Sounds From Sunday Morning

When we think of God, it can be easy to imagine all the images we find in popular culture. From movies, to novels, and songs, culture presents us with many images of who God is and what he is like. But what if all those images have betrayed us? What if God has given us something better than the images we find in popular culture. Tune in as we learn how Jesus is the perfect image and revelation of...

The opening pages of the Harry Potter series tells us about a boy who lived. Much like those books, the books of Exodus and Matthew, tell us about another boy who lived. Because this boy, Jesus Christ, lived, we too can find life––even as the powers of darkness threaten to take life. Find out more by tuning in to this Sunday message by Pastor Emmanuel.

In Advent, we not only await the coming King, we are also challenged to accept the coming King. In Matthew 1, we see the challenge and the good news that the coming king offers all those who wait for him. Tune in to learn more.

In Advent, we wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Apostles’ Creed affirms that one day Jesus Christ will return to judge to the living and the dead. As we wait, however, there are challenges. One of those challenges is doubt. What do we do when faith clashes with experience? What do we do when certainty turns to questioning? What do we do with doubt? Tune in to learn more.

What does the return of Christ mean for us today? Many people are eager to find out how it will happen and what it will be like when Christ returns. However, few actually think about what it means that Christ is returning. Tune in to this message by Pastor Emmanuel as we explore the meaning of Christ’s return.

Throughout history, there have been many who have sought “signs” of Christ’s return. People often examine the tragedies and circumstances of life and attempt to predict when Christ will return based upon major world events. Jesus, however, tells us something radically different in Matthew 24:36-44. Rather than predict, Jesus says, we are to prepare. Tune in to this sermon from Pastor Emmanuel to l...

What do we do when the dancing turns to mourning? The holidays can be a time when gladness turns to grief. Traditions and rituals are disrupted when we remember what we have lost. Lamentations 5 reflects on a similar situation as God’s people lament over all that they have lost, land, family, temple, nation, and rituals. Tune in to learn more about how to navigate times like these through the prac...

There are times when lament is not only necessary for healing, but also for hope. It can be easy to bypass the process of lament. However, Lamentations 4 teaches us that lament can serve as an autopsy that reveals where our false hopes led us and how they harmed us. In the process, God uses lament to lead us to Him, our true hope. Tune in to this sermon by Pastor Emmanuel to learn more.

When we go through grief, it is always helpful to find someone “who has been through it.” And yet, it is so hard to find someone who is willing to help us remember, reflect, and wrestle with the loss. Tune in to this sermon from Lamentations 3 which shows us how we can go through loss faithfully.

It's often hard for Christians to talk about anger? This is especially true when anger accompanies grief. Sometimes, Christians re-frame their anger or deny it. And yet, as we will see, scripture gives us a different way of addressing anger. When God's people lost all they had, they brought their grief and the accompanying anger before the Lord in a series of poems that we call Lamentations. Tune...

It can be easy to ignore or even downplay grief. Sometimes, it can be easy to fall into the trap of what some have called "toxic positivity." And yet, scripture validates grief time and time again. The book of Job, the psalms, and the book of Lamentations give voice to the cry of our hearts as we grieve. Tune in to this summarized sermon as Pastor Emmanuel preaches from Lamentations 1 and answers...

There are many competing visions of the future today. Politicians, business leaders, and "futurists" all sell us a vision of the future. In times of crisis and anxiety, it can be easy to listen and believe these voices. But what if God has a vision for the future that is much greater than anything anyone else can promise? Tune in to this sermon by Pastor Emmanuel to learn more about God's promises...

Exile, Eugene Peterson writes, means living in a place you do not want to be, surrounded by people you do not like. This is precisely where God’s people end up and in Jeremiah 29 God’s people find out that God sent them there, sustains them there, and sanctifies them there. Tune in to learn more about how God does each of these things in their (and our) experience of exile.

Where is home? It is a question that we ask when we meet someone for the first time. It’s also a question that we see played on movie screens or on the pages of great novels. God’s people also ask this question on the pages of scripture. Tune in to learn where God’s people find their true home when all is lost.

It can be easy to confuse hope with optimism. What we often find in scripture, however, is different. As Jerusalem is surrounded by Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah speaks words of truth that––while hard to accept––are also words of hope. Tune in to this sermon to learn more about what God does in the hard moments of life.

What is God doing when he sees the sin and evil in the world? It can be easy to think that God is far-removed or even apathetic to the things happening around us. What should our response be to the hard things that we read about or see everyday? Tune in to this sermon as Pastor Emmanuel shares from Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 and speaks about God’s action and our response in a world broken by sin.

Many today are offended by the idea that God would judge anyone or anything. And yet, there is something within us that longs for God's judgment. We know the world is not right, and we yearn for someone to take action. Could it be that our ideas about God's judgment are misguided because our ideas about God are wrong? Tune in to learn more as Pastor Emmanuel shares from Jeremiah 4.

It sounds mind-boggling to think that God would change his plans or his course of action. Yet, Jeremiah 18:1-18––along with other biblical texts––seem to indicate that God does change his plans. What can we know about God's ways with God's people? Does he respond to the actions of people? If so, how? Tune in to learn more as Pastor Emmanuel speaks about God's unchanging love in a changing world.

People often think they are called to "do" certain things in life. While it is true that calling involves doing certain things, one must never forget that God always calls us to Himself. The great temptation in life is to do things for God while ignoring God. Listen in as Pastor Emmanuel speaks on Jeremiah 2 and the dangers of religious work and worship without God at their center.

We often prioritize the “how” question over other questions. We want to know how to make money, how to be successful, how to find love. Jeremiah’s call narrative, however, shows us that there’s a better question than, “how.” A better question is “who?” Who calls us? Who are we? Who is God? Knowing the God who knows us and loves us is the first step in following his calling. Tune in to learn more a...

There are so many ideas about what it means to be a spiritual person. While some might think that it is about having special knowledge or unique inner spiritual experiences, scripture tells us something different. Galatians 6 tells us that the spiritual people are those who reflect Jesus Christ and the new creation he has brought through the work of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the Spirit Christia...

While it is true that Christ sets us free, he also invites us to walk in the freedom he offers. Walking in the freedom that Christ offers means becoming the type of person he desires us to be, believing the gospel, and standing firm. It means we say no to anything or anyone that threatens our freedom in Christ. Ultimately, the life of freedom looks like the life of Christ. Tune in to this sermon b...

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