“The Kingdom: Ready to Feast”Text: Matthew 22:1-14This week, we study the Parable of the Wedding Banquet. God invites all to His celebration by name, and when we respond faithfully to that invitation, we become His servants. As servants, we become those are called to go out and invite anyone else to come and share in…
People of Grace: “Loving Accountability in Action”Text: Acts 4:23-31We conclude our series on being a people of grace; learning what it means for God to love and be gracious to us, and how we reciprocate and live into that grace. In this week’s scripture passage, instead of praying for the destruction of their enemies, the…
People of Grace: “Why is Discipleship So Difficult?” – September 17, 2023Text: Acts 2:42-47We live in a very busy and stressful world; one where there is always something pulling us one way or the other. It can be difficult to fully commit to discipleship in these moments, both individually and as a group. This week’s…
“People of Grace: God’s Mission – My Purpose”Text: John 4:27-38In the Gospels, the disciples are often shown as trying to safeguard Jesus from those who they might think are unworthy or slowing Him down. This passage, which follows Jesus’s encounter with the woman at the well, is a notable exception where the text specifically states…
“People of Grace: Surprised by Grace”Text: Matthew 15:21-28Pastor Tim introduces a new series called “A People of Grace,” which is designed to complement the church’s book study on Sam Barber’s book of the same name. In this first sermon, we examine what initially appears to be the least grace-filled passage in the Gospels. Jesus’ first…
“Jesus’s Invitation: ‘Be the Grown-ups!’”Text: Matthew 5:43-48We are pleased to welcome back former CECN pastor Rev. Dr. Jeff Barker as our guest preacher. He brings us a message from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’s call to perfection – “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” – comes after He describes how His…
Sermon Text: 2 Peter 3:1-18Having finished our recent sermon series on the Old Testament minor prophets, we turn to a passage from the book of 2 Peter that has also been read as a prophetic word. Peter tells his audience to not listen to a world that suggests that God is not interested in how…
“God Greater than Our Adversary”Nahum 1:1-11Continuing our series on the minor prophets, we look at Nahum’s prophecy for the city of Nineveh. Taking place after the events recorded in the book of Jonah, Nahum’s harsh words of judgement are for those who continue to abuse power and take advantage of God’s grace. For those who…
“Speaking Truth into Danger”Amos 7:7-17We continue our sermon series on the minor prophets; ones we may not read from often but who nevertheless remind their people of the call that God has placed on their lives. This week’s passage from Amos is a hard prophetic word of judgement coming down against the people of Israel.…
Text: Psalm 13:1, 5-6/Romans 4:13-18/Matthew 9:9-13/Genesis 12:1-5/Hosea 6:6With Pastor Tim away at the 2023 General Assembly for the Church of the Nazarene, we welcome back Zahira Grunwald as our guest preacher. All of Scripture is connected. It is a series of stories, poems, and proverbs all designed to be interconnected in their revelation of God’s…