RUF at UVM

Sermon preached at Redeemer Burlington on September 28, 2014.

Paul exhorts us to "live as citizens of heaven" here in Burlington. How? With one spirit, as one person, and for one purpose: to make the gospel known in word and in deed. Paul encourages us to do this in the face of opposition by reminding us that we are not alone. God has graciously given us His Son, the gift of faith, and the gift of one another--i.e., the Church.

Sermon preached at Redeemer Burlington on June 22, 2014.

Our world is full of evil, injustice, and sin. God is aware: He sees, He hears, and He has not forgotten His promises to redeem it. God cares: He speaks against evil, injustice and sin; fights it; and will someday execute final judgment, ending it once and for all. God spares: He provides a substitute and a shield—a Passover Lamb—so that sinners like you and me may be spared His final judgment. Jesus is the true Passover Lamb, our true substitute and shield, the "Lamb of God" that every other paschal lamb points to and anticipates.

"Who am I? What is my identity?" In this third seminar/sermon at New Haven URC, we learn what it means to live out our new identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Great High King. What does it mean to imitate God, as His beloved children? What does it mean to walk in love, as Christ loved us? Listen to find out.

"Who am I? What is my identity?" In this second seminar at the New Haven URC Summer Kick-Off Youth Conference, we learn how God has recovered us—i.e., how He has rescued us, taken away our shame, and given us a newer, better and unshakable identity. The three main aspects of our new identity are 1) Our Rescue, 2) Our Robes, and 3) Our Father.

"Who am I? What is my identity?" In this first seminar at the New Haven URC Summer Kick-Off Youth Conference, we learn that "in the beginning" God defined us. Every single one of us is made in the image of God—we were created to know God and show God, to "know it and show it," to reflect Him and His goodness to the world around us. Sadly, every single one of us has rejected God; we have embarked on a quest to define and redefine ourselves, and we do this in all sorts of ways. When we seek to define ourselves apart from God, the end result is lostness and confusion, nakedness and shame. Fortunately, the story does not end on this note—God promises to recover us—to rescue us as well as cover us up, to take away our nakedness and shame and to give us a newer, better, and unshakeable identity.