Sermons – Pine Lake Covenant Church

From day to day, we make most of the decisions about where we go and what we do. In David's life we get a glimpse of how the Lord was the guiding force of his life. What can we learn from a familiar psalm that might transform our everyday lives? The Shepherd does not tend the flock to give them what they want, but to lead them to what they need. The post Psalm 23 appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

God wants our hearts, and this world wants to deceive our hearts. Jesus says that we cannot serve two masters. Generosity is the antidote to set us free from the poison of materialism. It is the key to putting our trust in God, to placing our hope in the Kingdom and not in things of this world. For where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. The post A Generous Heart appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Ever feel like what you have to give isn't enough? You're not alone. This week, we're looking at a powerful moment where Jesus shows us that it's not about how much we give, but how we give it. Everyone has something to offer, even if it's small. Real generosity isn't always easy, but it's always worth it. Come discover how you can live generously, give boldly, and set the example—not just follow it. The post Your Gift appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

I'll hold the door for you, if you will hold the door for me. Just pay it forward. These are a couple of ways our culture can operate in generosity, but the way of Jesus offers another, more meaningful way to bless others. A culture of generosity is not just for those who've earned it or are worthy of it, but also for those who can offer nothing in return. Join us as we learn to live A Life of […] The post No Return Necessary appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Abram was told to leave his land, his home, his people, and start something new, centered around a new identity and a new culture. God chose Abram, giving him a new family and purpose. They were God's people whose purpose was to be a blessing, but they needed to learn the practice of generosity. Join us as we begin our new series on living A Life of Generosity. The post The Practice appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

This week is Confirmation Sunday! Come celebrate all that God has done and continues to do in the life of our 8 students who have journeyed through the confirmation experience this year. This is not only a huge step in these students’ faith journey, but an opportunity to celebrate God's faithfulness as a church. The post Confirmation Sunday appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Jesus shows us that loving our neighbor means giving our time. He pauses for the desperate, listens, and brings healing. When we slow down, see others, and share our time, we reflect His compassion. Love isn't rushed—it's present, patient, and available. The post With Your Time appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Jesus sums up the law and the prophets in two commands: love the Lord and love your neighbor as yourself. As we love our neighbors, we must do this in relationship, and anyone who has been in relationship knows forgiveness is essential. In Matthew 18, Jesus gives us an example of how to forgive others, so that we may be forgiven. So, come and join us as we explore how to love our neighbors as we forgive. The post Forgiveness appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

What does it mean to love God and our neighbor lavishly? We are going to explore a powerful moment from Luke’s gospel, where we witness a forgiven woman pour out her love for Jesus in an extravagant display of devotion. In this story, we too are challenged to consider the depth of our own love in how freely we welcome and love others with our whole heart. The post Lavish appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

On the first Sunday each month, we intentionally set the stage for learning as a community—from 1-101 years old—and together we learn what it means to be disciples who follow Jesus. This month we are learning how to love our neighbors through our shared hospitality. What is hospitality? What role does hospitality play in loving our neighbor? Join us in learning the art of “setting the table” for our neighbors. The post Hospitality appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Jesus said the whole law could be summed up by these two commands: to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. The latter of the two was such a hot-button issue that he was asked what the minimum requirement was to love one's neighbor and still enter into eternal life with God. Jesus did not say that one is greater than the other, or that there is a minimum requirement for either. The expectation of Jesus' followers is […] The post The Love Command appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

God is doing something new; can you see it? We might not be able to see it in the world or in our day-to-day, but we long for the new God is doing. We desperately need the new life Jesus is offering through his death and resurrection. How do we get Jesus' new life? What difference does it actually make? Join us as we seek the new life Jesus longs for us to have. The post New appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

When we pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” this is not a passive prayer while we wait for Armageddon! When we pray this—earnestly, fervently—we become participants with God in the Kingdom that has arrived NOW in Christ Jesus. This Palm Sunday, we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry. What does his entry say about what kind of kingdom we pray for, prepare for, participate in, and proclaim? Let's explore this together! The post On Earth as It Is in Heaven appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

There are so many feelings around the subject of confession. For some, it makes us squirm in our seats. And for others, they have found great solace in the practice. For each of us, we cannot debate the fact that acknowledging and confessing our sins is central to the work of redemption. So, what does confession look like for the current church? What role will it play in modeling the Gospel of Jesus to the world around us? Join us […] The post Confession appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

When we share and respond to prayer requests, there's often an unspoken assumption that a one-time prayer will suffice. But what happens when you face a Jericho-sized issue, and a one-time prayer won’t do? We need to be people who learn how to pray without ceasing as a labor of love; how to “pray through”! Join us as we learn together how to labor in prayer together. The post Labor of Love appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

So often, we come to prayer with a request or an answer in mind. Jesus tells us to ask, and it will be given; seek, and we will find; knock, and the door will be opened to us. But how many times have we pounded at a door in prayer for something, only for it to remain shut? This passage gives us a framework by which we might seek the kingdom of God and not our own kingdom. So, come […] The post Ask, Seek, Knock appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

In a world where we are constantly moving and listening to the noise around us, we unfortunately give in to consuming the world. In prayer, we are invited to switch posture and learn the intricacies of stillness. It is not our natural posture, but when we are still, we clear the way for the Lord to speak and move in our lives. The post Be Still appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

If you’re committed to following Jesus, it’s not a matter of if you pray, but when you pray. Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them how to pray—not because they wanted to know just in case they felt like doing it, but because they wanted to become like their rabbi. When we pray, our relationship with Jesus deepens, and we are formed to become more like him. When we pray, we are invited to participate in the kingdom work happening here on earth as it is […] The post Holy Ground appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

This Sunday is our monthly Discipleship Sunday, when we take time to learn as a community and together be formed in the way of Jesus. What does the way of Jesus look like when it comes to the subject of money? Does Jesus have relevant teachings for us to follow in our current age or are his teachings outdated? We are formed by our relationship with money and what we do with it. Join us as we seek to transform […] The post Money appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

We know we need to be reformed more into the image of Christ when it comes to our healing and brokenness. But how do we do that in the midst of pain and loss? We will explore the profound journey of learning to wait on God, weeping in our brokenness, and bearing witness to His redemptive healing. God’s grace can transform our deepest wounds into testimonies of His love and mercy. The post Healing and Brokenness appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Sex sells, but the narrative we are sold these days is a broken one. Even though it’s broken, it’s the one many have accepted as the best option afforded to us. Why settle for a broken paradigm when God wants to exchange the broken for the whole? As disciples, we want to be reformed in the way of Jesus when it comes to our sexual wholeness. The post Sexual Wholeness appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

True friendship has the power to uplift, encourage, and bring joy. In the context of the church community, these friendships are not just a blessing—they are vital, and the church functions as a place where deep, meaningful relationships can grow. Together, let's explore how we are called to cultivate a community of believers where love, accountability, and grace lead to friendships that point us toward God's purpose for our lives. The post Friendship & Community appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Have you walked into a worship service and felt like there were expectations or boundaries around your expression of worship? Jesus reorients our worship away from only the temple, away from specific locations, into worshiping in Spirit and Truth. As disciples, we are called to be worshipers of God at all times, leading to lifestyles of worship wherever we go and in whatever we do. And this worship is for both God's glory and our neighbors’ good. Join us this […] The post Worship appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

In our deepest struggles with anxiety and mental health, God’s presence offers true comfort and peace. This weekend, we will explore how our theology of mental health can be re-formed to recognize God's compassionate care for our emotional well-being. Rather than ignoring mental health, we are called to be a church that offers both spiritual and practical support, bringing God's peace to those in need. The post Mental Health appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Guilt and shame have a dramatic effect on human beings, and just because we follow Jesus does not mean we are immune to the effects. Join us as we learn how to let go of the ways we've been de-formed and how to be re-formed in new ways, leading to new growth around our understanding of guilt and shame. The post Guilt and Shame appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

In a world that cancels, walks away, and gives up, the way of Jesus offers forgiveness; forgiveness to us and forgiveness to others. It's not easy, but it is the call of Jesus to become like him and do what he does. Join us as we learn how to be a community that leans in when it's easy to walk out. On our monthly Discipleship Sundays, we take an immersive dive into communal learning and discipleship. Our stories help us […] The post Forgiveness appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

What would it be like to add beautiful icing on a cake, only to find out when you cut into the cake it was a moldy mess? Sometimes our formation as disciples can happen just like this. We need to be de-formed from the destructive patterns in order to live into healthy patterns. In this series, we will explore how we are de-formed and re-formed into the way of Jesus through various hot topics in discipleship and the culture around […] The post Identity appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

As we step into a new year, we may be facing uncertainties, embarking on new adventures, encountering challenges, or experiencing grief. This Sunday, we will turn to Mary's response of faith to equip us with the tools we need for all that 2025 may bring. The Lord invites Mary to be a Christ-bearer in the world, providing her with what she needs to transform her question, “How will this be?” into a posture of surrender, saying, “May it be unto me…” The post How will this Be? May it Be appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Imagine walking in a dark forest; you might feel alone and vulnerable. The longer you walk in that darkness, the more you might feel lost, alone, and vulnerable. But then you see a light and suddenly something is fighting back at the loneliness and vulnerability. Join us as we explore the moment Jesus entered into a dark world and began to change everything. The post Life & Light appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

It is the greatest and most wondrous mystery of the ages that God became human—the Word made flesh in Christ Jesus—and dwelled among us. To be human is indeed a risky endeavor. Why would Jesus choose to empty Himself and enter our world in the epitome of tender vulnerability? This divine vulnerability of God sees us, reaches us, and teaches us what it truly means to love. Join us this Sunday for our third Sunday in Advent: LOVE Sunday. The post The Vulnerable Child appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Baby Jesus was wrapped in cloth, was laid in a manger, and was held. Nothing unusual for a baby, but might seem unusual for the Triune God to be so dependent on another human being. Together let's explore what Jesus’ birth teaches us about how we are formed as his followers. Also, on this second Sunday of Advent—Peace Sunday—we’re celebrating with an entire service of music, with an orchestra and full band! The post Worship Through Music / The Dependent Child appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

You know when you get so used to something you can sometimes miss the grandeur of what is going on around you? Each year, Advent comes and we immerse ourselves in the story of Christ's birth. We know the story, but what if we stopped, closed our eyes, took a deep breath, and opened our eyes anew to the wonder of the arrival of Jesus? Join us as we collectively wonder about the moment prophesied about for thousands of years. The post Wonder appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

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Welcome! Join us here for our service at 10AM on Sunday, 11/17. An early marker of God's people was the identity of being blessed for the purpose of being a blessing to the world. Jesus followed up with his disciples about finding joy in giving over receiving. The practice of generosity is not of this world, but should not be foreign to the disciples of Jesus. As we learn to practice generosity in community, we learn to detach ourselves from […] The post Generosity appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

As kids, we were taught that actions speak louder than words. While that could be partly true, we believe that words and actions together bear witness to transformed lives. As disciples, when our words and actions are paired together, they testify to disciples who know and live like Jesus did. Join us this weekend as we look deeper into the practice of service and witness. The post Service & Witness appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Jesus calls all of us to be his disciples and to learn to live the “Way of Jesus.” That means we are transformed by being with and becoming like him, and then doing what he did! As we search through scriptures, we see that Jesus did a lot of … eating! Jesus constantly gathered people to a meal together. He valued table fellowship as a missional opportunity to build and deepen relationships, welcome everyone, and reconcile with friends. This Sunday, we also […] The post Community appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Do you ever feel like life is like a hamster wheel? You keep running and it keeps spinning. We wonder if and when we will ever be able to get off. What if I was to tell you the Lord gave us a practice in which we are able to step off the wheel? Join us as we explore together the practice of keeping the Sabbath. The post Sabbath appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

We live in one of the noisiest times in all of human history. We may not even know what silence sounds like. One essential practice of Jesus was to seek out silence and solitude in order to connect with the Father. Join us as we explore how the practice of solitude can transform our lives as apprentices of Jesus. The post Solitude appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Practicing the way of Jesus involves participating in the rhythms that Jesus did, becoming like Him, and being transformed. All these practices lead to abundant life, but we must start with the source of life, the Word of God. Join us as we examine Scripture as the source and learn to practice the way of Jesus together. The post Scripture appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Jesus prayed. Jesus’ disciples asked how he prayed. Yet for many of us, we still struggle with what we should pray, or how we should pray. The fact remains, a practice of prayer is essential to the life of a disciple. Join us as we learn from one another's practice of prayer. The post Prayer appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

So, we are committed to becoming disciples of Jesus. But how are we formed into disciples? Romans tells us we need to be on guard with how we are being formed each and every day. We are being de-formed and re-formed into disciples who either look like the world or look like Jesus. Join us as we explore how to become more like Jesus. The post Formation appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

In Luke 24 we find despondent, despairing, deconstructing disciples walking away from community, and the empty tomb. Jesus meets them. On the road. In the questions. In the Word. At the table. And in their hearts. Let's travel this journey together and discover deeper what it means to meet the resurrected Lord right where we are. The post Burning Hearts appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

As the Talmidim of Jesus, the disciples would listen to the teachings of their rabbi. As they listened to His teachings, they would learn the heart of their rabbi. What does our rabbi Jesus care about? Do we care about what our rabbi cares about? Join us as we learn to care about what He cares about! The post Convicted to Become appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

The Talmidim of Jesus are not just Christians who like what the rabbi Jesus says, but who choose to be in proximity and become fully like their rabbi. This year we are exploring what it means to be a church community that is formed by nothing other than Jesus. The process of becoming like Jesus is a lifelong journey of being like Jesus in thought, word, and deed. Join us this year as we explore and conform to the way […] The post Becoming Like Jesus appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

How you leave matters! What you say and do as you go can have a lasting impact many years into the future. Hebrews looks at the last moments of Jacob's life and the impact he left for the next generation to follow. Join us as we understand the impact each moment of our lives can have on those around us. The post Jacob appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Abraham is referred to as the “Father of Faith” because of the many examples of his faith throughout Scripture. Time and again, Abraham is obedient to God's call—no matter the destination or the outcome. Join us as we explore Abraham's life of obedience and the lessons it holds for us to become faithful followers of God. The post Abraham: Life of Obedience appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Each person in the hall of faith faces a turning point; a moment when they must choose between the narrow way, or the wide path. Moses is no different. Facing the decision between being God's chosen leader for the people of Israel or a leader in the palace, Moses made a choice. Join us as we learn from Moses’ story of choosing the narrow path walked by faith! The post Moses appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

This week, we will explore the story of one of the greatest—yet “most unlikely”—heroines of faith, Rahab. Hers is a grand rescue story that weaves a Scarlet Rope of Redemption from Old Testament to New, exploring the far-reaching effects of a faith that acts. The post Rahab the Faithful appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Do you want the promise or the person? When we want a promise to come true, we might even do anything in our power to influence the outcome. What if it takes too long? What if it doesn't come true? What do we do with our doubt? Sarah's story is a beautiful story of learning to trust the promise-maker. The post Sarah appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

When everything in the world was going wrong, the Lord called upon Noah not to save the world, but to have faith. It is said in Hebrews that it was “by faith” Noah and others are esteemed for what God did through them. Even when Noah could not see what was on the horizon, he had faith in the God he knew. Join us as we learn from Noah to believe even when we don't see. The post Noah appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Pine Lake Youth students and leaders returning from a week at UNITE 2024 reflect on their experience! The post Reflections on UNITE 2024 appeared first on Pine Lake Covenant Church.