In this episode, we reflect on Luke 8:40–48, where Jesus is surrounded by pressing needs — Jairus pleading for his daughter’s life, a woman reaching for healing after twelve years of suffering, and a crowd pulling at him from every side. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus notices the touch of faith, declaring, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” This story reminds us that compassion always costs something, but in the kingdom of God, love doesn’t run dry — it flows. Jesus lived from a rhythm of prayer, rest, worship, and community that kept him connected to the Source, so his love could keep pouring out. We also explore a modern story of Monica and Kevin — a young couple learning that healing and renewal are sustained not by willpower, but by steady faith, supportive community, and God’s abiding grace. When compassion stretches us thin, we too are invited to return to the Source, trusting that the same God who renewed Jesus renews us.
When Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23–27, he didn’t just demonstrate his divine authority—he raised questions that still challenge us today. This sermon reflects on Jesus’ question to his disciples, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”, not as a rebuke, but as encouragement. Jesus, a “lake guy,” found rest and trust on the water—and even in a storm, he trusted his friends at the helm. With insight into boating, lakeside living, and deep faith, the message invites us to consider how we weather life’s storms, how we help others through fear, and how a mustard seed of faith may be all we need. The story of Horatio Spafford and the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” underscores that faith doesn’t prevent storms, but offers us peace—even when boats go down. Faith doesn’t erase fear, but reminds us that God is always in the boat.
In this episode, we explore a moment of sacred interruption. “In the year King Uzziah died…” begins the powerful scene from Isaiah 6:1–8, a passage where a young priest encounters the raw presence of God amid national instability and personal uncertainty. Isaiah’s instinctive reply to the divine question—“Whom shall I send?”—is stunning in its immediacy: “Here I am; send me.” But what causes someone to respond with such impulsive courage? Drawing also from 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter written by the Apostle Paul—himself radically transformed by a divine encounter—we reflect on how love, faith, and spiritual conviction can lead ordinary people to say yes to extraordinary callings. In a cynical and fractured world, could the Spirit still be prompting you? Could that quiet tug you feel be your own “Isaiah moment”? This episode invites you to listen closely… and to respond.
This week’s message reflects on Jesus’ healing of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52 and Paul’s plea for deliverance in 2 Corinthians 12:7b–9. What do we really want God to do for us—and how does God sometimes answer in ways we don’t expect? Drawing from real-life stories of struggle and grace, including the inspiring witness of a blind church member and a lesson learned from a high school football teammate with a stutter, Chapin explores the ways in which God’s strength is revealed through our weakness. This is a powerful and honest reflection on what it means to be made well—not just healed of our infirmities, but transformed into agents of light, gratitude, and blessing. Whether you’re wrestling with unanswered prayers or wondering what your life’s challenges are meant to teach you, this episode reminds us that God’s grace truly is sufficient.
This week’s message, “Can These Bones Live?”, begins with a deeply personal story of addiction, emptiness, and hopelessness. The preacher compares his past to the prophet Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 37:1–14, where God brings him to a valley of dry bones—lifeless remains that seem beyond restoration. But even here, in a place of total despair, God is present. Through this vision, we see that God can breathe new life into what seems long dead. The sermon reveals a powerful spiritual truth: God revives dry bones through two essential ingredients—His Word and His Spirit. Just as the bones come together and rise into a vast army, we too can find healing and purpose when we allow God’s Word to move us and His Spirit to fill us. No matter how lifeless your situation may seem, Jesus is near—as close as your breath—ready to bring you back to life.
This week we explore Luke 7:36–50, where Jesus asks a striking question: “Do you see this woman?” She had just anointed him with perfume, tears, and love at Simon the Pharisee’s dinner party. But Jesus’s question goes deeper than physical sight—it’s about truly seeing someone’s worth, their transformation, and their capacity to bless others. The sermon draws out how God consistently sides with the overlooked and outcast—from shepherd boys like David to enslaved peoples like the Hebrews. In the same spirit, Jesus allows this unnamed woman to touch him, defying purity laws and flipping expectations: holiness, it turns out, can be transmitted through proximity and compassion. Her fragrant offering lingers like the grace we carry from faithful encounters. When we open ourselves to the unseen, their blessedness “rubs off” on us. Jesus teaches that real connection—with others and with God—often comes through the ones we’re most likely to miss.
This week, we turn to Matthew 16:13-20, where Jesus takes his disciples to the politically symbolic city of Caesarea Philippi to ask a bold question: “Who do you say I am?” In a city named after Caesar—the so-called “Son of God”—Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah,” is a revolutionary claim. But instead of launching into doctrinal explanation, Jesus does what he so often does: he asks a question. In fact, he asks over 300 in the Gospels, answering only a few. Why? Because Jesus was more interested in relationship than in right answers. Questions spark conversation, and conversation builds communion. This sermon invites us to reclaim the spiritual power of curiosity. Whether it’s using our new Disciple Deck around a dinner table, or asking our own questions in prayer, Jesus shows us that connection comes not by knowing everything—but by asking, listening, and truly caring.
This week’s sermon explores Luke 14:1, 7–14, where Jesus dines at the home of a Pharisee and watches guests scramble for seats of honor. Rather than scolding, Jesus turns the moment into a graceful, witty parable on humility and hospitality. Drawing from both ancient and modern examples — including inherited fine china, youth mission trips, and Chef José Andrés’ work feeding people in crisis — we see how Jesus’ table isn’t about etiquette or influence but about making room for the overlooked. Jesus reminds us: the real blessing comes not when we get repaid, but when we welcome those who can’t repay us at all. That’s where God’s joy is found — and where true community begins. What if every table we set — in our homes, schools, or churches — became a little glimpse of the banquet of heaven? Tune in and take your seat at the table.
In this closing message of our Be the Church series, we turn to Matthew 6:25–34 and hear Jesus’s bold invitation: “Do not worry about your life… but seek first the kingdom of God.” Easier said than done, perhaps—but essential if we are to live as Christ’s people. In this sermon, we reflect on why trust in God is the foundation for everything else: loving God, protecting creation, fighting for the powerless, embracing diversity, and sharing resources. With humor, honesty, and story, we wrestle with our tendency to trust in calendars, bank accounts, and control more than grace. But Jesus points us to the birds and lilies as living parables of divine care. Trust, we discover, is not passive—it’s courageous, generous, and communal. To be the church is to live from this trust, daring to believe that God’s promises are reliable and that grace is enough for today—and tomorrow too.
In this message from Isaiah 40:28–31; 43:18–19, we explore the often-overlooked holiness of the “in-between” seasons of life. The people of Israel knew it in exile—caught between what was and what would be. We know it in our own transitions: the end of summer, a career shift, a health change, a move. Scripture reminds us that waiting on the Lord is not passive. In Hebrew, “wait” (qavah) means to bind together—like weaving strands into a cord. In the pause, God strengthens us as we tether ourselves to His presence, promises, and people. This isn’t lost time; it’s God’s workshop, preparing us for the “new thing” He is already bringing forth, even in wilderness places. Whether your season is exciting, unsettling, or both, discover how the sacred pause can renew your strength and ready you for what’s next.
What if we believed we truly had enough—not just in our wallets, but in our spirits? In this week's message from Acts 4:32–35, we explore the radical generosity of the early church, where trust and connection replaced fear and scarcity. In a world that often insists we must hustle for worth and hoard for safety, the Gospel of Enough invites us into a different rhythm—one of grace, sufficiency, and shared life. We’re reminded that the most powerful thing we might offer is not our wealth but our presence, and that receiving help can be just as holy as giving it. From practical generosity to spiritual presence, this message invites us to reflect on how we can be the church: open-hearted, open-handed, and deeply connected to the God who provides.
In this challenging and grace-filled message, Pastor Kent reflects on Paul’s declaration that in Christ, we are made new—and entrusted with a holy calling: the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17–19). But what does that mean in a world still deeply shaped by racism, division, and injustice? With humility and courage, this sermon names the hard truths of racial inequity, explores the sacred call to repentance, and offers concrete ways for communities of faith to engage in repair and healing. Reconciliation, we’re reminded, is not about erasing the past—but about building honest, justice-rooted relationships that reflect God’s love. As part of the “Be the Church” series, this message invites listeners to reject complacency and embrace the ongoing work of gospel transformation. Because new creation isn’t magic—it’s discipleship.
This week in our Be the Church series, we hear Jesus declare his mission: to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed. And he invites us to join him. In this powerful message from Luke 4:16–21, we explore what it means to have “faith with feet.” It’s not enough to believe—we’re called to act. Whether feeding the hungry, confronting injustice, or stepping out of our comfort zones, faith becomes real when it moves. Stories from our congregation remind us that love doesn’t stay in the sanctuary. It shows up—in soup kitchens, schools, shelters, and sidewalks. Justice is not a side issue; it’s the heartbeat of the gospel. If you’re wondering how to follow Jesus today, the answer is simple: walk where he walked—toward the hurting, the silenced, and the unseen.
What if protecting the environment wasn’t a political issue, but a spiritual one? This week in our “Be the Church” series, we explore what it means to till and keep the earth as God’s sacred gift. Genesis 2:15 reminds us that the first human calling wasn’t to build churches, but to tend a garden. From thin places to neighborhood compost bins, we reflect on how awe, gratitude, and reverence can lead us into lives of faithful stewardship. With wisdom from poets, prophets, and Jesus himself—who pointed to birds, seeds, and soil to reveal the kingdom—we remember that creation isn’t just scenery. It’s sacrament. Tune in to hear how care for the earth becomes care for our neighbors, both now and seven generations from now.
In this quiet yet powerful message from Isaiah 30:15–18, we’re invited to embrace a different kind of strength—one rooted not in hustle, but in trust. “In returning and rest you shall be saved,” God says, but so often, like the people of Judah, we flee. We grasp at control, race ahead, and forget that we are already being carried. Through a tender reflection on a child’s birthday wish and a surprising moment at an airport, this sermon reminds us that even in our frantic world, God waits to meet us in stillness. What if rest is not a pause from faith—but a way to experience it more deeply? What if God’s version of “R&R” means returning and resting in divine love? This week, may you find courage not in motion, but in mercy—and may you trust that grace is already moving you forward.
This week begins our new summer series, “Be the Church,” rooted in a bold truth: the church isn’t a building—it’s a way of life. In this opening message, we turn to Matthew 5:13–16, where Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt flavors what it touches; light illuminates where it shines. In the same way, followers of Christ are called not only to gather, but to go—living out our faith in everyday acts of kindness, courage, justice, and mercy. We remember the early Christians, who had no steeples or sanctuaries, only a movement of love in motion. And we hear a powerful story from a church that meets outdoors with “bread and Jesus—and that’s enough.” Wherever we are this week, may we shine brightly and love boldly. Because, as one Katrina-wrecked church sign declared, “The church has left the building.”
As the Fourth of July brings fireworks and flags, many of us pause to celebrate independence. But what kind of freedom are we really celebrating—and what kind of freedom does Scripture invite us into? In Galatians 5:1, 13–25, the Apostle Paul redefines freedom not as the right to do whatever we want, but as the gift to love well. True freedom, Paul says, comes through Christ and is lived out through the Spirit. It’s not freedom from all expectations—but freedom for something greater: for love, for community, for fruit that blesses others. This week’s message explores how Spirit-led freedom shapes our habits, deepens our relationships, and challenges our cultural definitions of liberty. With stories, honest questions, and practical insight, we’re invited to walk by the Spirit and let our freedom bear fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness aren’t rules—they’re signs of a transformed life.
This week’s sermon takes us to the wild and wonderful story in Luke 8:26-39, where Jesus heals a demon-possessed Gentile man—someone cast aside by society but chosen by Jesus for restoration. We encounter not just a dramatic healing but a moment rich in meaning: Roman military metaphors, echoes of Israel’s liberation, and a striking reminder that no one is beyond God’s reach. Why does Jesus cross a stormy sea just to heal one outsider? And what does that say about who matters to God? On this Juneteenth weekend, during Pride Month and after Mental Health Awareness Month, we are reminded that Jesus’ mission—liberating the oppressed and restoring the weary—is still ours to carry forward. Ordinary Time may seem quiet, but it’s the season to live out our extraordinary calling: to build a world where everyone belongs.
This week’s message invites us to slow down and listen—to the birdsong, to the breeze, to the voice of God speaking through creation. Drawing from Psalm 8 and related scriptures, Pastor Chapin reflects on how summer gives us space not just to rest, but to be re-created. Nature isn’t just beautiful—it’s holy. From newborn babies to starlit skies, the created world reveals the glory of God and restores our weary souls. But it also gives us a calling: to care for this sacred world, and to resist the constant busyness that threatens to dull our joy. Tune in for an invitation into Summer Sabbath: a chance to soak in wonder, be renewed by creation, and rejoice in the day the Lord has made.
On this Pentecost Sunday, we return to the powerful story of Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit descended like wind and fire and gave voice to the early church. But the true miracle? Understanding. People from many nations heard the Gospel in their own language, reminding us that the Spirit empowers us not just to speak, but to connect. In this message, Pastor Chapin explores how learning another’s language—emotionally, culturally, relationally—is a sacred act that still changes lives. With reflections on the Confirmands’ faith journey and practical insights from Acts 2:1-9, 41-42, this episode challenges us to be Spirit-filled witnesses in our own time. What does Pentecost mean for us today? Tune in and find out.