Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Because of Jesus - Holy Week 2026

Sermon Title: Because He Lives (Easter Sunday)

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:12-28

Preacher: Ashley Herr

A Misunderstanding of the Resurrection (v12)

Ramifications of Believing There Is No Resurrection of the Dead (v13-19)

1. Jesus was not resurrected from the dead (v13)

2. The gospel is a lie (v14-15)

3. You remain enslaved to sin (v16-17)

4. Death is the end (v18)

5. We are without hope (v19)

Results of the Resurrection (v20-28)

• Because he lives, all that is promised will be fulfilled (v20)

• Because he lives, all those in Christ will be resurrected (v20-23)

• Because he lives, all that is evil will be eradicated (v24-26)

• Because he lives, all that is broken will be restored (v27-28)

Reflection

• The question is not if Jesus was raised from the dead or if he will return, but: Do you believe?

• Do you believe all that is promised will be fulfilled?

• Do you believe all those in Christ will be resurrected?

• Do you believe that all evil will be eradicated?

• Do you believe all that is broken will be restored?

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Because of Jesus - Holy Week 2026

Sermon Title: Because He Died (Good Friday)

Passage: Romans 5:6-11

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Reason - Why Jesus Died (v6-7)

1. Jesus died because we were sinners, in need of being saved

2. Jesus died because we were weak, unable to save ourselves

The Result - What His Death Accomplished (v8-9)

1. Because Jesus died, we are justified by God

2. Because Jesus died, we are reconciled to God

The Response (v11)

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Because of Jesus

Sermon Title: Because He Came

Passage: Luke 19:28-42

Preacher: Robin Philip

Jesus Came to Save :

• Because He Came as True Peace  (v28–36)

  • Jesus reveals something about His identity—His holiness.

  • Jesus reveals His kingship through humility.

  • Jesus reveals His sovereign authority.

  • When Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, He is not merely saying, “I come to bring peace.”

    • But by the way He comes—holy, humble, and as the Messiah

    • He is declaring something even greater: “I am your peace.”

    • Ephesians 2:14-17

• Because He Came as Promised King  (v37-40)

• This is the moment that Palm Sunday brings, Jesus brings you in a moment of confrontation not just for the disciples, not only for the Pharisees, not only for the crowd—but for us.

  • Either you hail him as King, or you dismiss Him as King.

  • Either He is on the throne or you are on the throne.

  • Either He is worthy of your life, or He is nothing more than a man riding into a city on a colt.
    

• Because He Came with a Weeping Heart (v41–42)

• Jesus sees what they cannot: He sees their rejection. He sees the coming judgment. He sees the consequences of missing the very Messiah they had long awaited.

• Jesus does not respond with anger—He responds with grief. Because this is the heart of God. (Ezekiel 18:23)

• The King rides in, knowing full well that the same crowd that cries, “Blessed is the King,” will soon cry, “Crucify Him.

  • ” The King knows all of this…

  • And still…He rides forward (to the cross)
    
    

Reflection

1. Are you seeing Jesus as your peace, or are you chasing moments of peace?

2. Is your life evident of Jesus’ kingship?

3. Is Jesus your Peace? Is Jesus your King? Is Jesus your Savior?

4. Does your life, the way that you are living, clearly and loudly answer these questions? 

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration

Sermon Title: God’s Got This

Passage: Joel 3

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. The REASON of God’s Judgement (v1-8)

Detain the Guilty (v1-2a)

Gather the Evidence (v2b-3)

• Crimes against God’s Creation, His Land

• Crimes against God’s Children, His People

  • Guilty of scattering His people, oppressing and inflicting violence against them

  • Guilty of enslaving His people, devaluing human life created in the image of God

Question the Defendants (v4)

Read the Charges (v5-6)

Announce the Sentence (v7-8)

2. The RESULt of God’s Judgement on His Enemies (v9-15)

3. The RESULT of God’s Judgement on His People (v16-21)

God’s Eternal Protection (v16,17b)

God’s Eternal Presence (v17a)

God’s Eternal Provision (v18)

God’s Eternal Promises (v19-21)

Reflection

• 1) What is it that you are afraid of, lurking in the darkness?

• 2) What is the injustice that has you raging inside, either because of what is happening that never should have happened, or because of what hasn’t happened that should have happened?

Read Psalm 46, reminded of God’s fierce protection, intimate presence, and abundant provision in your life - trusting God to fight your battles, knowing God’s got this!

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration

Sermon Title: And It Shall Come to Pass

Passage: Joel 2:28-32

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. I Will Pour Out My Spirit (2:28-29)

2. I Will Perform Signs (2:30-31)

3. I Will Provide Salvation (2:32)

Reflection

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration

Sermon Title: I Will Restore

Passage: Joel 2:18-27

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. The Promise of Restoration (2:18-20)

God’s promise of restoration includes:

• Provision

• Protection

God’s promise of restoration brings with it a sense of:

• Assurance

• Abundance

2. The Response to Restoration (2:21-23)

• All of God’s creation is called to respond (v21-22)

• All of God’s children are called to respond (v23)

3. The Result of Restoration (2:24-27)

God will restore:

• the things that were lost (v24)

• the time that was lost (v25)

As a result, you will:

• be satisfied (v26)

• praise the name of the LorD (v26)

• know God is with you and for you (v27)

Reflection

Reflect on the following questions as you read Psalm 126:

• What are you hoping God will restore?

• How will you live until that day comes?

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration

Sermon Title: Return to the LORD

Passage: Joel 2:1-17

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. Recognizing Sin (v1-11)

2. Respond to Sin (v12-17)

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Joel - From Repentance to Restoration

Sermon Title: Cry Out to the LORD

Passage: Joel 1

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Is It Worth It?

Passage: Acts 18:1-22

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Paul in Athens

Passage: Acts 17:16-34

Preacher: Robin Philip

A Provoked & Burdened Spirit (17:16-21)

God stirs your spirit, He unsettles your comfort

• Luke uses the word where we get the English word paroxysm; this was a righteous grief and burden.

• Paul’s provocation (Romans 1:25) does not lead to anger, withdrawal, or numbness. It leads to conviction

Reflect on the following?

• When was the last time lostness truly broke our hearts?

• When was the last time we looked at your city with compassion instead of irritation?

Proclamation of the Living God (17:22–29)

He exposes their deepest problem: misdirected worship = they were worshiping in ignorance; an idol, not God.

• “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” Romans 10:2

• Every person longs for meaning, purpose, hope. That is why all people worship.

  • That is why people chase success, relationships, pleasure, money, and power over Jesus  - it is misdirected worship.

  • “An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything that is so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.” - Tim Keller (Counterfeit Gods - The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters.

Reflect on the following?

• What is absorbing your affection and devotion more than God?

• What are you holding onto more tightly than Jesus?

• What do you run to for comfort, identity, and peace before you seek His face?

A Pressing Call to Repentance (17:30–34)

So what is Paul inviting the people of Athens into? He is calling them to repentance just like God calls us to repentance.

• Because God demands repentance from all (v30) - Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 2:1-3; Acts 3:19

• Because God delays judgment in mercy (v310 = 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 2:4

• Because God declares a Day of judgment (v31) - Matthew 12:36; 2 Peter 3:10

• Because God designates a Judge in Christ (v31) - Acts 10:42; John 5:22; Romans 3:10

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: A Tale of Two Cities

Passage: Acts 17:1-15

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Tale of Thessalonica (17:1-9)

Opening their eyes to the words of Scripture

• the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 53:3-7)

• king David (Psalm 22)

• the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 12:10)

• the Psalmist (Psalm 118:22, 16:10)

• the prophet Hosea (Hosea 6:2)

Consider the following questions from their accusations:

• How has Jesus disrupted your life?

• Does your life look any different from the world around you?

• Who is your king, lord over your life?

The Tale of Berea (17:10-15)

This week we are reading through 1 Thessalonians as part of our New Testament reading. If you would like a commentary to aid you in your study of Scripture, please reach out to Pastor Ashley

Reflection

1. Read through Luke 24:44-49 and ask yourself the following question: What word or phrase is the Spirit drawing me to in this passage?

2. Read through Luke 24:44-49 a second time and ask yourself the following question: What is God saying to me through this passage about who He is, what He has done, or what He has promised to do?

3. Read through Luke 24:44-49 a third time and ask yourself the following question: How is God inviting me to respond to what He has said to me in this passage? What is He asking me to believe for myself? What is He asking me to share with others? And with whom?

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Strengthening Our Faith

Passage: Acts 15:30-16:5

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. You need others investing in you (15:30-35)

2. You need others coming alongside you (15:36-41)

3. You need to invest in others (16:1-5)

Remember that the most effective discipleship happens in the mundane of the day-to-day.

Reflection

1. Who will I ask to invest in me?

2. Who will I ask to come alongside me?

3. Who will I invest in?

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: The Story of the Jerusalem Council

Passage: Acts 15:1-32

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. Reaction (v1-5)

2. Reminder (v6-12)

3. Request (v13-29)

4. Response (v30-32)

Reflection

What burdens are you bearing that God never asked you to bear? How are these creating a barrier to your own spiritual growth? Read Ephesians 2:11-22 as you reflect on these questions.

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Stand Alone

Title: Aligning Our Lives to God’s Will

Passage: James 4:13-17

Preacher: David Bronsveld

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting

Sermon Title: God in the Waiting

Passage: Luke 1:5-25

Preacher: Ashley herr

1. Matthew States His Claim (v1a)

Jesus is the Christ

2. Matthew Supports His Claim (v1)

Jesus is the Christ because he is the promised son of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16), son of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 22:17-18)

3. Matthew Validates His Claim (v2-17)

Thereby showing us:

1. God is faithful to fulfill His promises in spite of your unfaithfulness

2. God is faithful to fulfill His promises through you

3. God is faithful to fulfill His promises to you

God has promised:

1. He will never leave you or forsake you

2. Nothing will separate you from the love of God

3. Sin and death no longer have a hold on you

4. Jesus will return!

Reflection

Rather than dwelling on unmet promises God did not make, reflect on these promises God has made by reading them in Scripture:

1. Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20

2. Romans 8:38-39

3. Romans 6

4. Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting

Sermon Title: Encountering God in the Waiting

Passage: Luke 1:5-25

Preacher: Ashley herr

1. Waiting on God (v5-7)

• Waiting on God tests your trust in God, revealing if you truly trust Him

• Waiting on God tests your obedience to God, revealing if your faithfulness is in response to Him, or dependant on a response from Him

2. Encountering God (v8-17)

Encountering God in the waiting reveals that:

• God is working

• God is listening

• God is faithful

• God is present

3. Responding to God (v18-25)

Waiting is:

• Active

• Patient

• Open-ended

Waiting requires:

• Trust

• Hope

• Faith

Reflection

What if what you’re waiting to come, to happen, or to end never happens?

• Will you still trust God?

• Will you still remain obedient to God?

• Will God still be enough for you?

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting

Sermon Title: Assurance in the Waiting

Passage: Isaiah 40

Preacher: Robin Philip

1. God Assures Us With His Promised Word (v.1–11)

Where in your life are you leaning on things that wither like grass, instead of anchoring yourself in the unshakable promises of God’s Word in Christ?

2. God Assures Us With His Matchless Greatness (v.12–26)

1. The Sovereign Creator (v.12)

2. The Perfectly Wise One (v.13-14)

3. The Almighty Over the Nations (v.15)

4. The Incomparable One (v.18-20,25)

5. The Creator Revealed in Creation (v.21-22)

6. The One Who Names the Stars (v.26)

Waiting crushes us when God seems small.  So stop making God small. Where in your waiting have you lost perspective of God’s greatness?

3. God Assures Us With His Renewing Strength (v.27–31)

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Advent - In the Waiting

Sermon Title: Trusting God in the Waiting

Passage: 1 Samuel 1:1-20

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Problem (v1-2)

The Pain (v4-8)

The Prayer (v9-16)

Three Postures of Prayer:

• Pray Humbly (v11)

• Pray Intimately (v12-14)

• Pray Honestly (v15-16)

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: A Church That Endures

Passage: Acts 14:21-23

Preacher: Ashley Herr

A Church That Endures…

1. Continues in the faith

2. Expects Suffering

3. Appoints Elders

4. Prays Together

5. Fasts

6. Trusts in the Lord

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Finding Common Ground

Passage: Acts 14:8-28

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Two ways to find common ground:

1. Show God’s Love (v8-15a)

What Paul Did (v8-10)

• SEE the needs around you

• FEEL compassion for those in need

• Show God’s love by MEETING their needs

How They Reacted (v11-13)

How Paul Responded (v14-15a)

2. Share of God’s Goodness (v15b-28)

What Paul Said (v15b-17)

How They Reacted (v18-19)

How Paul Responded (v20-28)

• He continued the mission God had given him (v20-25)

• He celebrated all God had done through him (v26-28)

Reflection

• HOW will you show God’s love to those in your life, who are in need, loving your neighbor as yourself?

• WHO will you tell of God’s goodness?

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Faithful to the Mission

Passage: Acts 14:1-7

Preacher: Robin Philip

Spoke in Such a Way (v.1)

• Faithfulness is not ultimately measured by visible results, but by obedience—especially obedience in how we share the gospel.

• What does it mean to “speak in such a way”?

  • They relied on the Holy Spirit, (not their eloquence)

    • Acts 4:31 — And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

  • They reasoned from the Scriptures

    • Acts 17:2–3 — And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

  • They spoke with boldness out of necessity

    • Acts 13:46 — It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles

  • They persuaded hearts and minds

    • Acts 18:4 — “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.”

Persevering Despite Rising Opposition (v.2–3)

• Faithfulness is not proven in the moment of enthusiasm, but in the moments of endurance.

• God’s response to their perseverance wasn’t removing the opposition, but adding His Power to sustain them.

Expecting Division as Part of Gospel Ministry (v.4)

• The gospel unites believers — but at the same time exposes unbelief, confronts pride, and brings hidden darkness into the light (John 3:19–20).

• Light doesn’t just attract — it also reveals and divides

Exercising Wisdom to Stay or Go (v.5–7)

• Faithfulness is not just about how long you stay—it’s about obedience to God’s direction, whether He says stay or go.

• “Is the mission of Christ the lens through which I make every other decision?”

• “Am I willing to go where the gospel is needed, even if it costs me?”

  
  

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: A Word of Encouragement

Passage: Acts 13:13-52

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Promise of a People (13:17-20a)

The Promise of a Savior (13:20b-25)

The Promise of Salvation (13:26-41)

Two Responses (13:42-52)

Reflection

• How will you respond to this message of salvation?

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Led by the Spirit

Passage: Acts 12:25-13:12

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The People: Antioch (12:25-13:3)

1. Gifted by the Spirit (12:25-13:1)

2. United by the Spirit (13:1)

3. Led by the Spirit (13:2-3)

The Person: Saul (13:4-12)

1. Sent by the Spirit (13:4)

2. Led by the Spirit (13:5-8)

3. Filled with the Spirit (13:9-12)

Reflection

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Peter’s Deliverance

Passage: Acts 12:1-24

Preacher: Robin Philip

1. The Church Under Pressure (vv. 1–5)

•  The expansion of God’s kingdom provokes hostility and opposition from the world (v1-3).

• The Herods of the world hold the sword, but the church holds prayer - in the kingdom of God, prayer is the greater power (v5).

• The church’s power comes from prayer. 

  • This kind of prayer is born from desperation — not only circumstantial desperation but spiritual desperation. 

  • Spiritual desperation is not a condition of circumstance; it is a posture of faith. 

  • Desperation awakens dependence.

2. The Power of God’s Deliverance (vv. 6–11)

• Dependence welcomes deliverance.

• Peter’s deliverance points us to the greater deliverance of the cross and the resurrection — where Jesus broke the chains of sin.

• God does for us what we could never do for ourselves. He still delivers.

• And just like Peter in Acts 12:11 — “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me” — we can say the same today.

  • We can look at our lives and say, “The Lord rescued me.”

3. The Declaration of God’s Deliverance (vv. 12–17)

• Deliverance compels declaration.

• When Peter shares his story of deliverance, the church doesn’t just witness a miracle — they witness a message

•  Acts 12 holds a high tension we can’t ignore. Peter is set free… but James is executed.

  • The same God who opened Peter’s prison door also opened heaven’s door for James.

  • Deliverance looked different for each of them, yet God’s hand was in both.

  • When we can’t answer the “why,” we cling to the Who.

4. The Triumph of God’s Justice (vv. 18–24)

• We serve a God who is loving, patient, and abounding in mercy — but let us never mistake His patience for weakness.

• Our God is not fragile, and He will not be mocked.

• Justice is His alone, and no evil escapes His sight.

• God is kind but he’s not weak, He is gracious and he is holy holy holy and that should create a sense of healthy fear of God in our lives.

Reflection:

• How dependent are you on God in this season of life?

  • Why does your prayer life look the way it does?

  • What is the loudest thing your life declares?

  • Where have you replaced dependence on Him with confidence in yourself

• Confess the ways you’ve misplaced your trust — turn to His strength.

  • Turn from self-sufficiency to surrender

  • Turn from pride to prayer

  • Turn from control to trust.

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: One Church

Passage: Acts 11:19-30

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. We are One Church united in One Mission (v19-21)

• The what: witnesses of all we have seen, and heard, and know to be true of Jesus

• The where: our Jerusalem, our Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth

• The who: YOU!

• The how: by the power of the Holy Spirit within you

2. We are One Church united as One Team (v22-30)

• Sometimes we receive help from others (v22-26)

• Sometimes we send help to others (v27-30)

Reflection:

• Pray for churches in our neighborhood: Trinity United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Martha & Mary, Golf Road Baptist Church, Armenian Evangelical Church, St Paul Lutheran Church, St Raymond Catholic Church, Community Presbyterian Church, The Bridge, St John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago Mar Thoma Church

• Pray for churches in our network: Casa de Oracion (Round Lake), CrossPoint Church (Ingleside), Fierce Church (Grayslake), Meadowland Church (Johnsburg), New Hope (Round Lake), Northbridge Church (Antioch), The Orchard Church (McHenry), Redemption (Belvedere) - Learn more about Converge (our network) and Converge MidAmerca (our district)

• Pray for churches in our world: those we support (Elise Lex Deux Rives), those that are being persecuted (OpenDoors.org)

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Saul’s Story

Passage: Acts 9:1-31

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Saul’s Story:

1. Includes a Past (v1-2)

2. Interrupted by a Transformation (v3-8)

3. Involves Transformation (v9-19)

4. Ignites Purpose (v20-30)

5. Introduces Peace (v31)

Your story is no different!

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: When God Opens a Door

Passage: Acts 8:26-40

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Including the Excluded

Passage: Acts 8:1-25

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Title: Love Your Neighbor

Passage: Luke 10:25-37

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Scene 1: The Trap (v25-28)

Scene 2: The Escape (v29)

Scene 3: The Parable (v30-35)

Why we pass by on the other side:

• Assume

• Helpless

• Afraid

• Exhausted

• Inconvenient

• Undeserved

The Samaritan sacrificed his:

• Safety

• Time

• Money

• Pride

Scene 4: The Question (v36-37)

Jesus is teaching us in this parable:

1. WHO our neighbor is

2. HOW to love our neighbor

• by seeing the needs around you - physical, financial, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs

• by feeling compassion for those in need - listening to the story, learning their perspective, loving them in whatever situation they are in

• by taking action to love those in need

3. WHY we love our neighbor

We love because the God who is love first loved us! (1 John 4:8,19)

Reflection

Reflect on what Jesus is calling us as his followers to both DO and BE - to love your neighbor as your self and to be a neighbor who shows mercy

1. WHO is God calling you to love?

2. HOW is God calling you to love?

3. Remember WHY we love!

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Stephen’s Story

Passage: Acts 6:8-8:2

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: How can I help?

Passage: Acts 6:1-7

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: The Cost of Obedience

Passage: Acts 5:12-42

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Radical Generosity

Passage: Acts 4:32-5:11

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Praying for Boldness

Passage: Acts 4:5-31

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: In the Name of Jesus

Passage: Acts 3:1-4:4

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: A Spirit-Led Church

Passage: Acts 2:42-47

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: The Story of Pentecost - Part 2

Passage: Acts 2:22-41

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Peter’s Sermon (v22-36)

1. The Incarnation (v22)

2. The Crucifixion (v23)

3. The Resurrection (v24-32)

4. The Ascension (v33-35)

5. The Big Idea (v36)

Uses familiar imagery from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures:

• wind describing the Spirit of God (Genesis 1, Ezekiel 37)

• fire describing the presence of God (Exodus 3, 13, 19, 40)

1. The Spirit empowers us, to fulfill the mission Christ has given us

The Crowd Reacts (vv37-40)

1. Recognize the severity of your sin (v37)

2. Respond to your sin (v38a)

   • Repent

   • Be Baptized

3. Receive God’s Grace (v38-40)

   • Forgiveness of Sins

   • The Gift of the Holy Spirit

The Result (v41)

Reflection

1. Allow the Spirit to stir, revealing your sin, shining a light on what remains hidden in the dark

2. Recognize the severity of your sin - against God and against others - and the damage it has caused

3. Repent of your sin, turning from sin, turning to Jesus, and trusting in Jesus

4. Receive God’s grace and His forgiveness

5. Don’t just respond in faith through repentance, but also in obedience through baptism! If haven’t been baptized and you’re ready, please let us know! We’ll fill it up for this coming Sunday!!

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: The Story of Pentecost - Part 1

Passage: Acts 2:1-21

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Spirit Comes (v1-4)

Uses familiar imagery from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures:

• wind describing the Spirit of God (Genesis 1, Ezekiel 37)

• fire describing the presence of God (Exodus 3, 13, 19, 40)

1. The Spirit empowers us, to fulfill the mission Christ has given us

The Crowd Reacts (v5-13)

2. The Spirit unites us

Peter Responds (v14-21)

3. The Spirit overcomes what divides us

• True with regard to gender (v17b)

• True with regard to age (v17c)

• True with regard to social class or caste (v18)

Reflection

1. A Prayer of Reflection: Why am I so reluctant to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

2. A Prayer of Petition: Help me to be more reliant on the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Sermon Footnotes

• “God has come to them, on them, with them.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28)

• “Imagine peoples in many places, in many conquered sites, in many tongues all being told that their languages are secondary, tertiary, and inferior to the supreme languages of the enlightened peoples. Make way for Latin, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, and English. These are the languages God speaks.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p30)

• “to speak a language is to speak a people. Speaking announces familiarity, connection, and relationality.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28)

• “This new world order begins with collapse. God shakes foundations, especially ones that wrongly claim divine imprint.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p35)

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: Devoted to Prayer

Passage: Acts 1:12-26

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Devoted to Prayer (v12-14)

A church devoted to prayer prays:

• Passionately

• Dependantly

• Expectantly

• Persistently

• Regularly

• Collectively

• Privately

We are growing in our devotion to prayer by:

• Don’t just say you’ll pray; stop and pray

• 9:30AM prayer in the lobby on Sundays

• Sharing prayer requests in the Info Card

• Offering prayer after service

• First Wednesday prayer in the Upper Room

• Praying over the prayer requests shared by guests of The Pantry

Discerning God’s Will (v15-26)

Discerning God’s will requires

• Scripture

• Wisdom

• Prayer

Next Steps

We’re devoting the month of May to being devoted to prayer by:

• Join us for 9:30AM prayer in the lobby each Sunday in May

• Share a prayer request with the elders each Sunday in May

• Ask someone how you can pray for them, then stop and pray for them, each week in the month of May. We’re praying that we would be able to pray for 500 people this month. Text us the name of the person you prayed with to us at (312) 548-1139 so we can be praying as well!

• Join us for First Wednesday prayer this Wednesday, May 7th, at 7PM in the Upper Room

Bible Reading Plan

• Monday: Luke 6 - The Sermon on the Plain

• Tuesday: Luke 7 - Stories of Healing

• Wednesday: Luke 8 - Stories revealing Jesus is Lord

• Thursday: Luke 9 - The Transfiguration

• Friday: Luke 10 - Jesus Sends Out the 72

• Saturday: Acts 2:1-21 - Pentecost Part 1

Sermon Footnotes

• “Discernment, in a most general sense, is the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence and the activity of God…it requires us to move beyond reliance on human thinking and strategizing to a place of deep listening and response to the Spirit of God.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Pursuing God’s Will Together, p10,11)

Sermon Series: Acts - Our Story, Our Mission

Sermon Title: The Story of the Ascension

Passage: Acts 1:1-12

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Story of Acts (v1-2)

The Story of the Ascension (v3-12)

This story raises two questions:

• Where is Jesus? - Followed by: Where is heaven? How do you get there? How far away is it?

• What is Jesus doing?

Why is the story of the ascension so overlooked and under appreciated? (taken from The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schreiner)

1. The Bible speaks little of it

2. It seems like a bad plan

3. The implications are unclear

4. The event is abnormal

5. The resurrection subsumes the ascension

Their Anticipation (v3-5)

Jesus spent the 40 days:

1. Reassuring them (v3) of what had taken place by: presenting himself alive to them, proving he was alive, and opening their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45)

2. Preparing them (v3) for what was about to take place by: teaching them about the kingdom of God and how to live as citizens of that kingdom while living in the fallen kingdom of Rome

3. Ordering them (v4-5) to sit tight until it had taken place

Their Question (v6)

Their Mission (v7)

Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of

• When the kingdom will come

• Power within the kingdom

• Their role in the kingdom

His Ascension (v9)

Their Response (v10-12)

• worshiping him (Luke 24:52-53)

• obeying him

The gospel ceases to be good news without the story of the ascension

1. The Bible speaks of it extensively (references from sermon noted below)

   • Jesus: John 6:62, John 16:5,7

   • Paul: Ephesians 4:8-10, 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 3:1

   • Peter: 1 Peter 3:22

   • The Author of Hebrews: Hebrews 4:14, 6:19, 9:24, 12:2

2. It was an incredible plan

3. The implications are becoming more clear (John 7:39, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Ephesians 5:23)

4. The event is abnormal

5. The ascension was a critical turning point

Reflection

• Read the words of Jesus in John 14:18-29 and reflect on the reality of Christ’s spiritual presence with you

• Read the word of Paul in Romans 8:31-39 and reflect on the reality of Christ’s physical presence with the Father

Bible Reading Plan

• Monday: Luke 1 - The Announcement

• Tuesday: Luke 2 - The Birth of Jesus

• Wednesday: Luke 3 - The Baptism of Jesus

• Thursday: Luke 4 - The Temptation of Jesus

• Friday: Luke 5 - Jesus Calls His Disciples

• Saturday: Acts 1:12-26 - Devoted to Prayer

Sermon Footnotes

• “Five reasons the ascension is neglected” - Patrick Schreiner (The Ascension of Christ, p2-6)

• “(The gospel) is spread by witness, not by soldiers, through a gospel of peace, not a declaration of war, and by the works of the Spirit, not by force of arms, political intrigue, or revolutionary violence.” - John Stott (The Message of Acts, p22)

• “The ascension must be thought of as an ascension beyond all our notions of space and time, and therefore as something that cannot ultimately be expressed in categories of space and time.” - Thomas Torrance (Atonement: The Person and Work of Christ, p286 - taken from The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schriner, p32)

• “We now know, however, that space is such that heaven is not merely upward from the earth, and it also seems likely that the difference between earth and heaven is not merely geographic. One cannot get to God simply by traveling sufficiently far and fast in a space vehicle of some kind. God is in a different dimension of reality” - Millard Erickson (Christian Theology, p710)

• “As we find in many passages of the New Testament, Jesus is not far away; he is in heaven, and heaven is not a place in the sky, but rather God's dimension of what we think of as ordinary reality. This is an essential feature of biblical cosmology, and the failure to grasp it leaves many Christians puzzled about how to put together the biblical picture of eschatology. The point is that Jesus is presently in God's dimension, that is, heaven; however, heaven is not a place in our space-time continuum, but a different sphere of reality that overlaps and interlocks with our sphere in numerous though mysterious ways. It is as though there were a great invisible curtain hanging across a room, disguising another space that can be integrated with our space; one day the curtain will be pulled back, the two spaces or spheres will be joined forever, and Jesus himself will be the central figure.” - NT Wright (Surprised by Scripture, p96-97)

Sermon Series: I AM

Sermon Title: I Am the True Vine

Passage: John 15:1

Preacher: Ashley Herr

A. HOW do we bear fruit? (v2-6)

1. By being pruned by God (v2-3) - God cleansing you, calling out to you, guiding you

2. By abiding in Jesus (v4-6) - abiding in his love (v7), in his word (v9), with his people - as his Spirit abides in you

B. WHAT does this fruit look like? (v7-17)

1. Your selfless desires - fruit you can hear through your prayers

   • Prayers formed by the words of Jesus (v7)

   • Prayers asked in the name of Jesus (v16)

2. Your faithful obedience - fruit you can see through the way you live

3. Your sacrificial love - fruit you can see through the way you love

C. WHY do we bear fruit?

1. To bring God glory (v8)

2. To bring you joy (v11)

Reflection

• Picture this beautiful image Jesus gives of who you are, your sense of identity, as a branch - “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. You are the branches”

• Hear your sense of belonging, as Jesus invites you to abide in him, picturing this image of where you are, as a branch connected to the true vine - “Abide in me, and I in you. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. You did not choose me, but I chose you.”

• Notice how you are not the only branch connected to the vine, but surrounded by other branches connected to the same vine, all receiving the same strength and nourishment form the same vine, all abiding in his same love, his same word, with his people, as his same Spirit abides in you.

• Hear our sense of purpose Jesus gives to you as a branch, this picture of why you exist, which is to bear fruit, much fruit, fruit that brings glory to God - “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

• Only by embracing our sense identity as a branch and our sense belonging in Christ are we able to live out our purpose of bearing fruit - “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

• We not only bear fruit by abiding in Jesus, but also by being pruned by God, allowing Him to remove those aspects of your life that distract your attention and draw your affection away from Him, preventing you from bearing much fruit. What is that for you? What is it that God needs to prune from you life?

• As the Spirit begins to stir, bringing this to mind, picture God cutting that off and laying it in your hand. As you look at that clipping, what are you going to do with this? Will you continue to hold on it, or will you lay it down, giving it up to God?

Sermon Series: I AM

Sermon Title: I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

Passage: John 14:6

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. Believe in what Jesus is doing and all he will do (v2-3)

2. Believe in what Jesus has done and where he is leading (v4-11)

Believe in where Jesus is leading because he is the Way

Believe in where Jesus is leading because he is the Truth

• having revealed truth through his coming

• having proclaimed truth through his words

• having embodied truth through the way he lived

Believe in where Jesus is leading because he is the Life

The way of Jesus is a way of

• Obedience

• Service

• Love

• Self-sacrifice

Reflection

When you feel lost and alone, shaken to your core - when you encounter an unexpected left turn and find self on an unforeseen bumpy gravel road - when things aren’t going the way you had hoped - will you still believe in Jesus? Believing in what he is doing and all he has promised to do? Believing in where he is leading, by continuing to faithfully follow his way, the only way that leads to life, in obedience to his words, words that are true?

Read the words of Jesus from this passage, followed by this meditation from Thomas a Kempis, allowing the spirit of truth to stir, reassuring your doubts and strengthening your belief. Believing in what Jesus is doing, all promised to do upon his return. Believing in what Jesus has done for you, where he is leading you.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me…I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

“Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way that you must follow; the truth that you must believe; the life you must hope for. I am the inviolable way - the infallible truth - the endless life. I am the narrow way - the sovereign truth - the true, blessed, eternal life. If you abide in My way you will know the Truth - and the Truth will make you free - and you will attain life everlasting.” So “believe in God; believe also in me”

Sermon Series: I AM

Sermon Title: I Am the Good Shepherd

Passage: John 10:11

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: I AM

Sermon Title: I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Passage: John 11:25-26

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. We Misunderstand Jesus’ Mission (v1-16)

2. We Question Jesus’ Love (v17-32)

3. We Doubt Jesus’ Power (v33-44)

Reflection

As you read the words of Jesus in John 11:25-26, allow the Spirit to stir as you acknowledge your own disappointment like Martha and your own sense of despair like Mary - your frustrations and unmet expectations of Jesus - questioning his love, doubting his power - revealing how you have misunderstood who Jesus is and why he came - and ask yourself, “Do I believe?”

Sermon Series: I AM

Sermon Title: I Am the Door of the Sheep

Passage: John 10:7

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Jesus is offering (v9):

1. Salvation - If anyone enters by me, they will be saved

2. Freedom - If anyone enters by me, they will go in and out

3. Protection

4. Community

5. Protection

6. Provision - If anyone enters by me, they will find pasture

Reflection

As you read the words of Jesus in John 10:7-10, allowing the Spirit to stir, as yourself:

1. What is it you are longing for most in your life? Is it something Jesus has promised?

2. What is keeping you from stepping all the way through the door? Not one for in, one foot out

3. What step are you taking today?

Further Study

• Read John 8

• Read the relevant Old Testament passages that bring about a fuller meaning of this passages

  • Psalm 23 - The Lord Is My Shepherd

  • Psalm 100 - His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

  • Ezekiel 34 - Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

  • 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 - Pray for Us

  • 1 Peter 5:1-11 - Shepherd the Flock of God

Sermon Series: I AM

Sermon Title: I Am the Light of the World

Passage: John 8:12

Preacher: Ashley Herr

1. What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world? (v12)

• To understand the significance of the statement Jesus is making about himself, we need to understand: the WEHN of the story, the WHERE of the story, and the WHAT of the metaphor of light

• Light in general: comforts us, protects, and guides us

• Light in the Old Testament: conveys God’s presence and glory

2. What does it look like to follow Jesus? (v13-58)

Followers of Jesus:

1. KNOW the identity of Jesus (v13-20)

2. BELIEVE in the saving work of Jesus (v21-30

3. ABIDE in the words of Jesus (v31-38) - GET IN THE WORD, SO THE WORD GETS IN YOU!

4. LOVE the way of Jesus (v39-47)

5. OBEY the words of Jesus (v48-58)

Reflection

As you read the words of Jesus in John 8:12-58, allowing the Spirit to stir, revealing who Jesus is, ask yourself: What is the next right step Jesus is inviting me tot take to more faithfully follow him, growing to be more like him, trusting him?

• Knowing who he truly is, by investing more time in this most treasured relationship?

• Believing in why he came, to forgive you of your sin, free you from the power of sin?

• Abiding in the words of Jesus, getting in the word, so the word gets in you?

• Loving the way of Jesus, setting down whatever is preventing you from picking up your cross?

• Obeying the words of Jesus, living them out and putting them into practice, formed by the Word?

Further Study

• Read John 8

• Read the relevant Old Testament passages that bring about a fuller meaning of this passages

  • Genesis 1 - The Creation of the World

  • Exodus 3 - The Burning Bush

  • Exodus 13:17-22 - Pillars of Cloud and Fire

  • Leviticus 23:33-43 - The Feast of Booths

  • Isaiah 9:1-7 - For to Us a Child Is Born

Sermon Series: I AM

Sermon Title: I Am the Bread of Life

Passage: John 6:35

Preacher: Ashley Herr

We Misunderstand WHO Jesus Is (v1-21)

We Misunderstand WHAT Jesus Offers (v2-71)

The Bread Jesus is offering:

1. Is Himself

2. Brings about life

3. Is available to anyone who desires it

4. Satisfies your deepest spiritual longings

Reflection

As you read the words of Jesus in John 6:25-65, feast on his words and allow the Spirit to stir:

• 1. Confronting your own misunderstandings of Jesus, asking yourself

  • How have I misunderstood who Jesus is?

  • How have I misunderstood what Jesus offers?

• 2. Correcting the image you’ve drawn of Jesus and the unmet expectations you have of Jesus

Further Study

• Read John 6

• Read the relevant Old Testament passages that bring about a fuller meaning of this passages

  • Exodus 3 - The Burning Bush

  • Exodus 16 - Bread from Heaven

  • Deuteronomy 18:15-22 - A New Prophet like Moses

Sermon Footnotes

• “Jesus has come ‘to proclaim liberty to the captives,’ but he will not become the mascot for a people’s movement of liberation.” - Leslie Newbigin (The Light has Come, p75)

• “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with teh man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a mandman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. he did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, p52)

Sermon Series: Seeking Wisdom

Sermon Title: Source of Wisdom

Passage: Proverbs 8

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Title: Responding to the Mercies of God

Passage: Romans 12:1-2

Preacher: Alvin Thomas

Sermon Series: Psalms of Advent

Sermon Title: A Psalm of Joy

Passage: Psalm 4

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: Psalms of Advent

Sermon Title: A Psalm of Peace

Passage: Psalm 85

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: Psalms of Advent

Sermon Title: A Psalm of Love

Passage: Psalm 89

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: Psalms of Advent

Sermon Title: A Psalm of Hope

Passage: Psalm 2

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Historical Lens

• Act 1: A Rebellion Against God (v1-3)

• Act 2: God’s Response (v4-6)

• Act 3: God’s Promise (v7-9)

• Act 4: God’s Warning (v10-12)

Christological Lens

Eschatological Lens

• Advent serves as a reminder that the One who has come will come again

Reflection

• What is it you hope Jesus will do upon his return?

• What is it that leads you to ask God, “Why?” and cry out to God, “How long?”

Sermon Footnotes

• The church’s liturgical calendar is “the attempt to live the Jesus life over and over again all the years of our lives…The liturgical year is the process of slow, sure immersion in the life of Christ that, in the end, claims us, too, as heralds of that life ourselves.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life, pXVI, 13)

• “We begin our Christian year in waiting. We do not begin with our own frenetic effort or energy. We do not begin with the merriment of Christmas or the triumphs of Easter. We do not begin with the work of the church or the mandate of the Great Commission. Instead, we begin in a place of yearning. We wait for our king to come.” - Tish Harrison Warren (Advent: The Season of Hope, p3-4)

• “In Advent, we don’t pretend, as I once thought, that we are in the darkness before the birth of Christ. Rather, we take a good hard look at the darkness we are in now, facing and defining it honestly, so that we will understand with utmost clarity that our great and only hope is in Jesus’s final victorious coming.” - (Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ, p58)

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: Another Reminder to Love

Passage: 1 John 4:7-12

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: Discerning What is True

Passage: 1 John 4:1-6

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: Approaching God With Assurance

Passage: 1 John 3:19-24

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Title: Jesus Prays for the Church

Passage: John 17:20-26

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: Love Like Jesus

Passage: 1 John 3:11-19a

Preacher: Ashley Herr

A Reminder to Love (v11)

Why all these reminders to love?

1. Loving others is hard sometimes, really hard

2. We’re quick to forget

3. The words and way of Jesus is counter to our culture

An Example of What Love is Not (v12-15)

Love is NOT:

1. Murder (v12)

2. Hate (v15)

3. Greed (v17)

4. Apathy (v17)

An Example of What Love Is (v16-19a)

Reflection

• Reflect on how you have failed to love like Jesus, who you have failed to love, and why

• Repent of your failure to love

• Receive God’s love

• Respond to God’s love

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: A Family Resemblance

Passage: 1 John 2:28-3:10

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: The Danger of Deception

Passage: 1 John 2:18-27

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: Living in a World That Opposes God

Passage: 1 John 2:15-17

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The What: The Command to not love the world (v15a)

What we know that is far more clear and far less confusing about how God views the world:

1. God created the world (Genesis 1:1-10)

2. God created the things in the world (Genesis 1:11-25)

3. God created all the people of the world (Genesis 1:26-31)

4. God called us to care for the world (Genesis 1:28-30)

5. God dis not turn His back on the world (Genesis 3:14-15)

6. God has not disowned the world (Psalm 24:1-2)

7. God did not leave the world (Exodus 3:7-8, 13:21-22; 1 Kings 8:10-11; John 1:1-18; Matthew 1:23, 28:20: Acts 1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 3:16)

8. God still very much loves the world (John 3:16)

9. God sent His Son to save the world (John 3:17)

10. God is redeeming the world (2 Corinthians 5:19, Hebrews 1:2-4)

11. God will restore the world (Rev 21:1-5)

What we know that is far more clear and far less confusing about how we are to view the world:

1. We are to live in the world (Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 5:14-16)

2. We are to love all the people living in the world (John 13:34; Matt 22:39, 5:44)

We are not to love those things that fail to love what God loves

The Why: The reason why we are not to love the world (v15b-16)

• The object of our love, where it is directed (v15b)

• The source of our love, where it originates (v16)

The Why: The result of loving the world (v17)

Reflection

As you read this passage, ask yourself: What do I love that opposes God by failing to love what God loves, by failing to care for what God has created?

Do not love the world or the things in the world that oppose God by failing to love what God loves. If anyone loves the world - supporting and lifting up that which opposes God - standing behind and giving your allegiance to that which fails to love what God loves - then the love of the Father is not in them. For all that is in the world that opposes God - the desires of the flesh - the desires of the eyes - the pride in one’s possessions - none of that originates from the Father, but is from the world, the source of this mis-guided love. And all that opposes God in the world is passing away, along with its desires for things that go against God’s desires - but whoever does the will of God - desiring what He desires, loving what He loves - will abide in His presence forever.

Sermon Footnotes

• “God does not make junk, and he does not junk what he has made.” - Al Wolters (Creation Regained, p49)

• “The experience of twentieth-century dictatorships has shown that it is possible for some Christians to live and work in a shockingly unjust society, closing their eyes to all kinds of evil and indeed perhaps participating in that evil at least by default, concerned only with their own compartmentalized life of piety, closed off from everything else on the face of the earth. Clearly, such a poor excuse for religion actually contributes to blindness and moral insensitivity” - Thomas Merton (Life and Holiness, p20)

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: A Note of Encouragement

Passage: 1 John 2:12-14

Preacher: Ashley Herr

To the Church (v12,13c)

• You are born of God

• You belong to God

• You are loved by God

To the Seasoned Veterans (v13a,14a)

• My encouragement for you: THANK YOU!

• My prayer for you: continue pursuing Jesus and finish well

To the Newcomers (v13b,14b)

• You feel victorious - because you’ve overcome the evil one

• You feel strong - because the word of God abides in you

  • We are people of the Word, formed by Scripture

  • We are people of prayer, led by the Spirit

Sermon Footnotes

• “All Christians, mature and immature, have come to know (egnōkate) God. But their knowledge of him ripens with the years.” - John Stott (The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, p101)

• “I am sometimes asked…whether at my age I have any ambitions left. I always reply: “Yes, my overriding ambition is (and, I trust, will be until I die) that I may become a little bit more like Christ.” - John Stott (The Contemporary Christian, p146 - quote taken from A Fellowship of Differents, p204 by Scot McKnight)

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: Evaluating the Evidence

Passage: 1 John 2:3-11

Preacher: Ashley Herr

3 steps to help us evaluate the evidence:

1. WHAT we do: Those who know him obey the words of Jesus (v3-5a)

2. HOW we do what we do: Those who abide in him walk in the way of Jesus (v5b-6)

3. WHY we do what we do: Those who live in his light love like Jesus (v7-11)

The command to love is new in that

• It has been expanded in terms of who we are commanded to love

• It has been extended in terms of how far we are commanded to love

Reflection

1. What in my life am I not trusting Jesus with - failing to obey what he says or where he leads? As you read 1 John 2:3-5a, repent of your sin and disobedience.

2. How have I laid down my cross, rather than my life - choosing the easy path over the way of Jesus? As you read 1 John 2:5b-6, return to Jesus as you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out to you

3. How have I limited who I am called to love and the extent to which I am called to love in order to love like Jesus? As you read 1 John 7-11, receive the love of Jesus, feeling his presence.

Sermon Footnotes

• “Every summons of Christ leads to death.” - translation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s line provided by Scot McKnight (A Fellowship of Differents, p201)

• “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship, p89)

• “We have defined the ‘one another’ so tightly that it means only ‘love the people who reinforce your own sense of who you are'.” - N.T. Wright (John from the NT Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guide, p95-96)

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: Barriers to Intimacy

Passage: 1 John 1:5-2:2

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Who God Is (1:5)

• God as light is good (Genesis 1), safe (Psalm 27), present (Exodus 3, 13), and holy (Psalm 104)

Responding to Who God Is (1:6-2:2)

1st Claim (1:6-7)

• Living in the darkness involves: embracing sin and hiding sin

Dangers of the Darkness

1. Sin separates you from God and others

2. Sin leads you out of the light and into the darkness

3. Shame keeps you hiding sin in the darkness

We hide, terrified of the vulnerability that the intimacy we desire requires

• We hide what we’ve done

• We hide what’s been done to us

• We hide our suffering

• We hide our thoughts and desires

• We hide who we are

2nd Claim (1:8-9)

We deceive ourselves by

• Hiding our sin

• Ignoring our sin

• Excusing our sin

• Justifying our sin

• Redefining our sin

• Tolerating our sin

• Embracing our sin

3rd Claim (1:10-2:2)

Reflection

• Father, help us to see the ways we’ve hidden our sin from you

• Father, help us to bring our sin out of the darkness and into the light

• Father, help us create a culture of vulnerability where others feel safe stepping out of the darkness

• Father, help us take a step of courage this week in sharing with someone else

Sermon Footnotes

• “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p112)

• “We recognize early and often that shame tends to be self-reinforcing. When we experience shame, we tend to turn away from others because the prospect of being seen or known by another carries the anticipation of shame being intensified or reactivated. However, the very act of turning away, while temporarily protecting and relieving us from our feeling (and the gaze of the "other"), ironically simultaneously reinforces the very shame we are attempting to avoid. Notably, we do not necessarily realize this to be happening - we’re just trying to survive the moment. But indeed this dance between hiding and feeling shame itself becomes a tightening of the noose. We feel shame, and then feel shame for feeling shame. It begets itself.” - Curt Thompson (The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves, p31)

Sermon Series: How to Live, How to Love

Sermon Title: What Unites Us

Passage: 1 John 1:1-4

Preacher: Ashley Herr

We are united in our shared belief in who Jesus is (v1-2)

We are united in our shared participation in what Jesus provides (v3-4)

Reflection

• Reflect on our shared belief in who Jesus is, why he came, and what he accomplished (v1-2)

• Reflect on our shared participation in the fellowship Jesus provides (v3) by asking: What step is the Spirit leading me to take in following Jesus together with others?

• Reflect on our shared participation in the joy Jesus provides (v4) by asking: Who is the Spirit leading me to reach out to and invite into this fellowship?

Sermon Footnotes

• “Only in Jesus Christ are we one, only through him are we bound together…Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done to both of us…The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p24,25,26)

• “Today: feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. During a dialogue homily, two of the monks remarked in different ways that although Thomas did not believe in the resurrection of the Lord, he kept faithful to the community of the apostles. In that community the Lord appeared to him and strengthened his faith. I find this a very profound and consoling thought. In times of doubt or unbelief, the community can "carry you along," so to speak; it can even offer on your behalf what you yourself overlook, and can be the context in which you may recognize the Lord again.” - Henri Nouwen (The Genes Diary: Report from A Trappist Monastery, p56)

• “Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p30)

Recommended Reading

• A Fellowship of Differents by Scot McKnight

• The Church of Us vs. Them: Freedom from a Faith That Feeds on Making Enemies by David Fitch

• Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf

• The Genes Diary: Report from A Trappist Monastery by Henri Nouwen

• Jesus and the Powers by NT Wright and Michael Bird

• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: A Prophet Without Honor - Seeing Jesus Truly

Passage: Matthew 13:53-58

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

Passage: Matthew 13:31-35

Preacher: Robin Philip

Why did Jesus tell parables?

• He told parables to announce the arrival of God’s kingdom, and to provide people with an opportunity to respond to him—either in faith and obedience or rejection and disobedience.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven about?

• The Kingdom of Heaven is ultimately about God's grand future, realized through His Son, Jesus Christ, in which He will gather His people, enact judgment, and reign eternally in the renewed world.

Observations and Relationship

Observations of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast:

1. Smallness of the Agents

2. Growing Impact (of the Agents)

3. Alive, Not Dead

4. Deposition to Flourish

5. Action Taken of the Agents

6. Degree of Exaggeration

Observations in Relation to the Kingdom of Heaven: 

1. The Beginning of the Kingdom was of humbleness.

2. The Growing of the Kingdom is measured in transformation.

3. The Activity of the Kingdom is alive, though unseen at times.

4. The Disposition of the Kingdom reflects the values of God.

5. The Inauguration of the Kingdom was by King Jesus.

6. The Reward of the Kingdom is beyond comparison.

Responding to the Parables:

1. Embrace the Kingdom now by living out its truths in submission to King Jesus. 

2. Trust in God's timing and pace for His Kingdom's transformation.

Reflection

1. How can you embrace the Kingdom now by living out its truths in submission to King Jesus. 

2. In what areas do you need to trust in God's timing and pace for His transformative work?

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: Waiting for the Harvest

Passage: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43a

Preacher: David B

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: The One Who Hears

Passage: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: The Family of Christ

Passage: Matthew 12:46-50

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: Responding in Repentance

Passage: Matthew 12:38-45

Preacher: Robin Philip

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: What Are We Known By?

Passage: Matthew 12:22-37

Preacher: George Carrera III

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: An Invitation to Rest

Passage: Matthew 11:25-30

Big Idea: Those who recognize their need for rest will find relief in Jesus.

Preacher: Alvin Thomas

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: Responding to Jesus

Passage: Matthew 11:16-24

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Responding to Jesus (v16-17)

• How have you refused to dance for joy in the presence of Jesus?

• How have you refused to mourn in the presence of brokenness?

Expectations of Jesus (v18-19)

• How have you rejected the way of Jesus by going your own way, because his way is too restrictive?

• How have you rejected the way of Jesus by refusing to love those Jesus has called us to love, because his way is too accepting?

Warning From Jesus (v20-24)

Sermon Series: The Kingdom Has Come (Matthew 11-13)

Sermon Title: The Promised Messiah

Passage: Matthew 11:1-15

Preacher: Ashley Herr

A Question of Doubt (v2-3)

Reassuring John’s Faith (v4-6)

• Jesus reassures John’s faith by showing Himself as as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, who pointed toward the promised Messiah

• Isaiah references: Isaiah 26:19, 29:18-19, 35:5-6

A Reminder of John’s Importance (v7-15)

• Jesus reminds the crowd of John’s importance by showing him as the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy, preparing the way for the promised Messiah

• MalachiI references: Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6

Reflection

1. Honestly share your doubts with Jesus, as John did, reading v2-3

2. Sit with Jesus, listening to the words of Jesus, reading v4-6

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Knowing the Trinity

Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

Preacher: Robin Philip

God Our Father (v20a)

Jesus our Mediator (v20b-21)

The Spirit Our Guarantee (v22)

The Trinity matters because it tells us who God is.

1. The Trinity is important because it tells us who God is; this is the revelation of God

2. The Trinity matters because the Triune God is revealed in Scriptures

3. The Trinity matters because The Triune God plays a role in our salvation.

4. The Trinity matters because the Triune God reveals our mission.

5. The Trinity matters because the Triune God  represents love because the Trinity is love.

Sermon Footnotes

• “Because the Christian God is not a lonely God, but rather a communion of three persons, faith leads human beings into the divine communion. One cannot, however, have a self-enclosed communion with the Triune God- a "foursome," as it were-- for the Christian God is not a private deity. Communion with this God is at once also communion with those others who have entrusted themselves in faith to the same God. Hence one and the same act of faith places a person into a new relationship both with God and with all others who stand in communion with God.” 

  ―Miroslav Volf, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (Sacra Doctrina: Christian Theology for a Postmodern Age

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Pentecost

Passage: Acts 2:1-21

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Spirit Comes (v1-4)

Uses familiar imagery from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures:

• wind describing the Spirit of God (Genesis 1, Ezekiel 37)

• fire describing the presence of God (Exodus 3, 13, 19, 40)

1. The Spirit empowers us, to fulfill the mission Christ has given us

The Crowd Reacts (v5-13)

2. The Spirit unites us

Peter Responds (v14-21)

3. The Spirit overcomes what divides us

• True with regard to gender (v17b)

• True with regard to age (v17c)

• True with regard to social class or caste (v18)

Reflection

1. A Prayer of Reflection: Why am I so reluctant to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

2. A Prayer of Petition: Help me to be more reliant on the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Sermon Footnotes

• “God has come to them, on them, with them.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28)

• “Imagine peoples in many places, in many conquered sites, in many tongues all being told that their languages are secondary, tertiary, and inferior to the supreme languages of the enlightened peoples. Make way for Latin, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, and English. These are the languages God speaks.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p30)

• “to speak a language is to speak a people. Speaking announces familiarity, connection, and relationality.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28)

• “This new world order begins with collapse. God shakes foundations, especially ones that wrongly claim divine imprint.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p35)

Recommended Reading:

• Acts (from the Belief: A Theological Commentary on Acts series) by Willie James Jennings

• Pentecost (from the Fullness of Time series) by Emilio Alvarez

• He Who Gives Life by Graham Cole

• The Holy Spirit (from the Contours of Christian Theology series) by Sinclair Ferguson

• The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister

• I Believe: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed by Alister McGrath

• Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert Weber

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: The Ascension

Passage: Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:1-13

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Introduction

Two questions: Where is Jesus? What is Jesus currently doing?

5+1 reasons why the ascension is neglected

1. The Bible speaks little of it

2. It seems like a bad plan

3. The implications are unclear

4. The event is abnormal

5. The resurrection subsumes the ascension

6. The liturgical calendar is often overlooked

Their Question (Luke 24:50a, Acts 1:1-8)

Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of:

• when the kingdom of God will come

• power in the kingdom of God

• their role in the kingdom of God

His Ascension (Luke 24:50b-51, Acts 1:9)

Their Response (Luke 24:52-53, Acts 1:10-13)

They responded by:

• worshiping Jesus - recognizing who he is, remembering what he had said

• obeying Jesus

Close

Seeing the significance of the ascension

1. The Bible speaks of it extensively (references from sermon noted below)

   • Jesus: John 6:62, John 16:5,7

   • Paul: Ephesians 4:8-10, 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 3:1

   • Peter: 1 Peter 3:22

   • The Author of Hebrews: Hebrews 4:14, 6:19, 9:24, 12:2

2. It was an incredible plan

3. The implications are becoming more clear (John 7:39, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Ephesians 5:23)

4. The event is abnormal

5. The ascension was a critical turning point

   • Apostles Creed

   • The Second Helvetic Confession

   • New City Catechism: Question 49, Question 51

Reflection

1. Reflect on Christ’s presence, here with us, through his Spirit (John 14:18-20, 26-29)

2. Reflect on Christ’s presence in heaven, with the Father (Romans 8:31-39)

Sermon Footnotes

• “Five reasons the ascension is neglected” - Patrick Schreiner (The Ascension of Christ, p2-6)

• “It is the nature of liturgical spirituality itself - the attempt to live the Jesus life over and over again all the years of our lives - that is the essence of this book.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p-xvi)

• “The liturgical year is the process of slow, sure immersion in the life of Christ that, in the end, claims us, too, as heralds of that life ourselves.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p13)

• “In every age, the liturgical year exists to immerse its world in the current as well as the eternal meanings of the Christian life. Then, after years of repeating the messages of the feasts and probing their meanings for our own lives, we come to a point where we look back over the decades and realize that little by little the slow drip, drip, drip of the Christian ideal has insinuated itself into the deeper parts of our psyches.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p11-12)

• “The ascension must be thought of as an ascension beyond all our notions of space and time, and therefore as something that cannot ultimately be expressed in categories of space and time.” - Thomas Torrance (Atonement: The Person and Work of Christ, p286 - taken from The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schriner, p32)

• “We now know, however, that space is such that heaven is not merely upward from the earth, and it also seems likely that the difference between earth and heaven is not merely geographic. One cannot get to God simply by traveling sufficiently far and fast in a space vehicle of some kind. God is in a different dimension of reality” - Millard Erickson (Christian Theology, p710)

• “As we find in many passages of the New Testament, Jesus is not far away; he is in heaven, and heaven is not a place in the sky, but rather God's dimension of what we think of as ordinary reality. This is an essential feature of biblical cosmology, and the failure to grasp it leaves many Christians puzzled about how to put together the biblical picture of eschatology. The point is that Jesus is presently in God's dimension, that is, heaven; however, heaven is not a place in our space-time continuum, but a different sphere of reality that overlaps and interlocks with our sphere in numerous though mysterious ways. It is as though there were a great invisible curtain hanging across a room, disguising another space that can be integrated with our space; one day the curtain will be pulled back, the two spaces or spheres will be joined forever, and Jesus himself will be the central figure.” - NT Wright (Surprised by Scripture, p96-97)

Recommended Reading:

• The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister

• Christian Theology by Millard Erickson

• I Believe: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed by Alister McGrath

• Exalted Above the Heavens: The Risen and Ascended Christ by Peter Orr

• The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine by Patrick Schreiner

• Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert Weber

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by NT Wright

• Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues by NT Wright

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering Deeper Intimacy With Jesus

Passage: Luke 24:28-32

1. An Invitation Extended (v28-29a)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers?

• We learn that we must allow our lives to be interrupted by Jesus in order to deepen our intimacy w/ Jesus.

2. An Invitation Accepted (v29b-30)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus?

• We learn that Jesus always accepts the invitation to deeper intimacy.

3. Intimacy Experienced (v31-32)

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus?

• We learn that Jesus always initiates the interruptions that lead to deeper intimacy

Reflection: Spiritual Practice of Examen

Click the button below to download the Examen Guide

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• “Only with an invitation to ‘come and stay with me’ can in interesting encounter develop into a transforming relationship.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p57)

• “Discernment is an increasing capacity to recognize and respond to the presence of Christ - in ordinary moments and also in the larger decisions of our lives.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Life Together in Christ, p138)

• Discernment is “finding God in all things, so that we might love and serve God in all (things).” - St Ignatius of Loyola (from Life Together in Christ by Ruth Haley Barton, p137)

• “Discernment requires us to move beyond our reliance on (our own) cognition and intellectual hard work to a place of deep listening and response to the Spirit of God within us and among us.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Discerning God’s Will Together: Discovering a Process of Leadership Discernment)

Recommended Reading:

• Surrender to Love: Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality by David Benner

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering the Way of Jesus

Passage: Luke 24:25-27

1. Jesus Confronts Their Misunderstanding (v25)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers?

• We learn that familiarity with Jesus is not the same as intimacy with Jesus. Proximity to Jesus does not guarantee obedience to his words, faithfulness to his way, or being formed into his image.

2. Jesus Challenges Their Understanding (v26)

3. Jesus Corrects Their Misunderstanding (v27)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus?

• That he is the fulfillment of promise

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus?

• We learn what this journey we are following Jesus on looks like

Reflection

1. Read Luke 24:25-27 and ask yourself, “How have I misunderstood Jesus?” How have I misunderstood who he is, what I hoped he would do, when I hoped he would do it, and the way I hoped he would do it? How have I been foolish in not recognizing his presence, only seeing what I want to see? How have I been slow of heart, not believing his words, only hearing what I want to hear?

2. Read Luke 9:23-24 and ask yourself, “How have I misunderstood the way of Jesus?” How have I misunderstood the journey he is leading me on? Thinking he’s taking me somewhere other than where I want to go. What is holding you back from being all in, prevenient you from entering the narrow gate? What are you holding on to, that is preventing you from picking up your cross and faithfully following the way of Jesus?

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• “You have been staring at an obstacle not willing to consider that the obstacle was put there to show you the right path.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p42)

• “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…If we refuse to take up our cross and submit to suffering and rejection at the hands of (others), we forfeit our fellowship with Christ and have ceased to follow him…Discipleship (following Jesus, being formed into his image) means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Cost of Discipleship, p89,91,91)

Recommended Reading:

• The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering Jesus in our Disappointment

Passage: Luke 24:17-24

First Question (v17-18)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers? When we’re angry, it’s easy to take our anger out on others

• Straining our relationships

• Perpetuating a cycle of anger

Follow-up Question (v19-24)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus? That he is so incredibly patient

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus? How to patiently listen to others

Incarnational Listening:

• is not about you

• is fully present

• asks questions - good questions and follow-up questions

• waits patiently

• embraces silence

• remains attentive to God

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• Displacement: the transfer of feelings or behavior from their original object to another person” - [VerwellMind] - [PsychologyToday]

• “Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable” - David Augsburger (Caring Enough to Hear and Be Heard - quote taken from Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, p149 by Peter Scazzero)

• “Ask me not where I live or what I like to eat...ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.” - Thomas Merton (My Argument with the Gestapo - quote taken from Life Together in Christ, p74 by Ruth Haley Barton)

• “Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon no longer be listening to God either.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together p97-98)

Recommended Reading:

• Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero

• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

• The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rotheiser

• Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering the Presence of Jesus

Passage: Luke 24:13-16

The Journey (v13-14)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers? That our journey of spiritual formation requires:

• Our Togetherness

• Our Openness - with ourselves, with others, with God

The Encounter (v15-16)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus? That he has drawn near and is always present.

We encounter the presence of Jesus:

• By creating space for an encounter

• By gathering with his people

• By reading the words of Scripture

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus? How to lover others who are unable to see him, through the power of our:

• Presence with them

• Prayers for them

• Patience as we wait with them

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• “Spiritual formation is a process of being formed int the image of Christ for the sake of others.” - Robert Mulholland Jr (Invitation to a Journey, p16)

• "Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us - for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the sake of others; it results in an increasing capacity to discern and do the will of God.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Life Together in Christ, p11-12)

• “Only in Jesus Christ are we one, only through him are we bound together…Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done…The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the only thing that is vital between us.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p24,25,26)

• “To grieve is to allow our losses to tear apart feelings of security and safety and lead us to the painful truth of our brokenness. Our grief makes us experience the abyss of our own life in which noting is settled, clear, or obvious, but everything constantly shifting and changing.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p27-28)

• “So spiritual formation is not something that we do to ourselves or for ourselves, but something we allow God to do in us and for us as we yield ourselves to the work of God’s transforming grace.” - Robert Mulholland Jr (Invitation to a Journey, p38)

• “Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, where of he is to make a statue; presenting myself thus before God, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself.” - Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God, p36)

Recommended Reading:

• The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rotheiser

• Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• Opening to God: Lectio Divina and Life as Prayer by David Benner

• The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering the Empty Tomb

Passage: Luke 24:1-12

Sermon Series: Liturgy of Lament

Sermon Title: Pursuing Hope

Sermon Text: Lamentations 4:17-5:22

Sermon Series: Liturgy of Lament

Sermon Title: Ramifications of Sin

Sermon Text: Lamentations 4:1-16

Sermon Series: Liturgy of Lament

Sermon Title: Turning to Truth

Sermon Text: Lamentations 3