Sermons on Creation
Bearing Witness
A look at the life of John the Baptist and what it means to ‘bear witness’ to Jesus the Word and the Light. (John 1:6-8) Sermon Outline “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.” (John 1:6-7) John the Baptist Knew Who He Was: Sent from God (John 1:6) John the Baptist’s identity –John “is” from God; sent from God…
The First Word
An exploration of the concepts in the first 5 verses of John 1, with particular attention to Jesus as the Word, plus some mention of themes in John. (John 1:1-5) Sermon Outline “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Jesus the Divine and Preexistent Word (John 1:1-2) Jesus at the beginning: echoes of beginning of all things in Genesis 1:1-2 and the ancient wisdom of God in Proverbs…
Humanity, God’s Rulers of Creation
This message will explore humanity’s relationship to creation and the call to have stewardship or dominion over the earth. We will look at both creation accounts, explore the significance of the garden, as well as the man’s naming of the animals. (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:15, 19-20) Sermon Outline “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock…
The Creation of Humanity
This message explores the meaning of humanity created imago Dei, the significance of Adam and Eve, their creation from the soil by God, and set up next week’s exploration of the human relationship to creation and the “creation” of marriage in Genesis 2. (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-24) Sermon Outline “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) The Creation of Humanity – Big Picture (Genesis…
A Garden and a Gardener, Four Rivers and Two Trees
This message will pick up the exploration of the nature of creation with attention to the smaller picture focus of chapter 2. Why they are there and what the priestly writers are trying to tell us about the significance of creation. This will also touch on the debates about creation and evolution. Address the two trees of Genesis 2 and verse 25 about shame and vulnerability before God. (Genesis 2:4-15) Sermon Outline “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and…
The Genesis 1 Account of Creation
This week will provide an overview of the two creation accounts, with particular attention to the Genesis 1 account. This week will make a case for the big-picture, cosmological perspective of Genesis 1, exploring the parallels between the days of creation and some attention to the creation of humanity. There will also be some attention to sabbath. (Genesis 1:1-2:3) Sermon Outline “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) Approaching Genesis 1:1-2:3 The relationship between…
Before Anything, There is God the Creator
An exploration of the being of God, including attention to the Trinity. This week will also set up the series and perhaps frame out why Genesis is so important, why Genesis 1-11 is so challenging, and how we will approach the series theologically, biblically, and spiritual formationally. (Genesis 1:1-2) Sermon Outline “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) An Introduction to Genesis The name of the book of Genesis The structure of Genesis Questions raised…
“I Believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth”
This series walks through the Apostles Creed as a basic summary of our faith but also as a way to live our faith out with God in the world. Each weekend of this series will explore the biblical and theological roots of the Apostles Creed, while also providing specific spiritual practices and approaches to living out what we know as we ‘proclaim and embody’ the Creed in our daily lives. This week focuses on the phrase, “I Believe in God…
Creation and Embodied Sexuality
The series continues by looking at the first chapter: Creation. We are made in the image of God. Our bodies are part of our resemblance of God and they are good. Our sexuality reflects God in nature and is intended for God’s glory being seen upon earth, both in our being made for ‘the other’ (relational) and relating to others (intimacy). This leads us into an engagement with the very nature of God as relational and intimate within the Trinity.…
I Am Made Uniquely.
Every person has a unique fingerprint that identifies us distinctly from other people. The Scripture tells us that each one of us was made uniquely by the hand of God. Some of us love how we are made, while others hate how we are made. The majority of us find ourselves somewhere in-between: liking some aspects and disliking other aspects of ourselves. How do we understand the unique shaping of our lives by the hand of God, before our birth…
Jesus the Revelation of God
Paul’s strong statement in Colossians 1:15-23 sets the tone of this whole section: “the Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” With a summary of the gospel and a deepened Christology than almost any other place in the New Testament canon, we encounter a powerful teaching on Jesus. Sermon Outline The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) Christ and Creation (Colossians 1:15-18a) The image The…
God’s View of Sexuality
This week we will explore the essential nature of our sexuality as created by God, and how that fits into our understanding of discipleship and being human before God in a broken world. SERMON OUTLINE “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) 4 Failures of the Church: _________________________: failure to speak adequately on these issues _________________________: failure to move beyond the “Culture War” mentality _________________________________: failure to convey a…