Sermons by Pastor Lindsey Burkey

We get so caught up trying to figure out what God wants from us that we miss the relationship that God wants with us.

The specifics of the “thou better nots” can change… But our human tendency stays remarkably the same. We have a habit of adding to what God has already said.

Have you ever noticed that knowing how the story ends affects how you experience the middle? The Christian story begins with God’s faithful love and ends with sharing in Christ’s glory, and those two truths reshape how believers endure the struggles in between. Paul encourages the Thessalonian church, and us, to stand firm, hold fast to the gospel, and pray with God’s kingdom first and our needs second. Life’s painful “middles” can feel overwhelming, but they are not the end…

In the uncertain times that the Thessalonian believers were experiencing, Paul knew that ultimately, the word of God was strong enough to hold them. And in the uncertain times that you’re living through right now, it’s crucial that you know that, too. That Christ is your foundation.

Do you ever feel like you have to be self-managed? When faith is carried alone, spiritual drift can happen to any of us. Through the authors of Scripture, God assumes community, shared responsibility, ongoing presence, and relational depth as essential for faith to survive. While community is risky and people will fail us, isolation is an even greater danger. Following the example of Jesus, who invited others into his deepest moment of weakness, we are called to refuse spiritual anonymity…