U-turns Permitted

Today we look at two very different people Jesus spoke with: the Pharisee Nicodemus and the anonymous Samaritan woman. In this sermon we will explore the differences and similarities between them, next week we will explore what Jesus actually said to them.

Last week we looked at the first thing God did when He showed up in the person of Jesus. This week we look at the second thing God in Jesus did: he took a whip to the Gentile Court of the temple and cleared it out. Quite a different thing!

Last week we heard the first words spoken about God as He appeared in Jesus. Today we look at the first thing God, in Jesus, did as recorded in John. He provided 180 gallons of the best wine at a wedding! We're going to connect that with the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes and learn about humility and receiving God's gifts.

"Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." These are the first words spoken about God as He appeared on earth in the person of Jesus. There's more in these words than you might think.....

Today we read two sections from John 1:1-18. This is some of the deepest theological material ever written. Two things are made crystal clear by John: Jesus is God, and Jesus became human. In Jesus we see life, light, glory, grace and truth. 

Today Dr. Kyuboem Lee of Mission Seminary preaches on the essential communal nature of Communion.

Today Dr. Kyuboem Lee from Missio Seminary leads us through John 16:16-33, a passage where Jesus speaks to his disciples about the trouble they are going to encounter in their world.

Today we begin a new sermon series on the Gospel of John. The Gospel is one of the most complex writings of all time, and there are a thousand ways to approach it. We will read John looking for the ways that Jesus shows us what God is like. As Brian Zahnd puts it: God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. We have not always known what God is like, but now we do.

Today we kick off our new church year. The question that lies before us is: what is our common calling? To help us understand how we got here, we go back to the Lewis and Clark expedition, and even back to the first church council in Jerusalem.

Today we listen to two versions of the song "Respect Yourself", the first by the Staple Singers, the second by Melissa Etheridge, many years later. Both songs arise from a context of the "stranger" who cries out to be seen and heard. Which is, of course, exactly what Jesus was about.