Richmond's First Baptist Church

Jim Somerville: "You may say you will never have as much [courage] as Jesus did, no matter how hard you try. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you have more than you think..."

Jim Somerville: "You know what keeps us from going deeper [with one another], don’t you? It’s fear. We’re afraid that if people knew everything about us they wouldn’t love us..."

Jim Somerville: "I thought about the Christmas gifts I’d love to give you if it were in my power to give them. And the first gift on that list—the thing I would love to give you today—is the gift of perspective..."

Dr. Jim Somerville's message from the Sermon of Thanks, Tuesday, November 26, 2019.

Dr. Scott Spencer's homily from the Service of Prayer for Healing, November 24, 2019.

Jim Somerville: "Does the church still call him king even in times like these when so many outside the church are mocking him and deriding him, and when so many inside the church seem to be abandoning him...?"

Jim Somerville: "The message is clear: no one knows the day or the hour when the Lord will return, but when he does he will expect to find his servants hard at work..."

Jim Somerville: "I wish someone had told me that when I was afraid I might miss the Rapture. I wish someone had told me to just stand firm and hold fast to the traditions I had been taught and I would be fine..."

Jim Somerville: "Sooner or later there comes a time when even the youngest, strongest bodies get old and tired, when they can’t do anymore what they used to do. And in those days they might begin to think about what comes next..."

Jim Somerville: "That reminds me of something I heard when that big bicycle race was being held in Richmond a few years ago. One of the competitors talked about pouring himself out in that race like you would pour out a glass of water. His goal, he said, was to pour out the last drop as he crossed the finish line..."