Palm Sunday | Matthew 21:1-11
In this sermon, Pastor Caleb tells the story of God's redemptive promise through the language of hospitality. God is the hospitable one, we are wanted and welcome at the table, and we are called to extend that hospitality to the world.
““Slaves cannot repent their way out of slavery. They can only be delivered.” ”
This sermon on Romans discusses our slavery to sin and more so, the freedom that is made possible in Jesus Christ. "Salvation doesn't mean only being forgiven for sins. For Paul it means being delivered..."
Rev. Dr. Aaron Kuecker offered a homily on the upside down world of Job. This homily provides a sweeping look at Job's perspective at the opening of the book and how his perspective has changed by the end of the book.
The early church turned to the transfiguration for great hope and encouragement. Why? Can this bizarre story offer us hope and encouragement? Can it make us more sure of the promises of God?
In Leviticus, we are told to be holy, like our God is holy. Leviticus 19 is famous for its commands: love the foreigner in your land, leave food in your fields for the poor, do not favor the rich or the poor. The commands of Leviticus tell us something about God, something about God's people Israel, and something about what the church ought to look like.
Bob's homily on Matthew 5:13-20 reminded us that Christians ARE salt and ARE light. These aren't goals that we strive for. They are realities we live into.
A week after the Beatitudes were read at President Trump's Inauguration the same passage fell into our lap. It felt right to read that passage in its proper place, the community of faith. "If we do nothing else this morning," Caleb said, "We will at least hear Christ's words in the place that they belong. We will sit at Jesus' feet and hear his words and we will take them seriously."
Grace Chicago was honored to welcome Dr. Miroslav Volf to the pulpit on January 15, 2017. Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale university and the Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Below is the audio of his homily entitled: Joy, Desire, and Responsibility.
In this Christmas homily, Pastor Caleb reflects on the world into which Jesus was born. Caesar Augustus was the "son of god" who brought peace into a world that worships and deifies power and authority. Jesus enters as God, not in order to win Caesar's game, but in order to turn the entire world on its head in order to save it.
During Advent we used storytelling to explore themes of waiting, captivity, grief, and hope. Storytelling allows individuals to explore their own stories and allows them to share those personal stories with a community. It is a powerful art form.