• God Moves Past All Obstacles

• Grace Lindvall (Luke 13: 31-35) I must admit that I deeply struggled with this passage. What does it mean? There are too many theological obstacles for me to work through to identify where the good news is. Maybe you also found it a bit confusing, where is the good news in this complex text?... [read more]

 

• God Moves into the Desert

• God Moves into the Desert Rev. Grace Lindvall (Deuteronomy 8:1-10, Luke 4:1-13) Swiss theologian Paul Tournier tells this story about a pastor and his confirmation class. The pastor asked his confirmation class, “what is religion?” One young man shot his hand into the air to exclaim the ce... [read more]

 

• Seven Possibilities

• Mark Ramsey (John 8: 2-12) Rev. Mark Ramsey is Executive Director of Macedonia Ministries, and was our 2019 Gilchrist Sunday speaker.

 

• How Can I Be A Good Christian When I'm Still An Unbeliever?

• Steve Lindsley (Matthew 4: 18-22; James 2: 1-6a, 14-18) This morning we are concluding Questions of Faith: A Sermon Series for the Uncertain.  Each Sunday for the past six weeks we’ve been addressing some of the doubts and questions you came up with a couple of years ago. I’m not going to ru... [read more]

 

• Why Do Bad Things Happen?

• Steve Lindsley (Matthew 13: 24-30) Some number of years ago, back in my regular gigging days, I was trying to come up with artwork for an album I was working on.  It was back when I was in seminary - hence, the budget was tight.  Actually, there was no budget.  So I called in some favors fro... [read more]

 

• Why Crucifixion?

• Steve Lindsley (Luke 9: 22-25, Philippians 2: 5-11) It is the summer of 2000 and I find myself in Puerto Rico on a youth mission trip - along with, I might add, my wife, Kim and Kato Nims, and Lydia Mobley; all of who were part of the First Presbyterian Church in Lexington at the time.  We l... [read more]

 

• Why Can't I Get A Dog?

• Grace Lindvall (Matthew 7: 7-11; Romans 8: 18-28) “This is how the pendulum slowly shifts in the other direction, by the very act of howling in the wind, which always blows back eventually, a breeze carrying seeds.” Anne Lamott Will you pray with me? God of the faithful, God of the doubte... [read more]

 

• Why Do Christians Continue To Diminish In Numbers?

• Steve Lindsley (Ezekiel 1:1, 4-5, 12, 15, 19-21; Acts 2: 1-13) Last week we began a sermon series titled Questions of Faith: A Sermon Series for the Uncertain.  It is based on questions you came up with as part of a sermon Grace preached in 2017, where she asked people to share doubts and qu... [read more]

 

• Why Is My Doubt Stronger Than My Faith?

• Steve Lindsley (Matthew 13: 31-33, 44-51) This Sunday, Grace and I are beginning a sermon series that, in many ways, has been a couple of years in the making.  Back in 2017, Grace preached a sermon on doubts and the questions and uncertainties we have as people of faith.  As part of her serm... [read more]

 

• A Dove Descends To Light A Fire

• Steve Lindsley (Isaiah 43: 1-4; Luke 3: 15-22) It is an odd phenomenon that happens every January in the church year.  One Sunday it is Epiphany, where the infant Jesus and his parents are visited by wise men from the east, bearing gifts.  And then, the very next Sunday – this Sunday - Jesus... [read more]

 

• They Shall Come From East And West

• Grace Lindvall (Isaiah 60:1-9; Matthew 1:1-12) This is a rich text; it is a story about 2 powers that exist in the world, it is a story about faithful people who come from foreign lands, and it is a story about people who follow signs of hope to find Christ. The evangelist, Matthew, does wha... [read more]

 

• The Light Is Here!

• Steve Lindsley John 1: 1-5, 14 The “For Sale” sign appeared rather unceremoniously in the front yard one day.  It has been awhile since anyone lived there.  Those in the neighborhood had grown accustomed to its empty state, the lack of a car parked in the driveway or children running on the ... [read more]