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.
Read More
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 Lent
The Third Sunday in Lent
March 12, 2023
The Judgment of Grace — Sermon by Matt Marston
The Second Sunday in Lent
March 5, 2023
The Irritation of Grace — Sermon by Matt Marston
The First Sunday in Lent
February 26, 2023
The Fragility of Forgiveness — Sermon by Emily Harbin
Sermons from Epiphany
Transfiguration Sunday
February 19, 2023
Highs and Lows — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
February 12, 2023
The World as it Is — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
February 5, 2023
Love is a Narrow Way– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
January 29, 2023
Living Permanently in a Temporary World– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
The Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 22, 2023
Blessed are the Double Agents– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
The Second Sunday after Epiphany
January 15, 2023
Temptation Unveiled — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
The First Sunday after Epiphany
January 8, 2023
A Surprise Baptism — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
Epiphany Sunday
January 1, 2023
Following the Stars — Sermon by Emily Harbin
PLAY SERMON
Sermons from Advent 2022
Christmas Eve
December 24, 2022
Festival of Lessons and Carols
December 18, 2022
The Second Sunday of Advent
December 4, 2022
Beyond the Shadows — Sermon by Emily Harbin
PLAY SERMON
The First Sunday of Advent
November 27, 2022
More Light and More Truth — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
Sermons from the Season After Pentecost
November 20, 2022
Stewardship Dedication Sunday
God’s Presence in Other Nations– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
November 13, 2022
The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Eternity Hidden in Our Hearts– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
November 6, 2022
All Saints’ Sunday
The Table and the Cup — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
October 30, 2022
The 21st Sunday After Pentecost
Why Does God Hide? — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
October 23, 2022
The Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
God in Our Mistakes — Sermon by Emily Harbin
PLAY SERMON
October 16, 2022
The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Is God on Our Side? — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
October 9, 2022
The Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
God Known in Atonement — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
October 2, 2022
The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
Blood and Bread — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
September 25, 2022
The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
The Presence of an Elusive God: The Frightening Presence of God — Sermon by Emily Harbin and Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
September 18, 2022
The Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
WHWY: An Unknown Name — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
September 11, 2022
The Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
What’s in an Image? — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
September 4, 2022
The Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Partial Vision — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
August 28, 2022
The Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
One Day at at Time — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
August 21, 2022
The Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
More Than We Imagine– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
August 14, 2022
The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
Buried Treasure– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
August 7, 2022
The Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
Final Judgment and Good News — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON 
July 31, 2022
The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
A Resurrection Like His — Sermon by Paul Baxley
PLAY SERMON
July 24, 2022
The Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
A Mutual and Mysterious Blessing — Sermon by Emily Harbin
PLAY SERMON
July 17, 2022
The Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
A Dip and a Journey — Sermon by Janet Cleland
PLAY SERMON
July 10, 2022
The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
Faith. Hope. Sight. — Sermon by Frank Granger
PLAY SERMON
July 3, 2022
The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Repentance: Fight the Powers– Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
June 26, 2022
The Third Sunday After Pentecost
Minding Our Thoughts — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
June 19, 2022
The Second Sunday After Pentecost
Burn the Notebook — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
June 12, 2022
Trinity Sunday
Why We Should Name the Trinity Three Ways — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
June 5, 2022
Day of Pentecost
The Presence of the Future — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
Sermons from Easter
May 29, 2022
The Seventh Sunday of Easter
A Song of Humility — Sermon by Emily Harbin
PLAY SERMON
May 22, 2022
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Abounding Love — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
May 15, 2022
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
On the Night He Was Betrayed — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
May 8, 2022
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Sheep in Autonomous Clothing — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
April 24, 2022
The Second Sunday of Easter
Honest Thomas — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON
April 17, 2022
Easter
Your Own Personal Easter — Sermon by Matt Marston
PLAY SERMON