Sermons: Recent Episodes
Rev. Joan Kistler
This is a miscellaneous collection of my sermons. If you like a sermon, please share it with others!
Like the Sadducees, some Christians mistakenly apply our worldly rules to the Kingdom of Heaven, wishfully thinking that age is much like this age.
Pride can infiltrate even the most spiritual people by tempting them to establish their own worth by what they do rather than by who they are in Christ.
Our physical body and personality are dead things without God's life-giving power. When we forget that we are so much more than these dead things, we suffer from spiritual leprosy. We feel as if we're already dead, and that's no way to live.
Like the dishonest manager, the Christian church has squandered the master's wealth to enrich themselves instead of engaging in proper stewardship by helping those in need. We corrupt stewards deserve to be dismissed, so we need to act fast to make friends by using those hoarded riches to identify and help those in need.
Christ is our real name. It is our eternal name. It is the name we should love the most. When we love our family, religious, gender, racial, or political name more, we separate ourselves from the Body of Christ.
Taking our religion seriously is a good thing, but there is such a thing as taking it too seriously. Those in positions of power who take their religion too seriously make up cruel rules and enact cruel enforcement policies designed to exclude and persecute those who do not follow them. Jesus criticized people like this for their hypocrisy in his time and culture ... and so should we.
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus showcases three mistaken viewpoints that we can hold about our Heavenly Father and how these bad attitudes cause trouble for us and the entire Family of God.
What does it mean to be raised with Christ? It means that our attitude and behavior are so different from most people's that we can be legitimately considered "weird." When it comes to establishing His Kingdom here on earth, God needs thoughtful people with pure hearts, not rule-followers with rotten hearts.
Just as in Paul's day, many Christians today are trying to keep Christ for themselves by distorting the gospel. How can we remain free in Christ when heretics claim that we must first be like them and follow their made-up rules?
Using the law for the wrong purpose is hazardous to our spiritual health because it nullifies the gospel. Just as the "Judaizers" of Paul's day required people to follow Torah law before coming to Christ, many Christians undermine both faith and grace by requiring works of those who wish to come to Christ.
The choice between life in the Spirit and life in the flesh is not one to be taken lightly. It's a choice between having a life of peace and joy and not having a life at all due to the suffering caused by self-indulgence and self-righteousness. Do we choose a life of peace and joy or one of suffering and misery?
When Jesus gave his disciples a "new" commandment to love one another, he was telling them to stick together through the hard times. We are commanded to do the same - to love our Christian brothers and sisters - especially our "gentiles" - those who think very differently from us and live very different lives. We all know how difficult that can be, so what's the secret?
Just as the disciples tried to go back to their old way of life after Jesus' crucifixion, many have tried to go back to "normal" after recent events have "crucified" their old way of life - with disappointing results. How can we move from hard labor on the lake of self-reliance to the calm shores of God-reliance?
What does it mean to have eternal hope? It means to know who we are and to unconditionally love ourselves, others, and all of the wonderful challenges life brings to help our souls grow.
God holds the REAL power, and God reaches out not to the rich and powerful, but to the meek and lowly. Unlike worldly rulers, God seeks not to intimidate, but to offer us comfort and reassurance. We need not fear because God is with us. Like Mary, we have said "YES" to being a vessel through which God's promises come to fulfillment.
When we ask people, “How are you?” we might hear them respond, “I’m blessed.” Hashtag (#) blessed has become a meme, and “feeling blessed” shows up in many Facebook posts. But is our cultural idea of being blessed so fragile that it is easily shattered by tough times? If so, then perhaps it is a false idea. We can learn from Mary what it truly means to be blessed.
During turbulent times, it is tempting to believe that God is no longer in control and that our dreams are lost. Zechariah believed his dream of having a son was lost, but he ultimately learned to be at peace by trusting God no matter how impossible things may appear. How can we learn his lesson and enjoy the peace of Zechariah?
Humanity is facing many changes - personally and collectively - and some of these changes have been very challenging. How can we learn to accept what life brings our way with composure and peace? Jesus shows us how in his response to his arrest.
How can we bear witness to all the sins of our society and still have hope? We can do it by following the example of Our Lord, who bore witness to the corruption in his society yet maintained his trust in God 's promise that despite all the pain and suffering we may face, there will be a happy ending.
How do Christians experience the peace of the Lord in a world gone mad? Jesus addresses this issue when he discusses with his disciples the spiritual perils of seeking worldly power and prestige. He compares this turbulent way of life under human rule to a peaceful way of life under God's rule, where the greatest are the humblest servants of all.
Why is it so hard for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God? Jesus teaches us that it isn't wealth itself that is the problem; it is our attitude toward our wealth that can cause us to feel estranged from God.
Jesus taught us that the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are humble like a child and welcome the lowly. How can we deal with pride within ourselves, develop childlike humility, and welcome the lowly as Jesus did?
Why did Jesus responds so harshly to the Syrophoenician woman seeking healing for her daughter? Perhaps he wanted to put her great faith on display in order to help his disciples learn three hard gospel lessons.
When Jesus first taught his followers to "eat his flesh and drink his blood," he was not speaking to Christians. As Christians we forget this, which causes us to miss the humor and richness of this passage - along with Jesus' teaching brilliance and colorful personality. What did Jesus really mean when he said these words?
Dissatisfaction with life is at an all-time high. Now is the time to do what we have been called to do: integrate the personal self with our Higher Self, the Christ. It is only when we know who we are and act out of our one true desire that we can finally taste the "Forever Bread" that satisfies for all eternity.
How can we serve humanity like Jesus did when we are worn out? When we are disheartened by all the trouble in the world and overwhelmed by so much need? Jesus lived in times much like ours, yet he served humanity so tirelessly and so loyally that people thought he was out of his mind. How did he do it?