Waiting & Weeping
John 11:1-45 (NRSV)
Read, or have someone read, the text prior to the sermon.
This story in John begins by letting us know the close relationship Jesus had with Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Lazarus is seriously ill, so his sisters send a message to Jesus counting on their relationship with Jesus to bring the miracle worker to their aid. “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”
Have you ever sent a message to Jesus like that? You have known the Lord for some time and have developed a close relationship. You know Jesus loves you and you have had experiences in the past that tell you that he will be faithful to you in the future. Then something awful happens. Your company talks of downsizing. You or a... Read the article
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1 Samuel 16:1-13 • Psalm 23:1-6 • Ephesians 5:8-14 • John 9:1-41
The theme this week is seeing by God’s light. In 1 Samuel 16, God tells Samuel to see with God’s eyes and vision as Samuel goes to anoint the new king – to look beyond the outward appearance of a man like Saul. In Psalm 23, the poet talks about walking by God’s light even in the greatest darkness. In Ephesians 5, Paul encourages this fledgling faith community to walk in the light of Christ rather than their old darkness. Our sermon, Jesus and the Invisible Man, is based on John 9. Jesus brings metaphor and concrete reality together by declaring himself to be the light, then giving light to the eyes of the man born blind.
Jesus and the Invisible Man
John... Read the article
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Exodus 17:1-7 • Psalm 95:1-11 • Romans 5:1-11 • John 4:5-42
This week’s theme is God’s overflowing love. In Exodus, the Israelites demand water from Moses while quarrelling and testing the Lord at Massah and Meribah. Yet, God provides for their thirst with water flowing from a rock. Psalm 95 invites us to listen to God’s voice with soft hearts that respond in worship and praise. In Romans, we find that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” The sermon from John 4 presents Jesus as God’s provision for living water given to an outcast woman of Samaria. Her thirst is quenched as she responds by letting God’s love flow out to others in witness.
A Well Quenched... Read the article
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Genesis 12:1-4a • Psalm 121:1-8 • Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 • John 3:1-17
The theme for this week is “I will show you.” In Genesis 12, God asks Abram to walk away from all he knew into a land where he would show Abram how amazing the future will be. In Psalm 121, the poet is encouraging himself that God will show him his provision, protection and love if he steps out in faith. In Romans 4, Paul shows us God’s overarching plan to connect Abraham’s faith with our own as Christ followers. In John 3, Jesus confronts Nicodemus with the fact that the rabbi doesn’t already know the truth about God; it must be shown to him.
Nicodemus—Who Came at Night
John 3:1-17 ESV
Nicodemus was a good guy. I think it’s important to know that.... Read the article
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Gen. 2:15-17; 3:1-7 • Psalm 32:1-11 • Romans 5:12-19 • Matthew 4:1-11
The theme for this week is “The do’s and don’ts of love.” In Genesis 2, God tells Adam and Eve about the Tree of Life, and in Genesis 3, Satan misleads Eve, twisting God’s words. In Psalm 32, David shares how it is when we live out of sync with God’s love and how our valuable connection to God draws us back into love. According to Romans 5, Adam’s living out of alignment with God’s love is all resolved by Jesus. Our sermon outline, “How Love Doesn’t Work,” is based on Matthew 4, where Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness contrasts the devil’s temptations (i.e., how love doesn’t work) with Jesus’s responses (i.e., how love does work).
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By Bret Miller, GCI IT Manager
The number one way many people find a church to visit is by searching on the internet. This means investing time in developing a good website is vital.
A good website should tell people about the church. What’s a church service like? Where is it? When is it? If I have questions, who can I contact? But that’s not all; people are also influenced by how professional your website looks, whether the people look friendly, and whether they think they’ll feel at home.
If your church has a website, when did you last look at it? Taking time to review your website periodically helps keep it both accurate and current. Ask yourself some questions as you view your website: If this was my first impression... Read the article
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By John McLean, Director of ACCM
The GCI Worship Calendar is designed to focus our worship and attention directly on Jesus – his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, and the giving of the promised Comforter.
Each one of us has our own personal story. Our stories are—naturally!—very important to us. Our birth, growth, adulthood. Our achievements, our challenges, difficulties. And in its own way each story is unique, to be cherished and valued.
And yet…
Each of us knows in the depths of our being that if our brief span of life is all there is – if that’s it, “signifying nothing” as Shakespeare put it—our personal story can be frustratingly futile. Like the grass of the field, we wither and fade. And... Read the article
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These three remind us Jesus is the center of the center.
During my years in ministry, both as a pastor and a denominational leader, I’ve been exposed to a number of discipleship pathway slogans used to motivate and inspire us to healthy church. These include: Believe, Belong, Become; Inward, Outward, Upward; Cultivate, Plant, Reap; Win, Build, Equip. I am likely missing a couple. All of these pathways work in some cultures and ministry environments, while not working in other cultures and environments. Some come across as works-oriented; others as more faith based. We chose Faith, Hope and Love Avenues because they are scriptural and because they work in all cultures. Allow me to share some other reasons how Faith, Hope and Love lead... Read the article
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Ex.24:12-18 • Psalm 99:1-9 • 2 Peter 1:16-21 • Matthew 17:1-9
The theme this week is the Lordship of Jesus. Throughout Scripture, we see the power and majesty of the Son of God. In Exodus 24, we read of Moses returning to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone upon which God had written the law and the commandments. There “the glory of the Lord settled,” and it was “like a devouring fire.” The Psalmist writes about the Lord being king and sitting among the cherubim. Moses, Aaron and Samuel called upon him and he answers—speaking to them in the “pillar of cloud.” In Peter’s letter, he talks about being an eyewitness of Jesus’ majesty and the Father acknowledging Jesus as the “Son, my Beloved, with whom I am... Read the article
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20 • Psalm 119:1-8 • 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 • Matthew 5:21-37
The theme this week is the community of God. Each passage discusses the ideals and vision of what it means to be part of God’s family. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 discusses the giving of the law as the path of true life—truly being the community of God. Psalm 119:1-8 talks about walking in the way of the Lord and the joy of the community that does. In 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Paul encourages the church community that they are God’s building, God’s field, united by love and kingdom purpose. The sermon this week is on Matthew 5:21-37, in which Jesus lays out the connection between broken relationships with others and a broken relationship with God.
Take a Deep... Read the article
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