Friendship CRC: Sermons

This week we begin a new series titled, "Redemption's Storyline." Over the next several weeks we will be considering a range of passages from the O.T. As we reflect on what God was doing and communicating to his people in those moments, we will also think about how these stories fit into the larger picture of God's plan as revealed now in Christ. This week we start with the story of creation in Genesis 1. Here we see God's intention for human beings and all his creation. We also are reminded that just as the Lord alone could create us and everything else, so too only the Lord can save us and bring heaven and earth back together.

This Sunday morning we conclude our series reflecting on some of the sayings or teachings of Jesus which are more difficult for us to understand or apply. This week we dive into Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus, a story which might leave us with several questions as to what Jesus is trying to communicate. How literally should we take the things Jesus is saying here? What does he mean by the great chasm which separates the parties in the story? While some of the details are interesting to explore, the overall message of the story is one calling us to see the importance and urgency of how we are responding to God's word in our lives now. There are varying responses to the message of Christ, and these responses will have eternal ramifications.

This Sunday morning we continue our series on some of the sayings or teachings of Jesus that we typically have a hard time understanding or applying. In this passage in Matthew, Jesus tells a parable of a landowner who is hiring workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard. At the end of the day, he pays everyone the same, regardless of how many hours they've worked. The longer-term workers in the story take exception with this, and as we read the story we might as well. Is this fair? What is Jesus communicating here? This teaching of Jesus reminds us that the value systems of our world don't often translate to the way things work in God's kingdom. When it comes to the gifts of God, we can be assured that not only is he completely fair with us, but also generous in his giving.

This Sunday morning we continue our series on some of the teaching or sayings of Jesus which are harder for us to understand. In Matthew 23, Jesus is in Jerusalem and begins speaking out against the practices of the religious leaders there. In contrast to the way they are living, Jesus tells his disciples that none of them are to be called, 'teacher,' and that they shouldn't call anyone on earth, 'father.' What does Jesus mean by this? Are we in error by referring to our earthly fathers with that title? It seems that Jesus doesn't have this in mind as much as he wants us to be clear in our relationship to him that he is our one Lord, and in our relationship to each other that we are not to Lord it over one another.

This Sunday morning we continue our series on some of the sayings or teachings of Jesus which we typically have trouble understanding or coming to grips with. In this text, Jesus has an encounter with a Canaanite woman who is asking that Jesus heal her daughter. To this request, Jesus replies that it isn't right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs. What does Jesus mean here and why would he say it? As we dig a little deeper into the story, we realize that this encounter has to do with Jesus' mission and the mission of his church. It is a mission that will confront us, as it did Jesus' first disciples, with some prejudices or conclusions about other people that we've long held.

“We can always count on Jesus to tell us the truth. And when Jesus instructs us about our purpose here while waiting for his return, he doesn’t spare us a full preview of the pain of our mission. This sets us up for one of the “hard teachings” of Jesus. This month we will examine several of these “hard sayings,” that seem difficult to understand. Jesus delivers some hard news, but His words are intended to make us courageous.”

This Sunday morning we conclude our series on food by reflecting on Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 in Matthew. This event happens because of Jesus' care and compassion for the crowd, and his power to provide all that they need and more. While we sometimes see a scarcity of resources, Jesus reminds us that the Lord is never short on resources, and is ready and willing to provide for us. As we celebrate God's ample provision for us, we are also called to imitate his compassionate and giving heart with our neighbors in this world.

This Sunday morning we continue our series on food by reflecting on an interesting story from the life of King David. In this story, David is about to take vengeance on a man named Nabal because he has dealt with David in evil fashion. However, before David can shed blood, Nabal's wife Abigail meets David and his army with a large meal and other gifts. Through this, and Abigail's wise words, David calms down and avoids bloodshed. We are aware of how hunger can often make us act in rash or poor ways in our lives, and of how eating and sharing a table in good company can give some peace to us. As God provides peace to us through eating, it is a reminder of the larger ways he provides peace to us in our relationship with him and with each other.

This Sunday morning we continue our series about God's provision of food. In this story we see the prophet Elijah at the end of his rope. All of the opposition to his faith and ministry have left him completely worn out and depressed. However, the Lord still has plans for him, and sends his angel to strengthen him with food for the journey ahead. We know that we need food for strength each day, and hopefully we regularly acknowledge God's provision of food for us in our lives. But perhaps we don't think as much about what God is strengthening us for. What might God be calling us to with the strength he provides us?

This Sunday morning we turn to the call of Jeremiah the prophet found in Jeremiah chapter 1. Jeremiah's call is specific, but also reminds all of us that God knows us and has a purpose for us. We all deal with doubts from time to time about what we can actually do, or how we could ever do it, but God's reassurance to Jeremiah should reassure us as well. God not only know us and calls us, but also empowers us to do what he has called us to do.

This Sunday morning we again think about the mission God calls us to as his people. During Jesus' ministry he sent out his followers to bring the message of God's kingdom to the towns around them. What can we learn from this passage as we think about God's mission for us? Where might Jesus be calling us to bring the message of God's kingdom today?

This Sunday and next we are emphasizing the mission we have as God's people to share the Gospel, and celebrating some of the ways we see God empowering us for this. As we reflect on the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, we hear Jesus' call for us to, "go and do likewise," in being good neighbors like the Samaritan was in the story. However, this story first and foremost reminds us that Jesus is our real neighbor who comes to us and binds our wounds and saves us. When we receive the love the Good Samaritan, aka Jesus, then we are able to, "go and do likewise."

This Sunday morning, as we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, we turn once more to the gospel of Mark. Jesus' death on the cross seems to be a clear ending of his life and the hope his ministry had brought. But as the women come to his tomb and find it empty and hear the testimony that Jesus is alive, the message is that Jesus' death didn't signal the end, but the beginning of something new. Likewise, as we come to the end of Mark's gospel and hear the call for the women and the other disciples to share this good news about Jesus, we also see that the story doesn't end there, but has just begun. This is the story we are living still today, and through the resurrection power of Jesus, are continuing to tell.

This Sunday morning, as we continue our series in the Way of the Cross, we find Jesus being arrested and put on trial. But while Jesus' innocence and dignity continue to shine through in all of this, we see the brokenness and guilt of humanity at every stop. Whether it is the disciples, or the Jewish leadership, or the Roman leadership, or even Peter, we see the failure of humanity on full display. Yet despite our clear guilt, Jesus continues his journey to the cross. There the innocent one will die for us guilty ones. There his righteousness will become our righteousness.

As we continue our series through the passion week texts in Mark, we find Jesus in prayer in Gethsemane. While Jesus' suffering on the cross is quite evident, we can already see his suffering here as he prays before God the Father. In this moment, we also see how Jesus will face all that is to come - because he knows it is his Father's will. As Jesus is in prayer in the garden, we are in awe of his enduring all of this for our sake. We also are led to follow Jesus in our lives in the way we pray and face our own sufferings.

Table conversations tell us a lot about the people sitting around it. Jesus' conversations at the last supper tell us that his death on the cross was no accidental death. The cross was on front of Jesus' mind and it confronts us too when we come to the Lord's Table. What will you do with Jesus' cross?

This Sunday morning we continue our Lenten series following Jesus' journey to the cross in the closing chapters of Mark. It is now Tuesday evening in Bethany and the reactions to Jesus are growing stronger as Jesus draws closer to the cross. On the one hand are the religious leaders and Judas Iscariot, who are fighting against Jesus. On the other hand are people like Simon the leper, and the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus' feet. They are responding to Jesus with faith. These reactions call us to think about how we will respond to Jesus: will we fight against him, or put our faith in him?

This Sunday morning we continue our Lenten series zooming in on the week of Jesus' life leading up to the cross. In this text we see Jesus cursing a fig tree, cleansing the temple, and teaching his disciples about prayer. All of these actions point to who Jesus is. The temple was the place where heaven and earth met, but now this is found in Jesus. Not responding to him in faith puts us, like the people of Israel then, in danger of judgment. Mark's witness continues to speak today that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. How are we responding to this message?

This Sunday morning marks the first Sunday in the season of Lent, a season in which Christians have focused on preparation and repentance, in anticipation of the celebrations of Good Friday and Easter. This year we will be reflecting on the stories in Mark during the week leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. This begins with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. By riding into town as he does, Jesus is making a statement about who he is - the promised Messiah - and calling on everyone to respond. As Jesus proclaimed his identity and mission to Jerusalem that day, so he proclaims it to us today. Will the mission and identity of our lives be tied to Jesus or resist him?

As we continue our series on discipleship, we find Peter, along with James and John, on the mountaintop with Jesus. What they experience there is almost hard to imagine. It is an incredible moment where they gain a glimpse of the glory of God, and heaven opened. Understandably, Peter wants this moment to last, but Jesus and his disciples need to head back down from the mountain, and to the work that is before them. As we follow Jesus, there are sometimes incredible and overwhelming moments where we see God's power and presence clearly at work. We might want to stay in these moments forever, but they are meant to fill us for our continued journey of serving and following the Lord.