July 3, 2016 – Jonathan Chute – “Adventures in Moving”
Sermon: sermon
In this week’s gospel Jesus sends seventy of his followers ahead of him on the road. They seem to be something of an advance team, to prepare for his arrival in the towns and villages where he is headed. But they also have a message to bring as they go. Jesus knows that their work is important, but also that they will face rejection. He wants them to know how to handle both being popular and being scorned. They will have plenty of both in the days to come. The text for Jonathan’s sermon, “Adventures in Moving,” is Luke 10:1-11.
Scripture: scripture
July 10, 2016 – April Herron – “Together In God’s Garden”
Sermon: sermon
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Sometimes this question surges to the forefront of people’s minds and hearts, and sometimes it lives in the background. When the question was addressed to Jesus (by a lawyer), Jesus replied by referencing scripture and then telling a story-the intriguing story of the compassionate Samaritan. When Paul reflected on the question, he credited God for making it possible for us to “share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” As Paul saw it, we don’t earn eternal life, we receive it as a gift. God “has rescued us… and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,” Paul wrote.
As we worship this Sunday, July 10, we’ll consider both the story Jesus told to the inquiring lawyer and other listeners, and the beginning of the letter Paul wrote to the Colossians. We’ll sing songs of praise, lift our prayers, and welcome friends in faith to membership in the church as fellow disciples on the way. April’s sermon title is “Together In God’s Garden.” We’ll give thanks for the ways God’s truth and love grow among us.
Scripture: scripture