Sermons from 2022 (Page 3)

Sermons from 2022 (Page 3)

The Substance of Christ

Col 2:16-23 “No one,” said Jesus, “puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins — and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” You don’t have to be a winemaker to appreciate the wisdom of Christ’s reminder: Just as new wine can burst old wineskins, so the Way of Christ was never meant to be bound by tradition. Yet, there is a place for the old as much as there is for the new — both belong to Christ! Come join us this Sunday as we explore the right — and wrong — ways we often use tradition as travelers on the ever-new, ever-reforming, ever-reconstructing Way of Christ.

The Triumph of Christ

Col 2:6-8, 13-15 It is often suggested that in order to win in the various arenas of life — whether martial, social, or political — we must be willing to play by the same rules as our competitors, to stoop down to their level, to get into the mud with them. Christ achieved total victory over His enemies in a wholly different way — and only by His upside-down victory will the world be turned right-side-up. Come join us on Sunday as we look into Christ’s cross-shaped path to victory and rediscover our own triumph.

The Transformation of Christ

Col 2:6-12 God’s love and salvation comes to us unconditionally – but our experience of His love and salvation require our engagement: We must say Yes, not just at the altar call but in our day-to-day lives; not just to the Gospel pitch but to Gospel obedience over the course of this sojourn called Life. Join us this Sunday as we return to the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Colossians and hear about “The Purpose of Christ”.

The Mystery of Christ

Col 1:25-27; 2:1-3 In the film “Interstellar”, director Christopher Nolan suggests that love is as powerful a force in our lives as gravity. As Christians, we know this to be more than a mere suggestion — it is the truth we experience for ourselves, as outsiders who are being drawn to God by the love of Christ. Come join us this Sunday to hear more about “the Mystery of Christ” as we return to Colossians 1:25-27; 2:1-3.

The Apostle of Christ

Colossians 1:24-2:5 We live in a world of influencers and platforms; a world of content creators and followers; a world that poses some interesting challenges to following the Way of Christ. And that is the overall focus of this series of sermons in Colossians; as people seeking to be “Centered on Christ”, how do we follow the Way of Christ? It turns out that continuing on the Way of Christ requires us to be thoughtful about who we listen to, whose opinions we value, whose influence we embrace. Let’s unpack this thought this Sunday as we take our first look into Colossians 1:24-2:5.

The Purpose of Christ

Col 1:21-23 God’s love and salvation comes to us unconditionally – but our experience of His love and salvation require our engagement: We must say Yes, not just at the altar call but in our day-to-day lives; not just to the Gospel pitch but to Gospel obedience over the course of this sojourn called Life. Join us this Sunday as we return to the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Colossians and hear about “The Purpose of Christ”.

We Mourn

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matt 5:4; John 11 Please join us this Sunday as the pastoral staff has decided to do a lament service in light of the recent tragedies.

The Way, The Truth and The Life

John 14:4-6 We return to our studies in the Gospel of John this Sunday where Jesus makes maybe his most audacious claim yet. He says he is the way, the truth and the life. Notice he doesn’t say he is a way, a truth and a life. He says he is the way, the truth and the life.” He even says he is the only way to the Father. These are indeed enormous claims! Join us this Sunday as we explore these bold claims.

Preparing for the Wedding

John 14:1-3 We continue our studies in the Gospel of John this Sunday in the upper room where love continues to be the central theme. From the words of institution celebrating the love revealed at the cross, to the washing of feet celebrating the love of service, to the new commandment celebrating the “just as Jesus” kind of love, this week we will celebrate the love of marriage. Specifically, we will celebrate the deep love of Jesus, the bridegroom, for the church, his bride. Jesus will go to prepare a place in his Father’s house, and when he is ready, he will come back and take his bride to be with him where he is. Join us this Sunday as we explore some of the most wonderful promises in all of Scripture.

Love Just as I Love

John 13:21-38 As we enter back into John 13 this week, we join the disciples in an upper room in downtown Jerusalem on the night before Jesus goes to the cross. Jesus astonishingly begins this final teaching by serving his disciples in the act of washing their feet. Next, Jesus will explain this act even more, but framed in the language of love, and not just any kind of love, a “just as” kind of love. What is even more astonishing is that this teaching happens in the context of heart-wrenching rejection. Join us this Sunday as we explore this “just as” kind of love.

All The Way To The End

On Sunday we welcome a guest preacher, Iain Provan, Old Testament Professor at Regent College Vancouver, who will meet next week with our pastors for their annual retreat. David began the beloved Twenty-third Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd.” A thousand years later Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. Psalm 23 and John 10:7-15 The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). The earliest Christian art depicted Jesus as the Good Shepherd caring for his sheep.

People of the Towel

John 13:1-20 We return to our studies in the Gospel of John this Sunday, a Gospel that invites us to Come and See who Jesus really is. Our text this week is the well-known text of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Would it be even more well-known, because it is in this scene where Jesus turns everything upside-down. He defines Lordship (even deity!) in terms of a towel, then defines what it means to be people of the towel. Join us this Sunday as we explore the foot-washing event by the foot-washing Lord.