Sermon Scripture: Luke 11:5-13

This week we will be focusing on talking WITH God, which simply means, “sharing with God what is on our mind.” In this, our prayers will include a few critical elements.

May we embrace prayer as we ask God to act and do things only he can do in the world; as we give God the space to do what only he can do in us.

Sermon Scripture: Luke 11:1-8

Jesus did all sorts of amazing things, but the disciples do not ask Jesus to teach them how to heal the sick, or to cast out demons, or perform miracles. They ask him to teach them how to pray.

The disciples were smart enough to know that Jesus was experiencing something in prayer that they were not.  Prayer wasn’t a duty, but a delight. He really enjoyed his Father’s company. In prayer Jesus was drinking from and replenishing a deep well, and they wanted a taste of the water.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 12:1-8

The sabbath is a means by which we enter into what Jesus called “the kingdom, or the reign, of God.” It’s a day when God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. But sabbath is so much more than a set of do’s and don’ts that we etch into our lives. 

There is a heart orientation to sabbath life that is freedom for us and this freedom unlocks the delight and worship that is vital in keeping sabbath from becoming sabbish.

Sermon Scripture: Isaiah 58:13-14

Many of us have yet to learn how to enjoy God… believe in him, yes, learn from him, yes, obey him even, but delight in him? 

In the access we have to God, through Jesus’ death and resurrection and the coming of the Spirit, into the inner life of the Trinity, we get to participate in the flow of love and joy and peace between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, just by setting our life before God and lifting up our heart to him in prayer.

This is true delight in the Lord.

Sermon Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:12-15

The Bible gives us 2 versions of the 1st Commandment on the Sabbath. At Sinai, Sabbath is about rhythm, In Deuteronomy, it’s about resistance.

We work more than ever before, we have more than ever before, and we’re still not happy. It’s Egypt all over again and it’s so easy to just get sucked into the culture. To feel like you just have to work those extra hours to get ahead. It’s so easy to just say, “Well, this is just how it is now.” But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Sabbath is a way to break our addiction to the twin gods of the west; accomplishment and accumulation.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30, Exodus 20:8-11

Flip through any popular magazine, watch any show, scroll on you phone, and you will see all sorts of advertisements; a couple drinking coffee and reading the morning newspaper in bed, a man lounging on the couch playing the guitar, a group of friends on the beach for a picnic. What exactly are they selling? They are selling sabbath.

To sabbath, you don’t need to drop $69.99 on a new terry cloth bathrobe or blow half your paycheck on a new couch, you just need to stop.

Sermon Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2, Matthew 28:16-20, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

As we have been focused on the power and work of God the Father and God the Son through Easter, and of course the empowering work of God the Spirit last week on Pentecost, it is right for us to take a moment to pause in worship and honor the mysterious Triune God whom we worship.

It is always our inclination to explain all that there is to know about God on Trinity Sunday, but we will only scratch the surface of this eternal mystery and this will be okay.

Sermon Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

Pentecost marks the moment when the church received its empowerment for the work of God and his Kingdom and so to ask ourselves, what does this mean?

The work of God all throughout history has been in planning this party and the last thing you or I should do would be to limit who can join us in the celebration. God is inviting us to  a block party. Complete with dietary restrictions, and preferences, and languages, and customs and priorities that may not be like our own, but this is God’s party and it is a block party!

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church is both the sign AND the instrument of the launch of the church’s mission.

Sermon Scripture: John 14:15-21

Through the Spirit of God, his love and action can be touched, felt, and made known anywhere you or I may be. By responding to God choosing you, by entering into his reciprocal vow of love, by enacting the Jesus Way through the enabling and empowering of the Spirit within us, we become the comforter and advocate that someone needs in their moment of need.

Sermon Scripture: 1 Samuel 7:12

Join us for our Annual Church Meeting where we hear the stories and look at the evidence of all that God is doing among us at Emmaus Road. We will hear from our pastor, treasurer, and each of our ministry leaders the details of our ministry over the last year and the amazing opportunities that lay before us. 

This is a highlight in the life of our community as we take a peek behind the scenes into the ministry and stewardship of Emmaus Road Church.