Celebration Sermons

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The King Arrives: He Can Do What?" Mark 4:1-2, 30-41 As his notoriety grows, Jesus now begins to teach using parables - avoiding the distractions of his day so he can stay focused on the Kingdom of God. But don't think he is simply a wise, moral teacher who adeptly uses nature insights to point to matters of the Kingdom! He also commands nature itself, causing his d...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The King Arrives: What to Make of This Man?" Mark 3:20-35 Jesus arrives on the scene with quite a stir, so the question is, "What are we to make of this man?" We'll look at two answers from the text and one from our own moment, as well as weigh the claims of Jesus Himself. That is the question for us each and all: What are we to make of this man Jesus? Additional Re...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The King Arrives: With Authority to Forgive Sin" Mark 2:1-12 As the public ministry of Jesus begins to grow, his observers discovery that he demonstrates the power to heal sickness as an expression of the power he claims to forgive sin. Who is this man? Additional Resources For Secure Online Giving: https://harderwyk.elexiochms.com/external/form/6aac393c-8e7c-4ae5-b...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The Good News of Jesus" Mark 1:1-20 This week, we kick off our new series "Who's This Guy?" where we will be journeying with Jesus through Mark's Gospel one chapter at a time. In Mark 1, we'll hear about how Jesus is the good news everyone was waiting for, and that this gospel was surprising, confrontational, and full of God's invitation into life in His kingdom. Wh...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Longing For More: We Are Weary" Isaiah 40:27-31 When the lord we serve is self, and not the LORD himself, there will come a time or situation in which the race is too long for us to run as our own. Our resources become depleted - often when we need them the most - and our hearts falter. But there is a hope and strength that cannot come from self - because it comes f...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Longing For More: We Waver" Isaiah 40:18-26 Created as image-bearers of the LORD, our lives were intended to be filled with joy. But infected by the virus of sin, our sickness leads us to search for joy in places and sources from which it cannot be found. Our thrills soon go flat and leave us disappointed. Only by the grace of Jesus do our hearts find true love and...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Longing for More: PEACE" Isaiah 40:1-11 Join us as we continue our new series for Advent titled "Longing for More" where we will be working our way through Isaiah 40. Life in this world can be difficult and leads us to long for something different. During this series we will explore how the LORD fills those longings in ways that exceed our expectations. This week we...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Who is in Charge Here?" Luke 7:1-10, Colossians 2:9-10 The Liturgical Calendar of the broader church ends this Sunday with "Christ the King Sunday." It is a chance to be reminded us that Jesus is the ultimate King and that all creation flourishes under the humble and wise responsibility of his delegated and accountable authorities. For Secure Online Giving: https://...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Finishing Well" 2 Timothy 4:6-18 We can observe Paul looking forward as he nears his end and get an interesting perspective of his past - that is to say, how he lived to that point. That was a life directed, empowered given by God's grace and marked by an abundance of relationships, deeply forgiving those who have wounded him and committed to the mission of the King...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Called to Carry On" 2 Timothy 3:10-17 This Sunday, as we continue our sermon series through the book of 2 Timothy titled "The Handoff: Running Together." Throughout this letter, Paul continues to encourage young Timothy as he seeks to lead the church in Ephesus. In our text this week, Paul offers encouragement to remind Timothy that he is equipped with the gift of t...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "What 'Strong Through Grace' Looks Like" 2 Timothy 2:1, 22-3:5 Paul writes to his friend and junior colleague with the encouragement to "Be Strong Through Grace" (2:1), but what does that look like? He follows the exhortation with a number illustrations, applications, warnings and encouragements meant to paint a bigger, more detailed picture in answer of that questio...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "100 Ways to Not Show Up and One Way to Finish" 2 Timothy 1:15-2:13 Live long enough and you will realize that some people who were once "on the team," are now Missing-In-Action. Some prayerful reflection may well give the Spirit room to point out incidences where I myself have stepped off the track. Paul's encouragement for his friend and co-...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The Handoff: We Journey Together" 2 Timothy 1:1-14 The Apostle Paul is coming to the end of his career and now writes once more to Timothy, his "son-in-the-faith." They have shared so much to this point and surely both suspect that there is coming an end to that: no longer a sharing, but a transfer from one to the other. How will the Gospel of God’s Grace carry on a...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Prayer-Filled Life: An Invitation to Friendship" Luke 5:12, John 15:13-17 Of the many requests made of Jesus, "Teach us to pray..." stands out as the one born out of close observation of His life and deep desire to "be like Him" from those who spent the most time with Him. For Secure Online Giving: https://harderwyk.elexiochms.com/external/form/6aac393c-8e7c-4ae5-b8...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Workers in the Harvest" Luke 10:1-3, 16; Acts 1:4-8 It's hard to imagine a farm family missing-in-action for harvest time. "We were on vacation! Spent two weeks sight-seeing with friends!" Harvest time is specific and limited with a life-giving purpose. You make the most of it and join in the hard work and adventure, or you miss the moment an...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Must Worship" John 4:13-26 In the midst of even the crushingly mundane, everyday routines of life Jesus respectfully engages a disrespected person with an invitation to reorient her life around authentic worship of Him. For Secure Online Giving: https://harderwyk.elexiochms.com/external/form/6aac393c-8e7c-4ae5-b88c-721ae9847679 Give one time without logging in or cr...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The God Who Gives" John 3:16-17 The God who makes Himself known in the pages of the Bible, is a being of lavish generosity: He gives live. He establishes order. He creates beauty. He upholds justice. All in generous, undeserved proportions. Here’s the deal: People who get close to that God, will increasingly find that the same generosity of character will take root...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Cultivating a Word-Centered Life" John 8:31-38 Journeying with Jesus involves cultivating a Word-centered community and life that fosters a deeper understanding of who one is in Christ, creates space for the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and inspires faithful Christ-following. For Secure Online Giving: https://harderwyk.elexiochms.com/external/form/6aac393c-...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Come, Follow Me: A God Who Invites" Matthew 4:12-20, Isaiah 55:1-3 Every journey starts with a first step and every journey continues as it resupplies with needed provision along the way. This week we begin a series by looking at the first step in a Journey With Jesus. In the next five weeks we will take a look at the 5 essential supplies for sustaining th...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Called to a Full-Throttle Faith" Malachi 3:13-4:6 Malachi begins with six "divine dialogues" between the LORD and His people. ALL of them challenge God's people with the heart-issue of compromise - living a half-speed discipleship. Fortunately, Malachi ends with a visionary promise of One-Who-Is-To-Come that will get to the heart of our need....

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Prisoners of Hope" Zechariah 9:9-12 What do you do when life is not quite working out? You are second choice on the new job. You studied hard, but misunderstood a surprise question on the test that that you need a good grade and ended up with a bad grade? You're working, but it's not "paying off." Haggai tells the citizens of Jerusalem, a...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "Take a Look Around" Haggai 1:1-11 What do you do when life is not quite working out? You are second choice on the new job. You studied hard, but misunderstood a surprise question on the test that that you need a good grade and ended up with a bad grade? You're working, but it's not "paying off." Haggai tells the citizens of Jerusalem, and...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The Day of the LORD" Zephaniah 1:1, 14-16; 3:16-17 "There is coming a day!" All of the prophets refer to a coming "Day of the LORD" with a unified voice and vision - but none do it with more focus and energy than Zephaniah. Like a scheduled surgery, there will be a time when the skilled and capable creator will perform an intervention for his patient - all creation...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "The Prophet's Prayer Journal" Habakkuk 3:16-19 Habakkuk allows us to look over this shoulder at his Prayer Journal - a very different place than on the receiving end of a blistering sermon like several of the other Minor Prophets! From this place we see the process of prayer - the heartfelt engagement of speaking and listening, lament and answer - lead...

Sundays at 9:00 am | Sanctuary "A God Who is "Both/And" Nahum 1:1-11 It's hard to read Nahum and avoid the question of the LORD and anger. How can the prophet speak like that? Can the Triune God Himself really be that angry? How do you make sense of that sort of anger and "God is love"? When Jesus said He came to fulfill and not abolish the Law and the Prophets, could...