Wallula Christian Church Sermons

At the start of a new year, we often try to fix things, start new habits, and hope for progress in our lives. Before we look at health goals and habits, we need to ask ourselves, "How am I seeing Jesus?" The woman at the well gives us a picture of a transformed life after simply seeing Jesus for who he truly is.

The gift of Jesus at Christmas time leads us to see numerous ways we are blessed by his life, death, and resurrection. 

Christmas has a rich history of family traditions, and every year we welcome people, food, and maybe even Santa into our home. But most importantly, Christmas is about welcoming Jesus into our lives.

There is a lot of work that goes into a Christmas celebration. You will probably hang some decorations, prepare some delicious goodies, and maybe even wrap some gifts, all to prepare for Christmas. John the Baptist, from his birth, was all about preparing the way for Jesus!

This season is filled with all kinds of stuff that vies for our attention. There are lights, decorations, parties, presents, and so much more. This Christmas, we have to decide what is truly worth our attention. We have to determine who truly deserves our attention and praise. 

We love a good “rags to riches” story. The small-town kid goes off to the big city and becomes a big-time success; we are drawn to that storyline. Perhaps that is a reason the Bible remains the all-time bestseller; it is full of these kinds of stories. God loves to use the underdog in big ways!

If you look up the definition of “expectation”, it says, “a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.” Have you ever heard from a friend, “You have to try this restaurant,” or “You must watch this movie,” only to be disappointed by the meal or fall asleep during the movie? What happens when someone or something doesn’t meet your expectations? Have you ever felt like Go...

In our world, the concept of “thoughts and prayers” draws much criticism. It is routinely believed that time spent praying is time that detracts from practical action. It is interesting that in this very practical letter, James wraps up his letter with encouragement to pray!

Waiting can be uncomfortable, whether for a conversation to end, an appointment to begin, or a next step to arrive. James reminds believers that we live in a similar season of anticipation as we await Christ’s return. Instead of growing restless or discouraged, we are called to remain patient, steadfast, and hopeful, trusting that the Lord’s coming is near and living faithfully in the meantime.

Jesus once told a story that we sometimes refer to as the parable of the “rich fool.” It was a story about a farmer who had a more-than-usual bountiful harvest. He decided to build bigger barns for his harvest instead of giving some away. He died that night and never had a chance to “enjoy” his riches. It's amazing that overall this time, people’s attitude about money hasn’t really changed.

Do you remember the first time you put on a uniform for work or for a team? Or do you have a favorite item of clothing? Certain outfits just make you feel like you can face the day or conquer any challenge. As followers of Christ, the armor of God is what we need to take a stand against the enemy.

Did you ever play the game, Simon Says, as a kid? It is a simple game of following instructions. What was the key to winning Simon Says? The key to winning the game was knowing when or who to obey. As followers of Jesus, each of us needs to live a life of obedience to Jesus.

There are so many important relationships in our lives that require attention and time to grow and develop. Marriage is a unique and important earthly relationship that Paul highlights in Ephesians 5. This relationship between husband and wife is second only to our relationship with Jesus.

Walking is important. Many of us count our steps on a daily basis aiming for either 8,000, 10,000, or even 12,000 steps!  What happens when we are coming up short of our goal at the end of the day? We walk a few extra steps to simply ensure we reach our goal. While physical steps may ensure heart health, our spiritual walk has a much great impact. We should all strive to further our spiritual walk...

I remember the first year I played tackle football. I was in seventh grade and our “locker room” was behind the curtain on the stage in the school gym. Forty twelve year old boys disrobed and hung up sweaty practice clothes on a series of coat racks on that stage. By the end of the season that make shift locker room had a certain aroma. If we never change our life ends up stinking!

One summer I worked on an assembly line at a card factory. Everyone had a job to do in order for these Christmas cards to be packed and delivered. One person loaded the boxes onto the line, another folded the flap over in the box. My job was, and this is a technical term, to skootch the cards over after they dropped from a machine into the box. Another person put the lid on and finally someone loa...

Eugene Peterson said, "There can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life, apart from an immersion in, and embrace of, community. I am not myself by myself.” We need each other to be equipped and transformed, perhaps that is why unity is so important to Jesus.

Do you remember the kids’ song “The Hokey Pokey?” The lyrics say, You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you put your right foot in and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve never really been sure “what it’s all about?” But I do know that many people try to go through life with one foot in the world and one...

We live in the age of information. If we have a question about which direction we need to head on our trip, how to repair a toilet in our home, or who was the 27th president of the United States of America, we can access that information in a matter of moments. As followers of Jesus we want to exercise real wisdom not just knowledge.

We all have heard the children’s phrase, “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While it is a nice idea, most of us have discovered over the years, it’s not really true! The words we use are truly powerful.

What does real faith look like? If you look the word “faith” up in the dictionary it would say something like, complete trust or confidence in someone or something . Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen . Still, the question remains, what does it look like to live out our faith?

What is your favorite color? Do you have a favorite flavor of ice cream? What about TV shows or movies, do you have a favorite? Choosing a favorite color, flavor of ice cream or television show is natural and good, playing favorites in relationships is more problematic.

Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” This is sort of a bleak outlook on life, but it reminds us that everybody is sure to face some challenges in life, and we have to decide how we will respond to life’s tough times.

Do you remember playing hide and seek as a kid? One person was “it” and would close their eyes, count to “10,” while everyone else was busy hiding. When “it” finished counting, they would yell, “Ready or not, here I come!” And the search was on! Sometimes we live our lives like a game of hide and seek when we ought to be alert and standing watch.

Do you ever struggle to ask someone else for help? Why is it so hard for us to admit that we require assistance? Habakkuk is finally there. He admits that God’s people are lost and need help from their Creator, and yet He seems so far off.