HPUMC - Cornerstone Sermons (Contemporary Worship)

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Before giving the Great Commission, Matthew tells us that when the disciples saw the risen Christ, they worshiped him—but some doubted (Matthew 28:17). It’s a striking moment: face-to-face with the resurrected Savior, both worship and doubt existed side by side in the hearts of his followers. Matthew doesn’t hide this tension, and Jesus doesn’t r...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Jesus began his public ministry with a clear and urgent message, “ Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near ” (Matthew 4:17). The kingdom is not distant—it is God’s reign breaking into the world through Jesus. When we pray, “ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, ” we are aligning our lives with his mission. Jesus’ ministry of teaching, prea...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul urges believers to live in a way that pleases God and to keep growing more and more in their walk with Christ. This is not about reaching a point where we’ve “arrived,” but about continually maturing in three key areas: faith, hope, and love. We grow in faith by obeying God’s Word and pursuing holiness, trusting Him in...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. How do you respond when life turns up the heat—when the trials and tribulations inevitably come? Do you find yourself reacting in fear, scrambling for answers and stability? Or are you able to respond with faith, drawing from a place of preparation and strength? In his second letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul offers a powerful reminder: Scriptu...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. In this week’s sermon on Matthew 5:9-10, we explore the deep meaning of shalom—a peace that is more than just the absence of conflict but the presence of wholeness, justice, and the right relationship with God and others. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, not by passively avoiding confrontation, but as active agents of reconciliation in a broken...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Do you ever struggle to see how God is at work? Not just in the world, but in your own story? Though God is never mentioned by name in the book of Esther, His presence is unmistakable through every twist and turn of the story, revealing that God is at work even when we can’t see it or understand. This week’s sermon shifts our perspective and remi...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. During difficult or trying seasons, there’s power in showing up. All of us are moved by stories of people who go beyond their own security and sense of comfort to show up for people in need. In this message, we’re asking ourselves this question: What does it look like to be people who show up for others but also as those who are fully alive in ou...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. In the midst of suffering and tragedy, the example of Stephen in Acts 7:55–56 offers a profound glimpse of hope and perspective. As he faced death, Stephen, "full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." Even while being unjustly stoned, he fixed his eyes on the risen and exal...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. We all face moments in life when we feel uncertain, overwhelmed, or simply unsure of what to do next. Whether it’s a major decision, a season of suffering, or a quiet struggle, those moments can leave us feeling stuck or unprepared. In this week’s sermon, we learn what it looks like to couple wisdom with action to navigate the difficult seasons o...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Have you ever asked, “Why am I going through this? What is God doing?” No matter the season we’re in, testing is inevitable. Some trials come from our own decisions; others are allowed—or even designed—by God to shape us. James 1:2-4 urges us to “consider it pure joy” when we face these trials, because they produce endurance and maturity. But let...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. All of us make decisions all the time. You make thousands of small decisions every day, a handful of important decisions every year, and a few truly life-altering decisions throughout your life.  The environment we create is a direct result of the source of wisdom that we allow to influence our decisions. Where are you getting the wisdom it takes...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide Have you ever said something and immediately wished you hadn’t? If that’s you, you’re not alone. James, one of the letters in our New Testament, says, “You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done.” Words are powerful. The way we speak can give life to those around us. But if we’re not careful, our words can also leave cu...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. What is something you can never get enough of? We all have insatiable desires, and no matter how much we have or accumulate, we still want a little more. Not just more material things like money, more shoes, more trips—it’s the deeper longings for things like affirmation, security, and love. What do we do with our deep desires? Is satisfaction ev...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Have you ever experienced a moment when things didn’t work out the way you thought they would? You expected the situation to go one way, but it went in a totally different direction— and you were left wondering, “What just happened?” Maybe it was a job you thought for sure you’d get, but didn’t. Or a relationship that fizzled out when you believe...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide All year, we’ve explored what it looks like to cultivate a life with God, where the Holy Spirit grows good things in us and around us. You know the yield: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Who doesn’t need more of these blessings in their lives? While we recognize that only God can grow us in t...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Family can be messy and complicated. In this week’s sermon, we look at the story of Sarai, Abram, and Hagar in Genesis 16. Sarai tries to control God's timing, Abram goes along without resistance, and Hagar finds herself exploited and abandoned. Yet, God shows up, reminding us that God does not ignore the suffering of the vulnerable. In fact, the...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. We often think about self-control in terms of being from something—to not say this or not do that. But what about self-control for something?  God is calling us into life with Him, yet there are so many pressures and voices calling us away. Cultivating self-control allows us to say yes to God and orient our lives to the things that matter the mos...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Over the past year, we’ve been learning what it means to cultivate lives that bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and finally, self-control. Self-control is about mastery over our own desires. It’s the strength to say “yes” when everything in us wants to say “no” and to say “no”...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. Jesus stood on a hill overlooking Jerusalem—the Kidron Valley spread from right to left before him, the temple mount rising up on the other side of the valley, and the walls of Jerusalem encircling the capital city. From that hill, Jesus would descend into the valley, up again into the city, and into the temple itself. Everyone who knew him, and...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. What does Jesus mean when he says, “gentle”? Jesus says he has a gentle heart and that the gentle (or “meek,” the same word in Greek) will inherit the earth. So, what is it that Jesus means when he uses the term "gentle”? The gentleness question has taken me from the New Testament to the Old. Through word studies and commentaries and desperate Go...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. What tone do you imagine when you think about God speaking to you? Our past experiences and current circumstances often shape the tone or how we hear God’s voice. Yet, the clearest way to understand God's nature is by looking at the life of Jesus, who shows us gentleness in how he carries his authority with both care and humility. Instead of deli...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. In Romans 4:19-25, the Apostle Paul recounts the faith of Abraham and explains that righteousness is granted by faithfulness. Despite setbacks and seemingly impossible circumstances, Abraham remained faithful and trusted in God’s promise, which is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness” (v. 19-22). Not only was this true for Abraham—i...

Click/tap here to view the Sermon Reflection Guide. What are you afraid of? How does fear hold you back or keep you from living by faith? In this week’s sermon, we look at the family of Moses whose faith toppled the most powerful empire in the world. They had much to fear, but by putting their hope in the right place, and being faithful in ordinary moments, this family changed the course of histor...