Sonoma Avenue Sermons

In John three we get to eavesdrop on a one-of-a-kind conversation between Jesus and one of Israel's teachers. Nicodemus wanted to know what God was doing through Jesus. Jesus needed to let him know that his ideas about God needed to change if he was going to catch on. Join us as we look at this crucial conversation.

I have a strange easter message for you. The story of Jesus' death and resurrection do not make sense. There are so many elements to the story that violate what we know to be true in this world. This might seem like bad news for those who believe in Jesus. It is just the opposite. Join us as we talk about the completely nonsensical story of Jesus changes the world.

While John might be slowly introducing his readers to the power of Jesus in his gospel, the same cannot be said about the way John communicates the authority of Jesus. John already told us in chapter one that Jesus is the word, present from Creation, the son of God. When Jesus entered the temple in chapter two, he had some thoughts about what was going on in his father's house. Join us as we explore the day when Jesus scared the snot out of everyone in the temple.

John slowly rolls out the power of Jesus in his gospel. We got a glimpse of what Jesus could do when he called Nathaniel to be his disciple. But, what is next? What can this son of god do? The sky is the limit right? While this is true the first miracle we get is one that takes place in a nothing town, at a wedding of people we never hear about. Most of the people at the wedding did not even know that a miracle occurred. So why does John's proof of Jesus' power start like this? John us as we explore what happened when Jesus turned water into wine.

Jesus had an effect on everyone that he met. Anger, fear, wonder, love, and all of the reactions in between were products of an encounter with Jesus. Some wanted to get rid of him, while others left everything behind to follow him. Why would someone do this? Join us as we explore the call to follow Jesus.

John the baptist plays a crucial role in John's account of the life of Jesus, but not in the same way as he does in the other gospels. In John, JTB is the crucial first witness to the person of Jesus. He exists to do one thing: point the way to Jesus.

The Gospel of John was written so that those who read it would come to understand who Jesus is and believe in him. John, in a departure from the opening of the other gospels, did not mix words. Jesus was not just a man born in Nazareth. He was not just a teacher, healer, or prophet. He was so much more than you can imagine.

Churches all over the country have seen a lot of change over the past few years. Where does our church fit into this big picture? As we look forward to what we want to accomplish, what do we hold on to? What keeps us grounded? Join us as we explore where our future lies.

Join us as we look back at some of the good things that God has done here at Sonoma Avenue.

Jesus told a story about a father and his son. The son approached the father and demanded his inheritance, even though his father had not yet died. His father gave it to him. The son squandered his father's money and ended up destitute. We know this story. We understand the rules. We know how the son ended up amongst the pigs. We know what the reaction of the father should be. We hurt for him. We are angry for him. But that is not who the father is, and the story ends in a way that it shouldn't. Join us as we explore what makes the father in this story different from all other fathers.

Even though we do not know much about Jesus when he was a child, the question of what he was like is a fascinating one. There is only one story, told by Luke, which give us any kind of insight. It's not much. But Luke believed it was important to tell. Let's take a look at what happened when Jesus went to the temple at the age of twelve.

The coming of Jesus the messiah is an unbelievable story right from the start. How do you convince someone that something so amazing is true? Luke faced this problem when he set out to write an account of the beginning of Jesus' life. He pulled on the best resources he could: eyewitness testimony from trusted sources to show that Jesus really is the Messiah.

I want more joy in my life. Advent tells us that the greatest joy is available to us at any time. It is not dependent upon things going right or life being perfect. It is always there, steadfast and waiting for us. You can have joy no matter what is going on in your life. Join us as we explore the joy that Jesus brought to the world.

I am pretty sure that we would all like for there to be more peace in the world, and yet peace seems to be something we continually pursue without ever capturing. It makes me wonder: "What are we asking for when we ask for peace?" God provides peace. Jesus is the bringer of peace. We have heard that over and again. But how does it work?

The Hope that we have in Jesus is a greater hope than we can have in anything in this world. But what makes it different? Join us as we begin the season of Advent by exploring how Jesus brought a new kind of hope to the world.

Corinth was a messy church, but what was the solution to many of their problems? The answer is a simple one: Love. Join us as we wrap up our series on the messiest of churches.

What is it that holds us together? How are we all joined under one purpose, and yet so different? Why can't I do the same things that someone else does? Is that person a better Christian than me? Am I a better Christian than someone else? Join us as we study 1 Corinthians 12 and take a look at the most common cause of fragmentation within the Body of Jesus.

We love being right about things. Being wrong... not so much. The stakes are high within the church when people disagree on an issue. What is the right way to handle those disagreements? Paul has some thoughts.

This week, we continue to explore the underlying issues that lead to the Church in Corinth being so dysfunctional. What happens when the practices of the world around us come into direct conflict with the values of Jesus? What happens when our sense of self preservation conflicts with the values of Jesus? It's complicated but let's take a look.

We live in a world that has rules. We all live by these rules everyday. We follow a God whose rules are different than the rules of the world. In Corinth, we see how difficult it is to live the life that God has called his people to. They were not very good at it. In fact, they “adapted” God’s rules so that they could still live as Corinthians with a Jesus flavor. Paul told them clearly that they could not continue to live that way and call themselves Christians. There was only one thing that could help them change course. Would they use it?