Bible Text: Luke 2:10-14, 1 John 4:9-10, Galatians 4:4-7, 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, John 10:10, Jeremiah 29:11 Message: Ebenezer Scrooge had become hardened old man embittered by the world. He found an obsession of accumulating wealth his only true relief in life. Christmas, from his perspective, was the most absurd of holidays. He found the whole idea of celebrating joy in the midst…
Bible Text: Luke 22:10-16, John 13:1-12, John 13:34-35 Message: There are times when a story communicates far more than a teaching or a lesson. Today we close out our fall message series on the book of John with a very powerful, yet very tender story. The story of how Jesus gathered his closest friends and followers together for one final meal—literally…
Bible Text: Luke 10:38-42, John 11:28-36, John 12:1-8, Matthew 26:10-13 Message: There are only a few times in the Bible when someone chooses to do just the right thing at the right time in the right way. In the twelfth chapter of John we find one of those rare moments described in a most compelling way. Mary was a devoted follower…
Bible Text: John 11:1-44 Message: The book of John records a wide variety of miracles and teachings of Jesus, yet, the seventh sign of Jesus stands out among the others. The resurrection of Lazarus illustrates a faith stretched in moments of confidence and confusion, hope and despair, and in life and death. Today, we look at this account of resurrection and what…
Bible Text: John 10:22-23, Ezekiel 34:1-6, John 10:1-16 Message: Some of the things Jesus taught his followers were so impactful that people thousands of years later can still remember them. Many of these teachings were wrapped up into parables and word metaphors for deeper spiritual insights. But the stories themselves were often compelling. Stories like the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son. …
Bible Text: John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16, John 9:3, John 9:13-25, Exodus 20:8-11, John 9:26-41, Psalm 139:23-24 Message: In the gospel of John, we hear Jesus making seven bold statements about his identity. Several weeks ago we talked about the first one, that Jesus is the bread of life. Last week we talked about the second, that Jesus is the light of the…
Bible Text: John 8:12, Genesis 1:1-3, John 1:1-5, Psalm 27:1, John 8:1-11 Message: The gospel of John records many of the teachings, miracles, and conversations of Jesus. Yet, we also read a wide range of responses to his miracles and words. Some drew close and others turned away. There were believers as well as non-believers. Today, we look at one of Jesus…
Bible Text: John 7:1-2, Leviticus 23:41-43, John 7:3-5, John 7:11-17, John 7:25-32, John 7:37-38, John 7:40-52 Message: At first, Jesus invited people to follow him, to watch and see the things that he would do, and to hear the things that he would teach. But as his ministry became more fully developed, he began to ask people to make a choice. Do…
Bible Text: John 6:5-15, John 6:18-21, John 6:26-64 Message: We have all faced difficult days. Days when really bad things happen to you and those you love. We have also all faced really good days when really good things happen to the people we care about. Sometimes we face those really strange days when incredibly good and bad things happen to us…
Bible Text: John 2:23-25, John 1:9-11, John 5:6-9, John 5:11-13, John 5:15-18, John 5:39-42 Message: As we read through the stories told in the Gospel of John, we find that many people saw the miracles that Jesus did and put their faith in him. But not everyone. Others saw the same miracles and did not choose to put their in him. Some…
Bible Text: John 20:30-31, John 4:1-42 Message: Unexpected visitors can bring us a variety of emotions. At times, they can cause us some stress and panic and other times they can bring us encouragement and joy. Today, we continue our series in the book of John by looking at the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well and the…
Bible Text: John 2:23-25, John 3:1-17 Message: Late one night, Jesus had an unexpected guest. Nicodemus, one of the respected leaders of the Jewish community came to talk to Jesus in private. He had seen or at least heard the reports of the signs Jesus had been performing and he wanted to know more about who Jesus was and the things that…
Bible Text: John 20:30-31, John 2:1-12, Luke 5:37-38, Revelation 22:17 Message: The apostle John took upon himself the great challenge of writing a gospel that would help lead people to believe in Jesus Christ. He had a lifetime of following Jesus to prepare for this task and he chose his words very intentionally. We will continue our study of the book of…
“The First Steps of our Faith” Bible Text: John 1:1-5, John 1:9-13, John 20:31, John 1:29, 33-34, John 1:38-39 Message: Today we dive into our study of the gospel of John, beginning with chapter one. This chapter is filled with stories that tell us who Jesus was and what his mission was all about. This chapter also tells us of some of…
Bible Text: Luke 5:37-39, John 20:25-31, John 21:21-23 Message: Two thousand years ago, the apostle John took it upon himself to write an account of Jesus’ life and ministry. What was striking about his account was that it was written several decades after the other three gospels were written. It was written with a very specific purpose in mind to a very…
Bible Text: John 1:11-12, John 2:23-25, John 3:12-18, John 4:39-42, John 20:30-31 Message: Last Sunday we began a discussion about something we are calling our “cup of coffee theology”—how we can change the world beginning with one single cup of coffee. Everything hinges on how well we learn to interact with our world based on three key words: belonging, believing, and becoming. …
Bible Text: Matthew 10:1, Matthew 10:40-42, Luke 14:12-13, Luke 14:21, Matthew 11:19, Matthew 18:12, John 10:14-16, Luke 19:10 Message: We have a great challenge facing us as a church. We have been called by God to “go and make disciples of all nations,” beginning with our little corner o father city at Indianola and Norwich. It is the same challenge faced by…
Bible Text: John 1:1, John 1:14, John 6:63, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 4:15 Message: We have been commanded by Jesus to love one another. It is the primary “one another” command that instructs the church on how its members are to treat each other. All of the other “one another’ commands flow from it. This week we will look at…
Bible Text: Galatians 5:1, Galatians 5:13, Galatians 6:2, John 13:34-35, Ephesians 4:15-16, Psalm 55:1-22, Philippians 4:6-7, Galatians 6:1-3, Romans 14:10-13 Message: Throughout the summer, we have looked at five different “one another” commands. Commands given to the church so that its members better knew how to treat and interact with each other. We now turn to a sixth “one another” command: to…
Bible Text: Galatians 5:13, Mark 10:35-45, Philippians 2:1-11, John 13:1-17 Message: There is a season for everything. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to speak and a time for silence. And there is a time to serve and a time to be served. Today, we continue in our series on the “one another” passages and look at the…