Pastor Taylor Shippy's Sermons

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 5:16-18 Elijah is one of the most remarkable figures in all of Scripture—a prophet through whom God performed extraordinary things. Yet James reminds us that Elijah was "a human being, even as we are..." In this message, we explore the surprising truth that a deep, vibrant relationship with God is not reserved for spiritual superheroes; rather, God desires th...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 3:1-12 Have we forgotten the power of our words—or do we underestimate it? In James 3:1–12, Pastor James reminds us that our tongues may be small, but they possess tremendous power to direct lives, shape relationships, and even create worlds! Join us as we explore the power and responsibility of our words—and what it looks like to use them for blessing rather than dest...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 2:14-26 What if faith is more than a noun—it's also a verb? In our message this morning, James confronts us was with a troubling possibility: that it’s possible to know all the right things about God, say all the right things about Jesus, and still lack genuine faith. James argues that authentic faith is like a sentence—it’s incomplete without verbs. Join us as we...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - James 1:2-8 Have you ever wanted to cut a verse out of your Bible? If we're honest — most of us have. And the text we're sitting with today might be the one that finally tempts you to reach for the scissors. "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2).  What if buried inside this strange, unsettling command is a pastoral wisdom sti...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-12 Pentecost Sunday In Genesis 11, humanity built a tower trying to reach heaven. In Acts 2, heaven came crashing down to earth. This Pentecost Sunday, we're reading those two stories side by side — and discovering that what God built at Pentecost is everything Babel was always reaching for and could never find on its own. We're traveling all...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - John 2:1-12 What if the best advice we could ever hear came from the lips of Jesus’ mother? At a small wedding in Cana, a quiet crisis unfolds. The wine runs out. Panic spreads. And Mary simply says: “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). In this message this morning, we explore the mystery of Jesus’ first miracle—and what it means not merely to believe in Jesus, but to actual...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - John 11:38-44; 20:1-10

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 28:16-20 At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus commissions His disciples with four verbs: Go. Make. Baptize. Teach. But which verb is the most important? In this message, we uncover the central verb at the heart of Jesus’ command—and how the others are meant to bring it to life.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - John 20:24-29 Have you ever noticed… That in every one of the Gospels… There’s at least one person… Who struggles to believe Easter? What if doubt isn’t the problem— But the place most of us begin? This morning we revisit the story of “Doubting Thomas”… And discover he may not be the exception we've always thought he was— Instead, he's a mirror. A story for anyone wh...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 27:57-61, 28:1-10 Easter Sunday On this Easter Sunday morning, we explore a surprising trend running through the life of Jesus: He was always borrowing things. He borrowed a donkey to enter Jerusalem.
He borrowed a table to share a final meal.
And by the end of the week… He borrowed a tomb. But Jesus never borrows anything without returning it… Transformed.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 26:14-16, 47-50 Good Friday On this Good Friday, we step into the shadows of Gethsemane and listen closely to one of Jesus’ most haunting and surprising words: “Friend, do what you came to do.” Through the lens of betrayal—both Judas’ and our own—we reflect on the sobering reality of sin, but also the breathtaking truth at the heart of the Gospel: that while we betra...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Zechariah 9:9-17; Matthew 21:1-11 Palm Sunday Palm Sunday reminds us that God’s promises are worth the wait—even when they don’t unfold the way we expect. This morning, we trace the hope of Zechariah to the arrival of Jesus, from the ruins of ancient Jerusalem to a King coming humbly, riding on a donkey… and a week that seems to end in disappointment. What looks like the dea...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 What if… when it comes to the Lord’s Table… we’re actually supposed to wear it—not just consume it? Not because we’re messy eaters. Not because we’re careless or flippant. But because, as the Apostle Paul says, “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26). In our final message of our Lente...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 26:26-29 On the night our Bridegroom was betrayed, Jesus lifted the cup and spoke of a new covenant. But this wasn’t just a ritual—it was a promise, a relationship, and an invitation. In this message from our Lenten Sermon Series “At the Table,” we explore how the Lord’s Supper confirms Christ’s sacrifice, renews our covenant with Him, and points us toward the weddin...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - 1 Corinthians 10:14-18 Continuing our Lenten Sermon Series “At the Table,” this week we explores another dimension of the Lord’s Supper. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 10:14–18, we discover that Communion is not only about our relationship with Christ—it also unites us with His people, the Body of Christ. Whenever we come to the Table, it becomes a declaration that though we are...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Luke 24:28-35 In a continuation of our Lenten series "At the Table," we explore a dimension of the Lord’s Supper we often overlook: the Table as a victory feast. Too often Communion feels like a funeral meal — quiet, somber, reflective. And while reverence matters, the resurrection changes everything. The tomb is empty. The King is alive. And every time we gather a...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Luke 22:7-20 What if the Lord's Table isn’t simply a memorial… It's a portal? In this message, we journey from the Passover in Egypt to the Last Supper in the Upper Room and discover that the Table was never meant to be mere nostalgia. It’s a meal that preaches the gospel—a meal that brings deliverance, grace, and freedom from the past into the present.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 17:1-9 "Transfiguration Sunday" On this "Transfiguration Sunday," we hear Peter’s well-meaning—but mistaken—idea: to build three 'tabernacles,' one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. What Peter didn’t realize is that he was actually on to something...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 6:13; Lk 11:4 This Sunday marks the conclusion of our Epiphany sermon series journeying through the Lord’s Prayer. This morning we explore how God forms His people through tests and trials, and why Jesus invites us to pray for protection, deliverance, and dependence on God in the face of real spiritual opposition in the midst of them.

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3 What if one of the most familiar lines in the Lord’s Prayer is also one of the most mysterious? Continuing our Epiphany Sermon Series, "Teach Us to Pray," this week we follow a trail of breadcrumbs from the wilderness of Exodus to Jesus’ words on the mountainside. Along the way, we encounter a strange kind of bread and a God who chooses to p...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 6:9-10; Luke 11:2 As part of our Epiphany Sermon Series, "Teach Us to Pray," this message continues our journey through the Lord’s Prayer by focusing on its opening triplet— “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done.” In a consumeristic culture shaped by “Have It Your Way,” Jesus reorients our prayers first and foremost toward God: His na...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:4-7 This sermon kicks off our new series, "Teach Us to Pray: An Epiphany Sermon Series Through the Lord’s Prayer." Many of us pray like we’re afraid of “throwing off God’s groove”—but Jesus says we don’t have to. Jesus invites us to learn how prayer begins not with performance or persuasion, but with relationship,...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Christmas Eve 2025

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Luke 2:8-15 Have you ever noticed that every time Heaven announces Christmas… Earth is always trembling? The first Christmas wasn’t necessarily picture-perfect or peaceful. As a matter of fact, it was actually frightening . A priest afraid to believe again. A virgin overwhelmed by God’s call. A carpenter losing control. And shepherds startled by the unexpected. This morning,...

Pastor Taylor Shippy - Joshua 6:1-27 This morning we explore what it means to live and navigate the the "Waiting Place" with God—those seasons of the soul where life feels circular, progress feels invisible, and the walls in front of us refuse to move. Through the story of Joshua and Israel marching around Jericho, we discover that waiting is not wasted, obedience is not aimless, and God...