Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene - Weekly Sermon Podcast

“Answering the Call”
Text: Mark 1:12-20
Today, we hear Mark’s account of the calling of Jesus’ first disciples. His promise to the fishermen that they would become “fishers of people” is not a promise made only to them – it is a calling for all of us who follow Jesus and the vocations we find ourselves in. Wherever we are, we can share the good news of God’s love and exhibit the faithfulness that Jesus exhibited.

“Longing for the Savior”
Text: Mark 1:1-11
We begin a year-long focus on the story of Jesus, specifically as recorded by the Gospel of Mark. The book begins with the baptism of Jesus and a simple statement about who He is; God is pleased to burst forth from the Heavens and make Himself present among us. We are invited to open up our lives to what God is going to do in our world.

“Finding Purpose in the Cycles of Life”
Text: Eccesiastes 3:1-13
We end 2023 by studying a passage from the book of Ecclesiastes. These words remind us that there are various seasons in our lives – some of them very joyous, and some of them very hard. Yet, God gives direction in the midst of all the seasons of our lives toward His creative and restorative work in our world.

Joy of Every Longing Heart: “Peace”
Text: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
As we transition from the season of Advent to celebrate the coming of Jesus, we read about the story of God’s steadfast faithfulness in Psalm 89. Through Jesus, the story of God’s covenant found in this psalm becomes the story of all of us who are called to love and spread peace and goodwill. Christ comes to bring peace, wholeness, forgiveness, and healing to the brokenness and chaos that is made from our sin.

This sermon series is inspired by The Foundry Publishing’s Advent Devotional, “Joy of Every Longing Heart.” Learn more about the book here.

Joy of Every Longing Heart: “Joy”
Text: Psalm 126
Songs are often used to mark a specific event or recall a particular past time or season. Psalm 126 is one of the Psalms of Ascent that were sung by worshippers from memory during harvestime when making the journey to Jerusalem for annual feasts. It is a joyous psalm which commemorates the God who has provided for them and was faithful to them not only in the past, but also the present and future.

This sermon series is inspired by The Foundry Publishing’s Advent Devotional, “Joy of Every Longing Heart.” Learn more about the book here.

Joy of Every Longing Heart: “Love”
Text: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
We continue looking at the book of Psalms this Advent season. Psalm 85 is a lament that is focused on faithfulness and in recognizing that God desires to restore relationship with His people. God’s salvation is not just a future that we look forward to. It is also the present experience of God in our life, the present experience of His love, the forgiveness of a past that we might lament, and also also the promise of God’s ever-present interest in who we are right now.

This sermon series is inspired by The Foundry Publishing’s Advent Devotional, “Joy of Every Longing Heart.” Learn more about the book here.

Joy of Every Longing Heart: “Light”
Text: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
We begin the season of Advent and the new church year by hearing messages from the book of Psalms. Psalm 80 is a lament filled with grief, anger, sadness, and despair, with those feelings directed at God. Despite this, it also affirms that God is trustworthy, loving, and good, and that the psalmist longs for the hope and the love that God has. While we and the world around us often try to hide or mask our negative feelings, Lament is normalized in the psalms as part of living in a broken world; it is not something to be avoided – it is something to embrace.

This sermon series is inspired by The Foundry Publishing’s Advent Devotional, “Joy of Every Longing Heart.” Learn more about the book here.

“Second Chances”
Text: Ezekiel 34:11‐31
As we mark the end of the church year with Christ the King Sunday, we testify to God’s primary place in our lives through Jesus Christ. This passage from Ezekiel emphasizes that our God desires to be known to His people and, like a good shepherd, is always seeking for us. God’s promise of a “second chance” to His people is embodied in Jesus, who provides eternal life and freedom from sin and its powers, including the temptation to live like the bad shepherds of the world have taught us.

“Season of Faithfulness”
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
This week we study a passage from Thessalonians, and as much as it is a passage that hints at the time when Christ comes again, is actually a passage that does not have that have a whole lot to do with the end times. Rather, it has far more to do with how we live today. Concerning the time and the seasons, Paul tells us, “live faithfully like Christ, the one who was crucified for us and our salvation”. Paul calls us to faithfulness, which is the hope of present day deliverance and the hope of future deliverance aginst the powers that work against us.

“Giving Grace vs. Manipulating Magic”
Text: Acts 8:9-24
This week, we review the story about Simon the Sorcerer, a trickster magician who tries to take advantage of the Gospel and the disciples to gain power for himself. In an unconventional message, Pastor Tim expresses a concern about the number of “Simon the Sorcerers” that exist in the world today proclaiming the power of the Holy Spirit, but are after only one thing; resources which are not only our means of survival but also our means of giving and taking care of the people God places in our lives. As Christians, we are called to share the blessings of God with the community and world around us for His glory; it has nothing to do with what we are able to obtain on our own. As we continue to be the people that God has called us to be and take care of one another, we should do so with true diligence and eyes open towards where the Gospel is moving.