Salem First Friends Church

As the floodwaters finish receding, Noah sends two birds out from the ark. What does this scene have to teach us about looking and listening to God's presence and direction in our lives?

Most people are familiar with the "David vs. Goliath" story. But, where did David get the courage to face that giant?!? That's what we're exploring as we revisit that famous scene. 

To conclude the series, Success and the Shape of Life, we look at one particular passage and the suggestion that knowing Christ is a good barometer for a "successful" life. But, what does "knowing Christ" entail according to the apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 3?

Jesus releases his followers to walk in the world as sheep among wolves, and to do so while being "as shrewd as snakes, and as innocent as doves." What does Jesus mean by the strange metaphorical pairing of these animals?

Influence is everywhere! Being influential is now even a vocation! Are Christians called to be influential? What does a successfully influential Christian life look like? 

When it comes to living a "successful" life, how we handle and process our pain is of the utmost importance. 

We all have an innate desire to be seen. How do we handle that need? What do we do to seek to fulfill it? And, how do our pursuits of success and importance overlap with that desire to be seen and known? 

This sermon takes a look at two biblical characters (Jeremiah and Paul) and how each felt about their qualifications. Are you letting a perceived lack of qualifications hold you back from pursuing God's calling in your life? Are you holding too tightly to what you think makes you qualified and missing out on a potential Divine pivot point? 

We're kicking off a new series of sermons, called Success and the Shape of Life, that will explore how our definitions of a "successful life" have a huge impact on the kinds of lives that we live. This first message focuses on the "success scripts" we've been handed... and if we want to keep living according to them or not. 

On Easter Sunday morning, after spending weeks looking at the ways that the apostle Peter "missed the mark," we now see him in the presence of a resurrected Jesus. What message does Jesus have for him, and how does it still speak to us today? 

For the final scene of Peter's failures in the "Missing the Mark" series, we examine his (triple) denial of Jesus. Peter moves farther and farther away from Jesus, with both his words and physical proximity... eventually ending up "outside" and "weeping bitterly" about his mistakes. What does his experience have to teach us today? 

The next scene of "Missing the Mark" in the life of the apostle Peter happens as Jesus is being arrested. When Peter responds with hasty, and well-intentioned, passion to defend his Lord, Jesus gives a quick rebuke that is in line with all his other teaching about adversarial violence... even if it's not what we want to hear. 

In this second message in a short, four-part series that will take us through the remainder of the season of Lent, we continue to focus on the failures of the apostle Peter and what we can learn from them as we reflect on our own failures and brokenness. In this episode, we cover the story of Peter being affirmed for declaring Jesus as "Messiah," and then (quickly) rebuking Jesus and being labeled...

This is the first message in a short, four-part series that will take us through the remainder of the season of Lent. The series is called Missing the Mark and will focus on the failures of the apostle Peter and what we can learn from them as we reflect on our own failures and brokenness. In the first sermon in the series, we see Peter walking on the water toward Jesus... until he starts to sink. 

Moving on in our Open Invitation series, we open up chapter 17 of Luke's gospel and hear Jesus describing some of the key features of what it looks like to "do life together" in the Church as brothers and sisters in Christ.  

In this episode, we arrive at one of the longer parables that Jesus tells: The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. It has a lot to teach us about poverty, wealth, death, and resurrection. 

Next up in the Open Invitation series, we dig into three verses in the middle of Luke 16 that just don't seem to fit with everything else around them. Or do they? 

We're bouncing back to Luke chapter 16 to hear what Jesus has to say in the immediate aftermath of his telling of the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, which includes a well-known line about the impossibility of serving two masters. 

We're heading back to the well-known story of The Prodigal (Lost) Son in Luke 15 to take a look at the older brother, who is highlighted at the end of the parable. What does Jesus have to teach us through the words, attitudes, and actions of this critical character?

In the next message in the Open Invitation sermon series, we'll unpack a tricky parable from Jesus. The story of "The Shrewd Manager" can be difficult to understand on the surface, but looking a little more deeply reveals a beautiful reminder of how we should use what we have cleverly and wisely. 

In this message in the Open Invitation sermon series, we work through the final of the "triad" of "lost parables" in Luke chapter 15: the well-known story of The Prodigal (Lost) Son. 

We're back in the Open Invitation sermon series that has been taking us on a long and winding trail through the gospel of Luke! In this message, we open up Luke chapter 15 and seek to learn about God's attitude and posture toward "lost things." 

With the final Sunday of 2025, the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's, we're unpacking what Ephesians 4 has to teach us about God's desires for the Church. 

Christmas Under Wraps Pt. 4 - The two kings found in Matthew chapter 2, Herod and Jesus, couldn't be more different! This message will contrast the two rulers, and observe the core values of their kingdoms. Which king will you choose?

Christmas Under Wraps Pt. 3 - (warning: Pastor Pete's voice was affected by a severe cold during this sermon!) This message explores the importance of understanding why Jesus is referred to as Immanuel, God with Us.