Pastor Jim Preaches

This week we will focus on the hymn "How Firm a Foundation." We don't know wrote this hymn and it's most popular hymn tune does not have a known author. This hymns is grounded in Isaiah, I reference Isaiah 41:8-10 and Isaiah 43:1-3 . I'll share about the experience of God's people in Isaiah and will share why one of these readings is close to my heart. We'll look at the hymn verse by verse and we'...

This Sunday we'll be digging into Augustus Toplady's hymn Rock of Ages . We will look at: Toplady's background His conversion to Calvinism and how it contrasts Wesleyen (Methodist) theology We'll break down each verse for its biblical and theological underpinnings.

This Sunday we'll be digging into Charles Wesley's hymn Christ the Lord Is Risen Toda y. We will look at: some of the influences that caused Charles Wesley to write this hymn Bible verses and allusions that are used We will also look at how certain hymns can be set to different hymn tunes. This experiment that we undertake this week has this week's message being a little longer than usual. :-)

On Trinity Sunday, I will be exploring 2 Corinthians 13:11-13. OK...it's in the Lectionary for Trinity Sunday because it mentions the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But, lest I, like many pastors, fall short of truly teaching the correct doctrine about the Trinity, I instead focus on Paul's final words of his second letter to the churches in Corinth. His call to unity was difficult for the churches...

The sermon was prepared for Pentecost Sunday and the focus text is Number 11:24-30 . This would not be the usual text for Pentecost: Acts 2:1-21. After 18 years of ministry, I was looking for a different sermon preparation experience. It turns out that this lesson is an excellent fit for Pentecost and it turned into what I think was a good sermon ;-). It speaks of how we shouldn't (and can't) limi...

This is the fifth and final episode of a five-part series in which we examine The Lord's Prayer. This week we will focus on: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." I will also address the additional doxology that was added to The Lord's Prayer that is not found in either scripture reading (except the King James Version for Matthew) . Scripture readings to look at in advance a...

This is the fourth of a five-part series in which we examine The Lord's Prayer. This week we will focus on: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Scripture readings to look at in advance are: Romans 3:21-26 and Matthew 18:21-35 .

This is the third of a five-part series in which we examine The Lord's Prayer. This week we will focus on: "Give us this day our daily bread." Scripture readings to look at in advance are: Exodus 16:13-21 and Isaiah 40:28-31 .

This is the second of a five-part series in which we examine The Lord's Prayer. This week we will focus on: "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Scripture readings to look at in advance are: Matthew 6:25-33 and Matthew 13:31-35 .

This is the first of a five-part series in which we examine The Lord's Prayer. This week we will focus on: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." Scripture readings to look at in advance are: Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-4.

It's Easter Sunday and I will be focusing on John 20:1-18!

The Parables of Jesus, Part 4: The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids We'll look at Matthew 25:1-13. As has become a theme for this series, this parable also does not necessarily have a happy ending, but it has something to each us. How can we be prepared for the return of Jesus? Let's dig in!

The Parables of Jesus, Part 3: The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus We'll look at Luke 16:19-31. It's a parable that does not necessarily have the happy ending that expect. That doesn't mean that we just come up with one. We need to grapple with it and figure out what it means for us in our Christian walk. Let's dig in!

The Parables of Jesus, Part 2: The Parable of the Wedding Feast We'll look at Matthew 22:1-14. One congregation member came up to me afterward and said that she had never heard a sermon preached on this parable. I'm not surprised. It might not always come up in the lectionary on a given year and it does not have the most pleasant moral: "Many are invited, few are chosen." Let's dig in!

The Parables of Jesus, Part 1: The Workers in the Vineyard I will be reflecting on Matthew 20:1-16 . The idea for this series is that I will be focusing on some of the more challenging parables of Jesus. This week will examine what governs the Kingdom of God, with some new definitions for justice and grace .

This week's message focuses on the Transfiguration account from Matthew 17:1-9. We'll look at events that take place before the Transfiguration, as the disciples attempt to tell Jesus who He is. We'll then explore the significance of Jesus' encounter with Moses and Elijah on the mountaintop. From there, we'll conclude with exploring why the transfiguration is important to fully understand the East...

We have a new format! :-) This week's episode concludes our four-part series on mental health. This week I will reflect on what churches can do to best promote mental health and how we can help one another in our mental health journeys. Texts that I reference within the message are: Ephesians 4:11-16 James 2:14-26

As we move into part three of this series, the focus turns to things that we can do individually that can help promote our mental health. This is all grounded in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It must start there! Bible texts to reference: 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 and John 15:1-9 .

In the second part of our series on mental health, we will explore three common mental health struggles: grief and loss depression anxiety We'll begin by looking at expressing our feelings. Texts to check out include: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 and John 14:1-6.

This week is the first of a four-part series focusing on mental health. There are three major points I want to establish this week: Mental health affects us in some way, directly or indirectly The Bible offers many examples of folks who had mental health struggles We love God best, and promote our own mental health, when we help our soul, heart, strength, and mind. Scriptures references include: 1...

This is Baptism of the Lord Sunday and the gospel reading for this week is Matthew 3:13-17 . I decided to share some of my thoughts on the sacrament of baptism. I'll spend some time talking about the differences between Christians over time about what the best way is to baptize. I'll reflect on what baptism signifies for us. I'll finish by expressing some of my concerns about living out our baptis...

Focus Text: Isaiah 60:1-6 This week's sermon comes on Epiphany Sunday, remembering that time when the wise men came to visit the young Jesus. Matthew 2:1-12 chronicles this account. The Old Testament Reading for this Sunday comes from Isaiah. I chose to focus on this reading for the service. We'll do the following: Understanding the context for the reading and how it fits into Epiphany Reflect on...

This Sunday we wrap up the "Our Dear Christ Enters In" series with a sermon called "Company Comes." We explore Luke 1:39-45 and Mary's interaction with Elizabeth...what do Elizabeth's words have to tell us about Jesus?

As we continue through our series called Our Dear Christ Enters In , we focus on Luke 1:26-38 and explore "baby names. We'll look at gender reveal parties, times in the Bible in which God reveals the gender of babies to come and explore how Jesus got his name!

Our own homes experience hurts, whether they are within our control or not. Where do we find God in midst of out hurts? We look at Luke 1:5-25 and see how Zechariah and Elizabeth experienced hurts in their lives, but remained faithful and experienced something remarkable in their life! How can we seek to acknowledge our hurts, but not lose our connection to God?