Shows
Grace Alone Online"The Name's Thomas....Doubting Thomas" - John 20:19-31 - (May 5, 2024 - Easter 6)Rev. Greg Klotz accepts the invitation from Resurrection Lutheran Church in Brentwood, California, to today's sermon on a familiar post-Easter text: Doubting Thomas.2024-05-0620 min
Grace Alone Online"From Here to Eternity" - Matthew 25:31-46 - (November 26, 2023 - Christ the King Sunday)The concept of eternity is difficult to grasp. We could describe eternity as “timeless” but we use “timeless” differently than “eternity”. For example, a diamond ring is timeless beauty. The ruins of Egypt are timeless. But Pastor Greg’s sermons are an eternity; they are not timeless.
Jesus had 33 years of time to teach about the impending day of judgment. We have, at best, 80 years to come to terms with faith and judgment. Today, we end the church year; next Sunday we begin a new year with Advent. Today, we focus on the Judgment Day and the coronation of Christ...2023-11-2722 min
unSILOed with Greg LaBlancThe Art of Subtraction feat. Leidy KlotzLeidy Klotz describes himself as an “academic trespasser.” Investigating underexplored intersections between engineering and behavioral science, Leidy is in pursuit of more sustainable systems. A professor at the University of Virginia, Leidy has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles in venues that include top academic journals in built environment engineering, engineering education, and design, as well as both Science and Nature. His most recent book is “Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less.”Nationally recognized as one of 40-under-40 professors who inspire, Klotz has received multiple institution-level teaching awards for his classes and close work with undergraduates.Leidy j...2022-05-2549 min
Grace Alone Online"Reflections on God" - 2 Samuel 22:1-4 - (November 22, 2020 - Christ the King Sunday)Rev. Kevin Austin of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Livermore, California, is guest preacher. Pastor Greg will return on November 29, 20202020-11-2322 min
Grace Alone Online"Lenses" - 1 Samuel 17 - (November 15, 2020 - 24th Sunday in PentecostRev. Kevin Austin of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Livermore, California, is guest preacher. Pastor Greg returns November 29, 2020.2020-11-1632 min
Grace Alone Online"Work of Worship" - 1 Samuel 16:13-14 - (November 8, 2020 - 23rd Sunday in Penteocst)Rev. Kevin Austin of Our Savior Lutheran Church, Livermore, California is guest preacher. Pastor Greg will return on November 29, 2020.2020-11-0932 min
Grace Alone Online"EENY, MEENY" - 1 Samuel 16:1-14 (November 1, 2020 - ALL SAINT'S DAY)Rev. Kevin Austin is our guest pastor for the sermon this morning. Pastor Greg will return November 29, 2020.2020-11-0232 min
Grace Alone Online"People With a Purpose" - Romans 10:5-17 - (August 16, 2020 - 11th Sunday in Pentecost)How easy it is for us to enter church and turn our eyes upward to the cross and leave the world behind. All we can see is Jesus and seeing him, we can forget where we are or what he would have us be doing. We can simply gaze at Jesus, hanging there on the cross, dying for us and forget that we live in the world and that God has chosen us to be involved in his mission. Here. In time.2020-08-1721 min
Grace Alone Online"People of the Promise" - Romans 9:1-13 - (August 9, 2020 - 10th Sunday in Pentecost)When we look up bible passages that meet only our momentary needs to avoid worrying, avoid temptation, help us through the day, Christianity becomes something it was never intended to be: a private, personal religion. It becomes something you turn to not when you enter the world but when you retreat from it. It’s something you read in your private devotional time and you look forward to that moment when it is “just me and Jesus.” God becomes something like our best friend, a person who supports us when times get tough, and someone who helps us accomplish our pl...2020-08-0919 min
Grace Alone Online"God, In Love, Ruling Over Us" - Romans 8:28-39 - (August 2, 2020 - 9th Sunday in Pentecost)Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Paul makes it a point of reminding us that even though we live among the ruins of sin in the world and in our own lives, that Christ's death and resurrection restores the ruined world to God. We are given new life; forgiven life. He teaches us that a new perspective to view our suffering world, one in which we can be sure that in spite of the those things in our lives which seem to separate us from God, or make us think that God has abandoned us, that in...2020-08-0322 min
Grace Alone Online"Holy Spirit, Our Intercessor" - Romans 8:18-27 - (July 26, 2020 - 8th Sunday in Pentecost)What is the life Spirit of all Christians as they struggle daily with evil and pestilence in the world, their own temptations, fear, mistrust? Do we look to ourselves? The security that is offered on commercials, in the news, to our government, local authorities to help us through? In his letter to the Romans, Paul has presented us with Christ, who creates us new as we are buried with Him and rise to new life in Him. He presents us with Christ, Our Deliverer. Then, he shows us God, Our Father, who is loving and forgives our sins daily...2020-07-2621 min
Grace Alone Online"God, Our Father" - Romans 8:12-7 - (July 19, 2020 - 7th Sunday in Pentecost)We continue to preach through Paul's letter of Romans. Last Sunday, Paul presented "Christ, our Deliverer". This Sunday, he presents his readers to "God, Our Father." God claims sinners His children and heirs through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. God is Father to all creation, but creation has abandoned God. He delivers them through His Son, and claims them no longer as slaves to sin, but as sons and heirs of God and His Kingdom. Why? How can this be? .....2020-07-1918 min
Grace Alone Online"Christ, Our Deliverer" - Romans 7:14-25 - (July 12, 2020 - 6th Sunday in Pentecost)Continuing on in our sermon series on the book of Romans, Paul talks about our struggle to be faithful to Christ and not sin; about doing what we do not want to do instead of what we know to be that very thing which pleases the Lord and shows our love for others. Paul’s answer is illustrated through a common image known to all during the life of Paul …. Through an image on a silver chalice. As Christians we still struggle with faithfulness, Christ proves himself faithful. Christ is both conqueror of death and merciful Savior. Christ also come...2020-07-1216 min
Grace Alone Online"We the People..." - Deuteronomy 5:1-5 - (July 5, 2020 - 5th Sunday in Pentecost)4th of July reflections on the opening phrase of the Constitution "We the People in order to form a more perfect union..." has meaning deeper than the individual person, or the individual person's history. An interesting parallel exists between what the history of our constitution means for us today, and what Moses tells the people of Israel in Deut. 5:1. (And, it's not any prophecy about the USA or that we are a chosen nation!). Find out how and why Christians belong to two nations!2020-07-0616 min
Grace Alone Online"The Resurrecting Christ" - Romans 7:1-13 - 4th Sunday in PentecostPower is one of Paul’s main themes in the letter to the Romans. Last week we saw the power of God, through Christ, in Baptism. Paul, however, presents both the power of the Law and the power of the Gospel throughout his letter. But the power of both are totally different. Today we explore Romans, chapter 7:1-13. Here we learn that the power of the Law never justifies and never makes us righteous. And, to live by the law means making yourself look righteous before God. But to live by the law leave Christ out of the picture. Yo...2020-06-2820 min
Grace Alone Online“Dead To Sin and Alive to God" - Romans 6:1-23 - (June 21, 2020 - 3rd Sunday in Trinity Season)Today we begin a study of Paul's letter to the Romans beginning with chapter 6 and continuing through to the end of the Epistle. Every week we will take a different chapter, and a different message. Today we begin with Baptism. Why in the middle of the letter to the Romans? Why not the beginning? There is a good reason....listen and find out. You may also join us for the full worship service or a video sermon at www.gracealoneonline.org/sermons.2020-06-2122 min
Grace Alone Online“Listen, Listen Carefully, Listen Again" - Jeremiah 18:1-8 - (June 14, 2020 - 1st Sunday in Trinity Season)Rev. Michael Lange, President of the California, Nevada and Hawaii District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod is our guest preacher today.2020-06-1419 min
Grace Alone Online“Authority" - Matthew 28:16-20 - (June 7, 2020 - Trinity SUNDAY)On Trinity Sunday the Matthew 18:19 passage in which Jesus sends his disciples into the world to preach and baptize in the name of the father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit (The Trinity). Little attention is given to Jesus' words before His command that say, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me." In our society today, with protests, rioting, looting, we have a huge problem with "authority". What is Jesus' authority? How are we to understand that authority in light of the authority that is in the world.2020-06-0723 min
Grace Alone Online“PENTECOST TODAY" - ACTS 2 - (May 31, 2020 - PENTECOST SUNDAY)Pentecost - the pouring out of God's Holy Spirit at the Festival of first Fruits (Shavuot), in Jerusalem - is the day which God confirms Christ as Lord in and through the Apostle's preaching. He (God) takes a legal obligation of Moses, to give thanks for the first fruits of harvest, and make is a celebration of the first fruits unto eternal through the resurrection of Christ Jesus. We are, through Christ, the harvest brought in to give glory to God, through the power of the Holy Spirit as God's Word of the Good News is preached to all. How...2020-05-3120 min
Grace Alone Online“When Christians Suffer" - John 17:1-17 & 1 Peter 4:12-19 - (May 24, 2020 - Seventh Sunday of EASTER)Glory and suffering don't go together naturally. In our culture we have the phrase NO PAIN, NO GAIN. All the responsibility for gain and glory in our culture is through our own suffering. And, when we don't get the glory we think we should - many would say it is because we didn't have enough pain in the training, or whatever. We are bent on thinking that our glory comes at our own expense, our suffering and pain. If we endure we will get the prize. But what if we don't? I mean, does our pain and suffering "guarantee" the glo...2020-05-2428 min
Grace Alone Online"In Christ Alone" - John 14:1-14 - (May 17, 2020 - Sixth Sunday of EASTER)"In Christ...." This phrase is used all the time by Christians to describe their salvation. In fact, it is used so frequently it almost becomes cliché and void of what it really means. What DOES it mean to be in Christ? St. Paul uses it some 164 times in his 13 epistles alone. I believe the secret is Jesus' teaching in John 14:1-14. Jesus reveals two things about himself and the faith of his disciples and they revolve around the two questions asked by Thomas and Philip. First, he reveals that he is the way, the truth, and the life. (This was our f...2020-05-1719 min
Grace Alone Online"Jesus, The Only Way" - John 14:1-14 - (May 10, 2020 - Fifth Sunday of Easter)We are in the Fifth Sunday after Easter, and yet John 14 takes us back to the beginning of Holy Week when Jesus teaches his disciples shortly after Palm Sunday. His goal is to prepare them for this week of suffering, trials, his crucifixion and resurrection. He starts by saying, "You believe in God; believe also in me." And then moves to tell them he is going to the Father to prepare a place for them. The questions come from Thomas and Philip and move our story along giving Jesus the opportunity to tell them, and us, who He really is a...2020-05-1119 min
Grace Alone Online"Fears, Hurts and Hesitancy" - Luke 24:36-49 - (May 3, 2020 - Fourth Sunday of EASTER)Jesus enters and greets His disciples after His resurrection. They are afraid as if they had seen a ghost - which Jesus is NOT. Jesus teaches them - AND US - about our fears, our hurts and our hesitancy in light of His resurrection. Listen in to valuable comfort and encouragement.2020-05-0418 min
Grace Alone Online"Show & Tell" - Luke 24 - (April 26, 2020 - Third Sunday of EASTER)I loved show and tell as a kid. In second grade of elementary school every Friday we had to bring something that interested us and share and talk about it in front of the class; it was our very first public speaking opportunity. Luke has a "show and tell" story at the end of his Gospel that we will investigate today. Find out what this "show and tell" event is about!2020-04-2621 min
Grace Alone Online"No Peace, No Jesus - Know Peace, Know Jesus" - John 20 - (April 19, 2020 - Second Sunday of EASTER SUNDAY)Jesus says to his disciples, "Peace be with you." He says it no less than three times in the space of a few sentences. And though statement "No peace, no Jesus - Know peace, know Jesus" is trite, it is also true.... but perhaps not in the way you think it is. There are differences between the Roman (and our) concept of peace and what Jesus shares with his disciples in John 20. What did Jesus actually mean when talking about peace, and how do we get it. Today, we learn how Jesus' words invite us into peace.2020-04-1919 min
Grace Alone Online"Short-changing the Resurrection" - Mark 16:1-8 - (April 12, 2020 - EASTER SUNDAY)Most every Easter, John 20 is read as the ultimate narrative for the resurrection. It is the g-to text for Easter; Mark 16:1-8 is not. In most lectionaries it is avoided or simply not read. It is not dramatic at all. It leaves you hanging. The women who go to the tomb leave running from it in fear and bewilderment. They don't even see Jesus. What was Mark thinking? Is part of the text of Mark missing? The Gospel ends at verse 8, however, in most bibles verses 9-20 have a note saying, "these verses are not found in the most reliable...2020-04-1221 min
Grace Alone OnlinePALM SUNDAY - April 5, 2020 (sermon audio version)Today is Palm Sunday! Jesus rides into Jerusalem, the city of peace over which he cries because they kill the prophets and God's messengers. and, they will kill him. Why will people not listen to God's beckoning call to trust in Him alone. Why do they seek only themselves and their own destruction? Jesus weeps for His people, and us, who are obstinate to come to Him in all things. God's love is ever-present and visible in Jesus' ride in peace to meet his own sacrificial death which brings about life, forgiveness and triumph over the ultimate enemy: death.2020-04-0515 min
Grace Alone Online“God’s Will and My Response" - OR - Row, Row, Row, Your Boat - (March 29, 2020 - Fifth Sunday in Lent)Row, Row, Row Your Boat is a well-known children's song. But, this song comes to mind when talking about the river of life that we are on. Christians are on a river of life, eternal life. It is marked by being swept away by God's grace in the waters of Baptism. God controls the river, the current, and we can either actively engage ourselves with where it is taking us through life, or we can be passive, and just float down the river. Floating, however, has specific dangers that we don't think about. Actively engaging in the direction of the ri...2020-03-2944 min
Grace Alone OnlineTHE DARK SIDE OF GOD - (March 22, 2020 - Fourth Sunday in Lent)This is the fourth Sunday in Lent, and also the second week of lockdown in PIttsburg, California. Today's we explore the Dark Side of God. The metaphors we find in Scripture are Light and Darkness. Light is almost associated with Christ in the New Testament. In Old Testament, God's glory and holiness is enshrouded in darkness. In Genesis, in fact, we are told that God existed in the darkness of the firmaments before He created, from nothing, the light. He is the light that shattered the darkness - however - he also dwells in darkness. There is a dark side to...2020-03-2241 min
Grace Alone OnlineSPECIAL HOME WORSHIP SERVICE FOR MARCH 15, 2020: "God’s Will and My Identity" - (March 15, 2020 - Third Sunday in Lent)For this and next Sunday, our worship services at Grace Lutheran Pittsburg, California, will be online - in an audible format. This is due as a prevention of contamination from the Corona virus in our area.
Today's Lenten meditation is GOD'S WILL and MY IDENTITY. The focus for today is on Mary, the mother of Jesus. So many myths, stories, legend surround this amazing woman. But what does Scriptures actually say, that make her so special. Although we do not worship or venerate Mary, she is an important woman whom God chose to bring forth the Savior of thi...2020-03-1536 min
Grace Alone Online"God’s Will and My Dreams" - 2 Samuel 7:1-21 (March 8, 2020 - Second Sunday in Lent)King David had big plans for the Lord. He was going to build him a temple. He didn't think that the Lord should live in a tent while He, King David, was living in a palace. His dreams were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and approved by Nathan, the prophet, that told him to go ahead and build it to serve the Lord. David was happy. But that was not the Lord's plan. Did David fail? did he sin? No, he just didn't see the big picture. Has that happened to you? Listen in...2020-03-1428 min
Grace Alone OnlineALL NEW SERMONS - ALL NEW SERMONS "Moses: Avoidance, Confidence, Dependence" - Exodus 4 & Numbers 20-21 (March 1 2020 - First Sunday in Lent)ALL NEW SERMONS AS OF FEBRUARY 23. Today is the First Sunday in Lent. Lent is the period of self-examination and repentance in spiritual preparation for the death and resurrection of Christ marked by Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Tbis Lenten series focuses on specific characters of the Bible. Today is MOSES.
We explore the texts of Exodus 4, Numbers 20 and Numbers 21 about Moses and the burning bush, Moses and the water flowing form the rock and Moses and the bronze serpent. Each of these episodes in the life of Moses tell us something about Moses and his r...2020-03-0120 min
Grace Alone OnlineALL NEW SERMONS - ALL NEW SERMONS "Ch… Ch… Ch.. Changes are Coming"Matthew 17:1-9 - (February 23 2020 - Transfiguration Sunday)For the last six weeks "old sermons" have been posted as we have been doing other things in the congregation that simply could not be posted. TODAY IS A NEW SERMON. We end the season of the Epiphany with the Transfiguration of Jesus. Why did this happen! Why was Jesus transfigured before three of his disciples, and in the presence of Moses and Elijah? For whose benefit? What needed to be said or shown that wasn't already shown to the disciples? The Gospel writers of this story place this transfiguration as the "changing" point of Jesus life ministry. Jesus now prep...2020-02-2423 min
Grace Alone Online"My Faith is Running on Empty" 1 Corinthians 15:1-20 - (February 16, 2020 - Epiphany 6)My faith is running on empty. So should yours! In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul takes issue with a problem Christians were having about the tension between what was preached and the proof of that word. This tension exists for us too. For example, to say, "I love you" is empty and meaningless unless it is backed up by "proof". So what is the value of words. Is the resurrection a fairy-tale story made up of words only? Is is there an historical impact behind that! Listen on...2020-02-1620 min
Grace Alone Online"Fishers of People” - Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11 - (February 09, 2020 - Epiphany 5)Luke's story of a miraculous catch that Jesus did brought a new calling to Peter and the disciples. But the question is...what exactly was the miracle? If not the two boatloads of fish, then what? Listen to why Jesus did this and why Luke includes it in his Gospel.2020-02-0926 min
Grace Alone Online"Faith, Hope and Love” 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Luke 4:31-44 - (February 2, 2020 - Epiphany 4)Paul says that these three remain "faith, hope and love" but that the greatest of these is "love." Why is that, do faith and hope fail at times? Is he referring to God's love, or to human love? This 1 Corinthians passages is a well known passage to Christians and non-Christians alike turning 'love' into something of a cure all. But our love is not powerful nor authoritative....how then, is love the greatest of the three? listen for more.2020-02-0319 min
Grace Alone Online"The Elephant In The Room” Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-65, 8-10; Luke 4:16-30 - (January 27, 2019 - Epiphany 3)In Luke's Gospel, there is an elephant in the room. You know, when everybody in a room knows there is an issue but nobody wants to talk about it? Our two texts (Nehemiah and Luke) help to understand what is going on in this synagogue where Jesus was invited to speak and why He chooses to confront the elephant head on. Find out what (or who) that elephant is!2020-01-2624 min
Grace Alone Online"Pretty, Pretty, Princess" Isaiah 62:1-5 - (January 19, 2020 - Second Sunday in Epiphany)Sometimes, fairy-tales help us understand imagery that is brought out in the Bible. One theory is that Biblical stories were so powerful in the history of storytelling, that they also influenced cultural fairy-tales. "Mirror, mirror on the wall..." shows us who we are, in the light of what we think or imagine that we are. The truth is, "You are not the fairest in the land." Painful as it is, the mirror shows we are NOT the princesses, or princes, that we think we are. But it points us in another direction....find out here.2020-01-1919 min
Grace Alone Online"Jesus’ Baptism and Ours" Luke 3:15-22 - (January 12, 2020 - Baptism of Jesus Sunday)Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus. Why was He baptized? did he want to start a tradition? a fad? Was His baptism the same as ours...only better? Jesus was baptized not only to fulfill prophesy about the coming of the Messiah. But, yes, he did need to be baptized, because he was fully "man" and fully "God." Not that His "God side" didn't need Baptism and his "Man side" did. We can't think of Jesus in that half/half way. He, Jesus, God incarnate was truly human. He underwent all things as a human. As a human he w...2020-01-1222 min
Grace Alone Online"How Wise Were They?" Matthew 2:1-12 - (January 05, 2020 - Epiphany Sunday)January 6 marks the Epiphany. Epiphany means “light” like in “starlight.” We commemorate the arrival of the Magi to the Christchild’s manger. This date, in fact, celebrates the Gentile Christmas. Whereas the 24th of December celebrates the announcement of Christ’s birth to the Jewish world, the star and the Magi who sought the Christchild were not Jewish, they were Gentile. Epiphany, January 6, is therefore the “Gentile Christmas.” Matthew doesn’t tell us a lot about the Magi who sought Jesus out, but the significance is world-altering. Just how wise were these three shadowy figures who knelt before a Savior that they l...2020-01-0522 min
Grace Alone Online"Happy New Year?" Romans 8:31:39 - (December 29, 2019 - First Sunday in Christmas)The countdown has started. Another year has come and gone. How has it been for you? Glad to see 2019 go? Are you ready for a new year? These are trying times for most people. Some can say it was a good year, but many reflect with what the past year left them: challenges, failure, suffering, loneliness. Where is God in all this? Has he abandoned the hope of His people? Paul writes to the Romans that God's love for them is INSEPARABLE in Christ Jesus. How is this true? Especially, how is this true even in the midst of when I feel...2019-12-2917 min
Grace Alone Online"The Two-Minute Warning!" Daniel 12:1-3 - (December 22, 2019 - Fourth Sunday in Advent)Everyone knows about the 2-minute warning in football. You know, the clock stops to alert everyone that there is only two minutes left in the game. Everything is coming to a close and if the losing team does not want to lose, they will do everything they can to win. The prophets, particularly Daniel in our text for today, gives a two-minute warning on the coming end of all time. Are you ready? Do you have a game plan? Listen in.2019-12-2216 min
Grace Alone Online"Here Comes the Sun!" Malachi 4:1-6 - (December 15, 2019 - Third Sunday in Advent)This 3rd Sunday in Advent we turn to Malachi, the final prophet of the Old Testament Scripture, to look at what he says about the second coming of Christ. He is the Sun of Righteousness that will dawn. That day will be a day of destruction for all evil and those who have not believed and trusted in the Lord for for forgiveness and salvation; that is, those who have not believed in the covenant made by God through Christ's blood sacrifice and resurrection....for by their reluctance to believe, they are not part of that covenant. But, for tho...2019-12-1614 min
Grace Alone Online"Beauty Loves the Beast" Zechariah 9:14-17 - (December 8, 2019 - Second Sunday in Advent)This second Sunday in Advent. Listen to a familiar story about Beauty and the Beast. There is a connection here with real-life in this world between the evil of sin and the Light which we welcome at Christmas time. Listen in.2019-12-0916 min
Grace Alone Online"YOUR LIGHT HAS COME!" Isaiah 60:1 - (December 1, 2019 - First Sunday in Advent)We begin the Advent season, the four weeks prior to December 24th (Christmas Eve). This year we focus on "Light" and the coming of Christ 2000 years ago when God's light entered the world. We look forward to the return of Christ in the End Times as God returning to this world in victory, to take us home to dwell with Him. Along our life's path in this world, however, we experience darkness, depression, anxiety, and all things which are "not" light. Christ entered into the world to BE light for us; to show us the path to the Father. He ca...2019-12-0116 min
Grace Alone Online"Thank-full living" Deuteronomy 8:1-10 - (November 27, 2019 - Thanksgiving Eve)Well, you know - THANKSGIVING. THINGS to be thankful for? More than THINGS. Deuteronomy gives a different perspective on Thanksgiving than the usual Gospel text of the one-out-of-ten Leper who returned to Jesus to give thanks. Listen in on this Thanksgiving Eve sermon.2019-11-2713 min
Grace Alone Online"Faithful to Our Calling" Exodus 3:1-15; John 15:1-8 - (November 10, 2019 - 22nd Sunday in Pentecost)In God's Mission we, His saints, those belonging to the body of Christ, are called for salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that we are His children because He called us and made it possible, through His own work, to be that! We are - not what we are but - what Christ made us: a new creation. We have a new relationship with God through Christ, forgiven, to live eternally with Him. Talk about motivation to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES. Yet, a good number of people fell that they don...2019-11-1027 min
Grace Alone Online"To Equip the Saints for Ministry" Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Ephesians 6:10-20 - (November 3, 2019 - 21 Pentecost - ALL SAINTS DAY)Equipping the Saints for ministry is the call of every pastor if they are continuing the line of the Apostles. Regardless of denomination, the call of the pastor as one of the Priesthood of All Believers (1 Peter 2) is to prepare the community for ministry. There are, however, two major setbacks in this which are leftovers from before the Reformation. These are misconceptions regarding the Pastor in the congregation AND the misconception of being a member of a church. Listen in and see where you fit in.2019-11-0324 min
Grace Alone Online"Rediscovering God’s mission in the Reformation" 1 Peter 2:4-10 - (October 27, 2019 - 20 in Pentecost)In rediscovering God's Mission for His Church we have arrived at the Reformation. For 1200 years (32AD - 1517AD), the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) ruled politically, spiritually, economically and powerfully over the powers of Europe. since the time it was legal (32AD), as the official religion of the Roman Empire, it took on characteristics of the Emperor Caesar himself. ti centralized all religious power in Rome, the Bishop of Rome - once an appointed office by the apostles to care for the congregations that were going through persecution in the area as they carried out the mandate to GO AND...2019-10-2722 min
Grace Alone Online"Keep Your Eye on the Ball" 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 - (October 20, 2019 - 19th in Pentecost)We continue our sermon series discovering our purpose in the overall mission of the church. Today, as we gather, our focus is on how the Church developed from the time it became legal (325AD) until the time of the Reformation. What became the focus of the Apostle’s ‘mission statement’? With the legalization of Christianity by the emperor Constantine in 320AD, the Church that was victorious over persecution through faith in Christ did not "Keep its eye on the ball;" it lost focus of the centrality of the mandate to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES with the proclamation of Christ. Instead...2019-10-2027 min
Grace Alone Online"The First church Crisis" Acts 14:21-15:41 & 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 - (October 13, 2019 - 18 Sunday in Pentecost)Continuing our series on Re-Discovering God's Mission, we meet the first challenge that the Apostle's encountered. A challenge between tradition (or personal preference as it is today) and Biblical Truth (God's Word and command). When Jesus told the disciples to Go and Make Disciples, there was no game plan. eh did not provide them with a manual. And there was a good reason for it. Whereas a game-plan may have provided a "how to do it..." as a fool-proof method, our Lord is not a God of coercion and forcefulness. He want a relationship with his creation. A coercion would d...2019-10-1328 min
Grace Alone Online"God’s Mission : Our Mission" Acts 14:21-28 - (October 06, 2019 - 17th Sunday in Pentecost)Re-disovering god's mission is to rediscover your place, and your congregation's place, in that mission. While churches are thriving, growing, have large numbers, many times, the impetus of size is what drives a congregation into ministry. Many people + telling many people = more people. And, more often than not, a diversity of activities and events allow people personal preferences. However, when churches decline in membership or attendance, most start to ask, "what happened?" This question starts a process of analysis that can lead to discovering God's Mission. It can be quite illuminating as we rediscover that "getting more people in the p...2019-10-0629 min
Grace Alone Online"Go and Make Disciples?" Matthew 28:16-20 - (September 29, 2019 - 16 Sunday in Pentecost)Last week we heard where the 12 Apostles journeyed to throughout the world. From Spain to India. From Ethiopia to Armenia. Today, we look at what is commonly known among Christians as the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:16-20 where Jesus tells the eleven to "Go and make disciples of all nations...." This was the beginning of the Christian movement. Perhaps it was not as simple as it seems. We know this movement NOW, as the Christian Church, and cannot conceive of it as it first started out. Even as the disciples went to the appointed mountain to meet with Jesus...2019-09-2919 min
Grace Alone Online"Where Have All The Apostles Gone" Matthew 10:1-20 - (September 22, 2019 - 15th Sunday in Pentecost)Rediscovering God's Mission for our congregation - week 2: We look at the Apostles. As Jesus sent them out with "power and authority" even Judas was included. Matthew names the 12 apostles. Where did they go after Pentecost? We mostly hear about Peter, John and a little about James. then, Paul comes on the scene and sort of steals the show. Most of what we know doctrinally comes form his pen. Today we look at where the Apostles went and the martyrdom that they faced. If it were not for them, we would not be here today. in fact, none of the church...2019-09-2529 min
Grace Alone Online"Howling like a Beagle" Luke 15:1-10 - (September 15, 2019 - 14th Sunday in Pentecost)Today's Gospel talks about wayward, lost sheep. I don't know about sheep, but we had a beagle once. Perhaps beagle is much more relatable to an urban society than a sheep. Beagles act like sheep, which makes the point as Isaiah prophecies about the coming Messiah saying, "All we like "beagles" have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way. And, the Lord placed on Him the iniquity of us all." What is it about a beagle or a shepherd who abandons a whole flock to look for one sheep, or even about the woman who turned her house...2019-09-1621 min
Grace Alone Online"Eat Your Peas!!!" Luke 14:15-32 - (September 8, 2019 - 13th Sunday in Pentecost)In this weeks episode, enjoy the whole service. The sermon, however, begins at minute 25:15 for those interested only in the message.
EAT YOUR PEAS is something probably most of us heard from our parents. When commanded we begin to whine and negotiate with our parents about what we should do, compared with what we want to do. We negotiate with God daily about what constitutes "following Him." For instance, in today's Gospel, Jesus says nobody is worthy to follow Him if they cannot hate father, mother, sister, brother and even deny themselves. What a change from "love your...2019-09-0856 min
Grace Alone Online"This Resurrection Life" Luke 14:1-14 - (September 1, 2019 - 12th Sunday in Pentecost)When you think about the resurrection, do you always think in the future? Most people think of the resurrection as something that occurs on the Last Day, when our Lord returns to create a new heavens and earth for his redeemed. Why is it that we don't htink of the resurrection as something that has happened NOW; in the wake of Christ's own resurrection. The question is, then, does Christ's message prepare you for the day you die? or does it prepare you for the resurrected life. Listen and find out...2019-09-0420 min
Grace Alone Online"Not Peace, but a Sword" Matthew 10:34-42 - (August 18, 2019 - 10th Sunday in Pentecost)What? Last week, we talked about peace, and Jesus said, “Do not be anxious; do not let your heart be troubled.” Today, Jesus tells us I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Make up your mind. What can we make of this apparent turn about. Does Jesus bring peace or not? Does he bring comfort or a sword? In our Gospel text, Jesus offers us an object lesson about a sword, a cross and a life. They seem like separate things, but they are all related.
Our text is the Holy Gospel for today, from...2019-08-1921 min
Grace Alone Online"Don’t Worry; Be Happy" Luke 12:22-34 - (August 11, 2019 - 9th Sunday in Pentecost!!)In today's Gospel, Jesus says, "Fear not, little flock..." How easy it is to say these words, but how difficult it is to "feel" at peace. Jesus words seem unrealistic, fantastical, un-real. What with the mass shootings in Gilory, California; Dayton, Ohio; El Paso, Texas, it's enough to make you paranoid in any public situation. Yet, in the midst of anxiety, Jesus invites us to have peace, and true peace; one that passes any peace that can be bought or made in our society. Find out more about the evil that is in the world, and the peace which only...2019-08-1121 min
Grace Alone Online"You’re All Wet" Romans 6:1-14 - (August 04, 2019 - 8th Sunday in Pentecost - A Baptism Today!!Today we are celebrating the baptism of Ryan Alan Weaver. He wants to be sealed with the Holy Spirit and receive the blessed assurance that God the Father is his true Father, and that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is indeed the brother that has redeemed him from sin, death and the power of Satan. Water and the Word, Christ's words, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.." Ryan is baptized in the name of the Triune God, as Scripture teaches. Baptized into that name, Ryan receives the inheritance of sonship give...2019-08-0619 min
Grace Alone Online"Won’t You Be My Neighbor?" - Luke 10:25-37 - (July 14, 2019 - 5th Sunday in Pentecost)"Won't you be my neighbor?" Was a question (and song) made famous by Mr. Rogers at the beginning of his children's program, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. This phrase has become popular in parodies, mocking, and making fun of its childlike innocence. In the Bible, when the Jewish lawyer says to be saved you must "love you neighbor as yourself," he quickly adds the question for Jesus: "Who is my neighbor..." Jesus' story of the good Samaritan follows and seems to answer that question. But is that the question Jesus answers? There is something more here than simply the encouragement that we sh...2019-07-1521 min
Grace Alone Online"Free For All" - Galatians 5:1, 13-25 - (July 07, 2019 - 4th Sunday in Pentecost)In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul talks about freedom. Being free, living free is what happens in freedom. You don't HAVE freedom; you live in freedom, just like one lives in a king-dom, or feels like a star in star-dom. Freedom means that you have have been freed FROM something that held you captive or enslaved you. There is a consequence to freedom, however. The consequence is that you are freed FOR another life - a life of different values than the one you formerly knew as a slave from which you were freed. Paul goes one step f...2019-07-0721 min
Grace Alone Online"Nowhere to run … Nowhere to Hide" - 1 Kings 19:9-21 (June 30, 2019 - 3rd Sunday in Pentecost)the great prophet Elijah is hiding in a cave. He is hiding from King Ahab who wants to cut off his head for defeating his 450 prophets of Baal and then killing them. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel want Elijah's head and all the prophets of the true God. Hiding in the cave, Elijah tell God "I want out. No longer be a prophet." He has met constantly with spiritual batle against Baal and is tired. He wants the Lord to retire him.
There are times we pastor, missionaries and Christians alike find it tiring and want out. In our...2019-06-3027 min
Grace Alone Online"I Love Jesus. Yes, I Do! I Love Jesus. How ‘Bout You!" - John 8:12-59 (June 16, 2019 - Trinity Sunday)Jesus is revealing who He is, who sent Him, what His mission is, that He must die and rise from the dead. The Pharisees challenge Him and cry blasphemy. But, there were some Judean (Jews) who believed in Him. Jesus addresses them, and as He continues teaching, a big argument ensues, and they repudiate Him. But....how did they once believe in Him. They wanted to choose what to believe about Jesus - fit Him into their belief system, instead of listening to the truth. A similar problem occurs in our society today. People are quick to jump on the Jes...2019-06-1825 min
Grace Alone Online"Earth, Water, Wind, Fire" - Acts 2:1-21 (June 9, 2019 - Pentecost Sunday)We celebrate the gift and work of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus' ascension into heaven, the promised Holy Spirit was gifted to the disciples. It is through God's Holy Spirit is twofold; (1) we recognize that we are broken and in need of a savior for we are not perfect, nor can we hope to live up to God's righteous standards because of sin in our very being and (2) it is the Holy Spirit who then opens Scripture teaching us about the Savior of all, by whose death and resurrection we are no longer judged unrighteous and guilty before God be...2019-06-1018 min
Grace Alone Online"Jesus Prays for You and Me" John 17:20-26 - (June 2, 2019 - 7th SUNDAY After Easter)Before Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus prayed for his disciples. As a part of that prayer, Jesus prays for us as well. He prays for all those who will come to believe in Him as their Lord and Savior through the witness of the Apostles. He prays specifically for three things for us: (1) that we live in unity, as the Father and the Son live in unity with each other his desire is that we, too, be kept in that unity. For to be apart from Christ is to be apart fro life and forgiveness. (2) Jesus prays for that unit...2019-06-0219 min
Grace Alone Online"Come In And Know Me Better, Man" Ephesians 1:15-23 (May 26, 2019 - 6th SUNDAY After Easter: ASCENSION)"Come in and know me better, man" is a line taken from A Christmas Carol. It is the invitation of the Spirit of Christmas to Scrooge on his journey through the night examining the past, the present and his inevitable future. While Charles Dickens describes Scrooge as a skinflint and humbug in relation to those around him, the story is told to inspire those who despair of their lives in the present, to consider their past and amend their lives for the future. St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians prays that God the Father sends the SPIRIT of...2019-05-2616 min
Grace Alone Online"Now You Don’t See Me; Now You Do" - John 16:12-22 (May 19, 2019 - 5th SUNDAY After Easter)We know that a magician is someone who entertains people through deception; presenting to them something that defies logic or the natural. A card that floats from one hand to the other or a person sawn in half and then comes out of the box whole. He might even accompany some magic words that serve as a clue as to what is about to happen, like, “here is a normal pitcher…” uh, yeah, right….a normal pitcher. Or, “here is a normal deck of cards….” Or, the magician might use the more familiar, “Now you see it…..now you don’t.” But when we se...2019-05-1920 min
Grace Alone Online"Walking on the Road to Emmaus" Luke 24 - (May 12, 2019 - 4th SUNDAY After Easter)The Road to Emmaus is a familiar story where Jesus encounters Cleopas and another disciple walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. The resurrection had happened that morning and they were walking - perhaps back home. for them, everything was over. Comparing the story of the women looking for Jesus in the tomb but could not find him, here we have two men walking on the road, not even looking for Jesus, and He finds THEM. The question lurking behind these stories is: Where do we find Jesus? And, where does He promise to be for us today. Listen!2019-05-1717 min
Grace Alone Online"The Prodigal Son" Luke 15 - (April 28, 2019 - 2nd SUNDAY After Easter)I believe that for everyone, there are times in which we wish that someone would come and search for us; that someone would seek us out where we are at. Perhaps our pain and suffering, conscience, loneliness, depression has become such a torment that we would wish someone would show the love and concern that we desperately need. You know, that someone would just take us into their arms and calm our fears, or whatever may be bothering us. The parable entitled the Prodigal Son is well known to many people....but at times it is so well known tha...2019-04-2920 min
Grace Alone Online"LIFE" - John 20:1-18 (April 21, 2019 - Easter Sunday)Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed! This is the appropriate response form the congregation on Easter Sunday morning. Christ's resurrection is the only reason Christianity is what it is. Christians are all those who confess Christ as their Savior. those who confess Christ as their Savior accept the testimony of eye-witnesses who, for thousands of years, have handed down writings and testimonies so that all creation would believe and confess the truth about Christ, and once again return to fellowship with God. There are those, however, who would rather do away with Christians and especially the organizational church. An exa...2019-04-2322 min
Grace Alone Online"SUFFERING" - John 19:12-19 (April 14, 2019 - PALM SUNDAY)Palm Sunday marks the end of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. It begins with the ride of Jesus on a donkey, from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. There were other revolutionary leaders who were hailed as Messiahs, who also rode from the Mount into Jerusalem. In their revolts, however, they died, and their band of guerrillas disbanded. Who was going to oust the Roman from Jerusalem? this was the expected role of the Messiah. But while Jesus preached of a coming kingdom, he preached about it with love and forgiveness; not necessarily the kind of warrior we thi...2019-04-1419 min
Grace Alone Online"OBEDIENCE" Matthew 26:36-46 (April 7, 2019 - Fifth Sunday in Lent)Today we reach the las Sunday in Lent by interviewing John, the beloved disciple of Jesus. HE was in the Garden of Gethsemane the night Jesus was betrayed. He and Peter and James fell asleep while Jesus was praying. He encourages us to meet crossroads in our life by abiding in Jesus' love and forgiveness. Listen to his story.2019-04-0716 min
Grace Alone Online"DECLARATION" - Luke 22:54-62 (March 31, 2019 - Fourth Sunday in Lent)Peter, a disciple of Jesus, denied knowing Jesus three times during the night before Jesus' crucifixion. Although a leader among the disciples, and a person who confessed Jesus as the Messiah, he is remembered by most for this denial. We interview him today as part of our ongoing Lent interviews leading up to Easter. Peter can't seem to shake the fact that he "failed" Jesus, and did not remain firm until the end as he promised. Sound familiar? We too fail. Even though we may know that Jesus forgives our sins, sometimes, our past can haunt us. What can we do? Listen 2019-04-0421 min
Grace Alone Online"COMPASSION" - Luke 22:47-51 (March 24, 2019 - Third Sunday in LenT)This morning we interview Malchus, the high priest's guard whose ear Peter cut off in the garden of Gethsemane. the interesting thing about this story, is that Jesus is in the middle between two powers in this world. The first, his own disciple Peter, a Zealot, a guerrilla who wanted to overthrow the Roman domination and set Israel free by proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah, the coming King. The other, represented by Malchus, a guard to defend the order of the ruling High Priest and Jewish leaders. Jesus is caught in the middle. How does Jesus "do the right...2019-03-2421 min
Grace Alone Online"JUDGMENT" - Matthew 27:11-26 (March 17, 2019 - Second Sunday in Lent)The person we attribute as most responsible for Jesus' sentencing during His passion is Pontius Pilate. A Roman governor of Judea, Pilate was disdained by the Jews who were a constant problem for him, he was place on report to Caesar because of them. He feared the Jews and so to protect himself turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. Was he innocent? A victim of circumstance? His judgment caused the death of Jesus just to save himself. What about you and me. Do we judge others in the same way? How righteous is our judgment of those we assum...2019-03-1711 minGrace Alone Online"BETRAYAL” - John 13:21-30 - (March 10, 2019 - 1st Sunday in Lent)Judas is known for his betrayal of Jesus. Accepting 30 pieces of silver to turn over Christ to the Jewish authorities for crucifixion betrayed the trust that he was given as treasurer of the disciples. At times, the tendency is to turn Judas into the victim. Jesus Christ Superstar does this; he is the main character at times. And even in our minds we may think, "Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him" so we may be lead to believe that Judas had no other "option" in God's plan of salvation - that he was the scapegoat. In actua...2019-03-1117 min
Grace Alone Online"KING DAVID: AN INTERVIEW” - Psalm 51 (March 6, 2019 - ASH WEDNESDAY)Tonight is Ash Wednesday. This period of 40 days is called LENT; a time in which we focus on our need for salvation. It is a time of repentance and preparation before God to reflect on our mortality and to remind us of our waywardness. We follow Jesus and His journey to His crucifixion on Good Friday, and His resurrection by which we are all set free from condemnation, sin and death. Our journey through LENT will be through interviews of characters that are important in the Divine Drama of Chr'ist's salvific work in our lives. Tonight's interview is with KING...2019-03-0814 min
Grace Alone Online"Outgrow Your Faith!?" - Philippians 4:12-13 - (March 3, 2019 - Transfiguration/Confirmation SundayWe all grow up from childhood. We grow emotionally, physically, mentally and socially without trying and without thinking about it. Nothing can stop this from happening. It is a natural process that happens in all creatures. it is a part of our creaturliness; a part of our flesh and blood-ness. There is no person that does not outgrow clothes or toys. We all feared girl or boy cooties when young but then moved on to love these cooties in our teen years. We all grow and change naturally. We are also spiritual. Every creature is spiritual and has a spiritual...2019-03-0414 min
Grace Alone Online"Remember Whose You Are" - Luke 6:27-38 (February 24, 2019 - Epiphany 7)Throughout Epiphany Jesus has been revealing who He is to those around Him. Through power and authority, He has been healing, casting out demons, and forgiving sins ... miraculously. Not that the miracles are his point, nor are they proof of his Messiahship; they are merely an outpouring of the Father's love making right a creation gone awry. He turns the world upside down vanquishing sin and reversing nature out of love and compassion. Now, He turns the disciples world upside down with His teaching on what it means to be a disciple. Find out His revolutionary view of the world2019-02-2417 min
Grace Alone Online"My Faith is Running on Empty" - 1 Corinthians 15:1-20 (February 17, 2019 - Epiphany 6)My faith is running empty. So should yours! in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul takes issue with a problem Christians were having about the tension between what was preached and the proof of that word. this tension exists for us too. For example, to say, "I love you" is empty and meaningless unless it is backed up by "proof". So what is the value of words. Is the resurrection a fairy-tale story made up of words only? Listen on...2019-02-1720 min
Grace Alone Online"Fishers of People” - Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11 (February 10, 2019 - Epiphany 5)Luke's story of a miraculous catch that Jesus did brought a new calling to Peter and the disciples. But the question is...what exactly was the miracle? If not the two boatloads of fish, then what? Listen to why Jesus did this and why Luke includes it in his Gospel.2019-02-1126 min
Grace Alone Online"Faith, Hope and Love” 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Luke 4:31-44 (February 3, 2019 - Epiphany 4)Paul says that these three remain "faith, hope and love" but that the greatest of these is "love." Why is that, do faith and hope fail at times? Is he referring to God's love, or to human love? This 1 Corinthians passages is a well known passage to Christians and non-Christians alike turning 'love' into something of a cure all. But our love is not powerful nor authoritative....how then, is love the greatest of the three? listen for more.2019-02-0419 min
Grace Alone Online"The Elephant In The Room” - Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-65, 8-10; Luke 4:16-30 (January 27, 2019 - Epiphany 3In Luke's Gospel, there is an elephant in the room. You know, when everybody in a room knows there is an issue but nobody wants to talk about it? Our two texts (Nehemiah and Luke) help to understand what is going on in this synagogue where Jesus was invited to speak and why He chooses to confront the elephant head on. Find out what (or who) that elephant is!2019-01-2724 min
Grace Alone Online"Pretty, Pretty, Princess" - Isaiah 62:1-5 (January 20, 2019, Epiphany 2)Sometimes, fairy-tales help us understand imagery that is brought out in the Bible. One theory is that Biblical stories were so powerful in the history of storytelling, that they also influenced cultural fairy-tales. "Mirror, mirror on the wall..." shows us who we are, in the light of what we think or imagine that we are. The truth is, "You are not the fairest in the land." Painful as it is, the mirror shows we are the princesses, or princes, that we think we are. But it points us in another direction....find out here.2019-01-2019 min
Grace Alone Online"Buried in Baptism" - Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 315-22; Romans 6:1-11 - January 13, 2019 - Baptism of Jesuthe church calendar of readings marks today as the Baptism of Jesus Sunday. In the season of Epiphany, Jesus' Baptism marks the beginning of His ministry which ultimately takes Him to the cross. But, His Baptism was not just a "showpiece" for everyone to see. Neither is our Baptism a simple initiation rite, or our declaration of faithfulness to God. God does marvelous and unimaginable through Baptism which results in our forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the death of Christ. find out what your Baptism is all about. (contact me gracealoneonline@gmail.com2019-01-1322 min
Grace Alone Online"Star Light; Star Bright" - Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12 (January 6, 2019 - Epiphany Sunday)Today is Epiphany Sunday. Epiphany means "light." We celebrate the arrival of the Magi to the manger of Christ who is the light of the world. Stars have always been a part of magic, ancient mythology, worshiped millennia ago, and worshiped by some today. Stars are displayed a lot at Christmas time; in fact, they replace the manger scenes of Christ in most public displays of Christmas. And although the Christmas Star has been adopted and adapted to the pagan celebration of Christianity symbolizing luck, joy, happiness, and peace, the star is NOT the main object. Find out what the pu...2019-01-0724 min
Grace Alone Online"Christ Our Guide" - John 14:1-6 (December 23, 2018 - Advent 4)In total darkness it is difficult to see where you are going. Darkness usually frightens people. they can't see where they are going; they might not know what lurks in the shadows. There is also spiritual darkness: doubt, losing joy or the experience of closeness to God. St. John of the Cross called this spiritual loneliness the "dark night of the soul." There is only one way out of the darkness. Like miners in a cave who kept candles lit to light their way, you need spiritual light to light your way. find out how.2018-12-2422 min
Grace Alone Online"Our Living Branch" - Isaiah 11:1-10; Col. 2:6-10, John 15:1-5 (December 16, 2018 - Advent 3)"From the stump of Jesse" Isaiah prophecies. King David, descendant of Jesse, was given the promise by God, that the Messiah would be born in the lineage of David. But, David, and his ancestors committed all sorts of grave sins.... Yet, God was faithful to his promised and from David's seed, a new shoot, unlike any other, came from David's seed in fulfillment of God's promise given through the prophets of the Old Testament. No more being cut off; no more pruning, this branch lives eternally to save. Find out how this is possible that a shoot should come forth...2018-12-1819 min
Grace Alone Online"Our Shepherd" - John 10:11-18 (December 9, 2018 - Advent 2)In this second Sunday of Advent we celebrate another name of Jesus: The Shepherd. Shepherds were common int he Middle East as sheep were very important to commerce and life itself. Jesus calls himself the Shepherd which makes us...the sheep. discover some of the relationships that have commonly been brought out in sermons about the sheep/shepherd relationship....but then, go deeper with me into a cultural - spiritual connection with Middle Eastern culture which brings out a deeper and richer meaning to our text for today.2018-12-0919 min
Grace Alone Online"The Potter" - 2 Corinthians 4:7 (Advent 1 - December 2, 2018)Advent is the beginning of the Church years. It is a time when we focus on the historical coming of Christ as a child, but also a time of repentance and preparation for His return at the end of all time to establish His kingdom with a new earth and new heavens. This Sunday we focus on God, the potter, who has created all things for a purpose in this world. You have been created by God; he has molded you and shaped you from before you were born. You have a purpose. Find out more about this potter.2018-12-0416 min
Grace Alone Online"The Real Heaven, It's Not What You Think" - (November 25, 2018)What Scripture says about the end of the time, and the heaven that is waiting for those who believe shows that the idea of heaven by the general public is way off base. We explore just how Scripture teaches us the beauty of a new world and a new heaven so much different than the imagined heaven in popular society. Two videos used during this sermon can be found on YouTube: (titles: The Real Heaven; it's not what you think, AND, He's My King)2018-11-2624 min
Grace Alone Online"Thanks for Nothing" - Luke 17:11-9 (Thanksgiving Eve)In our society today, we glory on having an abundance of "things." Many times, people believe that the amount of what they have is the blessing, instead of simply having what they do have. People today easily say, "I am so thankful for..." but they leave off something very important: "TO WHOM are you thankful." Someone has to be thanked; there has to be a reason for thanks. True gratefulness to God can be expressed by even thanking God for what we don't have; giving thanks even when we don't have. Being thankful is a question of faith, knowing that...2018-11-2217 min
Grace Alone Online"What Happens When You Die..." - 1 Thessalonians 4 (November 18, 2018)This is a hot topic in today's society. Amazon and You Tube have tons of videos and books written on "experiences" of near death, or coming back from death. How should we interpret these? While you can't deny a personal experience, you can call into question whether or not they are Christian. Scripture teaches us what to expect in death for those who believe and follow Christ as their Savior. As 1 John 4 says, "Test the Spirits" to see if they are from God....if the experience does NOT preach Christ crucified and risen from the dead, who is the Son...2018-11-1829 min
Grace Alone Online""Something for Nothing" - Mark 12:38-44; Hebrews 9:24-28; 1 Kings 17:8-16 (November 11, 2018)Most people know that they there is no truth to the statement, "something for nothing" even though we wish that is how it were. In reality, we get what we pay for; we get what we deserve for the effort made. But, when we pray, do we expect our investment in "prayer" and "faith" will bring us results? What if we pray but it seems we get no help from God. Then our faith in God is challenged and we normally blame God...because He didn't give us what we want even though we believed in Him. Give God a...2018-11-1119 min
Grace Alone Online"Free Willy..." - Romans 3:19-28 (October 28, 2018)Today is Reformation Sunday. On this day, in 1517, Martin Luther challenged the Roman Catholic Pope to a debate on the abuse by the Roman church on the forgiveness of sins. Our text in Romans talks about being free through Christ; something which is unattainable even we try our hardest because we are born and exist under the law...that is flesh and blood. As humans, we can only exist under the law, not freedom, because we are subject to the world around us. Like Free Willy...we cannot let ourselves out of the cage. Listen to how God rescues us...2018-10-2819 min
Grace Alone Online"You're Young & You're Restless" - Hebrews 4:1-16 (October 21, 2018)In the world of digital and social media is a new type of restlessness and anxiety that occurs in young people. But it does not only affect young people. The restlessness is caused by boredom and the drive to be on social media is because of boredom. But at the root of boredom is loneliness. Here more about why we fear to be alone and constantly need to be liked by others to the point of inventing images that will cause others to like us.2018-10-2115 min
Grace Alone Online"It's Never Enough..." - Mark 10:17-22, Hebrews 3:12-19 (October 14, 2018)The Rich Young Ruler who came to ask Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life was dumb-founded by Jesus' answer. In fact, he sadly walked away form Jesus. He had kept the commandments that Jesus listed off, but failed to realize he was his own biggest enemy. Listen to find out.2018-10-1515 min
Grace Alone Online"Pay Close Attention!" - Hebrews 2:1-10 (October 7, 2018)“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1). These words from today’s Epistle are spot-on. In a culture that is quickly drifting away from the values we once held sacred, it’s imperative for us, as the people of God, to hold firmly to the Word we have heard. Today as we gather to listen to God’s Word and receive His gifts of grace, we are drawn close to the Redeemer, who has given His life in exchange for ours. Only in our relationship with Christ will we ever be...2018-10-1120 min
Grace Alone Online"An 'Ordinary' Christian" - Mark 9:38-50 (September 30, 2018)A description guide for themes on the Gospel given by our church organization makes the distinction between preachers and parishioners by calling parishioners 'ordinary' Christians. I take issue with that because Jesus does not make that distinction anywhere in the Gospel lesson for today. Ordination is not the power of the Gospel, it is the Name of Christ.2018-10-0219 min