Text: Psalm 27
Service Date: 3.16.25
Sermon:

• As we continue in the Lenten season, we are not only reflecting on the life and ministry of Jesus while he was on Earth. We are also reflecting in our life and our trust in Jesus today.
• One of the best ways that we can best understand our lives in relation to our faith is to study the life of another life in relation to their faith. We are looking into the life of David. In this psalm it seems that David is troubled and fearful.
• Fear is a dark shadow that envelopes us and ultimately imprisons us within ourselves. We can conquer fear itself by trusting in the LORD, who brings salvation. If we want to dispel the darkness of fear, let us remember with the psalm writer that the lord is my light and my salvation (restoration).
• I believe that many of us are also in a state of fear. We fear ourselves and our own safety, but we also fear for our friends and family. We fear for those that are losing the God-given rights, and we are unsure what we could do to help. The time that we are in now seems unprecedented which creates fear.
• Similarly to our current times, this psalm seems to be written in a time when the writer feels forgotten about and possibly in danger. The writer is waiting to see the LORD work in his life. The writer is trusting God in his most difficult times. We have a choice; we can also trust in God in these extremely unprecedented and difficult time.
• In the passage, David uses the term, “Temple.”  David may have used the word “temple” to refer to the presence of the LORD. David’s greatest desire was to live in God’s presence each day of his life. Believers can call upon God at any time, but how shortsighted it is to call on God when trouble comes.
• David also states that he remains confident in the LORD. The definition of “confidence” is “literally all speech or speaking all things and thereby conveys the idea of freedom to say all. The basic idea in the word is freedom of speech, when the word flowed freely.” I believe that David uses this term because he can speak in confidence that God will restore him and keep him free from his enemies.
• We are now about to enter the time of the Love Feast. This is a time to enter God’s presence. We can face God confidently and place our trust in God. In this time, let us face God with love and appreciation, leaving our fear and worries in God’s hands.

Conclusion: Let us be people who trust in the LORD and remain confident in God’s restoring nature in difficult times. 

Text: Romans 10:8-13
Service Date: 3.9.25
Sermon:

• As we continue in the Lenten season, we are taking time to personally reflect on the life and the ministry of Jesus. Over the last few weeks, we have focused most of our reflection on Jesus’ physical ministry; his sermons, his lessons, his love for the outcasts and his accepting nature.
• We are now going to pivot from that point of view, and we are going on focus on the spiritual aspect of Jesus’ ministry. This passage makes a very special connection between our heart and our mind. It states, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim”
• It seems that this passage is connecting what we think to what we believe. Since that is the case, let us going over a few definitions:
• The phrase “the word is near you” states that the word of God is with us. The “Word” in this context refers “to the spoken word, especially a word as uttered by a living voice. “Rhema refers to any sound produced by the voice which has a definite meaning. It focuses upon the content of the communication”
• The word “near” refers to “near (or close) and can describe a physical position relatively close to another position.”
• The heart “does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will.”
• Salvation refers to “the rescue or deliverance from danger, destruction and peril.” Yet, “Salvation is a broader term in Greek than we often think of in English. Other concepts that are inherent in soteria include restoration to a state of safety, soundness, health and well-being as well as preservation from danger of destruction.
• I identify these words and phrases because it paints a picture of the interpersonal relationship that we have with Jesus. It is based on this scripture that we see that faith is a personal thing. It can not be proven or disproven, but it can be life changing.
• We see that through our faith in Christ; our personal connection to the scriptures and our faith community, creates our salvation; in which we are restored to the person of peace and love that we are meant to be.
• When we build our interpersonal faith, I believe that our view of the world changes. We see people that are uniquely made in the image of God; regardless of where they are from and what they look like or their life experiences. Regardless of all of that, we love them and accept them. Our actions will reflect our faith.

Conclusion: Let us be people who build our faith to reflect God’s love. 

Text: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Service date: 3/2/25
​
Sermon:
Before we start the sermon today, let’s investigate some background: When Moses came
down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, his face was radiant from being in
God’s presence. Moses must put a veil on to keep the people from being terrified by the
brightness of his face.

Paul adds that this veil kept them from seeing the radiance fade away. This veil illustrates
the fading of the old system and the veiling of the people’s minds because of their pride,
hardness of heart, and refusal to repent.

The veil kept them from understanding references to Jesus the Messiah in the scriptures.
When anyone becomes a Christian, the veil is taken away, giving eternal life and freedom
from bondage.

Paul states that Christian’s and believers have a great boldness in speech, this boldness
means, “literally speaking out of every word and conveys the idea of freedom to say all
and thus means to speak freely, openly, boldly, fearlessly, without constraint.” The Greeks
used this word for speaking in a democratic assembly. This type of boldness “Refers to
fearless and frank speaking with the freedom to speak openly even in the face of
opposition.”

The veil that Paul is referring to means, “that which is spread out over or downward and
hence a veil, a curtain or a cloth drape.”

When believers see corruption in leadership, we have a responsibility and a calling to
speak out on that corruption. It would be easier to veil our eyes to the truth and keep with
the status quo, but our veils have been removed. We need to speak about corruption.

Paul states that trust in Christ removes the veil and provides freedom, which means, “that
which is capable of movement, freedom to go wherever one likes, unfettered.”

When we remove our veils, we can live freely. We can live lives that best reflect our
personality and purpose. Without our spiritual veils, we can see the value of each person,
place, difference of religion and idea that they have. We can treat all people with love and
respect. We will not be relying on teachings that is soaked in patriarchy and bad theology.

The truth is many churches would rather have our eyes veiled by the corruption that is at
the root of their organization. Yet, Christ’s love for us opens our hearts, mind and spirit to
the truth that is around us.

We are called to remain open to truth as well as preach the truth, regardless of how
difficult it is to understand or to accept.

​God’s love frees us from shame, self-hatred, addictions, and dead-end pursuits. By
trusting Christ, we are loved accepted, forgiven, and freed to live. The Holy Spirit’s way
of transformation works better and lasts longer than even Moses’ glorious experience.
​
Conclusion: Let us be people who remove our veils and speak love with boldness.

Text: Luke 6:27-38

Sermon:
Before we start the sermon today, I want to clarify; this is another scripture that churches
are going to teach differently depending on their philosophy and ideology. Some
churches/pastor will turn this scripture into ways to show that Christians in America are
hated and persecuted. The truth is: American Christians are not hated for their faith.
American Christians are not being persecuted for their faith. If they are being hated or
persecuted, it is because the American Christians are hating and abusing those they are
called to love.

Before we dig into the scripture, let us put the scripture into perspective: The Jews
despised the Romans because they oppressed God’s people, but Jesus told the people to
love these enemies. These difficult teachings turned many away from him. Jesus wasn’t
talking about having affection for enemies; he was talking about choosing a conscious
attitude towards the enemy.

When a person insults us (strikes you on the one cheek) we want to give them back what
they gave to us, plus more. Jesus said we should patiently bear such insults and offences
and not resist an evil person who insults us this way. Instead, we trust God to defend us.

In the original text, “enemy” is explained, “an adjective which pertains to manifesting
hostility or being at enmity with another, where enmity is a deep-seated animosity or
hatred which may be open or concealed or a "deep-rooted hatred," It is further explained,
“Echthros is one who has the extreme negative attitude that is the opposite of love and
friendship.”

When looking at this definition, we can see that “enemies” comes from hostility from one
party to overtaken or oppressed another party. This is usually done to maintain power and
influence in government. Some examples of this are racism, sexism, taking away the
rights of those that need love and acceptance. We have seen this throughout US history,
and I believe we are seeing more of it now.

Jesus also asks us to be merciful, which means, “which describes one who is concerned
about another unfortunate state or misery," one who has pity, one who is compassionate
being moved or motivated by sympathy.”

Jesus calls us to be merciful to those that mistreat us. According to the definition
provided, mercy provides sympathy and compassion to those that hate us with their
hostility and hateful acts. This is another aspect of US’s history through Civil Rights Acts
and minority groups that sought for equal rights.

We can have compassion for them, pray for them, and try to understand them. Jesus tells
us to follow his enemies. Grant your enemies the same respect and rights you desire for
yourself.

The love Jesus told us to have for our enemies was not a warm, fuzzy feeling deep in the
heart. If we wait for that, we may never love them. The love for our enemies is a love that
does something for them, quite apart from how we might feel about them.

While there aren't direct scientific studies explicitly titled "showing love to enemies,"
research in psychology, sociology, and neuroscience indicates that practicing compassion
and kindness towards perceived enemies can have positive impacts on mental health,
reducing stress, and fostering greater social cohesion, even if the "enemy" doesn't
reciprocate the gesture.

Conclusion: Let us be people who loves everyone to our best ability.

Text: Luke 6:17-26

Sermon:
Before we dig into the scripture, let’s put the book into context; This may be Luke’s
account of what is written in Matthew 5-7, or it could be an entirely different sermon.
Some believe that this is not one singular sermon, but a composite based on Jesus’
customary teachings. I tend to believe that is Luke’s account of what Matthew has
already stated, which may explain why Matthew’s “Beatitudes” is more in-depth than
Luke’s but ultimately states the same thing.

The book of Matthew was written approximately between 60-65 AD. The original
audience was primarily Jews. The purpose of the writing was to prove that Jesus is the
Messiah, the anointed and promised eternal king.

The book of Luke was written approximately 60 AD. The original audience was to
gentiles that loved God. The purpose of the writing was to offer an accurate account of
the life of Jesus Christ, presenting him as the perfect human and savior.

These verses are called the beatitudes, which comes from the Latin word “blessing.”
These verses describe what it means to be a follower of Christ, give his standards of
conduct, and contrast kingdom values with worldly values.

Once the word of Jesus’ healing hands got out, crowds would seek him out more than
ever. The crowds did not show any interest in God’s forgiveness. They saw Jesus as a
sideshow act or a place to get healed.

Some believe that when it says “Blessed are you who hunger” in verse 21, this speaks on
our hunger for justice, while some believe it is literal hunger. Although, the root word,
“peinaō” could be used as a figurative saying when discussing spiritual hunger. This
means that the satisfaction that we would experience would also be figurative, “Chortazo
is used figuratively by Jesus to refer to experiencing inward satisfaction.”

When studying verse 20, “blessed are you who are poor,” it seems that the root word
refers to, “These poor were unable to meet their basic needs and so were forced to depend
on others or on society.” It seems that it is more literal. It could also focus on those that
are fully dependent on others. Therefore, in a figurative sense, we would be fully
dependent on God and God’s provision.

When studying the root word for “weeping” in verse 21, it means, “to mourn, to weep, to
lament or to wail with emphasis upon noise accompanying weeping. It expresses one’s
immediate and outward reaction to suffering.” In contrast, the word for “laughing” states,
“laughter and by metonymy merrymaking, rejoicing. Gelos was used of the leisurely,
merry laughter of "gods" and men in their pleasures. This laughter is that of the fool who
rejects God as the One Who determines reality and believes man to be an autonomous
being.”

Now, we are going to look at these in two different ways; both literally and figuratively.
If we are to look at these beatitudes in the literal sense, then God is blessing those that are
literally hungry, weeping and poor. This is important because it shows God’s love for the
oppressed, and society’s forgotten members.

This is perfectly evident when we compare these verses to how Jesus acted in his life and
in his ministry. Jesus often loved the forgotten and the oppressed. He cared for the blind,
the hungry and those that need love and acceptance.

This does not mean that God loves the rich and well off less than the poor, but it does
mean that God is prioritizing the needs of the needy over the wants of the entitled.

This does not mean that God ignores the rich. God still provides for the rich. God still
loves those that are rich, but God is prioritizing those that need comfort and further
provisions.

If we are to look at these beatitudes in the figurative sense, we will have to compare these
beatitudes to the beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5. Instead of just being poor, blessed are
the poor in spirit. Instead of being hungry, blessed are those that hunger for
righteousness. Instead of mourning or weeping for our own losses, we are also weeping
and mourning the losses of others.

When we look at these beatitudes, as well as the others in Matthew, we are called to not
only care about the physical body, but the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of those that
are around us. We care about our neighbors and those that we have not met.

God is blessing those that are spiritually hungry, because is a God that provides.
Sometimes God provides through our actions and love.

God is blessing those that have a hunger for righteous because God is a just God.
Sometimes God will provide justice through our active voting and activist work.

God is blessing those who cry, weep and mourn because God is a God for compassion.
Sometimes God will provide comfort through our ability to make each other laugh and
find joy.

Sometimes we are the blessings that God is giving to those that need it.

Conclusion: Let us be people who live to give blessings.

Text: Luke 5:1-11
​
Sermon:
​Imagine it, Simon is working on his boat. Imagine, Simon was a hungry day. He had
nothing to sell, nothing to take home for his family. Nothing. It might have been that he
was still sitting in his boat because he didn’t want to go home and tell his family that he
had nothing. It might have been that he was sitting there feeling empty, worthless, and
shallow—until that man came and asked him to go out into the deep.

At this point Jesus was teaching and preaching regularly and reaching new heights of
ministry. The large crowd showed the increasing popularity of Jesus as a teacher. In the
book of Luke, the writer says that Jesus was teaching, and everyone kept pressing closer
and closer. The crowd grew and pressed in to hear. So, Jesus looked around for options
and saw Simon Peter sitting there in his boat with failure on his hands.

Jesus directed Simon to move his boat to the deep end of the Lake, and then Jesus taught.
While we do not directly know what he taught, as far as we can tell, Jesus was in the boat
with them as He directed this. His presence gave him confidence. “It is a blessed thing to
see Christ sitting in the boat while you cast out the net. If you catch a glimpse of his
approving smile as he watches you, you will work right heartily.” (Spurgeon).

In the time Jesus using the phrase, “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid: In the grammar
of the ancient Greek, this is literally stop being fearful; it calms an existing fear. Peter
was afraid of Jesus in the sense of holding Him in such great awe, but Jesus told Him to
put away that fear. God wants to relate to us on the principle of love, not the principle of
a cowering fear.

Another phrase that we see is: From now on you will catch men: When Jesus told Simon
that he would catch men, He told Simon that he would do what Jesus Himself did. There
was never a greater fisher of men than Jesus Himself, but He wanted others to do the
work He did. Jesus started with these three, then twelve, then hundreds, then thousands,
and millions upon through the centuries.

A third phrase that is used is: They forsook all and followed Him: This seems to mean
that they left the miraculous catch of fish behind, because it was not as important as what
it showed them about Jesus. It showed them that Jesus was much more than any
carpenter, and this caused them to follow Him.

Simon was awestruck at the miracle, and his first response was to realize his own
insignificance in comparison to this man’s greatness.

Peter knew that Jesus had healed the sick and driven out demons, but he was amazed that
Jesus also cared about his day-to-day routine and understood his need. In the same way,
Jesus cares about our daily lives and our daily routine. It is actually through this love, that
Jesus brings change to our hearts long term.

Conclusion: Let us be people who embrace change through our daily lives.

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon:

"13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
The greatest of these is love. That is our focus for today. That is our prayer for today. We
are meant to be people of love; people who love without limits. We are called to be
people who hold love above all other spiritual gifts.

Love in the passage is the word “agape” which means “unconditional, sacrificial love and
Biblically refers to a love that God is (1Jn 4:8,16), that God shows (Jn 3:16, 1Jn 4:9) and
that God enables in His children (fruit of the Spirit - Gal 5:22)”

“Biblical agape love is the love of choice, the love of serving with humility, the highest
kind of love, the noblest kind of devotion, the love of the will (intentional, a conscious
choice) and not motivated by superficial appearance, emotional attraction, or sentimental
relationship.”

Throughout this passage, the writer of 1 Corinthians shares a variety of spiritual gifts,
many of which are seen as beneficial for the church and the growth of the church, but the
writer continues to point out that these gifts are meaningless without love.

It is also evident in verses 8-11 that the impact of spiritual gifts will fade and vanish, but
love will remain. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the gifts that we have and
how we use them, but it is more valuable to live lives of love.

One last observation that I notice in verses 1-3, the writer indicates that our spiritual gifts
are meant to help a wide array of people; revealing the mysteries caters to those who are
looking for understanding beyond human experience, giving to the poor helps provide for
those who need it, speaking in tongues connects the person speaking with the Holy Spirit.
All of these gifts serve a purpose in and out of the church and impact on a variety of
people.

1 Corinthians 13 defines real love, and chapter 14 shows how love works. Love is more
important than all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church body…love demonstrates the
ultimate purpose of human existence. Great faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice, and
miracle-working power produce very little without love. Love makes our actions and
gifts useful.

God’s kind of love is directed outward towards others, not inward towards us. We never
love perfectly, only Jesus can. Thus, the more we become like Christ, the more love we
will show to others.

So, who do we love? Throughout scripture, we are called to love family, friends and
neighbors. We are called to love the strangers among us and treat them as we would the
family that we love. We are called to love those that do not treat us respectfully. We are
called to love everybody.

Let us love everybody.

Conclusion: Let us be people who value love above all other gifts.

Text: Luke 4:14-21

​Sermon:
This is another scripture that is referenced and taught a lot. So, when I chose it, I really
wanted to look at it from another point of view. In this passage you will see Jesus quoting
Isaiah 61:1-2.

It is my understanding that Isaiah was written as a prophecy, but my question is: Was this
prophecy specifically written for Jesus? Many people believe so. While I was looking
through my study bible and the notes available, it states, “That passage the deliverance of
Isreal from exile in Babylon as a year of Jubilee-a year when all debt is cancelled, all
slaves are free, and all property is returned.”

 It also adds, “The release from Babylon exile had not brought the expected fulfillment;
the Jews were still a conquered and oppressed people. So, Isaiah must have been referring
to a future messianic age.”

This implies that the original script was not directly written for Jesus. It was speaking
about the oppressed gaining freedom and when that didn’t happen in the way that they
thought it should; it was decided that Isaiah was writing about a Messiah that would bring
that freedom.

Jesus uses this verse to proclaim that he is the Messiah, the one who would bring the
Good News to pass, but he would do so in a way that the people were not able to grasp. It
is because of this record we can believe that Jesus was accepting this role and working
for the freedom of his people.

Looking at Isaiah 61, there is a verse that states, “To proclaim liberty to captives and
freedom to the prisoners” The word “Freedom” means “The combination word peqach-
qôach literally means "opening of the eyes." Here it reflects Messiah's mission to
proclaim liberty to captives”

While everyone at the time thought that Jesus would be some political leader that
overthrows the oppressors through power, but the term “opening of the eyes” indicates
that the freedom that we are given through Jesus is not political, but it is an eye-opening
event that reveals the brokenness of this world to us.

We also noticed that Jesus confirms that he is meant to preach the good news, in the
original language, this means “announce good news concerning something.” This is one
way that he is opening our eyes to the brokenness of the world.

In the original language for Isaiah, the word “afflicted” translates to “ʿānāv” which means
“poor, oppressed, afflicted, humble, meek.” More frequently anav seems to denote an
attitude of mind, more characteristic of the poor than of the rich, one of humility and
dependence on God.

It is through Jesus proclaiming the good news, we can open our eyes to the corruption
and brokenness within the world. It is through this knowledge; we can bring healing
through acts of love and compassion. The same love that Jesus showed to the broken
hearted.

Conclusion: Let us be people who are loving and compassionate to all people.

Text: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Sermon:

This is a very important passage; in the same way that the act of Baptism is important to
our spiritual connection to God. What is the purpose of Baptism? The act of baptism is
symbolic event of a new life. It is also a symbol of washing away our previous life and
now living in our new life in connection with Jesus.

It is often explained that when we are lowered into the water that symbolizes our spiritual
death. When we are lifted out of the water, that symbolizes our rise out of the grave, like
Jesus, and entering our new life.

So, that leads us to a very important question: Why did Jesus Receive baptism? Since he
was sinless and he was the Son of God, it is easy to believe that he would not need to be
baptized. As we see in this passage, Luke focuses on Jesus’ human nature. He underwent
baptism and even death as only a human could. This allows us to relate to Jesus’ human
nature and our connection with the human aspect of Jesus.

This baptism was another step in Jesus further identifying with us and our human nature.
When we are hurt, depressed, or broken, remember that you have a savior that
understands your humanity.

This baptism was the first public declaration of the ministry of Jesus. Instead of
identifying with the other religious leaders, Jesus went to the river and identified with
those that were repenting of sin and looking for a clean slate.

I believe actions such as these shows the community that Jesus was building. He was not
simply creating a religion. He was not simply creating the following. He was building
connections that go deeper than a group with similar interests. Jesus was connecting with
those who believed in him.

In my times of doubt; in my times of questioning my faith. It is Jesus’ humanity that hang
on to. When I read scripture and I see Jesus caring for those that are oppressed and
ignored by the religious community, I am encouraged to show the same love and care.

This passage is also important because of what happens in the last verse. When Jesus was
lifted out of the water the Holy Spirit descended on to him and the voice of God spoke,
“You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Now, while we cannot definitively say that the voice was heard audibly by the crowds,
this is still an eye-opening revelation. I believe that this event shows us the spiritual
connection to baptism and our spiritual lives. This also shows Jesus’ divinity and
connection with the Heavenly Father.

Conclusion: Let us be people who follows Jesus’ humanity and shows love to all.

Text: Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon:

This is the week of Epiphany. Epiphany is about celebrating the light that is Jesus the
Christ. But it is also a celebration of the community that gathers to see and follow that
light.

In fact, our first Sunday of the new year is all about paying attention. Being aware of
what is under your nose seems like a "duh" kind of message, and yet it is an appropriate
one for the beginning of a new year.

While it is easy for us to seek the light of Christ in our own personal lives, but it is just as
important that we celebrate in community. We need to be reminded that this is a walk we
take together. Making disciples is about making relationships, working on relationships,
broadening relationships, relying on relationships, and deepening relationships.

I believe that an aspect of the hope that we encounter through the light of Christ is shared
through our community; through our friendships and through the bonds that we create.

This is an opportunity to begin to see the implication of the Christ presence among us.
The Christ child, who grew “in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor,”
says Luke’s Gospel (Lk. 2:52), becomes the light by which we walk each day and the
way we find one another. We gather to the light; as a result, we grow closer to one
another.

We all need light in our darkness. We all need hope in the times that we feel hopeless. We
have all been through circumstances where we feel lost or hopeless. I pray this is the
week where we are reminded of the hope that we find in faith. I pray this is the time
where we encounter the light of Christ and the our loving community will be at our sides
during these darker times.

Its good news is time-bound and timeless and timely. For every time and every place and
every person, the good news is that “the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over
you.” And that brings light into our thick darkness.

There is hope for a dark world because the Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has
risen upon the world. He is the one who will bring the wandering captives home and the
benighted Gentiles to the true God.

In this new year we will experience new opportunities to build our faith. We will find
new opportunities to heal broken relationships. We will find new opportunities for
growth.

The hope that we find will be life-changing, which allows us to share that hope through
loving words, acts of love and care and compassion. In our hope we can help others
experience the same hope through our care for our friends and family.

Conclusion: Let us be people who seeks hope and offers hope.