God’s Acre on the Go

What begins as a child’s question about the World Cup becomes a deeper question about identity, loyalty, and faith. On a weekend when many give thanks for the nation, this sermon asks what it means to celebrate with honesty, humility, and hope.   In Matthew 11 , Jesus speaks to people carrying real burdens: political burdens, religious burdens, economic burdens, and spiritual burdens. He does not...

What if following Jesus is not only about where we are sent, but also about who we are willing to receive? In Matthew 10:5-11; 40-42 , Jesus sends his disciples out to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven has come near. But he sends them without extra supplies, making them dependent on the hospitality of others. This sermon looks at the often-overlooked side of discipleship: the people who open the...

At first glance, Jesus’ words about self-denial, sacrifice, and taking up the cross hardly sound like a summer message. But what if Matthew 10 is actually a kind of pep talk? In this sermon, “Pep Talk,” we explore Jesus’ challenge to his disciples as they prepare to go into the world proclaiming good news and embodying God’s kingdom. Like a coach preparing a team for a championship run, Jesus remi...

What do we owe God when life is good? In this Confirmation Sunday message, “Making Vows in New Canaan,” we explore Psalm 116 alongside Moses’ warnings to Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. While hardship often drives people toward God, abundance can tempt us to forget the source of our blessings. The sermon reflects on the meaning of New Canaan’s name and its connection to the bib...

Matthew had wealth, security, and influence—but he may also have been imprisoned by the very life he had built. In this message, “The Physician and the Tax Collector,” we explore Matthew 9:9–13 and Jesus’ surprising call to one of the most despised people in Capernaum. Looking beyond the familiar story, we consider how Matthew’s tax booth may have functioned as both a place of employment and a sym...

What happens when you reach the summit only to discover there is another mountain ahead? In this sermon on Matthew 28:16–20 , Jesus meets his disciples on a mountain in Galilee after the resurrection and gives them what we now call the Great Commission. Though they worship him, they also doubt—a powerful reminder that faith and uncertainty often coexist. Drawing on a story about a business leader...

Before the flames. Before the rushing wind. Before the miracle of understanding across languages—there was waiting. In this Pentecost message, we reflect on Acts 2 and the surprising truth that the church began not with certainty or strategy, but with prayerful uncertainty and openness to the Holy Spirit. The disciples did not fully know what would happen next. They simply stayed together, waited,...

In this message, “Feasting on the Word,” we explore John 6:1–15, 35 and the deeper meaning beneath one of Jesus’ most remembered miracles. While the crowd in the wilderness was physically hungry, John’s Gospel points toward another kind of hunger—the hunger of the human soul. Connecting Jesus to Moses, manna in the wilderness, and the promise of “a prophet like Moses” from Deuteronomy 18:15 , this...

What does it mean to be “built for good” in a world that often feels harsh, divided, and exhausting? In this Mother’s Day message, we turn to 1 Peter 3:8–17 , a letter written to early Christians trying to remain faithful during a time of fear and persecution. Rather than responding to cruelty with more cruelty, Peter calls them to bless instead of curse, to confront evil with goodness, and to rem...

Why is it that we so often wait until the end of a life to say what has been true all along? In this sermon, we begin with a childhood memory of a wake—where grief and love filled the room, and stories of a life well-lived were spoken with clarity and urgency. That moment becomes a lens for exploring Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:34-40 , when he is asked to name the greatest commandment. His answer—l...

We live in a world filled with bad news—division, conflict, and discouragement. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or tempted to tune it all out. But what if the answer isn’t escaping reality… but living differently within it? In this message, “Bad News, Good News,” we turn to Acts 2:43–4:22 and the story of the early church—a small, ordinary group of people who chose to live fully in the way of Jesus....

It’s one of the most honest—and painful—phrases in Scripture. In this Easter message, we step onto the road to Emmaus ( Luke 24:13–35 ), where two disciples are walking away from everything they believed in. Their hope has been shattered, and they can’t yet see that Jesus is walking right beside them. But resurrection doesn’t begin with certainty—it begins in confusion, grief, and honest conversat...

What if doubt isn’t the opposite of faith—but part of the journey toward it? In this message, "Proof in Practice," we turn to John 20:19–29 and the story of Thomas—often labeled “the doubter,” but perhaps better understood as one who longed for real, embodied truth. In a world that often demands certainty, this passage offers something deeper: a Savior who meets us in our questions, not beyond the...

In this Easter message, we explore a question that echoes throughout John’s Gospel: “Who are you looking for?” In John 20:11–18 , Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb searching for the body of Jesus, but because she is looking for the dead, she cannot recognize the living Christ standing right in front of her. This moment reveals a deeper truth about how we live—we tend to see and find what we are alr...

In this Palm Sunday message, we explore the temptation to rush from celebration to resurrection without pausing at the cross. In Matthew 21:1–13 , Jesus enters Jerusalem to cheers and hope, but the week quickly unfolds into betrayal, suffering, and crucifixion ( Matthew 27:46; Luke 23:46 ). This sermon invites us to face a deeper truth: there are moments in life we cannot fix, control, or power th...

The story of Lazarus in John 11:1–44 begins with an unanswered prayer and ends with resurrection—but not in the way anyone expected. Mary and Martha ask Jesus to come and heal their brother, yet he delays, and Lazarus dies. This powerful narrative speaks to the reality of dreams that collapse, prayers that seem unanswered, and the painful silence many experience in faith. But Jesus does not avoid...

The story of the man born blind in John 9 is about far more than a physical miracle. After receiving his sight, the man is questioned, doubted, and eventually cast out by religious leaders who refuse to believe what has happened. Yet Jesus seeks him out and reveals himself, leading the man to faith. Meanwhile, those who believe they see clearly—the Pharisees—remain spiritually blind because their...

The scripture reference for this week’s message is John 4:3–10, 13–14, 39–40 . In this passage, Chapin reflects on the call to mission—how an unexpected encounter with Jesus can open our eyes to the needs around us and invite us into the work of sharing living water with the world.

How do we measure the health of a nation, a church, or even our own lives? In this message, we explore how Scripture defines true unity. In John 3:8 , Jesus describes the Spirit as wind — active, moving, alive. In Acts 2:1–8 , the Spirit enables understanding across language and difference. And in Galatians 5:22–23 , Paul names the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generos...

Is guilt always a bad thing? In Genesis 3:1–13 , Adam and Eve respond to sin by hiding and blaming, creating distance from God and one another. In contrast, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:9–10 that “godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation.” This message explores the difference between destructive shame and Spirit-led conviction. Sin is anything that creates separation — from oursel...

At Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:9–11 , God speaks words of love and affirmation before Jesus begins his public ministry: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Paired with the royal language of Psalm 2:7–9 , this message explores how Jesus reshapes our understanding of God, faith, and blessing. Unlike the world’s transactional system—where crowns are earned through performance—Jesu...

In Matthew 6:25–33 , Jesus calls his followers out of the exhausting cycle of worry. He points to birds and lilies—creatures with no control over their future—yet God faithfully provides for them. If God cares for them, Jesus says, God will certainly care for us. Today’s world is filled with anxiety—about money, politics, global events, safety, and personal well‑being. Even those with full closets...

In Matthew 26:36–46 , Jesus enters the Garden of Gethsemane as the weight of betrayal, violence, and uncertainty closes in. Rather than clinging to certainty or escaping fear, Jesus prays a prayer of surrender: “Not my will, but yours be done.” This message reflects on Gethsemane—whose name means “olive press”—as a place where pressure reveals what is most precious. Drawing on Proverbs 3:5–6 , we...

In Luke 10:25–37 , Jesus responds to a lawyer’s question about eternal life by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan—a story that challenges how we define “neighbor.” This message explores the fences we build to protect ourselves and how those same boundaries can limit our compassion, growth, and joy. Through personal reflection and Jesus’ own example of crossing cultural and social lines, we’...

What are you doing with your “one wild and precious life”? This week’s message draws inspiration from Mary Oliver’s famous question and Jesus’ parable in Luke 6:46–49 . Jesus warns that listening alone isn’t enough—only when we act on his words do we build lives with solid foundations. The sermon challenges us to move beyond performative faith into real obedience. It reflects on justice, compassio...