The Word @ First Pres
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In 2020 and 2021, our experiences got delayed, cancelled, or significantly scaled back because of the pandemic. These are experiences that, often, can never be recovered. This Sunday, we’re going to talk about why this loss can feel overwhelming and how we can position ourselves to create new experiences in the places we least expect!
This Sunday we begin our new sermon series Making Peace with the Pandemic where we will confront different aspects of how the pandemic changed our lives. Filled with interviews from members of our community, we begin this series by talking about the challenges of losing our community to the pandemic and how we can get it back!
This Sunday, member Don Rowley will discuss how he has dedicated his life to serving others and how you can make a difference in the lives of those you come across.
There is a lot in the Bible that we don’t pay attention to/ignore completely. We like to make excuses for this, say Jesus changed the game, but he (in Matthew) said that he didn’t come to change a single bit of the law. So why do we still all pick and choose? What does it mean? And most importantly, why are we picking and choosing what we’re picking and choosing and what does that say about us?
When we look into the world we can see how chaotic and dark and even evil it can be. We as Christians are called to live differently. We are called to bring light and be kind, just like Paul called the church to be in his letter to Ephesians, but what happens when those outside of the church seem to be representing these things better than the church? The world is chaotic enough we shouldn’t add to it, choose instead to be kind.
When you die and people are talking about your life, what kind of legacy will you leave behind? This Sunday we will discuss how we can leave a legacy worth remembering.
Does God want you to suffer? Does God orchestrate difficulties in your life to teach you lessons? This Sunday, we discuss one of life’s most challenging questions: Why do some suffer more than others?
What does the breath in your lungs have to do with your connection with God? More than you’d think. This Sunday we explore how the ancient practices of mindfulness can enhance our spiritual life.
Every so often, July 4th falls on a Sunday. This year, we’re going to discuss the how the American philosophy of individual freedom that came out of the Declaration of Independence coincides with the biblical story of Joseph. Happy Independence Day!
What is your particular learning style? Were you ever inspired by a special teacher? This Sunday we are going to examine the philosophy of a teacher in our congregation and how he changed the lives of his students by overturning everything about the way he taught his classes.
How do you make difficult decisions when you come to a crossroads in your life? Do you make decisions based on the best available information or do you trust your intuition? This Sunday we’re going to discuss why trusting your gut can lead you in the right direction and can lead you astray.
Staying relevant is something that a lot of people struggle with as they age. This week we hear from Don Rowley and his philosophy of staying young while growing older. This philosophy is pertinent to the church as well and mirrors the words we see from Isaiah 43. How does the church stay relevant as it continues to age? How can we attracts more youth/young families/millennials? Are we even asking the right questions?
This Sunday we will hear the incredible true story of how one of the most important surgeon’s in South Korea escaped from a North Korean prison cell thanks to his faith in God. This story will serve as the basis for discussing how we endure hardship and difficulty in our lives.
Have you ever thought about why you live your life a certain way? Have you ever considered, why do I think this and not that? This Sunday, we begin our new sermon series Philosopher Kings by discussing how God wants us to bring intentionality into our daily lives.
As teens our youth tend to internalize more pop culture than they do lessons that their weary youth pastor tries to bestow on them. So since that’s what they listen to, let’s use some of that to give them a commencement speech. From Back to the Future to Lizzo, we will hear words of wisdom, connect them to life lessons, and scriptures, and hopefully send our graduating seniors off with something to chew on.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Love. Commanded. Demanded. Chosen. Imagine a world filled with this kind of love. Imagine our community, our home, our church, our lives filled with a love that is willing to lay down and die for another – even one we don’t know. Jesus’ commandment to love in this way requires serious sacrifice. The cost is astonishingly high. This love requires our heart – the place where we feel the very beat of life. This love requires that we give our heart to God, in the same way that we might give our heart to another in an organ transplant.
While taking your time to figure out what you believe is important and should be celebrated, now the actual works begins. You cannot just sit on what you believe and not allow it to inform every aspect of your life. You have to allow your orthodoxy to move you to orthopraxy, and then allow your orthopraxy to then further inform your orthodoxy. In other words, you have to act on what you believe and then allow what you see and experience while you’re “doing” to inform what you believe.
Choose Love. Be the Light. Change the World. This Sunday Alex finishes his sermon series explaining why these words represent not only everything about who we are and what we stand for as Christians, but also our goal as a church community.
For the last five years, at the end of every service, we have been saying the words: Choose Love. Be the Light. Change the World. But what exactly does this mean and why do we say it every week? This Sunday Alex begins the journey to answer why this tagline summarizes everything important at First Pres.
One year ago, we were celebrating Easter in an empty sanctuary with a lot of unanswered questions. This year, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and the resurrection of Jesus is a moment that can help us reflect on the past, while at the same time finding a way forward.
What exactly was Jesus trying to achieve on Palm Sunday? What were his motivations for going into the Temple Courtyard and causing so much chaos? This Sunday we discuss one of the most misunderstood events in Jesus’ life and ministry.
In our parable for this Sunday, Jesus poses an inherently difficult question: Is there such thing as honest money? The answer may surprise you as we examine how Jesus views money and the purposes it can achieve.
