Sunday Sermons from Trinity UMC Lincoln, Nebraska

This is a day of new beginnings! e begin a new series, Restoring Faith, with a brief word about how faith begins… and begins again.

Join us for Christmas Eve 2025-- God and Sinners Reconciled!

It’s the week before Christmas… Doesn’t it just feel like the world needs to slow down be quiet and slow down for a moment? Today, we’ll look at a quiet moment in the very first Christmas story, when everything paused long enough for wisdom to break through. It’s a simple, gentle reminder we might need right now: sometimes the holiest thing we can do is take a breath before we react.

Join us for Appalachian Winter, a special Christmas Cantata presented by our choir:From Joseph Martin comes a cantata that celebrates the legacy of early American carols and hymnody. Composed in the spirit of folk music, the cantata combines traditional sounds with more rustic elements creating a blend that is fresh and pleasing. This musical offering will uplift your spirit and prepare your heart...

Sometimes the season is so busy it practically begs us to slow down and change direction. Today we’ll hear the story of  John the Baptist  calling us to “change our hearts and minds—“ and explore how even our overfull lives can point us toward a needed turn.

Ever feel stuck waiting? Advent says that’s exactly where God does God’s best work. As we enter this season of holy anticipation, we’ll look at why the “not yet” matters—and how waiting can shape us in ways rushing never will.

We spend so much of our lives chasing happiness… you’d really think we’d find more of it. Join us as we learn from a story of Jesus and a man named Zacchaeus. He suggests that if you want happiness to find you, start with gratitude, generosity, and kindness. (It’s the perfect message for Thanksgiving!)

Does paying the bills ever lead to a dark cloud around your very soul? Most of us know what it feels like to live with no margin. But what if margin isn’t just a financial concept? What if it’s a spiritual one — the space God needs to grow something new in us? This week we’ll look at a story Jesus told that gets right to this feeling. We’ll discover how creating margin in our lives makes space for...

The world is spinning right now. What if there were a way for you to stand peacefully while it does? This week we’ll read Psalm 112– a compass for uncertain times— and discover the ironic, counterintuitive, subversive truth that open hands lead to steady hearts, even when everything around us spins. Because in a world of not enough, the open-handed find life.

The veil between heaven and earth is thinner than we think — that those who have gone before us still surround us, shaping who we are and cheering us on. The saints are nearer than we think. Now we carry their fire.

The first followers of Jesus discovered something extraordinary—and immediately invited others to share in it. Andrew brought his brother Simon. Philip found Nathanael. Each encounter began with a simple, powerful invitation: “Come and see.” Our sermon will explore how genuine faith naturally overflows into invitation—how sharing Christ isn’t about pressure or perfection, but about welcoming other...

God isn’t rattled by the things that rattle you. If your mind replays today and pre-plays tomorrow—big meetings, family tension, headlines shouting worst-case—you're not alone. This week we’ll finish the Sacred Assumptions series with an OVERLOOKED lesson of the Bible: God’s role in mental health. We’ll hear the story of Elijah in the desert, as God sends help to bring him back from the brink.

What if the questions of science aren’t a threat to faith—but the very thing that keeps it alive and growing? This Sunday at Trinity we’ll look at Genesis 1 alongside the discoveries of scientists from Copernicus to Teilhard de Chardin. We’ll ask how faith and science can work together—not as enemies, but as partners in wonder. You’ll leave not just with answers, but with better questions—the kind...

They’ve predicted the end of the world more times than we can count—1844, 2011, even  LAST WEEK on TikTok!  Every time, the world keeps on spinning. So what do we do with all this “end times” talk? Is it just fearmongering—or is there real hope buried in the Bible’s strange imagery? This Sunday we’ll open Romans 8 and Revelation to discover the good news: God isn’t plotting our escape but promisin...

Ever blamed God for a bad day—or thanked God for snagging the perfect parking spot? But what if sometimes that’s not God at all—just us, projecting our own fears and desires onto heaven? From ancient battlefields to our own prayer journals, people have always struggled to tell the difference. This week we’ll hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:38-48 and discover a simple plumb line for knowing what’s r...

Ever been told the Bible says something that just doesn’t “smell” like Jesus? This Sunday we’ll dig into some of the most misused passages in Scripture—verses about women, verses about LGBTQ people—and discover what happens when we stop skipping the hard parts and start reading the whole story. Join us as we reclaim the Bible not as a weapon, but as the living Word that still calls all of us to lo...

Ever been told that the Bible is clear about hell? This Sunday we’ll kick off our new series Sacred Assumptions by looking at one of the most common—and most troubling—beliefs people think the Bible teaches. Together we’ll dig into what Jesus actually said, where those ideas came from, and why they might not mean what we’ve always assumed. Instead, you’ll be invited to take an honest look at your...

Ever feel like you’ve got all the pieces of life, but they never quite come together? Today we’ll feature A Minecraft Movie as part of our annual Faith at the Movies series. We’ll explore how a digital world of blocks and creativity points to one of the Bible’s most enduring truths: the body of Christ only comes alive when each of us brings our part to the table. You’ll leave asking: “What block a...

Ever feel like life is tangled and sprawling—like you’re busy but not really growing? Today we’ll look at Jesus’ words in John 15: “Remain in me and you will bear much fruit.” And we’ll talk about how a simple rhythm—a kind of trellis for your soul—can make all the difference. Join us as we close out our Shaped by the Rhythm series with a blessing over the rhythms we choose together this fall.

Ever feel like your life is already so full that even the good things have nowhere to fit? This Sunday we’ll talk about the “sacred yes”—the kind of yes that’s worth protecting, even if it means saying no to other good things. In Mark 1, we see how Jesus, in his humanity, modeled both a clear yes and a courageous no—and how that clarity shaped his entire rhythm of life. Join us as we learn how to...

Wasn’t it just yesterday they were in diapers? Now it’s school drop-offs, packed lunches, and “Dad, can I have the car?” Time moves fast. Too fast. And if we’re honest, we spend a lot of it tired, distracted, and telling ourselves we’ll slow down later—once the schedule clears, the kids are older, or things finally calm down. Today, we’ll look at a moment in Jesus’ ministry where someone wanted to...

Ever find yourself rushing through the day… only to realize the day has shaped you more than you shaped it? This week we’re launching a new series called Shaped by the Rhythm. As school starts and schedules shift, it’s the perfect moment to ask: What rhythm is forming my life? We’ll open Romans 12 and discover that daily routines aren’t just habits—they’re spiritual formation. Whether it’s chaos o...

Ever notice how one deep, honest breath can reset your whole body? Today, we’ll trace a simple rhythm— Breathe in, Live, Breathe out—through Jesus’ promise of “life to the fullest.” You’ll hear stories of the kind of people you just want to be near, we’ll take a check of how our church is doing, and we’ll walk away knowing exactly how to inhale God’s life and exhale it into the people around you....

Ever walked into an old warehouse-turned-restaurant and thought, “Wow—great vibe”? Today, we’ll open Galatians 1:13-17 and discover how God does the exact same thing with people. Paul’s life was demolition-ready, yet grace kept every strong beam and repurposed the whole structure. You’ll leave asking:  What if the trait I’ve always called “too much” is actually the raw material God wants to renova...

Ever walked into a room and wondered if there was a secret password you never got? This Sunday we’ll crack open a first-century showdown where church insiders tried to guard the door—and discover how a handful of rebels flung it wide instead. You might be surprised to hear whose names were left off the guest list… and whose fingerprints are still on the latch today. Join us as we explore how faith...