the Cross Orlando

Ash Wednesday

A message on 1 Corinthians 13, framing Paul's description of love as a plea for the church to bear with and love one another, since love is the enduring bedrock and we all need a place where we are loved.

A message pairing Isaiah 55, where God's word goes out like rain and accomplishes its purpose, with Luke 8's parable of the sower, assuring listeners they are already God's good soil in whom God will grow good things.

A guest speaker reflects on Exodus 17 and God bringing water from the rock, drawing out how God meets us in our present circumstances, withstands our complaints, stays faithful, and is already at work in our tomorrow.

A message pairing Jonah 1 with Matthew 8's calming of the storm, showing that no matter how far one runs from God or how flawed one's faith, God reaches down to rescue and is always ready to respond.

A message on Psalm 67 and its prayer that God's face would shine upon us, illustrated through Mary, Hezekiah, and Abraham, showing how God's favor brings safety, new life, change, and saving power noticed by the nations.

A New Year message pairing Genesis 46 (Jacob going down to Egypt) with Matthew 2 (Joseph fleeing to Egypt), observing that God leads his people on circuitous, unpredictable paths and calling listeners to focus on who they are becoming.

A Christmas Eve message reflecting on Luke 2 and the Advent themes covered through the season, urging listeners to embrace the preposterous truth of the incarnation, drawing on Paul's prayer for the Colossians.

An Advent message on John 1 and the Word becoming flesh, exploring the incarnation's mystery of fully God and fully man, supported by Colossians 1, and inviting listeners to embrace the light of life.

An Advent message from Matthew 1 on the name Emmanuel, "God with us," rooted in Isaiah 7 and King Ahaz's refusal to trust God, calling listeners to courage and trust in God's presence amid life's challenges.

An Advent message from Luke 1 on Gabriel's announcement to Mary, showing how Jesus fulfills the promised throne of David traced through 2 Samuel 7, Jeremiah 23, Isaiah 9 and 16, and Peter's sermon in Acts 2.

An Advent message on why humanity needs a Christ, tracing the Genesis fall that introduced fear, shame, and death, and pointing through Zechariah's and Isaiah's prophecies to the hope of Christ's coming and return.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector who go up to the temple to pray, contrasting self-righteousness with the humble plea for mercy that justifies.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 18:1-8, the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge, on praying without losing heart and how God grants justice to those who cry out to him.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 17:7-10, the parable of the unworthy (or unprofitable) servant, exploring how doing one's duty before God earns no special claim, since the servant is simply doing what was commanded.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14, where those first invited make excuses and the poor, crippled, lame, and blind are brought in, pointing to the messianic feast of God's kingdom.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon turns to Luke 13, where Jesus responds to news of the Galileans Pilate killed with a call to repentance, leading into the parable of the barren fig tree and God's patience.

A guest preacher, filling in while Ben is at a sister church, continues the series on the parables of Luke with Luke 12:13-21, the parable of the rich fool, warning against greed and storing up possessions rather than being rich toward God.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 10:25-37, where a lawyer asks "Who is my neighbor?" and Jesus answers with the parable of the Good Samaritan, set against the command to love God and neighbor.

Continuing the series on the parables of Luke, this sermon examines Luke 9:57-62, the three would-be followers Jesus meets on the road, and his challenging calls about the cost of discipleship and not looking back once one's hand is to the plow.

Beginning a series on the parables of Luke (using Kenneth Bailey's "Through Peasant Eyes"), this sermon examines Luke 7:36-50, the sinful woman who anoints Jesus' feet at Simon the Pharisee's house, and the parable of the two debtors illustrating forgiveness and love.

Wrapping up the 1 Peter series on giving a defense for our hope, this sermon draws on Acts 2 and Peter's preaching to offer a final reason for hope: the redeeming power of the gospel to transform even those who seem most far gone.

Concluding the 1 Peter series on reasons for our living hope, this sermon finds hope in the existence and endurance of the church itself, drawing on 1 Peter 2:4-5, where believers are living stones built together into a spiritual temple with Christ as the cornerstone.

Continuing the 1 Peter series on reasons for our living hope, this sermon points to the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, and the rest) as evidence of life lived in the Spirit and a defense for the hope of our inheritance.

Continuing the series in 1 Peter on reasons for our living hope, this sermon offers a counterintuitive one: that the judgment of God gives hope, examining how God's justice undergirds the believer's confidence amid suffering.