- SERMON ARCHIVE -

- 2023 -

TIDINGS OF COMFORT AND JOY
RYNE PARRISH - JAN 01, 2023

Concluding our sermon series, Singing Christmas, Ryne leads us through the message of joy—joy in the nearness of God that we experience in the coming of Jesus on earth—that lives in so many of our Christmas hymns, and reminds us that there is comfort to be found in that truth all year long.

TENSION BETWEEN ACCEPTANCE & OBEDIENCE
RYNE PARRISH - JAN 15, 2023

This week Ryne begins a new sermon series that explores some of the essential tensions and complexities that we find in a life of faith. This week’s message investigates the tension between God’s call to us to come to him just as we are, and his instruction to us to not stay where we are or as we are, but to follow him.

TENSION BETWEEN SAINT & SINNER
RYNE PARRISH - JAN 22, 2023

This week’s sermon continues our series examining tensions between some of the complexities found in a life in the Christian faith. Ryne’s lesson highlights the tension that exists in the truth that we are sinners, but that God has also already made us holy.

TENSION BETWEEN RELIGION & RELATIONSHIP
RYNE PARRISH - JAN 29, 2023

Continuing our series examining tensions between some of the complexities found in a life in the Christian faith, Ryne’s message this week examines finding a balance between what religion tells us about God and what our relationship with God shows us about him.

TENSION BETWEEN KNOWING & UNKNOWING
RYNE PARRISH - FEB 05, 2023

This week’s sermon continues our series examining tensions between some of the complexities found in a life in the Christian faith. Ryne’s lesson looks at the tension that exists in knowing a God who is so much more than we can ever fathom.

JUST SAY YES
STEVE THOMSEN - FEB 12, 2023

This week’s sermon from Steve Thomsen is an encouragement to just say yes when it comes to caring for others, to establishing relationships with people in your community, and to opening doors of opportunity for Jesus to work through us in our every day interactions.

TENSION BETWEEN ALREADY & NOT YET
RYNE PARRISH - FEB 19, 2023

Continuing our sermon series on tensions found in a life in the Christian faith, Ryne’s message this week takes us through a look at faith as a matter of looking ahead to what we hope for, and our belief that God’s kingdom is already shaping our lives in the meantime.

TENSION BETWEEN LIFE & DEATH
RYNE PARRISH - FEB 26, 2023

Continuing our sermon series examining tensions that exist in a life in the Christian faith, Ryne’s message this week takes us through the tension that exists between a life and death in Christ.

TENSION BETWEEN CHILDLIKENESS & MATURITY
RYNE PARRISH - MAR 05, 2023

Wrapping up our sermon series on tensions found in a life in the Christian faith, Ryne’s message this week focuses on what finding a balance between a childlike and a mature faith looks like, and why it’s important to live in the tension between them.

SABBATH REST
RYNE PARRISH - MAR 12, 2023

Ryne’s message this week reminds us that Sabbath rest is a commandment from God and gets to the heart of what Sabbath rest really means.

EXPERIENCING GOD’S GOODNESS
KAREN SEWELL - MAR 19, 2023

This week Karen shares an encouragement that God’s goodness is a stronghold for us in times of trouble, that it has outlasted time and will be with us until the end, and that it is present in the day-to-day details of our lives. This week’s sermon reminds us that it is part of God’s plan for us to experience his goodness.

REMEMBERING SIN
RYNE PARRISH - MAR 26, 2023

Beginning a new sermon series entitled Lest We Forget, Ryne’s lesson this week asks us to bring to mind the things we have done that we are ashamed of, that have hurt others and ourselves, and to hold them before God and remember that we have an invitation to repentance and are forgiven.

REMEMBER ME
RYNE PARRISH - APR 02, 2023

Continuing our Lest We Forget sermon series, Ryne brings us a message that focuses on encouraging us to remember that God remembers us. In our gritty, lonely, painful human experience, the grace of the cross of Christ is that we can know that we are not alone or forgotten because Jesus is with us.

REMEMBERING THE RESURRECTED CHRIST
RYNE PARRISH - APR 09, 2023

Continuing our Lest We Forget sermon series, Ryne’s Easter lesson takes us through an exercise in faith and calls to mind our savior, Jesus Christ, who we recognize each week in each other, in the emblems of communion, and in the power and promise of resurrection that we each have because of God’s perfect plan for us.

REMEMBER THE PURPOSE
JOE EDDINGS - APR 16, 2023

Joe Eddings brings us a lesson this week that provides an intimate perspective on Jesus’ pain while on the cross. Joe encourages us with a message that reminds us that Jesus endured the pain he experienced for a purpose.

THE GOOD OL’ DAYS
RYNE PARRISH - APR 23, 2023

Ryne’s message this week is that we might be fond of the good ol’ days, but they just don’t compare to what Jesus has to offer. Ryne reminds us to look forward with anticipation to our future in Jesus because we have not yet experienced the fullness of God’s plan for us.

HUMAN INFIDELITY, GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
RYNE PARRISH - APR 30, 2023

Beginning a new sermon series called Majoring in the Minors, which examines themes of justice and hope in the 12 shorter books of prophecy in the Old Testament, Ryne’s message today comes from Hosea. This sermon looks at God’s compassion and love for his people, despite all of the ways we betray and hurt him, and the reconciliation in our relationship with him that leads to a renewed covenant.

A LESSON IN LOCUSTS
RYNE PARRISH - MAY 07, 2023

Continuing our Majoring in the Minors sermon series, which looks at themes of justice and hope in the shorter books of prophecy in the Old Testament, Ryne’s message today comes from the book of Joel. The message shared today is a reminder for us to repent, and return to God with our hearts, not just our words, to let our love for God be genuine, not performative.

LET JUSTICE ROLL
RYNE PARRISH - MAY 14, 2023

Continuing our Majoring in the Minors sermon series, which looks at themes of justice and hope in the shorter books of prophecy in the Old Testament, Ryne’s lesson from Amos is that we are not special simply because we believe we are God’s people, rather it is being God’s people through our actions and behavior that makes us special.

WHERE TO HEAR OURSELVES IN OBADIAH
RYNE PARRISH - MAY 21, 2023

Continuing our look at themes of justice and hope in the shorter books of the Old Testament, Ryne’s lesson this week in our Majoring in the Minors series is a call to action for us to actively love our enemies, neighbors, and community members, lest we face the judgement our proud hearts deserve.

I KNEW YOU ARE A MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS GOD
ABBY KAPLAN - MAY 28, 2023

Continuing our Majoring in the Minors sermon series, Ryne delivers a message from Abby Kaplan that highlights God’s graciousness and calls out our bitterness when we see it being applied to people we judge to be undeserving. This week’s lesson is a reminder that God’s grace is for the undeserving and that God invites us to celebrate that.

WHO WILL BULLY THE BULLIES?
RYNE PARRISH - JUN 04, 2023

Continuing our Majoring in the Minors sermon series, Ryne’s lesson this week hits the mark on its theme of justice and reminds us that there are injustices that we cannot set right, but that God can and will. This sermon from Nahum challenges our perspective on some of the more violent depictions of our God and examines how God doesn’t just punish wrong, but sets it right.

WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE?
RYNE PARRISH - JUN 11, 2023

Continuing our Majoring in the Minors sermon series, Ryne’s message from the book of Micah examines what exactly God requires from those who follow him. Though easier said than done, the practice of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God allows us to live a way of life that is good, and not just a checklist of behavior or deeds.

COMPLAIN & LAMENT, WAIT & LISTEN
RYNE PARRISH - JUN 18, 2023

Continuing our Majoring in the Minors sermon series, Ryne’s message this week is from Habakkuk and is a lesson in waiting on God and trusting that he will make things right in his own time. It’s up to us to wait and listen for God’s answers to us.

LEANING IN WITH THE DAY OF THE LORD
RYNE PARRISH - JUN 25, 2023

This week’s lesson in our Majoring in the Minors series comes from Zephaniah and invites us to consider how the day we see God’s kingdom might go for us. Are we leaning into what we are awaiting and know is coming? Do our lives reflect that anticipation?

BEARING THE MARKS OF JESUS
KENT TURPIN - JUL 02, 2023

This week’s lesson is from Kent Turpin who delivers a message that reminds us that everyone on earth experiences trials, and encourages us to return to God in those moments of pain.

HAGGAI ON TEMPLES AND PRIORITIES
RYNE PARRISH - JUL 09, 2023

Continuing our sermon series on the minor Old Testament prophets, Ryne’s message this week comes from Haggai and is a lesson in making sure we have our priorities straight.

ZECHARIAH ON THE COMING KING
RYNE PARRISH - JUL 16, 2023

Continuing our Majoring in the Minors sermon series, which examines the minor prophets in the Old Testament, Ryne’s sermon today is a reminder that we worship a king who has dominion over all the earth, yet made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, not a war horse, who commands a kingdom of peace, not power.

MALACHI ON ENDINGS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
RYNE PARRISH - JUL 23, 2023

Today’s sermon wraps up our Majoring in the Minors series and our examination of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. Ryne’s message today brings us to a hopeful cliffhanger—God is still at work in and through us, and our story is not yet over.

BEING LIKE JESUS
SUSAN JEW - AUG 06, 2023

Today’s message is from Susan Jew who poses the question: What is our role in God’s family? This sermon encourages us with an outline of the example that Jesus was to us as God’s son.

BIRDS, INVISIBLE GORILLAS, AND SEEKING GOD
RYNE PARRISH - AUG 13, 2023

Come along with us as we go God-ing! This week we begin a new sermon series on seeking God. Ryne’s lesson this morning lays out what it takes to not just notice God, but to actively look for him in all things.

THE BIBLE AS FIELD GUIDE
RYNE PARRISH - AUG 20, 2023

Come along with us as we go God-ing! This week we continue our sermon series on seeking God in our world today. Beginning Part I on the “how” of God-ing, Ryne’s lesson today examines the Bible as field guide—a reference that helps us understand what we have seen and make sense of what we are experiencing.

PRAYER AS BINOCULARS
RYNE PARRISH - AUG 27, 2023

Let’s go God-ing! Continuing our sermon series on seeking God in our world today, Ryne takes us through the importance of being able to zoom in on what we are experiencing and preaches prayer as part of the “how” of being aware of the presence of God.

CHURCH AS GOD-ING GROUP
RYNE PARRISH - SEPT 03, 2023

Continuing our sermon series on seeking God in our world today, Ryne’s lesson on God-ing is that the pursuit of God is something we do ourselves, but not by ourselves. When we are searching for God, one person’s perspective isn’t enough, and we should point out to each other whenever we see or experience God.

WAITING FOR BIRDS AND GOD
RYNE PARRISH - SEPT 17, 2023

Continuing our sermon series on God-ing, that is, searching for God in the world today, Ryne’s sermon this week is a reminder that patience is absolutely key in spotting God at work in our lives, and that waiting on God has always been a part of God’s story.

LOOKING FOR GOD IN THE WILDERNESS
RYNE PARRISH - OCT 01, 2023

In our sermon series on God-ing, we have shifted from the “how” of seeking God to the “where” of seeking God. In today’s lesson, Ryne highlights God’s arrival, as a fulfillment of promises he made, during times that feel like they are God-forsaken, and encourages us to surround ourselves with community that will help point God out during times we might otherwise miss recognizing him.

WALK HUMBLY NOW
STEVE THOMSEN - OCT 08, 2023

This week’s message comes from Steve Thomsen who encourages us with a reminder that if we are followers of Jesus, our actions will reflect that. Our faith will be shown in the way we behave, and our behavior will show what it is we believe about our savior.

FINDING GOD IN FAILURE & FEAR
RYNE PARRISH - OCT 15, 2023

In our sermon series on God-ing, we have shifted from the “how” of seeking God to the “where” of seeking God. In today’s lesson, Ryne reiterates that our God is a God that arrives, that shows up in big ways for us. Looking at the story of Elijah, we are reminded that our God meets us where we have failed and tells us that he has more for us to do.

FINDING GOD IN BEING WRONG
RYNE PARRISH - OCT 22, 2023

Let’s go God-ing! This week we continue our sermon series on finding God. This week’s sermon is a reminder that God may show up differently than we thought he would, that he may work differently than we expected. We have to be able to admit when we are wrong about God, and not be so sure that we understand how he works that we fail to recognize when he arrives.

AN EVIL SPIRIT & THE WOULD-BE EXORCISTS
RYNE PARRISH - OCT 29, 2023

Continuing our yearly tradition of hearing spooky stories from the Bible, Ryne narrates a story from Acts, one filled with evil spirits and careless exorcisms, that cautions against what happens when we try and make the name of Jesus work for us, instead of working in the name of Jesus.

FINDING THE FATHER IN THE SON
RYNE PARRISH - NOV 05, 2023

Wrapping up our sermon series on God-ing, that is, actively looking for God in our world today, Ryne shares a message that points out God’s existence all around us. We can always find God anywhere that Jesus is, or was, including within ourselves. God is so readily present in our everyday lives, that it is going to take some intentional noticing on our part to not let his presence blend into our surroundings. Our God shows up for us—let’s pay attention.

THE HOLY SPIRIT, DESCENDING LIKE A PIGEON
RYNE PARRISH - NOV 19, 2023

Ryne’s lesson this week invites us to Consider the Birds and highlights the omnipresence of God, like a pigeon, always underfoot, in all of the places where we are, commonplace and widely found, and challenges us to see what is right under our nose.

JESUS AS MOTHER HEN
RYNE PARRISH - DEC 03, 2023

As we continue to Consider the Birds, Ryne’s sermon today takes a look at Jesus through the lens of the only bird he describes himself as—a mother hen, providing shelter and comfort to her chicks under her wings. This view of our savior is a good reminder that love, along with its vulnerabilities, rather than prowess or power, is what Jesus offers to us.

TURNING AROUND FOR CHRISTMAS
RYNE PARRISH - DEC 10, 2023

In this season of Advent, a time to focus on all of the ways that Jesus makes us new, Ryne brings us a message that was repeated by John the Baptist and Jesus himself—what God started in the beginning, what the Holy Spirit is still accomplishing, and what Jesus is still preparing to do, is just around the corner. Repent, turn around, face the right direction, or you might miss it.

PSALM 85 AS THE CHRISTMAS GHOSTS
RYNE PARRISH - DEC 17, 2023

This week’s sermon comes from Psalm 85 which can be broken into the past, present, and things yet to come of God’s promises to us. Ryne takes us through a look at what God has done for us in the past, the things we are currently placing into God’s hands, and the anticipation of the good things God has shown us that are still ahead of us.

A NEW TRAJECTORY AT CHRISTMAS
RYNE PARRISH - DEC 24, 2023

Ryne’s lesson this Christmas Eve describes the arrival of our savior as a collision of heaven and earth; an event that sets us in a new direction. The trajectory of our human lives may not look very different day to day, but Jesus has set in motion a change within us, so that inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

BORN TO GIVE US SECOND BIRTH
RYNE PARRISH - DEC 31, 2023

This week’s sermon is a reminder that Jesus’ birth calls us to our own re-birth. Though our human birth leaves us with no choice, we are called to a birth of water and spirit, one that allows us to choose to be born into Christ and for Christ to be born into us.

For other sermons, visit our sermons page or our sermon archive.