When the Word cuts your heart and you cry "Brethren, what shall we do?", the only faithful answer is costly public repentance—because private faith is not enough in this time of exile.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

The church has surrendered her power by misreading Scripture. 1 Peter 1:3-9 is not a counsel of withdrawal but a mandate for conquest.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

Pastor Dell confronts the Church’s growing despair and individualism in this Easter sermon. Anchored in Jeremiah 31:4 (“Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel!”), he shows how the resurrection is not merely about personal salvation but about national restoration through the One Man to whom the Lord appeared from afar. Drawing from the prophetic “end from the beginning,” the shift from plural to singular, Mary Magdalene’s encounter at the empty tomb, and the lectionary readings, he names America’s deep apostasy, the spirit of despair, and the temptation to bemoan our lot as 21st-century exiles. As long as the risen Christ has defeated death and dealt with sin definitively on the cross, there is still mercy, time, and a glorious inheritance for both individuals and nations. Believers are urged to reject fear and complaint, live as citizens of virgin Israel, proclaim “I have seen the Lord,” and get to work rebuilding—because the dark night is over and the eternal day has dawned.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

Pastor Dell confronts the Church’s growing silence in the face of lies and evil in this Palm Sunday sermon. Anchored in Matthew 21:10–11, he shows how Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem “stirred” the entire city and provoked the Pharisees to demand silence. Drawing from the crowds’ bold confession and Jesus’ reply that even the stones would cry out, he calls God’s people to reject fear and laziness. As long as Christ exercises His prophetic ministry, there is still mercy and time to repent. Believers are urged to shout “Hosanna,” proclaim “the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee,” and refuse to be silenced as Holy Week begins.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

In this episode of The Episcopalian podcast, Jake Dell reveals how bishops in the Episcopal Church are quietly overriding parish rights through uncanonical “priest in charge” arrangements and flawed search processes. He explains why vestries must reclaim their canonical authority to elect rectors before episcopal overreach permanently weakens faithful congregations.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

Pastor Dell confronts the spiritual deadness of modern hearts—enslaved by the flesh, hostile to God, and unable to save themselves—in this Lent sermon. Anchored in Romans 8:7, he draws from Ezekiel’s dry bones and Jesus raising Lazarus in John 11 to illustrate monergism: God alone gives life where none exists, commanding the dead to rise by His word and Spirit. Exposing synergism as false reliance on human cooperation, he proclaims Christ’s vicarious obedience on the cross as the path to revival. Believers are called to rest in God’s finished work, mortify the flesh, and walk in freedom to obey—seeing God’s glory as we approach Holy Week and Easter.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

Pastor Dell confronts modern America's fear, collective guilt, and spiritual blindness in this Lent sermon. Drawing from the healing of the man born blind in John 9, he exposes kangaroo-court show trials—ancient and contemporary—that cast out those who confess “The man called Jesus” as Savior. He calls believers to bold witness, steadfast faithfulness, and separation from darkness, so that—through their testimony—those who do not see may see.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

Pastor Dell confronts modern America's spiritual thirst and murmuring doubt in this Lent sermon, drawing from Israel's grumbling at Rephidim to call believers to trust God's faithful providence and the living water struck from Christ the Rock.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

God’s promises to Abraham—of land and blessing—are irrevocable. History seems to contradict full fulfillment, yet Scripture insists not one inch is lost. Jesus, the true Israel, bore the curse on the cross so the blessing comes to whoever believes. The promise stands firm, pointing to Christ and future mercy for Israel.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.

God’s Word is complete and sufficient: Eve added to it and fell; Christ quoted it faithfully and triumphed. The garden required guarding; the Church demands the same courage today—expel compromise or face judgment. Honor God’s “secret kindness” with gratitude and fearless obedience.

Stay Connected:

Follow Pastor Dell on X at https://x.com/jakedell73.

Subscribe to Experimental Sermons at https://jwdell.substack.com/.

Join us for Sunday worship at https://firstchurchwoodbury.org/.