Faith Lift

Mary Magdalene crosses the finish line as the very first apostle, carrying the message that she has seen the risen Jesus. Men and women are equally recognized by Jesus, and equally sent off to be his people in the world. Easter is an invitation to men and women to run together, to be modern day apostles meaning to be sent to share the Good News: Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia and Am...

We conclude the sermon series on the Lord's Prayer as we say, "For Thine is Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever. Amen. 

1 Peter 5:8-9 As we continue the sermon series on the Lord's Prayer we come to this petition. Here we invite God to lead us, committing ourselves to following God's way. It's helpful to add a comma after "LeadUs," so that we focus our attention on God's leadership and not on the idea that God might lead us into temptation. 

Forgiveness is a spiritual need of ours--both our need for forgiveness of sins we have committed and our need to forgive others for wrongs they have done against us. Forgiveness relieves us of a burden we no longer need to carry, freeing us to serve God more fully and live a richer life.

Praying for our daily bread calls our attention to the many people in our world who dont have enough to eat, for whom the need is literal bread or food. It asks us to offer ourselves as an answer to others' prayers by providing for their needs. But it also includes spiritual needs, the need for meaning and purpose and connection to God. When we strive to help meet the needs of others, our own deep...

In this part of the sermon series the focus is on the idea of God's kingdom and whether we will live by our own will and our own way or follow the way of Jesus and commit ourselves to God's will and God's kingdom. The key question is My Will or Thine?

We pray the Lord's Prayer all the time but do we really know it? Do we really pray it? Through this Lenten sermon series Pastor Craig will be using the book The Lord's Prayer by Adam Hamilton to dive deep into the prayer we use all the time to help us know it and pray it better. 

On Ash Wednesday we remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Often friends and family have disappointed us that we will say to them "Seriously?" God does that with us when we dont act as one of his children or as Christ has called us to. According to scritoutre we deserve death but that is not how God works. Through this time of Lent we are called to repent, turn back, sacrifice and...

On Transfiguration Sunday we hear the story of Jesus speaking with Moses & Elijah and being transfigured as three of the disciples look on amazed. We may see the light of Christ and experienced it but we must shine that light to others in the darkness that they too may know the hope we have in Jesus.

There’s only one requirement for discipleship: a willingness to answer God’s call. You don’t have to be smart, strong, healthy, or even particularly religious. All you need to do is listen when God calls and say: “Here am I, send me.”  Based on First Corinthians 15:1-11

Part three of the sermon series On A Heart That Grew Three Sizes we consider that fact that we all have blind spots. Through the Grinch and the story of Christmas it is revealed just how vulnerable God's love for us is.

Through this second in a sermon series on the book The Heart that Grew Three Sizes, we consider the authenticity of our Christmas celebrations. What does it mean to celebrate Christmas? What looks like Christmas but really isn't? On the other hand what doesn't look like Christmas but does tell the story of the Nativity?

Using the book "A Heart That Grew Three Sizes" we will examine the Grinch through Advent sermon series. The first based on Romans 12. You are invited to wrestle with what happens when life does not meet your expectations, especially around something as important as Christmas.

In Hebrews Paul is telling people to remain steadfast in the confession of hope we have. We also need to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Are you holding fast to your hope in Christ/

We hear from the Book of Ruth her love and faithfulness to Namoi and to God. She is one of the saints. Are you? We often say its just those who have gone on before us. But All Saints Sunday means ALL saints. Those who have gone before us and those in the faith who are doing the work of God here and now. That includes you. 

“We’re not in Kansas anymore.” This is a famous line from a movie, as is “Here’s looking at you, kid.” We could go on, and, in fact, we do below. The Bible has a few memorable lines as well. One of the most famous comes from a curious little story in the Book fo Ruth in the Old Testament. It’s a comment about faithfulness and mercy that can be our story as well. Ruth 1:1-18

When Blind Bartimaeus cried out "Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me!" the cry is from someone who sees more of who Jesus really is than those whose eyes were supposed to be functioning normally. His spiritual insight — faith in Jesus that enables one to see the world clearly and follow him confidently — is what really counted. Mark 10:46-52

While some might think of the Bible as one of those thick and dusty old books, the writer of Hebrews sees the word of God contained within the Scriptures as a scalpel that cuts to the core of the human heart, exposing both its beauty and its brokenness, and removing whatever doesn't belong. Based on Hebrews 4:12-16

Studies have debunked some previously held beliefs about the human brain. One such mistaken belief is that we only use 10 percent of our brains and that the rest of our noggin is like an uncharted cranial wasteland. Not true.  As God comes close to us and we come close to God we may obtain divine wisdom. It then has a role in correcting the mistakes we make by relying too much on human wisdom...

Based On James 3:1-12 we hear him share words about out tongue and our words. If we're going to be the kind of people who use words wisely, then we've got to first cultivate an inner life that sees everyone as a friend created in God's image. We need a vision of life that doesn't put us at the center of the universe, but rather centers on God and God's purposes. The God who spoke the word of creat...

Based on Mark 7:24-37 We don’t have a word for the experience of traveling to a far location for peace and quiet, only to run into someone who insists on consuming large portions of our time. Yet, even in this circumstance, Jesus had a reputation as being someone who did “everything well.” This needs to be our reputation as well.

Based on James 1:17-27. Got a problem you need to fix? YouTube it! Chances are, someone out there has recorded a video that will give you step-by-step instruction on solving the issue. Doesn’t matter whether it’s a home repair or an opossum that needs massaging (yes, that’s a thing). In this week’s text, James teaches In a culture where there is plenty of social upheaval, we must see the opportuni...

Before 2020, few people outside the health care community knew anything about personal protective equipment (PPE). That changed quickly. Most medical professional think of PPE in terms of five categories: eyes and face, hands, body, respiratory system, and ears or hearing. This provides the rubric for a discussion of Ephesians 6:10-20, where the apostle Paul itemizes the types of PPE needed to pre...

A TV commercial for foot fungus is likely to feature paid actors, not actual customers. But many companies — like Dove, Bumble, Chevrolet and eHarmony — find real people to champion their products or websites. Frankly, they are just more believable than actors. Psalm 111 is a promo for God, coming in at fewer than 200 words, and it’s written by a real person, not a paid actor. After you share Prai...

Ephesians 4:25-5:2 The way we talk reveals how committed we are as Christians. Positive, upbuilding talk is a counterweight to the kinds of “evil talk” outlined in Ephesians. It has nothing to do with accent or grammar, and everything to do with how we use the God-given gift of speech as a strong and grateful response to the forgiveness and grace we have received from Jesus Christ.