Trinity United Presbyterian Church

"Jesus had to go through Samaria..." God creates divine appointments when I am given the opportunity to talk with someone about what is truly most important. But I am good at missing them. I need to become more attentive to the moments I don’t always see – people with whom we’d never think to have spiritual discussions. But what if we were attentive? So, stay open to what God might do. We challeng...

In the story of Philip and the Ethiopian we see the following: 1) Philip was listening to God and open to his promptings; 2) He reacted with instant obedience and took a risk; 3) God was already working in this man's life; 4) Philip was willing to initiate a spiritual conversation; 5) He was relevant in his speech; 6) He invited the man to a lifestyle not just a belief system.

Words that define “worldly” greatness are wealth, power, status, achievement, comfort, etc.  Jesus defines it differently.  Jesus said to be great in God’s eyes, we must become servants.  Words that define Jesus’ teaching are sacrifice, humility, generosity, quiet strength, compassion, and care.  This morning we’ll look closely at how Jesus taught and modeled servanthood to his disciples, and then...

God wants you and I to grow, and one of the most compelling gifts he gives us is community. He has fashioned us to need each other.

We will look at how general and special revelation declares God's glory. While creation shouts in general ways, it is only through the revealed Word of God that God's specific character and purpose are revealed. And only as the people of God respond to that Word that we can join the chorus declaring glory to God.

Create in me a clean heart so that I will always be near to your presence and I will declare your glory. “Have mercy on me oh God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

Create in me a clean heart so that I will always be near to your presence and I will declare your glory.

The Psalm, a hymn composed by King David, when he brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem. It is one of adoration and praise. The theme repeated throughout Ps. 96 is that God is worthy of our praise. We will identify the different things we are invited to give our allegiance to; looking at practical ways in which we can declare the glory of God, in our day-to-day lives.

Stewardship of . . . everything!

God is our Protector, Fortress, and deliverer and will keep us from being injury in time of trouble. “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place - the most high, who is my refuge - no evils shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foo...

1. The (apparent) Absence of God 2. The Thought Spiral 3. What is God doing? 4. The Right Response: Talk, Trust, Remember, Worship

God shapes and grows us in every season and circumstance. God's Word models a "dangerous prayer" that will spur this growth and transformation.

The human heart is often filled with restlessness and angst, longing for peace. Psalm 46 is one of the most comforting and encouraging passages we have in Scripture. It is a reminder that God is a strong fortress and source of strength, no matter what we might face in life. In God we find stillness for our souls as we rest in God’s providence.

We often hear this psalm at funerals, but it is mostly a statement of celebration for things we don't usually think are good. The psalmist celebrates dependence on God (vs 1-3), celebrates danger (vs 4), and celebrates the (often) unwelcome blessings of enemies and God's relentless pursuit of us when we flee him (vs 5-6).

When people live united (not in unison, but in agreement on what is most valued), it is a precious thing to God, a lavish expression of goodness (vs 2), and a miracle that blesses all those around (vs 3). Note: this is a psalm of ascent, meant to be sung as a 'rising chorus' as people were going to Jerusalem for worship. Jesus may have referred to this when he said "when you worship and remember t...

God is our rescuer. He rescues us from situations and from our own sin. We depend on his love, mercy and faithfulness.

What is God's vision for the Church? Pentecost began the church, and if we assume that the church began as it was intended to be, then the church is 1--for all (2:39), 2--expressed through the 12+ activities listed in 3:42-47. This also means that the church is NOT a building but a people, not a one-hour service but a community movement, not a convent of the saved but a movement of Christ's inviti...

The basic idea is that God tells us that we will suffer (through trials, & circumstances).  However, he promises us that he will be with us in the midst of suffering.

Jesus, the unique Son of God, calls you and me his mother, his brothers, and his sisters. This casts the Christian family in a different light -- If we seek to be Jesus' followers, we are invited to be his family. And we, therefore, are brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers with one anther. NOTE: Jesus does not say any of us are also his 'fathers' -- as the Unique Son of God, he has just on...

The resurrected Jesus cuts through our confusion to reveal the lens for understanding Scripture and our story.

What does Jesus mean when he says, "Do not worry"--? The link is in the "therefore" (which looks back to Matthew 6:19-20); worry is directly related to treasure (anything we value). So Jesus wants us to feel completely dependent on the supporting power of God. In short, we are not in control; only God is.

We'll focus on how the forgiveness and redemption of the Risen Christ in our lives allows our past regrets and mistakes to be “unhooked” from our sense of self (“I’m not a failure because of what I did…”), our relationships (“I don’t have to be ashamed because of what I did…”), and our calling (“I’m not disqualified from serving because of what I did…”).

For Jesus’ first followers, Resurrection changed everything. Because of the Resurrection, an encounter with Jesus becomes more than just an encounter with his ideas or teachings. Following the Risen Jesus reframes our sight – it changes how we view everything in life. But how do we know the resurrection of Jesus actually happened? The event comes with evidence that rational persons cannot ignore,...

Easter brings us a Challenge to Live into the Resurrection Life. The angel asked, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" We often spend our lives trying to find real life among things that are dead (things that will pass away). Jesus invites us to discover that real life is not in the temporal things around us (money, comfort, physical health, etc.) but in the deeper and more eternal things...