The River Church Sermons

This morning I arrived at Pete's right when they opened. As I ordered my cappuccino, Mike told me my drink was free today! I love when that happens! I have a Pete's card. When my points are utilized there, on occasion, my coffee is free! Have you ever been a "card carrying member" to something? Like the Sky Lounge for American Airlines or a member of a country club, Restoration Hardware, or anythi...

Imagine coming to the Communion Table, reaching out for a piece of the torn bread at the same time as a brother in Christ, who has just taken you to court in a bitter lawsuit. It happens. all. too. often. "I am shocked that you are suing your brother in Christ!" Paul, the spiritual father to his Corinthian children, can hardly believe what he is hearing-litigation dividing the church. This Sunday...

Two weeks ago, I had the honor of officiating Tara's brother's wedding in Portland. It was a beautiful day for the whole family. Sterling napped through the whole ceremony, so he missed dad-in-action, but at least he looked cute in his baby tux. One of the significant moments in the ceremony is the Declaration of Consent, especially the part where the congregation publicly affirms their support of...

Upside-down and inside-out. It's the beautiful and often bewildering trail to that scenic viewpoint from which we behold life from our God's-eye-view. It's the last open road to reality. The final crest to clarity. And this Sunday, Paul of Tarsus's inspired and inspiring reflections will take us there. If you want your life and relationships moving in the direction of health, truth, and freedom, j...

Don’t take yourself so darn seriously. Let’s take ourselves more seriously. These are the paradoxical imperatives Paul offers as an inoculation to the disease threatening churches old and new. In a U.S. Christian church context enamored by celebrity pastors, shiny new ministry brands, and tired old culture wars, how can we—a 12-year-old Jesus-following community—avoid the seduction of “Pop-Churchi...

Have you ever played that party game where everyone has the name of a famous person pinned onto the back of their shirt? You don't know the identity of the person on your back, but everyone else does. Your task is to move about the room asking questions that can eventually reveal the secret. There are two subtle realities manifest in the game common to other parts of our life: first, it is uncomfo...

When our kids were young and getting ready to walk to our neighborhood elementary school we talked them through safely crossing the street. Do you parents remember those conversations? We didn't talk about the weather, the history of paving streets with asphalt, or their cool new school clothes, and we certainly didn't try to impress them with our stories of bravely walking to school, three miles...

What if you’ve been looking at everything the wrong way? What if this last week, month, or decade has gone by allowing you to experience people, problems, or portions of your life through the wrong lenses? What if you’ve been watching key scenes in the unfolding adventure/stubborn drama/fog-shrouded mystery that is your life from a blind spot. These are just the kinds of scary-exciting questions t...

Our world and nation are going through a season of difficult division—evidenced most recently in the partisan back and forth applause on the floor during the Tuesday evening State of the Union speech. Politics easily divides, as does religion. The apostle Paul launched his letter to the Corinthian church because he was deeply grieved that partisan bickering and divisive behavior had begun to disma...

Our new series, A Beautiful Kind of Broken is an in depth study of I Corinthians, a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a growing and influential church in a lively Seaport that earned its place in the Roman colonies. Here's a story for you. It's the story of a prosperous, adventurous, diverse, influential, and growing city called Corinth. There lived a wonderfully diverse church community filled wit...

Last year, the big health company, Cigna, did a massive study across our country to investigate their hunch about Americans and their connections. Their discovery: most of us are lonely, or at least wish we could experience better friendships. Deep in the DNA of The River Church is the hope and drive that no one should have to live life alone. The church is God’s gift to help alleviate loneliness....

This Sunday Karl plans to encourage us from John 14 and talk about HOPE. Social commentators describe our world as being VUCA- volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. (Sounds like we need a little hope) Jesus says Hope is a father. The deep answers for our lives and our world are not going to be found in political solutions, referendums, economic uplifts or New Years resolutions but in a Dad....

As a kid, I always wondered what it would have been like to be Charlie. He finds the final golden ticket, a chance to meet the mysterious Willy Wonka. Except I didn't grow up poor like Charlie and my grandparents were not bedridden living out their days in our family room. Nevertheless imagine the excitement of a young boy getting the chance of a lifetime to meet the one who creates what every kid...

Generally no one likes a show off. In fact, there is something in us that kind of rejoices when a "show off" gets "shamed up". C'mon now tell the truth. It doesn't make you a bad person, just a person with bad thoughts sometimes- like me! However, in Proverbs 27 it's said, "let another man sing your praises and not your own mouth, even a stranger and not your own lips. Come join us this Sunday as...

I love, love, love the wonder of Christmas, but also find intoxicating the buckle-up drive of starting fast and fresh in the New Year. My unrealistic idealism has softened over the years, but I still set good goals and strive to see them accomplished. But as I seek renewal in my walk with Jesus, it is ironic that Christmas grace can so easily turn into New Year's duty and law. Why do I keep on try...

“Prepare the way for the Lord!” These are the words of the prophet anticipating the coming of God’s chosen King. We worship the King Jesus at Christmas and celebrate the fact that he was born to Mary and Joseph over two thousand years ago. Christmas has come and gone, yet Scripture tells us Christ will come again. Prepare the way! As we look forward to a new year, a new beginning, new diets, new i...

Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Devotional by The River Church of the South Bay

Of the many things I love about Christmas, near the top of the list is the fact that it sets the table for reflection on the past year. Where have I been in these last 12 months? Where do I find myself this Christmas and how does it compare to Christmases of the past? Where have I invested my life, relationships, mind, materials? Importantly, what's the status of my spiritual health? This year I'v...

In Mere Christianity, CS Lewis writes, “If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.” Stay with me. Read that again slowly. Why does the world have no meaning? Because there is a contrast. Darkness and...

The Christmas season always brings so much joy and warmth for me, with the anticipation of the little family traditions and celebratory moments: decorating a Christmas tree, walking through the Christmas light section in South Torrance, eating lots of my Nana's famous English Toffee, and watching lots of football. And this Christmas I get to celebrate with Sterling. I’ve heard there is nothing lik...

December 2, 2018 What kind of gift un-wrapper are you? a. The kind who folds and saves the paper, careful to peel the tape up without ripping anything. b. The kind who tears it all off ... and gets stuck on that huge lame bow that's been triple knotted (who triple knots a bow anyway?!) c. You have to wait for everyone to tell you three times to open your gift because you like to watch everyone els...

Who's hot right now? What's trending? Who's the game-changer? Front-runner? Paradigm-shifter? Leading Innovator/Expert/Entrepreneur? What will make my resume pop? How can I distinguish myself in the workplace/classroom/community? Am I Ivy League? Top tier? Avant-garde? How am I different? Fresh? Eye-catching? How many likes did that get? What's my legacy? Does this sermon blurb outdo my last one??...

I am a task-oriented person. I love projects and getting things done. I make lists and check things off with the joy of accomplishment—sometimes I even go back and write down what I have already done just so I can create a box and check it off my to-do list. Nehemiah was also a “get ‘er done” guy too. He was the right leader to rally the people and rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. But he knew hi...

November 11, 2018 Neh 8:10 is a well known verse: The joy of the Lord is my strength." How is joy our strength? How can we be stronger people because of joy? The answer lies within Neh 8. Strength comes when we find our joy not in our circumstances but in what we know is true of us according to what God says about us. Yet, we'll never know unless we pick up and read. People read a lot of things, t...

Many years ago I heard a speaker say these words: "Leaders are most challenged by two things, finishing well, and replacing themselves." I never forgot those words. I wondered when they would apply to me. Maybe some day in the future. Yet, I don't think you wake up one morning and say to yourself, "Today is the day I finish well and replace myself." I think it is something you live for. Paul menti...