by Stacey Hilliard | Jan 22, 2023 | Sermons
As the followers of Jesus began to expand their message beyond Israel’s borders, Gentiles heard the message and wanted to follow Jesus, too! Since the followers of Jesus to that point were all Jews, and they weren’t even sure themselves what it really meant to follow Jesus’ final command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” many conflicts about Gentile participation and interaction ensued. These questions and conflicts over responding to Gentile followers of Jesus is another broad piece of context that underlies much of what we find in the book of Acts and the letters of the New Testament.
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by Stacey Hilliard | Jan 15, 2023 | Sermons
This sermon takes us back into Bible study mode. Having focused on the first century during Advent and Christmas, we’re going to stay there for one more week to take a look at letter-writing in that time. Specifically, we’ll look at Paul and his first letter to the Corinthians, how “Chloe’s people” spilled the beans on church infighting, and what Paul means in 1 Corinthians 1:17 when he talks about the “power of the Cross.”
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by Stacey Hilliard | Jan 8, 2023 | Sermons
On the liturgical calendar, this is the Sunday we remember Jesus’ baptism. That always comes very close to Epiphany, since Jesus’ baptism is one of the three events that Epiphany celebrates. This Sunday we’ll put all that together with the words of the prophet Isaiah in the first nine verses of chapter 42 and see what we can make of it all.
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by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 18, 2022 | Sermons
Jesus called himself “Son of Man.” Those who believed he was the Messiah often called him “Son of David.” When the angel Gabriel comes to Mary to tell her she will have a child, the angel says he will be called the “Son of God.” Indeed, a Roman centurion at the crucifixion used that title when Jesus died. Who is this baby whose coming we celebrate in the coming days?
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by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 12, 2022 | Sermons
Continuing our look at the broad context of Jesus’ life and ministry, this sermon focuses on Jesus as a Jew, and the bigger picture of Judaism in Israel during Jesus’ lifetime. Who were the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Levites, and all the rest? What distinguished them from each other? Why was he called “Son of David?” and how did the politics of empires play into all that?
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by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 4, 2022 | Sermons
This sermon takes a look at Jesus as a human being, living in the first century in the Roman colony of Palestine. Where do scholars agree and disagree about his life? What was Nazareth like at the time? Who were his friends? Family?
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