Andy Talks

Paul finishes his letter to the Galatians with this. Circumcision or uncircumcision, neither of these matters at all. They are not important. What is important? What matters?  The new creation. That’s what it all matters: the work of grace in our lives. That is what makes the difference; that is what it is all about.  Don’t get caught up in the things that aren’t important. Focus on what matters....

Paul always ends each letter with some basic instructions. It always feels like Proverbs to me. Today, Paul tells us to carry our own burdens and bear each other’s loads. Which is it? Are we to take care of our own needs or the needs of others?  How are we to handle this?  We see both, but how exactly does that work? Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully e...

Today, we finish our deeper examination of each Fruit. We’re going to do another day of “Fruit Inspection,” where we examine individual fruits more closely and see if these fruits are present in our lives. Today, we’ll examine gentleness and self-control. Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodistto...

In the first sermon in our Lenten series "Temptation," Andy shares with us from 1 Corinthians 10: 11-13.  We see how no temptations have ever come upon us that have not been faced before. We are not overcome by temptation, and Jesus shows us the way out! 

We continue today with our deeper look at each of the Fruit. We’re going to do another day of “Furit Inspection,” where we look more closely at individual fruits and see if these fruit are in our lives.  Today, we’ll look at peace, kindness, generosity, and faithfulness. Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - htt...

In our Ash Wednesday Sermon from March 5, 2025, we look at Matthew 6: 1-6; 16-21. Jesus tells His followers that when they fast and pray, they should do so in secret. During this Lenten season, may we spend time in secret, giving Jesus the room He needs to draw us close. 

As we return to the Fruit of the Spirit today, we’ll take time to look a little deeper at each of the Fruit. We’ll do what a pastor of mine used to call a “fruit inspection.” What do each of the fruit mean? What can we learn from them? How can we grow these fruit in our very lives?  Today, we’ll look at love, joy, and patience.  What are these fruit truly about? Shameless plug: here’s a link to Me...

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. For churches that may not be liturgical, you may be unfamiliar with this day and season. This is the beginning of the forty days leading to Easter. It is a time of repentance, of fasting, of prayer. It is a time where we give the Holy Spirit space to convict, to point out our brokenness and heal us from our sin. Today’s reflection will g...

There may not be a passage that I have meditated upon more these last few years than the Fruit of the Spirit. When I look to the people that I desire to follow, that I desire to have disciple me, now, over and over again, this is what I look for. I look for the Fruit of the Spirit. Not dynamic leadership. Not strategic thought. But the Fruit of the Spirit. Where these are, there is the spirit of G...

Over the next two days, we are going to talk about the “works of the flesh” and the “fruit of the spirit.”  One (the works) is the result of what we do, and one (the fruit) is the result of what is being produced within us. We spend time today talking about what it means when Paul speaks of “the flesh” and the difference between our sin nature and the sins that we commit. How does it all fit toget...

In the last sermon in our "I Am" series, Andy shares with us from John 15:1-5. Here, we see Jesus tell us that He is the vine. But, he also tells us this: we are the branches. And for us to live, we must abide, or be rooted, in Him, and Him alone. 

Paul really brings out his fastball today. To those who are preaching circumcision and upholding all the law, today he says he wishes they would castrate themselves. I bet you didn’t have that phrase on your Friday morning Rooted in Christ bingo card, did you?  Paul reiterates that the law doesn’t save; it doesn’t count. All that counts is faith working itself through love. That's what matter...

This is one of the most interesting passages in all the Bible. Today, Paul is going to turn a lot of things upside down. He tells us that the true children of Sarah are those saved by faith. The children of Hagar are those of us who are living by the Law. It doesn’t matter who your earthly parents are; what matters is who is your heavenly Father. Your earthly birth is not that important; it is you...

My kids and I have a running joke about the dadly statement, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.”  All of us have either heard that from our dads, at some point, or said that as a dad. Today, Paul is wrestling with the fact the Galatians keep falling back into the old sins and mistakes of the past.  He’s just confused. Why? Why do you keep doing this? I don’t understand. Paul wants them to avoid...

Oh boy, today’s passage is chock full of great truths and things for us to meditate upon and think over. First, we see Paul’s teaching about what exactly the law is. It was given to discipline us, not to save us. Then, we see God’s perfect timing in Jesus. And finally, we talk about how we are all one in Christ, and the importance of unity, not always uniformity.  Some really great truths in this...

We see Paul talk today about the promise that God makes to Abraham. The fulfillment of that promise was always going to be Jesus. Jesus was always God’s plan; He was the lamb that was slain before the foundations of the earth.  In an age that seems topsy-turvy and like everything is going wrong, we sometimes don’t know who or what we can trust. We can always trust God’s promises. Shameless plug: h...

In our Traditional service from February 23, 2025, we see Jesus's words where He tells us that "I AM the way, the truth, and the life."  He is the way to the Father, and His life calls us to walk in the way that He walked.

Paul asks the Galatians this question - did you start your journey with faith?  Why do you expect to finish it by works?  We often make the mistake of knowing that we are saved by faith but believing that once we are saved or justified, we have to be sanctified through our own efforts. We partially live as if we are saved by faith but sanctified through works. That’s not the way that it is. We are...

We see Paul begin the heart of this teaching in Galatians. If we are saved by works, then Christ died for nothing. The equation is not Jesus plus correct doctrine equals salvation. It is not Jesus, plus the right church equals salvation. It is not Jesus, plus the right gifts of the spirit equals salvation. It is Jesus equals salvation. Just Jesus. He alone saves. That’s the Gospel. Shameless plug:...

We see the conflict that happens between Paul and Peter over what to do with these Gentiles who are becoming Christians. Should they first become Jews?  Do they need to follow the dietary laws? Become circumcised?  Everyone thought this had been handled, but it came up again to the point that Paul had to publicly rebuke Peter.  He reminds him, that he lives by grace, and so should others.  Do we e...

Paul knows he has been called by God. He has a vision. He knows. But yet, what does he do?  He still knows that he needs to make sure that he is being held accountable. He needs to make sure that he is faithful.  He knows he can’t live this life alone. He knows that he needs the church.  So do we. We need the church. We need each other. We can’t do it alone. We need this community.  Shameless plug...

Paul tells us what he has been through today. He violently persecuted the church. He tried to destroy it. Folks didn’t really want to believe it at first, but in time, they gave God the glory for what had happened. Sometimes, people don’t deserve a second chance. Sometimes, they have done nothing to earn it. But amazing things can happen when grace is given. Look what Paul did with a second chance...

We look today at Galatians 1. Paul is making sure the people know two things. First, he is an apostle. He is not there on his own or of his own accord. He is there because he has been sent by God. Second, he is sent by God with a message of the Gospel, this Gospel of grace, open to all who believe. He wants them to know that anyone, even an angel, who teaches a Gospel other than this is wrong. The...

Today, we begin looking at Galatians. This is a wonderful book, one of my favorites. Galatians deals with this question: is Jesus enough? We see the constant debate in this book: did someone have to become a Jew before becoming a Christian?  Did they have to follow the Law? What Jesus enough? Did it require more than faith to be a Christian? This is still a question that we wrestle today. Is Jesus...

Esther comes to an end with the beginning of the Jewish holiday known as Purium. It is still celebrated to this day. One of my professors in seminary, a rabbi, told us that it often felt like a Jewish Halloween, with candy and scary masks representing Hamann. As this day is celebrated, the story is told over and over again. There is something powerful about telling our story. When was the last tim...