Sermon Title: Scandalous Grace
Scripture Reading: Romans 2:4; 6:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-10; 3:1-12; Galatians 6:14-15

Nobody understood grace better than the Apostle Paul. He was a strict, law-abiding Pharisee who persecuted Christians before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. But once he encountered the risen Jesus, Paul was changed and then given a revelation of how God wanted to pour out his grace on the Gentiles. And what's even more shocking, God wanted to use Paul to extend this grace to everyone. In Scandalous Grace, Pastor David shares how Christ calls the church to accept people where they are and invite them to encounter the transforming power of God's love.

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May 5 bulletin

Sermon Title: Why You Need the Local Church to Follow Jesus
Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 2:19-22

Western individualism has seeped into the church today in many ways. One obvious example is how some folks believe they can follow Jesus without being actively involved in the church. And unfortunately, not only does their faith limp along, but the church suffers due to their lack of connection and commitment to the building up of the Body of Christ. In a message entitled, Why You Need the Local Church to Follow Jesus, Pastor David calls us to consider the divine purpose and power of the local church, followed by an invitation to prayerful discern how the Spirit is calling you to engage at Grantham Church.

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April 28 bulletin

Sermon Title: Easter: The Tomb as Womb
Scripture Reading: Luke 24:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-10

Christians celebrate the risen Jesus on Easter Sunday. We believe that this historical event not only has implications for life after death, but also for the world we live in today. In fact, according to the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus has changed everything! In Easter: The Tomb as Womb, Pastor David invites us to share in the joy of knowing that Christ is alive and that he has called us to be agents of new creation.

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April 21 bulletin

Sermon Title: My Heart is Ready
Scripture Reading: Psalm 57:1-7 (VOICE); Luke 22:39-44; 1 Peter 2:21-25

After Jesus leaves the upper room with his disciples, he goes out from the city in order to pray on the Mount of Olives, just before he is arrested. It is there that our Lord reveals his own personal struggle with what the Father has called him to do, as he knows that he will soon die on the cross. Yet, Jesus shows resolve to do God's will, despite the suffering he must endure. In My Heart is Ready, Pastor David reflects on Jesus' free choice to embrace his cross in order to be obedient to the Father, and how we must be willing to do the same.

Sermon Series: Cultivating & Letting Go | Lent 2019
Sermon Title: Fickle Faith… Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That!
Scripture Reading: Psalm 118:1-2; 19-29; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 19:28-40

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. It's when Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey to the waving of palm branches. But why does he ride in like this? What does it mean? And what does Jesus reveal about what faith entails if we're going to follow him? In Fickle Faith... Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!, Pastor David calls us to cultivate conviction that propels us forward to take risks and do whatever is necessary to be faithful to God.

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April 14 bulletin

Sermon Series: Cultivating & Letting Go | Lent 2019
Sermon Title: Being a Third Way Family: Cultivating the Radical Love of Jesus in the Church
Scripture Reading: John 17:20-23; Romans 15:1-7; Ephesians 4:2-3

Jesus and the whole of the New Testament calls us to live in harmony with one another. When people of other religions disagree, they divide. When people in politics disagree, they divide. When the church disagrees, we stay together, because the gospel has made us a family. In Being a Third Way Family, Bruxy Cavey (The Meeting House, Canada) shares how we can cultivate the radical love of Jesus in the church and overcome our differences.

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March 31 bulletin
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Sermon Series: Cultivating & Letting Go | Lent 2019
Sermon Title: God, Have Mercy On Me
Scripture Reading: Isa. 55:1-9; Psa. 63:1-8; I Cor. 10:1-13; Luke 18:9-14

Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector calls us to see ourselves the way God does and to repent of our sins. Repentance literally means to change your mind and allow God to have his way in your life. We repent by first humbly admitting our sin to God and by asking his forgiveness. And so, our repentance must be sincere and recognize God’s mercy. As a result, God changes us from the inside-out. Listen as John Yeatts (Pastor Emeritus) shares how we can repent of our sins and cultivate God’s life in us.

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March 24 bulletin
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Sermon Series: Cultivating & Letting Go | Lent 2019
Sermon Title: Be a Hen in the Fox’s Den
Scripture Reading: Genesis 15:1; Psalm 27; Luke 8:22-25; 13:31-35; 2 Timothy 1:7

Jesus showed courage in the face of fear and opposition. Contrary to popular images of Jesus, he was not stoic, dispassionate, or timid. Instead, Jesus is brave and daring, his love is fierce. He called Herod Antipas a fox and likened himself to a mother hen who takes on danger to protect her young. Listen as, Pastor David invites us to cultivate the courage of Jesus and let go of fear, in a message entitled, Be a Hen in the Fox’s Den.  

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March 17 bulletin

Sermon Series: Cultivating & Letting Go | Lent 2019
Sermon Title: You Gotta Have Grit
Scripture Reading:Luke 4:1-13; James 1:2-4; 5:10-11; Hebrews 10:36

We begin the season of Lent in the wilderness with Jesus. In the desert, Christ faces temptation, wrestles with the devil, and accepts his identity as the suffering Messiah. In preparation for his ministry, Jesus decides that nothing will stop him from being the Son sent by the Father to seek and save the lost. Jesus reveals a resolve to stay the course, no matter what. In You Gotta Have Grit, Pastor David shares how we too must cultivate a faith that perseveres and overcomes temptation, trial, and tribulation, by letting go of all that hinders us.

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March 10 bulletin
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Sermon Title: You Are Going To Die
Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 7:2; John 3:16

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Imposing ashes on the forehead is an ancient tradition going back to the first few centuries of the Church. It’s both a sobering and subversive liturgical practice to consider that one day we are going to die. What happens then? Also, what are we doing with the life we’ve been given? Listen as Pastor David invites us to reflect upon the meaning of Ash Wednesday, before we receive the ashes symbolizing our own mortality, our need for God, and our need to repent of our sins.