The LehmanCast

Last week, the scripture reminded the disciples that Jesus was “going to the Father.” The Ascension is that act. Had Jesus not gone to the Father, we would not have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. As it is, Jesus did leave for the purpose of sending the Holy Spirit. The Ascension is a very important part of our faith!

Acts 1:1-11

Here is a promise made by Jesus that the Holy Spirit is given to guide, instruct and teach. When we are empowered in such a way, we remember the meanings of Jesus’ teachings and can be confident that we know the mind of Jesus, and therefore can teach others. To know, teach and live the truth of Christ is to be blessed, and is a hallmark of what it means to love God.

John 14:23-29

Again, following the example of Christ, Peter reached out to the uncircumcised and upset the authorities. He was associating with the wrong people. “No matter who they are or what they have done, we never exclude people from the possibility of God's grace. The mission and ministry of the church must never be based on an inclination toward "our kind of people.”

Acts 11: 1-18

Through prayer and following Jesus' example Peter was able to restore Dorca's life. The Holy Spirit will also enable us to do things we never could do on our own. How fitting on Mother's Day to remember a woman who devoted herself to acts of charity among the believers and people of Joppa.

Acts 9:36-43

To Be the Light  |  Sermon 1 May 2022

On his way to Damascus, Saul was surrounded by a light from heaven and fell to the ground. His life was forever changed. Saul did not remain on the ground. He got up! What will it take for us to give God our very best and to be a light for others?

Acts 9:1-20

To Be Witnesses  |  Sermon 24 April 2022

The apostles were demanded not to teach in Jesus's name. However, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey God above all others. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue to be witnesses of the risen Christ.

We receive the same power when we align our time, attention, and purpose with God's. What is our purpose in life? What is God's purpose for our lives?

Acts 5:27-32

Easter Sunday | Sermon 17 April 2022

These last words that Jesus prays to the Father are words of hope and faith and trust. They were an example of how to pray in our darkest moments of life, nurtured by years of a close relationship with God. Jesus puts himself into the hands of a loving parent. We have a God who cares especially during our times of uncertainty and fear. Perhaps it’s time to practice what Jesus exemplified and commit our lives into the hands of God; hands of strength and compassion; into the hands of the One that will never leave us nor forsake us.

John 19:28-30; Luke 23:44-49

Jesus said this word to once again identify with our humanness. Jesus thirsted like we all do, albeit some moments before his death. He thirsted not just for what could be offered at that moment, but spent his life and ministry quenching the thirst of all who wanted to know the truth. What are you thirsting for? Hopefully it’s some of those same things Jesus worked for: love, justice, grace, etc. And there’s a world full of people thirsting for those things. How will we attempt to do what Jesus did and hold out abundant life to all those – including us – who are thirsty?

John 19:28-30; Luke 22:39-42

Jesus’s words here are not just statements for John and Jesus’s mother to take care of one another, although they are that. Jesus was making a statement about the importance of family – and not just our biological ones, but also our spiritual ones. John and Mary were not blood relatives, but they were intimately connected to and with the Savior, which is why Jesus creates this new family for them. It’s like that with us, too. We are to be connected to one another, to be family, to care and nurture one another in the faith – because of what Jesus did on the cross.

John 19:25-27; Matthew 12:46-50