Preparing for "The Labor of Life & Love" | Sermon for September 1, 2024
September 1, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 12
What matters in life? In many ways, the book of Ecclesiastes exists to tell us what DOES NOT matter in life. The closing chapter of Ecclesiastes invites us to wonder about the right kind of question we need to ask about life.
Preparing for "Planning for Reckless Abandon" | Sermon for August 25, 2024
August 25, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 11:1–6
You have likely heard someone say, "We are waiting until just the right time." You may have also heard someone say, "Here today and gone tomorrow." Opportunity seems to strike at a time when we are not always ready for it. Do we wait or go? This week's episode explores the importance of trust in God as we decide to wait or to go.
Preparing for "Enjoying Life" | Sermon for August 18, 2024
August 18, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 9:7–12
Enjoying life can be difficult for some. There are many who hold a sense of guilt, obligation, or some other duty which keeps them from experiencing the enjoyment of life today. Being too goal-driven can lead us far away from enjoyment with our nose to the grindstone. This week's episode explores how God calls us to enjoy life while always being aware of what really matters most.
Preparing for "Live and Let Die" | Sermon for August 11, 2024
August 11, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 7:1–14
Talking about death is hard. Most of us steer clear of the topic and only touch upon it when required. Is there wisdom for us to gain in a conversation about dying? Is there a good death? What lessons can we take from others to deepen our life of faith? This week's episode explores the tough topic of death and dying. The good news is that there is a hope for wisdom and life through death.
Preparing for "How to Choose Joy" | Sermon for August 4, 2024
August 4, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 5:10–20
Joy is less of an emotion and more of a choice. When we choose to live our life only for ourselves and those who benefit us, we find ourselves in an endless cycle of greed. It is a joyless way of life. When we make the choice for joy we can find a way toward true enJOYment and gratitude.
Preparing for "People Power" | Sermon for July 28, 2024
July 28, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 4:7–16
The choice to be together or "go it alone" is one we face now more than ever. The isolation of pandemic may have led us to believe that isolation is better for us. God's wisdom is filled with encouragement to find joy in shared work, support, and protection. This week's episode explores how a "cord of three strands is not easily broken."
Preparing for "Keeping Time" | Sermon for July 21, 2024
July 21, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 3:1–10
We have all had the "time of our life" or "killing time." Knowing that there are times and seasons in our lives should not surprise us. It is part of being human. How will we hold the time we are in? What will we do...or not do...in this season of life? This week's episode explores how can hold time better.
Preparing for "Freedom from Happiness" | Sermon for July 7, 2024
July 7, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Ecclesiastes 1:1–11
The Book of Ecclesiastes is not a book we read too often. Its darker and more cynical wisdom sounds just a little too dreary. What this book offers us is a realistic view of the world we live in whether we chose to admit it or not. If this is true, what can we learn here? This rich book is about how we hold our work, play, love, and most of all, joy.
Preparing for "The True Treasure of Jesus" | Sermon for June 30, 2024
June 30, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Mark 5:21–43
Jesus' ministry of healing is not just limited to what people may ask of Him. Jesus brings a healing beyond everyone's expectations. The whole person matters to Jesus. It may cause us to wonder about how we pray for healing. Are we praying for what we seek or are we praying for what Jesus seeks? Is our faith directed at what we want or is it directed at Jesus?
Preparing for "Becoming a Generous People" | Sermon for June 23, 2024
June 23, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Luke 12:22–34
Jesus' teaching on money is hard for the 21st century Christian to hear. Much of our culture is focused on getting and having enough. Worry about financial security continues to confront families in poverty and in wealth. In this sense, worry happens regardless of how much we have. Jesus offers us a way to be set free through generosity. If we can embrace generosity, it will have lasting effects on our lives.
Preparing for "In God We Trust" | Sermon for June 16, 2024
June 16, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Luke 12:13–21
Greed continues to plague the human condition. For thousands of years human beings have often been gripped by their fear of loss and security. This fear gives rise to the practice of greed which sees the "self" as the center. In this week's episode, Jesus begins to open us up to the power of greed in our lives and how we might be set free.
Preparing for "Making the Most of Money" | Sermon for June 9, 2024
Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Luke 16:10–13
The Gospels record a significant amount of Jesus' teaching on money. Over all of these centuries, very little has changed in our relationship with wealth. This week's episode explores how money can become a great resource when it serves us as we serve the God who gives all things.
Preparing for "Beginning New Chapters & Seasons" | Sermon for June 2, 2024
June 2, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • 1 Kings 2:1–4, 1 Kings 2:10–12
Passing on a legacy is complicated. For parents, it often means sharing the learnings from one's successes and failures. When King David draws close to his own death, he pauses to share some important words with his son Solomon. Like any parent, David wants his son to learn from his father, for good or ill.
Preparing for "Being God's Child" | Sermon for May 26, 2024
May 26, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Romans 8:12–17
Being a child or being a parent is filled with joy and challenges. We have all experienced moments when we wished things between our parents or children were different. What is it like to have a perfect parent? This week's episode explores what it means for us to have joy and freedom as children of God.
Preparing for "Being One" | Sermon for May 19, 2024
May 19, 2024 • Rev. Dr. Craig S. Brown • Acts 2:1–21
The coming of the Holy Spirit marks an unprecedented change in how God is at work in the world. Rather than speaking through a single prophet or even through Jesus, God now comes in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is "distributed" to the followers of Jesus so that many might embody the word and works of Jesus. The Spirit is what makes the church truly alive.
