When Jesus wanted to help his disciples—including us—understand his death, he did not give us a lecture. He gave us a meal. And in this meal, we don’t just learn about but we experience the love of God for us.

Baptism is one of the central practices of the church. But there is such a wide range of ideas about why we do it and what actually happens. When we look at the baptism of Jesus and see the connections to the rest of the biblical story, we get a clearer picture of the deep meaning of this act.

Gen Z college students are overwhelmed with social media stress, financial burdens, and mental health crises, all while tackling the usual challenges of young adulthood. How can we, as a church, offer them rest and resilience through Christ’s love? Discover how we can make a difference in their lives and lighten their load, just as Jesus promised.…

If orientation was a time of peace and abundance, and disorientation disrupts all of that, it would be understandable to assume that reorientation is about putting everything back the way it was. However, while reorientation does pull us out of the depths, it is almost always surprising. It is about receiving the gift of new life God has to offer.…

Grief and loss are aspects of the human experience that each of us know all too well. When the most difficult things in life happen, we can find ourselves wishing for yesterday and with little hope for tomorrow. However, we are not alone in this. Our ancestors in faith also had intimate experience with the heavy burdens life has to offer, and were …

In a world of disarray, it is easy to point to optimistic perspectives, like the song “What a Wonderful World,” and think: yeah, right… so naive… the world hasn’t been that wonderful in a long time! But what if that is part of the point? There was goodness out there, it may still be there if we look for it, and at the very least it offers hope for …

Sermon Title: Time After Time Scripture: Psalm 84: 1-4…10-12 The Psalms are some of the most vulnerably human sacred writings we have. Within them we find deeply expressive poetry about almost every human emotion from joy to crushing sadness. What we learn from studying them is that no matter what we may be experiencing in life, God is always prese…

Sermon Title: Repent!! (Or: Change Your Mind!) Speaker: Rev. Matthew Kern Scripture: Luke 3:1-9 “Repentance” can be a loaded word, sometimes understood with only being a precursor to a life of faith. But John the Baptist gives us a hint into how our lives as disciples are in fact characterized by this repentance, or, “change of mind.”…

Sermon: Until Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Luke 15:1-10 Description: The parables of the lost sheep and lost coin may be familiar to some of us, but there is one simple word in those stories that is key to understanding God's love for us. It should also serve as a motivator to those of us who are called to share that love in the world.…

Sermon: Ask the Pastor (and Friends) Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich, Jeremy Green, Amanda Stallard Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15-16a Description: Pastor Dan, Jeremy, and Amanda respond to questions from the congregation!By Rev. Dan Wunderlich

Sermon Series: Vision Sermon: Beyond the Fulfilled Vision Speaker: Jeremy Green Scripture: Luke 2: 25-38 Description: Scripture tells us that if we stay committed to the vision that God has shown us it will come to pass. What does it look like for us to remain faithful and steadfast in the space between the revelation of the vision and its fulfillm…

Sermon Series: Vision Sermon: Our Life Together Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Acts 2: 42-47 Description: Churches should always be outward facing, but community culture matters too. What did it look like then and what does it look like now to be the Church for and with one another? What are the marks of a healthy culture and community?…

Sermon Series: Vision Sermon: Between Two Worlds Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Habakkuk 2:1-4 Description: Perhaps the hardest part of the visioning process is not actually coming up with an exciting vision. It is comparatively easy to dream about exciting an impactful things to do. But getting from a world in which we have plans to a wor…

Sermon Series: Vision Sermon: Willing, Ready and Listening Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: 1 Samuel 3: 1-10 Description: Throughout Scripture, the "word of the Lord" is regularly tied to "vision." What we read in the Bible and what we hear from God is not simply for our own information or encouragement, but it is meant to come alive and mak…

Sermon Series: Vision Sermon: Stop, Start, Continue Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Acts 9: 1-22 Description: We have all experienced the feeling of being stuck. The feeling that something has to change for us to make it to the next level in our professional lives, personal relationships, or faith journeys. Even the Apostle Paul had a momen…

Sermon Series: Dreaming in the Deep Water Sermon: Reality and Dreams Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Luke 5:1-11 Description: When we make the decision to trust and follow Jesus, we will come to better see and understand who Jesus really is. And in coming to better understand Jesus, it actually helps us to better understand ourselves. For S…

Sermon Series: Dreaming in the Deep Water Sermon: Finding Faith in the Deep Water Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Luke 5: 1-11 Description: Have you ever gotten the sense that Jesus is asking you to do something outside of your comfort zone? Or something that you don't think will work and might actually be risky? How we respond in these mom…

Sermon Series: Dreaming In The Deep Water Sermon: There's Someone In My Boat Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Luke 5:1-11 Description: Peter had met Jesus before, he had heard him speak, and he had benefitted from one of Jesus' miracles. But today, Jesus was the one asking for a favor, and in doing so he was changing their relationship. In t…

Sermon: Why Seeing IS Believing: 'Doubting Thomas' Gets It Right Scripture: John 20:19-31 Speaker: Amanda Stallard Description: Join us this Sunday as we tackle the aftermath of Easter and what it looks like to wrestle with the Good News of risen Christ. History has been unkind to Thomas for casting doubt and needing proof of Jesus' resurrection...…

Sermon: The Key to Freedom is Christ Scripture: John 20: 1-18 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Jesus rising from the dead on Easter Sunday is proof of his victory over sin and death. And if Jesus broke the powers of sin and death, their power in our life can be broken as well as we come to believe in and follow the risen Jesus. Whatever it…

Sermon Series: The Third Day: Living the Resurrection Sermon: Jesus Scripture: Ephesians 1:18-23 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Following Jesus isn't easy, and Jesus never promised it would be. Yet, at the same time, the Bible talks quite a bit about the power and victory we have thanks to Jesus' resurrection. So, how do we hold together…

Sermon Series: The Third Day: Living the Resurrection Sermon: Paul Scripture: Acts 9:1-6, 17-22 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: We keep saying that the resurrection changes everything. And that's easy but still possible to say about the part of our lives we want to leave behind. But what happens when the transformation calls us to challen…

Sermon Series: The Third Day: Living the Resurrection Sermon: Walk to Emmaus Scripture: Luke 24:13-35 Speaker: Troy Antonik Description: Have you ever taken a walk and missed seeing something that was right in front of you? Have you ever been oblivious to what was going on right next to you? Oftentimes, conversations, rectangular distraction device…

Sermon Series: The Third Day: Living the Resurrection Title: Thomas Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: John 20:24-31 Description: What is the opposite of faith? Many would say "doubt," but this is a sadly mistaken assumption that drives many people out of communities of faith. In the life of Thomas, we see someone who had doubts, but whose con…

Sermon Series: The Third Day: Living the Resurrection Title: Simon Peter Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Matthew 26:31-35; John 21:14-17 Description: Peter had seen the risen Jesus, and yet here he was: picking up back to his old life from before he met Jesus. If the mission wasn't over, and in fact God was doing something incedible and new…

Sermon Series: The Third Day: Living the Resurrection Title: Mary Magdalene Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Luke 8:1-2; John 20:11-18 Description: How many times have we thought we were over something - past it, done - only to have it creep back into our lives? A bad habit, a sin, a broken relationship, an unhealthy perspective, the weight …

Title: Bringing the Future Into the Present Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Scripture: Matthew 15: 21-28 Description: In one of the more uncomfortable passages in the Gospels, Jesus seems to reject a mother's request to heal her daugher - and likens her to a dog no less! Jesus ends up healing the daugher in response to what seems like a clever come-ba…

Title: Who Am I? Scripture: John 15:9-17 Speaker: Rob Lewis Description: In an age of self help books and self-discovery, there is peace to be found in knowing not just who we are, but whose we are.By Rev. Dan Wunderlich

Title: Praying with Joy Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Thik about the role prayer plays in your life. Is it a habit, a chore, an emergancy parachute when all else fails, or nothing at all? Or, is prayer the source of joy and connection that it's intended to be?…

Title: Good News For The Poor Scripture: Luke 4:16-21 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: As Jesus launches his earthly ministry, he reads from the book of Isaiah, but he makes a few minor edits. These edits are key to understanding who he is and why he has come. They also offer a window into his expectations of all who would follow him.…

Sermon Title: Underestimating Jesus Scripture: John 1:43-51 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: We all have our own idea of who Jesus is, what he can do, and what he wants to do in and through us. But like one of the main characters in today's story, regardless of how big or small that image is, we are likely underestimating Jesus. The invita…

Sermon Title: Steadying Ourselves for an Unsteady Year Scripture: Matthew 28: 16-20 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: A new year is upon us, and what a year it will be! There will be drama and boredom, success and failure, conflict and peace - and this will be true from the world stage down to our own personal lives. But it is possible to r…

Sermon Title: God's Story to Tell Scripture: Luke 2:1-14, 15-20 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: The story of the first Christmas has been told countless times in movies, TV shows, cartoons, paintings, picture books, songs, inflatables, and more. Due to the brevity of the biblical accounts, they often have to flesh the story out, adding dr…

Sermon Title: Here Is Your Tracking Number Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: We all know the excitement of getting tracking numbers as Christmas packages make their way to their intended destinations. Perhaps we even know the anxiety that grows when the anticipated delivery date starts slipping closer to Chris…

Sermon Title Here Is Your God Scripture Isaiah 40:1-11 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: A common preacher-bumper-sticker saying is that Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. That is an important message, as we all have areas of complacency or areas where we trust things other than God, and we need to be challenge…

Sermon: Jesus, You Are Enough Scripture: Isaiah 64: 1-9 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Christmas is often a spectacle - lights, trees, shows, food, gifts... And even in the spiritual practices and traditions, we can take the "bigger is better approach," with massive productions like Singing Christmas Trees or performances of Handel's Mes…

Sermon: Come On, Lord! Scripture: Jonah 3:10-4:11 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: In the final and least familiar chapter of the Jonah story, the happy resolution of chapter 3 is shattered. We discover that Jonah didn't avoid Ninevah out of fear but out of anger. The book ends with an unanswered question we are forced to wrestle with: do …

Sermon: The Power of God's Gift Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: We have seen God's ability to hear a cry for mercy from the belly of the sea monster. But what happens when it is the monster itself calling on God? Is God's love and mercy truly available to anyone who asks for it?…

Sermon: Jonah and the Sea Dragon Scripture: Jonah 1: 17-2:3, 2:9-3:3 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: It is time to tackle the big fish in Jonah's story. What comes to mind for us is a whale, but perhaps the image we should be thinking of is a great sea dragon. Once we understand what the fish represents and the surprising thing that happe…

Sermon: The Unwanted Gift Scripture: Jonah 1:1-6 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: It is one thing to ask God to speak clearly into our lives and give us direction. It is entirely another thing to respond faithfully to what we hear. In the opening scenes of Jonah, we see a man who thinks he is running for his life while he is actually runni…

Sermon: How to Respond to a Scary World Scripture: Matthew 24: 3-8, 32-39, 45-47 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Wars, social upheaval, pandemics, historic natural disasters...just another day on planet Earth, right? Or is it actually a set of signs that we should be paying close attention to in order to understand what God is doing? When…

Sermon: Whose Image? Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Stewardship is about far more than just what we do with our money. It is at the heart of who we are and why we are here.By Rev. Dan Wunderlich

Sermon: Whatever you do… Scripture: Colossians 3:17,23-24 Speaker: Rob Lewis Description: We often think the work we do is just for money, or to provide for our families, but our daily work - no matter what “job” or “career” we have, is so much more.By Rob Lewis

Sermon: Heard and Healed Scripture: 2 Chronicles 30:17-23, 26-27 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: What happens when I want to follow Jesus, but I’m not sure how? If I don’t get it right, will God (or the Church) reject me? A joyful Passover celebration where almost nothing went “by the book” offers a message of hope.…

Sermon: Waiting On You Scripture: Waiting On You Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: One of the great prayers of the Church says, “Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray.” We have been given incredible access to the God of the universe, and yet we find so many reasons not to take advantage of it. For t…

Sermon: It’s Not What It Looks Like Scripture: 1 John 3:18-24 Speaker: Rev. Dan Wunderlich Description: Have you ever seen a bad candid photo of yourself and thought, “Why did I make THAT face?!” The answer is that you likely didn’t make that face, but rather you are looking at a moment of transition, and when isolated it can tell the wrong story. …

Sermon: Why Belonging Breeds Joy Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 Speaker: Amanda Stallard Description: We were created for belonging. From Genesis to Jesus (and beyond!), the Bible shows us time and again the ways that God has formed us for relationship- with God and with each other. In a time when we see increasing trends in autonomy and isolati…

Sermon: What Makes the Church Scripture: Matthew 18:15-20 Speaker: Rev. Caitlin White Description: This Sunday, we'll explore the tension between legalism and love for the early church, and in Matthew's gospel, we'll see the presence of Jesus in our relationships and in the church. How might our lives be changed if we become more aware of the prese…

Sermon: Forgiving Yourself Scripture: Genesis 32:9-32 Speaker: Rev. David Killingsworth Description: Forgiveness isn't easy. Whether we are cut off in traffic or someone hurts us deeply, it can be hard to forgive others and work towards reconciliation. And as hard as it is to forgive others, it's oftentimes even harder to find forgiveness for ourse…

Sermon: More Than Just A Story Scripture: Matthew 20:1-15 (NRSV) Speaker: Ryan Ganaban Description: Stories are our primary way of meaning-making: they help us establish group identity, teach us valuable lessons, and affect the way we perceive the world. One translation of the scriptures professes that Jesus "was never without a story when he spoke…