Sermons on Unity
Space and Grace | Romans 14:1-6 (Women in Ministry Sermon Series)
When I finished my sermon on a hybrid view of women in ministry, I asked a couple of questions: How might we walk by faith and extend grace to each other in this issue? How can we make room for each other? How can we follow our consciences and enable others to do the same? Here’s how I want to phrase it today: How can we give each other grace? We return to this question today because it’s how I…
Loads of Grace | Galatians 6:1-10
Pastor Sam Kim of the Intercultural Mission Church in North Andover returned to Cornerstone Congregational Church to share a message about bearing one another’s burdens and the grace that allows us to do that. Watch Here
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 Battle of the Believers | Acts 15:1-21 (Jerusalem Council)
We’re going back to Acts! We actually started our series in Acts, Outward Church, a year ago. I want to take a moment to look back, because it helps us look forward. When Jesus left his disciples and ascended into heaven he gave believers a special mission, which becomes a roadmap for Acts. Acts 1:8 (ESV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all…
A Service of Confession, Lament, Thanksgiving & Praise | Psalms 80, 12, 111, 145
Login Info Our last Sunday worship service of 2020 is at 10:30am on Zoom. Please join us online at 10:15am for a time of fellowship before the service. ID: 890 5472 7430 P: JesusGrace Introduction Welcome (pastor) Welcome to our worship service. On the last Sunday of the year, we take the opportunity to have a more interactive and participatory service at Cornerstone Congregational Church. This year we are expanding it from a time of thanksgiving and praise to also…
The Heart | Proverbs 4:23
Have you ever had one of those moments where you’re listening to a teaching or reading or watching a documentary and something “clicks” in your mind? You finally “get it” and the way you think has changed? Maybe it’s a radical “paradigm shift” or just a “aha moment.” Something is different. I had one of moments this fall when I began reading Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. This is a book on parenting, but he starts with the…
Think Differently | Ephesians 4:17-32
Have you ever met your doppelgänger? A doppelgänger is someone who looks like you but isn’t related to you. This is an example of a doppelgänger. A wedding photographer met his doppelgänger flying from Ireland to Scotland. I met my doppelgänger when I lived in Falls Church VA. We attended the same church and people would walk up to him and say, “Hi Jonathan.” His name is Russell. In Ephesians Paul calls the church the body of Christ (Eph 4:15-16).…
Leadership Gifts | Ephesians 4:7-16
Two weeks ago we learned what it means to live worthy of all the gifts God has given us in Ephesians 4:1-6. We talked about specific steps we can each take: humility, gentleness, patience, and love. Together these steps maintain church unity through the Holy Spirit. But they don’t actually create unity. We are unified by what we believe in, “one Spirit… one Lord… one faith… one God and Father.” So a church is unified by the character of its…
Walking in Grace | Ephesians 4:1-6
I want to tell you about how God sees this church, how God sees our church. We’ve been reading and studying the book of Ephesians together, and it tells us how God sees our community of believers. When God sees our church he sees holy and faithful people. (1:1) God sees the ones he chose before the creation of the world. (1:4, 11) God sees his adopted children—we’re sons and daughters like Christ. (1:5) God sees those he has redeemed…
Discipleship 101: Counter-Cultural Disciples | Philippians 1:27-30 (Tim Tebow vs. Colin Kaepernick)
What word would you use to describe our world right now? Chaotic? Angry? A mess? It seems like every week there’s a new story covering the strife in Washington and filling our globe. North Korea. Russia. Healthcare. The President. NFL. It seems like no matter the topic, our world is bitterly divided. But the great news is that Christians are in agreement! We are unified. We are at peace. We offer a safe-haven to those who want to get away…