Sermons on Hope
Pentecost 4C Building on the Promises of God Part 1: Promise, Promises, Promises
2 Peter 1:3-4 Could you live one day, one hour without depending on a promise given by another? Not really! We live by promise. But that is our problem. Promises are broken all the time. One of the great themes of the Bible is the demonstration of God’s ability to fulfill and faithfulness to his promises. So we live by faith in God’s promises. God’s faithfulness to his promises enables faith. This sermon is the introduction to a series on…
Pentecost 3C Overcoming Discouragement
1 Kings 19:1-21 Our text presents a rather surprising scene; the great prophet Elijah struggling with discouragement. But James 5;17 reminds us that “Elijah was a man just like us” meaning that even those of faith can struggle with discouragement. That is helpful to know but of itself is no solution. But the rest of the story is. Elijah’s story helps us to find resources for overcoming discouragement: fleeing to God, being sustained by God, a new vision from God…
Lent 5C ……. Pressing On
Philippians 3:8-14 As with every project or sporting competition, our lives of faith have critical points at which it is important to “press on”. The Apostle Paul talks about our pressing on in the faith. There is an urgency to strain ahead as with a sprinter. But there is also a forgetting of what is past. It is all to know Christ which is about the three Ts of time, talk and trust. Sermon Date: April 7, 2019
Always Enough
Pentecost 25B 1 Kings 17:8-16 You have heard it said, “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.” But faith works differently. The Prophet Elijah said to the widow of Zarephath, “Do not fear…first make me a little cake and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.” She was called upon to let go of that which was certain to gain the promise of God of never empty jars of flour and oil. Stewardship is a matter…
The Future Determines the Present
Often we approach life with the thought that the present determines the future. In some ways that may be true. But James challenges us to think about life the other way around. For the Christian the future can inform and determine the present. There are all kinds of things that stir us up. These are not just external but internal as well. James refers to this internal stirring as suffering, cheerfulness, and sickness. But how do we respond to these.…