Pastor Dirk's Sermons

Lessons learned from a vacation that included "a thorn in the flesh" Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Change, especially religious change, is never easy.  The tensions between faithfulness and innovation are immediately evident as the new church expands into unfamiliar territory.  God therefore works to make His will clear in that day and in ours. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

When God calls His servants into a challenging mission, He does not abandon them.  His Spirit remains present, to ensure results that human efforts by themselves cannot produce. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

History too often records conflict and tragedy when diverse religious traditions try to share the same space at the same time.  If the new community of Jesus is truly to bring these traditions together, then the main thing must remain the main thing. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

For God to change a community, He begins by changing people.  Peter’s relationship with Jesus redefines his identity, and, as this relationship grows deeper, it changes his reason for living.  His experience of Jesus can inspire us to reconsider who defines us and what inspires our purpose. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

God’s new directions are not self-evident.  He must inspire people spiritually to work outside of their comfort zones.  In this story from the early church, He stretches the boundaries of His people by calling His servants into new levels of service. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Good visions must provide a compelling reason for change.  Through two powerful visions to two different men, God forges a new path forward for those who choose to follow Jesus. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

For centuries, many thinkers and educators have sought to convince us that we are nothing more than evolutionary accidents, biological and chemical organisms sharing a planet with other organisms more or less like us.  In this closed system, we struggle to find a meaningful life.  Faith helps us to see that we as humans do have a purpose beyond our biology and chemistry. Visit us at app.dirkscorne...

History records multiple attempts to confront and overcome injustice.  Some stories are more encouraging than others.  Those engaged in such efforts are often called to make extraordinary sacrifices for their cause.  Were their sacrifices worth the effort?  Faith provides a perspective that inspires us never to give up our fight against injustice and oppression, even when it seems that our efforts...

In 1965, the Byrds made these few verses of Ecclesiastes famous in a song that reached number one in America on the Billboard Hot 100.   In those days of change and chaos, people found comfort in this reminder, that “There is a time for everything under the sun.”  Faith gives us this stable point of view as we face our own tumultuous times Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

What is the point of our work?  What are we trying to achieve?  How do we know when we have succeeded?  Faith enables us to define success in realistic ways, not just in the future, but every day of our lives.  Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

As biological creatures, we naturally strive both to avoid pain and maximize pleasure.  However, does this biological pursuit make us truly human?  Does it satisfy our deepest desires as human beings? Faith provides a way forward when pleasure is not enough, and pain is too much. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Our world changes at a rapid pace, but have we changed as human beings?  Have all our revolutions around the sun helped us to fully realize our potential?  Faith gives us a way to think through the confusing collision of human success and failure. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Our broken world has a way of convincing us that we must remain trapped within its destructive cycles.  Weeks before Jesus Himself rises from the dead, however, He proves that He has the keys to free us from this prison, in this world and in the next. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

The fear of death underlies all other fears.  Until someone conquers death, fear will never be conquered.  When Lazarus is at death’s door, his family has choice about how they may respond, a choice that centers entirely around Jesus.  Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

We know the process all too well, sickness that leads to death. Lazarus and his family experienced it too.  It is a fear-filled slippery slope for them and for us.  Jesus wants to inspire hope in us as we face this fear, and His friend Lazarus becomes a living witness of this hope. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Nothing is more convincing than a dead person brought to life.  God brings Jesus to life to demonstrate His power over death, and now He extends this power through His servant Peter.  The same message, the same power, and the same God.  Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

It seems only right that a former skeptic must now convince other skeptics.  He is therefore not surprised by their resistance.  But the power that changes him calls him to stay engaged in the mission. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Some people can become strongly but wrongly convinced. Jesus meets a confirmed enemy on the road to Damascus and powerfully convinces him to change his ways. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Sometimes truth can speak more powerfully than miracles, especially for those genuinely seeking truth. God sets up a divine appointment for Philip to respond to a seeker’s questions. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Simon had seen power before. He pretended to be an expert, until a new power comes to town. By meeting Philip, Simon meets Jesus, and his world could never be the same. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Running for his life, David seeks refuge in a holy place, asks for holy bread, and lies to a priest in the process. By most standards, he has broken a lot of rules, but does this really matter? Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Allies are sometimes found among enemies. Strangers and can become close friends and family who fight together for the good that God desires. In the friendship between Jonathan and David, we find a pathway toward finding allies in a relationship-challenged world. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

Relationships are tricky, especially in a world driven by power and wealth. David must face this new challenging world as he learns God’s plan for his life. We can learn from his example as we navigate our own power and wealth-dominated culture. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app

There are always bigger giants and bigger enemies in the land, and they can inspire fear or courage, depending on one’s point of view. In David’s view, a giant enemy has only one purpose, to bring glory to an even bigger God. Visit us at app.dirkscorner.com to download the app