Medina UCCC Weekly Sermons

What if faith was rooted in love rather than fear? In this sermon, Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon explores the difference between a Christianity built around the fear of punishment and one centered on God's unconditional love. Drawing from Genesis, the writings of Augustine, and 1 John 4, Pastor Luke examines original sin, personal responsibility, and what it truly means to live in a relationship with God....

What is the Bible actually for? In this episode, Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon explores a question that has divided churches, shaped traditions, and challenged believers for generations. Rather than treating Scripture as something to be used as a weapon, Luke offers three ways to encounter it: as a mirror that reflects our own lives, a compass that points us toward Christ, and an X ray that reveals what ou...

What stories shape the way we see the world, and what might change if we believed a better story was possible? The Bible’s stories of wilderness, daily bread, and Jesus’ parables offer a call to trust God’s provision, resist despair, and imagine a more generous world. Drawing on Philippians, this message invites the community to stand together in hope and join Christ’s work of good news for the po...

What if Scripture is not meant to leave us comfortable every time? In this sermon, Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon invites us to wrestle honestly with the Bible, finding both comfort in the God who makes a way out of no way and challenge in the things we continue to pursue. Reflecting on the parting of the Red Sea, forgiveness, faith, and the meaning of 25 years, he asks what it means to become better neighb...

Why does biblical context matter, and what happens when Scripture is taken out of its story and used as a weapon? In this sermon, Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon begins with a Bible fight and a prosperity preacher who accidentally quotes Satan. From there, he explores Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness, Paul’s letter to the Romans, Passover and Exodus. Luke asks a challenging question: What if we are not the Is...

In this sermon, the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon explores why the Bible should be read as a living conversation rather than a book with only one voice. By uncovering Scripture’s distinct styles, perspectives, and even humor, he shows how reading the Bible on its own terms can help us listen more openly to God and one another. *To support our mission or help create more podcast content like this, donate us...

What happens when thousands of strangers suddenly arrive at your door? On September 11, 2001, 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 passengers were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. What followed became the heart of the Broadway musical Come From Away: ordinary people opening their schools, churches, homes, kitchens, and hearts to people they had never met. In this sermon from Rev. Meghan Malone, she ex...

What does bold faith look like when the future is uncertain? From Lin-Manuel Miranda’s unlikely idea for Hamilton to the revolutionary courage of the early church, this message explores what it means to refuse to shrink back, tell a better story, and help shape the future with faith, humility, and love. Works Cited [1] PBS NewsHour, “Hip-Hop and History Blend for Broadway Hit ‘Hamilton,’”&nbs...

What does it mean to be fully seen and still fully loved? Drawing from Dear Evan Hansen, Psalm 139, and the story of Nathanael, this sermon explores loneliness, mental health, judgment, forgiveness, and the God who meets us in our hidden places. The Good News is not that we have to prove our worth. It is that God already knows us, stays with us, and reminds us that we have been found. *To support...

In this sermon curated by the Rev. Meghan Malone, the story of Wicked becomes a lens for examining the stories we are told about migrants, goodness, and evil. Reflecting on a church youth trip to the Arizona border, she invites us to look beyond fear, recognize our shared humanity, and follow Jesus by becoming the neighbors our world needs. *To support our mission or help create more podcast conte...

What makes a tradition worth passing on? Using Fiddler on the Roof, Scripture, and the tension between faith and traditionalism, the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon explores how belief remains alive across generations. Tradition is not about preserving ashes or following someone else’s coattails. It is about carrying the fire of Christ’s love, mercy, and grace into a changing world. *To support our mission o...

In this message, the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon connects Hadestown, the Garden of Eden, and the story of Christ to explore a timeless human struggle: our tendency to choose control and judgment over trust, mercy, and life. Through the stories of Orpheus, Eurydice, Adam, and Eve, Luke reminds us that the old patterns keep repeating. But in Christ, we are offered a new way forward. Every day, we stand bef...

In this reflective and story-rich sermon, the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon's message centers on Jesus’ use of parables, the mystery of God, and why grace is often so hard for people to accept. Through the image of a seminary chapel glowing mysteriously at night, the story explores how fear can become prayer, how certainty can block humility, and how faith often begins where our understanding ends. Rooted...

What does it really mean to show up for one another? In this UCC Medina sermon, Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon reflects on Medina Pride, a young man searching for belonging, the loneliness that divides us, and the quiet power of presence. Drawing from Noah Kahan’s song “The Great Divide,” Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, and the Road to Emmaus, this message explores how misunderstanding can separate us an...

What if one of life’s greatest mysteries isn’t the universe, God, or even eternity… but the people sitting right beside us? In this week’s message, Rev. Meghan Malone explores what it means to truly see one another beyond labels, assumptions, and the stories we create about people we barely know. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, we’re reminded that compassion does not require full unders...

In this episode the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon reflects on what it means to live with the complicated mix of mind, body, spirit, memory, labels, expectations, and inner criticism that shape how we see ourselves. Drawing from Paul’s words in Romans, Jesus’ words in the garden, the Heidelberg Catechism, and even the familiar question, “Why do I do that?”, this message explores the struggle of being human...

What happens when God refuses to fit inside the categories we create? This week at Medina UCC, we move from the mythic world of Poseidon and the gods of the ancient world to Moses standing barefoot before a burning bush in the wilderness. Moses asks God for a name, but the answer he receives is not a title, a territory, or a job description. It is mystery itself: I Am That I Am. This message explo...

In this thoughtful sermon, Rev. Meghan Malone reflects on gentleness, self-control, and the surprising truth that the only thing we can truly control is ourselves. Drawing from Paul’s words in Corinthians, motherhood, exhaustion, spiritual discipline, and even an unexpected lesson from Olaf in Frozen 2, Rev. Malone explores why true strength is often found not in domination, but in restraint, comp...

What does faithfulness really look like when the pressure to conform is everywhere? In this Pentecost sermon, the Rev. Dr. Luke Linden reflects on loyalty, fidelity, courage, and the Spirit’s call to become a church that does not simply repeat old patterns, but listens again for the living God. Works Cited: “Social Conformity Experiment.” YouTube, 2:55. Posted by Mind Warehouse, August 18, 2015. *...

What does it mean to be a truly good person in a world shaped by outrage, projection, performance, and power? In this thoughtful and timely sermon, the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon explores the biblical idea of “goodness” as more than morality or appearances. Drawing from Galatians, Romans, Exodus, and the Gospel of John, Luke reflects on servant leadership, grace, political division, projection, and the...

What if kindness isn’t soft at all? In this sermon, the Dr. Luke Lindon explores the surprising strength hidden inside real kindness through stories about Mr. Rogers, Pope Francis, a motorcycle club, and a fearless pastor who understood that truth and compassion belong together. This message challenges the idea that kindness is weakness and reminds us that, in a world obsessed with being nice, gen...

What does it mean to wait on God in a world that moves fast? This sermon delivered by the Rev. Meghan Malone, explores patience through the lens of faith, trust, and spiritual growth. From the wisdom of scripture to everyday life moments, this message reflects on how waiting seasons shape us, strengthen our faith, and ultimately reveal the beauty of God’s timing. *To support our mission to create...

What is peace and how do you actually live it when life feels overwhelming? In this powerful sermon by Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon at United Church of Christ Congregational in Medina, Ohio, the conversation moves beyond surface level calm and into something deeper, a kind of peace that holds steady even in pressure, conflict, and uncertainty. Drawing from Bible teachings including the Gospel of John and...

April 19, 2026: When love roots you, joy grows naturally. Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon

April 12, 2026: How to cultivate more love in your life. Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Luke Lindon