follow the contemplative reading and sermon on our E-Bulletin.
Song Credit: Refuse the Bait performed by Teryn and Worship Team By Liturgical Folk feat. Liz Vice
On this Sunday of the Transfiguration of Jesus, Kevin shares his heart in terms of the vision for MCF. You can follow the notes for the sermon on our E-bulletin. The podcast includes an inspired prayer by Pastor Al at the end.
Kevin closes this sermon series with a sermon on how positive psychology is catching up to what scripture and Jesus have taught us about what brings about a good life. Hint: It isn't money or material things. Rather it is about being rich in love. Follow the sermon notes with our E-bulletin.
Song at the end: "Little Things With Great Love" performed by Teryn
VERSE 1: In the garden of our Savior, no flower grows unseen; His kindness rains like water on every humble seed. No simple act of mercy escapes His watchful eye — for there is One who loves me: His hand is over mine.
VERSE 2: In the kingdom of the heavens, no suff’ring is unknown; each tear that falls is holy, each breaking heart a throne. There is a song of beauty on ev’ry weeping eye — for there is One who loves me: His heart, it breaks with mine.
BRIDGE: Oh, the deeds forgotten; oh, the works unseen, every drink of water flowing graciously, every tender mercy, You’re making glorious. This You have asked us: do little things with great love, little things with great love.
VERSE 3: At the table of our Savior, no mouth will go unfed; His children in the shadows stream in and raise their heads. Oh give us ears to hear them and give us eyes that see — for there is One who loves them: I am His hands and feet.
from Work Songs , by Porter's Gate released October 6, 2017 LITTLE THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE By Audrey Assad, Isaac Wardell, and Madison Cunningham
Pastor Kevin continues his series on financial freedom and this week focuses on the benefits of giving. Follow the notes for this sermon on our E-bulletin.
Pastor Kevin continues his sermon series on financial freedom. This week he focuses on how we can cultivate contentment in our lives by focusing on God's grace. Follow along with the sermon notes found in our e-bulletin. Note: The sound quality at the beginning of the sermon is poor due to Kevin's mic being off but it improves once he switches it on.
Featured Song: "Everything" performed by Brittney Mendoza and worship team by Jason Ingram | Lauren Daigle | Paul Mabury
Wisdom sheds light on difficult to navigate situations. When it comes to finance, we don't have to stumble in the dark. There is much wisdom to shine a light to help us find freedom with our finances. Follow the sermon notes with our e-bulletin. Also, find sermon follow up resources HERE.
Pastor Kevin starts a new five week sermon series entitled, "Make A Change: The Joy of Financial Freedom." Financial brokenness is the anxiety and stress that comes over finance whether or not a person's finances are in good shape or not. There is a lot of financial brokenness in America due to a "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality and an over reliance on instant credit and debt to finance lifestyles that are often beyond our means. The good news is not that about what we can do to get out of our stress. It is about what God has done to set us free and our trusting response to God's grace.
Ever had an "a-ha moment?" Pastor Kevin talks about those "A-ha" moments that can radically change the direction of your life.
Pastor Kevin shares from his personal experience how God has used his weaknesses to teach him to be humble, obedient, and dependent on God's strength.
Pastor Kevin finishes up his Advent series by talking about how fear gets in the way of fulfilling the dreams God has given us. The remedy is to learn to trust in the love of God.
When our present situation is bad and the future is in question, it can be easy to despair. But knowing where to look for Jesus in our present circumstances is the way back to hope and joy. Follow the notes for this sermon on our E-Bulletin.
Pastor Kevin begins a new sermon series for the Season of Advent. In this sermon, he talks about what it means to be clothed in the armor of light, what that light is, and what it is for. Follow the sermon notes with our e-bulletin.
Pastor Ruben wraps up the series, Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey, with a sermon on where the journey is to lead us. It is to lead us out of the ordinary world of merit into the extraordinary world of God's grace, and back into the ordinary world with a whole different grace based perspective. We are truly given the medicine of grace to bring healing to our world. We are restored in order to restore. Here are links to the two videos Pastor Ruben reference is in the sermon:
Good Tidings We Bring
Philips Norelco
This podcast also includes Teryn Ré singing Amazing Grace.
What if your spiritual journey is meant to lead us back into our world so we could see it from a completely different perspective? What if we could see with the eyes of Christ? This is what Pastor Kevin explores in this week's sermon. After the sermon, Pastor Ruben shares a fantastic invitation to Communion. Follow the sermon notes as you listen with our weekly e-bulletin.
What do we do when we are angry that God doesn't hate our enemies? Perhaps we put ourselves in Jonah's place and hear God ask us, "Is your anger a good thing?" In that question is an invitation to leave our flawed human thinking behind and enter God's world of amazing grace which brings us into the joy of oneness with God and others. Follow along with the sermon notes found in our e-bulletin.
Kevin continues this series entitled, "Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey" with a message on getting closer to God. Just as Jonah was given a second chance to obey God and journey to Nineveh, the journey of faith is not so much just about what we believe, but it is about the daily walk. It is about a daily practice which puts what we believe into action, thus becoming true faith.
Pastor Kevin continues his series, Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey, with a focus on dealing with suffering, trials, and temptations. We invite you to follow the sermon notes with our E-Bulletin.
Pastor Kevin continues in the series Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey. This week he talks about Jonah getting thrown overboard into a sea of certain death and what that has to do with Christ's death, and our own journey from a life based in fear to a life based in faith. Following the sermon Brittney Mendoza sings the Leon Bridges song, River. Follow the sermon notes as you listen with our e-bulletin.
When we think we are running and hiding from God, are we really? Kevin explores the answer to that question as he continues week 4 in the sermon series entitled, Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey. You can follow the SERMON NOTES and SCRIPTURE REFERENCES as you listen with our e-bulletin.
We all have a calling. We all tend to run from that calling at time? Why do we run? Pastor Kevin explores this topic as we continue in the series, "Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey." You may also see the readings and follow the sermon notes as you listen with our new E-BULLETIN. This song was also sung in our service before the sermon this week. Check it out! Come Out of Hiding by Steffany Gretzinger and Amanda Cook.
In this second week of this series (Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey), Pastor Kevin contrasts the ordinary shame based world with an extraordinary world of grace using one of the most amazing stories Jesus ever told. You can find that story (Luke 15:11-32) along with the sermon notes for this sermon in our E-Bulletin. The E-bulletin is a great way to follow along with this podcast!
Pastor Kevin opens a new 11 week sermon series called Grace Trek: Jonah's Journey, Our Journey. When did your life ever go as planned? When did your day ever go as planned? The journey of life is filled with all kinds of unexpected roadblocks and detours, yet the lay of the land and the overall pattern is the the same for everyone. Grace Trek is a roadmap for the journey of life. This road map is introduced in this sermon. Find SERMON NOTES HERE! Here is a LINK TO JONAH VIDEO to which Pastor Kevin refers.
Pastor Kevin tackles the Elephant (and Donkey) in the room for American Christians. How are we being informed, and thus formed? We live in an age with 24/7 cable news and social media all trying to shape our opinions. Are we as followers of Christ spending more time tuned into Fox, CNN, Rush Limbaugh, or Bill Maher than we are listing to the voice of Christ in prayer and searching scripture? Tuning into Christ will free us from our polarizing echo chambers.
In these polarized political times where division and hate crimes are on the rise, the cross of Jesus attacks our collective sin problem and can heal our sad divisions.
Pastor Kevin begins a new sermon series on how to maintain our Christian witness in an environment of political division. This first sermon focuses on how Jesus saw things differently than we tend to. He did not fall into the trap of either/or thinking and we can live in response to this good news.
It can be so easy to get caught up in projects which have no lasting value. How can we shift our focus toward building what Christ showed us was most important?
Pastor Kevin reminds us that in order to love, we often have to cut the strings and let go.
Pastor Ruben talks about what it means to really love the way Christ loves us. How does Christ's love become something more than head knowledge?
Pastor Kevin contrasts the difference between fundamentalism and freedom and how that applies to our lives and MCF.
Pastor Kevin wove his own story with surprise tributes and a focus on the "grace in which we stand" when we stand in the relationship between the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.
Humans have, it seems, from the beginning of time, tried to find ways to come together and live in harmony. This human unity project always seems to fail. However, there is hope. The Spirit of God is able to accomplish what we, on our own, can't.
This week's sermon is about one of the weirdest stories in the Bible in which Jesus ascended into heaven. That story begs the question. Where is he now? The answer may surprise you.
Do you ever play the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" game in which you replay and regret the past. Do you play the "what if?" game in which you constantly try to preview and prevent imagined catastrophes in the future? Both of those games rob us of peace. But when we get back into the present moment, we can tap the peace of the Holy Spirit at the center of our being. We can begin to live with texture where joy coexists with turmoil and peace coexists with suffering.
Jesus is the vulnerable shepherd who shows us how to live with courage and vulnerability.
Love God and love people? That is an often used slogan. But it can be slightly misleading as if you can choose one or the other. Pastor Kevin shows us from scripture that the only way to love God is by loving people.
Often our relationship with The Christ starts with a personal relationship with Jesus. The problem with that is we tend to personalize Jesus. On this Easter Sunday pastor Kevin challenges us to let go of our personalized Jesus's so we can wake up to the reality that we are already IN a universe of loving relationship many know as the Risen Christ.
Kevin ends this Lenten series on our potential by delving into the area of forgiveness. He is clear that he is preaching to himself. As we listen in, we learn that our liberation to be fully living in and from our potential is directly related to our capacity to forgive.
Pastor Kevin talks about the flow of grace and what that has to do with what positive psychologists call "flow state." Great love opens the flow of grace. Greed stops it. Flow is where we want to live if we want to experience a life of meaning, potential, and purpose.
Are you a sinner or a saint? Are you ashamed or proud? Do you have a slave mentality or grace mentality? Jesus once told a beautifully subversive story about two sons which challenges our status quo thinking. Pastor Kevin unpacks that story today and paints a picture of a church filled with both "sinners" and "saints" because, truth is, we are all a mysterious mix of both in need of grace. He ends with a rare altar call, but not one for "sinners," but for "saints."
We live in a cut down culture and are headed in the wrong direction. Jesus' call to repent is a call to turn around and follow His way of grace, compassion, and life giving. We need to listen to that call to repent more than ever.
Jesus chose a very unlikely animal to illustrate what God is like. While we may think we want God to be more like a crafty fox, could God really be more like a mother hen?
Pastor Kevin kicks off a new 6 week sermon series for Lent entitled, "Potential." On this first Sunday in Lent three lies are exposed. These lies cause us to chase after things which we think will unleash our potential. However, the unleashing of our potential is based in a truth which we don't have to chase. Once we can rest secure in that truth, we begin to live into our full potential naturally.
We like to pitch our tents on what we think we know. But God tends to come along and plop down "No Camping" signs when we do that. God often has to move us from our certainty into uncertainty so that we grow into the sacrificial love of Christ.
A revenge fantasy may be fun to entertain, but is revenge the best way to deal with an enemy? Jesus takes a different approach. He calls us to love our enemies. It sounds impossible. That could be because it takes a different level of consciousness to do it. Why would we want to love our enemies and how can we even begin to think about doing that?
Pastor Ruben gives an overview of the Sunday lectionary readings to share how our hope and our trust can remain firmly planted in God no matter the circumstance.
Enlightening encounters with the Divine are transformative. They are intended to teach us that every encounter can be an enlightening one.
Pastor Kevin talks about the most profound chapter in the Bible known as the "Love Chapter." It enlightens us about real love. To be enlightened about the true nature of love is also to be enlightened about the nature of God because God is Love. Prior to the sermon, Julio Hanson sings, "Tell Him" by Lauryn Hill.
Good news that brings freedom is a growth in unity and love in which we each play our part in lightening each other's loads.
We can be involved in the endless religious pursuit of trying to clean ourselves up, or we can allow ourselves to be transformed by Christ.
Pastor Kevin begins a new sermon series entitled, "enLIGHTENment". He begins with the defining words spoken over Jesus at His baptism. "You are my son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased." These same defining words are meant to define us as well. The truest thing we could say about ourselves is that we are God's beloved children in whom God is well pleased. Baptism is a naming. It is a claiming of our true identity. And it is a defiant act in which we refuse to be labeled any longer in anyway other than what God says is true of us. The sermon ends with a video by Rachel Held Evans.
Pastor Bob Monagbanag fills in for Pastor Kevin and talks about the mystery of incarnation. If Jesus were to have taken a modern DNA test, what would it have shown? Who was his daddy? Pastor Ruben interviews Jennifer Levin about the final $100 Advent giving challenge.
Pastor Kevin talks about how joy is not so much something you can chase and catch. You have to stop and let it catch you.
Pastor Kevin gives a short message on how it is God's job and not our to finish the good work of love in each of us. Our part is just to get out of the way. Kevin then interviews Christy who shares how she used the $100 given out last week to share God's love with someone this week.
Pastor Kevin introduces an Advent giving challenge for the next four weeks, interviews Cindy and Isabel on what they are thankful for, and gives the congregation a chance to share the Praises of the People. On the last Sunday of the Christian Calendar Year, it is our custom to give thanks to the Lord.
Pastor Ruben shares on the Old Testament story of Hannah's journey of transformation. Her story of transformation illustrates the universal pattern:
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We are called to change
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We are called to suffer/die
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We are called to union/joy
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We are changed in order to share/serve
Why do people often find it so awkward to be around sad people? We do Christians often do and say the dumbest thing to people who are grieving? How did Jesus model for us how to be with someone in grief? Pastor Kevin shares about how when we are around sad people we often just need to shut up and pass a tissue. He also interviews Dana who will be leading a care ministry which will be developed at MCF in 2019.
Pastor Kevin closes his series, Starting Over, in Mark 10 with a story of man who was told by the crowd to shut up and settle. What voices are telling us to shut up and settle? How can we find the faith to push past the voices into a different reality?
Grown ups love to play a childish game. It's called the "Me First" game. Jesus challenges his disciples and us to live life in a different way. Here is LINK to the video that was shown near the beginning of the sermon.
Adults have their security blankets too. We just graduate from actual blankets to things like money, control, and popularity. Pastor Kevin talks about these security blankets as he continues his series in Mark 10 entitled, Starting Over. The podcast ends with a great communion invitation by Pastor Ruben.
October 7th was relaunch Sunday for MCF! Pastor Kevin started a new series entitled, Starting Over, that fit the occassion perfectly. Jesus said we have to become like children if we want to begin to see the world the way God sees it. But there is a big difference between being child-like and childish. The podcast concludes with Superintendent Charles Latchison recommissioning Pastor Kevin and his wife Jennifer and commissioning the new leadership team of the church.
This week features a conversational sermon between Pastors Kevin Robertson and Bob Monagbanag, Kevin's longtime friend.
Kevin opens with an interview with Debbie. It's a story of restoration! Kevin then speaks on the two roads we can choose. The road to greatness and the road to suffering.
We all have scripts we have accepted for our lives, but often we are trying so hard to act out those scripts that we don't ever get around to living the life we are actually in. It is often hard to accept the life we are in and to realize that God is with us in it all. (Video link below)
Claire Wineland video link
When Pastor Kevin prepared this message, he didn't know that he would have to put it into practice before he even preached it. He shares a personal challenge he faces with his health and how learning to pray at higher levels of awareness brings a deep sense of peace which cannot be taken away by circumstances. Outline below:
- The Overall Goal of Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
- The Lower ACTIVE Level of Prayer
Give us today our daily bread.
- The Higher ACTIVE Level of Prayer
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
- The Lower CONTEMPLATIVE Level of Prayer
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
- The Higher CONTEMPLATIVE Level of Prayer
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Pastor Robin continues the Road to Restoration by speaking on the freedom of grace. Grace allows us to honestly face our flaws with compassion so we can live authentically without the need to manage our image. This episode also includes the Gospel reading and a related song (lyrics below).
We believe in God the father, maker of the heavens and the earth
Of all that is, both seen and not The beauty of it all his hands have wrought
But we believe that we are all alone The earth is ours to plunder and to own
We believe Help us with our unbelief So we believe What we believe
We believe in Jesus Christ The very son of God, the light of light
He taught and died and rose again He gave us life that we might truly live
But we believe that jesus christ was wrong For we oppress the poor, reward the strong
We believe the Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life
We believe in resurrection, in the Church,the very bride of Christ
We believe that we must save ourselves The gates of heaven never shall prevail
Let us receive our faith again, with open minds and earth stained hands not with empty words and plans But hearts wide open
(We Believe? by Michael Gungor)
Pastor Kevin continues his series, "Road to Restoration." In this message, he speaks about the need for having God's wisdom when it comes to making amends with people we have harmed.
Pastor Kevin continues his Summer series, Road to Recovery, by sharing some practical wisdom on becoming ready to make amends with people we have harmed.
Pastor Kevin continues to share about upcoming changes at MCF. Today, he talks about hospitality and simple ways we can help newcomers feel welcome and connected. He then talks about humility and leads us in King David's prayer found in Psalm 51. This is a prayer of repentance, illumination, union, and service.
When we become aware of character flaws, are they something we have to make ourselves ready to remove, or does God make us ready? This week Pastor Kevin ends his sermon by leading the congregation through a prayer by the Apostle Paul.
Pastor Al Johnson brings us some Living Water this Sunday. Once you drink of it, it will begin to flow through you and bring life wherever it goes!
Why isn't church more like a recovery community where people can both bare and bear the truth.
Pastor Kevin continues the Road to Restoration series with a sermon on how our sore spots (hurts and weaknesses) can become a source of strength.
Kevin interviews Christie Smith and then talks about the woman who saw Jesus as her only hope and pressed through the crowd to touch him. She was restored, not just of her physical illness, but also to her community. Restoration happens when our trust in Jesus turns into action.
Pastor Ruben continues the series, Road to Restoration. The third stop on this road, is "Surrender."
Kevin continues his sermon series on the Road to Restoration. Grace is not something achieved. Rather it is often something we fall into. Kevin also interviews Paul Wilkinson prior to the message.
Kevin begins with by interviewing Mary and Eddie Lucas. He then gives a message about the big denial, which is our tendency to deny that we must rely on a power greater than ourselves.
Kevin begins a Summer series entitled, "Road to Restoration." This weeks features an interview with musicians, Angela Vicente and Jens Kuross (our two person worship team this week) about the rules of music. He then gives a short message on what the religious "rules" are meant to lead us to. Finally, he interviews Dana Turner on her real life story of following the rule of love.
Angela Vicente website
Jens Kuross website
The Trinity is not so much a doctrine as it is a way of life. Pastors Ruben Luna and Al Johnson discuss this.
Pastor Kevin talks about two parallel, but opposite biblical stories which teach us about the human condition and the way forward past tribalism and mere tolerance to true unity in diversity and love.
Pastor Kevin interviews Rachel. She shares her story of being in the process of healing. Kevin then shares a powerful message about shame. Jesus is our Lord, but he does not choose to call us servants. He calls us His friends. Once we realize that the God of the universe finds us worth befriending, it changes everything.
This week Pastor Kevin shows how Jesus broke down our illusion of seperateness. We are all intertwined and interwoven. It's only when we are together that we can bear the fruit of love.
Pastor Ruben reminds us in this season of Easter that the resurrection of Jesus initiates in us a new identity as God’s beloved. In this new identity, let us walk in love and kinship and let us experience everyday resurrections as we join God in making all things new.
Pastor Kevin was joined by his Godson, Jacob Knight, who team preached with Kevin on doubt. Kevin also interview Joanna Palino.
Pastor Kevin begins a sermon series entitled, "Everyday Resurrection." He interviews Kavita Donini who talks about dealing with fear and then shares about how we can find freedom from a "What if?" kind of life.