For many of us, when we think of Thanksgiving we imagine a feast. It is from of that feast we learn to give thanks. What do we do when Thanksgiving arrives during a time of famine? In this sermon, we explore what it is to be in a famine with God. We also learn how to give thanks in midst of that kind of famine.
“If you see a good fight, get in it!” The question is not are you fighting something or someone but rather is the fight you are in worth it? We all have been in fights that we can look back on and see that they were not worth it. But, if we determine the fight is worth it, then by all means get in it! In Mark 5: 21-43 we encounter two different people in two different kind of fights. According to Jesus, these two people have one thing in common: Faith. In this sermon, we learn together how to fight with faith even when the outcome is not what we expect.
There is still life after the crazy. Craziness has a way of entering into each of our lives. When it does, we often find ourselves sucked into the cycle of crazy: rejection, isolation, limitation, desperation and repetition. Jesus has come to speak order to our crazy. When He does, everything changes!
There is still life after the storm. On the shore, we learn to follow Jesus because of what He can do. In the storm, we learn to follow Jesus because of who He is. In this sermon, we discover together the different kind of storms we face in life. Ultimately, every storm, stands in opposition to the destination. The key to facing the storm is to fight fear with faith. For, God’s promises will always overrule our problems!
There is still life after the ruins. In this sermon, we are reminded of both the process to God’s rulership and the promise of His rulership. It is in the ruins where we learn to trust God to rule our lives. And it is in the ruins that we learn to speak, think, and see a reality that is different than our own.
The desire of every human heart is to find purpose in life. We want to know that our life counts for something more than what is usual. We long for the unusual life, with an unusual gift or ability that will change the world. Often, in our search for the instruments God has given us to use we neglect to give ourselves as an instrument for God to use. In this sermon, we learn that the only opportunity we have to be God’s instrument is the opportunity that is before us. It is rarely the opportunity we dream of or even want. Nonetheless, it is the one we are called to say yes to.
Our human hearts are often restless for rest. Weariness is commonplace and the possibility rest becomes impossible. A better description for this restlessness is that of slavery. What we need is a God that completes His work so that we can rest even when we have not completed our own. In this sermon, we are reminded of the unusual way God uses rest to sanctify our lives. This is the kind of rest that Jesus invites us into.
