Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene - Weekly Sermon Podcast

Text: John 12:1-8
This week, we read the story of Mary (the brother of Lazarus) anointing Jesus with expensive perfume. We live in a world that, like Judas, often doesn’t understand such acts of faithfulness and deems them as wasteful. This passage of Scripture is a reminder that we are also invited to be faithful to Jesus and follow Him in obedience, even when it doesn’t always seem prudent or to make sense.

“The Enduring Love of God”
Text: Lamentations 3:16-33
The book of Lamentations is full of the very real depictions of hardship and struggles that are laid out before God by those people who were left behind after Israel was conquered by the Babylonians.  Despite their trials and struggles, through the Word of the Lord and the examples of the saints that went before them, they know that hope is found in the promise of the Lord, in what He might accomplish, and that His mercies never end.

Text: Lamentations 1:1-22
There are times in our life where we turn to God with hope and expectation for what He will do, but recognize that there are often seasons in which there is significant waiting. Lamentations is an emotive cry of a people who are in the midst of pain and tragedy. During this Lenten season, we remember that God’s voice speaks where there is this pain and trauma.

“Sure Signs of a Maturing Faith”
Text: Philippians 3:15-4:1
For the Christian, growth is not optional. Pastor Eric Larsen joins us again this week and talks about what it means to mature in the faith. The mature Christian knows what belongs in their life, and knows what needs to be left behind. The key to maturity is having a dynamic, authentic, and active relationship with the Jesus who changes everything and brings everything under His will.

“Image of God: Part 2”
Text: Colossians 1:3-23
Last week, we explored what it means to be created in the image of God. This week, we look at Jesus, who is the clearest picture and articulation of who God is. As Paul says in his letter to the Colossians, Jesus is both the firstborn of the dead and the firstborn of creation; fully human and fully divine. We share in the promise of His resurrection but also share in being image-bearers as well. To know who God is is to look at Christ, the One who loved us, who cared for us, who entered into our existence. We can also look upon our neighbor and see how God continues to reveal Himself through the various people He brings into our life.

“Image of God: Part 1”
Text: James 3:9, Genesis 1:24-31;5:1,9:6
Scripture tells us again and again that humanity was created in the image of God. Over the next two weeks, Pastor Tim will be talking about this and what it means for us. We have a natural tendency to apply this inwardly to ourselves, but the image of God is not just something that we as individuals hope to reflect; the image of God is also something we are called to see in each other.

“3 Days Away but One Step Back”
Text: Genesis 37:12-28
When Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, all of them are at least three days away from their father’s influence. Using this story, guest Pastor Eric Larsen looks at the impact that distance and time can have when we are not as close to God as we once were. As the season of Lent approaches, Pastor Eric urges us to intentionally stop and be still before God and let Him talk to us.

Letters of God’s Love: 1 John 3:1-24
Text: 1 John 3:1-24
In today’s passage, John addresses those in the early Church who believed that the way we live our lives does not matter. He asserts that what Christ has done in our life has ongoing implications for who we are to be and how we are to live – it should compel us to forsake the the habits and patterns of sin that cause injury and demarcation in our world, in our churches, and one another.

Letters of God’s Love: 1 John 2:7-17
Text: 1 John 2:7-17
As we discovered last week, the theme of God’s love is not exclusive to the New Testament, but it is a foundational message of the early church. We begin a month-long series based on the letters of John entitled “Letters of God’s Love.” In this first passage, John stresses that being a Christian is defined by loving one another, and he warns that God’s love cannot be found in those whose love is placed elsewhere.

Text: Psalm 36
The theme of God’s steadfast love has been a defining mark of the relationship between God and His people. Psalm 36 can be seen as both a testimony of what God has seen the psalmist through as well as a prayer asking for help with the concerns of the present day. The hope is that God will provide and His love will work within us, change us, and help make us who we were created to be.