Trinity United Methodist Church's Podcast

Invoking Future Blessings

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 03:00:00 -0500

Hebrews 11:17-22

I believe this morning on this All Saints Sunday that if we listen carefully, we can hear with our ears of faith each of the departed saints speaking to those of us left behind.

From the First Until Today: Opening the Windows of Heaven

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 03:00:00 -0500

Malachi 3:6-12

From the First Day Until Now: The Saints Are Still Speaking

Sun, 29 Oct 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Hebrews 11:1–16

I believe this morning on this All Saints Sunday that if we listen carefully, we can hear with our ears of faith each of the departed saints speaking to those of us left behind.

Beloved Community

Sun, 22 Oct 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Colossians 3:14–15

From the First Day Until Now: There Was Music

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 33:1–9

From the very beginning God sang humankind into being – men and women – boys and girls – all reflecting the image of the divine.

Setting the Table with Intention

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Galatians 3:28, Luke 22:19–20

It's a Small World After All

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 17:24–28

On this World Communion Sunday, we are reminded that we live in a small world – but we have a big God, a compassionate Creator who made each of us in the divine image.

Will God Provide?

Sun, 17 Sep 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Genesis 22:1–14

One lesson we learn from this story – and it may be the biggest challenge – is to keep walking when our hearts are breaking and the pain seems more than we can bear.

Everyone Needs Three Homes

Sun, 10 Sep 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Ephesians 2:17–22

Give thanks to God, dear friends, for our physical homes, our spiritual home called Trinity, and our heavenly home – which is truly out of this world!

Be Transformed

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Romans 12:1–8

Mercy to All

Sun, 27 Aug 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32

The Evil of Racism

Sun, 20 Aug 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 10:23b–36

The question we are confronted with this morning is this: What about racism, hate, and the Christian faith?

Wrestling with God

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Genesis 32:22–31

Friends, have you ever wrestled with God? Have you ever found that on your way to an expected difficult experience of reconciliation when you are afraid of the outcome, and God comes into your life to bless you and assure you, even to change you?

Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Sun, 06 Aug 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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2 Timothy 1:3–7; 1 Timothy 6:7

What will our legacies be? What will we leave behind and pass on to those who come after us?

Running the Race with Perseverance

Sun, 30 Jul 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Hebrews 12:1–2

A Sower Went Out to Sow

Sun, 23 Jul 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

Names

Sun, 16 Jul 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Isaiah 43:1–7; Numbers 1:1–2a

As Christ-followers, it is through the waters and spirit of Baptism that we receive the name beloved, and it is through the earthy elements of Communion, bread and juice, that we are strengthened – over and over again – to live more fully into that name.

Wade in the Water

Sun, 09 Jul 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Matthew 14:22–33

I Will Make a Great Nation of Him

Sun, 02 Jul 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Genesis 21:8–21

What does God have in mind for a great nation? As we celebrate Independence Day, what is it that would be pleasing in the eyes of God for the United States of America in this conflicted time in our land?

Hero Central

Sun, 25 Jun 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 34:14b

Who is your hero? Who is a person whom you admire or idealize for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities?

Like a Father with his children...

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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1 Thessalonians 2:5–12

We discover these words where Paul speaks of dealing with the church members as a father deals with his children, “urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

A Bright Sadness

Sun, 11 Jun 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Isaiah 43

God's Creative Connection: #1, A Church Is Born

Sun, 04 Jun 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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John 17:1–11

Sharing space and experiences is edifying and bond building. A church begins with being together and continues with common spaces, places, faced and graces.

Living with Jesus Series #5: Praying with Jesus

Sun, 28 May 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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John 17:1–11

The question asked of us this morning is, “What work have we been given to do this side of Easter in a world beset by terrorist bombings and unpredictable national leadership? What is our task, work, mission and call in Century 21?”

Do You Have Love in Your Heart?

Sun, 21 May 2017 03:00:00 -0400

James 2:1–13

Honoring Your Two Mothers

Sun, 14 May 2017 03:00:00 -0400

John 19:25b–27

Living with Jesus Series #3: Enduring with Jesus

Sun, 07 May 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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1 Peter 2:19–25

Yes, we endure occasional suffering in our lives – but that is nothing to compare with the echoing love of God which endures forever and ever and ever.

Living with Jesus #2: Walking with Jesus

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Luke 24:13–35

Living with Jesus Series #1: Believing with Jesus

Sun, 23 Apr 2017 03:00:00 -0400

John 20:19–31

Easter Sunday: They Found the Door Wide Open

Sun, 16 Apr 2017 03:00:00 -0400

Mark 16:1–8

Praying the Psalms Lenten Series: #5, Faith and Trust: Safe and Secure

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 23

Whether our deep dark valley is personal or communal, we are not alone in this experience.

Praying the Psalms Lenten Series: #4, Royalty: Pray for the King

Sun, 26 Mar 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 72:1–17

What will be our legacy? How will you and I be remembered? Not likely by the cars we drove, the houses in which we lived, or the jobs we held. A legacy is what we leave behind. Whatever name and fame we leave will be connected to the impact we made. Did we serve? Did we pray? Did we listen? Did we care? Did we share? Did we love?

Praying the Psalms Lenten Series: #3, Pilgrimage: When You Are on the Road

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 84

Whether we are running or walking, we are all on the journey of life.

Praying the Psalms Lenten Series: #2, Petition: When You Are in Pain

Sun, 12 Mar 2017 04:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 31:1–16

Can you, will you trust God when the going gets tough, when the rug gets pulled out from under you?

Praying the Psalms Lenten Series: #1, Praise: Call to Celebrate

Sun, 05 Mar 2017 03:00:00 -0500

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Psalm 150

This morning we share 4 dynamics of praise – of celebrating God, worshiping God, singing to God, honoring God, knowing God, and loving God.

Ash Wednesday

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 03:00:00 -0500

Looking for the Light

Sun, 26 Feb 2017 03:00:00 -0500

Matthew 17:1–9, 2 Peter 1:16–19

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #8, Silence and Speech

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 03:00:00 -0500

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Job 33:29–33, Ephesians 4:25–29

Silence is truly golden as it allows us to open our lives to God, to listen to the Divine, to connect with the Creator at a deeper level of consciousness.

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #7, A Time to Love and Hate

Sun, 12 Feb 2017 03:00:00 -0500

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Romans 12:9–10, Matthew 22:34–40

It is always a time to love. For love has the power to transform.

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #6, Gains and Losses

Sun, 05 Feb 2017 03:00:00 -0500

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Ecclesiastes 3:6–7, Luke 9:21–27

Gains and losses. That is lot of what life is about, isn’t it?

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #5, Dance With All Your Might

Sun, 29 Jan 2017 03:00:00 -0500

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2 Samuel 6:1–5, 12b–19

When was the last time you danced?

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #4, Tears and Laughter

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 03:00:00 -0500

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Genesis 18:9–15; Luke 6:20–25

Have you had an experience that brought tears and laughter together?

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #3, Planting and Plucking

Sun, 15 Jan 2017 03:00:00 -0500

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Genesis 2:4b–9, 15, 3:22–24

Friends, we’re here for just a while to tend the garden – that is the world’s first and most important profession - to plant seeds of compassion, justice, service, hope, faith, and love. And to pluck up thorns of hate, bitterness, anger, and despair. How is your garden growing?

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #2, Arrival and Departure

Sun, 08 Jan 2017 03:00:00 -0500

1 Corinthians 15:19–26

THE TIMES OF YOUR LIFE SERIES: #1, The Time of Your Life

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 03:00:00 -0500

Ecclesiastes 3:1–14

I've Seen Enough to Be Glad

Sun, 25 Dec 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Luke 2:25–35

ONE: #5, Spirit: Christmas and More

Sat, 24 Dec 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Matthew 1:18–25

ONE: #4, Love: God's Good News

Sun, 18 Dec 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Romans 1:1–7

The good news of God is that all are welcome in the body of Christ.

ONE: #3, Joy: From Highway to Holy Way

Sun, 11 Dec 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Isaiah 35:1–10

The Good News today is Transformation…Salvation… Celebration…and Destination. These gifts are available to us all. We are traveling the highway of life which is becoming the Holy Way of God.

ONE: #2, Little Hope Church

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Romans 15:4–13

ONE: #1, Light

Sun, 27 Nov 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Isaiah 2:1–5

4-G Thanksgiving

Sun, 20 Nov 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Psalm 100

Good, gracious, and generous God, we thank you today with and for the 4 G’s: Gladness, Gratitude, Goodness, and Generations. For it is your will and our desire to be thankful people.

We Can Make a Difference #4: You Can Make a Difference

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Acts 3:1–10

We Can Make a Difference #3: We Can Give Like Jesus Gives

Sun, 06 Nov 2016 02:00:00 -0500

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Philippians 2:1–11

We make a difference in the church, the community and the world by the commitments we make. We are invited to Christ-centered generosity this day, knowing that our generosity shapes, impacts, makes a difference in the lives of children, youth, young adults, those hungry for calories and community.

We Can Make a Difference #2: We Can Love Like Jesus Loves

Sun, 30 Oct 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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John 15:12–17

Friends, there is something eternally important in loving other people as Jesus has loved us. There is something that looks like heaven when we invest in the souls of people whose names we know and whose lives we touch.

Youth Sunday: A Work of Art

Sun, 23 Oct 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Romans 12:4–5

We Can Make a Difference #1: We Can Care Like Jesus Cares

Sun, 16 Oct 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Luke 10:25–37

What would our world be like if each of us felt God’s call to make a difference?

Making All Things New

Sun, 09 Oct 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Music & Arts Dedication Sunday

Isaiah 43:18–21; Revelation 21:1–5a

A Table for Two (Billion)

Sun, 02 Oct 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 13:29–30

The Other Lord's Prayer

Sun, 25 Sep 2016 03:00:00 -0400

John 17:20–24

Dare Series #3: Dare to Forgive

Sun, 18 Sep 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Matthew 18:21–35

Dare Series #2: Dare to Feel

Sun, 11 Sep 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 7:11–17

One Another

Sun, 04 Sep 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Zechariah 7:8–10 and Ephesians 4:1–6

DARE Series #1: Dare to Talk

Sun, 28 Aug 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Mark 10:46–52

Faith and Politics Series #3: Looking for Tranformational Leaders

Sun, 21 Aug 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Romans 12:1–8

Transformation means a conversion, a change, in the case of the text, a new mindset – a fresh vision and outlook on life – no longer business as usual, or conformity to the ways of the world.

Faith and Politics Series #2: How Faithful People Can Change Politics

Sun, 14 Aug 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Romans 12:9–18

Politics is important, but not ultimate. People of faith can change politics by keeping proper perspective. God alone is infinite, transcendent, holy. and worthy of our highest allegiance, sacrifice, and praise.

Faith and Politics Series #1: I Have a Candidate

Sun, 07 Aug 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 4:5–12

I have a candidate. His name is Jesus. He is in contention every day to be the master, Lord, ruler, strength, and hope for our lives.

This Little Light of Mine

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 17:20–21

The Prodigal Son: Undeserved Mercy, Part 2

Sun, 24 Jul 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 15:25–32

The Prodigal Son: Undeserved Mercy

Sun, 17 Jul 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Psalm 58; Luke 15:11–24

Life Matters

Sun, 10 Jul 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 10:23b–36

In this time of tremendous turmoil, fear and fragmentation in our nation and world, we follow the advice of the late Presbyterian pastor Fred Rogers, AKA Mr. Rogers, who said in a crisis “Always look for the helpers.”

Freedom 2.4

Sun, 03 Jul 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Deuteronomy 6:1–3, 20–25

Freedom…independence…liberty… Those are the gifts we joyfully celebrate this weekend.

Catch the Wave

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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John 21:15–17

We are a people of the Resurrection, aware of God’s creation and aware of God’s love for us through his Son, Jesus.

A Father Had Two Sons

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 15:11–24

Lasting Life Lessons

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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1 Kings 21:1–21a

“If NBC Dateline or ABC 20/20 had been around then, you can bet they would had a special episode during sweeps week devoted totally to this sordid story of the abuse of power by someone in authority.

Family Matters Series #10, ADOPTION: Incorporated Into the Family

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Romans 8:14–17

“Adoption is a wonderful process that brings together adults and children who need each other in a loving, caring relationship as parents and children. Our United Methodist Social Principle on adoption affirms it highly.

Family Matters Series #9: DEATH, When You Lose a Loved One

Sun, 29 May 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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2 Corinthians 1:3–7

“There is a time to be born and a time to die.” When the Old Testament wisdom writer penned those words 3,000+ years ago, he was not declaring there is a predetermined date on which we depart this world. Rather he was writing of the reality that death is normal, death is natural, and death is universal. We are born to die.

Family Matters Series #8: AGING: Growing Old with Grace

Sun, 22 May 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 71:5–9, 17–19

Unlike growing up, growing old is not optional. This morning we share some basic, biblical reflections on aging that are timely for all of us, whatever our age.

Family Matters Series #7, Leaving the Nest

Sun, 15 May 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 5:1–11, 9:57–62

Family Matters Series #6, PARENTING: Growing Kids God's Way

Sun, 08 May 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Proverbs 3:1–12

Parenting can be challenging, difficult, and frustrating! Yet, it is a significant, sacred calling.

Family Matters Series #5: SINGLENESS, One Is a Whole Number

Sun, 01 May 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 22:34–40

Let’s be honest: the church has sometimes singled people out for being single. We have been guilty in our history of discounting adults who are single by choice or by circumstance.

Family Matters Series #4, DIVORCE: When a Marriage Falls Apart

Sun, 24 Apr 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 22:34–40

It might be called the great fairy tale: “And they got married and lived happily every after.” In storybooks that may always be true, but in real life it is not the case.

Family Matters Series #3, CELEBRATION: The Family Rejoices!

Sun, 17 Apr 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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1 Chronicles 29:1–14

Friends, on this Plaza Building Grand Opening, cake-consuming, Ribbon Cutting, Consecration Sunday, we rejoice greatly!

Family Matters Series #2, MARRIAGE: What God Has Joined Together

Sun, 10 Apr 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Genesis 2:18–25

Marriage is more than a legal contract and a social custom. It is a holy covenant calling two persons to commit to and care for one another for a lifetime.

Family Matters Series #1, PETS: All in the Family

Sun, 03 Apr 2016 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 36:5–9

Today we reflect on why pets play such a prominent role in our families and our culture, how they contribute positively to our lives, and what their role is in God’s kingdom - past, present and future.

The Most Interesting Man in the World

Sun, 27 Mar 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Acts 2:22–24, 32–36

Palm/Passion Sunday: Dvorak's Stabat Mater

Sun, 20 Mar 2016 03:00:00 -0400

Excerpts from Antonin Dvorak's Stabat Mater Presented by Trinity's Chancel Choir, Soloists, and Orchestra during worship

Luke 23:32–43

Searching for Sunday Series #5, Confirmation: We Are Welcomed

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 04:00:00 -0400

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Romans 15:7–13

Confirmation is the name of the rite of professing one’s faith – confirming one’s belief – sealing one’s allegiance to Christ as Lord. When we do so we are welcomed into the church.

Searching for Sunday Series #4, Communion: We Are Fed

Sun, 06 Mar 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Luke 22:14–23

Do you remember the first time ever you received the sacrament of Holy Communion?

Searching for Sunday Lenten Series #2, Confession: We Are Broken

Sun, 21 Feb 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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I John 1:5–10

Confession is the acknowledgment of the human condition: We are broken. We confess that no matter how hard we try, we cannot get our act completely together. We fall short, mess up, hurt someone.

Searching for Sunday Lenten Series #1, Baptism: We Are Beloved

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Mark 1:9–15

Remember your baptism and be thankful.

Ash Wednesday: Giving Way

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Luke 4:1–13

Sacred Hospitality: Providing a Community of Deep Meaning

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Luke 10:25–29

Vision 2020 Core Beliefs Series #5, Grace: Amazing and More

Sun, 31 Jan 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Ephesians 2:4–10

What is this amazing thing called grace that touches our past, present, and future?

Vision 2020 Trinity Core Beliefs #4, Intentional Faith Development: Growing Up

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Ephesians 4:7–16

How do we grow up spiritually? How do we develop, deepen, and strengthen our faith?

Vision 2020 Trinity Core Beliefs #3, Blessing and Serving Communities: Out From the Gloomy Past

Sun, 17 Jan 2016 03:00:00 -0500

Deuteronomy 8:6–18 and Matthew 22:34–40

Vision 2020 Trinity Core Beliefs #2, Worship: For the Love of God

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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Psalm 100

For a least three millennia God’s people have set apart a day to worship – to sing and pray, to listen and learn, and to honor and glorify God with passionate devotion.

Vision 2020 Trinity Core Beliefs Series: #1, Christian Discipleship: Come and See

Sun, 03 Jan 2016 03:00:00 -0500

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John 1:35–42

What is at the core of our beliefs and values? What has been and continues to be essential to our identity?

Confession

Sun, 27 Dec 2015 03:00:00 -0500

1 John 1:6–10

Star Trek Advent Series #4, Star Child's Joy Star - Christmas Eve 2015

Thu, 24 Dec 2015 03:00:00 -0500

Matthew 2:1–12

Star Trek Advent Series #3, Rock Star Mother

Sun, 20 Dec 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Luke 1:39–45

TIME put Chancellor Angela Merkel on its cover as Person of the Year and alludes to her as “the most powerful woman in the world.” A different national magazine has another female on the cover of its current edition who it calls “The Most Powerful Woman in the World." Her name is Mary.

Star Trek Advent Series #2, Star Promises

Sun, 13 Dec 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Zephaniah 3:14–20

God invites us to share in daily spiritual renewal as we pray, study, read the Bible, do good deeds, love our neighbor, and encourage and care for one another.

Star Trek Advent Series #1: Star Signs

Sun, 29 Nov 2015 03:00:00 -0500

Luke 21:25–36

Thankful Hands

Sun, 22 Nov 2015 03:00:00 -0500

Matthew 5:21–23

Great Is Your Faithfulness

Sun, 15 Nov 2015 03:00:00 -0500

Lamentations 3:19–26

For Such a Time as This

Sun, 08 Nov 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Esther 4:10–17

What does church really mean? Why are we here for such a time as this?

When the Roll Is Called Down Here

Sun, 01 Nov 2015 02:00:00 -0500

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Romans 16:1-16

On this All Saints Day, we remember and give thanks for God’s people – not perfect people, but beloved people, indeed, who loved because they were first loved by God.

Youth Sunday: All You Need Is Love

Sun, 25 Oct 2015 03:00:00 -0400

1 Peter 1:22–23 and 1 Peter 4:8–10

You Must Be Present to Win

Sun, 18 Oct 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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1 Samuel 3:1–10

However we may do it, there is something significant about showing up, connecting, being in relationship with others in a community.

In This Together

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 03:00:00 -0400

1 Corinthians 12:12–26

We All Share a Name

Sun, 04 Oct 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 11:19–26

We are tremendously diverse group of folks. Our differences are a blessing, but I really want us focus not on our diversity, but on something we share. On this World Communion Sunday, what is it we have in common? What is it that binds us together despite our dozens of differences? What we share is a name.

And How Is It With Us?

Sun, 27 Sep 2015 03:00:00 -0400

Mark 10:35–45

The Face of an Angel

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 6:8-15

Have you ever seen the face of angel? I want to suggest to you this morning that angels are all around us! Not the kind with wings, harps and halos necessarily, but human angels – messengers and agents of God who do God’s work, who embody God’s spirit, who convey God’s grace, who impart God’s strength, and who witness to God’s presence and power.

We're Here for Life

Sun, 13 Sep 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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1 John 1:1–4

The church exists for no greater purpose than to declare and share the life and love of God has given in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God. We’re here for life – life abundant – life eternal – and life saving.

How Might We Say "Thank You"?

Sun, 06 Sep 2015 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 17:11-19

Doing a Beautiful Thing

Sun, 30 Aug 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Mark 14:3-9

There is a tremendous power in storytelling. Jesus told stories. Jesus was involved in stories others told.

What Makes a Church Great?

Sun, 23 Aug 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 4:32-37

What is a “successful" church? What is a “strong" church? Do buildings make a church great?

The Best Is Yet to Come

Sun, 16 Aug 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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2 Corinthians 3:1-6, 17-18

In our own humility before God, we must ask ourselves if we’re living in a way that God would want. We must be willing to grow if we’re truly going to be the best that we can be.

Midnight Jailhouse Rock

Sun, 09 Aug 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Act 16:16-34

Come Dwell in Trinity's Walls!

Sun, 02 Aug 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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1 Chronicles 22:1-11

There is truly something beautiful, unique, and sacred about setting aside a place, a building for God’s worship and service.

Inside Out and Outside In

Sun, 26 Jul 2015 03:00:00 -0400

Romans 7:14-24

believe

Sun, 19 Jul 2015 03:00:00 -0400

John 14:1-12

Baseball, the Bible, and Life

Sun, 12 Jul 2015 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 23:32-43

Remembering Those Who Are Not Free

Sun, 05 Jul 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Hebrews 13:1-3

Freedom…independence…liberty… Those are the gifts we joyfully celebrate this weekend.

G-Force: God's Love in Action

Sun, 28 Jun 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Exodus 3:11-16

Our 70 Vacation Bible School students have been focused on the Big G - the G-Force was their theme. The G-Force, of course, was not gravity, gravy, or grits. It was not even grace, gratitude, or goodness. No, the Big G was God - specifically God’s love in action.

The Threat of Separation

Sun, 21 Jun 2015 03:00:00 -0400

Romans 8:31-39

Putting on the Mind of Christ

Sun, 14 Jun 2015 03:00:00 -0400

Philippians 2:1-8, 12-13 and Matthew 4:17-22

We Do Not Lose Heart

Sun, 07 Jun 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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2 Corinthians 4:13 - 5:1

Friends, none can or should try to navigate life’s journey alone. We need one another.

Trinity: We're Still Here for Life!

Sun, 31 May 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 28:16-20

On this first anniversary of the We’re Here for Life Plaza Building Initiative and Mission Tithe Campaign, which also happens to be Trinity Sunday on the Christian calendar, we are here to say amidst challenges and changes, we are still here for life!

Don't Forget to Remember

Sun, 24 May 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 2:1-21

On this Memorial Day Weekend and Pentecost Sunday, we not only remember the birthday of the church, and the sacrifices of US military men and women across the years, we also pray for peace. We long for a world without war.

Blessing Begets Blessing

Sun, 17 May 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Luke 24:44-53

Almost every Sunday we stand and proclaim we believe in the forgiveness of sins….and almost every week we have a chance to put that profession into practice.

My Big Fat Greek Mother

Sun, 10 May 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Proverbs 31:10-31

Family – food – fun – and faith – these are four notions that are not just found in a semi-fictional movie.They are foundation stones for strong homes. They are values that wise mothers and fathers alike seek to impart to their sons and daughters.

Better Than Dogs, Diamonds and Double Plays

Sun, 03 May 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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John 15:9-17

Dogs, diamonds, and double plays – perhaps there is something, someone better than those to be our best friend.

Listen to Your Life

Sun, 26 Apr 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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John 21:1-19

"Has your life ever spoken to you in such a powerful and urgent way that it stopped you in your tracks – turned you around – set you in a different direction?"

Disbelieving for Joy

Sun, 19 Apr 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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Luke 24:36b-48

Have you ever been really surprised? Shocked, rocked, knocked down, and turned around by something you saw, heard or did? That is what happened on the first Easter."

The Opening in Doubt

Sun, 12 Apr 2015 03:00:00 -0400

John 20:19-29

The God We Can Know Series #7, I Am the Resurrection and the Life - Knowing God's Possibilities

Sun, 05 Apr 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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John 11:17-26

For all of us who shed tears, carry fears, and wonder about our years, the Lord of the graveyard comforts, challenges and consoles us with this word, “I am the resurrection and the life."

The God We Can Know Series #6, I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life - Knowing God's Way

Sun, 29 Mar 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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John 14:1-7

Is Jesus the only way? That depends on where we are trying to go.

The God We Can Know Series #5, I Am the True Vine - Knowing God's Power

Sun, 22 Mar 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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John 15:1-8

A vine in that day was a prized possession. It was a symbol of life and security. A vine means growth and productivity.

The God We Can Know Series #4, I Am the Good Shepherd - Knowing God's Care

Sun, 15 Mar 2015 03:00:00 -0400

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John 10:4, 7-18, 27-28

For Jesus shepherding is not just a job - it is a relationship. He knows his sheep and his sheep know him.

The God We Can Know Series #3: I Am the Light of the World - Knowing God's Guidance

Sun, 08 Mar 2015 04:00:00 -0400

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John 7:2, 14; 8:12

And God saw that the light was good.

The God We Can Know Series, #2 I Am the Bread of Life - Knowing God's Satisfaction

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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John 6:27-35, 48-51

Jesus warns not to overinvest in temporary physical food, but also to focus on the spiritual food that endures to eternal life.

The God We Can Know Series #1, "Knowing the Great I Am"

Sun, 22 Feb 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Exodus 3:1-15

God tells Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. You shall say to the Israelites I AM has sent you.

Ash Wednesday Message

Wed, 18 Feb 2015 03:00:00 -0500

The Torch Is Passed

Sun, 15 Feb 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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2 Kings 2:1-12

What torch or torches are we passing to those who come after us?

The Ministry of Lifting Up

Sun, 08 Feb 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Mark 1:29-39

God equips us to lift up those who are stuck in riverbeds of pain, loss, and sorrow. It is the call to encouragement, the ministry of lifting up.

Faith and Healing Series #5, Do You Want to Be Healed?

Sun, 01 Feb 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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John 5:1-9

Jesus asks, "Do you want to be made well?" Do you want to be healed?

Faith and Healing Series #4, Emotional Healing

Sun, 25 Jan 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Mark 2:1-12

Have you ever had a broken heart?

Faith and Healing Series #3, Mental Healing

Sun, 18 Jan 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Luke 8:26-36

How does Jesus work with a broken mind? How can the church be God's agent for mental healing?

Faith and Healing Series #2, Physical Healing

Sun, 11 Jan 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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Mark 1:40-45

Is Jesus still in the healing business? Is God still actively involved in our health, and - if so - how?

Faith and Healing Series: #1, A Heart Look at Healing

Sun, 04 Jan 2015 03:00:00 -0500

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James 5:13-16

A whole of lot life is spent traveling between the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick. It’s a road on which each of us is traveling in one direction or the other every day.

Based on a True Story

Sun, 28 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

Galatians 4:4-7; John 1:1-14

Christmas Eve 2014, 7 p.m.: Service with Choir, What Christ Can Give You

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

Luke 2:8-14

Christmas Eve 2014, 11 p.m. Service: Open Hands

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

Matthew 1:18-25

Christmas Eve 2014, Selections from the 5 p.m. Service

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

Luke 2:1-19

Christmas Eve 2014, 1 p.m. Service: What Christ Can Give You

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

Luke 2:1-14

What You Can Give Christ

Sun, 21 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 2:1-12

If you could give a gift to Jesus this Christmas, what would you give him? What does the Savior of the world need from us?

What You Can Give Others

Sun, 14 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Proverbs 3:27

A simple, but significant biblical insight on gift giving is found in the wisdom of Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

Unplugging the Christmas Gift Monster

Sun, 07 Dec 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Acts 20:35

There are lots of things that can stress us out during the holidays, but nothing more than buying gifts!

Fed with the Bread of Tears

Sun, 30 Nov 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

What breaks your heart? What causes you to weep? What moves you to tears? I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the easier I cry. Tears can flow when I am sad, or mad, or glad!

An Amazing Thanksgiving

Sun, 23 Nov 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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I Corinthians 1:1-9

And to the church at Corinth, Paul says, "I am always thanking God for you." And I have to say that I find that a rather amazing thanksgiving.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

Sun, 16 Nov 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Genesis 12:1-3

As God long ago and faraway called and blessed our faith ancestor Abraham to bless all the families of the earth, God has called and blessed us to be a blessing in this time and place.

The Cure for the Common Church

Sun, 09 Nov 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Acts 2:42-47

Who wants to attend worship in a common, average, standard church?

Holy Ground

Sun, 02 Nov 2014 02:00:00 -0500

Exodus 3:1-5, John 1:35-39

Spirit of Power

Sun, 19 Oct 2014 03:00:00 -0400

2 Timothy 1:1-7

Refresh Thy People

Sun, 12 Oct 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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I Corinthians 16:17-18

One of the primary ways God refreshes our spirits in this place is in the music we share. Our souls are fed with a rich variety of hymns, anthems, choirs, chimes, bells, flutes, brass, and organ music which revives, restores, renews, and refreshes our hearts and souls as God’s children.

Table Grace

Sun, 05 Oct 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 100

No matter where or when you grew up, somebody sometime probably taught you to say grace.

Hope Into the Dark

Sun, 28 Sep 2014 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 8:26-39

Caring for Creation #3, For the Beauty of the Earth

Sun, 21 Sep 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Romans 8:18-25

As guests on this earth for a while, we are not to be abusers of this beautiful planet, but evangelists to the environment. We bear good news of our adoption as the creatures and creation of God. God in Christ is at work redeeming the world.

Caring for Creation #2, All Creatures of Our God and King

Sun, 14 Sep 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 148:1-13

What if in God’s ears, each and every one is really a song of praise? An anthem of adoration? Sixty trillion hymns…God is listening…and what a chorus of praise it is!

Caring for Creation, #1 This Is My Father's World

Sun, 07 Sep 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Genesis 1:1, 24-31; 2:15

We sat in silence and drank in the beauty of striking sun and sky, and the vast land and moraine lake on this cool morning. The place we were perched has a name: Inspiration Point.

You've Got to Have a Dream

Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:00:00 -0400

Exodus 3:1-15

Inheritance of Faith: Stories of Our Spiritual Ancestors, #3 The Power of a Name

Sun, 24 Aug 2014 03:00:00 -0400

Genesis 25:19-27

Inheritance of Faith: Stories of Our Spiritual Ancestors, #2 Strangers in a Strange Land

Sun, 17 Aug 2014 03:00:00 -0400

Genesis 26:1-5

Inheritance of Faith: Stories of Our Spiritual Ancestors #1, Say Yes

Sun, 10 Aug 2014 03:00:00 -0400

Genesis 12:1-7

The Timeless Servant: Persevering with God

Sun, 03 Aug 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 14:13-21

Today’s an anniversary to offer thanks to the servants of God who gave us this community, this place that changes lives – our outpost of love in the great universal church of Christ. And, it’s a time to reflect on God’s presence here and wrestle with what we’re called to do as God’s servants today.

Don't Get Tricked: Love Rules

Sun, 27 Jul 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Have any of you ever been tricked? Has somebody ever gotten the best of you?

Is Your Name HOPE?

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Romans 8:12-25

Christian hope is not “pie in the sky”; it is hope rooted in the good news of Christ.

Poolside for Years

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 03:00:00 -0400

John 5:1-15

Loves Me Like a River

Sun, 06 Jul 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Romans 7:15-25

. We invite the living water of God’s grace and the love of Jesus Christ to flow over and through us…We can enjoy the cool, pure, gentle and refreshing living water as it flows out of our hearts and into the world.

Wonder Words

Sun, 29 Jun 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 77:11-15

The individual was in trouble. His soul was beyond comfort. His spirit was faint. He was speechless and sleepless. He felt abandoned by God, that God had forgotten him and was angry with him. Have you ever been there?

You Are the Light of the World

Sun, 22 Jun 2014 03:00:00 -0400

Matthew 10:24-39 and 5:14-16

Famous Last Words

Sun, 15 Jun 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 28:16-20

Today I want us to think together not about our last words, but the final words of the One in whose name we are gathered. I am aware, of course, that there is no scholarly consensus on what constitutes the final words of our Lord. Each gospel ends in a slightly different way.

The 3-D Body

Sun, 08 Jun 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 2:1-21

Birthdays are key markers in our lives. Though none of us remembers the day we were born, we have been told stories and given evidence in birth certificates, announcements, and gifts. Today’s Bible lection is a birthday story. It is not the arrival of just anybody, but of the body - the body of Christ.”

Then the People Rejoiced!

Sun, 01 Jun 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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1 Chronicles 29:1-14

It was a gathering not unlike today! God’s people assembled to receive offerings for a special financial campaign. King David, their leader, gave abundantly as an example to those gathered and then asked the question in verse 5, “Who then will offer willingly, consecrating themselves today to the Lord?”

Setting Our House in Order

Sun, 25 May 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

It’s really sort of a strange story. It took place after Easter and before Pentecost. Actually it happened right after the ascension of Jesus. You might call it the story of the “replacement disciple,” or the one that answers the question, “Who is going to take Judas’ place?” You might wonder why Luke even includes it in his account of the Book of Acts.

Nobody Washes a Rental Car!

Sun, 18 May 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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John 10:11-18

Have you ever changed the oil, or gotten an emission inspection or washed a car that you rented?

Putting Your Two Cents In

Sun, 11 May 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Mark 12:41-44

The Bible is storybook. It shares some very interesting stories. One is our text today. It is the story of Jesus teaching in the temple, in God’s house. He has a large crowd listening to him with delight. They delight in Jesus’ criticism of the scribes who strut in their fancy finery and always sit at the head table or on the 50-yard line or mid-court or behind home plate.

A Child with a Sack Lunch

Sun, 04 May 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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John 6:1-14

He was a child. We don’t know how old the boy was, or even what his name was, but he was there that day. He was one of 5,000 folks who showed up on the Passover holiday. They had seen Jesus do some signs, heal the sick and so forth. They knew there was something extraordinary about Jesus.

Committed to the Common Good

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Nehemiah 2:17-20

The people shouted, “Let us start building!” What a spontaneous commitment! What a pledge of allegiance! This story may be 2,500 years old, but it parallels our church today. It is a story of being confronted with a significant challenge, and of answering that challenge...about serving God and being faithful in the world.

Because He Lives

Sun, 20 Apr 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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John 14:1-7, 18-21

Several summers ago Jimmy Cooper of Missouri attended a passion play. It told the story of Jesus. When the curtain went down on the crucifixion scene, a little girl who was sitting in the row in front of Jimmy leaned over and asked her dad, “Is it over, or is there another part?” Is it over, or is there another part?

Turmoil Takes the Town

Sun, 13 Apr 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 21:1-11

There was excitement in the air! A large crowd gathered in anticipation! There were shouts and signs to welcome their hero! The Savior was coming, and upon arrival, “the whole city was in turmoil…” Someone even threw a shoe!

A Dead Man Walks

Sun, 06 Apr 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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John 11:1-45

Two stories today – both about families and their grief – both about death and coming back from the dead. One story happened near Houston, Texas in the next to last year of the last year of the last century, and the other happened many centuries ago in a faraway place… Both of these stories are real and true – because they involve people like you and me – people with feelings of loss and pain, of grief and heartache in the very real face of death…

Sharing Abundance: One Great Hour of Sharing

Sun, 30 Mar 2014 03:00:00 -0400

Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-8, 13-17, 24, 26

Mission Sunday Message

A Wounded Woman Is Won

Sun, 23 Mar 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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John 4:5-30, 39-42

Have you ever been thirsty and had no means to quench that thirst? That is what happened to Jesus that day! It is the first, but not the last time in John’s gospel that Jesus will be thirsty. In chapter 19, as he hangs on the cross, just before breathing his last, our Lord cries out, “I am thirsty.”

A Top Teacher Is Taught

Sun, 16 Mar 2014 03:00:00 -0400

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John 3:1-17

One night a man named Nicodemus came to Jesus. He was a Pharisee, a respected teacher and leader of the Jews. Though he was a top teacher, he was timid, too. He came at night because he was risking his reputation by having a close encounter with Christ. He told Jesus, “Rabbi, you must have come from God. No one can teach like you do without God’s help.”

A Daring Devil Is Dismissed

Sun, 09 Mar 2014 04:00:00 -0400

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Matthew 4:1-11

Can you really believe that Jesus began his ministry entering the solitude of the wilderness? Can you imagine this Jewish pulpit committee that has waited a thousand years for the Messiah to show up? And when he finally shows up, he announces he’s only got 36 months for the assignment, and he wants to take the first 40 days off to go into the wilderness in solitude!”

Ash Wednesday Message

Wed, 05 Mar 2014 03:00:00 -0500

Ash Wednesday Message, March 5

Retaliation, Revenge, and Reflection

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 5:38-48

Have you ever wanted to take revenge on somebody or something? To retaliate for a perceived injustice? In more vernacular language, have you ever acted to settle a score, get even with someone, or extract a payback?”

Revolting, Radical Revisions!

Sun, 23 Feb 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 5:21-37

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t like Jesus. What I mean is sometimes I don’t like what Jesus says! Today’s gospel lectionary from the Sermon on the Mount is one of those tough texts. No beautiful beatitudes here! No salt and light compliments in this passage! Instead, what we heard read is a series of radical, revolting revisions of the traditional laws of God’s people by Jesus!”

Listen to the Voice

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 17:1-9

A bright cloud envelops them all and a voice – a voice from the cloud – speaks and says of Jesus, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”

Salt, Light and Law

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 5:13-20

Jesus sat on the mountain and taught his newly called disciples. His first and best word two was “blessed.” His Discipleship Freshman Orientation kicked off with a string of beatitudes, affirming those called as those who were blessed again and again and again. “Blessed are you...blessed are you…blessed are you…” His first word, his best word was not just for the first disciples, but for all future disciples, as well.”

Super Bowl Spirituality

Sun, 02 Feb 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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1 Corinthians 9:24-27

The year is 1972. The month is January. The place is New Orleans. Super Bowl VI is about to be played. A few days before the championship contest, a reporter asks Dallas Cowboy star Duane Thomas about playing in the ultimate contest. The reflective running back responds, “If it’s the ultimate game, how come they’re playing it again next year?”

Jesus' First and Best Word

Sun, 26 Jan 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 5:1-12

So here is Jesus. He has called his first disciples. He is going throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing. Great crowds are coming from all over. It is a grand glorious beginning to his public ministry.

What Are You Looking For?

Sun, 19 Jan 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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John 1:29-42

We are all constantly looking for something, wanting something, seeking something, but it is never quite found in gifts, in things given or received. We are searching for something that will make our lives happier, more meaningful, and fulfilled. But sadly our lives take on the tone of the couple in the mall at Christmas. We walk up and down the aisles of life, pushing carts filled with remarkable devices and gadgets, but not with the satisfaction of finding what we really want.

Who Needs to Be Baptized?

Sun, 12 Jan 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 3:13-17

Do you remember your baptism? Where and when it was? Was it in a river, a lake, a church, here at Trinity? Where you immersed or sprinkled? How old were you? What did you wear? Who was there? Did someone take pictures? Did you have a party, or get a certificate?
As we ponder Jesus' baptism this Sunday set aside for the Baptism of the Lord, it is impossible not to reflect on the meaning and experience of our own baptisms. We will do just that, as well as ask why Jesus needed to be baptized.

Rise and Shine

Sun, 05 Jan 2014 03:00:00 -0500

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Isaiah 60:1-6

“Rise and shine!” That is the twin command that opens our Old Testament text this Epiphany Sunday. These are words of encouragement to a dispirited people of God who have been scattered, exiled, and shamed. God has not forgotten you, the prophet is proclaiming.

Jesus the Refugee

Sun, 29 Dec 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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Matthew 2:13-23

King Herod was “troubled” by the news of the newborn king of the Jews. He commanded the Magi to report to him where the newborn boy was so he, too, could go and worship him. The Magi were later warned in a dream not to return to Herod and went home another way.
That’s where our gospel lection picks up today. It’s tough text, a story of paranoia and violence, of mass execution and great grief. It’s one I have never preached on and perhaps one you have never heard of. Baby Jesus is #1 on King Herod’s hit list.

A Sign Is Delivered

Tue, 24 Dec 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:8-14

The greatest sign of hope for the world came in the birth of a baby. In tonight’s text, Isaiah declares, “For a child has been born to us, a son given to us…and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

A Sign Is Promised

Sun, 22 Dec 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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INSIGHTS FROM ISAIAH: #4

Isaiah 7:10-16

In our valleys along this journey of life, there is One who promises us, “I will give you a sign…Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”

A Shoot from a Stump

Sun, 08 Dec 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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INSIGHTS FROM ISAIAH: #2

Isaiah 11:1-10

As we continue our journey through Advent lighting candles of hope, love, joy, and peace, our individual walks may take much longer. Some of us have been or are in the wilderness of exile. When we have a difficult child, a dying loved one, a bout of depression, a painful disease, a failing marriage, a loss of income, or another seismic shift in our lives, we cry out to the Son of God to appear. We look for a shoot from a stump. What is the stump of Jesse in your life? What is it that appears lifeless and hopeless, yet can still yield a twig of hope, a shoot of life?

Where Are You Walking?

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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INSIGHTS FROM ISAIAH: #1

Isaiah 2:1-5

If we are able, most of us walk a significant distance each day. Some of us wear pedometers to record the number of steps we take. Health insurers provide the pedometers and encourage and reward their clients to wear them because they know that walking is good for one’s health.
Have you ever thought of walking as a spiritual experience? Have you considered the metaphorical meaning of putting one step in front of the other in a continuous pattern?

Generous Thanks-giving

Sun, 24 Nov 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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2 Corinthians 9:6-15

If you know anyone who graduated in the class of 2013 at the University of Colorado, you may know he or she heard an unusual commencement speaker. The 6,000 graduates, including 903 receiving master’s degrees, 171 receiving law degrees and 494 receiving doctoral degrees, did not hear a renowned scientist, economist, philosopher, or judicial or elected official at Folsom Field on Friday, May 10. No, the class of 2013 heard an actress speak. A very talented actress…Julie Andrews, AKA Mary Poppins, flew into Boulder. The star of The Sound of Music gave this counsel to those 500 dozen skilled, smart, educated new grads about to enter the world: “Live lightly on this earth and give generously.”

Excellence In Everything

Sun, 17 Nov 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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II Corinthians 8:1-7

We can all agree that to excel is a good thing! To achieve excellence is a goal every individual or organization should have.

I stand here today humbly and proudly to share what many have told me for over 7 years now. From guest comments and contacts, and from member participation and conversation, as well as from personal observation and experience, I can say without reservation, Trinity is a church of excellence. This 154-year-old community of faith excels in several significant arenas.

Be Present, Be You

Sun, 10 Nov 2013 03:00:00 -0500

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Youth Sunday

Imagine a group of middle schoolers walking around Civic Park, carrying granola bars, water, and crackers to hand out to people who spend their days there. Claire, Roxy Freeman, Olivia Hill, and I were those middle schoolers, and we were in the midst of enjoying our first Denver Dive. While walking around, we spotted a fountain to rest and put our feet into so we could cool off from the extraordinary heat. Before we could even take off our shoes, we saw a man and woman who appeared to be homeless, dancing in the fountain. They saw us, four confused-looking middle schoolers, and approached. It turns out that the woman was a cancer survivor, and because of all of the medical bills, she and her husband no longer had a place to live. But they didn’t seem to be worried—they even seemed confident that everything would work out in the end. They chose to enjoy life despite their situation. Their energy inspired the four of us and our three leaders. Soon we were all dancing care-free in the fountain together. It’s times like these when I think of how the smallest of gestures can help change someone’s entire perspective. Even though we barely knew these people, they completely changed our outlook on homelessness as wide-eyed sixth graders, and now we think of the awesome things God gives us: great people who will dance in fountains with us, our health, and even just our day-to-day lives. We have the opportunity to make the best out of God’s greatest gift: life.

The Saints are Still Speaking

Sun, 03 Nov 2013 02:00:00 -0500

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Hebrews 11:1-4

We are thankful this All Saints Sunday that 15 persons and others we will soon name were generous people, who gave much, and whose faith expressed in their giving and serving still speaks personally and powerfully to us this day! Their message to us today is this, “Keep on living, keep on giving. Keep caring, keep sharing. And keep loving and excelling in everything!”

The saints’ excellent encouragement and example of giving still speaks to us and leaves us with just one question: How will we be remembered? What will our lives say to those who come after us, who one day will share our names in a service like this?

Made in the Image of God

Sun, 27 Oct 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Genesis 1:26-31

John Philip Newell, through his gentle and grace-filled spirit, invited over 400 weekend workshop participants into listening to the heartbeat of God which resides deep within each of us, reminding us that each of us is precious in the sight of God and that all of us are precious creations of God.

The Power of Offering

Sun, 20 Oct 2013 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 76:11, 116:12-14

Why the offering? Why an altar table on which to place the offering plates? Like Bob, we may see the offering as an interruption to worship, but do you know what? Do you know where the Bible places the offering? At the very center of worship. You read the Old and New Testaments and you discover that the offering is not an afterthought to God. You quickly realize that for the Creator the offering is the centerpiece, the highlight, the whole point of a worship way of life.

The Power of Praise

Sun, 13 Oct 2013 03:00:00 -0400

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Psalm 150

In 1719, Isaac Watts wrote these hymn lyrics:

I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath;
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers.

My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last
Or immortality endures.

You might say we were born to offer praise to God! Twelve times in the six verses of this Sunday’s Psalm 150 we are commanded to “Praise the Lord.” Psalms 146-150, sometimes called the Hallelujah Psalms, all begin and end with the call to “Praise the Lord.”

The Power of Community

Sun, 06 Oct 2013 03:00:00 -0400

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Acts 2:42-47

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden and he put the man there to till and to take care of it. As God watched Adam work and take care of the garden, he realized something was wrong. Something was missing. Someone was missing. God declared, “It is not good that Adam is alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.”

So as the story goes on the Creator goes back to work creating. He creates what for Adam? He creates every beast of the field and every bird of the air. Adam gives a name to each one – “I will call you a giraffe and you a turtle and you an elephant.” But none of these birds and animals is fit to be Adam’s partner. Soon Adam succumbs to sleep, as the first anesthesia and the first surgery take place in the garden. After a rapid recovery from rib removal, Adam rejoices to receive his partner. In fact, he breaks into poetry upon seeing the perfect partner for him!

Friends, this theological tale accents not only the creation of the world, but very importantly the creation of community. The story tells us we need each other. It is not good for us to chronically be alone. We were created for community, put together for partnerships, and fashioned for fellowship.

The Power of the Spirit

Sun, 29 Sep 2013 03:00:00 -0400

John 3:8

WORSHIP POWER #4

This Sunday’s worship celebrates our laity, the members of our congregation – the body of Christ, and its empowerment by the Holy Spirit for God’s work in our world. Laity Sunday is a time to recognize the work and mission of all laity — not only within the walls of the church but in everyday lives.

In the early days of American Methodism, the laity served and maintained congregations between visits of the circuit riders. Today, lay people are the front line of daily ministry at the workplace, in the home and within the community.

Through our baptism we are given gifts of the Holy Spirit which empower us for our tasks. Each of us has a particular interest or passion for aspects of this call to mission and ministry

The Power of Proclamation

Sun, 22 Sep 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Luke 4:16-22

WORSHIP POWER: #3

Why did Jesus follow in the footsteps of his cousin John? Why did he take up the task of telling God’s message to others? Why has preaching, proclaiming the good news, been an essential part of the Judeo-Christian heritage for several millennia? The answer, of course, is that there is power in proclamation. Just as we have said the last two weeks in speaking of prayer and scripture, preaching has the power to connect us to God and to help us discover what God wants to give us.

The Power of Scripture

Sun, 15 Sep 2013 03:00:00 -0400

WORSHIP POWER: #2

There is power in the scriptures, the sacred texts of the Judeo-Christian heritage. This library of 66 books is variety of volumes – pre-history and history, poems and prayers, laws and letters, short stories and long stories, songs and sagas that comfort and disturb.

September 15, 2013
Timothy 3:14-17
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The Power of Prayer

Sun, 08 Sep 2013 03:00:00 -0400

WORSHIP POWER: #1

So what is “the power of prayer”? Where does it come from? Why should we take time to pray? Prayer is not magic – some abra-cadabra, hocus-pocus – but prayer is mystery, a holy, heartfelt happening captured well in the words of Gandhi who wrote, “Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is a daily admission of one’s weaknesses…It is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart…Prayer is the key to the morning and the bolt of the evening.”

September 8, 2013
James 5:13-18
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Courage to Live

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 03:00:00 -0400

What do the Pullman Sleeping Car, Labor Day and Utopia have to do with courage to live? We discover the connections and sing some great hymns of faith and courage while also hearing the wisdom of Trinity members who are finding the courage to live.

September 1, 2013
Romans 12:2, 9-18
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ASSURANCE: No God, Know Fear…Know God, No Fear

Sun, 25 Aug 2013 03:00:00 -0400

TOUCHING THE HUMAN HEART AND LIFE: #7

The current TIME magazine is a special double issue devoted to next week’s 50th anniversary of the march, the speech, and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hundreds of thousands of folks came to Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963 to share in the historic event on the National Mall that touched our nation’s soul. Five years later King’s life would end at age 39 by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis where he was working on behalf of the city’s garbage collectors.

For years Dr. King had lived with threats, hate mail, and bombs and bullets aimed at him and his family’s home. An African-American church matriarch known as Mother Pollard once assured King with the Biblical promise, “God’s gonna take care of you.” Later he wrote of the impact of that assurance in time of trouble, “Since that dreary night in 1956, Mother Pollard has passed on to glory and I have known very few quiet days. I have been tortured within by the raging fires of tribulation. I have been forced to muster what strength and courage I have to withstand howling winds of pain and jostling storms of adversity. But as the years have unfolded, the eloquently simple words of Mother Pollard have come back to me again and again to give light and peace and guidance to my troubled soul, ‘God’s gonna take care of you.’”

August 25, 2013
Psalm 46
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ANXIETY: Cast Your Burden on the Lord

Sun, 18 Aug 2013 03:00:00 -0400

TOUCHING THE HUMAN HEART AND LIFE: #6

Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis announced his retirement Tuesday, effective June 2014. He has been at the school for 34 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator, including the last 18 as principal. He was onsite during a tragic shooting in April 1999 that left a dozen innocent students and a teacher dead. In a television interview two days ago, DeAngelis shared that he still has “bouts of severe anxiety” from the event 14 years ago.

Most of us have never been through an event like Columbine, but most of us have experienced bouts of anxiety. There is much to be anxious about in our personal, local, state, national and international lives. How do we handle the experiences that leave us uneasy, uncertain, and unnerved? The Bible acknowledges the reality of our human anxiety and also offers us help in dealing with it.

August 18, 2013
Psalm 55:1-8, 16-19, 22
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ABANDONMENT: Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Sun, 11 Aug 2013 03:00:00 -0400

TOUCHING THE HUMAN HEART AND LIFE: #5

Have you ever felt abandoned by God? The psalmist did. Jesus did. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is sometimes not far from our experience.

August 11, 2013
Psalm 22:1-11
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ADORATION: Ceaseless Praise to an Awesome God!

Sun, 04 Aug 2013 03:00:00 -0400

TOUCHING THE HUMAN HEART AND LIFE: #4

Whatever it may be we think that brings us here today, I want to suggest there is one central, primary, overriding, supreme purpose to gather as we do week in and week out. Some of these other factors – the social dimension, the habit, or the obligation may get us here – but the real reason, the most important impetus for God’s people gather together is to praise God!

We come to worship, magnify, glorify, give thanks to, honor, and exalt the divine Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. We were made to praise God! We rejoice in this hour that reminds us who God is, who we are, and what our relationship is! The “A”-word today is ADORATION. We adore, we worship, and we bow down in reverence before the holy the one God in three persons, the blessed Trinity.

August 4, 2013
Psalm 66:1-9, 20
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ABSOLUTION: Good News About Sin

Sun, 28 Jul 2013 03:00:00 -0400

TOUCHING THE HUMAN HEART AND LIFE: #3

While the word is not in the Bible, its theological meaning is central to our relationship with our Creator. Unless we are perfect, we need absolution. Politicians, pastors, and people from all walks of life are the beneficiaries of this wonderful gift.

July 28, 2013
Psalm 51:1-17
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ADVERSITY: When the Going Gets Tough

Sun, 21 Jul 2013 03:00:00 -0400

TOUCHING THE HUMAN HEART AND LIFE: #2

One year ago tragedy struck our community. Shock, sadness, and sorrow suddenly filled our hearts. The nation wept with us as we mourned the deaths of a dozen of our fellow citizens in the larger Denver community, including several children, youth, and young adults.

In addition to those 12 families who are remembering their deceased loved ones this first anniversary weekend, 70 survivors who were wounded are still recovering physically and emotionally from the trauma of that early morning insane assault on a room full of families, friends, and folks whose lives were forever changed. Our hearts still grieve for the victims of this senseless act in our community.

What do you do when the going gets tough? When the rug gets pulled out in your life?

July 21, 2013
Psalm 31:1-16
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What is Your Reality?

Sun, 14 Jul 2013 03:00:00 -0400

This Sunday as we celebrate Urban Ministry we welcome Adrian Miller to the pulpit. As the new Executive Director of the Colorado Council of Churches, Adrian shares his goal “that the Colorado Council of Churches, by virtue of its ecumenical, interfaith and social justice activities, will be the ‘go-to’ organization for anyone who wants to effect social change in Colorado.” The Colorado Council of Churches is the expression of congregations and affiliated partners that have intentionally entered into a covenant relationship to live out its mission: Walking together in faith, working together for justice. Trinity is a covenanting member.

Urban Ministry Sunday celebrates Trinity’s outreach to our downtown Denver neighborhood. We will receive a special offering to support Metro CareRing and Denver Urban Ministries (DenUM), longtime Trinity partners in the effort to stabilize families and individuals who struggle with poverty. You can bring a message of hope to these families by your prayerful participation in Sunday’s Special Offering.

Join us in worship as Adrian Miller invites us to consider “What’s Your Reality?”

July 14, 2013

The First American Revolution We Forget

Sun, 07 Jul 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Rev. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), the Puritan theologian who has been called the greatest mind produced in America, is excited to fill the Trinity pulpit. Edwards is brought to life by Rev. Dr. Jack Van Ens of Arvada. He portrays both Edwards and Thomas Jefferson across the nation.

July 7, 2013
Hebrews 11:1-12

Being a Good Neighbor

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 03:00:00 -0400

For over 30 years my family has had its car and homeowners insurance with the same company. Whether we owned 1, 2, 3 or 4 cars with two teenage and young adult drivers, whether we had mortgages on zero, one or two houses, we have always had paid our premiums to a company that promises to be ”like a good neighbor.”

So what is a good neighbor? Who is a good neighbor? Are you a good neighbor? What kind of neighbor does our Creator desire us to be?

June 30, 2013
Luke 10:27
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ABUNDANCE: At the Very Heart of God

Sun, 23 Jun 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Abundance is a good word, meaning “an extremely plentiful or over-sufficient quantity or supply.” We will explore what is abundantly at the heart of God and what difference it makes in our lives.

June 23, 2013
Psalm 103:1-18
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Praise for a Model Father

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Some years ago a pastor was being introduced to speak in a special service. The person doing the introduction described the pastor as "a model minister." Later that evening when they had gotten home, the proud pastor remarked to his wife how happy he was to be called "a model minister." She rolled her eyes and said, "Don't get too impressed with yourself. If you look up the word 'model' in the dictionary, you will find it means 'a small imitation of the real thing.'"

Now this morning's tribute to "a model father" is not praise for "a small imitation of the real thing." Today's tribute is to an exemplary father who models for all parents and non-parents some specific, healthy behaviors to bring good into his own family and into the human family. There are a half-dozen ways in which this alphabetical acrostic wisdom psalm celebrates the righteousness of a giant of a man.

June 16, 2013
Psalm 112
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The Human Challenge

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Forgiveness: Finding Peace through Letting Go: #2

Holly Dickson-Ramos lives in Ontario, Canada. One evening while at a conference away from home, she was in a noisy restaurant with two of her co-workers. A hockey game blared from six televisions around the room. Dishes clattered, and everyone cheered when the home team scored. Holly was overwhelmed by the chaotic surroundings. To make matters worse, one of her co-workers would not stop talking. As soon as they sat down, this woman began to recount years of conflict with her mother-in-law. Her tirade finally ended with the declaration, “I will never speak to her again!”

Holly wondered if she should sympathize or keep quiet. Just then, the other colleague spoke up. She asked gently the coworker who had just dismissed a family member, “Could you ever forgive your mother-in-law?” Suddenly the surroundings of competitive sports, clinking glasses, and sleek, corporate diners seemed to fade. Silence hung over the three women. In a moment the conversation had turned from ordinary to holy.

June 9, 2013
Matthew 6:11-12, 18:21-22
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The Divine Answer

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Forgiveness: Finding Peace through Letting Go: #1

One day a pastor was having lunch with a psychologist friend. He asked the psychologist if there was one thing he wished he could do for his clients that was not possible for him to do. To the pastor’s surprise, the mental health worker said without hesitation, “I wish I could say to them, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”

Forgiveness is sometimes hard to receive and to extend. A movie named “Unforgivable” was at the Chez Artiste last August. It was set in Venice and wrestled with a suspected infidelity in a long-term marriage. The title of the film captures our feelings at certain times – that something we have done or something that someone has done to us is impossible to be forgiven.

June 2, 2013
Psalm 32:1-5
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Who is My Partner?

Sun, 26 May 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Modern Family Matters #3

One Sunday afternoon last month I went to a Denver Nuggets basketball game. In the program booklet that was at my seat was a two-page write-up about Denver’s head coach, George Karl. It included his record of 24 seasons as a professional coach. It shared some personal information, including that the coach is a two-time cancer survivor and is involved with several cancer-related organizations. Then it said, “He and his life partner Kim Van Deraa launched the George Karl Foundation in March 2012…to support cancer care programs, education, animal rights and environmental initiatives.”

The article did not call the person he lives with his wife, or bride, or spouse. It called Kim his “life partner.” Actually, we really don’t know if Kim is male or female, but we know George and Kim declare themselves to be “life partners.”

May 26, 2013
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
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Who Is My Family?

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Modern Family Matters #3

There is something special about family, about having a community to which to belong. Families vary in size, configuration, and dynamics. This Sunday is Pentecost, the day we celebrate the birthday of the church. We will read, sing, and share about the family of faith:

At Pentecost some people received the Holy Spirit And told the good news to all who would hear it. I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together. All who follow Jesus all around the world! Yes, we’re the church together!

May 19, 2013
Acts 2:1-4, 42-47
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Who Is My Mother?

Sun, 12 May 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Modern Family Matters #2

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Our liturgy, music, and message will reflect that theme. Sometime ago I came across a list of “Beatitudes for Mothers.” It has much to say to us as we prepare to fulfill the biblical command to “Honor your mother.”

Blessed is the mother who understands her children, for she shall inherit a kingdom full of memories.
Blessed is the mother who knows how to comfort, for she shall possess a child’s devotion.
Blessed is the mother who guides the path of righteousness, for she shall be proud of her offspring.
Blessed is the mother who is never shocked, for she shall receive confidences.
Blessed is the mother who teaches respect, for she shall be respected.
Blessed is the mother who emphasizes good and minimizes the bad, for in like manner her child will make evaluations.
Blessed is the mother who answers simply startling questions, for she shall always be trusted.
Blessed is the mother who has character strong enough to withstand the sometimes thoughtless remarks of resentment of the growing child, for again in due time she shall be honored.
Blessed is the mother who treats her children as she would be treated, for her home shall be filled with happiness.
And to that wonderful list, we add, Blessed is the mother who brings her family to worship, for their home shall be strong.

May 12, 2013
Matthew 12:46-50
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Who Is My Neighbor?

Sun, 05 May 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Modern Family Matters #1

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most beloved and familiar in the Bible. It begins with a lawyer testing Jesus with the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The text in Luke 10:25-37 contains five questions, one of which is the title of this Sunday’s message, “Who Is My Neighbor?” The persistent lawyer in the story pushes Jesus with that question. The real question for the story though is the one that flows from the attorney’s accurate answer to a question of Jesus. And that question is “How do I love my neighbor?"

In this legislative season of efforts to pass bills connected to immigration, capital punishment, gun violence, and marriage equality, the challenge to love our neighbor is extended. In Sunday’s message we will share four ways to love our neighbor and the tale of two Methodists who changed the nation 66 years ago.

May 5, 2013
Luke 10:25-37
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JESUS: Superstar or Servant Savior?

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Jesus Christ Superstar First Person Series: #4

Who am I? What am I really? Why did I come to earth? My name is Jesus, of course, Jesus of Nazareth. Like some of yours, my parents weren't even married when I came along.

I guess the first important thing you ought to know about me is I was born like any other baby. When you say, as you did today that I was "born of the virgin Mary," the key word in that 1,700-year-old phrase is not "virgin," but "born." In other words, I am human! I spat up, whined, and filled my diaper like every other baby does.

My humanity is sometimes overlooked, you see. Yet, even as an adult I slept and I wept. Why I even slept in a boat in the middle of a storm – I guess had a clear conscience! I cried when my friend Lazarus died. I got angry when I saw moneychangers in the temple. I got hungry when I was fasting in the wilderness. I grew thirsty when I was hanging out on a cross on my last day. I smiled and laughed when I was around children. I got tired after a long day of building tables, chairs, and chests in my carpenter career. I was as human as anyone of you in this room with physical, emotional, and mental joys and challenges.

So while I was like every other human being, I was mysteriously unlike any other human being! If you read what they wrote about me, I did some rather unusual things in the last three years of my life. I walked on water and walked through walls! I enabled and empowered the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the deaf to hear. I multiplied bread to feed thousands. I even helped the dead to experience life again. One day I turned water into wine a wedding. (Good thing it wasn't a Baptist wedding!) I don't know what you think about such miracles. Some folks take them literally and others see them simply as signs and symbols of the power and presence of God in me. Bottom line: I have a divine nature, as well as a human nature. I am 100% both!

April 28, 2013
Mark 10:35-45
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JUDAS: Trusted Treasurer or Treacherous Traitor?

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Jesus Christ Superstar First Person Series: #3

What do you think when you hear the name Judas? Maybe you think of Judas Maccabeus, the mighty Jewish warrior who led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire in 165 BCE. The annual observance of Hanukah commemorates this historic restoration of Jewish Temple worship.

Or maybe you think of Jesus’ brother. Did you know that Jesus of Nazareth had a brother named Judas? See Mark 6:3. Or maybe you think of Judas, the son of James. That Judas was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, according to Luke 6:16.

My guess is, you think of Judas Iscariot. For two millennia now, when people hear his name, they think traitor. His name is sadly synonymous with betrayal. Nobody today names his or her child Judas! Have you seen a church named Judas United Methodist Church, much less St. Judas Church?

We may think we know Judas Iscariot, whom Jesus chose as a disciple. The fact is, Judas is quite an enigma… his actions are quite a riddle…his motives inexplicable…his death a mystery. At the least, he is a conflicted disciple. In other words, he is like us.

April 21, 2013
Mark 14:10-11, 17-21, 32-50
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Peter: Solid Rock or Stumbling Block?

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Jesus Christ Superstar First Person Series: #2

I am rather unusual in that I am known by 5 different names. I am sometimes called Symeon (Hebrew), sometimes Simon (Greek). People also call me Cephas (Greek alliteration of my other Greek name, Peter.) And then, of course, you can call me Simon Peter, a double name I am called neatly 20 times in the 4th gospel. So call me what you want, just don’t call me late for dinner!

April 14, 2013
Matthew 16:13-23
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Mary Magdalene

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:00:00 -0400

"I Don't Know how to Love Him" is one of the pivotal songs performed by the character Mary Magdalene in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar written by Andrew Llloyd Webber in the early 1970s! Mary Magdalene is a key character in the musical who portrays a primary character in the Biblical account of Jesus' life and ministry.

Mary Magdalene was likely the "foremost of Jesus' women disciples.", and an important leader among the first Christians. Some early Christians in the 3rd century gave Mary Magdalene the title: "apostle to the apostles." She was the leader of Jesus' followers.

Mary Magdalene has a rich story which has also been mixed with mystery. Her story is pieced together with various references in each of the first books of the New Testament. These four books, written by four men several years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, offers various perspectives of this Mary, depending upon which book of the New Testament we read.

April 7, 2013
John 20: 1-18
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The Day Death Died

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:00:00 -0400

John Donne was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and cleric in the Church of England. He died March 31, 1631, 382 years ago this Easter Sunday, and is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral. He is perhaps best known for his reflection on our connection,

No man is an island, Entire of itself…. Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.

Another memorable piece of his work is from his Holy Sonnets. Sonnet Number 10, known as Death Be Not Proud begins with this line, Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;

And concludes with this faith affirmation: One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

This Sunday is Easter, the day we celebrate the death of death! The bell is tolling for us to share the joy of this grandest day of the year.

Easter
I Corinthians 15:50-58 View Transcript

Don’t Settle for Success…When You Can Be Eternal

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 03:00:00 -0400

Good news: No snow is in the forecast for this Sunday! We will rejoice to all gather in community for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. We will conclude the sermon series on success with the message, “Don’t Settle for Success…When You Can Be Eternal,” from John 11:17-44. Lazarus was affluent, popular, powerful, and dead. Jesus shows up and death’s period is transformed into a comma. The meaning of success is redefined in terms of faith…faith in the face of death. It will be a timely message for all of us as we confront our mortality.

Fifth Sunday in Lent
John 11:17-44 View Transcript

Mission Sunday

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Mission is where your gifts meet the world’s prayers. Come to the fair in Trinity Café and explore all the ways we are in Mission. Do you want to paint a church, build a house, speak with state legislators about the needs of the voiceless, travel to Zimbabwe, teach English as a second language, serve lunch to our downtown neighbors, prepare emergency kits, serve as an emergency responder? All these opportunities and much more are yours to explore this Sunday at Trinity’s Mission Fair!

Fourth Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 55:1-11, Luke 13:6-9

Don't Settle for Success ... When You Can Be Influential

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 03:00:00 -0500

We will continue the Lenten sermon series with the message, “Why Settle for Success…When you Can Be Influential.” Think about how powerful an impact we can have in a lifetime of 40, 60, 80, or 100 years. Michael Jordan was on the cover of Sports Illustrated two weeks ago. The legendary basketball player who led his Chicago team to six NBA championships and the USA basketball team to two Olympic gold medals turned 50 years old on Feb. 17. It was the record 50th time that he appeared on the cover. For many years Jordan appeared in commercials for Gatorade. The tag-line for the ads was always, “Be like Mike.” Jordan sold lots of the sports drink and sneakers because young people wanted to be like Mike. We know athletes are role models for better or for worse to children of all ages. I believe Todd Helton greatly regrets his recent failure as a role model to baseball fans and to his own children.

How can you and I impact, influence, and make a significant difference in the world? Join us Sunday for the joy of worship as we sing, pray, give, and receive the blessings of community, praise, reflection, and a timely message on something greater than success.

Don't Settle for Success ... When You Can Be Influential
Third Sunday in Lent
John 14:8-14 View Transcript

Don't Settle for Success ... When You Can Be Remembered

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 03:00:00 -0500

We will all leave a legacy when we leave this world. In this Sunday’s text, Matthew 26:6-13, Jesus commends an unnamed woman for what she has done while she had the chance. He speaks well of her lasting legacy. Her enduring story is the basis for this Sunday’s message, Don’t Settle for Success…When You Can Be Remembered. How do you want to be remembered?

Don't Settle for Success ... When You Can Be Remembered
Second Sunday in Lent
Matthew 26:6-13 View Transcript

Don't Settle for Success ... When You Can Be Connected

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 03:00:00 -0500

This Sunday, the first in the season of Lent, and the first message in a new sermon series, Don’t Settle for Success… “When You Can Be Connected,” from John 15:1-11. I invite you to get connected this Sunday and stay connected to Christ, the church, and one another during the six Sundays of Lent leading to Easter.

Don't Settle for Success ... When You Can Be Connected
First Sunday in Lent
John 15:1-11 View Transcript

The Final Sleep: What Happens After I Die?”

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 03:00:00 -0500

This Sunday we will complete the sermon series, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, with “The Final Sleep: What Happens After I Die?” We will explore the declarations of Paul from I Corinthians 15 where he “rambles in the mysteries of the Almighty” concerning death and resurrection. The good news is God has the final word.

The Final Sleep: What Happens After I Die?”
Transfiguration Sunday
I Corinthians 15:20, 35-38, 42-44, 51-58 View Transcript

The Bible Tells Me So?

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:00:00 -0500

Worship this Sunday will be woven around one of the most popular Christian hymns around the world: “Jesus Loves Me.” In 1862, hymn writer William Bradbury crafted what has become one of the most beloved of all Christian hymns. His tune was inspired by the words of a poem by Anna Bartlett Warner spoken to comfort a dying child. Bradbury’s addition of the chorus “Yes, Jesus Loves Me…the Bible Tells Me So” will be the foundation for this Sunday’s worship service. The message will be embraced by the congregation singing hymns, participating in scripture and prayers, welcoming two children into the Christian family through baptism, experiencing inspiring special music, and witnessing the presentation of Bibles to Trinity third graders. Prepare your hearts for worship by considering ways that you know Jesus loves you and ways that Jesus invites us to share that love.

The Bible Tells Me So?
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
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The Danger of Sleeping in Church

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:00:00 -0500

This Sunday’s message, “The Danger of Sleeping in Church,” comes from a story of a young man who falls asleep during a long sermon, falls out of a window, and falls to his death. It is a comedy-tragedy that destabilizes our expectations for the way the world ought to work. The text is Acts 20:7-12. You will enjoy the story of Eutychus, the patron saint of drowsy. Sunday I will share with you five simple tips for staying awake in worship.

The Danger of Sleeping in Church
Third Sunday after Epiphany
Scripture: Acts 20:7-12 View Transcript

The Gift of Good Sleep

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 03:00:00 -0500

Last month in Washington, DC, I had the opportunity to visit the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. It is an inspiring tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize winner who led the civil rights movement in this land. In Sunday’s worship we will pray a litany of Dr. King’s, “God Is Able.” I hope you will be present as we enjoy some special music from the spirituals’ tradition and begin a short, new sermon series, NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP. This Sunday’s message from Psalm 4 is “The Gift of Good Sleep.”

The Gift of Good Sleep
Second Sunday after Epiphany
Scripture: Psalm 4 View Transcript

Is the Bible Reliable?

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 03:00:00 -0500

This Sunday we ask the question, “Is the Bible Reliable?” Can it be trusted? Does it have relevance for our lives? If so, how? For the love of God, we gather to sing, pray, affirm our faith, hear the word in scripture and message, and respond with our gifts and lives. Our two holy happy hours are at 8:15 and 11 a.m.

Is the Bible Reliable?
First Sunday after Epiphany
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 View Transcript

Why Worship?

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:00:00 -0500

On the first Sunday of 2013 we will ask the question, “Why Worship?” In other words, why is worship important? Why have Christians engaged is this practice for two millennia in one form or another? If you have been away from worship for a while, please join the Trinity Church Family Sunday at 8:15 or 11:00 a.m. Read Psalm 100 in preparation for worship. We will enjoy a visit from the three kings on Epiphany Day. What we do together for the love of God won’t be scary. It will be important.

Why Worship?
Epiphany Sunday
Scripture: Psalm 100 View Transcript

Do It Now!

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 03:00:00 -0500

This Sunday is the 53rd and final one of the year. There is something extra hopeful about worshipping on the edge of a new year.

My message is “Do It Now!” It will focus on procrastination, a sometimes dangerous habit that is all too common in most of our lives. The text is II Timothy 4:19-22.

Do it Now!
First Sunday after Christmas
Scripture: II Timothy 4:19-22

Where Are You Going for Christmas?

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 03:00:00 -0500

“The world is going to end tomorrow. That is, according to the Mayan calendar. If it does not end on 12-21-12, the day will be the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere – more darkness than any other 24-hour period.

We don’t require calendars to know we live in an often dark world. The carnage in Connecticut last Friday casts a painful shadow on our national psyche. In her recent new book HELP THANKS WOW: the Three Essential Prayers, Anne Lamott writes, “There are no words for the broken hearts of people losing people, so I ask God with me in tow, to respond to them with graciousness and encouragement enough for the day.”

Where Are You Going for Christmas?
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Scripture: Luke 2:1-7 View Transcript

What Are You Giving for Christmas?

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 03:00:00 -0500

“What are you giving for Christmas?” is a much less common question than last Sunday’s, “Are you ready for Christmas?” But it is a very valid question. There are several very valuable gifts we can give others that do not cost us a thing monetarily. I saw one of those special gifts on a subway poster in Washington this week on the Metro. I look forward to sharing it with you Sunday morning.

What Are You Giving for Christmas?
Second Sunday of Advent
Scripture: Luke 1:68-79

Are You Ready for Christmas?

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 03:00:00 -0500

“Are you ready for Christmas?” Have you been asked that yet this season? If you haven’t, you will soon! Bank tellers, grocery store cashiers, colleagues at work, and department store clerks will be asking you and me as we move into December, “Are you ready for Christmas?” “Are you ready for Christmas?” Other than the related inquiry of children everywhere, “How many more days until Santa comes?” it is perhaps the most asked question of the season!

We asked it of others ourselves, but have you ever stopped to ask what does it really mean to be ready for Christmas?

Are You Ready for Christmas?
First Sunday of Advent
Scripture: View Transcript

What Kind of King?

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 03:00:00 -0500

What do you first think of when you hear the word “king”? Maybe you think of a song like “King of the Road” or a singer like Elvis Presley who is still referred to as “The King.” Or maybe you think of Broadway’s award-winning musical, “The Lion King.” Royal animals also include the king cobra, king mackerel, and king crab. Or perhaps you think of one of those phrases which have slipped into our vocabulary. We speak of “a feast fit for a king,” or “making a king-size mistake” or “sleeping on a king-size bed” or we call “king’s X.” We also speak of someone being a kingmaker. This week’s PBS series by Ken Burns on “The Dust Bowl” referred to the “kingpins” of that era 80 years ago. I have heard of some men being “king of the castle,” but I believe that is only a myth!

This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the Christian year. The focus is not patriarchal or hierarchal , but on a King who comes in a manger--the highest of all appears as the lowest of all. He is a spiritual king who reigns over sin and death. The text from John 18:33-37, majestic hymns, and royal liturgy for Sunday will point us to ask and answer, “What Kind of King?” Nobody beats (Christ) the King!

What Kind of King?
Christ the King Sunday
Scripture: John 18:33-37
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Grounded in Gratitude

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 03:00:00 -0500

This Sunday is the day – Gratitude Sunday! What a joyous day to share, celebrate, and give thanks!

Grounded in ratitude
Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: I Thess. 5:18
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Grounded in Goodness: Grounded in Growth

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 03:00:00 -0500

My message will be “Grounded in Growth,” from II Corinthians 8:1-7. The concept of growth is a good thing!.

Grounded in Goodness: Grounded in Growth
Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Acts 6:1-7
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Grounded in Goodness: Grounded in Grace

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 02:00:00 -0500

Today is All Saints Day, the day to remember our friends and loved ones who have died since last Nov. 1.

My brief message will be “Grounded in Grace” from Ephesians 3:14-21. There Paul writes of being “rooted and grounded in love.” So much of life today seems to be grounded in fear rather than grace.

Grounded in Goodness: Grounded in Grace
Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21
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Grounded in Goodness: The Hands that Mold Us

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Each year the youth take time to create a special and meaningful worship service to share with their Trinity family. This is an opportunity for the youth to share what they have discovered during the past year as they have participated in youth group, Sunday school, music, mission trips, camp and more. Roxy Freeman, who is an active youth, will give the message, Grounded in Goodness: The Hands that Mold Us. Her message is based on the scripture from Isaiah 64:8 that reminds us that, “God is the potter and we are the clay, we are all the works of God’s hands.” We have amazing youth here at Trinity and your love and support for them is deeply appreciated. It has been another incredible year and a joy to watch them continue to grow in their faith.

Grounded in Goodness: The Hands that Mold Us
Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Isaiah 64:8

On the Road with Bom (Good) Jesus

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Thank you for being with our Methodist Mission Team in Angola this week through your prayers. I can hardly wait to be with you in worship and sharing the experiences of Being on the Journey with Bom Jesus. Just like a mission trip, we may resist sharing in the experience of worship, but God has a habit of showing up in such community faith gatherings to touch us deeply. It will be good to be home together this Sunday at 18th and Broadway.

On the Road with Bom (Good) Jesus
Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Mark 7:31-37
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Waking Up

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Worship at Trinity this Sunday morning will be woven together with joy-filled spirits as we experience the creative and soul-full leadership of Trinity's Music and Fine Arts department. Prepare your body, mind and spirit by reading Psalm 108:1-4 and anticipate your soul to "wake up" with renewed hope. Children, youth and adults sharing music in creative forms will help our souls "wake up" as we engage the scripture, experience the joy of baptizing two babies, pray and hear the word together.

Waking Up
Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Psalm 108:1-4

When the Common Becomes Sacred

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 03:00:00 -0400

On this World Communion Sunday we will hear “Ode to Common Things,” share a short message, When the Common Becomes Sacred, and kneel to receive the sacrament at a table 25,000 miles long. This special day reminds us of our connection in Christ with brother and sister believers across the globe. Please be present Sunday as we celebrate with common things – juice in a cup and bread on a plate – which become sacred signs and symbols of spiritual realities.

When the Common Becomes Sacred
Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Mark 14:22-26
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On the Job Training: Disciples Jump Right In

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Join us this Sunday as lay members of Trinity lead the worship service. According to the United Methodist Book of Discipline, "Laity Sunday calls the Church to celebrate the ministry of all lay Christians, as their lives are empowered for ministry by the Holy Spirit". At Trinity, that empowerment is seen in the ministry of service to others, and that service is the theme for this special Sunday. Come and learn from Matt Lee as he shares his sermon "On the Job Training: Disciples Jump Right In". Joining Matt in leadership will be his wife Michelle, Sharon Morneau, Gary Curtis, and Diana Huerta. We will be singing hymns reminding us of our Commission and our Blessing from Christ; come and celebrate your life as a lay person at Trinity.

On the Job Training: Disciples Jump Right In
Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: John 21:15-17, James 2:14-17

Enough is Enough: More Than Enough

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:00:00 -0400

This Sunday we will share the third rule of financial contentment from II Corinthians 9:6-12 - Please read and ponder prior to the services. We will learn from Paul three things on God-based giving which good givers know. We will share how good givers move from the benefit of having to the blessing of giving. The message is “More Than Enough.”

Enough is Enough: More Than Enough
Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: II Corinthians 9:6-12
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Enough is Enough: How Much Is Enough?

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 03:00:00 -0400

This Sunday we continue the series with “How Much Is Enough?” from I Chronicles 29:1-9 and Luke 21:1-4. We will look at a rich man and a poor woman who both followed the Principle of Sharing of Momma Maizie in providing for God’s work.

Enough is Enough: How Much Is Enough?
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: I Chronicles 29:1-9and Luke 21:1-4
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Enough is Enough: It's Never Enough

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 03:00:00 -0400

About ten years ago on an October Wednesday evening, I was standing at the back of the Marvin UMC in downtown Tyler, Texas. We were about to begin the processional for the annual community Rose Festival service and I leaned over and asked the father of that year’s Rose Queen, “What do you do?” He replied, “I own three businesses.” He paused a moment and then said, “Actually, they own me.”

Sometimes it seems our possessions possess us. Sunday’s message is “It’s Never Enough,” from Ecclesiastes 5:10-20. One of the most popular cable television programs today is “Hoarders.” The A & E show focuses on persons who suffer from possession obsession or collection compulsion. It is not uncommon.

Enough is Enough: It's Never Enough
Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
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Christian Kinesthetics

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Kinesthetics is a learning style in which learning takes place by carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration. People with a kinesthetic learning style are also commonly known as "do-ers". These are discovery learners. Maybe you are a discovery learner.

When learning, it helps for these folks to move around; this increases their understanding. In kinesthetic learning, learning occurs by the learner using his or her body to express a thought, an idea or a concept.

Prepare for worship by reading James 1:17-27. In this passage you’ll find a description of Christian Kinesthetics.

Christian Kinesthetics
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: James 1:17-27

Questions Jesus Asks: Do You Love Me?

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 03:00:00 -0400

History sometimes repeats itself. This week’s news included a story of a group of U.S. Congress members who last summer were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The article in the Denver Post said, “Many of the lawmakers said they went swimming because of the religious significance of the waters.” The article noted, “The Sea of Galilee is where Jesus is said in the Bible to have walked on water.” One of the congresspersons confessed this week, “A year ago, my wife and I joined colleagues for dinner at the Sea of Galilee in Israel. After dinner I followed some members of Congress in a spontaneous and very brief dive into the sea, and regrettably I jumped into the water without a swimsuit.”

What the elected official was saying is that he went skinny-dipping in the sacred sea! Believe it or not, he is not the first to do so! This Sunday’s story is of a prominent leader who was fishing on the Sea of Galilee in his birthday suit. Others followed Peter in his night of fishing. Though they initially caught no fish, they encountered Jesus who gave them a simple fishing lesson that lead to unparalleled success. Peter eventually got dressed and met his Lord for breakfast on the beach.

Unlike the congressional delegation whose night-time swim was admittedly fueled by distilled spirits, Peter’s leap into the sea and encounter with the Holy One of God was a Holy Spirit-led encounter and transformation. Peter, who was last seen denying Jesus three times, is now asked three times by his Lord, “Do you love me?”

That inquiry is the title of this Sunday’s message from John 21:9-19 and the final one in the series QUESTIONS JESUS ASKS. Thank you for your response to this series. School begins Monday in DPS and I hope many who have been away some this summer will gather Sunday when we ponder the meaning of an affirmative answer to Jesus’ fundamental question to each of us, “Do you love me?”

Questions Jesus Asks: Do You Love Me?
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: John 21:9-19
View Transcript

Questions Jesus Asks: Why Are You Weeping?

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Yesterday I visited someone in the hospital. On the wall in his room was a pain chart, numbered 1-10. A face accompanied every two numbers. The face with numbers 1 and 2 had a big smile. The face with numbers 9 and 10 had a grim face with big tears. You know the drill. When asked by a nurse or other health care attendant, the patient points to or names the number to indicate the level of pain.

Even when we are not hospitalized, you and I may experience pain that brings us to tears. We feel a number 10 emotional pain when undergoing a deep loss. That was Mary Magdalene’s experience in the cemetery on Sunday morning in what the New Interpreter’s Study Bible calls “one of the most beautifully told stories in the Bible.” It begins with Mary Magdalene weeping at the tomb of Jesus. Twice she is asked, once by angels and once by Jesus, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

Her concern was the location of the body. His concern was the resurrection of the body. She was focused on great grief. He was focused on great grace. She was weeping at his death. He was winning over death. She was clinging to Jesus. He was ascending to his Father.

God cries. Jesus cried. We cry. Sunday we will share the message, “Why Are You Weeping?” from John 20:11-18. We will explore what moves us to tears, the value of tears, and a time there will be no more tears.

Questions Jesus Asks: Why Are You Weeping?
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: John 20:11-18
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Questions Jesus Asks: Do You Believe This?

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:00:00 -0400

This Sunday we look at a story of a family that has experienced death. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, has died. It is a family Jesus knows and loves. He comes to visit the grieving sisters. Martha greets him with disappointment, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” After a verbal exchange about the final resurrection, a common Jewish belief, Jesus says to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who believes in me will never die.” Then Jesus asked her the question that is the title of this Sunday’s message, “Do you believe this?”

Read the story in John 11 and come ready to think together about life and death, belief and unbelief, resurrection and new life. With another mass murder on our minds – this most recent one in a house of worship – we will share hope, encouragement and trust in the face of death, as we explore the meaning and mystery of resurrection.

Questions Jesus Asks: Do You Believe This?
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: John 11:17-27
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Questions Jesus Asks: Has No One Condemned You?

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Senior Pastor Michael Dent continues the summer sermon series entitled “Questions Jesus Asks.” Each message comes from a question of Jesus in the gospel of John made to an individual, pair, or group of people. His questions are timeless.

Questions Jesus Asks: Has No One Condemned You?
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: John 7:53-8:11
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Questions Jesus Asks: Do You Want to Be Made Well?

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 03:00:00 -0400

This week’s services will continue to focus on our needs for hope, wholeness and healing. We return to our sermon series, Questions Jesus Asks. One day in Jerusalem he comes across a group of persons with various impairments – blindness, lameness, and paralysis. Among them is a man who has been ill for 38 years. It is to this man Jesus asked the intriguing question that is the title of this Sunday’s message, “Do you want to be made well?” What kind of a question is that? Who wouldn’t want to be well after a lifetime of illness? Maybe not this guy, as he begins to make all kinds of excuses why he cannot be healed. By the power of Jesus, the man is made well.

Sunday we will explore together healing, health, healthcare, and wellness. What does it mean to be made well? How do we contribute to our health and well-being? Do we need Jesus to heal us in some way? Do we want to be made well?

In an election year when healthcare is a prominent issue, does this story have anything to say to people of faith about health and wellness? Please pray for me as I prepare to lead us in this consideration of Jesus’ seemingly simple “yes-or-no” question, “Do You Want to Be Made Well?” You can find the story in John 5:1-18.

Questions Jesus Asks: Do You Want to Be Made Well?
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: John 5:1-18
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Great Is Our Grief – Greater Is God's Grace

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 03:00:00 -0400

All of us have been touched deeply by the tragedy of yesterday morning’s theater shooting in Aurora. The world is aware of and shares our poignant grief. In light of this local, horrific event, we are shifting the theme of our worship tomorrow to focus on God’s presence and love amidst great loss and suffering. Our faith provides rich spiritual resources for such difficult times as these.

Great Is Our Grief – Greater Is God's Grace
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-2
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Questions Jesus Asks: What Are You Looking For?

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 03:00:00 -0400

“What are you looking for?” I don’t know about you, but it seems I am always looking for something! Usually, it is my keys, glasses, or ink pen. On a more significant level, some of us are looking for a job. The unemployment rate remains at 8.3%, so about 1 in 12 of us is searching for work. Sometimes we are not sure what we are looking for in life, and we end up looking in all the wrong places and to all of the wrong people to meet our felt needs. Everybody is looking for, searching for, and needing some essential elements in his or her life. It is Jesus who asks this vital probing question, “What are you looking for?”

Here he is at the very beginning of his public life. Two of the disciples of John the baptizer begin to follow Jesus. Jesus turns and sees them and the very first words out of his mouth in this gospel are those of this timeless inquiry, “What are you looking for?” There was something in Jesus’ words, his voice, his face, the way he carried himself that compelled those men to follow Jesus and to begin to bring others to do the same. One of them was named Andrew and he went and brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus because in that initial meeting with Jesus, he had found what he was looking for.

This Sunday we begin together a new sermon series, QUESTIONS JESUS ASKS, with the message, “What Are You Looking For?” from John 1:35-42.

Questions Jesus Asks: What Are You Looking For?
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: John 1:35-42
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Five Habits that Heal Our Hearts

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 03:00:00 -0400

This Sunday, we will consider five habits of our hearts that have helped us sustain our democracy. These deeply ingrained ways of seeing, being and responding to life involve our minds, our emotions and our self-images as well as our concepts of meaning and purpose.

Five Habits that Heal Our Hearts
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost; Urban Sunday
Scripture: Ezekiel 36:26-28
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Independence Sunday: Freedom is Never Free

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Next Wednesday is Independence Day in our nation. On July 4, 1776, the British colonies in America declared themselves to be independent from the mother country. Years of conflict ensued. Sacrifices were made. Battles were fought. Lives were lost. Independence was won. This Sunday is Independence Sunday at Trinity Church. As we exercise our freedoms to assemble, worship, and speak, we do so with gratitude for those and all other benefits as citizens of this land. Please do your best to join in the joy of thanksgiving for liberty, opportunity, and justice for all.

Independence Sunday: Freedom is Never Free
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost; Independence Sunday
Scripture: Galatians 5:1, 13-15
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Dare to Go Deep with God!

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 03:00:00 -0400

The church has been a beehive of activity this week with 100 children and 40 workers sharing the joy of Vacation Bible School. Music, crafts, videos, fun foods, and Bible stories have been a part of OPERATION OVERBOARD: Dare to Go Deep with God! Thanks to all who prepared, taught, and cared for our children in this valuable annual ministry. This Sunday we will celebrate VBS.

Dare to Go Deep with God!
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost; VBS Sunday
Scripture: Proverbs 3:5, Matthew 22:39, John 3:16, Joshua 24:15, Mark 16:15
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The Prodigal Father—A Love Without End

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Have you ever wanted to run away from home? Have you ever run away from home? I did! It wasn’t recently. In fact, it was over a half-century ago. I was 5 or 6 years old and I had a strong difference of opinion with my parents over something long since forgotten. I ran into my room, grabbed a clean shirt from my chest of drawers, put it into a red bandana, and tied the bandana into a bag on the end of a baseball bat so that I would look like a hobo. I then marched to the front door and announced to anyone who cared, “I’m running away!”

I stepped outside the white, wood-frame house at the corner of East Lynwood Drive and Hybrook Street in Beaumont, Texas. And do you know what? It was raining! I walked around on the garage side of the house and stood under the eve where I could not be seen and with the rain dripping inches from my face. Soon there were tears running down my cheeks as I decided I’d be better off not running away that day. Have you ever tried running away from home? It’s not easy – especially if it is raining!

This Sunday’s Father’s Day text is about a father whose younger son runs away from home. His older son stays home. Neither son has his act together, yet the father loves them both like crazy. Be in worship to share the message from Luke 15:11-32, “The Prodigal Father – A Love without End.”

The Prodigal Father – A Love without End
Third Sunday After Pentecost; Father's Day
Scripture: Luke 15:11-32
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Esther: Orphan Queen Rescues Her Race

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 03:00:00 -0400

This Sunday, concluding the Strong Women of the Bible Sermon Series, we will look specifically at the Old Testament Book of Esther which took place during the Jewish exile from Babylon in a region now known as Iran. Though it’s viewed as imaginative and somewhat whimsical storytelling, the most "secular" of the biblical books, making no reference to God's name, to the Temple, to prayer, it provides an optimistic picture of Jewish survival and success which can help us address some of our questions that “keep us awake at night.”

Esther: Orphan Queen Rescues Her Race
Sermon Series: Strong Women of the Bible
Second Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Esther 4:10-17, 8:15-17
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Ruth: The 4-D Daughter-in-Law

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Everybody loves a love story! This Sunday’s tale is a tender love story involving two strong women. It is a story of famine and faith, of illness and immigration, of love and loss, of grief and gratitude, of seduction and suspense, of redemption and restoration. It is a short story in which we see ourselves in the trials and tribulations of these two women – a mother-in-law named Naomi, and her daughter-in-law whose name is Ruth. We resume THE STRONG WOMEN OF THE BIBLE series with the message, #4, RUTH: “The 4-D Daughter-in-Law.”

Ruth: The 4-D Daughter-in-Law
Sermon Series: Strong Women of the Bible
First Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture: Ruth 1:11-22, 4:13-17
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Dare to Dream—Dare the Dream

Sun, 27 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Joe Kane had a dream. The San Francisco reporter dreamed of rafting the entire length of the Amazon River – 4,200 miles. Joe Kane was raised in the city and knew next to nothing about rafting, or the Amazon, or insects or snakes or drug-traffickers or Marxist guerillas. He traveled with his wild dream to the source of the Amazon – just a trickle of water some 17,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains in the nation of Peru. For six months he fought rapids, bad drinking water, insects, terrorists’ bullets, 1,000-foot gorges, and fatigue. But he did it! He accomplished his dream! He paddled the river, beginning to end!

Joe Kane wrote a book about this adventure, Running the Amazon. (It is available on Amazon.com, of course!) One thing is very clear from this incredible story: Joe was not afraid to dream! He was not afraid of a mighty challenge, of taking a gargantuan risk on the planet’s second longest and most dangerous river. What two things drove him to succeed were his dreaming and his daring. This Pentecost Sunday’s lectionary story is of the birth of the church. It is a story of dreams and visions.

Pentecost Sunday
Scripture: Acts 2:1-7, 12-18
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Rahab: The Prostitute Ancestress of Jesus

Sun, 20 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Her name was Rahab. Have you ever heard of Rahab? Do you have anybody in your family tree named Rahab? Probably not. Rahab worked in the hospitality industry, residing in the red-light neighborhood of Jericho. Rahab’s story is one of the richest and most intricately woven narratives in the book of Joshua. It is filled with humor, irony, intrigue, sexual innuendo, and folkloric qualities to create an irresistible plot in which this prostitute outsmarts two groups of men in order to preserve herself and her family during the Israelite invasion of Jericho. It is the suspenseful account of another strong biblical woman – an underdog who triumphs and becomes a role model for generations to come. She is something of a female James Bond!

Rahab: The Prostitute Ancestress of Jesus
Sermon Series: Strong Women of the Bible
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Scripture: Joshua 2:1-4, 6:22-25
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The Strong Woman: A Picture Perfect Model

Mon, 14 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, an internationally observed day to remember, recognize, and rejoice in all mothers. The day was started in 1908 by a West Virginia Methodist pastor’s wife, Anna Jarvis, whose mother died May 9, 1905. While a painful day for some, Mother’s Day has a place in paying tribute to the mothers and mother-like women who nurtured us in life and faith in our formative years.

There are no perfect mothers, of course. Our liturgy Sunday will acknowledge our mothers and the various ways we have experienced them. It will be a most meaningful day to be in worship.

The Strong Woman: A Picture Perfect Model
Sermon Series: Strong Women of the Bible
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31
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Hagar: "A Survivor Who Called God Elroi

Sun, 06 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

It was just about the worst thing that could happen to a woman in the ancient world. She was barren...unable to conceive...infertile...childless. They had been trying for years to have a baby. Some of you have been there. And this wasn't just any couple. Their names were Abram and Sarai. God had promised Abram that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky! God's promise was slow in coming, and the couple began to question whether God was playing a game with them. After ten years of trying to have a child, they were both impatient. Sarai is particularly distraught, as being a barren woman in a patriarchal world was a fate almost worse than death.

So this childless mother devises a socially acceptable plan. Sarai first tells her husband that it is God's fault that she cannot conceive a child. Then she takes matters into her own hands. She orders her husband to sleep with her Egyptian slave-girl named Hagar, in other words, to use Hagar as a surrogate wife. The normally talkative Abram is silent and does so. Immediately Hagar becomes pregnant. The soap-opera tone of the ancient tale intensifies as jealousy, resentment, and family conflict arise.

This Sunday we begin a new sermon series, STRONG WOMEN OF THE BIBLE, with the message, HAGAR: "A Survivor Who Called God Elroi." Read the parallel stories of Hagar in Genesis 16:1-16 and 21:8-21 in preparation for traditional worship for contemporary people.

Hagar: "A Survivor Who Called God Elroi
Sermon Series: Strong Women of the Bible
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Scripture: Genesis 16:1-16 and 21:8-21
View Transcript

How We Live

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Rev. Thomas Steranka, guest preacher, traveled with Bishop Elaine Stenovsky to Haiti last fall. Rev. Steranka has been a hospice chaplain for the past 15 years following 22 years of pastoral ministry. He shared his experiences as part of the bishop’s mission team and his impressions of the progress being made in Haiti.

Third Sunday of Easter
Scripture: Acts 27:23-28; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Titanic Sunday: Lessons from the Unsinkable Ship

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

One hundred years ago this Sunday the unthinkable happened--a ship declared to be an unsinkable ship sadly sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. The headline of the New York Tribune of April 16, 1912, read, “More Than 1,500 Perish as the Great Titanic Sinks.” The sub-headline notes, “Only 675 survivors, mostly women and children, known to be rescued.”

The Titanic sinking, perhaps the worst maritime disaster in human history, has fascinated the world for the last century: - Over 1,000 books have been written about the ship’s short history. - At least 17 movies have been made, including James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster that won 11 Academy Awards and became the first movie ever to gross 1 billion dollars in ticket sales. - Dozens of documentaries on the tragic tale of Titanic made over the years are filling TV networks this centennial weekend.

The city of Denver has its own direct connection to Titanic. Among the 700 survivors was Capitol Hill resident Margaret Brown – a well-known philanthropist, activist, and socialite. She became a legend and was later bestowed the moniker, “the Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

This Sunday we will a share a timely message, TITANIC: Lessons from the “Unsinkable” Ship. Read Psalm 104: 24-26, 31-33 in preparation.

Titanic Sunday
Scripture: Psalm 104: 24-26, 31-33

Easter Sunday: The Most Interesting Man in the World

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

The world is certainly full of interesting men – Gov. Rod Blagojevich who recently relocated to Lakewood….Composer, philanthropist, activist, entertainer Sir Elton John who just turned 65….Country singer Willie Nelson who turns 80 next April has to make any interesting man list…Based on headlines alone, Tim Tebow is a most interesting individual.

Maybe the most interesting person in the world is not a man at all – maybe her name is a solo one: Madonna…or Hilary… or Gaga…or Oprah…or Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge…Maybe her name is Mary, the original Madonna, not the Material Girl, but the spiritual girl, the unmarried, pregnant teenager who said to her Heavenly Father, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

A popular beverage television commercial touts a dashing, daring debonair individual as “the most interesting man in the world.” The voice-over tells us, “His pillow is cool on both sides…He once had an awkward moment to see what it was like…When in Rome they do as he does.” On Easter Sunday we will explore who really is “The Most Interesting Man in the World” and why.

Easter Sunday
Scripture: Acts 2:22-24, 32-36
View Transcript

Rejection: Wounded by Unwantedness

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Rejection is a powerful experience that can wound us deeply. Laid off from a job, denied an interview, forsaken by a spouse or close friend, denied entry to a fraternity or sorority, cut from or traded by an athletic team, refused admittance to a university of choice, we are often diminished, depressed, defensive, despairing and dejected after being rejected.<

The Bible is filled with stories of rejection. Hagar, Abraham’s Egyptian mistress who bore him a son with his wife’s permission, is cast out, outright rejected, not once but twice by Abraham. The prophets Elijah, Jeremiah, Hosea and Amos all knew the wounds of being unwanted. After telling a parable about rejection, Jesus concludes this Sunday’s text quoting Psalm 118 in a self-reference, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” That rejection comes to a head this Holy Week as Jesus will be arrested, denied, tried, beaten, scorned, and crucified.

If the Son of God could not escape rejection, why should we expect to? The question is not will we be wounded by being unwanted, but: What will we do with our rejection? How will we handle the pain that comes with being or feeling rejected? How do we process the deficit of love, esteem, and acceptance? This Palm/Passion Sunday we will share four things that can help us deal with the human experience of rejection.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Palm/Passion Sunday
Scripture: Matthew 21:33-42
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Loneliness: Lonely in a Crowd

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:00:00 -0400

Did you know that loneliness is contagious? A recent Denver Post headline read “Loneliness can spread like a cold;” the article was based on a federally-funded ten-year study of the power of one person’s emotions to affect friends, family, and neighbors. Though it sounds counterintuitive, loneliness can be transmitted across people, even without direct contact, leaving them feeling desolate and on the periphery of social networks. A Harvard Medical School professor notes, “Something so personal as a person’s emotions can have a collective existence and affect the vast fabric of humanity.”

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Scripture: Mark 6:30-39
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Grief: It’s Work, You Know

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0400

Monday morning as I was preparing to leave for a Board of Ministry Meeting in Colorado Springs, I received two notices of deaths connected to our congregation. The mother of one of our young members had passed away the day before at age 60. A 75-year-old former member had also died in the last week. Grief is inescapable. It touches all of our lives sooner or later. I am not just talking about bereavement, but also about the emotional response to any significant loss or change in our lives. Mental anguish is a normal consequence of being let go from a job, having an amputation, going through a divorce, having a child go off to college, having a child move back home after college, retiring, moving from your home, losing trust, giving up a driver’s license, having a good friend move away, losing your home to fire, flood or a hurricane, having a beloved pet pass away, suffering a miscarriage, or experiencing incarceration.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Third Sunday in Lent
Scripture: II Corinthians 1:3
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Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 03:00:00 -0500

The big bad wolf, the dark, the future, death – there are lots of things that we human beings are afraid of at various times in our lives. In the prehistoric tale of the beginning of humanity, we hear Adam, representing us all, confessing to God, “I was afraid…and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). Some of our fears are valid. Some are not. There is healthy fear and there is fear that paralyzes our lives. Several years ago a New York psychiatrist named Harold Levinson wrote a book called Phobia Free. He asserted that 90% of our fears have a physical origin. Specifically, they are the result of an upset inner ear, which is treatable by medication. The next time we are really afraid, we should not consult a psychiatrist, but an ENT specialist!

Fear is interwoven throughout the stories of the Bible. The command to “fear not” is given 365 times – one for each day of the year. This being a leap year (yesterday was February 29), there is one day we can be afraid! Two of those encouraging commands are in this Sunday’s text, Isaiah 43:1-7.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Second Sunday in Lent
Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7
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Doubt: The Ants in the Pants of Faith

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:00:00 -0500

While bouts with doubts about news from the sometimes crazy worlds of sports and politics may be common and therefore seem insignificant, what about when doubts pop up on the radar screen of our faith? What are we to make of this disciple named Thomas who said of Jesus, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hand, and put my finger in his side, I will not believe?” This Sunday, we will read the story of Thomas and explore the positive presence of doubt as a part of our faith journeys.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
First Sunday in Lent
Scripture: John 20:19-29
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Ash Wednesday: Mortal Sin

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:00:00 -0500

The 40-day season of Lent to prepare Christians for Easter begins on Ash Wednesday with a special worship time.

Ash Wednesday
Scripture: James 4:13-17
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Worry: Trusting God with the Future

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:00:00 -0500

You and I worry about a lot of things – the economy in Greece, the economy here, our health, families, jobs, and relationships. Some, if not all of those worries, we need to “just let go.” This Sunday we look at worry – the good, the bad, and the words of Jesus about worry. Long before the Swahili saying was made famous by The Lion King, Jesus taught a “Hakuna matata” lifestyle.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34
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Addiction: Let Go and Let God

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:00:00 -0500

This Sunday, we will explore the presence, origin, and nature of addiction in our lives, and how addiction can be overcome. Some addictions are regarded as highly respectable and some as downright despicable. Some addictions involve a physical dependence and some a psychological obsession. All of us are prone to addiction. It is as old as Adam and Eve.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Scripture: Romans 7:14-25
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Guilt: Trusting God with the Past

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:00:00 -0500

Erma Bombeck once called guilt “the gift that keeps giving.” One adult child observed, “My mother is a travel agent who specializes in guilt trips.” Most of us are on a first-name basis with guilt. Guilt is universal and timeless. It is often a problem in our lives. As Frederick Buchner wrote, “It is about as hard to absolve yourself of your own guilt as it is to sit in your own lap.” Sunday we explore together this close-to-home reality in a message “GUILT: Trusting God with the Past.”

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Scripture: Psalm 32:1-5
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Anger: Manage or Damage

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:00:00 -0500

Dr. Michael Dent preached a ten-week series of messages on coping with feelings and experiences common to every human being. The sermon series ran Jan. 22, 2012 to Palm Sunday.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-27, 30-31
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Depression: More Common Than the Cold

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:00:00 -0500

Dr. Michael Dent preached a ten-week series of messages on coping with feelings and experiences common to every human being. The sermon series ran Jan. 22, 2012 to Palm Sunday.

Series: Handling Our Humanness
Third Sunday After Epiphany
Scripture: Psalm 130
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