Mercy Spokane: Sermons

“There is still room.”

Jesus’ picture of the gospel in Luke 14 isn’t only a courtroom where guilty people are declared righteous.

It’s a dining room.

A table has been prepared. The cost has already been paid. And the invitation goes out to people who have nothing to offer in return. The poor. The crippled. The blind. The lame. The outsider. The person who thinks, Surely this invitation can’t really be for me.

It is.

Grace is free. Grace is extravagant. But grace must be received.

Text: Luke 14:12–24

Preacher: Tommy AllenSeries: Hospitality

In the familiar story of Mary and Martha, Jesus is not condemning service or telling busy people simply to slow down. Martha’s problem is that a good thing, serving Jesus, has begun to crowd out the best thing: knowing and receiving Jesus himself.

After a week of fires, evacuations, uncertainty, and loss in Spokane, Jesus’ words carry particular weight: “One thing is necessary.” Homes, possessions, plans, and the sense that we are in control can disappear in a moment. But Jesus points us to a portion that cannot be taken away.

The invitation is not to stop serving. There is much to be done. It is to serve without trying to carry the weight of the world or the responsibility of God’s providence.

Before we provide for others, we receive what God has provided for us. Before we try to hold everything together, we remember that we are being held.

Text: Luke 10:38–42
Series: Hospitality
Mercy Spokane

What is the difference between a church that is merely friendly and one that is truly hospitable?

When an expert in the law asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” he is hoping for a manageable list. Instead, Jesus tells a story that removes every boundary we might use to limit our love.

The Samaritan does not simply feel compassion. He crosses the road, binds the wounded man’s injuries, risks his own safety, and commits himself to the man’s complete restoration. His mercy is personal, costly, and all-encompassing.

Yet the parable does more than command us to show mercy. It points us to Jesus, the ultimate Samaritan, who found us helpless in the ditch of sin and gave everything to rescue us. Because strangers have been welcomed into God’s family, we are now sent to welcome the stranger.

Scripture: Luke 10:25–37

Series: Hospitality

Jesus sends seventy-two ordinary followers ahead of him into the towns and villages he is about to visit. They carry no money, supplies, or impressive credentials. They arrive simply offering peace and announcing, “The kingdom of God has come near.”

Their reception reveals something deeper. To welcome Jesus’ messengers is to welcome Jesus himself. To reject them is to reject the King and his kingdom.

In this sermon from Luke 10:1–12, Tommy explores the mission, message, and verdict entrusted to Jesus’ followers. We are reminded that every Christian is sent, that our words and works of mercy must remain together, and that Jesus comes to us not because he needs our hospitality, but because he desires to bless us with his peace.

Scripture: Luke 10:1–12

Series: Hospitality

Mercy’s Mirror
Guest Preacher: Nigel Hunter
Text: Matthew 7:1–12

In one of Jesus’ most quoted teachings, “Judge not, that you be not judged,” we are invited to examine not only how we see others, but how we see ourselves before God. Guest preacher Nigel Hunter opens Matthew 7:1–12 by showing that Jesus is not calling us to abandon discernment, but to approach others with humility, self-examination, patience, and mercy.

Before we try to remove the speck from another person’s eye, Jesus calls us to see the log in our own. This is not meant to paralyze us with guilt, but to free us from self-righteousness and remind us that the standard by which we are judged has been fully met in Christ.

From judgment and hypocrisy to prayerful dependence and the Golden Rule, this sermon reminds us that Christian witness is not about forcing others to conform to our standards, but about bearing witness to the mercy of Jesus. As those who have received grace, we are called to move toward others with the same patience, generosity, and compassion our Father has shown to us.

Key Themes:
Judgment, hypocrisy, self-examination, mercy, evangelism, prayer, patience, the Golden Rule, Christian witness

Scripture: Matthew 7:1–12

Title: Prodigal Grace
Preacher: Nigel Hunter
Text: Luke 15:11–32

Episode Description:
In this sermon from Luke 15:11–32, guest preacher Nigel Hunter walks through Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, showing that the story is not merely about one rebellious younger brother, but about two lost sons and the extravagant grace of the Father.

The younger son rejects his father openly, squanders his inheritance, and returns home hoping only to be treated as a servant. The older son stays near the father, but his obedience has become transactional, resentful, and self-righteous. Both sons want the father’s gifts more than the father himself.

Through this familiar parable, we are invited to see the heart of God: a Father who runs toward the lost, restores sons and daughters to honor, and calls his people to extend the same grace to others. Jesus is the true and better brother, the one who obeys where the younger son rebelled and loves where the older son could not.

What does biblical hospitality really mean? In Romans 15:1–7, Paul calls the church to “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Hospitality is more than entertaining friends or hosting people who are already like us. It is the gospel-shaped practice of welcoming the stranger, bearing with the weak, and making room for those who are different.

Because Christ welcomed us when we were strangers and sinners, we now welcome others with patience, love, and hope. This kind of hospitality builds up the church, displays the power of the gospel, and teaches a divided world to sing with one voice to the glory of God.

Scripture: Romans 15:1–7

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Tommy Allen
Church: Mercy Spokane

What does it mean to be truly content? In Philippians 4:10–20, Paul writes from prison and explains that contentment is not something found on the other side of better circumstances. It is something learned in the middle of every circumstance.

In this sermon, we look at Paul’s “secret” of contentment: not self-sufficiency, but Christ-sufficiency. Because believers are in Christ, they can endure both abundance and need, plenty and hunger, highs and lows. That same gospel contentment also frees us to live with boldness, take risks for the kingdom, and practice generous, sacrificial giving.

Paul reminds the Philippians that their generosity was more than financial support. It was partnership in the gospel, fruit credited to their account, and a fragrant offering pleasing to God. And behind all of this stands the promise that God will supply every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Preached by: Rev Tommy Allen

Date: 6/7/26

Episode Tags / Keywords

Philippians, Philippians 4, contentment, Christian contentment, generosity, giving, gospel partnership, Christ-sufficiency, Philippians 4:13, Philippians 4:19, stewardship, Christian sermon, Mercy Spokane, Reformed sermon, Presbyterian sermon

How is anxiety like a disease? It spreads. In Philippians 4:1–9, Paul addresses conflict in the church at Philippi and shows us how the gospel speaks directly to anxiety, control, disagreement, and peace.

Rather than avoiding the conflict between Euodia and Syntyche, Paul names it, reminds them of their shared purpose in the gospel, and calls the church to help. From there, he teaches that the antidote to anxiety is not control, but prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, and trust in the sovereignty of God.

Paul does not promise that life will become easy or that we will regain control. He promises something better: the peace of God will guard us, and the God of peace will be with us.

Rev. Tommy Allen

5/31/26

Philippians, Anxiety, Peace of God, Prayer, Christian Conflict, Church Unity, Gospel, Mercy Spokane, Sermon, Reformed Theology

What does the Christian life look like after we have been made right with God by faith in Jesus? In Philippians 3:12–21, Paul reminds us that we are not home yet, but we are not lost. Because Christ has already made us his own, we press on toward the goal.

In this sermon, we look at two spiritual dangers: thinking we have already arrived, and thinking grace means we no longer need to grow. Paul calls us instead to run the race, follow faithful examples, and remember that our true citizenship is in heaven.

One day, Jesus will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. Until then, we press on, not to earn his embrace, but because he has already embraced us.

Scripture: Philippians 3:12–21
Preacher: Rev. Dr. Tommy Allen
Church: Mercy Spokane

Episode Highlights:
Paul’s reminder that we are “not there yet”
Why grace does not eliminate effort, but enables it
The difference between justification and sanctification
How to leave behind both past sins and past successes
Why Christian growth happens in community
What it means that our citizenship is in heaven
The hope that one day Jesus will make all our struggles untrue

Keywords:
Philippians, Philippians 3, Christian life, sanctification, justification by faith, grace, heaven, citizenship in heaven, spiritual growth, Mercy Spokane, sermon, Reformed theology, Presbyterian sermon