Newland Presbyterian Church

In Luke 18 we hear Christ's call to enter the kingdom like a child, for "the kingdom belongs to such as these." Perhaps such child-like qualities as dependence and delight, worship, prayer and curiosity will aid us as we seek to "receive the kingdom of God like child," so that we might truly enter.

As we worship this morning, we'll give thanks to God, cry out for Christ's mercy, gather around the Scriptures, and fall down before Jesus in worship. Interestingly, all of these things happen in our Scripture this morning from Luke 17, which presents to us a picture of the Gospel and aids us in our understanding and practice of worship.

In this recorded sermon we take on the strange parable of the Dishonest Manager (Luke 16), compare it with the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke places these stories side by side), and trace the theme of Grace that Christ has been placing before us at each step of the journey.

Listen in as we continue through the Gospel’s travelogue (Luke 15), and the stories that Jesus tells as we learn of that which was Lost, those who were Found, and the great rejoicing of Heaven and Earth. Perhaps you'll be as surprised as Christ's first listeners to discover who chooses to remain outside the banquet feast and who enters in?!

On this Lord's Day, we continue our journey with Jesus in Luke 14, hearing three parables which culminate in an invitation to a great banquet table. So, after praise, after gathering around the Word, after prayer, we all join together at the Table, where we feast with Christ and all the saints.

In this teaching for the Avery County Prayer Group, Michael reflects upon Christ's statement in John 6, "I Am the Bread of Life." We'll follow this statement from the lips of Jesus all the way to Israel's wilderness journey, all the way to the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews, all the way to the Ark of the Covenant, to Mary, and to the universal church. After this journey, you ought to be able...

Join in for this first NPC Worship on the Lawn Sunday service. We continue through Luke's travel narrative, focusing now on Luke 13 and Christ's healing of a woman with a disabling spirit, and two parables that he shares about the Kingdom.

As we continue our journey through Luke's Samaria (Luke 12:13ff), this message connects our personal pandemic experiences with Israel's exile, the Christian life, and the story of the world, which moves from 1. Garden through 2. life in the Fallen World, towards 3. Heaven. Jesus meets us along the way, listens to our questions, and then plumbs the depths of our hearts by calling forth the ways we...

This teaching for the Avery County Prayer Group connects the classic offices of Jesus, namely his priestly role, to his work in becoming "sin" for us, as the Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21, so that we might become the righteousness of God. This, in turn, clarifies our call now to be ambassadors for Christ, as we live out Jesus' ministry of reconciliation in the world around us. Per...

It Is Well by Newland Presbyterian Church

This message helps to connect our journey through Luke with the means of grace (specifically prayer) that God's shares with us along the way. We'll contextualize our own travels through pandemic by locating them in the grand story of God's journey to be with us in Jesus. This transcendent story is focused in a manageable way for us in the story of Jesus' passage through Samaria as he travels with...

This teaching 1) shares two ways the ancient church read the Bible 2) applies those ways of reading to the Exodus, the story of Isaac's (near) sacrifice, and the relationship between Adam & Jesus (the second Adam). Then, we bring it all together with a literal sketch of how Ephrem the Syrian pictured Adam in Eden, and Jesus on Mt. Calvary (see Jonathan Pageau for more on this).

Iris and GT share with us a song and a reflection : )

This sermon reflects on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, giving emphasis to the questions asked of Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal Life," and, "Who Is My Neighbor?" Jesus then flips our questions around, demonstrating that HE is the "Good Samaritan," who draws near, washes clean, feeds, clothes, and promises to return. In other words, the well known parable of the Good Samaritan tells...

This message is the first in a series titled "On the Road with Jesus," which covers that middle portion of the Gospel of Luke as Jesus travels from Galilee (home), through Samaria (an unwelcoming land), to Jerusalem (victory). Perhaps Jesus can help us navigate this unwelcome Covid-19 space as we journey from past comfort towards future victory.

Another Iris original!

This sermon is about Psalm 61. When we call out to God in crisis, the psalmist reminds us to look up to the Rock, look back upon our Heritage, and look forward to the coming Kingdom. Now, we're ready to live today.

This conversation on the Lord's Prayer was produced for an online "service" for the Avery County, NC Facebook Prayer Group. Originally filmed for YouTube, feel free to grab a piece of paper for notes as you listen. Or, pick up a copy of Mike Breen's "Building a Discipling Culture," if you'd like to go deeper.

Author - Iris Summerlin by Newland Presbyterian Church

This sermon is about how to live in (and by) the Easter narrative.

This podcast is about how Jesus connects heaven to earth by way of the Cross, opening space for a life of meaning. The first 5 minutes describe Raphael's, "The Transfiguration."

In this message, Michael shares three practical things that you can do to participate in the life of God. Then, he offers a reflection on the disciples encounter with Jesus as he walked to them across the water. Perhaps this will be helpful to those of us who are trying to navigate the tumultuous passage that is the corona virus 2020.

A Sermon from Newland Presbyterian Church on Life Together during the time of the coronavirus. Spiritual Disciplines come together with Psalm 1 as we discover what happens when we become "like trees planted by streams of water."