Shows
2026-02-1515 minPastor UnpluggedBest Sermon Ever Part 2You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world...Part 2 of the occasional sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount, including a good joke at the beginning.
2026-02-0819 minPastor UnpluggedBest Sermon EverToday's message is about the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Take a listen for a sermon about the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:1-12.
2026-02-0115 minPastor UnpluggedStump the PastorBrief sermons on Bible verses plucked from a basket. A good time was had by all!
2026-01-2521 minPastor UnpluggedSacrament of CallingOn Baptism of Christ Sunday, we look at the Baptism story in Matthew and consider what Baptism calls us to do as Christians. As Louis Gunnemann phrased it, it is a Sacrament of Vocation, or another way to put it, a Sacrament of Calling.
2026-01-1312 minPastor UnpluggedIn the Light -- with a brief homage to Led ZeppelinThis message from today was not universally beloved by its recipients. And that is OK. We walk in dark times, but there's light at First Congregational.
2026-01-0415 minPastor UnpluggedOn the RunThe story of the Flight into Egypt is the focus of this week's message and the call on all of us to be kind to the immigrant, the stranger, as the Bible commands. A timely, humanitarian message quite appropriate for today's world.
2025-12-2814 minPastor UnpluggedLight, Hope and Good News -- Christmas Eve 2025A Christmas message based on Luke 2; may Jesus the Christ guide us on our way with light, hope and good news.
2025-12-2510 minPastor UnpluggedAdvent HopeHope is tough to find these days, just like it was in the ancient world of the Hebrew Bible prophets. A new Light is about to shine this week as we celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus the Christ, the Light of the World.
2025-12-2105 minPastor UnpluggedDisruption ReactionWeek 4 of my reflections on Erin Wathen's Calling All Angels centers on how we react to disruptions in our lives. Can we embrace the disruptions the way the shepherds did when the angel told them the Messiah had been born? Or will we complain, shun, and run away from the disruptions when they inevitably appear in our lives?
2025-12-2004 minPastor UnpluggedAdvent Week 3 -- A Powerful PresenceThere are a lot of lingering fears from the days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. Erin Wathen in her Week 3 Advent text challenges us in faith communities to "be a powerful presence in impossible places."
2025-12-1404 minPastor UnpluggedCheer for PeacePeace is the theme for the second Sunday of Advent. Jesus calls us all to be peacemakers. The Apostle Paul cheers us on to be peacemakers everywhere.
2025-12-0814 minPastor UnpluggedIf Not Now, When?Our Advent reflection series continues this week focusing on how the poor and powerless are treated in our society and how it is necessary for all of us as Christians and citizens to speak out against these injustices.
2025-12-0804 minPastor UnpluggedDefiant JoyMany of us like to be defiant. These days, being joyful is an act of defiance against the world we live in. A sermon based on Isaiah 2:1-5 and Matthew 24:36-44 delivered at First Congregational UCC Elmhurst on Nov. 30, 2025.
2025-11-3019 minPastor UnpluggedStillness, Something We're Not Good AtA brief meditation on Stillness, a theme from the first week of the Advent book Calling All Angels by Rev. Erin Wathen. We as a society stink at it. This first week of Advent, let's get better, shall we?
2025-11-3004 minPastor UnpluggedWho's the Boss?This week's sermon title was inspired by a 1980s sitcom, "Who's the Boss?" starring Tony Danza, Judith Light and Alyssa Milano. On Reign of Christ Sunday, the message asks us to consider who is the boss of our lives? Is it Christ? Or someone else?
2025-11-2415 minPastor UnpluggedLighten UpWe've got plenty of reasons to be serious in this world. There is no shortage of things to be concerned about. But we also need to lighten up, don't we? We're supposed to be following Jesus, and he loved getting together with friends and having fun. Maybe it's time we follow his example more closely! This message was delivered by Rev. Brian Louis on Nov. 16, 2025, at First Congregational UCC in Elmhurst, Illinois, and is inspired by Philippians 4:4-7.
2025-11-1710 minPastor UnpluggedCalling All Angels!Here's a little teaser info for our Advent book discussion on Dec. 3 at First Congregational UCC Elmhurst. Please join us for an Advent study and discussion of Calling All Angels, a book by the Rev. Erin Wathen on Dec. 3 at 11:30 am or 6:30 pm in the parlor at First Congregational UCC in Elmhurst. Wathen uses the words of the angels who speak to people around the time of the birth of Jesus telling them, "do not be afraid." There can't be a better message for the times we live in than that, can there? Please join us!
2025-11-1004 minPastor UnpluggedFOMO -- Fear of Missing OutFOMO is a common problem in our world today. It turns out that FOMO -- fear of missing out -- also plagued the Thessalonians back in the early days of Christianity. Our message today centers on the importance of building a relationship with Jesus. You don't have to have a fear of missing out on a relationship with Jesus, all you have to do is start building one today.
2025-11-0919 minPastor UnpluggedLost and FoundToday's story is the classic tale of Zacchaeus the tax collector who makes amends and gives away half his possessions. In the process of his repentance, the lost man is found, thanks to Jesus. For as Jesus said, he came to save the lost. Are you lost?
2025-11-0213 minPastor UnpluggedHumility in an Arrogant WorldArrogance seems to run amok in the world today. The louder and more bombastic you are, the better. But Jesus has a different take on all that -- he's about humility. Just another example of the counter-cultural Jesus.
2025-10-2716 minPastor UnpluggedDon't Give Up!This week's sermon theme is focused on Jesus the Teacher. This sermon is based on Luke 18:1-8 in which Jesus stresses the importance of persistence in prayer. Sometimes it seems prayer doesn't work, but don't give up! Many times, prayer changes the inside, not necessarily the outside. But God's bottom line is, don't give up! God wants you to keep praying and communicating. Persist in prayer and life!
2025-10-1919 minPastor UnpluggedHealing and ThanksHealing and gratitude are two of the most important themes from this Sunday's story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers. The sermon is based on Luke 17:11-19.
2025-10-1219 minPastor UnpluggedThe Mission of DiscipleshipWhat does being a disciple of Jesus require of us? One thing it requires is to put God first in our lives. Listen to find out more!
2025-10-0913 minPastor UnpluggedIn Essentials -- UnityA message from worship on Oct. 5, 2025 at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Elmhurst, Illinois, based on Psalm 133 and Ephesians 4:1-6, delivered by Rev. Brian Louis, the pastor at First.
2025-10-0514 minPastor UnpluggedFor Times Such as TheseThe Sunday after the Charlie Kirk killing, a school shooting, and despair everywhere. Fortunately coming to worship can help us reset in times such as these -- if we only go.
2025-10-0216 minPastor UnpluggedThe Mission of DiscipleshipWhat does being a disciple of Jesus require of us? One thing it requires is to put God first in our lives. Listen to find out more!
2025-10-0213 minPastor UnpluggedWelcome to The First Podcast!A welcome message for this channel of sermons and meditations of hope from First Congregational United Church of Christ in Elmhurst, Illinois.
2025-09-3000 min