Riverwood Church - Waverly, IA: Sermons

The Bible teaches that Jesus was without sin. And yet, we see in Mark 1 that Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptizer. Why we Jesus baptized? What was significant about this moment? And what does it mean for us in 2020? Listen in as one of Riverwood's elders, Ed Pavelecs, walks us through Mark 1:9-11.

This week, we begin a series studying the book of Mark, which will allow us to see the purpose and person of Jesus. If you want to learn more about Jesus, or be reminded of His awesomeness, listen in as Pastor Erin walks us through Mark 1:1-8.

According to Barna, Americans pray for their family, for guidance, for health and wellness, and even to express thanks. But one thing they don't pray for - boldness. Maybe it's because we are already bold. But more likely, we don't pray for boldness because we like our lives safe and comfortable. But if Riverwood is going to be a church after God's heart, we need to take a page out of the early ch...

Money. (Yep, we went there!) Why do churches seem to always talk about money? Well, we can't tell you why other churches talk about money so much. But at Riverwood, we don't talk about it as much as we probably should, but when we do, we look at not what we can get FROM you as much as what God wants FOR you. And we believe  God wants you to be generous like Him. So listen in as Pastor Erin Bird te...

Perhaps you've heard the phrase, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." There definitely are times in life a person needs to move fast. But for a church to go far, they MUST go together. But that proves to be especially difficult here in America, because Americans are extremely individualistic (plus, they prefer fast!). So how is a church in the midwest of the U.S....

We believe God has given Riverwood a very important mission, to invite the spiritually disconnected of our communities to find and follow Jesus. But are we accomplishing it? On Vision Sunday, Pastor Erin Bird helps us look back at 2019 to see how we did and did not accomplish our God-given mission, and Elder Tim Corcoran helps us look ahead to 2020 to see what might be ahead to help us continue he...

Every Christmas, churches and families will spend time looking at the stories of the various biblical characters involved in the narrative of the birth of Jesus (which we have done through this Cost of Christmas series). But there is one character that surprisingly sometimes gets overlooked: Jesus. So in this week's sermon, Pastor Erin helps us see through Philippians 2:5-11 what the first Christm...

Americans love to spend a lot of money and time on Christmas. Did you know the average American will spend over $900/person and spend well over 40 hours in the month of December on Christmas related activities such as shopping, traveling, and worship services? (Yep, that's a lot!) However, if you are a follower of Jesus, God has a different plan for your money and time than just to use it all on a...

The Oxford Dictionary defines livelihood as "a means of securing the necessities of life." But often times, we confuse what a "necessity of life" truly is, fooling ourselves into thinking wants are actually needs. These false "needs" keep Jesus-followers from a closer relationship with God. In week 2 of our Advent Series, Pastor Erin Bird shows us from Luke 2 the incredible risk the shepherds took...

If someone were to ask your friends to describe you, the words your friends use would reveal your reputation. Most of us hope to have a good reputation in life. But did you know that to follow Jesus might actually cost you a good reputation? In this first message in The Cost of Christmas Advent series, Pastor Erin Bird unpacks several passages of the Bible, showing how the first Christmas cost Jos...

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Launch Sermon PlayerEven back in John’s time, people were twisting what the Bible has to say about Jesus. Today, things haven’t changed a whole lot. Pastor Erin Bird of Riverwood Church teaches from the book of 1 and 2 John about how to walk in wisdom.

Last week, we saw in 2 and 3 John the power and importance of truth. But if a church is only about truth, it will cease to care for people. That's why John shifts from "walk in truth" to "walk in love." But what exactly does it mean to "walk in love"? Listen in as Erin Bird helps us explore 2 & 3 John to discover the second way for us to walk.

This week Pastor Erin Bird teaches from the book of Hebrews about how we should use rest to see Jesus. True rest is not: - a place - a day - lack of activity Rather, true rest is - a person (Jesus) - found in the gospel

Our culture is very work-centered. When we meet someone for the first time, we often ask, "So what do you do for a living?" If someone is in college, we ask, "What's your major and what do you hope to do with it?" But did you know the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection changes our approach to work? This week at Riverwood Church, Worship Leader Jake Epley teaches from the book of Colossi...

Subscriptions are becoming more popular than ever before. People spend money monthly on things that they think will give them contentment. Instead of relying on worldly things for contentment, we should seek the Gospel. Pastor Erin Bird of Riverwood Church discusses how we use the Gospel to find contentment.

When it comes to saving money, most of us believe we don't have enough.  Whether we have $10 in the bank or a million, we tend to think we need more. But what if God gives you money not simply so you can keep more for yourself, but use more of it to help others? Listen in as Riverwood's teaching pastor, Erin Bird, helps us consider from 1 Timothy 6:17-19 how God desires us to use the money we woul...

Well-known pastor Andy Stanley says that "Giving isn't about what God wants from you, it's about what God wants FOR you." Riverwood's pastor, Erin Bird, agrees. In this second message in the "Money Edition" of The Everyday Gospel, Pastor Erin shows from 2 Corinthians 9 that the financial contentment you long for comes not in a big bank account or huge pay raise, but rather through giving in six di...

It can be hard to earn a living and make ends meet these days. It can be even harder when God calls us to give to others out of those earnings. In this sermon, Pastor Erin uses Psalm 50 to dig into the idea of stewardship, what belongs to God and what belongs to us. He helps us understand what it means to follow Jesus and love others with our resources.

Some people seem to believe emotions are "bad" and should not be shown. Others, on the other hand, wear their emotions on their sleeve. So which is better? Are we to downplay our emotions so they don't lead us into making a poor decision? Or do we embrace our emotions so that we can feel alive, even if those emotions hurt those around us? In this third message in the "Self Edition" of "The Everyda...

All of us have a past. Some of us are quite proud of the things in our past - accomplishments, relationships, or fond memories. Others of us are ashamed of our past. And some of us probably have a mixed past, one filled with both pride and shame. But have you ever stopped to consider how the gospel speaks into your past, both the good moments and the regrettable ones? In this second message in The...

Riverwood joined Grace Baptist and Denver Baptist Churches for a combined outdoor baptism worship service and potluck. Jonathan Davis, lead pastor for Grace Baptist, taught us from Acts 10:34-43, showing us how the life of Jesus WAS the gospel, and how, through baptism, we declare the life and gospel of Jesus.

It is very important to have joy in all circumstances. But what do we do when something so tragic happens, that there seems to be nothing to be joyful about? How do we be joyful when things aren't going like we expect? This week, Pastor Erin Bird teaches why it is so import to find joy under all circumstances.

All of us are on a journey. On our journey through life, we encounter difficulties, struggles, obstacles, and even our own mistakes. How do we make it through the journey of life, and to do it with joy? Ed Pavelec, one of Riverwood's elders, walks us through Philippians 3:12-4:1, showing us the encouragement the Apostle Paul gave his original readers so they might find joy in the journey.

It is important to watch out for those who claim the Bible is wrong. It is also important to find joy in Christ alone. This week, Pastor Patrick Ray talks about the book of Philippians and where we should find our true joy.