Trinity United Presbyterian Church

“ ...That whoever believes in him...” Jesus taught Nicodemus that God’s love reaches far beyond the Jewish nation. This message was clearly articulated in God’s covenant with Abram (Genesis 12:1-3) and taught by the prophets (Isaiah 2:3) In Nicodemus’ context however, there was a sharp divide between the Jews and Samaritans (addressed in John 4) and especially between the Jews and Gentiles. Jesus...

“ ...That he gave his one and only Son...” God paid the ultimate price because God treasures us as the ultimate prize. As one song says, God “... didn’t want heaven without us...” Jesus taught Nicodemus the necessity and the possibility of being born again (see John 1:12-13). The Pharisees based their system on the assumption we need to earn God’s favor. Jesus taught that life isn’t about what we...

“For God so loved the World...” It’s all about love. Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisee, Nicodemus, lays the foundation for the gospel message. It begins with hope (advent theme): God didn’t give up on the rebellious creation. When we turned away, God did not turn away from us. Love is not God’s second choice. Love is the heart of God’s character. God’s love gives us new life (2 Corinthians 5:1...

Because of a very limited exposure to scripture and stereotypes of “hellfire and damnation” preachers who proclaim, “Turn or burn!” many people have the idea that God is angry, or at least always irritable. Psalm 103 is one of many scriptures that proclaim God is “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” The Hebrew word hesed means God’s long-suffering patience and unwavering commitment to...

Many Christians today, although we believe in God, live our everyday lives as if God doesn’t exist. We say we believe in God but live our lives as if God wasn’t in the room. We call ourselves Christians, but we live as if God were dead. We aren’t daily running the race that God set before us, instead our lives look like this: I believe in God, but I compartmentalize my faith into one day of the we...

Does God Help Only Those Who Help Themselves? Many believe God only helps “saints,” whom they define as those who impress God with their character and sacrifice. True saints, however, are those who trust in the Lord and “work out their salvation” as God works in them. Yes, there is a tension between human responsibility and divine care. But the expression “God helps those who help themselves” (fro...

The great Reformation themes of God’s sovereignty and providence are grounded in God’s good, good character. If God were “great” without being good, God would be a tyrant. If God were “good” without being great, God would be unable to ensure the well-being and redemption of us and all creation. We will explore the soaring descriptions of God in Isaiah 40 and Romans 11 to expand our unwavering conf...

Some people think God is interested only in emergencies or in Big Deals. “Don’t bother God with the small stuff,” they say. They assume God is too busy to bothered by our “measly” concerns and problems. The truth is that God loves to be “bothered” by those who love him. Even as a parent or friend gladly pays attention to a loved one, so God eagerly attends to us. God will care for us in all situat...

Romans 12 talks about offering our bodies as a living sacrifice. Of course, the problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps trying to crawl off the altar! Today we’ll be looking at what it takes to offer ALL of ourselves to God: our bodies, our spiritual gifts and our finances.

Some people think God is stingy, that God resents blessing us, or blessing us more. They have the idea that there is a “quantity” quota, and they should save it for something big. Scripture teaches us God is generous, not stingy. We need to cultivate an “Abundance mentality” (Covey) that trusts God to provide whatever we need for life and service. As apprentices of Jesus, our perspective, values,...

Many people wonder if God really cares about them. Why would God be interested in their “little lives.” The essence of communion is celebrating God’s love for and interest in all the world, not just some “special few.” Communion presents the promise of continual connection with the Living Lord. Psalm 23 reveals God’s continual care for our lives in all situations. We celebrate Christ’s spiritual p...

We often mistakenly believe that God demands perfection, and either punishes or rejects us when we fail, as we inevitably do. When we have an unrealistic view of God’s expectations and an anemic view of God’s grace, we tend to engage in one of two unhealthy behaviors: reckless disobedience or joyless perfectionism. But God loves us in spite of—and even in the midst of—our failure, and can use our...

The Parable of the Talents warns us about the grave dangers of having the wrong idea about what God is really like. The wicked servant buried his treasure because he resented the master. His misconceptions about his master led to grave miscalculations in his actions and choices. And we are liable to the same problem. Our misconceptions about God lead to misconceptions about life, the world, and ou...

During times of crisis our first instinct is rightly towards self-preservation. We have real needs and hurts. Then when the dust settles. and our safety is relatively intact, the bold go immediately back into the fray to rescue others. The passive stay back saying “someone else will do It,” or “well they didn’t ask for help, I don’t want to offend them.” In the story of the paralyzed man, we see f...

Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees exposed the greatest danger of religion– turning faith from a vital relationship to a burdensome ritual. The Pharisees shifted the focus from the privilege of enjoying God to the necessity of pleasing God. Jesus said God gave the Sabbath not as an obligation to burden us, but as a gift to bless us. Ironically the Pharisees’ understanding of Sabbath made it the h...

Two encounters with “ritually unclean people,” following Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, revealed Jesus’ grace, mercy, and power for all who trust him. The leper’s cry expressed his hope awakened by Jesus’ teaching on God’s character (Matthew 7:7-12). “If you want, you can heal me.” Jesus’ reply “I want to” reveals Jesus’ love and response to all who seek him. The Gentile (perhaps Roman) centurion in...

Jesus’ encounter with Mary and Martha presents two approaches to life. The choice is not necessarily between sinful and righteous, nor between wise and foolish. It is a choice about how to live in a world of demands, troubles, and stress. One approach begins with spiritual focus, the other begins with worldly focus. It’s the difference between starting with the Lord and then moving into life, vers...

In the text that we have from the gospel of John, we see the Lord arriving in a locked room with some very fearful disciples. Jesus meets them in their situation and brings peace and he wastes no time in sending them out to share what they know about Jesus. Jesus also sends them out with two key features: the Holy Spirit and the admonition to forgive those who have sinned. As Jesus appears to his...

The image of cutting and pruning that Jesus provides is fitting to our lives. The gardener has a vision for this vine; a vision for us to cut away anything that would keep us from becoming what God intended us to be. We are called to abide in Christ Jesus. When Jesus says, “remain in me”, the invitation is to take up residence in Christ, just as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. In Christ...

Hypocrisy and upright religiosity are very unattractive. Jesus models grace and acceptance in the face of sin and shame. 1. Welcome to the hypocrites. 2. Who among us is without sin? 3. How do we maintain moral standards and not condemn others? 4. Change Your Story, Change Your Life 5. What are we called to do?

In the text that we have from the gospel of John we see that Jesus is preparing his disciples for his leaving and death. Jesus then describes what the Holy Spirit/counselor will be like in two particular roles—after Jesus leaves. The first role is that the Spirit/counselor will convict us of our sin, righteousness, and judgment. The second role is that the Holy Spirit/counselor is our guide for th...

One of the purposes of the parables is to take the theory away from Biblical truth and relate it to everyday life. Such is the case in the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. At first glance it appears that Jesus is affirming the behavior of the crocked manager. What we learn however, is that Jesus isn’t praising his dishonesty, but affirming him for being opportunistic. He had a limited time before hi...

We'll look at two contrasting encounters (children being brought to Jesus and the rich young ruler) that demonstrate how to find freedom. Here we find the barriers of status, "stuff" and comfort that can prevent us from experiencing and understanding the freedom found in Jesus. Jesus peels away false perceptions and invites each of us to live into an eternal kingdom with lasting freedom.

Humans long for freedom, only to find themselves in pursuit of passing promises and well intentioned dead ends. Over the next two Sundays (June 27 and July 4) we will examine three back to back encounters with Jesus which cut through the confusion to expose false pursuits and reveal ultimate freedom. In the quest for national freedom the Pharisees were convinced their righteousness would be the me...

Facades and surface-level conversations are barriers to deep and satisfying connection and community. God has given us the New Community to become a “safe place” to grow and change. The remedy to hypocrisy is compassionate vulnerability. Christ’s new community can be a safe place where we can unburden ourselves without fear of judgment, exposure, or belittlement. We can choose to make our fellowsh...