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Ash Wednesday service and the conclusion of Dr. Dave Palmer’s sermon series on the Exodus. Read More →

The crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus story has been depicted in fanciful ways. But God works through His creations in order to make a way for us. It’s important for us to follow the path that God lays before us. Read More →

The plagues are wake up calls for Egypt; but they are ignored. People continue to miss God’s miracles and signs today. Read More →

The burning bush shows how God is encountered in ordinary places. But God cannot be “nailed down” into our categories. We need to be open to mystery. Read More →

Moses was prepared for his mission from his earliest years. But when called, he offered excuses. The story challenges us to recognize God’s hand in life and to respond to God’s call today. Read More →

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed love was the greatest power in the world. The Bible gives us great examples of what the nature of love is and how to put it into practice. Read More →

The story of the Exodus gets no mention in the annals of Egypt, because the Pharaohs construed their records to glorify themselves; an embarrassing set of incidents involving slaves would have received no mention in the annals of Egypt. God has a different set of values – the... Read More →

God provides an extraordinary answer to evil by sending Jesus into the world. Read More →

Enter the New Year afresh by hearing God’s call for your life. Read More →

Peace is sadly lacking in the world at large and in people’s hearts. The Christmas story invites us to discover that “Christ is our peace.” (Ephesians 2:14) Read More →

What did Mary and Joseph really encounter in Bethlehem? The key spiritual issue is whether there is room in our lives today for Christ to enter in. Read More →

The Sanctuary Choir presents the Christmas section of Handel’s Messiah. Read More →

The real Christ helps us deal with the real world. Now is the time to wake up. God is lighting the way now. Now is the time for us to “put on” Christ. Read More →

The stories in Genesis give us much to think about in the Thanksgiving season, as the central characters build altars of thanksgiving to God. Read More →

The second part of the Joseph story demonstrates how even in the midst of apparently bad events God is at work for good. Read More →

In the first part of the story of Joseph, Joseph gets put in one serious jam after another, but persists in faith, because he knows that God is real and will be at work. Read More →

Several figures in the Genesis stories illustrate the Biblical admonition to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us”. Read More →

The fascinating story of Abraham and Melchizedek provides a model for Christian living. Read More →

In the story of Jacob’s ladder, Jacob finds himself in a difficult place, but is met by a glorious vision of the Lord. The story says much about God’s faithfulness, even in the face of our weakness. Read More →

One of the greatest reconciliation stories in the Bible is the story of Esau and Jacob, which serves as a model for reconciliation today. Read More →

The human desire for endless vengeance continues to be quite visible in the world today. The Scripture story calls us away from vengeance to the forgiveness of Jesus. Read More →

The main characters in the Genesis story are all very imperfect and make major blunders; but God is steadfast and continues to be gracious — a pattern that comes finally to its climax in Jesus, who “gave his life for us while we were yet sinners.” Read More →

The story of Esau and his bowl of soup illustrates how people easily squander their spiritual inheritance in the interests of instant self-gratification. The Scripture urges us to take hold of what is of true value and lay claim to our inheritance as “heirs of God”. Read More →

The stories of Abraham and Isaac give us a powerful picture of the promises of God, how they unfold, and how we are called to trust. Read More →

The tower of Babel is an image of the continual human effort to make ourselves “like God.” God does the reverse in coming to us in Jesus. Read More →

Noah’s family on the ark provides us with an inspiring image of what it means to have faith in God in the midst of life’s trials. Read More →

The story of Noah is a paradigm of the whole salvation story to come. This sermon begins a series entitled, “Foundations for Faith: from Noah to the Nile.” Read More →

The Holy Spirit works in all sorts of different ways. We need to acknowledge the manifold workings of the Spirit and be receptive to how the Spirit would move in our own lives. This is the final sermon in the “Catch the Wind” series. Read More →

We can get aggravated by all sorts of things in life. The Holy Spirit moves us to be “properly perturbed” – to be concerned about the right things – so that our primary concerns are about our spiritual condition and the condition of the world around us. Read More →

The Holy Spirit works in communities of believers, and draws us into harmony and fellowship with one another. Read More →

This sermon, preached by our Minister of Pastoral Care, Rev. Douglas Denton, is not a part of the Catch the Wind series. This sermon explores the Biblical idea of justice, which involves a right relationship with God and others. Read More →

The Scripture speaks of how the Holy Spirit will bring about within us the “fruits of the spirit” – spiritual qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – and thus will shape our inward character. So the Holy Spirit... Read More →

The Scripture says that the Holy Spirit will bestow various “spiritual gifts” upon us, which are either specific talents and abilities or general spiritual capacities. We are called to identify our particular gifts and put them to use in mission for God. Read More →

Previous sermons in this “Catch the Wind” series discuss the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We begin now to look specifically at various ways in which the Holy Spirit will empower us. This sermon focuses on the message that the Holy Spirit will guide us, helping us to understand... Read More →

The term “g-force” – describing the acceleration produced by the pull of gravity – is a good contemporary image for the Holy Spirit. Like gravity, the Holy Spirit is invisible but real and everywhere at work, and we live by its power even if we do not think about it or... Read More →

This sermon, preached by our Minister of Pastoral Care, Rev. Douglas Denton, is not a part of the Catch the Wind series. It is easy to get caught up in “religion” – repetitive ritual that does not finally have much meaning. Christianity is about something much deeper and... Read More →

This is the second sermon in a summer long series by the same name. The primary Biblical image for the Holy Spirit is the image of wind – invisible, yet real and powerful and continually on the move. We need to make ourselves receptive to the Holy Spirit in order for the Spirit... Read More →

This is the beginning of a summer sermon series on the Holy Spirit entitled “Catch the Wind.” It has been a year of big draft picks for Cleveland sports teams. Who does God pick for God’s team? The surprising Biblical message is that God picks the most unlikely people to join... Read More →