Category: Sermon Preview

Learning to Rest

This Sunday we are looking at rest, relaxation, and Sabbath.

As Christians, learning to rest and connect with God should be something that is a part of our weekly rhythm, but often it’s not. Often our lives are hurried, rushed, and even frantic. We have emails, meetings, kids classes to take, and an effort to eat healthy. All of this can leave us feeling drained and down before we even come to take a rest.

So on Sunday I want to explore not why we should rest. I think we all know that it’s healthy to rest. Simply work 7 days a week for 6 months and see how you feel after that. The point isn’t why we need to, but how we might rest.

This is what I want to explore on Sunday, how the practice of Sabbath can actually drive our relationship with God and others deeper. I want to seek to share with you how you might start to rest and relax. I want to discover a surprising reality that the very first thing that is called holy isn’t a thing at all, but a period of time.

But why wait to start taking a Sabbath till we’ve talked about it Sunday. Why not start this weekend? Plan out a time to rest and relax. What is it that really helps you to slow down and connect?

For me I’m planning a lovely late Friday night meal with my amazing wife, once Hudson has gone to bed. We’ll talk and sip some fancy soda’s given to us from the church, talk, and reflect. And then have a late night cup of coffee.

This is my plan, but for you – is resting important enough to actually plan? Is it something you hope to do? Or something you must do? Because what we’ll understand on Sunday is that Sabbath is a gift – a gift though you have to choose to receive…

by Andrew Mills

The Story of Baptism and the Story of Grace

On Sunday I’ve chosen an odd topic, one that now that I’ve got into it, I find so beautiful, compelling, and life-changing. What’s odd about the topic is that it is Baptism.

I would say that most people don’t feel that a sermon on Baptism is beautiful. They either feel forced or guilt driven by it, if they haven’t been baptized, or feel it’s a waste of time or redundant, if they have been baptized. The problem with that is, when you read about the story of Baptism in Acts 8, it is anything but boring, redundant, guilt-driven, or forced. The story is all about grace, gospel, life, and beauty. The story is about how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we see the church. The story of baptism reminds us of our identity, the gospel of grace, and the people of God.

So I know it’s odd to preach on Baptism. I know that you might have heard sermons that seem to be trying to convict people to make a choice to be baptized. I know you might have heard sermons that didn’t speak to you because you’ve already been baptized. But I don’t believe Sunday is going to be at all like that, because as I’ve been preparing, God’s been changing me. He’s been using this odd topic to remind me of who I am in Christ, of how I should see my neighbors, and how I should value the church. So my prayer is that on Sunday he’ll keep doing what he’s started in my life, changing us through a story of grace and gift.

So on Sunday if you want to find out about the gospel, grace, and your identity in Jesus, we’re going to find out all about that through the spiritual practice of Baptism. But before we get there why not take a moment and read Acts 8. Simply read it a few times, and see what you notice and how God speaks to you through it. And come Sunday we’ll see how one man’s life was changed and how ours can be as well…

by Andrew Mills

Power of Prayer

On Sunday we are starting a new series on spiritual practices. These practices are incredibly important. The reality is that many people want to grow closer to God but they don’t know how.

So over the next few weeks we are going to be looking at practices that have drawn Christians deeper into a relationship with Jesus throughout the years. That whether you are exploring Jesus, growing with Jesus, or completely centered in Jesus, you could discover a next step to grow further. Because the reality is that the Christian is never finished, we can always grow more, take another new step, and become more Christlike.

So on Sunday we are starting by looking at prayer. We are going to be discovering what prayer is, what it does, and how to actually do it. To do this we are looking at the creation of the world, the life of David, and Jesus all in one sermon. So it will be a bit of a whirlwind but through it, our hope is that prayer will become more real to you than ever before. Henri Nouwen writes:

“Praying is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other than yourself to enter into the very center of your person, to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, and to touch there what you would rather leave untouched.”

So we are going to discover how God can change darkness to light in prayer. We will be learning what tohu va vohu means and how it changes David’s and Jesus’ prayer life.

But before we get there, what has helped your prayer life? What questions about prayer do you still struggle with? And does prayer matter to you?

On Sunday we’ll see how it matters and how it changes darkness into light…

by Andrew Mills

My Favorite Verse in the Bible…

What is your favorite verse in the Bible?

Seriously?

Which verse do you turn to for support, encouragement, challenge, or direction?

If you had to choose one verse to be a verse that explains your life, what would it be?

Many people have different verses that resonate for them. Each is valid and important if God uses it to guide and shape you. Many of my youth, when I was a youth pastor, found great comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord”. Other people have a verse from the Psalms. So what’s yours?

The reason I bring it up is because on Sunday I’m going to be preaching on my favorite verse in the Bible. This is my favorite verse – theme verse, life verse, whatever you want to call it. It comes up all the time in my mind, and I’m going to share it with you on Sunday. If you’ve been following our series you know that my favorite verse is found in Nehemiah of all places. So feel free to read through the whole book and try to find it, but if you don’t find it by Sunday, don’t worry, I’ll share with you how it directs my life and can direct and change yours too!

by Andrew Mills

Professional Dream Killers

The reality is some people feel their job is to be professional dream killers. These are people who when you share the difference your called to make often start with a statement like this: “Let me be the Devil’s advocate; Let’s bring this back to reality; We don’t deal in dreams but in facts” etc…

 The reality is as soon as you start to try to make a difference someone will start to try to stop it. They’ll say this is reality, this has been tried before, it can’t be done, you’re not the right person, or you’re not qualified. You might have a professional dream killer in your office, family, board, committee, or even church. The question is how do you overcome the obstacles they put in your place? What is the right way to move forward? How do you overcome the questions when they stop being “nice, helpful questions” to purpose hurtful and destructive comments?

Because the truth is, if you have ever tried to follow God’s dream for your life – you have encountered challenge, obstacles, and hurtful people. You have had to face professional dream killers. So how do you overcome it? What has helped you? What hasn’t worked?

And then on Sunday we are going to find out how Nehemiah overcame his own professional dream killers. We’ll see how he both met their challenges and overcame them. Because if we want to reach our God-given visions, we’re going to have to learn how to overcome obstacles and opposition. But that’s why God’s calling you to make a difference, not because it’s easy but because it’s worthwhile…

by Andrew Mills

Learning to Launch Well

This Sunday we are going to be looking at something very practical. When God gives you something to live for ~ how do you actually go about doing it? Let’s say like Nehemiah you’ve been given a vision, a passion, or a burden for something. You’ve been waiting, praying, and preparing and the door to walk forward opens. So you start to tentatively believe and move forward to God’s vision for your life. What do you practically do to ensure you’ll succeed?

Because the truth is, it can be both exciting and terrifying to start to try to make a difference. When you start to step out into God’s dream for your life you can be worried it will falter, you can reach opposition, and you can be unsure of the next steps. So on Sunday we are going to look at the steps Nehemiah takes and how they relate to our own personal lives. How if you want to start a ministry, launch a business, save a relationship, we can discover some practical steps to moving forward. And then next week we’re looking at how to deal with opposition. But for this week we’re going to look at the steps to take to launch a vision well.

But before we get there if you were to decide on a few next steps for yourself personally what would they be? If you were to launch that business, that ministry, to start that new job or calling, what might some of your initial thoughts be? Think about those and then come Sunday we’ll see if they are similar to the steps of Nehemiah…

To catch up on the series before Sunday download all the sermons here.

by Andrew Mills

Difficult Passages and Deep Meanings: Ezekiel 1

This Sunday we are going to be exploring an overwhelming if not downright difficult vision. We are going to be looking at Ezekiel 1 and the vision that God gives to Ezekiel there. Why not take a moment right now if you can and take a look at the vision.

It is complex, startling, and seems very otherworldly. Ezekiel paints a difficult to see picture of wheels within wheels, beings that had a human shape with four faces and lots of fire.

The question I really want to pursue on Sunday is what does this vision mean? What do we do when we come up to something like this in the Bible that isn’t just difficult to picture but difficult to understand? And also what do we do with some visions like this that happened so long ago? How do they relate to a world with blogs, iPhones, and Pinterest?

Well, as we’ll discover this vision has just about everything to do with our everyday lives. This vision has so much to tell us about how our relationships work, how our hope works, and most of all, where God is in the darkness. So come Sunday we’re going to unpack this difficult vision. I’m going to attempt to also draw and illustrate what’s going on in it.

But here is a little cryptic teaser about how to discover the meaning and message of this vision beforehand.

           The message isn’t in the vision; the vision is the message.

I’ll unpack that statement on Sunday, but for today read the vision, try to picture it, wrestle with it, and come ready to discover on Sunday…and also be ready for some really poor drawing…

by Andrew Mills

Hearing Psalm 121

Over the summer we’ve been looking at different Psalms. To download the sermons in this series click here.

On Sunday we are going to be looking at Psalm 121. It is by far one of my favorite Psalms. In fact it became my favorite through an unlikely source…a hasidic Jewish reggae rapper named Matisyahu. Yes, I know an odd combination, but he sang about it and reminded me something about these Psalms. They are to be sung. They are to be heard. They are to be experienced. There is something powerful through speaking these promises aloud.

So before we even get to Sunday why not take a moment, relax and read out Psalm 121 aloud. See what you notice. Read it a few times. Let it settle into your soul. And then come Sunday we are going to not only read it, but also experience it through communion together. We are going to God and experience how our help only comes from the Lord. So to begin today – read it slowly, read it aloud, and let God speak to you through Psalm 121:

Psalm 121

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

by Andrew Mills

How do you find God?

How do you find God?

This seems to be a very important question if you are a Christian. Or maybe it’s better put “How do you let God find you?”

This is what we are going to be looking at on Sunday. The point is that the Bible is very clear, Christ is in you, the Spirit is in you, and the Father loves you. So how do we live in light of these realities? How do we experience the presence and connection with God that I think many of us desire?

So that’s what we’re going to be looking at on Sunday from Psalm 84. But before we get there, what about you? What do you do in your life that helps to connect you with God? What is it in your life that allows you to be found by God?

This is not about creating new rules or laws to connect with God; it’s about creating some healthy rhythms that cultivate relationships. For example, with my wife,we have rhythms of eating, sitting outside together, and cooking together that sustain our relationship. None of these are rules, but when this rhythm fades because of busyness or a lack of priority our relationship suffers. If I miss one meal with my wife, our relationship won’t suffer. If I don’t make it a priority to eat any meals with her, our relationship will quickly fade. I think the same thing can happen with God. The point is that if you miss your “quiet time” one morning with God you’re relationship with him isn’t in danger. If though, you never put any time or effort into it – how can you expect it to grow?

So, for you, what rhythms help to develop your relationship with him? Is it music, dancing, conversation, creation, or something else? For me I often find God in conversations, in regular moments with a cup of coffee, a stolen moment of silence at work, or when I’m creating something. But what about you? What brings you closer to God? What rhythms or practices have helped you to cultivate a relationship with him?

And lastly, and most importantly, are you practicing them? Because when we seek God, as we’ll find out on Sunday, the promise is we will be found by him.

Rabbi Jason Shulman writes, “There are many books that tell us how to find God. But the truth is that God is not lost or hiding. In fact, it is the actual continuous, omnipresence of God that is so hard for the human mind to fathom.”

So today why not create some space to be found by God, and realize he’s already with you…

by Andrew Mills

Following our Shepherd ~ Psalm 23 (God is With You)

This Sunday we are going to be looking at the most familiar of all the Psalms. We’re looking at Psalm 23. Hegel, a famous philosopher, once said that the familiar is unknown because it is familiar. And often when something is familiar we breeze past it, we overlook it, and we assume we understand it. This Sunday we’re going to not assume anything but look at this passage as it was meant to be understood: as if we were sheep.

Yep that’s right, we’re going to be talking a lot about sheep, because David in this Psalm is talking a lot about what he knows: shepherding and sheep.

So on Sunday come ready to discover not only about ourselves but even more importantly about the Lord who is a shepherd. This Psalm is about discovering a God who cares for us, provides for us, protects us, welcomes us, and directs us. And isn’t that what we need? A God who walks with us. A God who isn’t distant but, like a good shepherd, is right next to you guiding you as you walk, leading you to rest, and ready to give you life.

So today maybe reflect and rest on that for a moment. Slow down and realize no matter what you are going through God is with you. Even if it’s dark and the valley of death seems to overshadow everything, God is with you. If you’re drowning and don’t have enough time, finances, or energy, God is with. If you’re surrounded on all sides and lost, God is with you. God is with you in all that’s ahead of you today.

So as your day continues look for God, because he is the Good Shepherd that never leaves his sheep.

by Andrew Mills