Psalm 85:8-13 & Romans 10:5-15. The Apostle Paul in our reading exclaims, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But why is this something to be excited about? That is the focus of this sermon.

The reason for Paul’s excitement is the salvation that is provided by the Lord. This salvation brings a righteousness from God, that creates a unity in humanity, through which his rich blessings flow.

Both readings from Psalm 85 and Romans 10 describe beautiful things. There is beauty in love and faithfulness meeting and righteousness and peace kissing. But what good is this type of beauty? Psalm 85 tells us that is it the Lord giving what is good. This is the good news of the gospel. The Lord gives to us and our land (earth) what is good; a dwelling of his glory! However, the beauty and the good news comes to us through the cross of Christ. The proclamation of peace, the good news of the Lord’s salvation, comes through the message of Christ’s death and resurrection. We can’t confess he is Lord without embracing his death on our behalf. His nail pierced feet are the beautiful feet bringing good news. What does our feet look like? Where are they taking us? What news are they bringing? These are appropriate questions for those who "will listen to what God the Lord will say." (Psalm 85:8)

Sermon Title: “They All Ate and Were Satisfied"

 

Text: Isa. 55:1-5 & Matthew 14:13-21

 

Sermon Summary:

This week we return to the lectionary reading in Matthew’s gospel and Isaiah’s prophecy. Both texts are speaking about hunger being satisfied.

When you are traveling, you will get hungry and knowing where to eat is important. If that is true about physical hunger, then it is probably equally true when we are spiritually hungry. We live in a spiritually hungry culture. Our culture, for all of its richness, struggles to find a place to satiate its hunger. Politics is not enough. Drugs won’t work. Pleasures are like junk food. When traveling through life, these food options will not bring the nourishment needed to continue the journey!  And what is the Christian supposed to feed on in this "convenience store" culture?

This sermon’s focus is about finding satisfaction when we are spiritually hungry.

From our reading we find there is a reason for the hunger, a responsibility to the hungry and the remains after eating. God makes an offer to us as we to "Come and buy wine and milk without money and without cost." (Isa. 55:1) His offer is in a promised person, Jesus Christ. He is the one from whom everyone that eats, all are satisfied.

OT Reading: Psalm 72.8-11

NT Reading: Revelation 7.9-12

 

As I’ve reflected on my nearly thirty seven years as Sr. Pastor here at Grace Church, there are three things that have been paramount in my ministry.  They are: Worship; The Gospel; and Reconciliation.  As I thought of these, in preparation for my last sermon as Sr. Pastor here at Grace, I had the three points I wanted to make.  I had, what we preachers humorously refer to as, “a sermon in search of a text!” And I found just such a text!  It is our New Testament Reading for today.  From this text I wish to highlight the three challenges that I leave with Grace Church:

Keep Worship as the Centerpiece of Your Life as a Community

Keep the Gospel Ever Before You

Keep the Vision of Reconciliation at the Heart of Your Mission

It is my prayer that our Lord will deepen these individually and corporately in the lives of God’s people here at Grace.

Sermon Title: "For In This Hope You Were Saved”

Text: Psalm 86:11-17 & Romans 8:12-25

Sermon Summary:

Our reading for this Sunday is taken from Romans 8 where Paul informs us that, because of the gospel of Christ, we are not under condemnation and we will suffer no separation. These truths are the north and south poles of the chapter. Between these two "poles" of Romans 8, there is the sentence that tells us about the hope in which we were saved. What is the hope in which we were saved? That is the focus of this sermon.

The hope is the redemption of our bodies. Paul says it is the reason why we have the Spirit of God. Which is why we have sonship. Our sonship makes us heirs with Christ. Which means that we suffer with him and share his glory.

The whole creation waits for the full revelation of this redemption. This waiting causes considerable groaning in the world, in us, and the Spirit. This is a glorious hope!

Do you ever ponder the hope in which you were saved? Scripture says, “…consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” These hope-full truths reminds us that the gospel of the grace of God in Christ, transforms everything.

So if you feel as if you are struggling with having what you don’t want and wanting what you don’t have, then this message will show you how the cross brings these things together for the glory of Christ, so that you can serve hope-full and joy-full in your present sufferings.

OT Reading: Psalm 65.9-13

NT Reading: Romans 8.1-11

Message: He Will Also Give Life To Your Mortal Bodies

 

In today’s New Testament Lectionary Reading, we have a glorious declaration of the gospel from the pen of the Apostle Paul.  He lays before us those wonderful words, “therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Paul dwells on this truth for a few verses, then moves to the realities of God’s Spirit in the life of the believer, and it is in these words that Paul strikes the note which this sermon highlights: the physical nature of God’s redemptive and transformative work through his Spirit.  Paul triumphantly declares that just as the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, so will he also raise us.  “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”  Paul here highlights the great truth that the salvation God has wrought is not merely spiritual.  It is physical as well!  Paul will drive this point home even deeper as he moves further into this chapter, making it  clear that the redemptive work of Christ extends to the physical creation, including our physical bodies.  And so, in a time when our mortality is highlighted by the daily onslaught of COVID-19 news, we find hope in the reminder that life will, one day, be given to our mortal bodies, and the created order will be restored.  The great story of the Bible is profoundly, but simply this: Creation; Fall; Redemption; Restoration. It this hope of Redemption and Restoration that enables us to look with profound hope, beyond the present, to the day of Christ’s return.  “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus”

Psalm 89:1-4&15-18 Romans 6:12-23. Our Scripture readings this week sets before us the matter of being a slave to something or someone. What the Scripture asserts, challenges our idea of independence. Aren’t we free? The Scripture says we are slaves of sin or slaves of righteousness. We have given our bodies in slavery to evil desires or God. This sermon’s focus is what it means to become a slave to God.

What really matters then, as a slave to God, is knowing your master and knowing where it all ends. Our master is described in Psalm 89. His stedfast love endures forever. His people exult in his righteousness. If you are his slave, he then is your glory and strength. If we are slaves to sin it ends in death. If we are slaves to God, the end is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The slave, in his or her obedience, is shaped into the image of their master. Our master, Christ Jesus, became a slave to give his life as a ransom for many. If that is true, then how does knowing that your master becoming a slave in order to bring you to God, shape your service to him and his people? We look to the Lord’s Table to submit ourselves to the depth of this truth.

Title: "My Treasured Possession”
Text: Exodus 19:2-8a & Romans 5:1-8
Sermon Summary: 
This week’s Scripture reading sets before us the scene where the people of God are hearing and responding to the love of God as Moses has received it from the Lord. In front of the mountain, the people hear how the Lord valued them in saving them and naming them and in response they vow their obedience. 
The people of Israel had spent 400 years in bondage in Egypt. As far as the Egyptians were concerned the only thing the Hebrews were good for was making bricks for their treasure storehouses. But now, in front of the mountain hearing these words, “out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession.”, they have new life, new meaning, and new purpose, wherein they can say, "We matter to God and God matters to us!”  
This sermon will focus on being the Lord's treasured possession. In this message we will see how valuable being valued by the Lord is to the believing community. Jesus dying while we were sinners shows us how much we are valued by God. In this demonstration of God’s great love, we will see why we need to know it, how it shapes who we are, and defines what we do in our world.

Numbers 11.24-30

Acts 2.1-21

 

Today is Pentecost Sunday and it celebrates the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, by the ascended Christ, upon his church.  It celebrates the launching of the world-wide-reign of Jesus Christ to unite people from every ethnicity in the worship of God.  On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God enables the disciples to speak in other languages.  People from “every nation under heaven” hear them declaring the wonders of God in their own languages.  The mission of Christ for his church is to declare the wonder of the gospel to all peoples, gathering them together as one, for the worship of God.  That is our mission at Grace Church.  “Our mission is to  love and serve our community and world with the good news of Jesus Christ, bringing people together across the lines of race and class to worship and follow Jesus.”

Psalm 68.1-10; 32-35

Acts 1.6-14

 

On this Ascension Sunday, our Lectionary Reading comes from the familiar account in Acts 1, where Jesus reiterates, in different words, the Great Commission, to "make disciples of all nations."  Here in Acts 1, Luke records these final words of Jesus before he was taken up into heaven,  “… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  And immidiately after he said this, were are told, he was taken up “before their very eyes.” Now, Luke includes a significant detail, “… and a cloud hid him from their sight.”  This is not simply a detail given to make the account more vivid.  Rather, it points to, perhaps, the most glorious picture of the reign of Christ laid before us in Daniel 7, where Jesus, “the Son of Man” arrives before the Father, “the Ancient of Days,"“with the clouds of heaven.”  There, he is “given authority, glory and sovereign power.”  All peoples, nations and men of every language worship him.  "His dominion,”  we are told, "is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom in one that will never be destroyed.”  And so, as we celebrate this Ascension Sunday, regardless of the condition of the world, we have hope and confidence in the risen and ascended Christ.  We renew the giving of ourselves, our resources, our gifts, and our talents, so as to advance His Kingdom here in our community and throughout the world.  We do so with great confidence that, in God’s time, the nations will come to Christ; that all peoples, nations and men of every language will worship him as Lord and Savior.

Making the Unknown God Known

Psalm 66:8-20 & Acts 17:22-31

 

The text for the 6th Sunday of Easter turns our attention to the reasonableness of faith in Christ. Acts 17 tells us that the unknown God has to be made known. The problem isn’t that there is only one religion, but too many!  So Paul says that the unknown God is what he has come to proclaim to the people. In making the unknown God known, Paul reasons that too many religions obscure God while God should be obvious, since God is relatable and has the right to judge the world he has made.

People don’t naturally know God. God wants us to know him. Psalm 68 and Acts 17 gives us reason to pursue knowing him. That he daily bears our burdens, he is a God who saves and provides an escape from death. (Ps. 68:19-20) He gives space to repent since judgement is coming.

In a pandemic knowing God and making him known provides comfort to the believer and invites the lost to the clarity of faith. In the word’s of Ravi Zacharis, this sermon will "help the thinker believe and the believer to think."