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Past Sermons
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The Gospel According to Pixar
July 30-Aug. 20, 2023 Pixar Animation Studios is an American computer animation studio that has produced 27 feature films and has won numerous awards and recognitions. Ultimately, Pixar is known for finding and developing great stories and using computer animation to tell them. The Gospel (gospel means “good news”) of Jesus Christ is the great story of Jesus of Nazareth who shared the good news of God’s love for all and helped people love God and love each other. The story of Jesus has changed the world. In this preaching series, Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka will explore how four Pixar films (Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Inside Out and Up) demonstrate Jesus’ Gospel truths for our lives of faith today. |
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In Joy
July 2-23, 2023 Human beings need joy. Joy can result from the positive circumstances in our lives, but if positive circumstances are required, then joy will be elusive. No life escapes disappointment. No life escapes suffering. Yet, Christ teaches us that aided by courage and some practice, joy can find us even in hard times. To be in Christ is to learn to be in joy. Rev. Tom Are preaches this sermon series. |
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Why Church?
June 4-25, 2023 The Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life reports that nearly a quarter of American adults report that they have no religious affiliation, an all time high. The majority of these persons say they are “spiritual, but not religious.” American young adults, persons in their 20s and 30s, share common critiques of “organized religion.” A majority of them say the church is full of people who are judgmental and hypocritical. Further, they say the church is anti-gay, anti-women, and anti-science. In this preaching series, we will explore these criticisms as we seek to answer the question: Why Church? |
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Do I Have a Story for You!
Rev. Tom Are - May 7-28, 2023 In this series, we will walk with God “at the time of the evening breeze.” We will see what we can learn from a talking snake. We will discover how familiar the first brothers can be to us. And we will discover the risk to us all when “the whole earth had one language and the same words.” After all these generations, these first Biblical stories still reveal truth about ourselves that we need to know. |
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Get a Life: Walking in Peter’s Footsteps
Rev. Tom Are - Feb. 26-April 9, 2023 This Lent we will journey with the Apostle Peter, the first disciple to be called and among the last to fall away. He had moments of brilliance as well as utter failure. The invitation of Jesus, to all he encountered, was to live a particular life. Peter had the courage to follow this invitation and he discovered that Jesus eventually gave his life that we all might get a life… a life that God intends for us. |
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Stay & Pray: God’s Invitation to Human Connection
Rev. Sally S. Wright - Feb. 19, 2023 "The best baby gift I received was a retired pediatric nurse offering to stay overnight and keep watch over my twin three-month-old babies. What a gift to have someone remain present with my children for one whole, uninterrupted night of sleep for me! In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked his disciples to stay awake with him and pray. The poor disciples could not seem to stay awake, unlike the nurse who kept my kids all night. There is a close connection between presence and prayer. If Jesus can ask the disciples to be present and to pray, we can take his example and ask for it, too. Let’s explore together." —Rev. Sally S. Wright |
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I Am…Bread. Light. Way. Life.
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka - Jan. 8-Feb. 12, 2023 We make the bold claim that we are the “Church of Jesus Christ” and that “Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the Church is built.” But who is Jesus really? In the Gospel of John, there are seven times when Jesus tells us who he is; seven times Jesus says, “I am...” In this sermon series, Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka will explore each of these seven “I am” statements and together, we will discover what they say about Jesus Christ and what they say about us. |
Explore the Sermon Archive
2022
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Hopes and Fears of All the Years
Nov. 27, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023 No matter what has happened this year—and surely you have experienced painful and frightening things—the love of this season is for you. It will meet you wherever you are. It is a holy love that calls you by name. So, in a frightening world, do not be afraid. |
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Gratitude Does
Rev. Hallie Hottle - Nov. 20, 2022 This week we’ll likely gather around tables with people we care about, and if we’re successful in remembering why we’ve gathered, we’ll recount our lists of gratitude. Our story for today takes us to another table. Perhaps like ours, not everyone around this table agreed with one another. But here, instead of talking about gratitude, Mary Magdalene startles everyone at the party by giving us a radical example of what gratitude looks like. Two thousand years later, this story continues to invite us to consider what gratitude “does.” |
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The Good That is Ours to Do
Rev. Tom Are & Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka - Oct. 23-Nov. 13, 2022 There was a time when the church was convinced that we would conquer the world. Maybe whoever Luke was, who wrote the book of Acts, had such a confidence. Western Christianity certainly did as recently as 100 years ago. But we are different now. We know that, in our time, there are more conversations about the church’s irrelevance. While we at Village are blessed with remarkable strengths, we know that we often feel that our strength can seldom match the demands and needs of the world in which we live. The gift of such a position is that it reminds us of our dependence on God. We choose to do the good that is ours to do and see what God will do with that. |
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Sometimes We Need to Ask for Directions
Rev. Tom Are & Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka - Sept. 11-Oct. 16, 2022 If you desired your faith to grow and to be in a different place a year from now, to make the coming year a year of spiritual journey, what would you need to do? How would you start? This series will reflect on some practices and possibilities for such a journey. For our faith journey to continue, sometimes, we need to ask for directions. |
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What Was Intended for Harm
Rev. Zach Walker - Sept. 4, 2022 If you know about Joseph in the Bible, you know life does not come without challenges, difficulties and trauma. As we look at Joseph we can draw out some insight about how we work through those difficult seasons, and we find a God who is willing to work both in us and for us, even in our darkest days. |
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Sensing Faith
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka - Aug. 7-21, 2022 Youth Sunday - Aug. 28, 2022 Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit and by God’s grace, comes to us through a variety of ways. Sometimes faith comes through something we hear: a song, a sermon, a conversation. Sometimes faith comes through something we feel: a gentle touch, a hug, a fresh breeze on a hot day. In this sermon series, Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka will explore how faith comes through taste, sight and smell. |
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I Have a Question...
Rev. Tom Are - May 8-July 10, 2022 Life raises questions. Sometimes it raises questions that require a response from our faith. The teaching of the faith raises questions as well. Sometimes it requires that we ponder how the faith relates to the demands of ordinary life. Each Sunday, we bring such questions to worship. Each Sunday from May 8-July 10, the sermons will speak to many of the questions you have raised. Does prayer work? Can we love our enemies? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do we deal with all the divisions in our world? It is hoped that these messages will spur your own thinking about how you respond to questions such as these. |
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Life in the Wilderness
Rev. Tom Are - Jan. 2-April 17, 2022 Three decades after the ministry of Jesus, life was chaotic for Christians in the Roman empire. Serious earthquakes occurred. Christians became scapegoats for the disastrous fire that destroyed much of Rome, and as a result were rounded up and put to death by the most horrific means. A Jewish revolt was put down by the Roman Army, leaving the temple in Jerusalem destroyed again. During this tumultuous time, someone we call Mark wrote the first Gospel. He tells the story that changes the world. In this series, we will travel with Mark from the beginning to the resurrection. Life 2,000 years after Jesus remains chaotic, but perhaps this story will change us. Mark bears witness that there can be abundant life even in the wilderness. |
2021
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Joy When You Need It Most
Rev. Tom Are - Nov. 28-Dec. 26, 2021 This is the season when we light the candles of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. This year, perhaps more than most, we need a little joy. When spirits are battered and the heart is bruised, when life is wearying and hope is fragile, joy can seem hard to come by. But joy is a strong disposition. Joy is both a gift and a spirit that is pursued. It is an experience of grace and also the fruit of discipline. This Advent we will rehearse once again the story that is the source of joy to the world, as well as joy to us when we need it most. |
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Christian DNA: A Series on Faith, Hope and Love
Rev. Tom Are - Nov. 7-21, 2021 Over the generations there have been seemingly endless volumes written to describe the Christian life. What does it mean to trust a life to Christ? What does such a life look like? More importantly, how do we describe the community that seeks to follow Christ? It’s a complicated question and there is no simple answer, but Paul boils it down to three words: faith, hope and love. However we describe Christianity, the DNA of the church is faith, hope and love. |
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The World God So Loved is This World
Oct. 24-31, 2021 We see the consequences every day—fires, floods, droughts, storms. The financial and human costs continue to rise as homes are destroyed, lives are lost, and millions are made refugees. When the conditions for human life on the planet are stressed, it becomes a matter of conscience for people of faith, who are called to love the neighbor. There is a lot of bad news, and the science indicates that things will get worse before they get better. But we live in hope, because the earth is a great place to live, and it is a world that God loves. |
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Finding God—This Place and On the Move
Rev. Sally Wright - Oct. 17, 2021 Rev. Sally Wright preaches about God’s inexplicable presence of awe and glory mixed with the daily focus to spot God on the move. God is both in this place and in everyplace. So, then why do we have churches, sanctuaries and holy places? Our spiritual grandfather Jacob shows us what it means to have places of worship and to find God on the move. Our scripture reading will be Genesis 28:10-22. |
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The Church: An Already/Not Yet People
Rev. Tom Are - Sept. 5-Oct. 10, 2021 What is a church good for? Why did God decide the world that God loves needs a church? Well, there are several responses to such questions. A few centuries ago, the Presbyterian Church identified some grand purposes to describe what the church is for. These purposes are called the “Great Ends of the Church.” There are six Great Ends. They describe the life of the church as it is, at least to a point. But they also are aspirational and describe what the church should be. In that sense, they describe the church as it already is, while at the same time, they describe the church as it has yet to become. Rev. Are will explore each of these ancient statements. They are hopeful. They are challenging. They are relevant, perhaps more relevant today than they were when they were drafted centuries ago. When the church chooses to live toward these Great Ends or Great Purposes, there may be no other place you would rather be in/among these already/not yet people. |
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Practical Wisdom from James
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka - Aug. 1-22, 2021 Youth Sunday - Aug. 29, 2021 In this sermon series, we will explore four ways that faith is lived according to James. Together, we will see how James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the early Christian church in Jerusalem, provides practical wisdom for how we follow Jesus today. |
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Choose the World You Want to Live In
June 6-July 25, 2021 Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven as Matthew identifies it. It’s not heaven; it's life lived genuinely and authentically in this world. But it is also like stepping into a foreign country where the culture and foods and music and expectations are different, because this kingdom is God’s, not ours. Jesus showed us what that kingdom looks like by the way he lived his life. But he also taught us about that kingdom by telling particular kinds of stories we call parables. The parables were descriptive, but they were also invitational. Each telling invites us to choose which world we want to live in…the world we have structured, or the kingdom of heaven? |
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Tell Me a Story
Rev. Zach Walker - May 30, 2021 We are, both as Christians and as humans, a story people. We enjoy stories, we learn from stories; but over the past year we have in some ways been unable to hear each other’s stories as often as we might like. Why is it a loss when we don’t share stories with each other? And more than that, what are the stories we deem important enough to share? |
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You’ve Got a Friend
Rev. Tom Are - April 25-May 23, 2021 Jesus was accused of being a friend to the wrong people. He also had high expectations for friendship, as once he said the greatest love is in one who lays down their life for a friend. One of the ordination vows proposed to elders, deacons and pastors is this: Will you be a friend among your colleagues in ministry? Friendship is important. Over the year, we have had to get creative in how to practice friendship with one another. In this series Rev. Tom Are will explore why friendships matter and identify barriers that some friendships must overcome. |
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The World Turned Upside Down
Rev. Tom Are - Feb. 21-April 4, 2021 The beatitudes launch the teaching of Jesus that describes the life that God intends, that God blesses and that God creates for us. The beatitudes describe the blessed life. But there is little question that the blessed life depicted in the beatitudes stands in tension with the pursuits of life defined by both ancient and modern cultures. And yet, blessed are you. |
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What God Can Do With Dust
Rev. Hallie Hottle - Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 It’s from dust we came, and to dust we shall return. And yet, the story of scripture reminds us just what God can do with dust. From creation, to restoration in resurrection, God hasn’t needed more than what we already are to do amazing things. |
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2020 Was My Teacher (Lessons Learned During a Hard Year)
Jan. 17-Feb. 14, 2021 What have we learned from a very hard 2020? We can’t afford to waste a crisis. What has 2020 taught us that we should carry forward? Rev. Tom Are offers some modest proposals to address that question. Revs. Melanie Hardison and Sally Wright co-preach on how to find rest in these hard times. Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka concludes the series with “When God is Absent.” For many of us, there were moments in 2020 when it seemed as if God was absent. That is exactly what Job wondered. Facing the loss of his family, friends, home, livelihood, and honor, he asks why God has abandoned him and is absent. Together, we will explore what we do when it feels like God is no longer with us. |
2020
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During this season when COVID-19 has chased us indoors and, in many ways, away from one another, it is common to yearn for things to get back to normal. That’s what we have been waiting for. Advent is a spiritual season of waiting. As people of faith, we are not waiting to “get back” to anything. We are waiting for a promised day that we have yet to see, but it is a day on which we base our lives. In this sense, the church lives every day in the season of Advent. We are waiting for God’s promised day. |
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Close to the Water
Guest Preacher Rev. Meg Peery McLaughlin - Nov. 15, 2020 If you are anything like Rev. Meg Peery McLaughlin, in this COVID-tide, you are making everything up as you go. In Luke’s 10th chapter, Jesus gives his followers some marching orders, words of how to shape life as the church. Perhaps these words could guide and ground us in these topsy-turvy days. Shipwrecked Rev. Zach Walker - Nov. 22, 2020 |
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Village Being Village
Rev. Tom Are - Oct. 25-Nov. 8, 2020 Sounds silly enough, but the most important work of the church is to be the church. The gospel is not an idea or a program, but a community. When we give, it seems so individualized. There is that element. The money I give comes out of my bank account, which for most of us, except trust fund kiddos, comes from the fruit of my labor. But that individual choice makes possible the communal reality in the world. Apart from this, the church evaporates from the ground. God is calling the church in our day to be a community of redemption, grace and peace. |
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Road Trip
Rev. Tom Are - Sept. 13-Oct. 18, 2020 Leaving home is a common hunger. To escape an overbearing parent, to search for a missing loved one, to find excitement, or to find ourselves and live an authentic life. These road trips take a few different forms…some stories are prodigal stories. We leave so that we can come back home again for the first time. A favorite of our time is there is no real destination, the journey is the road. Some are refugee journeys…leaving what you thought was home is search of a place to belong. |
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These, Too, Are Water
Rev. Dr. Brandon Frick - Sept. 6, 2020 Sometimes, the things right in front of us are the hardest to see, even when they shape our lives every day. Right now, we are as a country coming to terms with one force that has hidden in plain sight for centuries: white supremacy. We’ll look at how this sin, and others, deceive us, and how we might see, and challenge it as God’s people. |
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Being The Church
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka - Aug. 9-30, 2020 It has been five months since we have joined together in worship. We miss singing together, praying together, and greeting one another with smiles, handshakes and hugs. Yet in this time of all times, we are reminded that the church is not bound by our buildings. In the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the believers in Corinth, he describes three images for the church. None of these images are dependent upon a building. As the summer draws to a close, it is good for us to remember that we will never change the world by just going to church. We will only change the world by being the church. |
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Summer Reading: Great Stories of Faith
June 14-Aug. 2, 2020 A good story can encourage and inspire as well as instruct. The stories that we tell and the stories we remember can give shape to our lives. The Bible is filled with wonderful stories that time and again open our souls to a deeper understanding of God. This summer we will listen to some great stories. Some of them funny. Some of them challenging. But through each of them, we will listen again for that word that stands forever. |
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How Long, O Lord?
Rev. Tom Are - June 7, 2020 Rev. Tom Are preaches from Psalm 13, one of the many psalms of lament. In his sermon message, Rev. Are said that George Floyd is just one person who has succumbed to this disease of systemic racism that has infected our lands from the time the first Pilgrims disembarked on our sandy shores until this very hour. As we grieve the killing of George Floyd and so many other African Americans, like the psalmist, we cry out to God for justice and hope. |
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There’s a Call for You
May 10-31, 2020 The Bible is full of stories where God calls individuals, and sometimes groups, to live in a certain way or perform certain tasks. God calls Abraham to a journey. Jesus calls fishermen to come and follow. Christ calls Saul to become the Apostle Paul. Does God still call people? More to the point, do you have a call — or maybe a collection of calls from God? Rev. Tom Are’s series will explore this question. We will ask, how does faith in the risen Christ influence every aspect of our lives? To what is God calling you? |
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What Freedom Looks Like
March 1-8, 2020 Freedom is important and something that we should not take for granted. But what does it mean to be free? There is certainly a political way to answer that question. There is also an economic way to express freedom. But human freedom is first a spiritual category. How does Christianity understand what it means for a person to be free? What would it take for us to live toward freedom in our day? |
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Who Do People Say That I Am?
Jan. 12-Feb. 23, 2020 The birth of Jesus comes with many claims regarding his identity. Who is this child? The Angelic choir called him the messiah. Gabriel called him God’s son. Some preferred the name Immanuel. All this and more to describe the child of manger straw. But how do we describe Jesus now? Jesus asked his own followers, “Who do you say that I am?” There’s not one answer to that question. Oh, it’s possible to answer it by quoting the creeds “his only son, our Lord.” But a survey of the Gospel writers reveals that each gospel writer speaks of Jesus differently. Over the next few weeks, we will listen to each Gospel writer’s response to the question, “Who do you say that I am?” We will end the series reflecting on how our understanding of who Jesus is influences our understanding of who we are to be. |
2019
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I Won’t Be Home for Christmas
Dec. 1-24, 2019 Advent is a season of waiting. The church is always in Advent, because we are always waiting on what God will do next, although it is only this time of year that we mark that posture of expectation. Why are we always waiting? Because we aren’t home yet. We, nor the world itself, are as God intends us to be. So, as a people who are always “on the way,” we continue the journey toward home. This series will rehearse some of the expressions of waiting (which can be another word for hope) that is part of this long tradition. |
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A Thanksgiving List
Nov. 24, 2019 At a time when our nation seems more starkly divided and when too many Thanksgiving tables are filled with tension and arguments, the Apostle points the way to a celebration where all are truly welcome. We explore how God calls us to love one another at the Thanksgiving table and beyond. |
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Belief/Unbelief
Nov. 3-17, 2019 You hear this prayer every Sunday: We believe, help our unbelief. This is a series exploring this prayer. You know that Village welcomes questions. We trust that God is never intimidated by our wondering. Not only this, but we also confess that Christian faith invites us to trust that which is so large, so transformational, that it is never easily believed without at least a hint of unbelief. |
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Prophets: God May Not Be Who You Think She Is
Sept. 8-Oct. 27, 2019 This is a study of the Prophets. Sometimes the Prophets critique those who do not trust in God, but usually, they are correcting (or reminding) people’s confused understandings of God. That’s something all of us suffer from at times. Our understanding of God is never stagnant, or at least it shouldn’t be. The prophets try, often unsuccessfully, to push God’s people toward greater faithfulness. |
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People Like Us
June 16-Aug. 18, 2019 The Bible is filled with stories of people. Some of them are of amazing and inspiring folks. Others’ stories tell of folks in desperate need. Many tell of ordinary times. These people we discover in pages of sacred scripture are, however, people like us. They endeavored to live as God’s children amidst the realities of their place and time. Some of them provide inspiring examples of faith. Some walk paths we should avoid. Many were mixtures of belief and unbelief. This summer we will meet – or meet again – a collection of people who can serve as examples as we seek to live as God’s children amidst the realities of the world in our time and place. |
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It Never Lasts
Pentecost Sunday, June 19, 2019 Some have called Pentecost the “birthday of the Church.” The story of Pentecost tells us there was quite a crowd gathered. Some had traveled many miles. Some had traveled across the pages of history to be there. When the Spirit of God moves, she doesn’t want to leave anyone out. |
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Character is Always Chosen
March 17-April 21, 2019 In these weeks that lead us, once again, to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will reflect on who we are called to be as we take our own journey toward the fullness of resurrection. “Who we are called to be” is the point of this sermon series. In his book, "The Road to Character," David Brooks says, “Most of us have clearer strategies for how to achieve career success than we do for how to develop a profound character.” |
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I Wish the Preacher Would Talk About…
Jan. 20-Feb. 24, 2019 In December the church family was invited to share topics to be included in a sermon series. Hundreds of responses were received. Our sermons have been taken from the most frequently requested topics. Over the next few weeks we will speak of topics ranging from the suffering in the world, to heaven, to the "end times." |
2018
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Gospel Writers Tour of Homes
Dec. 2-24, 2018 Part of the power of the celebration of Christmas is found in tradition. You, no doubt, return to familiar observations of the season. There are decorations, foods and other traditions that we revisit year after year. It’s part of what makes it Christmas. This Advent we will consider how each Gospel writer might celebrate this season. How might Matthew decorate his home, or what Carols would be most important to Luke? Each writer speaks of Jesus in a different way, so if we look closely we will find that each Gospel writer celebrates this season in his own way. So, let’s take a Gospel writers Tour of Homes this Advent. It will no doubt bring to sharper focus what will be important to celebrate in our homes this Christmas. |
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Getting Real
Nov. 11-25, 2018 We, at Village, are good people. We really are. But we are not perfect. There would not be a one of us who has escaped feelings from time to time of guilt or disappointment. So, how do we deal with failure? How do we deal with burdens that can weigh heavy at times? In this sermon series we will explore the realities of sin, grace and what to do with a second chance, or third, or however many we might need. |
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Living Toward God’s Promised Day
Oct. 14-Nov. 4, 2018 William Faulkner once wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” There is wisdom in these words, as our yesterdays show up in both predictable and unexpected ways. Nevertheless, the Christian faith provides a different way to look at our day. As Christians we are not primarily defined by our past, but by a future promised day. It is a day when God makes right that which we cannot heal. Of course, we only see glimpses of it in our lives, but it is a day that is trustworthy and true. This is why my last words to you each Sunday are “live toward God’s promised day.” For we are not defined by our yesterdays, not even our grand ones, but by a tomorrow we have yet to see. |
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Prophet & Lost Statements: A Series on Jonah
Sept. 9-Oct. 7, 2018 Jonah was called by God to share a holy word in Nineveh. Nineveh was the last place that Jonah wanted to go. There were good reasons for that. But after a few days in a fish to think things over, Jonah agrees. He's still not happy about it. Some of the prophets were bothered that they had to speak words of judgment (Jeremiah and Isaiah would be among them). Jonah was worried that God might be gracious. So, this prophet tries to get lost.....but one thing that will not happen with a gracious God..... try as you might, you won't be lost. |
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Summer Sermons
June 3-Sept 2, 2018 Rev. Tom Are is on sabbatical this summer. Four guest pastors will preach at Village Church in June and July: Rev. Anne Apple, Rev. Matt Gaventa, Rev. Sarah Wiles and Rev. Pen Peery. They are all wonderful preachers and friends of the church. Also preaching this summer are Village Church pastors Rev. Len Carrell, Rev. Dr. Brandon Frick, Rev. Hallie Hottle, Dr. Rodger Nishioka and Rev. Zach Walker. |
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Curate Your Heart
April 15-May 27, 2018 Some have said we are defined by our work. Some have said we are what we eat. At the deepest level, we are what we love. We can love all manner of things. We love our families and we love vacation. We love our country and we can love good coffee. It seems that love just happens, that love is something into which we fall. But love is also chosen. It is important to ask ourselves if we love the right things. In this sermon series, we will explore how following the life of Christ is a practice of training our hearts to want what God wants, to love the right things. If we are what we love, then curating our hearts is important work. |
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When Things Have Gone Wrong
Feb. 25-April 1, 2018 The season of Lent is a slow walk to the cross. On one hand, the cross is shocking. On the other hand, it is expected. Things go wrong in everyone’s life. Life is not fair. No one escapes suffering. Power is often used in abusive fashion. The passion of Christ did not eliminate the brokenness in our world, but he did battle it every day. He showed us the healing difference that love can make in a world that always knows pain and disappointment. The life of Christ is not simplistic or Pollyanna, but it is hope when things have gone wrong. |
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How Do You Know?
Jan. 21-Feb. 11, 2018 Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” It’s an important question, but there is another question to answer frst. How do you know the truth is genuinely true? How do you know that there are 300 sextillion stars in the universe or that you are made of atoms? How do you know that Columbus “discovered” America? How do you know that Jesus is Lord? How do you know that Muhammad is not? There is likely disagreement on any of these truth claims. In this series, we will consider not simply what it means to talk about the content of truth, but how we know the truth to be true. |
2017
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A Stranger Came to Town
Dec. 3-24, 2017 This is a season of tradition. We read the same stories. We sing the same hymns. We light the purple candles. We kneel at the manger and we have learned the angels' songs by heart. We walk this same journey because the love that fashioned the universe and its billions of galaxies has chosen, in grace, to take on skin and walk where we walk. The Word became flesh. |
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The Places Hope Takes You
Oct. 22-Nov. 12, 2017 Hope is a funny thing. It can be illusive, slipping through our fingers with the slightest disappointment. Hope can be surprisingly strong, showing up in the most challenging circumstances. From those who have gone before us in faith, we have seen that hope is not simply an attitude, it is a choice. Hope is not a wish for this or that, but hope is a power. When we lean into our hope, it can take us to places that we would not know otherwise. |
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It Takes a Village
Sept. 10-Oct. 15, 2017 We sometimes assume that Jesus, by the time he was old enough to talk, was fully aware that he was the Christ and knew just how to live as God’s son in human history. But there are moments in the Gospel story when Jesus encountered others who seemed to teach him who he was or at least how to live as God’s son. It’s not too much to say that in some of these encounters Jesus learned how to be Jesus. There is not a one of us who comes to a life of faith and faithfulness without the mentoring of others. That seems to be true for Jesus as well. Perhaps we can learn from those who taught him. |
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Living Unafraid in a Frightening World
April 30-July 30, 2017 When Easter was over and the world got back to normal, some recognized there was a new normal now. The world today is a place of crosses. Bodies fail and hearts break, systems and structures crush the powerless. There is enough in this world to scare you to death. But Jesus is alive now—there is a new normal. Jesus is alive now, so we can live, even in this world, as a people who are living unafraid in a frightening world. |
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The People You Meet Along the Way
Feb. 5-April 23, 2017 Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem. It was a journey on foot and a journey of the heart. A cross awaited him. When you know the end is near your time is precious and you pay attention to the people around you. Jesus spoke with his followers, and a rich man. He noticed children and an impoverished woman. Jesus paid attention to them all. We will pay attention to them as well, and discover that there is a little bit of all of them in us. I suppose that means we are on the journey as well, at least the journey of the heart. |
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I know that’s what it says, but that’s not what it means!
Jan. 1-Feb. 26, 2017 The Bible is a complicated book, written over hundreds of years in various context and diverse circumstances. And then, it is read 2,000 years later in a world and culture the Biblical writers could not have imagined. Given all of that, it’s easy to misunderstand the Bible. When it is misunderstood the good news can often sound like bad news for some folks. When it is misunderstood it can often make the Bible more difficult to trust. In this sermon series, we will take just a few passages that have often been confusing and see if there is a life-giving word for us. |
2016
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What Are You Waiting For?
Nov. 27-Dec. 25, 2016 The Advent season is a season of waiting. We will wait in lines and we will wait in traffic. That’s part of the season. But the spiritual waiting that we do is different. The waiting we do as people of faith is determined by our hope. And waiting in line is passive, but Christian waiting is active. It takes all you have. So, what are you waiting for? For what do you hope? |
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God’s Beloved World—It is Beautiful, but Broken
Oct. 30-Nov. 20, 2016 This is God’s world. But the ways of this world are not as God intends. Anyone can see that and many complain about the way things are, but faith invites us to hold a new perspective. Even when broken, the world is beautiful. It’s not just the color of nature or the sounds that fill the air; it is the beauty of human compassion, genuine friendship, and humble service. The broken world is still beautiful. And this world is loved by God, so it should be loved by us. Such love is the currency of Christian living. |
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Love Your Neighbor and Other Spiritual Truths
Sept. 11-Oct. 23, 2016 When Europe was falling apart in the 1940’s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a little book called Life Together. It was an exploration of the fundamental “neighborly” or communal aspect of Christian faith. Sometimes we say that the love of Christ shows up in our hearts. A better way to say that is the love of Christ shows up in our relationships. We are part of many communities: family, church family, national community… the list goes on. Paying attention to this fundamental truth of Christian faith is what gives our faith energy and hope. But, because people are people, it is also why we need to time and again remind ourselves that Jesus calls us to love our neighbor. |
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More than a Summer Picnic
June 12-Aug. 28, 2016 Someone once said, in Luke’s Gospel Jesus seems to be at a meal, on his way to a meal, or on his way from a meal. The table is an important place. It is a place of story-telling. It is a place of community building. Sometimes the table is the place where we gain a glimpse of the promised day of God. When Jesus is at the table, grace is served and life is good. When Jesus is at the table, there is always enough and there is always room for others. This summer we will join Jesus at the tables of his ministry. There we will find not simply a summer picnic, but a feast! |
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The Things to Say When It Matters Most
May 1-June 5, 2016 The First and Second Letters of Timothy are compiled as letters that the apostle Paul wrote when he knew his life was nearing its end. Timothy was a generation younger and Paul considered him a “son in the faith.” In these few words we find the apostle teaching, offering encouragement and at times he writes what can only be described as deep love. We will spend several weeks “listening in” as the apostle Paul, knowing his time in this life is drawing near, share “the things to say when it matters most.” |
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Resurrection: It's More Than You Think
April 3-24, 2016 Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a joyful and triumphant day. But resurrection is more than a day of jubilation. Resurrection is God’s holy and loving choice to raise Jesus from death. Resurrection is the promise of life after death—but it is more than that. Resurrection speaks to our fears and our ethics; it reorders priorities and provides the foundation for real hope. Resurrection is personal enough to whisper your name but it is also cosmic in scope. Throughout the month of April, when the lilies have faded and the egg hunts have passed, the pastors of Village Church will share with you what they think about resurrection, and how it shapes their lives. |
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Treasure in Clay Jars
Feb. 14-March 27, 2016 The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth that the Gospel Ministry is a “treasure we hold in clay jars.” This is a metaphor that resonates because we all know how fragile faith can be. We know how fragile Christians can be. One of the wonders of grace is that God continues to be found among the weak and fragile of faith. God’s treasure is carried in clay jars, meaning God’s beauty can show up in our brokenness. It’s good news. I hope you will join us to hear it. |
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The House of God and Our Home
Jan. 3-Feb. 7, 2016 God is not tied to any particular place. It is true that God can be worshipped anywhere. But we have learned that it is important to have a place, a holy place where we worship. We, at Village, have a room that on one hand is like any room; and on another hand is like no other room. Join us in January as we consider what makes this room holy. |
