A dramatic encounter leads to a parable with a dramatic confrontation in this story from Luke. Together, they can help us understand what we might do with any parable.Preaching text:  Luke 12:13-21Bible for Worship is a weekl...

Katy Warren preaches on prayer. Many of us desire to have a rich prayer life but are wondering what to pray, how to pray, wondering if we’re doing it right or if anyone is listening to the words we’re saying. If your prayers feel unanswered or ...

Luke frames the familiar prayer that Jesus taught in particular ways to encourage a community living through difficult times with the promise that God's gift of the spirit is certain, is present, and is the daily nourishment and forgiveness nee...

Mark Niethammer preaches on distractions. In today’s world, distractions are constant and often unavoidable. But how often do they keep us from doing what truly matters? We're called to choose what’s better in each moment—to be fully present, a...

In an exchange between Jesus and a familiar friend named Martha, Luke addresses a key question of discipleship and the many needs out of which the world calls to gospel ministers.Preaching text: Luke 10:38-42Bible for Worship is a...

Mac Mullins preaches on roots during his final weekend as pastor in residency. These days, it feels like the foundation of our lives is hanging on by a thread. Safety and security often feel far away. Our gift is our life in Christ and it is et...

The author of Colossians confronts a perennial question of faith, offering people of every era a clear standard for knowing whom and what to follow in a faithful life.Preaching text: Colossians 2:6-10Bible for Worship is a weekly ...

Maddy Tyler preaches on being shaped by others. Putting yourself out there takes a lot of courage, vulnerability, and faith. We are the sum of all the people we get to meet in our lives and we are changed by all of those people. Big or small, g...

Mac Mullins preaches on drawing boundaries. When two deeply held priorities clash, we must decide which matters more—ours or God's. God's priorities, rooted in selfless love, always take precedence. Following God requires courage and the willin...

Luke tells of Jesus sending out 72 people "to every place where he himself intended to go"; through this story, we learn how we all can pave the way for Jesus to arrive in any home, town, or heart.Preaching text: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20<...

John, the gospel writer, sets two scenes in mirror relation to one another to demonstrate the power of forgiveness for reconciliation and to underscore the kind of leadership to which Jesus calls those who love him.Preaching text: John 2...

Mark Niethammer preaches on healing. What unites us as people is far more significant than what pulls us apart from each other, but it can be difficult to live that out on a daily basis. We all know what it feels like to have something broken i...

As God shows that Jesus wields the most effective power of all, Luke tells the story in such a way that the power creates reassurance rather than fear, and hope rather than terror.Preaching text: Luke 8:26-39Bible for Worship is a...

Katy Warren preaches on assumptions. Every person you meet has their own unique, multi-faceted story. One detail of someone’s life shouldn’t define all of who they are. Embrace the willingness to ask questions, look beyond first impressions or ...

As part of Jesus' last word to the disciples, John responds to the challenge of an enduring Word of God in a changing world. The promise of the Spirit of Truth assures the Jesus community that the Word that God spoke to Israel and the disciples...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on the Holy Spirit as wind. The Greek word for spirit is ‘pneuma.’ Pneuma has multiple meanings including wind, breath, and spirit. Wind is both strong and gentle, a soothing whisper and a powerful storm. We can never ...

Mark Niethammer preaches on human annoyances. A faithful life is possible even in the messiness of our days. When we embrace the love of God, that love brings us into the lives of others, into community, and then spreads, changing everyone in i...

With dramatic flair and deep biblical echoes, the gospel writer Luke opens the story of the Book of Acts as one that will bring to all people the power of life over death that biblical Israel and Jews already knew in the mighty acts of God....

John closes the account of Jesus' public ministry with the final words of Jesus' prayer for the disciples, that God will hold them together against every divisive and polarizing claim,  to offer to all people what God has sent Jesus to bri...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on God's grace. Our lives are like the water of a watershed, which eventually flows toward a big river. All creation will be pulled by the gravity of grace into the goodness, care, and the ultimate joy of life with God...

The Book of Revelation presents a soaring vision of the city of God to which all nations turn for praise and healing, with a surprising twist regarding when and where that vision comes into reality.Preaching text: Revelation 21:10, 22-22...

Katy Warren preaches on love. Often, we think there is only so much love to share, but love is not a limited resource. There is more than enough to go around. In all areas of our lives, we have new opportunities to love more. Love doesn’t get u...

Luke's reassurance to the community reading Acts that they are indeed included in the life-giving work of God's spirit becomes for us, as readers of Acts, an encouragement to look for the surprising places where God's Spirit might be at work to...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on trust. The words of Psalm 23 provide comfort, but the psalm doesn’t just talk about a comfortable kind of love from God. Human life is full of challenges and battles, grief and sorrow. Our faith gives us what we nee...

Set at the Jewish Festival of Renewal, John's story about Jesus shows that God renews the promise of life for all people over and over again, in different times and places and ways, yet all life  — and eternal life — comes from God....