Brian's Sermons

As a coach, there is one thing I’ve found that seems true over all age groups and in pretty much any sport. That truth is this: if you focus on the basics, you will be more likely to succeed. Not just focusing on the basics, but practicing them over and over. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a football player try to “thud up” a ball carrier or an outfielder get ready to make the big throw before the ball is in his mitt or a basketball player blow a slam dunk when an easy lay-up would have done just fine. I even remember a soccer teammate who tried to do a fancy backwards overhead kick to clear out the ball and ended up scoring on our own goal. As a Christian, and as a pastor, I’ve found that sometimes we can focus a whole lot of attention on the little things, and some of them seem really important, but if we don’t spend time focusing on the main thing, we can forget the whole point. A prime example would be a famous pastor and public speaker who has always focused on lost an...

Good Friday Community Service Everything started exactly right. Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, with God as their God and friend. But you know the story; they sinned, and the entire world felt the sting. Separation from God ensued. The God of the Universe pursued His creation, created from nobody a people, a people He would bless to be a blessing to the world. The Lord would be their God and they would be His people. God led Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Later, God called Moses to lead His people out of Egyptian captivity – leading Israel in a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. But in the last five chapters of the book of Judges, three times we find the phrase: “in those days Israel had no king.” This is an important designation, because a king was not simply the ruler of his people. In the Ancient Near East, a king didn’t function quite like a king or ruler might function today. It was the universal understanding that the king was not the top dog – the deity w...

1 Samuel 1:1-28 Have you ever made a deal with God? It’s a pretty funny scene, really, making a deal with God. What makes us think that we, God’s creation, can deal with the Almighty? Yet we do it all the time. I remember making deals with God when I was in junior high, specifically when I was running long distance races. I would ask God to get me through the race and there were all sorts of things I would do for Him once I got finished (secretly I think that me being in ministry now is part of the payback). Sometimes we can be tempted to make deals with God over little, insignificant things. Then we generally sound like a toddler trying to extend bedtime with a “one more book, please, and I promise I’ll go right to sleep!” But usually the “let’s make a deal” mentality doesn’t set in until the stakes are huge. God, if I get this job, then I’ll… God, if you can get me through this, I’ll… God, if only you’ll spare his life, then I’ll… Have you ever bargained with God like that? ...

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in(to) the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked about the honor we have of being God’s people, the church. Everything we do is motivated and led by Christ, our Head. We discussed, therefore, that what Jesus said carries special weight. Many people have died for causes they believed in, but Jesus did something utterly unique: not only did he die for a cause, but he also defied history by his resurrection. Is it any wonder that when his disciples came to him that some doubted? After all, their worldview didn’t include someone physically rising from the dead, yet here was Jesus, who had done so. Now his words held even more ...