Church of the Resurrection Leawood Sermons

What does God require of us? Justice. Justice that looks like fairness, consideration for the powerless, the suffering, those who have been mistreated. Justice that is making right judgments, doing the right thing even when it is hard. It is not prejudging or misjudging people. It is always seeking to do what is right. It is not simply something we believe in, but what each of us are called to be and to do. We are to be just. And this is something that every Republican, every Democrat, every liberal and every conservative, should agree upon, even if we disagree about what precisely it always looks like and how we get there. And as Christians, it is what the Lord requires of us. God expects us, requires of us, that we do justice – we judge with righteousness, we ensure fairness and equity on a large scale, and in our individual lives.

Today's theme from Luke winds its way throughout the letter, and it has to do with the “great reversal” that comes from the gospel. He speaks of pride and humility, of favoritism or partiality in the church, and he speaks of judging others, of the rich and the poor and of what constitutes true religion and the worthless substitute. Take a listen as Pastor Adam Hamilton invites us to consider how James calls us not to judge a book by its cover, not to make assumptions about others but to value and show honor, dignity and respect particularly to those who are struggling.

“Even the demons believe…and shudder” is so powerful – it is not enough simply to believe, we're meant to act. You can be an “armchair quarterback” and you'll only be a fan. Or you can give your time, do what makes you a little uncomfortable, give something of yourself, volunteer and serve others, and you'll actually be on Jesus' team and in the game. So, let's not be practical atheists – it is not enough simply to believe in God, we're meant to do something about it. And in doing something about it – in activating our faith, we find meaning, joy and life, and the world is changed. So, are you going to be a fan or are you ready to get in the game?

What does it mean to consider it “joy” when we face hardship in life? Our love, faith, and character are tested in and by both trials and temptations. It's not God administering a test - it is life that administers the test. Life is a test, every day a test, and James knows that as we remain steadfast in trials, and resist the temptations, our fiath grows and is found to be tried and true. Tap play and take a listen as we explore how God works through trials, temptations, and the testing of our faith.

The United Methodist Church is at a defining moment in the history of our denomination, and as we kick off the fall here at Resurrection, now is an important time to remember who we are, who God has called us to be and what God has called us to do - as a church, and as individual Christians. Take a listen as we explore how we can remember who we are and come together to change lives, strengthen churches, and transform the world.

This week kicks off our Summer Revival series with the theme of God and Tractors – a fun and lighthearted theme aimed at illustrating scriptural truths about the Christian life. This week we explore a basic premise of biblical faith: We all need help sometimes. We need deliverance. We need rescuing. We need God to save us. Jesus himself came to save us. His name, Yeshua in Hebrew, means God Saves. Christians call him our Savior. Tap play and take a listen as Pastor Adam explores our need for a Savior through the lens of tractors.

Welcome to our second week of Epic Tales: A New Look at Old Testament Stories where we explore some of the most popular and well-known bible stories that many us heard as children but don't think about often as adults. This week's story is David and Goliath and is packed with lessons that we can all learn from, regardless of age.

on Description This week begins a new sermon series called Epic Tales: A New Look at Old Testament stories where we take a fresh look at some of the most well known stories from the bible. This week we focus on the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den.

Relationships that last are not easy. There are always going to be challenges, even moments when it's easy to wonder if the relationship will survive. This week concludes our series on relationships that last with a focus on the 5th Key to Relationships That Last: Perseverance and Faith.

Conflict is inevitable in relationships that last. How do we grow deeper in our relationships through resolving conflict and showing grace? In this week's sermon, Pastor Wendy Chrostek explore The Third Key to Relationships That Last: Resolving Conflict, Showing Grace.

How do we have and sustain marriages, romantic relationships, and even meaningful family relationships and friendships across the course of the a lifetime? Last week, we looked at our first key: A Clear MVP: Mission, Vision, and Plan. Beginning this week, we will explore the next four keys that all focus on developing a plan, or set of strategies, to help us fulfill the mission and vision of Relationships That Last. In this week's sermon, we dive into the second key: More Deposits Than Withdrawals.

Digging in the Dirt is not just for little kids. From the beginning of creation until now, God invites us to join him in caring for all of creation. In this one-week sermon series, Pastor Scott Chrostek helps us understand how caring for creation brings us fulfillment and purpose as we seek to follow God's invitation to "dig in the dirt" and care for our world.

Throughout the previous seven weeks of Lent we have reading through the Gospel of Luke. In Luke, we see Jesus consistently lifting up the outsiders, outcasts, and even outlaws. Jesus sees beauty in the people that society pushes aside. In today's message, we come to the climactic ending of Luke's Gospel and learn what it means to live both the crucified and resurrected life.

We've spent the last five weeks reading and studying the Gospel of Luke together. We've noted how Luke wants us to see the Jesus lifts up the lowly. He befriends the outsiders, the outcasts and the outlaws. But we've also seen that he has regularly called out religious leaders, frustrated by the way the way many, in their self-righteousness, pushed away the non-religious and nominally religious people of his day. Throughout the gospel we find the conflict building between some of the religious authorities. Today we'll review what happened as Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday, and what he said and did on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of that week, and we'll conclude with the Last Supper that took place on Thursday night.

We've spent the last five weeks reading and studying the Gospel of Luke together. We've noted how Luke wants us to see the Jesus lifts up the lowly. He befriends the outsiders, the outcasts and the outlaws. But we've also seen that he has regularly called out religious leaders, frustrated by the way the way many, in their self-righteousness, pushed away the non-religious and nominally religious people of his day. Throughout the gospel we find the conflict building between some of the religious authorities. Today we'll review what happened as Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday, and what he said and did on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of that week, and we'll conclude with the Last Supper that took place on Thursday night.

We continue studying the Gospel of Luke for Lent and this week's message focuses on two meaningful, powerful encounters that Jesus has with outsider, outcasts, and outlaws as he journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem.

For Lent we've been studying the Gospel According to Luke. We've learned that the gospel is characterized by the company Jesus keeps. He befriended the outsiders, the outcasts and the outlaws. This week's sermon explores this theme through Jesus' parables.

At the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, our purpose is to build a Christian community where non-religious and nominally religious people are becoming deeply committed Christians.

At the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, our purpose is to build a Christian community where non-religious and nominally religious people are becoming deeply committed Christians.