Pastor Jim Preaches

The is the first week of our series Our Dear Christ Enters In ! This week we will be focusing on Matthew 1:1-17 . I encourage you to read through it first before listening to the message. It's a genealogy...and it's not easy reading. Be thankful that you are not reading in front of others. Lots of confusing names. As we dig into the family tree, we realize that there are a lot of folks in Jesus's...

It's hard to believe that the season of Advent begins on November 30th, 2025. This means that November 23rd is Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday. It marks the end of the Christian calendar. What does it mean to have no king but Jesus Christ? What does it mean to place Jesus Christ first in our lives? That's what I explore in this sermon. Enjoy!

The text I used for this week's message is Isaiah 65:17-25 . Some weeks, sermon preparation can be tedious. As George Lucas has said writing can be like "bleeding on the page." Not always easy...this week's message came quite easily. Not sure if that's good or bad! As I was preparing the sermon this is particular Sunday, I quickly found myself focusing on what we should be doing right now to bring...

The sermon for this Sunday was based on Luke 20:27-38. It was the gospel reading in the Revised Common Lectionary for that particular Sunday and I have never preached on it before. I'll say that much of the research that I did in advance of this message focused on marriage and that makes sense because Jesus' parable is in response to a Sadducee question about marriage. Instead, I focused on what J...

All Saints Sunday The first Sunday of November is a time in which many churches recognize those in their congregations that have passed away since the last All Saints. In leading up to this celebration I preached a sermon based on Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18. I share a message emphasize that, in Christ, there is nothing that can stop us from the reward comes in HIM. You'll notice there are some verses mis...

Stewardship Month -- "Earn, Save, Gain", Part IV Focus text: Luke 19:1-10 As our stewardship series draws to a close, we will look at the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. It is a story of transformation. What does it look like to experience a transformation in how we view our financial resources, and how they might be best used for the sake of the Kingdom of God? What does it mean to "give all you ca...

Stewardship Month -- "Earn, Save, Gain", Part III Focus texts: Matthew 25:14-30 In this third sermon of the series, we will look at the Parable of the Talents with more to say than just, "Use it or lose it!" We'll explore the significance of saving all we can so that we might have financial resources to live out the Kingdom of God. When it comes to using our money, do our priorities match up with...

Stewardship Month -- "Earn, Save, Gain", Part II Focus texts: Proverbs 6:6-11 & Luke 16:1-13 In this second sermon of the series, we'll explore the very curious parable of a dishonest money manager that seems to be praised by Jesus! We'll spend some time exploring how John Wesley sent up parameters for earning money and how they still apply to us today!

Stewardship Month -- "Earn, Save, Gain", Part I Focus texts: Proverbs 3:13-16 & 1 Kings 3:5-12 In this first sermon of the series, we'll explore how we define wisdom, why Solomon asked God for wisdom, and how wisdom plays a key role for us as we think about our own personal finances and how we view our wealth.

Part 2 of the "Welcoming" series. In this sermon, Pastor Jim reviews the 5-10-Link process for meeting new folks who come into our sanctuary. Next he'll share some of his own story about how a church changed his life and brought him back to God. He'll encourage you to remember your story of how the church helped you and think about how you might be able to share that story with others. Finally we'...

Part 3 of the "Welcoming" series. Every church has a "Back to Egypt" committee that wants to keep the church where it is or tries to bring it back to the "good ol' days." We need to move beyond this mindset. We'll look at some of the missions of our nearby churches and reflect on our own. We'll explore an additional strategy to help guests of our church feel welcome. Focus scriptures include: Roma...