FBC Wilmington Sermons

January 26 | Luke 4:14-21 | Home Free In one of the most provocative teachings in all the gospels, Jesus stands and reads from Isaiah in the middle of a worship service. People are floored by what he says and even what he does not say. This singular moment defines his ministry better than any other text in the gospels and it is built around the fact that Jesus is ready to set people free as well a...

January 19 | John 2:1-11 | Homemade Jesus’ first miracle in the Gospel of John is turning water into wine. He’s at a wedding reception in Cana and the party runs out of wine, so Jesus fixes the problem by making more wine than the party needed. Multiple themes emerge within this story, none more important than Jesus brews the new idea that in God’s home, there will be abundance, not scarcity. 

January 12 | Luke 3:21-22 | Homebody When Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened and God said, “This is my Beloved.” Henri Nouwen believes this is the same message God says to us at our baptism. Our baptism sets a trajectory and tone for the deep, deep truth of who we are in Christ: A beloved child of God. By claiming this beloved-ness, we are creating a home from within. When we’re baptized, we a...

January 5 | Matthew 2:1-12 | Homeward Jesus is born! Magi come from the East to honor and give global credibility to Jesus as King. The story takes many turns but what is fascinating is that God appears to the Magi in a dream and tells them to go home another way showing us that God cares very much about how we are getting home.

Comfort in Anxiety - Luke 2:41-52 - Even Jesus's parents were anxious, but the community of faith can support parents in the holy task of raising kids in the knowledge and grace of God's favor and love.

Christmas Eve is the ultimate promise of comfort. Our King of Kings and Prince of Peace is here. His love will cover the sins of the world. His life will be an example to follow. We are no longer alone and no longer have to be afraid. We’re given by God tidings of comfort and it’s bound in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Mary’s song is the gospel before it unfolds. She visits her cousin Elizabeth and announces in song that she will forever magnify the Lord because of this miracle. During her pregnancy, she predicted the gospel before it unfolded. Her words still ring true for us today and lead us into worship.

Mary’s is comforted by an angel of the Lord telling her she will bear a son. She’s afraid at first but then internalizes the depth of what is being asked of her and finds deep in her soul . . . joy. The joy she has for the role she’s asked to play brings comfort to us all. -Rev. Barrett Owen

The comfort we need this Christmas is one of peace. We need peace of mind, peace of spirit, and peace on earth. We can rightfully assume this peace will not be contrived of by human hands. We need the peace that surpasses understanding. We need the peace of God that comes with God-sized comfort. -Rev. Barrett Owen

To close out the third portion of Isaiah, we get these words: We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Ye...

As humans, we are going to suffer. It is part of the deal. But whatever we suffer from, it does not diminish us. Our brokenness does not define us because in the end, we are made new. The lovely and the unlovely of our lives are held gently in the hands of the One who makes all things new. This promise is given to us in Revelation 21 and stands as a core pillar of our Christian faith. -Rev. Barret...

As humans, we sin. We fall short. But we can never do too much that pushes us beyond the bounds of forgiveness. We are never not forgivable. Being forgiven, or better said, “knowing God always offers forgiveness, is a core truth of our spiritual lives. We are called to receive and to offer the forgiveness that has already been given to us too. We find these values flying off the page in the Parabl...

Another core truth of scripture is that we are never not tethered to God. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have constant access to the Divine Realm and that tethering allows for messaging to come from us and to us and from God and towards God. In short, we are tethered to God at the core of our being and can be in a relationship with God. -Rev. Barrett Owen

Henri Nouwen helped bring the core belief that we are God’s Beloved into our spiritual consciousness. His Beloved Theology emerges from the pages of scripture and emphasizes that God looks at us lovingly. He goes as far as to say, “Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life is belief because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us ‘Beloved.’ Being the beloved is the core trut...

“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecutor you . . . For if you love this who love you, what rewards you have?” Christians who claim to be salt and light in the world must show the world what it means to love beyond reward. Learning this lesson is not easy. -Rev. Dr. Jim Baldwin

What good is our offering if it’s tainted? This is Jesus’ message for those of us who worship pretending we are reconciled with our enemies or our families. People of salt and light understand the importance of reconciliation and take seriously Jesus’ pronunciation, “Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” -Rev. Barrett Owen

One could argue the Kingdom of Heaven is the primary objective in Matthew’s Gospel. All the characters, the narrators, and even Jesus’ teachings deal with the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus has strong words on what it means for us to “enter” into that kingdom, and it has a lot to do with how we understand and follow the law. -Rev. Barrett Owen

Our faith doesn’t end after we’re baptized; it begins. We have so much more to do and become after we believe. Jesus addresses this very concern in the Sermon on the Mount and calls us all to be two things: Salt and Light. Thinking about how we are both metaphors may be some of the most powerful and helpful images in all the Bible. In short, the work is not done. We can always shine more light. 

Think about a refugee family. A mom and dad fleeing war, terror, and disease. Think about their little children having to leave everything they own behind except for a baby doll and the clothes on their back. Think about what they hear when Jesus says, “Blessed are you, sweet family, for when people revile you, persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely. Rejoice if you can. Be...

Think about the disciples and women who chose to follow Jesus’ ministry. Think about what they hear when Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are persecuted for righteousness’s sake, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.” -Rev. Barrett Owen

Think of all of the people crossing the Jordan or from around the Mediterranean, thousands on the hillside looking to build a life that no longer segregates, hurts, or hates. Think about what they hear when Jesus says, “Blessed are you peacemakers, for you will be called children of God.” -Rev. Barrett Owen

Think about all the children running around on the hillside overhearing Jesus waxes poetic. Think about what their little ears hear when Jesus says: “Blessed are you, children, for you, are the pure in heart. You deserve a world better than this. On this side of eternity, we’ve failed you, but in God’s realm, you will be blessed, for you will see God. -Rev. Barrett Owen

Think about the Roman centurion overlooking this Sermon on the Mount scene feeling convicted by Jesus’ words. Think about what he hears when Jesus says, “Blessed are you, officer, for you are merciful. In God’s realm, you too will receive mercy.” -Rev. Barrett Owen

Think about the widowed woman who lost her husband to a war she didn’t agree with. Now she spends her day raising awareness, organizing marches, and fighting for people who don’t have enough to eat. Think about what she hears when Jesus says, “Blessed are you, ma’am, for your hunger and thirst for righteousness. Your faith and tenacity in morality and equal rights are endearing. In God’s realm, yo...

Think about the teenage father who goes to work every day trying to provide. He doesn’t try to fight the system. He doesn’t resist. He’s a nobody from nowhere. But he cares for his family. He tries to provide, but he can’t seem to make ends meet. Think about what he hears when Jesus says, “Blessed are you, young dad, who chooses to be meek, for you will inherit the earth. You're striving and hopin...