Your car may not have an autopilot mode, but I bet you have had the experience of intending to go to a particular destination, getting lost in a conversation, and taking wrong turns because of it! Similarly, sometimes we move through life as if we have an autopilot for our lives. We can pick up sin in our lives without even realizing it. This is what happens when we are in autopilot mode. It is as if we are sleeping. We move passively through life, uncritically accepting patterns of speech, behaviors, and concepts from our culture. In Romans 13:11 Saint Paul tells us that it is time to wake up!
View SermonThe Rev. Christopher Klukas
Count Your Blessings
Our contemporary celebration of Thanksgiving arises from a European tradition with deep Christian roots, recognizing the blessings and provision of Almighty God either at harvest time or after deliverance from significant trouble. And yet, we forget this sometimes. We forget that God is the one who provides, and we take that burden upon ourselves. We strive after the things of this world, searching for happiness, searching for meaning, searching for peace. Jesus’ words remind us to set our anxieties aside. He tells us that when we focus on the things of this world, we will find anxiety. But, when we focus on God and his Kingdom instead, everything else falls into its own right place.
View SermonThe Crucified King
As Americans, we don’t have much of an appreciation for the role of a King. In fact, you might say that the roots of our nations are decidedly anti-king. Our constitution was set up with a system of checks and balances to make sure that no one person could hold all the power at one time. We have a right to be afraid of earthly kings, but Jesus is a king that will never fail us. His rule is just and perfect, he always has our best interests and the best interests of his kingdom in mind. And one day he will make right all that is broken in this world.
View SermonIn My Flesh I Shall See God
There is meaning in our suffering. When we suffer and continue to trust God, it gives us an opportunity to rely on God for the strength to make it through. It gives us an opportunity to identify with the suffering of Christ himself. There is work yet to do. There are people who rely on you, but even more important than that, you are the image of God in this world. There are people whom God has uniquely positioned you to reach, both by your words and examples. There are people who may not make it safely home to God without your influence in their lives. Remember, “he is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (luke 20:38). He wants us to live for him now, and we all look forward to seeing God, in our flesh, face to face.
View SermonSaints Today with Hope for Tomorrow
If you golf, you may have golf heroes. Woodworkers have woodworking heroes. Cooks have cooking heroes. As Christians, we have Christian heroes that we call “saints.” The point is not that Saints are so much holier than us and therefore must be much closer to God. All Saints were also sinners. Not perfect. The point is that they give us real, concrete examples of what it looks like to live out the Christian faith.
View SermonWhat Do You Do With Seed?
There are three things you can do with seed: consume it, store it, or sow it. Similarly, there are three things that we can do with money: spend it, save it, or give it. We need to do all three of these. We spend regularly on our needs and our wants. This is the easiest of the three. We save for big purchases and for rainy days, this one is a little harder. Finally, we can give, or as Paul puts it, “sow” our money. When we ‘sow’ our money, we invest it in productive work for the sake of others. This is, perhaps, the best use and yet it can be the hardest one to convince ourselves to do. In this sermon, we will look at some of the reasons why God calls us to be generous givers.
View SermonProve It
Where we place our earthly treasure reveals something about what we value in our hearts. How we handle our money has a remarkably formative effect on our hearts, much more powerful than anything we say. For good or for ill. Think for a moment about your annual expenses. Where does your money go? What does it say about what you value? It is easy to make an idol out of money, or out of the things money can buy. Jesus provides us with a different way. Instead of seeking after more and more, Jesus seeks to give more and more.
View SermonLearning to Give Up
Some churches talk about money too much. But it is also a mistake to not talk about money at all. The Bible has lots to say about money and how we use it. Generosity is a heart issue and one that God cares deeply about. God is a generous God. “For God so loved the world, that he gave…” (John 3:16) Jesus gave up his life for us, as we respond to this gift we are called to give up our lives for him, acknowledging him as Lord over every part of our lives, including our wallets. We are made in God’s image—generosity is a part of who we were created to be. We will examine this over the next month by looking at chapters 8-9 of 2 Corinthians.
View SermonJesus Loves Me This I Know
In 1962, Someone asked Karl Barth, one of the most notable theologians of the 20th century, how he would summarize the major themes throughout his publishing career. He responded, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” These words from the popular children’s song of the same name communicate some of the most important things that we need to know about who God is and who we are. In this sermon, we will explore the themes of this song more deeply as we also consider two of Jesus’ parables, one about a lost sheep and another about a lost coin.
View SermonTen Years of Ministry in Middleburg!
Two important symbolic actions were taken as the foundation of our church building was poured. A copy of the Bible was placed in the foundation, and two verses were written in the slab that would support this structure: Deuteronomy 32:47 and Hebrews 4:12. The Word of God is literally the foundation of this church! But we are not just called to remember the word of God, the word of God calls us to action. Jesus tells us that we are to be salt and light to this world. What does that mean? Listen to find out.
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