A list of all the audio only sermons available on the site.

What does it take to produce twelve happy homeowners who have had their houses painted for free by Central Ohio Work Camp? In short, a lot. It takes a lot of manpower (teenpower?), supplies, time, money, prayer and selfless dedication of God's people to believe that he can take our acts of service and change the hearts and lives of people in our city.

Despite the myriad of reports that the church in America is declining in numbers and waning in influence, the Spirit of God is at work throughout the world - and even in America.

We read of God's powerful work through the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. The real question for us is, do we believe that he is still able to do the same work in 2017? If so, we can't keep quiet, we must testify.

Ecclesiastes states that much of life is a seemingly endless cycle of meaninglessness. Nothing is new under the sun, it's all been done before. But what if we had the choice to bring a glimmer of New into the world?

In many faith traditions, doubt is a bad word. If you have doubt, somehow you are displeasing to God. Life should be a culmination of certainties. The story of Thomas demonstrates that God pursued him in his doubt, and that he will pursue us even when we doubt.

Video courtesy of John Crist.

We become so paralyzed by our mess ups and sins and pride and addictions and relapses that we don't often feel God's forgiveness. Being forgiven - and feeling forgiven - is crucial, because in response to our forgiveness Jesus is calling us to take care of one another. To feed one another.

Video courtesy of Skit Guys.

When we read this story, try to keep in mind that even though we know that this person is Jesus, the two disciples had no clue. And yet these two disciples poured out their struggle to a stranger. And that openness opened the door for them for:

• An encounter
• An explanation
• An experience
• A thanksgiving

Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to "Go" and "Go" she did! She was the first evangelist, the first teller of the "Good News." She was the one who went with urgency to the Apostles. What if this woman - who had once lived in darkness but now lived in the light of the resurrection - what would have happened if she didn't go?

We were created in the image of God, and we are meant to connect in the image of God. This can only happen when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable with each other. Vulnerability is difficult, but it's also necessary to create sacred spaces and welcome God into our relationships.

“Don’t let death steal the hope of resurrection possibilities!” We conclude our Lenten journey by celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on this Easter Day 2017. Two women, whose hope seemed crushed at the crucifixion, now see their hope restored as they encounter the Risen Christ. Will we seek to have a similar encounter? Will we rise up and live our lives as ones being empowered by the same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave? This is our moment to rise up!

As the people threw their palms and coats at Jesus' feet, they were looking for a king, a leader of a revolution.

• The people were expecting a King that was a champion warrior like the giant-slayer David
• The people were expecting a King that would restore the physical and political prominence of the nation of Israel
• The people were expecting a King that would be big and bad, a frightening terror to the world
• The people were expecting a King that would oppress their oppressors
• The people were expecting a King that would bring a life of luxury, and lavish kingdom-living - the extreme opposite of their current poverty

They realized that the remedy of their dissatisfaction and displeasure and disappointment was somehow found in this new King.

Jesus is calling us to surrender all to him. He calls us to give it all up for him and for the kingdom of God. The ultimate motivation for us to surrender is contained within the Matthew narrative. Jesus was a Messiah (a King) and could have lived life in a palace full of pristine possessions, accompanied with a fat bank account. Yet He gave that all up for you and me. He valued you and me more than money. Because he valued us more than money, we have enough!

While Peter wants to know the details on how many times he has to forgive, Jesus answers with the reason why he should choose to forgive. The answer to why is based on who we are. We're a forgiven people, and we're called to be people of forgiveness. This is the way of the Kingdom of God, and as his people, we're expected to bring this way of life to this world.

Where did we get tricked into thinking that following Jesus was more complicated than first accepting Jesus' call to follow him?

Video courtesy of Hillary Scott and The Scott Family

After exploring the healing stories of Jesus in Matthew we are met with the fact that healing is not confined to physical healing, and that healing accomplished more than physical restoration. In fact, these healings helped to highlight Jesus' mission to be involved in changing the lives of people who allow him to invade their space.

Jesus calls us to place our treasure in heaven, the only place that is truly secure. If we do that, he tells us that we don’t have to focus so much of our energy on worrying – God knows what we need and He will provide enough.

I wonder what role did Jesus' 40 day experience with God play in his refusal to listen to the tempter? I wonder if part of the reason we are more prone to succumb to temptation is because we have not introduced a steady diet of experiencing God in our lives. Are we spending time in God’s word? Are we spending time alone with God?

Do we know who we really are? Do we allow ourselves to be defined by the world and its values, or do we hear how God defines who we are?

When it comes to young people, Jesus gets serious. And as followers of Jesus, we should be serious about how we treat our children and children in the community.

The reason behind us looking at core values and coming together around a common vision is not necessarily to suggest that we have been stumbling. But it is our belief that coming together with a unified vision for the body here will place us in a prime position of experiencing the blessing of God and sharing that blessing with our community.

Reynoldsburg's participation in God's mission is a team sport. As a diverse group of disciples, we "come to the table" together with our gifts, talents, differences and conflicts. To think that we can accomplish anything apart from the integral work of the Holy Spirit is idiotic and a recipe for failure. Our way forward demands we feel our connection to the Triune God and to one another.