The season leading up to Christmas is the season of Advent—a season of waiting and longing for a rescuer to mend our broken world. This morning we think about the nature of peace. Peace is not just a lack of conflict; peace means everything is as it should be. In a world that most of the time does not feel peaceful, where do we find true peace?
From Sparta to Iowa
The season leading up to Christmas is the season of Advent—a season of waiting and longing for a rescuer to mend our broken world. This morning we think about the nature of hope. What does it mean to hope in God, and how can we find sturdy hope, not just Hallmark hope?
Bad Religion
As we consider what it means to grow more mature in our faith, James directs the spotlight to the issue of religion itself. What kind of religion does God want, and what kind of religion does he not want?
The Mirror Doesn't Lie
So far, as we have dug into the New Testament letter of James, we’ve seen that James is a very direct writer — he doesn’t beat around the bush. This morning we consider his most direct statement yet: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
If our faith is all about grace, what place does obedience have? And, if we don’t do what God’s word says, what can we expect?
Two Ears and One Mouth
As we continue to learn from James, he gets to his most immediate, practical teaching yet: Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. James means what he says—this is not a complicated section. But putting it into practice is not easy. What does it mean to be quick to listen? And might James mean that we should listen not only to one another, but to the Holy Spirit inside us?
Resources:
Proverbs about Words (pdf)
Sermon: A Way With Words (October 21, 2018)
Out of the Cellar and Into the Sun
This morning we consider the third contemplative practice in our series: confession. Confession is not meant to depress us, but to cleanse us. Like stepping out of a dark, damp cellar into a bright, sunny day, confession can be uncomfortable and overwhelming. But you wouldn’t want to live your whole life in the cellar, would you?
Rummaging for God
As we continue our short series learning about contemplative spiritual practices, we approach the ancient practice called examen. As Fr. Dennis Hamm once wrote, Examen is like “rummaging for God—going through a drawer full of stuff, feeling around, looking for something that you are sure must be there.” This morning we consider how we might rummage for God, and how we might invite him to rummage through our life, so we might become more like Christ.
A Thunderclap and a Thin Silence
Early in his letter James teaches Christians how important it is to suffer well. But the question remains: how do I become the type of person who suffers well? This morning we consider the contemplative spiritual practice of listening. Do you even recognize the voice of God in your life? Are you listening for it? And when you hear it, do you have the courage to follow his voice?
The Father of Lights
So far in his letter James has urged us to remain steadfast in seasons of suffering, and he has shown us how God wants to work through our suffering. Today he addresses the question we’ve all asked: how can a good God allow suffering in this world? The more we come to grips with the fact that we’re not in control, the better we will suffer.
Video (entire service)
The Devil Made Me Do It?
James begins his letter by showing us how trials and hard seasons in life can develop perseverance and maturity in our spiritual lives. This morning he addresses the flip side of the same coin: trials, when approached in an unhealthy way, can become temptations to stray from God. How can we approach trials as opportunities to draw near to God, instead of as temptations to be driven away from God?
The Crown of Life
Early in his letter James encourages Christians to persevere through suffering and hard seasons, because perseverance leads to a more mature faith. This morning James gives us one more incentive to persevere: God gives those who love him and who persevere the crown of life. This morning we explore what the crown of life is, and why it helps us endure painful seasons in life.
The Disturbed and the Comfortable
James has a reputation for being blunt and to the point. This morning we get our first taste of James’ bluntness. He tells people in “humble circumstances” to boast in their high position, and he tells the rich to “take pride in their low position.” His goal is to provoke us where it hurts: in our wallets.
This morning we ask what it means that God comforts the disturbed, and he disturbs the comfortable. In the process, we learn how allowing ourselves to be provoked and challenged helps us to grow into wiser, more mature Christians.
Wisdom and Foolishness
James teaches us to , “Consider it pure joy when you experience trials of many kinds.” This is difficult in itself. But immediately after this, James teaches us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.” We might ask in response, “What does wisdom have to do with suffering?” And, “How do I become wise?” Both are good questions, and this morning we listen for how God might meet us in those questions.
Tested and Tried
“Consider it pure joy,” James writes at the very start of his letter, “when you experience trials of many kinds.” This seems counter-intuitive. Trials—suffering—testing—none of these sounds very joyful to us. This morning Ron Bouthillette leads us to discover how we can find joy in the hardest parts of life.
God's Incredible Plan
In the build-up to the most famous verse in the Bible (John 3:16), Jesus tells a very religious person, “You must be born again.” This morning we explore what Jesus meant by being “born again.” How can a person be born again?
The Myth of Freedom
Jesus’ half-brother, James, wrote to early Christians who were asking, “How do I grow from spiritual infancy to maturity?” This morning we think about James’ claim to be a servant of God, and we allow him to challenge us by asking, “Are you living as a servant of God, or as a free person who sets your own direction?” The paradox is, what we think of as freedom is actually slavery, and what we think of as slavery is actually freedom.
The Problem With Being Good
Jesus’ third story in Luke 15 is his most famous – the parable of the lost son. But the story is not really about the younger son, who ran away from his father. It is about the older son who never ran. This morning we see the false loyalty and subtle arrogance of the older brother, and the consistent mercy of the Father.
A Wasteful and Extravagant God
Jesus’ third story in Luke 15 is his most famous – often called the parable of the Prodigal Son. This morning we see that “Prodigal,” which means “wasteful and extravagant,” may better describe the father (and God our Father) than the son in the story. Hear why it is good news that God is wasteful and extravagant.
Ten Coins
Jesus tells three kingdom stories in Luke 15 which introduce mystery into our understanding of God. In the second, a woman loses a substantial amount of money. Of course, she goes to great effort to find the lost money. It’s a simple story, but it turns some of our misconceptions of God upside-down. Contrary to popular opinion, God our Father is not a difficult-to-please father.
Ninety Nine Birds in the Hand
Jesus tells three kingdom stories in Luke 15 which introduce mystery into our understanding of God. In the first, a shepherd makes a very illogical decision. This story delights the sinners around Jesus and offends the religious people. Where does God’s heart lie, and how does that confront our own misunderstandings?