Emmaus Road Church | Fort Collins, Colorado

Sermon Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14

One of the most poignant passages of scripture is found in our Lectionary passage for today, Ezekiel chapter 37. This passage is describing the predicament the nation of Israel had found itself in as a result of their exile and their subsequent turning away from the God who saved and sustained them. 

The prophet Ezekiel is shown the aftermath of despair that leads to rebellion. But, this passage also reveals one of the most stunning promises of hope and life that we have in scripture. A promise that God never lets go. A promise that his grace goes before us and comes after us and never gives up on us.

The two outcomes seem to boil down to two things. The voices we listen to for guidance, direction, and hope, AND the source of life and hope that we tap into.

Sermon Scripture: John 4:3-30, 39-42

The Kingdom of God has a purpose, to bring redemption and life to the entire world, and so it needs all kinds of witnesses. Today we meet a woman who stands as a contrast to Nicodemus, but in her own right, she plays an important role in the beautiful work of the Kingdom.

Sermon Scripture: John 3:1-21

This week we hear the story of Nicodemus. A successful and self-confident man, he plays a leadership role in his community. His imagination is caught by Jesus, but he wants to compartmentalize whatever faith he has. Nicodemus is not yet ready to declare his faith in the light of day, not prepared to let it change his life.

Today, we hear Jesus’s call to be reborn, not only in our hearts and minds, but in our bodies and public life.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11, Romans 5:12-19

The life of a follower of Jesus is not about perfection or infallibility, it is about confession and humility. When we sin, may we be quick to confess our shortcomings and diligently work to remove the temptations which lead us into these sins.

We seek forgiveness when we fail, receive strength in our weakness, gain freedom from the bondage of sin and death through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, and work to bring the light and life of Christ to a world desperate to know the affections of the Father who will never let them go.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9

Like baptism and sanctification, the transfiguration of Christ is a prelude to the transformation that all followers of Christ may have when encountering the thin places between heaven and earth. It gives strength, hope, and courage in the face of the frightening and hardest aspect of our lives.

Moses and Elijah were transformed in their encounters with God. Jesus was revealed in his full glory through his encounter with God, but those with him were transformed!

When we encounter God in the thin places we are reminded that no circumstance we face, no matter how bleak and final, can overshadow the glory of life that we carry. Through encountering God we are given all we need to carry on and endure what we must.

Sermon Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

So often we need  to remind ourselves of all that we have come to know and experience about loving God and loving others. Why do we so often digress?

Likewise, we often need to gird ourselves up for taking these truths into the harsh reality of the world. Presumably where there will be challenges and where it might be easy to lose touch with who we have become and where we want to go.

Today we remind ourselves of the paths set before us: Life vs Death.

Sermon Scripture: Micah 6:1-8

One timeless question that many people have pondered and asked time and again is “What is God’s will?” We pondered this question last week as we considered God’s promises and their fulfillment both with creation and to mankind.

What you have received, freely give to others. We are all beneficiaries of God’s love, mercy, and grace, and God wants nothing more for us than to pay that gift forward to the world around us.

Micah 6:8 says it perfectly, “Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly.” For there may be no better summary of the neighborly ethic voiced by the prophets, codified in the commandments, and incarnated in Jesus, God with Us.

Sermon Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-4, Matthew 4:12-23

The Messiah came to enact love and restoration to the world that he loves; including creation and humanity.

Learning to trust in the voice of God is not just an intellectual act, but a whole body experience for us because every human bears the image of God. Just as we relate to our closest friends and family emotionally and physically, so too can we relate to God in mind and body.

Sermon Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-7, John 1:29-42

As we continue the season of Epiphanytide which acts as a bridge between the events of Advent and Christmas and the leading up to God’s victory over sin and death on the cross and in the resurrection, we focus on the ways in which Jesus demonstrated the ways and means of God’s Kingdom.

In doing so our attention often is drawn to the cast of characters that Jesus impacted through his teaching and ministry. These relationships help fill in the gaps for us in what it means to seek out the light which has come and helps us in pointing others to the light.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17, Isaiah 42:1-4

Why did Jesus, son of God, the Word that was from the beginning, Immanuel, God with us, need to be baptized? Because Jesus is God with us!

Sinless, yet baptized in water. All powerful, yet anointed from on high with the Holy Spirit.

Through taking up our mantle as Christians baptized through water and power, we take on the anointing and example of Christ in our own way. Enacting justice, humility, gentleness, courage, and perseverance.