Sunday Sermons from Trinity UMC Lincoln, Nebraska

This week Pastor Jeff will wrap up our series on the book of James and race with something you may not have seen coming: the power of words. James compares it to a rudder: that small piece of wood beneath a mighty ship that change its whole direction. So our own words, chosen— no cultivated— carefully, can change not only our hearts but our actions and the world. If you’ve ever wondered what YOU c...

This week Pastor Jeff continues our challenging series on James with an eye toward the racial tension in our country. We'll hear James the brother of Jesus say in no uncertain terms that if  your actions don't follow what you CLAIM you believe then your so-called beliefs mean nothing. Harsh words but they also remind us that our well-intentioned "thoughts and prayers" toward minorities are me...

We begin a new series this week on the book of James in the Bible. James was the brother of Jesus, and at least one thing clearly runs in the family— he tells it like it is. Fair warning: this series will be a challenging one, as Pastor Jeff also intends to help us find a faithful way to approach the racial tension in our nation.

Are you fully engaging worship from home? Forget the WFH ("Work From Home") movement, this is about WORSHIP From Home! We've been doing it via livestream for months now and are grateful for it. But worship is about so much more than what happens on Sunday morning!

Have you ever "gone through the motions" with Communion but sensed something deeper was going on? This Sunday we continue looking at the basics of faith with a special look at what theologians call "sacraments." For United Methodists that means Baptism and Communion. What makes them so special and why do we put so much energy into such simple things?

Is your faith as healthy as you'd like? Jesus once lifted up the idea of a fruit tree-- if it doesn't bear fruit, then something is incomplete. The same is true for us! Now before you get worried, take a close look... God may be doing more through you than you are aware. But that said, all of us could stand to live out our faith a little more-- with God's help.

Do you have enough friends? Deep friends who truly know you? Let's face it... even before COVID this was a problem for nearly all of us. Yet in the Bible, loneliness was present even before that first apple bite: "It's not good that the human is alone." We were quite literally made for connection!

How do you answer that yearning inside? Our yearning for God is like our thirst for water. Most of the time we don't even know we're thirsty. But take one sip and... oh, my, that water tastes good-- and we end up drinking the whole glass! The problem is that we don't always know where to begin.

This Sunday we begin a new series called “Home/Church” that will help us grow in the basics of the Christian life and the building blocks upon which our worship at home is built. This week starts out with “The What and How of Praying.” What is prayer? Does it do any good? Why bother?

Do you ever feel less than fully human? Have you ever noticed that some parts of this world just aren’t aligned with the way God made them to be? If so, then this sermon is for you! We’ll celebrate the Holy Spirit by hearing the amazing story of the first Pentecost day in the Bible. Part of what it shows us isn’t just a remarkable story of fire and wind, but one of imperfect people finally realizi...

Do you ever feel like God has given up on this world? You’re not alone… there are days when the evidence around us seems to suggest God has indeed given up. But this morning we’ll hear a message that may surprise you: the risen Jesus’ last appearance to his disciples offers evidence that not only has God NOT given up on us, but is, in fact, invested in this world’s future— personally.

So you’ve had some moments you’re not proud of. All of this social distancing and self-isolation has built to the point where it’s harder to bear. Maybe you’ve lashed out, maybe you’ve harbored resentment, maybe you just shut down more than you used to. This week’s sermon is for you. We’ll sing, we’ll pray, and we’ll hear the story of Peter who felt exactly that way after Jesus’ crucifixion and ar...

Did you know Jesus had a sense of humor? This morning, Pastor Jeff will share a story of the risen Jesus doing something you may never have noticed— teasing! That’s right, there’s a moment where Jesus appears to be having a good laugh with his friends. We hope you’re doing the same and that you’ll bring your laugh with you today!

Pastor Jeff’s sermon includes a story of when the risen Jesus appears to his disciples— wait for it— while they were in a locked room. Sound familiar? Join us and find that the risen Jesus is in YOUR quarantine shelter, too!

Have you ever noticed how stress affects your body? Or how your body being sick keeps you from thinking straight? Our minds, bodies, souls, and spirits are all connected. So what can we do to support our soul and our spirit? This week we’ll hear about how the risen Jesus also embraced and cared for his own body and see how we bring our whole selves to our faith, too.

This week’s premise might sound familiar: two disciples are walking along the road, just like so many of us are doing during social isolation, and they’re feeling downtrodden, not fully understanding Easter. What they discover surprises them and makes them describe their hearts as being on fire. Listen in— you might say the same thing!

Ok, let’s say one thing straight out— quarantine isn’t how any of us expected to be spending Easter. We miss seeing one another and singing “Christ is risen!” with our church. But you know what? Christ is STILL risen! No virus can cancel the resurrection, nor our hope!