TFRC Sermons

Matthew 9:9-13 Jesus calling Matthew to leave his life of being a tax collector, to be one his disciples, is a story of redemption. Tax collectors were despised by society for collaborating with the Roman government and having a reputation of greed, extortion, and corruption. Through Jesus’s invitation to follow him, Matthew's dignity and purpose/calling were redeemed. When Jesus was asked why he...

Luke 8:26-39 God tells the Israelites that He will set them free from the bondage of slavery to the Egyptians. Later, Jesus sets the demon possessed man free from his bondage. What is the bondage that we need Jesus to set us free from?

Matthew 4:18-22 When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He set them apart as His people - redirecting their purpose. When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John, He was setting them apart to be His disciples. He was giving them a new purpose; a more meaningful life. God continues to bring us out of our mundane lives to sanctify us for His purposes.

Exodus 6:6-7 The Passover tradition includes drinking from four cups - representing each of the four promises the Lord made to His people in Exodus 6:6-7. These promises would eventually be mirrored and fulfilled through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Matthew 4:1-11 Lent is the time we prepare our hearts for the resurrection of Jesus. We do so by reflecting on the life of Jesus, repenting from our sins, and self-discipline (usually through some kind of fasting). Jesus, Moses and Elijah all spent 40 days in some kind of wilderness fasting in preparation for the next step in their ministry.

Ruth 4:11-22 Ruth and Boaz take part in a story greater than our own. After the elders bless them, Ruth and Boaz have a son named Obed - the grandfather of David, Israel’s greatest king. The circumstances that led to their marriage were not by chance, but by God’s providential hand. Likewise, our relationships are not by chance. God has brought the people in our lives to us for a reason.

Ruth 3:1-13 In Chapter 3 of Ruth, Naomi comes up with a plan to make sure Ruth is taken care of through marriage with Boaz, Boaz fulfills his obligation as redeemer to Ruth, and ultimately God Looks out for both Ruth and Naomi. Similarly, we are all called to look after and care for our friends and family. Sometimes we have to be willing to accept and embrace other’s efforts to help us, and other...

Ruth 2:8-18 Having heard about Ruth's kindness to her mother-in-law, Boaz in turn shows incredible kindness to Ruth. He encourages his workers to be extra kind to her as well. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit that is relatively easy to practice, as well as one the world most desperately needs. God’s kindness to us should spur us to be kind to both our friends and enemies.

Ruth 1:8-18 After significant tragedies hit their family, Ruth and Orpah are determined to stay with their mother in law Naomi. Naomi wants what is best for them, which is to go back to their homes in hopes of finding another husband. Orpah does, but Ruth doubles down on staying with Naomi. Ruth is willing to sacrifice her best future to remain loyal to Naomi. How loyal are we in our relationships...

1 Peter 2:4-10 TFRC's 1st Peter standing stone reminds us that Jesus is the living stone upon which the church is built, and the cornerstone of our lives and faith community. As a faith community we are part of God’s chosen people called to declare our praise and devotion to him, partnering with him to build his kingdom.

John 7:37-38, Jeremiah 2:13 In Jeremiah’s day, the people had to rely on God to provide rain water for them to survive. It was much less stressful for them to build cisterns to store water for whenever they needed it. The problem water in a cistern, though, is that it eventually goes bad. When we try to control our lives in our own power, they eventually go bad too. The challenge is to live life G...

Exodus 16:14-27 If Egypt was Pharaoh's land and Israel was the promise land, then the desert could be considered God’s land. The desert is the place you need to wholly depend upon God. It is the place where God gives you just enough to keep going.

Luke 9:18-24 Jesus asks his disciples; “Who do you say I am?”, before predicting his death and telling them what it will mean to follow Him. When we look at the TFRC Cross Hill we remember our answer to that question.... He is our savior. The Cross Hill standing stone reminds us of the crucifixion of our savior, Jesus, and the great sacrifice he offered on our behalf. It is also a reminder of the...

Luke 17:11-19, Philippians 4:6 We often make prayers of supplication to God. God doesn't always answer them in the way we asked Him to but when He does, how often do we take the time to acknowledge Him? TFRC's Prayer Stone is meant for us to take the important step to remember and acknowledge when God answers our prayers.

1 Peter 3:13-18 Guest preacher Brian Vriesman unpacks the Apostle Peter's outline for Christian living.

Luke 1:46-55 In the Magnificat, Mary lifts up a song of praise in response to learning she would be bearing the Son of God. She reflects on and remembers what God has done for her, she remembers his attributes, she remembers his sovereignty, and remembers God’s faithfulness to Israel. The Christmas season is also a great time for us to stop and remember everything God has done in our lives. This i...

Luke 2:8-18 There are 3 instances where listening/hearing occur in this passage; the shepherds hear the message from the angel, the shepherds hear the angels praising God, and the people hear what the shepherds had to say concerning the child. The challenge we face every Christmas is to hear both the message of Christmas and what God may be saying to us this year.

Luke 1:26-33 Just as our traditional Christmas season brings about a time of anticipation, so the declaration to Mary of the conception and birth of Jesus begins a period of anticipation. Jesus’ name meaning “the Lord is salvation” spurs anticipation, and the complete fulfillment of the messianic promises of Jesus’ kingdom is something we continue to anticipate.

Mark 14:12-26 Pastor Chuck Swoboda takes a deep dive into the sacrament of Communion: its meaning, invitation and response.

Romans 12:9-13 As years go by, it is easy to become less enthusiastic about the faith and the faith community. But we are called to never be lacking in zeal. In order to maintain our spiritual fervor, we need to maintain our commitment to the community - apathy to the community leads to apathy in the faith.

Ephesians 4:29-32 One of the major killers of a community is Gossip. Paul instructs us to make sure that what comes out of our mouths is not something that will tear others down. We are instead instructed to lift them up according to their needs and speak in a way that will benefit those who listen. We are instructed not to grieve the Holy Spirit and by getting rid of any rage, anger, slander, or...

Romans 2:1-4 There is a reason why God is the ultimate judge and we are not; we are not worthy to judge all of humanity. Because of our imperfections we make for imperfect judges, so let’s leave judgment to God and worry more about how we are living our own lives. How great is it that we have a judge who is rich in kindness; a kindness that can lead us to repentance and restoration!

1 Corinthians 11:17-29 There are many things that divide us. In this passage it seems like socio-economics were the cause, keeping the church from coming together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner. Whatever the cause of our own divisions, they keep us from being the people of God we are called to be. As a community of faith, we are called to come together to be faithful witnesses t...

John 6:1-15 Guest preacher Pastor Brian Vriesman reminds us to measure the potential of ourselves and others through the lens of what Jesus can do in and through us.

Philippians 2:1-5 Paul calls for the church to be like minded, having the same love, and being one in Spirit. He calls them to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Selfish ambition hinders the unity of the body - by placing myself and my interests above what is best for everyone, I destroy the Spirit of unity in the body. What is best for everyone should be the priority of everyone.