Sermon Downloads

WORSHIP THEMES FOR MARCH

We continue to walk with Christ toward Calvary in this season of Lent, and to anticipate the celebration of the empty tomb on Easter morning. This is a wonderful time to invite a friend to worship. And if worship isn’t the first thing a new friend wants to do, then invite them to a dinner, a church school class, or one of the many other opportunities for fellowship in Saint Giles’ life.

March 23^rd – The Day of Resurrection – Communion

Matthew 28:1-10 – "Resurrection Speed Bumps"

Speed bumps slow us down because we really have no choice – except to tear up our vehicles. But what about this huge event in history? Can we skip right over the top of it without slowing down to consider it? Isn’t it necessary to at least ask, "So what?" How does this fact affect your life? For the first-Century followers of Jesus, it demanded a whole new orientation to what was possible.

March 30^th – Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 22-32 – "Credo"

Peter’s sermon actually amounts to one of the first Christian creeds. "This is what I believe." Presbyterians are a creedal church. We’ve been writing and subscribing to creeds from the beginning. Why is that important? Creeds ground us in biblical tradition while protecting us from self-invented forms of religion. In some ways, creeds are a way to understand God. In another way, it’s our way to say, "This is what I give my heart to."

WORSHIP THEMES FOR APRIL

April 6^th – Third Sunday of Easter – Communion

1 Peter 1:17-23 – "Fear God?"

That phrase of Peter’s, "reverent fear," always gets caught in our throats. Are we supposed to be afraid of God? What does Peter mean by this? Sometimes we explain that it means something like "respect." But this word doesn’t quite convey what the Hebrews and Christians of the Bible experienced when they encountered God. This "reverent fear" had Moses taking off his shoes, and David dancing. Mary broke into song. How shall we respond?

April 13^th – Fourth Sunday of Easter

9:00 – Psalm 23 – "The Nightengale of the Psalms"

The psalm is certainly one of the all-time favorites – probably because it tells not only of blessings, but also of trials and difficulties – those deep, dark valleys of death – and how God gets the psalmist through them to a place of peace and contentment and faith. We need to hear that, because we have all walked through those valleys, and knowing God can get us through is, indeed, "Good News!"

11:00 – "Lord, When We Praise You with Glorious Music"

A service of dedication of our new Johannus Organ to the glory of God.

April 20^th – Fifth Sunday of Easter

1 Peter 2:2-10 – "Living Stones and Cornerstone

Spiritual growth – church growth – they’re never the result of individual achievement. Paul uses the construction metaphor to talk about the Body of Christ, and how it’s built, and how it supports itself as it moves from being "no people" to "God’s people." God’s Word to us is always about community, and the dynamics are always fascinating and instructive!

April 27^th – Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 14:15-21 – "From Lucy with Love"

Ascension Day is May 1^st. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure from them. He’s giving them a bit of final advice – something like, "this is the most important thing to remember." He speaks with his disciples of loyalty, obedience, comfort, and a sense of well-being. Now, where have we seen these qualities demonstrated most effectively?

WORSHIP THEMES FOR MAY

The Season of Eastertide draws to a close this month, and the Day of Pentecost (May 11) launches us into the season of Pentecost. On Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to the church, empowering our proclamation of the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. The season of Pentecost allows us to take a long look at what life lived under the Holy Spirit’s influence and empowerment is like.

May 4^th – Seventh Sunday of Easter – Communion

1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 – "Spiritual Mapping"

Every year there are 25,000 new products on the market, and those who market these products make a big deal of "mapping" our likes and dislikes. Jesus offers another set of "products" or values, and is just as concerned about how we might map out our Christianity. What do our spiritual maps look like? Any black holes?

May 11^th – The Day of Pentecost – BLENDED WORSHIP SERVICE AT 11:00 – NO 9:00 WORSHIP

Acts 2:1-21 – "You’ll Know It When You Feel It"

In addition to being one of the church’s highest "holy days," on this day we will be receiving the eight members of our Confirmation Class into membership, and celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism with two of them. The sanctuary will be festively decorated in RED, the color of the day. Worshipers will be invited to wear red as well. Luke tries to describe what happened on the Day of Pentecost as he writes about the "wind" of the Spirit. We can measure the force of the wind thanks to a cabin boy (and later Rear Admiral) named Francis Beaufort. Can we measure the wind of God’s Holy Spirit? We’ll try!

May 18^th – Trinity Sunday

Romans 8:12-17 – "Dancing Around the Trinity"

One God – Three "Persons" or "manifestations." Pretty slippery, isn’t it? Even Paul, who had a gift for taking difficult theological concepts and giving simple explanations, avoids this one. Is it really that hard? They key, perhaps, is in setting aside the math and science and talking about relationships.

May 25^th – Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 49:8-16a – "Losers, Weepers"

Israel is in Babylon. They’ve been captured, exiled and enslaved. They’ve lost their identity, their citizenship, their homes and their Temple. They’re utterly devastated. But God is making some fantastic promises to these losers and weepers, and will turn their tears of sorrow into tears of joy. Can God do that in our dark days, too?