Sunday Sermons from Trinity UMC Lincoln, Nebraska

When was the last time you threw a tantrum? Yes, YOU. 😊 We’ve all seen kids lose control in a public place. The parents among us have all felt bad for the kids’ parents, while saying, “I’m glad it’s not me!” But if we’re honest, even the oldest among us have moments we’re not proud of. This week, we hear such a story about a prophet in the Bible. Yes, that’s right, a prophet, chosen and equipped...

This week we examine our “stains” in the light of God, and specifically through the lens of Jonah—AFTER he got spat out of the whale. The good news is that God’s grace washes us clean and helps us to see that we are new creations in Christ. Join us for worship this morning as we sing, pray, and grow our way closer to God!

It's easy to put your suitcase in the closet, but what do you do with your internal baggage? Do you know someone who says, "the only time that I think about that is when you bring it up, other than that it never really bothers me",?  In reality, burying your baggage does not make the pain go away, and it keeps manifesting in ways that hurt you and others. Today, Pastor Jef...

Join us in our continued sermon series: Be Intentional.

Prayer is often defined as simply, “talking to God.” This isn’t a wrong definition, but there’s more to prayer than just talking. As we take a look at what it means to be intentional in prayer, we’ll consider how we learn to pray, even if you’ve been doing it your whole life. We’ll also consider how the seeds planted in prayer can sustain, equip, and transform us for God’s work in the world.

Ever been turned off by people who use scripture in a way that’s shallow or even harmful? We’ve all seen it, from quotes taken out of context to wall hangings that seem to do nothing but get dusty. This Sunday we will continue our series on how to rebuild our lives in a way that is intentional and profound by looking at the role of the Bible. We have a sense in our gut that God should be our found...

This week we dive into our “Be Intentional” series in earnest: as we rebuild our lives post-pandemic, how do we include space for God to be our foundation? We use the word “worship” a lot in church, but this week we’ll talk about what it means and how we can do more to encounter God in it.

For the last year, life has happened “to us,” with little we could do to change our circumstances. But it doesn’t have to be that way going forward. This week we begin a new series to help us rebuild our lives well, with the right foundation, in a way that will leave us healthier than we were before the pandemic. As life ramps back to normal (we hope,) what can we do to safeguard our hearts and ou...

How would you live if you already knew how things would end? This week is the GRAND finish to our HOPE series as we dive into the biblical book of Revelation. Many find Revelation confusing or even scary, but when you learn more about it, it’s actually a book of profound hope. So profound, as a matter of fact, that knowing what it says will shape your outlook and your actions for the better—every...

Who first taught you to hope? Was it a parent or a grandparent who assured you that your scraped knee would heal? Was it a teacher who believed you were capable of success? God sent the world hope in a person—Jesus—so why shouldn’t we learn it from the people in our lives, too? This week we hear the story of Paul in the Bible, who clearly drew on the people he held close to sustain and motivate hi...

Enough with words of hope. There comes a time for action. Today our series looking at how God brings hope in the different parts of the Bible turns to the Gospels, the stories of Jesus. What we see is hope with flesh and bones—hope embodied in a person, actively working not to tell people about a better future but to help them get there for themselves. Join us this morning to hear—and more importa...

Where do you find hope when all seems lost? Sometimes we get discouraged when life is hard—not only in our life but in our walk with God, too. We ask questions like, “How could God let me go through this?” We wonder if God is even there! But the prophets in the Bible speak directly to this question and show us that God is indeed with you! Join us as we hear about just how hopeless life seemed in t...

I’m at the end of my rope! Have you ever used that phrase? (Of course you have-- we all have!) We’ve all found ourselves in situations where our strength wasn’t enough, where we couldn’t do it on our own. What exactly is God’s role in this? Today we start a new series walking through different parts of the Bible to see where good, faithful people of the past have found God’s hope. It turns out the...

The sermon for Rev. Eduardo Bousson 

Do you remember when you first started to “get” what it means to be a person of faith? (Or, are you still waiting for that moment?) This Sunday we have a special celebration. Baptism marks the beginning of our faith journey and how God claims us as people of great worth. But, when we’re baptized as infants, the time eventually comes when we claim that promise for ourselves, confirming our faith. &...

So many people get stuck on the cross of Good Friday or, more commonly, wallow in the neither-here-nor-there muck of Holy Saturday. But the risen Christ calls us to something greater: to embrace the new thing God is constantly doing in our midst. Just as Spring is popping up all around us, so new life blooms within us—when we let it.

This week is Palm Sunday, which we usually—and rightly—celebrate with palm branches and shouts of Hosanna, just as happened when Jesus entered Jerusalem. This year Pastor Jeff will fill in some of the political satire that was going on, too; you may be surprised by the not-so-subtle jab Jesus was directing towards the oppressors of the world from the back of that donkey.

Did you know there’s a prayer book in the middle of your Bible? This week we continue to let God shape and mold us by turning to the Psalms, songs or prayers that have proven themselves valuable for several millennia and counting. Pastor Jeff will talk about why this is important, and we will pray together one of the most beloved psalms, but one you might not be familiar with: Psalm 51. Join us fo...

At Trinity, we talk all the time about being “Fully Alive.” (Or, about wanting to be fully alive, anyway!) But what does it mean? This week we read one of the scriptures that inspired that phrase, not only for us but for a number of other great people as well. We’ll talk about how a form of death can sometimes sneak into our lives and how, exactly, we find a truer life on the other side. Join us a...

Jesus is angry. Not an easy thought, is it? We tend to think of Jesus as the embodiment of love, and surely he IS love in the flesh. But in today’s scripture, he gets so mad at what he finds that he turns over tables and scatters coins to cleanse the temple. What does it mean for you and me? What does it mean for our world today? Join us this morning for some “anger management—” Jesus style!

Has your life turned out the way you wanted it to? None of us can say a 100% “yes” to that. Yet, while life might not be prefect, aren’t there things about it you wouldn’t trade for the world? This week we hear a story of Jesus’ disciples reacting negatively when faced with the fact that following Jesus means encountering the cross. But Jesus knows that it’s the unexpected—and sometimes undesirabl...

When you hear “Noah’s Ark,” what do you think of? Animals 2 by 2? God giving up on humanity? Or the rainbow? …and if you think of the rainbow, do you really know what it means? Because it’s about a lot more than floodwater! Today is the first Sunday of Lent, the season of the church year where we do things differently out of a desire to draw nearer to God. For our worship services, our scriptures...

Isn’t it nice when music notes blend together in beautiful harmony? Don’t you wish people would do that, too? This week we wrap up our series on the “One Another” phrases in the Bible as we hit the motherload in the book of Romans, culminating in “Live in harmony with one another.” Pastor Jeff, who loves thinking about music more than making it, is going to give us a music theory lesson (ok, he’s...

Do you ever shut the world out? Ok, sometimes it’s a good idea, like when we crave solitude. But that’s not what I’m talking about—do you ever shut the world out from something in your life that’s meant to be shared? Like when you have a problem that others could help with? Or when you have a talent or a passion but keep it to yourself? This week’s “One Another” phrase is “Submit to one another.”...

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever had to do to take care of someone? This week’s “One Another” is one whose meaning is easily minimized by American Christians: “Wash one another’s feet.” It was even more unpleasant and undignified in Jesus’ time than in ours. Yet Jesus uses it as an example of what God is doing in the world—if you don’t “get” this, then you don’t understand any of it.