The College Church

Cain and Abel are just the first of many sibling rivalries in the Bible.  Why is it that our closest and most important relationships are often the most fractious?  Why does God's involvement often make our relationships more complicated?  In this sermon, Pastor Bill "follows the thread" of the sibling rivalry theme throughout the Bible. 

How does God respond when we mess up?  Why should we trust Him when evil people seem to get away with murder?  How can we break sin's power in our lives so that it doesn't take on a life of it's own?  These are some of the questions Pastor Bill wrestles with as we continue to explore the story of Cain and Abel.

The story of Cain and Abel is a story of sibling rivalry, jealousy and murder.  More fundamentally, though, it is a cautionary tale about the power of sin, and an invitation to know and love the God of justice, mercy and grace.

Anna and Simeon waited their whole lives to behold Israel's Savior.  In this sermon, Paul Sorrentino explores how God honored their faithfulness and patient hope and used them to encourage Mary and Joseph shortly after Jesus' birth.  He also shows how we can exercise patient hope in difficult times.

This sermon explores how Jesus, starting with His birth, redefines what love is.

Advent is a time for cultivating joy. But what is joy? And how do we get it? In this sermon on Mary's Song, Pastor Bill seeks to identify the sources of true joy and how we can cultivate it in our lives.

Jesus came to bring peace.  But true peace exists on the other side of conflict.  Jesus is able to bring true peace only by disrupting false peace--and the same will be true for us!

Hope is not optimism that things will work out. Hope is confidence in a Person, namely, Jesus. In this Advent Sermon, Pastor Bill unpacks the ground of hope, the power of hope and the impact of hope.

There are lots of perceptions about the Bible that are not true -like the idea that it's a book of rules, or just a random collection of unrelated stories. In reality, the Bible is telling One Big *(true) Story, and at the center of that story is Jesus. In this week's "sermon" Bill and Vi tag team the Greatest Story Ever Told!

How does God respond to human sin? In this sermon, Pastor Bill walks us through God's judgment and mercy in the aftermath of the fall. He then pans the camera back to see Genesis 1-3 in the context of the whole Biblical story.

Genesis 3 gives us insight into the underlying causes of our brokenness, and what it takes to heal not only our sin, but its affects.

Mysterious trees! Talking serpents! Deadly fruit! What is going on in this passage?!? In this first of three sermons on the Fall, Pastor Bill explains the significance of these bizarre images and how this passage both reveals our predicament and points to Jesus.

"It was not good for the man to be alone." How is that creation, the garden and God's presence wasn't enough for  the 'Adam  to flourish? What does Genesis 2 reveal about our need for human relationships? Does the Bible say that men should have authority over women? These are some of the questions Pastor Bill explores as he continues to unpack our "origin story."

Who are Adam and Eve? Are they historical people? Was Adam really made from the dust of the ground? What's up with the two trees in the garden? What does this ancient story say to us today? Pastor Bill wrestles with these questions and others in this sermon on the first half of Genesis 2.

Do science and faith contradict each other? Do we have to choose between taking science seriously and taking the Bible seriously? Pastor Bill explores these questions and offers a biblical framework for understanding the relationship between science and faith.

Genesis 1:1-2:3 is a Temple story. Pastor Bill explains how this text was written to comfort and guide God's people in exile, and how it speaks to us today.

Genesis 1:26-31 is one of the most revolutionary passages of writing in the history of the world. It offers totally unique answers to the questions, What does it mean to be human? What makes us unique? And why are we here?

Genesis 1 has been the subject of much debate for hundreds of years, causing, for many, a rift between science and faith. Could that be because we're reading it wrong? In this sermon, Pastor Bill challenges us to read the text through an ancient lens so that we can hear it as Ancient Israel would have heard it.  

The opening pages of the Bible (Genesis 1-3) are weird and wondrous. They also speak to some of our most foundational and urgent questions. In this primer, Pastor Bill offers an "orientation" to these chapters, and prepares us for the road ahead.

Do you feel politically homeless? Maybe that's not such a bad thing. In this final sermon in the series, Pastor Bill talks about the  call  to be politically homeless, and the  benefits  of being politically homeless. And gives four biblical charges for following Jesus in an election season.

65% of Americans are exhausted by politics. There seems to be a dearth of hope in our public lives.  In this sermon, Pastor Bill traces the theme of hope in the final days of Jesus' life as he accompanies and prepares the disciples for His death. Along the way, he explores the relationship between hope, community and justice, and a unique gift that we, the church, can offer the world.

Humility is in short supply in our political discourse. In this sermon, Pastor Bill contrasts "the partisan mind" with the Mind of Christ and explores how Christians can engage in civic life with greater humility.

America is suffering from an empathy deficit. In this sermon on 2 Kings 5, Pastor Bill explores the relationship between identity and empathy, why our capacity for empathy is diminishing, and how we can nourish it going forward.

Many Americans are dreading this election season. As Pastor Bill kicks off a new sermon series he'll explore what Jesus meant when He said, "My Kingdom is not of this world" and its implications for us as we seek to be salt and light during divided and confusing times.

As dual citizens of heaven and earth, we are called to be set apart and different from everyone else. In this sermon, Vi Tran encourages us to take comfort and have confidence in our heavenly citizenship. In everything we do, we are to seek God’s justice and mercy for God’s purposes and glory.