Sermon preached at RUF Wednesday Night Fellowship on Oct. 4, 2017. As the Boss put it, "Everybody has a hungry heart." We try to fill the hole in our hearts with LEGOs, fame, fortune, sex, Facebook likes, etc., but at the end of the day we are still hungry, hangry, dissatisfied. It doesn't have to be this way. God has the "food" our heart craves, and it is free! Listen. Come. Eat. Taste and see that the Lord is good!
1 Kings 19:1-18: What Are You Doing Here?
Sermon preached at RUF's Wednesday Night Fellowship on Sep. 26, 2017. When things don't turn out the way Elijah expected them to, he is ready to quit—ready to quit his job, ready to give up on life. He is depressed. Depression is a multifaceted problem requiring a multifaceted solution. God meets Elijah where he is at, and God does not leave him there. He comes in comfort. He comes in counsel. And He comes in control.
Exod. 3 & 4: What Is That In Your Hand?
Sermon preached at RUF's Wednesday Night Fellowship on Sep. 20, 2017. God cares about justice and we, men and women made in God's image, are to care about justice, and fight for justice, too. God made us for good work and God saved us for good work. Finally, God equips and empowers us for good work. (Scripture reading: Exod. 3:7-14; 4:1-5, 10-17.)
Gen. 32:3-31: What Is Your Name?
Sermon preached at RUF's Wednesday Night Fellowship on Sep. 13, 2017. "What is your name?" This is the third question we're looking at in our semester-long series, "Questions God Asks Us." Our names say a lot about us. In this sermon, we look at a man named "Jacob...Cheater." And we see a God who has the power to give him—and us—a new name and identity.
Gen 3:1-21: Who Told You That You Were Naked?
Sermon preached at RUF's Wednesday Night Fellowship, Sep. 6, 2017. In this sermon we look at the second question God poses in the Bible: "Who told you that you were naked?" As we do so, we ask and answer a few other questions: What is shame and how is it different from guilt? How do we try to cover our shame? Finally, can we be naked and not ashamed ever again?
Genesis 3:1-10: Where Are You?
Sermon preached at RUF's Wednesday Night Fellowship on Aug 30, 2017. We are kicking off our semester-long series, "Questions God Asks Us." Tonight we're introduced to the very first question God poses in the Bible: "Where are you?" We ask (and answer) three questions: why do we run and hide from God? How do we hide? And what does God do in response?
Matthew 13:31-33: Stories About Going In, Working Out
Final sermon in our "Stories Jesus Told" series, preached at RUF Large Group on Nov. 30. We look back on a semester's worth of stories, seeing that God meets us on the outside, brings us into his "home," and then sends us out as his child-ambassadors. We go to work "out there" but find our rest "in here." In and out, in and out—this is the rhythm of the Christian life.
Matthew 13:44-46: Stories About Hidden Treasure
Sermon preached at RUF Large Group on Nov. 15. The kingdom of heaven [aka, kingdom of God] is our broken world made right. In these stories, Jesus reveals that the kingdom of heaven is here but hidden. It is subversive. Not only that, it is incredibly valuable. Finally, it cannot remain hidden forever. It changes you. While discovered in private, the effects of that discovery become public.
Luke 18:1-8: Story of the Widow & Unjust Judge
Sermon preached at RUF Large Group on November 8 (Election Day). Hope is rooted in reality. Hope is powered by promise. And hope "has legs."
Matthew 25: The Story of the 'Least of These'
Sermon preached at RUF Large Group on Nov. 1. What is the kingdom of God? What does Jesus want us to do? Who does God reward?