Idlewild Presbyterian Church

As we worship, we meet Hannah, a woman of deep faith and expectation who lives with the pain of an unrealized prayer. Through the various responses Hannah receives from those around her - provoking, placating, and misjudging - we are invited to reflect on how we react to the pain of others. Specifically, how our reactions can be helpful and harmful to our friends and neighbors. Sermon on 1 Samuel...

We draw to a close our Behind the Bulletin series by examining the final movement of worship - Send in God’s Spirit. To delve deeper into the significance of this movement, being sent by God into the world, we study an early text from the Hebrew scriptures. From Genesis, we read the story of Abraham’s family of origin and learn how God called Abraham’s father to move from their homeland in Ur to t...

This morning, our sermon series will concentrate on what it means to Respond to God’s Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the image of a vine to describe his relationship to both God and his audience. Those who abide in him, Jesus teaches, bear much fruit. Jesus continues “my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to...

We continue our sermon series by turning to the second movement of worship: Proclaim God’s Word. 2 Timothy will help center our time as we hear the encouragement of scripture to “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching.” Through our study, we will wrestle with what it means to receive the...

We begin a new sermon series entitled Behind the Bulletin. Over the next four Sundays, we will delve into the four movements of our worship: gather, proclaim, respond, and send. Many of us know that the Presbyterian order of worship is meant to mirror the life of Christian faith, but few of us have taken time to examine the significance of the connection. Whether you are a lifelong Idlewilder or n...

We turn our focus to the epistle of James as we reflect on the relationship between our faith and our action. The bulk of the letter centers on the connection between what the faithful believe and what they do, arguing that separation between the two fails to live into the greatest commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” As we reflect on our own faith journey, scripture once again...

This sermon is centered around Wisdom’s Feast, which opens the ninth chapter of Proverbs. The text personifies God’s Wisdom as a woman – expanding how we speak of, describe, and understand our loving, triune God. Courtnay will invite us to be present with Wisdom at her table as preparation for thoughtful and intentional engagement with God’s work in the world as the body of Christ. Sermon delivere...

In 1 Corinthians, Paul introduces the image of the Body of Christ, and throughout several of his letters, he uses it to describe the ways in which all of God’s children are related and lovingly bound to each other. As followers of Christ, even though we know the significance of the Body, we often fail to recognize what contributes to its growth and deterioration. As we receive the Vision of our Se...

In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul explained how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection led to God’s highest exaltation “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” As we worship, we will contemplate how the Lordship of Jesus ought to reorient each of us, our chur...

As we reflect on the calling of the first deacons in Acts 6, we will ask how God is calling us into ministry in and through Idlewild. What does the calling of Christ ask us to take on and set aside? Sermon delivered by the Reverend David J. Powers on August 11, 2024.

Each week this Summer, we have examined a different doctrine of Reformed theology, and this sermon examines what we mean by "Reformed". We might be familiar with the term through the lens of Reformed theology or the Protestant Reformation, but how often do we reflect on the implications of what it means to be people of the Reformed tradition? Through the image of a potter, the prophet Jeremiah wil...

In Romans 8:18-25, we read Paul's explanation of hope in his epistle to the early Christians in Rome. Through Paul's witness, we examine the ways in which our faith informs how we navigate suffering alongside the promise of future glory. Consider how Paul’s teachings speak hope into our lives today. Sermon delivered by Demarius Brinkley on July 28, 2024.

We reflect on our beliefs regarding the purpose, efficacy, and transformational power of the Church specifically and Chrisitan community more broadly. Acts 2:37-47 guides our worship as we reflect on the witness of the early Church and how that witness continues to shape the call of the Church today. Sermon delivered by the Reverend Joshua H. Narcisse on July 21, 2024.

As we continue our Theology 101 sermon series, we read Romans 8:28-29 and consider the doctrine of predestination. We reflect on our understanding of God’s power, might, and activity in our lives, and also address common cultural misconceptions of predestination and free will. Paul’s letter to the Romans will help us center our worship on the truth of God’s amazing and everlasting love for God’s p...

In a world filled with trouble that causes us to doubt God’s caring presence, this sermon invites us to consider God’s creation as a spiritual practice of reacquainting ourselves with God’s active, living, concerned care. We read Matthew 6:24-34 and reflect on how trusting God’s providence guides our way into Jesus’ vision for the world. Sermon delivered by the Reverend Courtnay Veazey on July 7,...

Today we reflect on what it means to be sanctified or “made holy” by the power of God. Please note, that we read Philippians 2:1-13. However, Rev. Powers mistakenly references Colossians in place of Phillippians in this sermon. In his epistle to the Philippians, Paul instructs the church to have the same mind as Christ Jesus; to do nothing from selfish ambition while allowing humility to shape the...

Justification is far from a household word, but it’s one of the more important concepts in Christian theology. Where justification is not understood—and felt—we embark on projects of self-justification that alienate us from God and make it difficult to hear the message of the Gospel. We will read Romans 3:23-28 and discover how the doctrine of justification can shape our faith and lives in helpful...

How might we experience the revelation of God in our lives and the world? In Acts 9:1-9, Saul is the primary antagonist of the Apostles; breathing threats of murder against them and other early disciples of Jesus, until Jesus speaks to Saul in a holy episode on the road to Damascus. For Saul, the revelation of Jesus on the road to Damascus becomes the transformational experience of Saul’s life; co...

What does it mean to be saved by Jesus? In Acts 4:8-12, the religious authorities confront Peter and John about how they healed a man who had been lame from birth. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter was forceful in his public declaration to the authorities and onlookers that the man was healed by the name of Jesus Christ. Going further, Peter declared that salvation could be found in none other th...

The doctrine of sin is foundational to Reformed theology, but few Presbyterians can articulate it in a way that is both thorough and accessible. Many churches focus so much on personal sin that they neglect the evils of corporate sin while others focus so much on corporate sin that they fail to take seriously the evils of personal sin. In Romans 7:14-25a Paul articulates his personal struggle with...

As we celebrate Trinity Sunday, we read John 1: 1-5, 9-14, 16-18, and explore what it means to say we worship one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial. Sermon delivered by the Reverend Mary Newberg Gale on May 26, 2024.

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon the people of God in a divine and dizzying display. In Acts 2:1-13 people from all across the region were gathered in Jerusalem when a sound like the rush of a violent wind made known to them the presence of the Holy Spirit. Without warning, each person began speaking in a foreign language yet they could understand each other perfectly. As we cont...

Amongst deep divides and seemingly endless wars, what does it mean for the Christian to embody a faith which is steadfast in its claim that death has been swallowed up in victory? In 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 Paul admonishes those who deny the resurrection of the dead by proclaiming that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “death has been swallowed up in victory.” In a world where death is an all to...

The Reverend Mary Newberg Gale reads Psalm 150, and then the Reverend David J. Powers reflects on the words of the Psalmist who calls “everything that breathes” to praise the Lord. The sermon was delivered on May 5, 2024, as part of Music Appreciation Sunday.

We are called to be united in our diversity. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Paul warns the young church against forming rival groups within their community. He urges them to remember their unity in Christ which will overcome any worldly division they create. As our youth lead us in worship, we will be challenged like the Corinthians to remember the ways in which we are inextricably bound together by Ch...