SERMONS

 
 
AUDIO SERMONS

Dec 25, 2022
What’s In The Box? (Hebrews 2:10-18)
The reason we give gifts at Christmas is for two reasons: 1) it’s following in the tradition of the wise men who gave gifts to Jesus, and 2) it’s because, at Christmas, God has given us the greatest present of all. In Hebrews 2, a passage not often associated with Christmas, we find out just what God put in the box at Christmas.
WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
  • Dec 25, 2022What’s In The Box? (Hebrews 2:10-18)
    Dec 25, 2022
    What’s In The Box? (Hebrews 2:10-18)
    The reason we give gifts at Christmas is for two reasons: 1) it’s following in the tradition of the wise men who gave gifts to Jesus, and 2) it’s because, at Christmas, God has given us the greatest present of all. In Hebrews 2, a passage not often associated with Christmas, we find out just what God put in the box at Christmas.
  • Dec 24, 2022Christmas Celebration (Matthew 1:18-25)
    Dec 24, 2022
    Christmas Celebration (Matthew 1:18-25)
    We celebrate this season because God is with us, as seen in Joseph’s story.
  • Dec 18, 2022Sing a New Song (Psalm 96)
    Dec 18, 2022
    Sing a New Song (Psalm 96)
    The Song of Christmas is a song of grace, of faith, 
of love, and of hope.
  • Dec 11, 2022Hanging the Lights (Isaiah 9:1-7)
    Dec 11, 2022
    Hanging the Lights (Isaiah 9:1-7)
    As we bear witness to the Light Jesus brings, we scatter the darkness in our hearts and our communities.
  • Dec 4, 2022The Spirit of the Season (Luke 1:67-80)
    Dec 4, 2022
    The Spirit of the Season (Luke 1:67-80)
    When we trade the facade for the reality, we find the true Spirit of Christmas for which we all yearn.
  • Nov 27, 2022Preparing the Way (Mark 1:1-8)
    Nov 27, 2022
    Preparing the Way (Mark 1:1-8)
    When we intentionally prepare for Christ’s return, our celebration of His birth becomes deeper and more meaningful.
Of all the seasons and events over the course of the year, the Advent and Christmas season is the one most marked by tradition. We look forward to this year because, yes, we want to celebrate the birth of our Savior, but also because we get to participate in the sacred holiday traditions of our families and our communities that both ground us and give our lives meaning and purpose. Tradition often gets a bad rap these days, and yet we all cling to our traditions, because we need them. Over the course of our Advent series, we’ll look at the various pieces that make up our Christmas Tradition and how they enable us to move deeper in our understanding of Advent and Christmas.

Nov 20, 2022
What Is Good Enough
We find freedom when we let go and live trust expressed through love.
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  • Nov 20, 2022What Is Good Enough
    Nov 20, 2022
    What Is Good Enough
    We find freedom when we let go and live trust expressed through love.
  • Nov 13, 2022Redefining Enough (Matt. 5:1-16)
    Nov 13, 2022
    Redefining Enough (Matt. 5:1-16)
    When we redefine 'enough,' we are set free to truly be the best God intended.
  • Nov 6, 2022God’s Best is Good Enough (1 Kings 19:1-15)
    Nov 6, 2022
    God’s Best is Good Enough (1 Kings 19:1-15)
    When everything falls apart, God's best is good enough.
  • Oct 30, 2022Sola Gratia (Galatians 2:14-21)
    Oct 30, 2022
    Sola Gratia (Galatians 2:14-21)
    In the grace of Christ alone, 
we find the ultimate justification.
  • Oct 23, 2022When Your Worst Isn’t Good Enough (Romans 5:20-6:7)
    Oct 23, 2022
    When Your Worst Isn’t Good Enough (Romans 5:20-6:7)
    We can be set free from a life of mediocrity by embracing the freedom given to us in Christ.
  • Oct 16, 2022Your Best Isn’t Good Enough (Romans 8:28-39)
    Oct 16, 2022
    Your Best Isn’t Good Enough (Romans 8:28-39)
    We can find relief from the pressure of "best" when we realize it isn't our "best" that matters in the first place.
There is enormous pressure on us to do “our best.”  Particularly during this time of year, as football season heats up, school moves relentlessly toward the end of the semester, and baseball works through its postseason, there is a lot of talk and pressure to constantly be at “our best.”  It’s unrelenting.  When it comes to trying to please God and make Him happy, it’s even worse.  But what do we do when our best isn’t good enough?  The good news is your best isn’t good enough and never will be.  The better news is that Jesus came to fix that for us.  This fall, we’ll be exploring the wonder of God’s grace through Jesus Christ as we embrace the truth that our best isn’t good enough.

Oct 9, 2022
God’s Work and Our Walk
Series: 1 Peter
Learning to live in the tension between God's work and our walk.
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  • Oct 9, 2022God’s Work and Our Walk
    Oct 9, 2022
    God’s Work and Our Walk
    Series: 1 Peter
    Learning to live in the tension between God's work and our walk.
  • Oct 2, 2022Keep to the Old Roads (1 Peter 5:1-14)
    Oct 2, 2022
    Keep to the Old Roads (1 Peter 5:1-14)
    Series: 1 Peter
    No matter what lies before us, we can hold fast to our hope by keeping to the old roads.
  • Sep 25, 2022Live Like You Were Dying (1 Peter 4:7-19)
    Sep 25, 2022
    Live Like You Were Dying (1 Peter 4:7-19)
    Series: 1 Peter
    When we live with the end in sight, we strive to glorify God with our lives and embrace the Refiner’s fire.
  • Sep 18, 2022No Good Deed Goes Unpunished (1 Peter 3:13-4:6)
    Sep 18, 2022
    No Good Deed Goes Unpunished (1 Peter 3:13-4:6)
    Series: 1 Peter
    When we draw near to Christ, we find the blessings in the suffering that comes our way.
  • Sep 11, 2022The Way of Jesus (1 Peter 3:1-12)
    Sep 11, 2022
    The Way of Jesus (1 Peter 3:1-12)
    Series: 1 Peter
    In choosing a path of submission and service, we are free to follow in the way of Jesus.
  • Sep 4, 2022The Power of Words and the Word
    Sep 4, 2022
    The Power of Words and the Word
    Series: 1 Peter
  • Aug 28, 2022Following in Christ’s Steps (1 Peter 2:18-25)
    Aug 28, 2022
    Following in Christ’s Steps (1 Peter 2:18-25)
    Series: 1 Peter
    We follow in Christ’s footsteps when we embrace the role of the suffering servant.
  • Aug 21, 2022Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter 2:11-17)
    Aug 21, 2022
    Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter 2:11-17)
    Series: 1 Peter
    Our desires, deeds and attitudes reveal our citizenship is not in this world but in the Kingdom of God.
  • Aug 14, 2022A Peculiar People (1 Peter 2:4-10)
    Aug 14, 2022
    A Peculiar People (1 Peter 2:4-10)
    Series: 1 Peter
    When we come to the Living Stone, we are given a new identity and purpose.
  • Aug 7, 2022The Pure Life (1 Peter 2:2-2:3)
    Aug 7, 2022
    The Pure Life (1 Peter 2:2-2:3)
    Series: 1 Peter
    Our holiness and obedience is shown in our love for one another.
In spite of the intervening centuries, I am regularly astounded at how relevant the words of Scripture are to us today.  1 Peter is certainly a great example of that. . As Peter says in 1 Peter 5:12, this letter was written to encourage the saints and testify to the “true grace of God” so that the saints might stand firm in it. Those saints were facing severe and literal persecution for claiming to follow Christ. Confessing that they were Christian quite literally put their lives at risk. While most Christians in American churches aren’t at that kind of risk, we are very much in need of hope, of assurance, of encouragement. These words, written to a people of very different time and circumstance, are profoundly relevant and true for us today. May the words of this letter and these sermons bring hope, encouragement and truth to you as well.

Jul 10, 2022
Truth and Consequences (Truth)
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  • Jul 10, 2022Truth and Consequences (Truth)
    Jul 10, 2022
    Truth and Consequences (Truth)
  • Jul 3, 2022Why Me? (Goodness)
    Jul 3, 2022
    Why Me? (Goodness)
  • Jun 26, 2022God’s Evangelist (Beauty)
    Jun 26, 2022
    God’s Evangelist (Beauty)
     
 

Jun 19, 2022
More and Better Than You’ve Ever Dreamed (Ruth 4:18-22)
We find the cure for spiritual narcissism when we focus on the bigger picture of God’s redemptive work.
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  • Jun 19, 2022More and Better Than You’ve Ever Dreamed (Ruth 4:18-22)
    Jun 19, 2022
    More and Better Than You’ve Ever Dreamed (Ruth 4:18-22)
    We find the cure for spiritual narcissism when we focus on the bigger picture of God’s redemptive work.
  • Jun 12, 2022From Empty to Full (Ruth 4:13-17)
    Jun 12, 2022
    From Empty to Full (Ruth 4:13-17)
    We move from empty to full when our restless hearts find their rest in Christ.
  • Jun 5, 2022Risky Business (Ruth 4:1-12)
    Jun 5, 2022
    Risky Business (Ruth 4:1-12)
    When we risk it all for the Kingdom of God, we gain more than we ever would have imagined.
  • May 29, 2022Cold Feet (Ruth 3:1-18)
    May 29, 2022
    Cold Feet (Ruth 3:1-18)
    We are able to live a life of loyalty and integrity (hesed) when we do what Jesus says.
  • May 22, 2022The Turn of the Tide (Ruth 2:17-23)
    May 22, 2022
    The Turn of the Tide (Ruth 2:17-23)
    Because of Jesus Christ, even in the darkest of nights, hope endures.
  • May 15, 2022Breaking the Rules (Ruth 2:1-16)
    May 15, 2022
    Breaking the Rules (Ruth 2:1-16)
    Sometimes, in order to love God fully and completely, we need to break the rules.
  • May 8, 2022Bitterness or Blessing? (Ruth 1:19-22)
    May 8, 2022
    Bitterness or Blessing? (Ruth 1:19-22)
    We uproot bitterness when we listen for the music of God’s blessings through the grace of Jesus Christ in our lives.
  • May 1, 2022Loyal To The End (Ruth 1:6-18)
    May 1, 2022
    Loyal To The End (Ruth 1:6-18)
    A Loyal Faith is defined by trust in Christ and grounded in what He’s already done.
  • Apr 24, 2022Left With Nothing (Ruth 1:1-5)
    Apr 24, 2022
    Left With Nothing (Ruth 1:1-5)
    When God strips everything away, we’re set up for an amazing and unexpected journey.
This morning we begin the season of Easter, a season of celebrating and reflecting on the wonder of our redemption through Jesus Christ. There are a lot of redemption stories in the Bible, but perhaps one of the best is the story found in the book of Ruth, a story so familiar to most of us that we often miss the depths of the redemptive work God is doing throughout this story. Over the next few weeks, we will explore a story that is as deep as it is short, as tragic as it is marvelous, one that turns the lives of its characters as upside down as Jesus Christ does with ours.

Apr 17, 2022
UnTwisted
Series: Twisted
What has been twisted since Adam and Eve first sinned is Untwisted by Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.
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  • Apr 17, 2022UnTwisted
    Apr 17, 2022
    UnTwisted
    Series: Twisted
    What has been twisted since Adam and Eve first sinned is Untwisted by Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.
  • Apr 10, 2022A King With A Twist
    Apr 10, 2022
    A King With A Twist
    Series: Twisted
    In order to save a twisted world, who better than a 'King with a twist'?
  • Apr 3, 2022Got Hope?
    Apr 3, 2022
    Got Hope?
    Series: Twisted
    We find a hope worth boasting about in the love God showed for us on the cross.
  • Mar 27, 2022Going Too Far
    Mar 27, 2022
    Going Too Far
    Series: Twisted
    If Truth doesn’t lead to Christ and to life, then it isn’t truth at all.
  • Mar 20, 2022I Need You (To Be Wrong)
    Mar 20, 2022
    I Need You (To Be Wrong)
    Series: Twisted

    We move past what divides and separates us when we focus on Christ and what unites us.

  • Mar 13, 2022When Love Isn’t
    Mar 13, 2022
    When Love Isn’t
    Series: Twisted
    It is only through love grounded in God that we know Him and make Him known.
  • Mar 6, 2022Twisted Inside
    Mar 6, 2022
    Twisted Inside
    Series: Twisted
    Through faith in Jesus Christ, God has provided the remedy for the brokenness we all carry.
The ultimate problem we all have is that we are all broken on the inside, bent from how we are supposed to be. The Bible calls this brokenness sin. Theologians, at least in our theological tradition, call it “total depravity.” This sermon series explores the reality of our sinfulness and how our brokenness affects not just the decisions we make, but every area and facet of our being and lives as well. Through this series, we will look at how our brokenness has twisted our understanding of love, relationships and community, truth and even hope. And in each area that we have twisted, Jesus Christ has come to show us the better and right way – a way that can only be found in him. What has been twisted since Adam and Eve first sinned is Untwisted by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
 

Feb 27, 2022
Go!
Series: Essentials
When we answer the ‘5 W’s and an H’ of evangelism, we are ready to obey Christ’s call to Go.
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  • Feb 27, 2022Go!
    Feb 27, 2022
    Go!
    Series: Essentials
    When we answer the ‘5 W’s and an H’ of evangelism, we are ready to obey Christ’s call to Go.
  • Feb 20, 2022The Comeback
    Feb 20, 2022
    The Comeback
    Series: Essentials
    Holding fast to the sure and certain return of Jesus Christ enables us to keep our faith and our lives in balance.
  • Feb 13, 2022The Community of Celebration
    Feb 13, 2022
    The Community of Celebration
    Series: Essentials
    Because of what Jesus has done, the church should be the community of celebration.
  • Feb 6, 2022The Only Possible Solution
    Feb 6, 2022
    The Only Possible Solution
    Series: Essentials
    The problem we all have is fixed through the only possible solution.
  • Jan 30, 2022Where The Wind Blows
    Jan 30, 2022
    Where The Wind Blows
    Series: Essentials
    When the Holy Spirit moves in our lives, we are convicted, filled and empowered.
  • Jan 23, 2022He Knows
    Jan 23, 2022
    He Knows
    Series: Essentials
    Because Jesus knows, we can trust in Him.
  • Jan 9, 2022The God Who Is
    Jan 9, 2022
    The God Who Is
    Series: Essentials
    If God exists as the Bible reveals Him, we should take Him far more seriously than we do.
  • Jan 2, 2022On This Sure Foundation
    Jan 2, 2022
    On This Sure Foundation
    Series: Essentials
    Rev. Bob Mills kicks off our Epiphany sermon series, "Essentials," with a look at the foundation of our faith, the Word of God. "On This Sure Foundation" all that we believe and are as Christians rests.
If someone were to ask you what the essential beliefs of Christianity are, would you be able to answer?  There are some beliefs that are quite essential to being Christian, regardless of denomination or preference.  Our denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, has listed the essentials of the Christian faith in a document unsurprisingly called “The Essentials of our Faith.” This list includes what we believe about Scripture, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, sin & salvation, the Church, Christ’s return, and our mission & ministry. It’s not everything we believe about those topics, but the most important things we believe about them. These essentials comprise the bedrock, the foundation, of our faith as Christians. They’re what makes Christianity unique from every other religious or belief system. Over the course of the season of Epiphany (which runs from January 6 until Ash Wednesday, March 2), we’re going to take a look at each one of these Essentials to gain a better understanding of why they matter and what they mean for our faith and our lives. We hope you’ll join us as we together explore the Essentials of our Faith.