Struggling with the impulse to be "Spiritual But Not Religious:" we ask the question: where is your Zion? All throughout history people have gathered as a group in particular places to give praise to God. Where is your holy place? Where is the place that connects you not only to God but to others?

David was ready for the challenge of Goliath? How did he get ready? What resources did he rely upon? One of the church's key tasks is to prepare the next generation. Just as David had 5 smooth stones, so do we. I outline our 5 key ministries and what our mission is: by God's grace, to impact lives for the next generation.

One of the greatest impulses for humans is to become set in our ways. One of the greatest impulses for the Scriptures is to move us from congealed to fluidity. We think we know the story of Samuel annointing David as king, but what if we heard it again for the first time? Would you allow the Spirit to move you into a new way of hearing? a new way of being?

How do we live faithfuly at the intersection of God and government? Do we identify ourselves first as voters in a political party or as Christians? Can we accept God as our only right and true "King" regardless of government?

We carry lots of stories around with us all day, some of them are little deaths that kill us. Yet there is one story that saves us. It is a real story that changes people's lives and it can happen to you to. Resurrection is unlike anything you can imagine or expect. Listen for Jesus calling you by name!

We may not be the congregation that we used to be, or that we want to be, but the Spirit of Christ is working in and among us, conquering our demons so that we may be a healthy, vital congregation that changes people's lives. A vision setting sermon before our annual meeting "State of the Church."

Spiritual Discernment liberates us from the tyranny of having to make our own decisions. It allows us to participate with God in what God is already doing in the world. Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

Jesus was given the name Jesus which means salvation. So we who carry his name are blessed, not by anything we have done, but through the gift of this child.

The birth of Jesus means that we are at home with God. So our primary identity is that we are children of God and this is, thank God, not dependent upon us or our actions. God has made us to be at home through the incarnation, God-with-us.

Generous giving is the miracle that saves us from the tyranny of having to spend all of our money on ourselves. Generous giving is where the Lord chooses to build the Holy Temple.