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
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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.
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Conclusion: Let us be people who remove our veils and speak love with boldness.