Sermon Archive
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May 2019
A Showdown Between Two Men of Faith
Even non-Christians know and understand the reference when you speak of a “David-versus-Goliath” scenario. Of course, that means two opponents who are wildly mismatched in size, skill, strength or some other competitive advantage. This Sunday, we will be studying 1 Samuel 17 together, which details for us the thrilling account of when David accepted the challenge of a freakishly large Philistine man named Goliath to fight as two representative champions of their respective armies. Winne…
David In the Service of Saul
I hope you can listen to this message as we worship God through the study of His Word. We’ll be continuing our study through the life of David by unpacking the second half of 1 Samuel 16 in which God will ironically use the unwitting King Saul to bring his replacement, David, into his service for some training in the ways of the court. I’m excited about what God will say to us through this portion of scripture as we study it together.
April 2019
The Boy Who Would Be King
I hope you can listen in to this message as we embark on a new sermon series through the life of Israel’s greatest King, David. His story spans multiple books, and his life story is rich with meaning and application for God’s people today. Like most people we encounter in God’s Word, David is a complicated figure. He defies simple labels. This coming Sunday we will be unpacking the first 13 verses of 1 Samuel 16. In those verses we will be introduced to David for the first time, and as he is anointed King by the prophet Samuel we will learn some important principles about Biblical leadership.
Enter By the Narrow Gate
On March 27, 1513, a squadron of three ships flying Spanish colors drew within sight of the Florida mainland for the first time. The leader of the expedition was an aging Conquistador named Juan Ponce De Leon. He came ashore at a site just south of where the St. John’s River flows out into the Atlantic, and there he planted a cross and raised the royal banner of Spain. Because he made this discovery at Easter time he called this new land that he’d discovered “Terra de Pascua Florida,” w…
Making Known the Unknown God
On January 8, 1815 a rag tag force of approximately 4,700 Americans under the command of General Andrew Jackson defeated 11,000 British Regulars in the Battle of New Orleans. However, as you may remember from history class, the great irony of that battle was that it came just fifteen days after the signing of the treaty of Ghent which officially ended the war. In those days news traveled at the rate of wind-powered boats and horses, and news didn’t reach forces in the field until after th…
A Jailer Set Free
In this message we will be studying the exciting account in Acts 16 of how a first century prison guard in the city of Philippi became a follower of Jesus. I have never worked as a prison guard exactly, but when I was a police officer my job was at times not so dissimilar. I’m not sure if this is also true in Maine, but in Vermont, where I worked in law enforcement, when I would arrest someone during court hours I had to take them over to the courthouse to see the judge that same day. Und…
March 2019
The Conversion of Lydia
The sixteenth chapter of Acts documents for us the moment when the Gospel first arrived onto the mainland of the European continent. In the centuries that followed Christianity would go on to become the prevailing worldview of nearly all European peoples. Christianity would serve as the muse that inspired painters, musicians, architects, and craftsmen of all sorts. From those countries Christianity would gain many of its most influential thought leaders. Today the European landscape is dott…
A Blind Guide Exposed
The only training I ever received in delivering a death announcement was during my time at the Vermont Police Academy. One afternoon, the belt broke on a vacuum cleaner as it was being used in one of the academy’s hallways. We had just received a block of instruction on CPR so our instructors thought they would use this as an opportunity to test our knowledge of the subject. They singled out a friend of mine and demanded that he attempt CPR on the broken vacuum cleaner. Giggles ran up and d…
The First Frontier of Mission: Our Own Wicked Hearts
I remember once in Junior High I overheard a classmate of mine explain to a teacher why she celebrates St. Patrick’s Day. “St. Patrick was Irish,” she said “And my family is super Irish!” She was dressed all in green with temporary shamrock tattoos on both cheeks.
The teacher was smiling and nodding her head, when I interrupted, “Actually, St. Patrick was from England,” I said. “He wasn’t Irish. He was brought to Ireland as a slave, but he escaped, and then later he came back to Ir…
The Changed Mind of Paul
As I have disclosed previously, I am a fan of westerns, and it seems to me that one of the unsung heroes of all the many westerns that I have watched are the horses. I mean really, what would a western be without horses? Would the bad guys just walk into town? Would the good guy ride off into the sunset on a bicycle?
There comes a moment though in nearly every western where somebody makes a horse do something that it would never do if left to its own devices. In the movies I have see…
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