the Cross Orlando

A Lenten message drawing on the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17) and the widow's oil (2 Kings 4), preached as the COVID-19 pandemic began, encouraging believers to name their needs honestly and trust that God delivers tangible, even supernatural, hope in the midst of bad circumstances.

A Lenten sermon on Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19) and the parable of the minas, teaching that salvation rests on belonging and identity as a child of Abraham rather than performance, and that knowing we belong frees us to repent and live like our master.

A Lenten message on the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14), exploring Jesus' unfailing compassion, the disciples' limited compassion, and God's provision, paired with the Lord's Prayer's petition for "daily bread" to encourage reliance on God for our needs.

Opening the Lenten season, this sermon works through Romans 1-3 on sin as humanity's attempt to bear God's responsibilities, teaching that righteousness comes not by works but by faith in Jesus, and inviting the congregation to write confessions acknowledging their need for forgiveness.

A study of 1 Timothy 2, where Paul urges prayer for those in authority so believers can live peaceful, quiet lives that are godly and dignified, arguing that the "mystery of godliness" in Christ equips Christians to bear God's character and be a beacon of hope.

1 Timothy

Wrapping up the lessons-from-Christmas series with Philippians 1, where Paul writes from prison that the God who began a good work will complete it, to argue that God is committed to each believer's holiness and that trusting his commitments gives confidence and singular focus, since to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Continuing the lessons-from-Christmas series on God's commitment to Israel, using the magi and Herod in Matthew 2, the Bethlehem prophecy of Micah 4-5, and God's one-sided covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, to show that God unequivocally keeps his promises and pursues even those who feel like a lost cause.

Continuing the lessons-from-Christmas series on God's radical commitment to holiness, working through three linked stories in Luke 5, the healing and forgiving of the paralyzed man, the call of Levi the tax collector, and the new-wineskins parable, to present sin as an ontological reality and forgiveness as a complete new-creation change.

Part of a series on lessons from Christmas, opening with the Apostles' Creed and arguing from Jesus' full life story, including the calling of Matthew in Matthew 9 and his Ephraim retreat in John 11, that God is not transactional but is present in and has redeemed every stage and emotion of human life.

A post-Christmas message on God's commitment to flesh and body, using Jesus' healings in Matthew 9, Paul's teaching on the resurrected body in 1 Corinthians 15, and Job 19 to affirm that the body matters and will be redeemed.

An extended-Christmas message on how the incarnation reveals God's determination never to give up on humanity, tracing the recurring call to "be fruitful and multiply" from Eden through Noah, Abraham, and the Babylonian exile despite human fear and myopia.

A third-week Advent message on joy, drawing from the raising of Lazarus in John 11 and the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 to show that because Christ rose, death is undone and believers will share joyful reunions with their people in the life to come.

An Advent message on the resurrected Jesus in John 21, where he makes breakfast for his disciples on the beach and restores Peter, illustrating Jesus' deeply personal, reciprocal love and the hope of a world to come.

A guest speaker preaches the final core value, "life," from Romans 5:20-6:4 and Saul's conversion in Acts 9, on dying to sin and living a new life in Christ, sharing her own struggle with anger.

Concluding the core value of "lineage" from Romans 5 and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, arguing that believers inherit a life of love, joy, and peace through the faith handed down from Jesus through Paul, Augustine, and Luther.

Introducing the core value of "lineage" from Romans 5:12-21, contrasting Adam's sin with Christ's one act of righteousness and emphasizing how Jesus, rooted in real history, gives believers the capacity to reign in life.

Continuing the core value of "peace" from Romans 5, on rejoicing in suffering that produces endurance, character, and hope, alongside John the Baptist's counsel in Luke 3 to live justly within one's station rather than abusing power.

Beginning the core value of "peace" in the opening verses of Romans 5, that having been justified by faith we have peace with God, building on the previous weeks' study of story in Romans 4.

Continuing the core value of "story" through Romans 4 and Colossians 1, presenting Jesus as the new beginning of the story and "Christ in you, the hope for glory," with Paul filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

Opening a series on the church's core values with "story," using Matthew's genealogy and Romans 4 to show Scripture as a story of God with his people and Abraham's willingness to receive God's gifts by faith.

A guest speaker, a counselor, preaches on Psalm 131 from the Psalms of Ascent, exploring humility, contentment, and trusting that God is in control like a weaned child resting with its mother.

A study of Psalm 133 from the Psalms of Ascent, on how God blesses his people with the gift of life forevermore when they dwell together in unity, illustrated by the anointing of Aaron and closing with a remembrance of baptism.

Continuing the Psalms of Ascent series with Psalm 130, paired with Peter's denial of Jesus in Matthew 26, on crying out to God from the depths and waiting on him like watchmen for the morning, trusting that even there God offers steadfast love and plentiful redemption.

Continuing the Psalms of Ascent series with Psalms 126 and 127, paired with Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8, on remembering God's provision across generations and trusting him for salvation without anxious toil since unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain.