JR.'s Sermons

Forgiveness is a nice idea, but we treat it as optional. God insists we must be a people of forgiveness. Only forgiving overcomes evil in our world.

Forgiveness is difficult because wrongs create a relational debt. To forgive is to release someone from a genuine debt they owe us. We find the ability to forgive in God’s forgiveness toward us, a forgiveness that has been ours since before the world began. A forgiveness sealed at the cross. A forgiveness that invites us into God’s new life. How can we participate in God’s forgiveness?

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen that we are givers because we bear the image of a God who is essentially a giver. But God is infinite, while we are finite. So is it really possible to give like God gives? We’ll explore two sins that inhibit our giving, and see how the Spirit overcomes our Sin to make us into the generous givers we were created to be!

Generosity is a word we appreciate in abstract but run from in practice. Jesus tells us generosity isn't about the amount we give, but what it costs us. The Spirit makes us able to give generously, whether we're sharing money, time or resources. Generosity is how we imitate our generous God.

The path to forgiveness begins with giving. But in our world, giving is challenging. How can we learn to be generous givers? We explore the generosity of God, and how that generosity is hardwired into our DNA. Life is found in generosity!

Shame is a powerful motivator for us. We never feel as though we do enough. Unfortunately, churches are some of the worst shame engines, teaching that if we don't work harder, God won't love us. How can the Church be free of shame?

According to Hebrews, Faith is the "reality of what we hope for." How can we experience the reality of what isn't real yet? A life of faith is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus, who Paul calls the "first fruits" of those who will be raised. Faith is living now as if God's promises are already true.

A lot of people are trying to convince us that the world is getting worse and worse. But the truth is, God is at work everywhere around us, bringing life and healing. HOPE is what we call trusting God’s promises are true, even when we can’t see how.

Religion does a good job of making us feel better about our lives. We go to church, we pray, we serve. But these systems often end up disconnecting us from the world God loves. How can the story of God disrupt our systems and call us back to the life and flourishing God intended for us?

Authentic relationships are difficult. Vulnerability takes risk. The movie FROZEN insists this risky love is essential to our flourishing. How can people of faith learn to risk for the sake of authentic, vulnerable relationships?