Grace for the New Year

Preacher: The Rev. Megan Collins

January 4, 2026

Scripture

Luke 15:11-32

Summary

The start of a new year often comes with big hopes—and a heavy dose of exhaustion, self-criticism, and pressure to do better. In this sermon, Rev. Megan Collins invites us to begin the year not with shame or impossible resolutions, but with grace. Drawing on Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, she reminds us that God meets us exactly where we are—with compassion, welcome, and a fresh start—long before we have it all figured out.

This message encourages listeners to practice grace toward themselves and others as the foundation for any meaningful change. It also introduces an exciting, long-term journey for the church: a thoughtful, honest walk through the entire Bible, read through the lens of Jesus, love, context, and community. If the new year has you feeling behind, worn out, or unsure where to begin, this sermon offers a different starting point—grace first, then hope, then the next faithful step.

Learn more or read past sermons:⁠⁠⁠

⁠https://www.maitlandpres.org/blog/categories/sermons

Living Faithfully in the Middle

A Christmas Eve Sermon about Hope, Peace, and Unfinished Stories

Preacher: The Rev. David Collins

Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2025

Scripture

Luke 2:1-15

Summary

What do you do when the world feels unfinished…when peace feels partial, hope feels fragile, and answers don’t come quickly?

On Christmas Eve, we gather around a familiar story and discover that the good news doesn’t skip over the middle of things. God begins what will be finished, not with force or certainty, but with a child. This sermon reflects on Luke 2, the angels’ song of peace, and what it means to live faithfully in the tension between promise and fulfillment.

This is a message for anyone carrying hope and fear at the same time…and learning to trust that God is still at work.

Learn more or read past sermons:⁠⁠⁠

⁠https://www.maitlandpres.org/blog/categories/sermons

The Incarnation According to Mary

God With Us: The Doctrine of the Incarnation,

Preacher: The Rev. Megan Collins

Third Sunday in Advent- Dec. 14, 2025

Scripture

Luke 1:46–55

Summary

In this Advent sermon, Rev. Megan Collins explores Mary’s song—the Magnificat—not as a sentimental Christmas poem, but as a bold declaration about what the incarnation really means.

Using a surprising analogy from early computer programming, Megan invites us to consider how we often reduce the mystery of Christmas into something small, manageable, and safe. But Mary saw something much bigger. In her song, she proclaims a God who lifts the lowly, feeds the hungry, scatters the proud, and topples unjust power—not someday far off, but beginning now.

Drawing on the richness of the biblical text, including the Greek verb tense behind the Magnificat, this sermon reframes Christmas as the beginning of a revolution already in motion. Jesus is not just a baby in a manger—he is God with us, still at work in the world and in our lives.

This message invites us to trust God’s promises, borrow a little of Mary’s faith, and partner with God in the ongoing work of justice, restoration, and hope.

Learn more or read past sermons:⁠

https://www.maitlandpres.org/blog/categories/sermons

Saying Yes to Your Life
God With Us: The Doctrine of the Incarnation
Preacher: Rev. David Collins
Second Sunday in Advent — December 7, 2024

Scripture Reading:
• Luke 1:26–38

Summary:
This Sunday we return to the Annunciation, not as a familiar Christmas card scene but as a story with real tension—one that touches our own instinct to say “no” to the lives we didn’t plan. Mary receives a declaration that upends her world, and her bewildered “How can this be?” becomes the doorway into God’s quiet work of beginning small…as small as a single cell.

We explore how often we resist our own reality, waiting for life to be perfect or foolproof before we trust it. Mary’s yes wasn’t perfect or fearless, but it made room for God to grow something holy within her. And in Communion we remember that the same God who once took flesh now meets us in simple bread and cup, inviting us to say our own small yes to the life before us.

Learn more or read past sermons:
https://www.maitlandpres.org/blog/categories/sermons

Estrangement and the God Who Moves In
God With Us: The Doctrine of the Incarnation — Week 1
Preacher: Rev. David Collins
First Sunday in Advent — November 30, 2025

Scripture Readings:
• John 1:1–5, 14
• Isaiah 64:1
• Isaiah 2:2–4

Summary:
This Advent we begin by exploring the ache of estrangement—in our families, our country, and throughout Scripture. Israel’s story was shaped in exile and displacement, and Advent echoes this longing as we wait for Christ’s return. Instead of tearing open the heavens in power, God chooses incarnation: becoming flesh, moving into the neighborhood, and healing distance through presence rather than force.

Learn more or read past sermons:
https://www.maitlandpres.org/blog/categories/sermons

All 9 of our elders share their stories and passages of scripture that speak to their lives and faith.

Money & Your Heart

Matthew 6:19-25, Luke 12:15-22

Rev. Megan Collins

November 16, 2025

Guest Preacher, Rev. Dr. Bill Barnes, on the Making of the Miracle of Shepherd's Hope

Nov. 9, 2025

Chronic Hope

Lamentations 3

Verses 1-2, 7-9, 16-18, 21-29, 31-33

Rev. David Collins

November 2, 2025

Gentleness & Self-Control

Stay Close, Week Six

John 8:1-11

Rev. Megan Collins

Oct. 26, 2025