Sermons
Church Year Seasons
The Christian Year calendar is our guide for worship and Christian faith formation. The beginning of the Christian year is the season of Advent, approximately four weeks before Christmas Day, and continues with special days and seasons following the life of Christ and the mission of the church.
There are two major cycles in the Christian Year. One is the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle that is focused upon Christmas. The other is the Lent-Easter-Pentecost cycle that has Easter as its focus. The other periods in the year are referred to as “ordinary time.” This is not because they are “ordinary” days. Ordinary is taken from the word for “ordinal” numbers. The Sundays during this time are designated by the “first,” “second,” “third,” Sunday after Pentecost, for example. Therefore, they are designated “ordinary” time because of using ordinal numbers to mark them.
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Advent
From the Latin word, adventus, Advent means “arrival” or “coming” and marks the coming of Jesus as human being into the world. Including the four Sundays prior to Christmas day, this season is used as a time of preparing for the coming of the Christ child. Advent marks the beginning of the church year and is the first season in the Christian calendar. While our calendar begins with January 1, the church year begins with Advent.
Christmas
The season of Christmas is actually a period of twelve days which begins on Christmas Day and continues through January 5. We typically think of the season of Christmas as beginning after Thanksgiving and concluding on December 25. However, for the Church, December 25 is the culmination of the waiting, and marks the beginning of Christmas.
Epiphany
The Day of Epiphany follows the twelve days of Christmas. Epiphany, as a day and season of celebration, has been around as long as the celebration of Christmas. Epiphanies are those instances where gods reveal themselves, and make themselves known to humanity. Our January 6 celebration, as Christians, emphasizes the epiphany, or manifestation of God, and represents the revelation of God to the world in Jesus Christ.
Lent
Lent is a season of prayer, penance and self-discipline, beginning on the Wednesday of the seventh week before Easter. The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is forty days prior to Easter, not counting Sundays. The sixth Sunday in lent is Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week. Holy Week includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and officially ends on Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday then begins the season of Easter which lasts for seven weeks.
Easter
Easter Day commemorates the day of resurrection of Jesus following the crucifixion. Easter is more than a day of celebration in the Christian calendar; it includes a period of seven weeks, and is known as The Great Fifty Days. The full period of Easter continues from Easter Sunday to the day of Pentecost.
Pentecost
The day of Pentecost is the Sunday following the end of the fifty days of Easter. The Day of Pentecost commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus in the immediate days after the ascension of Jesus.
Sermons from Easter
April 11, 2021
The Second Sunday of Easter
Risen with Wounds? — Sermon by Matt Marston
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April 4, 2021
Easter
Afraid of Good News — Sermon by Matt Marston
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Sermons from Lent
The Sixth Sunday in Lent
March 28, 2021
Forgiveness is Never Free — Sermon by Matt Marston
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The Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 14, 2021
Children of Wrath? — Sermon by Matt Marston
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The Third Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2021
The Wisdom of the Cross — Sermon by Matt Marston
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The First Sunday in Lent
February 21, 2021
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea — Sermon by Matt Marston
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Sermons from Epiphany
February 14, 2021
Transfiguration Sunday
Overwhelming Glory — Sermon by Matt Marston
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February 7, 2021
The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
The Gospel of God — Sermon by Matt Marston
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January 31, 2021
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Jesus and an Unclean Spirit — Sermon by Matt Marston
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January 24, 2021
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Is Repentance Good News? — Sermon by Matt Marston
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January 17, 2021
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Seeing Greater Things — Sermon by Matt Marston
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The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Approving This Message — Sermon by Matt Marston
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Sermons from Christmas
January 3, 2021
The Second Sunday of Christmas
An Open Orthodoxy — Sermon by Matt Marston
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December 27, 2020
The First Sunday of Christmas
A Different Pattern — Sermon by Matt Marston
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Sermons from Advent 2020
The Third Sunday of Advent
December 13, 2020
The Soil of Rejoicing — Sermon by Matt Marston
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The Second Sunday of Advent
December 6, 2020
Behold Your God — Sermon by Matt Marston
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The First Sunday of Advent
November 29, 2020
Noticing Our Rags — Sermon by Matt Marston
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Sermons from the Season After Pentecost
November 22, 2020
Christ the King Sunday
What Counts in the End – Sermon by Matt Marston
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November 15, 2020
The 24th Sunday after Pentecost
Imagining God – Sermon by Matt Marston
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November 8, 2020
The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Long Haul Faith – Sermon by Matt Marston
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November 1, 2020
All Saints Day
Life Through a Different Lens – Sermon by Matt Marston
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October 25, 2020
The 21st Sunday after Pentecost
How Can Christians Support Racial Justice and Healing?- Sermon by Matt Marston
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October 18, 2020
The 20th Sunday after Pentecost
What Can Christians Add to the Conversation About Justice?- Sermon by Matt Marston
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October 11, 2020
The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Grieving an Unfinished Crisis- Sermon by Emily Harbin
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October 4, 2020
The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Who World is it Anyway?- Sermon by Frank Granger
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September 27, 2020
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Who Does God Love?- Sermon by Joel Snider
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September 20, 2020
The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
What Does the Lord Require– Sermon by Joel Snider
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September 13, 2020
The Ordination of Emily Harbin
The Work of Ministry– Sermon by Paul Baxley
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September 13, 2020
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Always Becoming New — Sermon by Matt Marston
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September 6, 2020
The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Quiet in the Midst of Covid — Sermon by Joel Snider
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August 30, 2020
The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
A Message for All Time(s) — Sermon by Frank Granger
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August 23, 2020
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
A Deacon With An Angel’s Eyes — Sermon by Joel Snider
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August 16, 2020
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Open to Lead: Service — Sermon by Joel Snider
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August 9, 2020
The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
Open to Lead: Trust — Sermon by Joel Snider
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August 2, 2020
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Open to Lead: Purpose — Sermon by Joel Snider
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July 26, 2020
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost — Graduate Recognition
The Balance of Friendship — Sermon by Livy Baxley
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Certainty in an Uncertain World — Sermon by Hollin Hargrave
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July 19, 2020
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
In the Weeds — Sermon by Emily Harbin
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July 12, 2020
The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Delusional — Sermon by Joel Snider
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July 5, 2020
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
The Leading Causes of Life: Sacrifice — Sermon by Joel Snider
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June 28, 2020
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
The Leading Causes of Life: Power — Sermon by Joel Snider
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June 21, 2020
The Third Sunday after Pentecost
The Leading Causes of Life: Blessings — Sermon by Joel Snider
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June 14, 2020
The Second Sunday after Pentecost
The Leading Causes of Life: Connection — Sermon by Joel Snider
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May 31, 2020
Pentecost
Living in Babel: Praying for Pentecost — Sermon by Joel Snider
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