Watch/Listen
Topic: Blessings
Ready to Receive
There were many people following Jesus in the first century. They heard his preaching, observed his actions of love to the outcasts, and even witnessed his miracles. However, Jesus did not fit people’s expectations of how a Messiah should act. He did not conform to preciously established paradigms shaped by the culture of the time. These cultural blinders impacted people’s ability to receive what Jesus was saying. Read More
Blessings to the Messy
This weekend, we started our 6 week church-wide adventure entitled “The Beautiful Mess.” The title may seem a little different, but it’s very representative of how the Kingdom of God interacts with our lives. When a new way of living begins to reveal itself, it can bring beauty into our “normal” messes of life by actually “messing up” our so-called … Read More
Kingdom Healing
The Good News Jesus came to proclaim to humanity was for all people and for all areas of our lives. He came to heal and set free the poor, the oppressed, the blind, the captives and prisoners of judgment. Jesus applied Kingdom liberation to every form of oppression. Jesus sets a pattern of speaking the truth in love and then following through with action. He does not just talk about the Kingdom. He acts upon it. Read More
Reindeer Games (Christmas)
At times, we’re all sucked into the “reindeer games” of our culture – seeking money, success, possessions, reputations, or talent. We can also get sucked into the game of religion and feel like we’ll never be good enough for God. Reindeer games make us feel like misfits! Greg used a video clip from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & The Island of Misfit Toys” to remind us that God isn’t interested in the games of this world. They’re all geared toward winning happiness and worth from a source other than God. He encouraged us this Christmas season to opt out of the reindeer games and live free by getting our value and worth from Christ. Read More
Finding the Story of Your Life, Part 2
In part one of this two-part series, the nature of the fenced-in self was introduced. This sermon dealt with the two that relate to the individualistic focus that characterizes the fenced-in self. Living within the four walls of the fenced-in self, we hide from others, trying not to reveal any weaknesses or short-comings, thereby we reject feedback as we live … Read More
The Great Reversal
In Mary’s song, she proclaims that God has touched the poor but has rejected the rich. That he has chosen to humble people of power while lifting up the humble. In other words, those who look like they deserve the blessings of God miss out on them. The Kingdom of God is one that is upside down. It is the great reversal that does not make sense to our power-hungry and money-crazed world. God’s view of success evaluates life much differently. The world sees money and power as the sign of success. In the Kingdom, success is defined by what you do with them. Read More
The Mary-Blessed Kingdom
Greg contrasted the difference between world ecomonics and kingdom economics using something he called The Mary Principle. The Mary Principle simply stated is, the greatest blessing is found in blessing others. He based all of this by first discussing what Mary being blessed did not mean. True blessing in the kingdom means being used by God for his purposes. Read More
Mary, the Favored One
Greg’s sermon this week broke down into three parts. The topic was the meaning of the angel’s words when the angel told Mary that she was favored (Luke 1:28). Part I of the sermon focused on what “favored” does not mean. Part II focused on what it does mean. And part III examines why the word “favor” is used at all. Read More
But You Promised
Greg began with Luke 1:5-7. The focus was on Elizabeth and Zachariah, both of whom where obedient to “the Lord’s commands and decrees.” The next sentence in the text starts with the word “but” and indicates something unexpected and in this case disappointing for Elizabeth and Zachariah. “But they were childless…” and “…both well advanced in years” which to first century Jewish ears would have sounded like a curse. Greg used this passage to raise a few questions: What do we do when we feel that God has not honored a promise? What do we do when it looks like God has let us down? How do we deal with disappointment with God? Read More
Is It Worth It?
In this first service of the year, Greg took a moment to reflect on what we are doing here. It is important to make an honest assessment of what progress we’re making in advancing the kingdom of God. We inevitably face opposition in this world, but the task before us is worth the sacrifices that will need to be made. Read More
