"hope" Tagged Sermons (Page 2)
Ode to a Donkey | Matthew 21:1-11 (Jesus’ Triumphal Entry)
Today is Palm Sunday, the day the church celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem, only to be crucified by the end of the week. There’s one character in the story of Jesus’ ride into town that has just captured my imagination. This character shares the spotlight with Jesus, but I don’t think we give him or her enough time. Can you guess who I’m talking about?… The donkey! I was reading a book for my Doctorate of…
Praying to a Righteous God | Daniel 9:1-23
Thank you Rob Cooper for guest-preaching at Cornerstone. We’ve recommended another one of Rob’s sermons here or you can access Rob’s sermon archive here. You can find a PDF of his sermon slides below. Please welcome Rob Cooper’s family. Top row: Bethany, Nadine, Zachoia. Bottom row: Philip, Jonathan, Elias. Center: Rob.
Strangely Comforting | Acts 15:36-16:15
In today’s text, I want to tell you about three things. I want to tell you about something I find strangely comforting, something I find oh so convicting, and something I find incredibly hopeful. In that way, it kind of reminds me of 495. I find the sound of I-495 strangely comforting. When I wake up in the morning, if I listen carefully, I can hear the white-noise buzz of 495. When I hear the cars whizzing by, the truck…
A Gracious Counterculture | Acts 15:22-35
I wrote this sermon last week on Thursday, the day after the clash at the capitol. You probably watched the news and saw the pictures of journalists and politicians taking cover. I think the image I was most startled by was of the barricaded door into the House Chamber with the five agents with their guns drawn. The glass was broken and in another picture you could see another’s man’s face on the other side of the doorway. These images…
The Light of Christmas | Isaiah 9:2
I love Christmas lights. After Thanksgiving my wife and I decorated our front yard with Christmas lights. We actually got into a bit of a contest. She decorated the bushes on one side of the house, and I decorated the other side. Which side you think is better? That’s right. The right side! My side. Now which house do you think is better? Our house? Or this house in Wilmington that won $50,000 for their Christmas lights display? They won…
The Least Likely Disciple | Acts 9:1-19a
Who is the least likely person you know who would ever become a Christian? Take a moment and think of them. Is it a family member, a friend, a coworker? Is it because they’re apathetic to Christianity? Or is it because they’re totally against Christianity? Maybe they identify as an atheist, or Buddhist, Muslim, or even Jewish. All you know, is they’ll never follow Jesus… Nabeel fit the description of someone who would never follow Jesus. His parents were from…
A God Who Weeps | Isaiah 15-16
A God Who Weeps (Isaiah 15–16) Introduction Remembering Dating: Three Questions Staying with Sara’s parents—daily driving between their house and my old house. Place and memory—remembering dating days. Dating is about getting to know someone and growing a relationship with them. Process: learning what they lovelearning to love what they lovejoining them in that thing Example: I love the AstrosSara came to love the AstrosSara brought me to see the Astros together I hope that you’re listening this morning because…
Easter Transforms Us | John 20:11-18
Easter is a happy day. It’s the happiest day in the church calendar. But it didn’t start the way. That first Easter morning Jesus’ followers were grieving and heartbroken because the one they loved died. Our story today starts with a grieving woman, Mary Magdalene, as she stands outside Jesus’ tomb crying. She is mourning his death and that someone has stolen his body. In the gospels this word for “weep” is a bitter, loud, wailing (Matt 26:75; Mark 6:38).…
Art & Beauty | Philippians 4:8
When Monica and I are on vacation we spot a contemporary art museum and I always say, “Hey, we should go check that out!” And then when we do go, I always hate it. I’m like, “What is this?!” So I’m preaching on art and beauty today… Let’s pray. I was sitting in one of my classes in seminary when a student raised his hand. I didn’t know this student very well. He was hipster; he wore a beanie to…
Life in the Shadow | Acts 5:12-16
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) put out a graph that’s been going around the internet. It’s called “flattening the curve” and it shows two trajectories. The first trajectory shows what will happen when people don’t take protective measures seriously—when we don’t practice social distancing and hand washing and self-quarantine. It shows a high number of cases overloading our healthcare system, which can lead to high loss of life. This curve is steep and sharp. It looks like a looming…
A Culture of Encouragement | Acts 4:32-37
Every church has a culture, no matter how big or how small. Our culture is who we are and how we do things. Some might call it our “ethos”—the character of our church community. Some churches have a culture of excellence. They have great preachers and their worship teams are cutting edge. Some churches have a culture of evangelism. They’re constantly getting out into their towns and communities and sharing the love of Jesus with others. Some churches have a…
Rest | Matthew 11:28-30
So I think we all like the idea of rest and when we think of rest, we probably have different things that come to mind. [pics of rest] So I don’t think Jesus is talking about rest like this in our passage today. Jonathan preached a great sermon on Sabbath last year recommend to go back and listen to it. Think to yourself if you are tired in any of these ways. tired of just making ends meet, tired of…