Sermons @ Shepherd

COVID, insurrections, climate change... there are so many things to worry about. God's command is to be happy anyways, to find the joy of the Lord, even in the midst of despair.

The fact that the wise men come and pay homage to the infant Jesus is a sign of things to come. One day, all people, high and low, will recognize God in Jesus. They will see God. That is an incredible promise. Matthew 2:1-2

We call Jesus Lord. We call him King. But what does that mean. This sermon will explore Jesus role as king and what is the nature of his kingdom.John 18: 33-37

When the disciples bragged about the "beautiful stones" of the Temple, Jesus reminded them that those stones are fleeting. All that we seek to build without God's help and direction will ultimately fall. Mark 13:1- 8

The Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple, he likens the coming tribulation as "birth pangs" - the pain that precedes the renaissance of something new. With COVID, political woes, and climate change heavy on out hearts, we have hope that these, too, are just the tough climb before we find that God makes all things new.

As we celebrate All Saints Sunday, we realize that our mortality is certain. Even Lazarus, whom Jesus resuscitated, died eventually. Like Lazarus, we have the ability to be un-bound in this life, to be set free from the shroud of death that limits us and holds us back. What things are you bound to that are dragging you down? Are you ready to be unbound?

Revelation 21 is what the entire book is really about – God making all things new. In the midst of the trials and tribulations of life, in the midst of all that we do that is contrary to God, God is still at work (sometimes "behind the scenes") making all things new. Thanks be to God!

The scripture and the sermon title say it all. To be a faithful Christian is to love our neighbor...no exceptions. It is that simple (but it is so difficult). Mark 12:28-34

"Living A Reformation Life"

Today we look at the Reformation that began with Martin Luther and how living a "reformation life" begins with living out the teachings of Jesus. When we remember that God is one and that loving God and loving our neighbor is the fulfillment of all of the law, we are not far from the kingdom of God. Mark 12:28-34

The scripture and the sermon title say it all. To be a faithful Christian is to love our neighbor...no exceptions. It is that simple (but it is so difficult). Mark 10:46-52