First Baptist Church of Jackson, Michigan - Sermons

This week we welcome the Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan, Rev. Brian Johnson. Rev. Johnson is preaching from John 2:1-11 with a sermon titled, “The Miracle of Transformation.”

Learn more about the First Baptist Church of Jackson, MI at fbjxn.org.

January 10 is the first Sunday after Epiphany, where we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry with his baptism. John the Baptist preached uncomfortable truths about the injustices of his time and called for repentance. As we recover from the trauma that occurred at the U.S. Capitol building this week, we are invited to look at the uncomfortable truths about ourselves and examine where repentance is needed. The scripture text for today's message is Psalm 29.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, January 10, 2021.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.

Christmas isn’t over. Christmas is actually a church season, not just a single day. This Sunday we read from John 1:10-14 about how we too often respond negatively to God’s light in the world. As the Christmas season nears an end, let us choose to cultivate a habit of saying yes to God’s surprising work in our life.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, January 3, 2021.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.

Sermon preached by guest speaker, Dr. David Gushee, on Sunday, December 27, 2020. Dr. David Gushee is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University (Macon, GA). Dr. Gushee is the elected Past-President of both the American Academy of Religion and Society of Christian Ethics. He is author and/or editor of 25 books and over 150 book chapters, journal articles, and reviews. His most notable previous books include Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, Kingdom Ethics, The Sacredness of Human Life, Changing Our Mind, and Still Christian.

The scripture readings are from Psalm 51 and Romans 12.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.

When things are difficult, there is a temptation to abandon ship. In a year of isolation, we look to Christmas for the reminder of God’s presence in our midst. Even more, God calls on us to be faithful to God and to each other, companions on our shared spiritual journey. This week, we learn from the Gospel of Matthew about faithfulness as we read about how Joseph chose to remain faithful in the face of unexpected news.

This is our fourth week in our series, An Unexpected Christmas. Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, December 20, 2020.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.

We too often read the Bible in a monotone manner, missing the dynamics of the story. We miss the painful low moments of grief. We miss the jubilant shouts of praise. This week, we are learning from the poetic and musical responses to the original Christmas story. People respond differently to Christmas, both in the past and today. What is it to embrace the unexpected movement of God with language that elevates into music?

This is our third week in our series, An Unexpected Christmas. Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, December 13, 2020.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.

In Matthew's first chapter of the gospel, he shares the family story of Jesus. It’s a long family story with highs and lows. While we often want to hide our family secrets, Matthew unveils them before we even meet Jesus. Join us for our second week of our series, An Unexpected Christmas!

Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, December 6, 2020.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.

In Advent, we anticipate light emerging in the darkness. We admit that there are prayers that we don't trust will ever become realized. Reading from Luke 1:5-20, we are invited to encounter unexpected answered prayers. Join us for the first week of our sermon series, An Unexpected Christmas.

Advent is a season of anticipation for the light that emerges in the darkness. We anticipate hope in the midst of despair. We anticipate faith in the mist of wandering. We anticipate love in the midst of hate. While we anticipate God’s transformative work, we acknowledge that God’s ways are often difficult to predict even when we’re anticipating them. As we read the biblical story of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus, we read of people’s responses to God’s unexpected ways. This Advent, facing a year full of dashed expectations, let us continue the tradition of hopeful anticipation.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin on Sunday, November 29, 2020.

To support FBCJXN and it's mission, donate at https://fbcofjackson.churchcenter.com.

FBC JXN has been serving downtown Jackson, Michigan since 1839. Learn more about us at https://fbcjxn.org.

God’s kingdom is always more expansive than we assume. In the final week of our series, The Kin-dom of God, we talk about our relationship with animals and the world around us. Pastor Dallas preaches from Genesis 9:8-17.

The Kin-dom of God. No, it’s not a typo. The Gospels frequently have to explain that the kingdom of God is like because we can’t see past our own political expectations. In this series, we are going to hear how God creates a diverse, new kin in Christ that breaks down the dividing walls between different tribes and parties. In a season of political divisions, choose to live in God’s healing kin-dom.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin at the First Baptist Church of Jackson, MI on Sunday, November 22, 2020.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.

In a world where people want to be seen as winners, get the promotion to be the boss, and have power over their peers, God invites us into a different type of leadership. Join us for worship this Sunday as Pastor Dallas preaches from Mark 10:35-45.

This week we continue our series, The Kin-dom of God. No, it’s not a typo. The Gospels frequently have to explain that the kingdom of God is like because we can’t see past our own political expectations. In this series, we are going to hear how God creates a diverse, new kin in Christ that breaks down the dividing walls between different tribes and parties. In a season of political divisions, choose to live in God’s healing kin-dom.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dallas Flippin at the First Baptist Church of Jackson, MI on Sunday, November 15, 2020.

Learn more about FBCJXN at https://fbcjxn.org.