Celebrating and Embracing God’s People

Psalm 8

Main point – Our church and our faith is about people… and God.

This morning I begin by acknowledging two mothers who were and have been very important shapers and influencers of my life. The first is my Grandmother Kane. Though she has been dead for over 3 decades, her influence, especially concerning [...]

Celebrating and Embracing A Life Well Lived

Galatians 6:7-10

Main point – We celebrate a life well lived by accepting the salvation made possible by the life and actions of Christ and we embrace a life well lived by living out Galatians 6:7-10.
This is the season of baccalaureate services (and we had a great one last weekend here in Kendallville), of graduations, and [...]

Why We Have Fathers

Ephesians 6:4
Main point – We have fathers because God made it so “in the beginning.”
I intended last week to launch our summer sermon series, “God, I have a question,” but the Holy Spirit so moved us through Pat’s moving testimony and singing that there was nothing more that could have been said after those moments [...]

Allies For The Children

Proverbs 1:8-9

Main point – We need to be allies of God for the children.
A teacher asked her students to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. The students cast the most votes for 1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids 2. Taj Mahal 3. Grand Canyon 4. Panama Canal 5. Empire State [...]

And Who Is My Enemy?

Matthew 5:43-47
Main point – How do I love my enemy?
In a recent column in Leadership Weekly, Gordon MacDonald, a retired pastor and editor at large for Leadership, a journal for pastors, reflected on a comment from Louis Berkhof who said, “God does not want us as objects but as covenant partners, partners who can converse. [...]

How’s It Going to End?

Revelation 1:8
Having just returned from 6 days of vacation that included three different hotels (and rides on 6 different roller coasters in two different amusement parks) I can relate to Stephan Brown’s comments about packing and unpacking while on vacation. He says, “some people when they go on vacation, they get to the hotel room [...]

Is God Fair?

Job 2:1 – 10

Main point – Life is not fair. God is. – Philip Yancey (Disappointment With God)
I like the comment that I recently read which said, “If you tell a man that there are 568,678,934,341 stars in the universe, he’ll believe you. But if a sign says, “Fresh Paint,” he has to make a [...]

How Do I Accept Forgiveness

John 8:1 – 11
Main point – Questions about forgiveness and growth in grace are answered.
(As I begin this morning, I am letting you know that I will be making an invitation to come forward to the altar at the conclusion of the sermon.)
In our text for this morning, many people are in a desperate place [...]

Why Am I Here?

Luke 24:12-34

Main point – Questions about our life purpose are asked and answered.
I begin this morning with a question, “Are you a why, a what or a how person?”
What people ask: What do I need to do next? What do I need to do to get this job done? What do I need to [...]