The Rev. Nick Lannon

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Genesis 18, in which Sarah laughs at God's suggestion that she and Abraham will have a son. God, however, is faithful and a promise-keeper in the face of her faithlessness. This is Good News for us: God brings something out of nothing, life out of death, and a family from a barren womb.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Genesis 1, in which God creates, and Matthew 28, in which Jesus commissions his disciples. What does it mean that God is a trinity, three and one? It's Good News: it means he is your creator, your redeemer, and your sustainer, all at once.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Acts 2 for Pentecost Sunday, in which the Holy Spirit is released into the world. How can our fractured world be redeemed? By the release of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Good News about Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on 1 Peter 4 and 5, in which the apostle tells his readers to rejoice in their sufferings, and John 17, in which Jesus prays for his disciples just before his arrest. There is Good News for sufferers: you are never alone, and your battle is already won in Christ.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Acts 17, in which Paul preaches to the Athenians in the Areopagus. Their urge to worship, he says, is correct...it's just aimed in the wrong direction. Paul gives them the name to worship: Jesus Christ, the one who was raised from the dead for the sins of the world.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Acts 7, in which Stephen is martyred, and John 14, in which Jesus claims to be the way, the truth, and the life. How do we respond when we hear that there is a God, and that we're not him? We can put our fingers in our ears, or we can repent and beg for a savior. The Good News is that Jesus, that savior, is always there for us.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on John 10, in which Jesus refers to himself both as an open gate and a good shepherd. What Jesus is teaching us is that he's everything to us, and he is the source of our safety.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on 1 Peter 1, in which the people are told that an impartial God will inspire "reverent fear." Our God, though, is both impartial (judging everyone fairly) and partial (loving only his righteous son). The Good News is that Jesus has covered us by his sacrifice for us, and for the sins of the world.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Acts 2, in which Peter preaches the first sermon after the resurrection. In just a few sentences, Peter tells the whole story of Christianity: God is glorious, we are grave sinners, and yet, we have a grand grace, on account of Christ, which saves us.

On Easter Sunday, the Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon about death and resurrection. Jesus', yes. But yours as well. The new life you have is a free gift from Jesus, on account of the empty tomb.

On Good Friday, the Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Jesus' comforting words to the thief on the cross: "Today, you will be with me in paradise." What Good News this is to those of us who, like that thief, are justly accused.

On Palm Sunday, the Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon about the crowds desire for Jesus to liberate them from their Roman oppressors. He came to liberate them, for sure, but not in the way that anyone expected. He came to free them, not from worldly oppressors, but from sin and death.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on John 11, in which Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Jesus has bad news for us: we're not fixer-uppers...we're dead. But there is Good News: Jesus raises the dead to new life.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on John 9, in which Jesus heals a man born blind. That man decides that, while there is a lot about Jesus he doesn't understand and that is perhaps difficult to believe, the most important thing is that Jesus has given him his sight. In the same way, Jesus has opened our eyes. That means everything.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Romans 5, in which Paul urges us to rejoice in our sufferings, and John 4, in which Jesus has a profound interaction with a Samaritan woman. It is only when our sufferings show us our helplessness and needs that we can rejoice: they point the way to our savior.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Numbers 21, in which the wandering Israelites are oppressed by poisonous snakes, and John 3, in which Jesus compares his own "lifting up" to the bronze serpent Moses lifts up in the wilderness, saving the people. Jesus is most exalted by being laid low; he saves us by being sacrificed on our behalf.

On Ash Wednesday, the Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Matthew 6, in which Jesus cautions his followers not to draw attention to their acts of devotion. So what are we doing putting ash on our foreheads? Well, this ash is an admission of weakness, of humanity, of the need for a savior. Thankfully, in 40 days, we'll celebrate that savior's finished work.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Genesis 2-3, in which the serpent tempts Eve, and Matthew 4, in which Jesus is tempted in the wilderness. These two stories show us the Good News: that where we fall prey to doubt and sin, Jesus is faithful to the end.

​On Ash Wednesday, the Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Matthew 6, in which Jesus cautions his followers not to draw attention to their acts of devotion. So what are we doing putting ash on our foreheads? Well, this ash is an admission of weakness, of humanity, of the need for a savior. Thankfully, in 40 days, we'll celebrate that savior's finished work.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Matthew 17:1-9, in which Jesus is transfigured on the mountaintop. The law and the prophets, while both glorious, might as well have no glory at all compared to the surpassing glory of the Good News of God in Christ: the salvation of sinners.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on 1 Corinthians 3, in which Paul chides the people for their divisions, telling them they're not ready for "solid food." How can we talk about spiritual maturity? Whenever Paul confronts bad behavior or immaturity, he does so by stoking faith. In other words, we don't need to do better...we need to believe more.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Matthew 5:13-20, in which Jesus asks his followers to be salt and light to the world. How do we reconcile Christ's free gift of righteousness with this call to radical obedience? It is, in fact, that free gift which creates us anew, bringing forth obedience in our lives.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Luke 2:22-40, in which the boy Jesus is presented in the Temple. Simeon is able to wait, in faith, on God to keep his promise. How? Aren't our lives about striving to fill void after void? The Good News is the God is a promise-keeper, and Jesus is his promise kept.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on 1 Corinthians 1, in which Paul addresses some divisions in the Corinthian church. Jesus, he insists, is the only important thing, a message which sounds like foolishness to the world, but is the power of God to those who are being saved.

The Rev. Nick Lannon preaches a sermon on Isaiah 49, in which Israel is sent out to witness to the nations. How can a sinful people do God's work? When it's actually God doing the work and when the work is to announce the Good News that God saves sinners!