Sermon Video: Judas at the Last Supper - Mark 14:12-21

In the midst of the Last Supper, as Jesus celebrates the Passover one last time with his disciples, a time for fellowship and fortification for the road ahead, Jesus drops a bombshell: "one of you will betray me." One of the chosen 12?? How is that possible?

Betrayal is a brutal subject, only those with whom we have a connection can betray us, or us them. Family, friends, co-workers, fellow countrymen, even those in our church. There's a reason why the we call it stabbing someone in the back. And yet, betrayal did not derail the plan of God, did not prevent Jesus from fulfilling his purpose and dying for the sins of the world. No matter how vicious the wound, it can be healed, no matter how ruthless you were, you can be forgiven; God can do this, Jesus knows what betrayal feels like, and he overcame it.

Sermon Video: "I want to see" - Mark 10:46-52

He's known as Blind Bartimaeus for a reason. When Jesus came to Jericho, where Bartimaeus sat begging, he didn't hesitate to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" When those standing by tried to quiet him, he shouted louder. Jesus heard him, called him over, and asked him what he wanted. The question seems obvious, the blind man wants to see, but people are fully capable of not seeing their own most serious needs. Bartimaeus had no such trouble, he confidently told Jesus, "I want to see". After he was healed, he followed Jesus...Do we tell God what we need? Are we honest with God when we pray? God knows everything we could tell him already, but it is God's will that people approach him, in faith, and ask.

Sermon Video: "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" - Mark 9:14-29

 Is faith all or nothing?  Is there room for hesitancy, fear, or doubt?  Faith isn't like a light switch, all on or all off, but a continuim, it can grow and it can be weakened.  As Jesus helps a father whose son health need is too difficult for his own disciples to overcome, he also confronts the issue of wavering faith.  Jesus does not condemn the man who admits that his faith is weak, he helps him.  As Christians, and as a Church, we need to do likewise: admit our own weaknesses and help those in need.

What the 10th Century 'Peace of God' Movement can teach us about our country's embrace of political partisanship and violence

Rapid economic change in 10th Century Western Europe led to instability, which created fertile ground for those with power to press their claims for more power at the expense of the common people.  If I replace 10th Century with 20th-21st and Western Europe with the whole world, the gap between our own predicament and the medieval world narrows considerably.  In their case, the economic change was newfound prosperity after the doldrums of the Dark Ages following the disintegration of the Roman Empire.  In our case, the economic change has been far less favorable to most people, but rapid change opens the door to power moves whether that change be for the better or for the worse.

The patchwork of nobles that controlled Western Europe took advantage of the changing landscape to press their own dynastic claims at the expense of their family rivals leading to endemic small scale warfare.  As Diarmaid MacCulloch tells it in Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, 

"One symptom of the reorganization of society's wealth was a great deal of local warfare as rival magnates competed to establish their positions and property rights, or used violence against humble people in order to squeeze revenue and labor obligations from them; this was the era in which a rash of castles began to appear across the continent, centers of military operations and refuges for noblemen." (p. 370)

What was the Church's response to this violence and oppression of the 'least of these' by those who claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ, but acted in self-interested, and often violent, greed instead?

The Church threw its moral authority against the violence and greed, threatening to excommunicate those who failed to keep the peace.

Beginning with the Bishop of Le Puy in 975, local Church leaders organized processions with holy relics and used their moral authority to cajole the feuding nobles into swearing solemn oaths to keep the peace.  Those that hesitated were persuaded by the threat of excommunication to accept the Church's restrictions on which days of the year they could fight without incurring the Church's wrath.  In addition, the Church set itself up as an arbiter where disputes could be resolved without bloodshed.  This movement had the backing of one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the day, Odilo, the abbot of the Cluny monastery, and eventually popes became involved in regulating the peace agreements.  In the end, the Church was not able to eliminate the greed and violent tendencies of the nobles, but they were able to significantly curtail it and limit its impact on the common people.

What then are the lessons for the Church in our own era of economic upheaval and political instability?  

1. The Church needs to stand with the common people, not seek the favor of the powerful.

This should hardly need to be said, given the clear teaching of Jesus Christ on the matter, but sadly we need to be reminded that role and function of pastors/elders/bishops is not to curry the favor of powerful business leaders or politicians, but shepherd the flock of Jesus Christ.  Deference to the powerful is a betrayal of every minister's ordination vows, a sign of unhealthy priorities, and an invitation to moral compromise.  

2. The Church needs to withdraw its recognition/support of 'Christian' leaders/politicians whose behavior besmirches the name of Jesus Christ.

The threat of excommunication doesn't hold much water anymore, and a Church fractured into many pieces has difficulty speaking with one voice, but those in power have little incentive to change their ways when large and powerful churches gladly support their ambitions despite repeated evidences that those they support care little for Christian morality.  Such a reckoning is unlikely to come until churches eliminate their own tolerance for immorality among their own leadership {the plank in our own eye first}, something that sadly is all too common, but it is certainly necessary that they do so as the bond between a Church dedicated to imitating Christ-likeness and powerful people who ignore Christ's teachings, but still claim to be Christians, can only be a marriage that will stain the reputation of the Church.  While there will always be a charlatan like Paula White-Cain willing to embrace/endorse the rich and powerful for mutual gain, respectable Church leaders must walk away from these toxic relationships that benefit those who behave in ways that make a mockery of our faith by given them a veneer of legitimacy that their actions don't deserve.

In the end, Christians simply need to insist upon better leaders by choosing to not support those who demonstrate moral unfitness, whether that be in their own local church, their denominational leadership, or within the political party they support.

3. The Church needs to heal its own divisions and rivalries to allow it to speak with more moral authority.

This is, of course, the hardest of the three.  There are significant portions of the Church today who identify with liberal politicians/causes, and significant portions of the Church today who identify with conservative politicians/causes, MORE STRONGLY than they do with Christians who disagree with them on those issues.  In other words, for far too many Christians, politics comes first.  It is difficult for many liberal Christians to see conservative Christians as genuine believers, and vice versa.  The question: "Do you profess the risen Lord as Savior?" has been replaced as a test of faith with, "What is your position on Immigration?" {for example}  That this is unhealthy for the Church should be evident to both sides, but the solution to it is not going to be easy.  Here it is: We need to care more about unity in Christ than we do about winning elections.  We need to share the Gospel of Jesus to the Lost more passionately than we argue about the latest political scandal on social media.

What is the solution to America's growing descent into partisanship and political violence?  A Church that utilizes it own moral authority on behalf of the 'least of these', refuses to excuse immoral behavior on the part of leaders for the sake of power, and is willing to restore the Gospel as the test of faith and fellowship regardless of the political philosophies of those who proclaim Jesus as Lord.

Why are our elected leaders continuing down this path of bitter partisan divides?  Because the Church has been cheering them on from the sidelines.  It has to stop.

  

Sermon Video: "Don't be afraid, just believe." - Mark 5:21-43

 On the way to heal Jairus' sick daughter, Jesus is interrupted by a desperate woman who has suffered from a painful malady for twelve years. This woman only touches Jesus cloak, but is still healed. Stopping, Jesus seeks out the woman, and when she falls trembling at his feet, he does not scold her for her impudence, but says to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." Meanwhile, Jairus' daughter has died, prompting Jesus' bold words, "Don't be afraid, just believe." How can this be? Faith is not meant to be irrational or absurd, so how can Jesus say such a thing? Simple. In the last 24 hours Jesus has demonstrated lordship over Nature (calming the storm) and the spiritual realm (driving out the Legion of demons), now he will demonstrate his lordship over Death as well. God is the giver of Life, all life, God can bring life back to the dead as well. Jesus then proves that faith placed in God's promises (Word) are well placed, as he precedes to bring the young girl back to life.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "Son, your sins are forgiven." - Mark 2:1-12

 When crowds prevent access to Jesus, 4 faithful friends lower a paralyzed man into his presence so that he can be healed. Before he heals, Jesus says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Religious leaders object that only God can forgive sins (true), so Jesus heals the man in front of them to demonstrate his claim as the Son of God. Forgiveness is a universal need, common to all of humanity, and only God can forgive. As Jesus demonstrated, he is the path to forgiveness.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Jesus was indignant? Mark 1:40-45

 When a man with leprosy comes to Jesus asking, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus' emotional response was to be indignant or compassionate? The textual variant here involves the reading in Codex Bezae (the only Greek manuscript to contain it) which may be evidence that copyists had 'fixed' their text to avoid answering the question of why Jesus might be indignant. The answer is simple enough. When confronted with disease, and the hurt that it causes, who wouldn't be angry? Whichever variant is original, Jesus next move it clear: He reached out to touch the man, demonstrating compassion, and healed him. Jesus was willing. We don't always know when God will be willing to miraculously heal, our role is simple: pray, show compassion, kindness, and love.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

True Repentance comes at a cost - Psalm 6

There has been much discussion of late about the "apology" of various politicians for the immoral things which they had done which have become public.  Whether or not the voters "forgive" a politician or not has absolutely nothing to do with the forgiveness that is needed from God, for this form of political "repentance" has little or nothing to do with the real thing.
To actually repent of one's sins requires a broken and contrite heart.  If one brags of sin in private, treating it as a laughing matter, and makes excuses for that same sin in public, blaming it on someone else or trying to minimize it, how can this possibly reflect a heart that is broken before a holy God?
David, as a man of God, was also a man who committed heinous sins.  In his most egregious sin, David was brought to repentance through God's grace in the sending of the prophet Nathan to warn David that his sin could not be ignored.
In Psalm 6, David writes about the foes that oppress him which he realizes are a sign of the judgment of God against his sin.  In response he writes of the anguish caused by his guilt, "I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.  My eyes grown weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes." (Psalm 6:6-7)  It is the attitude of genuine horror and revulsion at our offenses, committed against God, that is the hallmark of true repentance.  Do not be deceived, those who "repent" for public consumption will in no way fool Almighty God.  It is only by throwing ourselves upon the mercy of God and trusting in the cleansing power of the Blood of the Lamb that we can find forgiveness, cleansing, healing, and finally salvation.

Sermon Video: The Power of Prayer - Part 2: James 5:16-18

Continuing his thoughts on prayer, James makes a connection in vs. 15b-16 between those illnesses which are caused, at least in part, by sinful actions, and the prayer needed to repent of them.  James isn't making the mistake of Job's friends, that is claiming that ALL misfortune is because of specific sin, but he also isn't glossing over the fact that some of the ailments that are common to man are indeed the result of our own sinful actions.  We all recognize that the alcoholic's failed liver is a consequence of sin, as is the STD of the sexually immoral, but the reality goes much further than that and hits much closer to home.  All manner of sinful actions and attitudes have consequences in our physical, emotional, and psychological health.  The solution to these health needs much include repentance, along with medical care, if the root problem is to be uncovered and dealt with.
For the Christian, the most effective method of repentance involves the support of fellow Christians that is connected with the confession of sin that brings that which is hidden out into the light where it can be destroyed.  James doesn't specify to whom the confession should be given, whether the pastor or another mature Christian, the purpose is the same: to support the repentant sinner.
To show the power of prayer, to even overcome the grip that sin can hold a person in, James cites the power that was available to the prophet Elijah through prayer.  Elijah may seem like an extraordinary man, not like us at all, but only because he became just that through obedience to God and faithfulness; it was God's power that made Elijah a powerful prophet, he was simply a humble servant.  We too, then, can have access to God's power, through prayer, if we too like Elijah are obedient and faithful.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The Power of Prayer, Part 1 - James 5:13-15

Prayer is a fairly common human response, to troubles in particular.  For the Christian, prayer is a necessary part of our relationship with God.  Through his Word he talks to us, through our prayer (and praises) we respond to God.  Whenever a Christian is in trouble, for whatever reason, he/she should pray.  Whenever a Christian is experiencing happiness or joy, he/she should give God praise.  In all things, our response is to look to God.
James focuses, in particular, upon prayer associated with our health concerns, and rather than simply telling us to pray in response, we are told to bring these needs to the Church (through the church's leadership, i.e. elders) so that the body of Christ can pray together for its individual members.  This process teaches us two things: (1) God certainly cares about our physical needs, frail and mortal though we are, our suffering still matters to God, and (2) the Church needs to care about them as well.  With spiritual needs so pressing, it can be easy for the Church to focus solely upon the souls in their charge, but instead God reminds us to care for the whole person.
Why doesn't prayer always work?  Why do some people make miraculous recoveries, and others, equally fervently prayer for, continue toward the death that awaits us all?  The short answer to this large question is that it is not always the will of God to heal.  That may be tough to swallow, but Job didn't get an explanation from God, and he certainly deserved it more than we do, he simply got a reminder that God is God, enough said.  We never know who will be healed of their illness and who will not, our responsibility is thus to pray for everyone whose need comes before us, to should their burdens, and thus fulfill the Law of Love.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The Faith needed to Forgive - Luke 17:1-6

What does it take to forgive, to truly forgive as we are required to do by God?  In this passage, Jesus speaks of sin, forgiveness, and faith and draws a connection between the three topics.  Sin is important in relation to forgiveness because if we took sin more seriously, and did more to help others when they struggle with it, there would ultimately be less sin that needed to be forgiven.  Jesus' teaching on forgiveness itself is very simple: If a brother or sister in Christ repents of their sin, we must forgive.  No caveats, no exceptions, and no circumstances of the situation are needed to render that verdict.  Because God forgives the repentant sinner, we must as well.  But what of the egregious sins, what of the persistent sins, must we forgive those too?  Jesus anticipates this objection and responds with a hypothetical seven sins, against you, scenario in one day.  In that case, Jesus concludes, if that brother follows up each instance of sin with repentance, we must still forgive after the seventh time.  In other words, God does not allow us to set time, repetition, or severity limits to our willingness to forgive, we must forgive.  How does faith connect to forgiveness?  The disciples responded to Jesus' command to forgive by saying, "Lord increase our faith!"  They thought they needed more faith to do as Jesus asked of them, and we would readily agree.  But to this request Jesus simply responds by illustrating the incredible power of a tine portion of faith in this world.  If mustard seed sized faith can uproot a tree and toss it into the sea, can't the faith that you already have, a normal and regular amount that it is, have the power to forgive?  We need faith to forgive, but not a saintly level of faith, just an ordinary amount, and that is something that every follower of Christ is already in possession of.  In the end, we ought to be confronting and combating sin, we must forgive for we have been commanded to, and we need to obey that command by living by faith.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "Don't be afraid; just believe" - LUke 8:40-56

Following the trip back across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus is mobbed by an enthusiastic crowd eager to get close to him.  In that crowd are two people who both have a desperate need for the healing power of the Son of God.  Jairus is a father whose twelve year old daughter is dying, while he garners Jesus’ attention, a woman who had suffered for twelve years from feminine bleeding (thus making her “unclean” in the eyes of the Law) does something to demonstrate her faith in Jesus; she reaches out and touches the tassel of his cloak. 

            At this point, with Jairus anxious that Jesus will not arrive in time, and the crowd already slowing him down, Jesus stops to confront the woman who has just been healed by touching him.  Instead of condemning her for her presumption of touching him, Jesus turns to this woman who has held on to her faith in spite of twelve years of suffering and says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace.”  What an amazing testament to God’s willingness to forgive anyone who approaches him in faith.

            Meanwhile, Jairus receives word that his daughter has died while waiting for Jesus to arrive.  What was just a heart-warming scene of prayer being answered has turned into a crushing scene of irony.  Jesus may be the Son of God, but he is still only one man, the crowd and the woman who touched him slowed Jesus down; he’s too late.  Rather than allow human limitations to thwart Jairus’ faith, Jesus continues on to his house and then tells him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”  At this point, his own experience would have told Jairus that the situation is hopeless, but Jesus is asking him to trust in the promises of the same God who gives life to all.  Jesus then proceeds to return life to Jairus’ daughter as a further demonstration of who he is, and just as importantly, of the power of faith to overcome our own limitations.

            What insurmountable obstacles, what desperate situations, are you facing?  The answer is always to do our part, remember that both those helped by Jesus were willing to come to him, and then trust God to do his part.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video 

Sermon Video: "tell how much God has done for you" Luke 8:26-39

When Jesus and the disciples arrive on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee after their traumatic crossing due to the storm, they are met by a naked man who suffers from demon possession.  This man, inhabited by not just one demon but many, falls at Jesus’ feet where the demons beg Jesus not to send them into the Abyss.  Rather than focus on the idea of demons possession, or the topic of spiritual warfare, notice instead the reaction of the locals to Jesus’ miraculous healing of one of their own.  When they arrive on the scene, the locals are overcome with fear; not of the formerly demon possessed man, even though he had terrorized their town, but of the Jewish miracle worker and teacher who had healed him.  In a stunning twist, the locals ask Jesus to leave them alone and go away, and he does exactly that.

            At this point, this story is one of opportunity lost, of God offering to help humanity only to be told to take a hike.  Jesus doesn’t leave it at that, when the now healed man asks to follow Jesus he is told that he must stay behind.  Why?  So that he can, “tell how much God has done for you” to the same people who have just rejected Jesus.  God doesn’t give up on us just because we don’t want his help.  God’s love for humanity prompts him to try a 2^nd or a 3^rd time to reach us and save us from ourselves. 

            There are a lot of people who wouldn’t come to church if you asked them to, they’ve got too much bitterness or anger toward God or the Church to do that.  They wouldn’t listen to a preacher or read a Bible either.  But what if they met God in an unexpected way?  What if they interacted with someone whose life had been transformed by the saving power of Jesus, someone who demonstrated the love of God to them in person?  The laity will always be crucial to God’s efforts to save humanity, especially with those hard cases committed in their own minds to rejecting God.  Jesus didn’t give up, even when they told him to leave, we can do no less.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video 

Sermon Video - Faith in Unexpected Places, Luke 7:1-10

There are a lot of things in life that are unexpected, some good, some bad.  When Jesus had finished teaching the people he went into Capernaum and ran into something unexpected.  A delegation of Jewish elders from a local synagogue had come seeking Jesus in order to ask for his help to heal a sick man.  On the surface, that sounds like rather ordinary, but the twist in Luke’s narrative is that the delegation was sent by a Roman centurion.  This is shocking on several levels including: Why a Roman centurion would trust in a traveling Jewish rabbi with a reputation for healings, and why a group of Jewish elders would want to help him.

            As the story unfolds, we learn that the delegation elders want to help this centurion because of his clearly demonstrated love for the Jewish people as evidenced by his assistance in the building of their synagogue.  Rather than clearing the shock up, this only adds to our wonder.  What happened in this soldier’s life to cause him to develop such a rare affection for the people who would normally look at him with a mutually felt hatred?  We don’t have any answers to those questions, but the faith that this man demonstrates is clearly remarkable.

            Jesus decides to help and heal the servant of the centurion, but before he can even get to the man’s house a second message comes asking Jesus to refrain from entering the home of an unworthy man as this centurion considers himself to be, but instead asking Jesus to heal the servant even at a distance if he will simply, “say the word”.  If the situation was interesting before, it has now become downright intriguing.  Where does this humility come from?  How does a respected man of authority realize that Jesus’ moral authority outweighs his own?

            The response of Jesus to all of this demonstrated faith, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” reminds us all that God delights in unexpected faith, grace, and love.  God seeks out the lost in places we wouldn’t even think of going, God rescues people from sin that we would have thought hopeless.  This centurion’s great faith teaches us to look outward with open hearts expecting to be surprised by God’s ability to work in others, but it also should teach us to look inward with an open mind, realizing that God can do amazing things through each of us.  How can this be, you might ask, when my faith is so weak?  God can do great things through us, not because we are somehow different or special, we’re all sinners saved by grace, but because he is an awesome and mighty God.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video 

Is it time for you to take a Sabbatical?

One of my fellow ministers here in Franklin is leaving today for an extended Sabbatical until after Easter.  The first thought that most of us have on hearing something like that is a bit of jealousy.  Wouldn't we all love to walk away from our job for a while and get a break that last longer than the standard two weeks?  The idea of a Sabbatical, which comes from the Hebrew Shabbat (Sabbath), is actually something that God intended to be an integral part of the way that society functions.  We are all familiar with the weekly Sabbath, for Jews Saturday, for Christians Sunday, that reflects the seventh day of rest at the end of the Genesis account of Creation.  That weekly break from labor is certainly something we can see the value of, and something we ignore at the peril of our own health, but God inteneded it to be part of a greater scheme of rest that went far beyond a weekly break.  In the Law given to Moses, the people were commanded to let the land have a rest, and themselves as well, every seventh year.  In other words, they were to work the land for six years, and then take one year off.  We have much the same concept regarding the land today with crop rotations and allow the land to lie fallow from time to time, but the idea of giving ourselves longer breaks from labor has always failed to gain hold when practical considerations overrule such considerations.  Today, only professionals, especially academics and scientists, consider a sabbatical to be a part of their career path, although most of these use that time away for an intense level of work on a special project such as writing a book or doing field research.
Do any of us ever really take time AWAY from our 24/7 connected and wired-in world anymore?  What would it be like to walk away from e-mail, voice-mail, facebook, and who knows what else, for not just a few days, but for a few months?  The problem with never stepping away from the daily grind is that we don't take the time to step back and look at how we do what we do, or why.  The next day's work is coming too fast, no time to think about priorities, no time to evaluate the quality of life we're living, nor to consider the opportunities that pass us by to help others.  What could you accomplish with a sabbatical?  What would happen if you took the time to look at your life from the outside for a change?  God knew what he was doing when he told his people to include rest in their lives.  I wish my fellow minister well in her time off, and I wonder, who will return to us after it ends?  Hopefully, and I mean this in the right way, not the same person who left.

Is the relationship between a pastor and his church like a marriage?

I've been thinking about the turmoil that can happen between a pastor and a church when the relationship goes sour.  I know of several pastors to whom this has happened over the years, some of which you might expect it, and others of whom anyone would be surprised to find them in that situation.  The same could be said of the churches, there are some whose "personality" is such that you aren't surprised to learn they ran another preacher out of town, and others that you thought it would never be involved in a bad pastor/church relationship.
So, is the best analogy to describe the relationship between a pastor and his church the familiar marriage covenant?  On the surface we know that most pastors will not stay at the church they begin with until "death do us part"; in many denominations they have no choice in the matter, a Bishop makes those decisions.  But aside from the realization that the relationship is not forever, the dynamic is very similar.
The foundation of marriage: mutual self-sacrificial behavior, is also crucial to a healthy ministry.  If the pastor simply gives, and the church simply takes (or vice versa) it won't last and it won't be healthy.  Likewise, the policy of honest communication and holding your tongue if you don't have anything constructive to say will help foster peace between a husband and wife as well as between a pastor and his congregation.  This sort of comparison could continue.  In the end, what is needed is a mutual relationship where neither side is dominated and neither side is used or neglected.
If the relationship between a pastor and his church runs into trouble that goes beyond the ordinary bumps in the road the same sort of messy divorce that sadly plagues marriages in America today also occurs.  There will be some who love the pastor and feel upset that he's been shown the door (or left of his own accord) and there will be some who hated the guy and are happy to see him go.  Children who have grown up in a divorced household will recognize this blame game and the guilt and regret that go with it.
Bad endings to a pastor/church relationships cannot be entirely avoided, neither can the hurt feelings that accompany them.  The burden that is placed upon us, as Christians, is to be people of healing and reconciliation.  To follow our God's example and offer second chances to those who have gone astray, and to protect and defend the God ordained relationship between a pastor and his church much as we would a marriage within our own family.  In the end, without mutual sacrifice, respect, and love; no marriage, whether between a husband and wife or a pastor and a church, can be expected to last.

Sermon Video, "Hannah's Sorrow" I Samuel 1:1-10

In part 1 of this 3 part series on Hannah, we learn of the pain that Hannah had to endure because the LORD had closed her womb.  Elkanah, her husband, marries and 2nd wife in order to continue his line, and while he continues to love Hannah, her lack of children is a source of cultural shame.  After years of humiliation at the hands of Elkanah's 2nd wife, Peninnah, Hannah stands before the Lord at the Tabernacle in Shiloh and weeps "in bitterness of soul".  Hannah was honest with God, approached him in her misery, and prayed.  All those who have pain, anger, sorrow, bitterness, or regret can follow Hannah's example and seek the Lord honestly in prayer.  The content of the prayer is less important than the willingness to pray.  Those in need can also find shelter and comfort among God's people who are likewise on a journey from repentance to salvation, who have submitted to God's will, and who have lain their burdens down at the foot of the cross.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "Friend, your sins are forgiven" - Luke 5:17-26

As Jesus once again heals the sick while he is teaching he is faced with a paralyzed man lowered through the roof by his friends.  Upon seeing their faith (the plural is intentional), Jesus tells him, "Friend, your sins are forgiven".  The religious leaders are rightly offended by Jesus' usurpation of God's sole right to forgive sins, and wonder who he really thinks he is.  To back up his claim, Jesus does the easier task, he heals the man of his paralysis.  Only God can forgive, Jesus, declaring himself to be the Son of Man (acc. to Daniel's prophecy), has just laid claim to being God...This episode beautifully illustrates how we can help those in need find faith and forgiveness, as we ourselves did at the foot of the cross.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." - Luke 5:12-14

What would it be like to live in complete isolation, to be an oucast whom all consider to be cursed by God?  What hope would there be?  In the Gospel of Luke, a man with leprosy falls at Jesus' feet and begs for healing.  The social stigma of his disease was far worse than the physical symptoms, by asking Jesus to make him "clean" the man is in essence asking for God's forgiveness.  Jesus does the remarkable; he reaches out and touches this "untouchable" man to let him know that he is indeed willing to make him clean.  By his mercy Jesus demonstrates the path to healing and forgiveness for us all, and encourages us to offer that same healing to whomever the outcasts of our society are, we too must reach out and touch them with God's love.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "the name of Jesus" - Acts 3:11-16

Following the miraculous healing of a man born crippled, Peter explains to the gathering crowd that it was not the power responsible did not belong to him.  The miracle was through and in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the same Jesus who the people of Jerusalem put to death.  By insisting that the name of Jesus, and the faith that comes through him, was the basis for the healing, Peter is declaring Jesus to be God himself.  Only God has the power to perform miracles because there is only one God.  In the end, it is faith in Jesus Christ that can heal, both body and spirit, and nothing else.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
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