Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Concerning Mission by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Remembering Baptism by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

As we worship, we will wrestle with some important questions. What can we learn from how Jesus models faithfulness in this passage? What does it look like to seek Jesus with our whole hearts as a mother yearns for her child? What hope can we derive from the gospel’s claim that even Jesus had room to grow and mature? Sermon delivered on Luke 2:41-52 by the Reverend David J. Powers on January 5th, 2...

Sunday Sermon: Holiday Gatherings - The Magi by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Holiday Gatherings - Elizabeth & Mary by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Holiday Gatherings - Sheperds & Angels by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

This morning, we inaugurate the season of Advent: the time when we prepare for the coming of Jesus the Christ. A new sermon series called Holiday Gatherings will help shape our journey to the manger as we examine how God shows up in the world. We will begin the series by focusing on how God shows up through prophets. The prophetic witnesses of Jeremiah, Malachi, and Micah will help reveal unique d...

Sunday Sermon - Are you the King? by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

Sunday Sermon: Concerning Calling by Idlewild Presbyterian Church

We will continue our exploration of the Narrative Lectionary by studying the familiar story of Jonah. While Jonah is most well-known for the three days and nights he spent in the belly of a fish, few remember why Jonah found himself in such a peculiar predicament. More than simply setting up the story of Jonah’s fishy lodging place, the scripture lesson will teach us a great deal about both the be...

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we meet a widow gathering supplies for what she believes to be the final meal of her life. While collecting sticks for a fire, the widow will meet Elijah who will, without regard for her plight, instruct her to bring him a cup of water and some bread. With resignation on her lips, the widow will explain her situation only to have him assure her that the few supplies she has wil...

The scripture situates us as audience to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. We read of how all the elders and heads of the tribes of Israel gather for the momentous occasion as the ark of the covenant moves into the innermost room of the Temple, and then Solomon blesses the Temple. Solomon’s words invite us to contemplate the ways that God keeps God’s promises and how we might faithfully sho...

This morning, we move from 1 Samuel into 2nd Samuel where we find King David. The former shepherd boy has been brought by God from pasture to palace. After hard fought victories, David looks around his lavish royal dwelling and desires to upgrade God’s home from a tabernacle to a temple. God reminds David that it is grace not works that has brought David this far. It is by God’s initiative alone t...

As we worship, we meet Hannah, a woman of deep faith and expectation who lives with the pain of an unrealized prayer. Through the various responses Hannah receives from those around her - provoking, placating, and misjudging - we are invited to reflect on how we react to the pain of others. Specifically, how our reactions can be helpful and harmful to our friends and neighbors. Sermon on 1 Samuel...

We draw to a close our Behind the Bulletin series by examining the final movement of worship - Send in God’s Spirit. To delve deeper into the significance of this movement, being sent by God into the world, we study an early text from the Hebrew scriptures. From Genesis, we read the story of Abraham’s family of origin and learn how God called Abraham’s father to move from their homeland in Ur to t...

This morning, our sermon series will concentrate on what it means to Respond to God’s Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the image of a vine to describe his relationship to both God and his audience. Those who abide in him, Jesus teaches, bear much fruit. Jesus continues “my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to...

We continue our sermon series by turning to the second movement of worship: Proclaim God’s Word. 2 Timothy will help center our time as we hear the encouragement of scripture to “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching.” Through our study, we will wrestle with what it means to receive the...

We begin a new sermon series entitled Behind the Bulletin. Over the next four Sundays, we will delve into the four movements of our worship: gather, proclaim, respond, and send. Many of us know that the Presbyterian order of worship is meant to mirror the life of Christian faith, but few of us have taken time to examine the significance of the connection. Whether you are a lifelong Idlewilder or n...

We turn our focus to the epistle of James as we reflect on the relationship between our faith and our action. The bulk of the letter centers on the connection between what the faithful believe and what they do, arguing that separation between the two fails to live into the greatest commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” As we reflect on our own faith journey, scripture once again...

This sermon is centered around Wisdom’s Feast, which opens the ninth chapter of Proverbs. The text personifies God’s Wisdom as a woman – expanding how we speak of, describe, and understand our loving, triune God. Courtnay will invite us to be present with Wisdom at her table as preparation for thoughtful and intentional engagement with God’s work in the world as the body of Christ. Sermon delivere...

In 1 Corinthians, Paul introduces the image of the Body of Christ, and throughout several of his letters, he uses it to describe the ways in which all of God’s children are related and lovingly bound to each other. As followers of Christ, even though we know the significance of the Body, we often fail to recognize what contributes to its growth and deterioration. As we receive the Vision of our Se...

In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul explained how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection led to God’s highest exaltation “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” As we worship, we will contemplate how the Lordship of Jesus ought to reorient each of us, our chur...

As we reflect on the calling of the first deacons in Acts 6, we will ask how God is calling us into ministry in and through Idlewild. What does the calling of Christ ask us to take on and set aside? Sermon delivered by the Reverend David J. Powers on August 11, 2024.

Each week this Summer, we have examined a different doctrine of Reformed theology, and this sermon examines what we mean by "Reformed". We might be familiar with the term through the lens of Reformed theology or the Protestant Reformation, but how often do we reflect on the implications of what it means to be people of the Reformed tradition? Through the image of a potter, the prophet Jeremiah wil...

In Romans 8:18-25, we read Paul's explanation of hope in his epistle to the early Christians in Rome. Through Paul's witness, we examine the ways in which our faith informs how we navigate suffering alongside the promise of future glory. Consider how Paul’s teachings speak hope into our lives today. Sermon delivered by Demarius Brinkley on July 28, 2024.