Sonoma Avenue Sermons

After all of the planning and scheming, Jesus found himself in the custody of the Jewish authorities. It was time for them to present their case against him. There was just one problem: There was no case. In his Gospel, John does not tell us about how Jesus went before the Sanhedrin and was accused of claiming to be God. John gives us a conversation between Jesus and one man, Annas, the power behind the High priest. The conversation does not go as Annas planned.

Jesus was experiencing the longest two days of his life. He had spent all evening in a room with his closest friends, trying to prepare them for his coming death. When Jesus had said all he could, he and his disciples went to a garden, where a group of Jewish authorities and Roman soldiers would soon arrive to arrest him. They were going to show Jesus who was really in charge of God's people, but things did not go as planned. Join us as we take a look at the arrest of Jesus and learn a valuable lesson about the world we live in today.

Anyone who knows the story of the arrest, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus knows what happened in the garden to kick this cycle off. Jesus went by himself to pray that God would come up with a different plan. He didn't want to go through the suffering of the cross, but he would if God willed it. His sweat turned to drops of blood. An angel appeared to give him comfort and strength. This is an impactful story that speak to all that Jesus had to endure. That is why it is in all of the gospels...except for John. John gives us a completely different account of Jesus' prayer before his arrest. In his account, Jesus does not pray for an alternative ending, he instead prays that God would be glorified, that the disciples would be blessed, and that future believers would be one. It could not be more different than it is. Why did John give us this account? Why did Jesus pray these prayers? Join us as we explore Jesus' final moments with his disciples before his arrest.

Joy and sorrow are two emotions that don't seem like they can exist in the same space. Sorrow surely takes away the power of joy; joy must cancel our sorrow. And yet, Jesus said this is not the case. The lives of the disciples were about to be wrecked by the cross. Sorrow does not begin to cover what they will feel when Jesus is led off to die. They will mourn. They will despair. But this sorrow, despair, mourning and pain will not last because the cross is not the end, but rather a bridge to a new life. Join us as we explore the place where joy and sorrow meet.

The Long night of Jesus' arrest continues in John 16. Things were going to be rough for the disciples in the coming days. Even post-resurrection things were not going to be easy. Jesus had already promised the Spirit, but he was not done telling them about all that the Spirit would do. Join us as we continue to explore why the Spirit is such a crucial part of God's plan.

On the night of Jesus' arrest, he told his disciples things they needed to know. He encouraged them, reminded them what it means to follow him, told them to love each other, and promised the Holy Spirit as a helper and guide. He also told them that they would be hated. Join us as we explore how the world sees God, and how God sees them in return.

Jesus knew that he would be leaving the disciples. The cross, his resurrection and ascension were just around the corner and his followers were not ready. What would they do when Jesus was no longer there to guide them? How would these followers, who have struggled to understand what was going on, be the mouthpiece for Christianity. God had a plan. He gave his disciples something that would be just like the presence of Jesus in their lives. This tool would tell the truth, teaching, reminding the disciples of all that Jesus had said and done. It was made just for them. Join us as we explore the most under appreciated part of God's plan to save the world: the Holy Spirit.

It is Thursday of the last week, and Jesus had just had dinner with his disciples. He knows that the cross is just around the corner, but the disciples do not. Jesus wants them to stay strong in spite of the chaos that is on their way so he told them some important things that could be an anchor for them in the storm. Join us as we listen in on what Jesus really wanted his disciples to know.

Every four years we have a presidential election. Every four years we collective decide that people can say, do, accuse and insinuate to their heart's content. Friendships have been broken, families have hurt one another, neighbors have fought agains one another. It is an ugly time. What concerns me the most is that Jesus has been put into the middle of this mess. We have spoken for him, declared his intentions, and determined who he approves of and who he doesn't. How would Jesus respond to our use of his name? What would he tell us to do when we disagree with those around us? The answer is not surprising.

Is betrayal, denial and failure a necessary part of the gospel story? Join us as we look at encounters between Jesus and two very different disciples: Judas and Peter.

What would Jesus do? We have asked that question so many times that it became a catch phrase within the Christian community. There are a lot of ways that we cannot be like Jesus. We can't heal the sick, give sight to the blind, or tell the lame to walk. We can tell the lame to walk but it would not have the desired effect. Jesus is the almighty son of God, and we are far from that. But, there is a way we can be just like Jesus. Join us as we look at what Jesus considered to be the most important thing for us to do if we want to be like him.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the last week of his life, he was ushered in as king. Shouts of Hosanna rang out from everyone there to celebrate Jesus and his great power. Jesus knew that those people crowning him as king, didn't know what was coming. They did not know about the cross and the resurrection. Jesus tried to explain it to them, but God was doing something so outrageous that the world had no idea of how it would change in one week's time.

Throughout the gospel of John we have seen those who encountered Jesus wrestle with who he is. While some big things are still yet to happen in the second half of the gospel, it is small moment at the beginning of chapter twelve that sets the stage. One person saw Jesus for who he was. One person, through great sacrifice and humility, fully acknowledged Jesus and anointed him as the lamb of God.

In John chapter eleven, Jesus found himself in a weird place. He had just found out that his friend Lazarus was sick. He knew Lazarus would die and that he would raise Lazarus from the dead. He told his disciples, but they didn't think he could do anything about the situation. It was the same with Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus. So there Jesus was, surrounded by people who loved him and believed in him, but they did not know what he was capable of. Join us as we look at an incredible story of life and death, doubt and faith.

Many of the people that encountered Jesus during his time on earth, could not decide what to do with him. Was the messiah or was he demon possessed? He was surrounded by those who loved him and by those who wanted him to disappear. Jesus wanted everyone to understand that he was not here to hurt people or to lead them away from their God. Instead, he was one who was sent by God to take care of, protect the people. He is the very best of shepherds.

Jesus performs a lot of miracles throughout the gospels, but few are as amazing as the healing of the blind man in John chapter nine. It is dramatic in nature, and puts the man in the center of an argument between Jesus and the religious leaders. Join us as we explore what it meant for Jesus to heal a man born blind, and how it sets the table for a major confrontation.

Jesus was a divisive figure as he walked this earth teaching, healing and challenging the people of God. While we may look back and think that everyone should have understood and believed in Jesus, the most common reaction to his interaction in John is confusion. Through his words, Jesus would not let those around him walk a middle ground. There was no middle ground. He was either the Messiah, or a threat to God. Join us as we dig into what made these interactions so challenging.

While the teachings of Jesus in the gospels are powerful, we learn just as much by studying the interactions he had with those he encountered. We read about Jesus telling others about the love of God, but we see the truth of God's love in how Jesus extended it to the rejected, unloved, used and judged. Join us as we study one of the most dramatic displays of love in the gospels; a true demonstration of how God loves better than his creation.

Jesus' interactions with people in the Gospel of John follow a pattern. What most often happens is that Jesus does or says something that the religious leaders don't like and it leads to a confrontation. What is the confrontation usually about? It involves the religious leaders arguing with the Son of God on God's behalf. That's right. They are protecting their God from Jesus. Join us as we investigate why this happens so frequently.

Join us as we celebrate mothers, and the Family that God has given us in the church. By looking at the story of Ruth and Naomi, we see how sometimes our most meaningful family relationships that we have don't come from the family we were born into.

While Jesus was an excellent communicator, the message he preached was not an easy one to understand. Trying to explain the things of God to people who have a limited point of view is challenging. When Jesus talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, things went from challenging to downright weird. Join us as we explore what it means for Jesus to be the "bread of life".

Jesus had power unlike anything the world has ever seen. Those who followed him expected him to use his power in certain ways, to benefit certain people. Those expectation came from the way that people normally use power in this world. What they found was that Jesus used his power in very unexpected ways. Join us as we explore some of the amazing works of Jesus.

John follows the conversation between the teacher Nicodemus and Jesus from chapter three, with another conversation between Jesus and an unnamed Samaritan woman in chapter four. While the two conversations may seem unrelated, they are tied together by the words that Jesus spoke. If you want to know what John 3:16 means, chapter four gives you the answer.

In John three we get to eavesdrop on a one-of-a-kind conversation between Jesus and one of Israel's teachers. Nicodemus wanted to know what God was doing through Jesus. Jesus needed to let him know that his ideas about God needed to change if he was going to catch on. Join us as we look at this crucial conversation.

I have a strange easter message for you. The story of Jesus' death and resurrection do not make sense. There are so many elements to the story that violate what we know to be true in this world. This might seem like bad news for those who believe in Jesus. It is just the opposite. Join us as we talk about the completely nonsensical story of Jesus changes the world.

While John might be slowly introducing his readers to the power of Jesus in his gospel, the same cannot be said about the way John communicates the authority of Jesus. John already told us in chapter one that Jesus is the word, present from Creation, the son of God. When Jesus entered the temple in chapter two, he had some thoughts about what was going on in his father's house. Join us as we explore the day when Jesus scared the snot out of everyone in the temple.

John slowly rolls out the power of Jesus in his gospel. We got a glimpse of what Jesus could do when he called Nathaniel to be his disciple. But, what is next? What can this son of god do? The sky is the limit right? While this is true the first miracle we get is one that takes place in a nothing town, at a wedding of people we never hear about. Most of the people at the wedding did not even know that a miracle occurred. So why does John's proof of Jesus' power start like this? John us as we explore what happened when Jesus turned water into wine.

Jesus had an effect on everyone that he met. Anger, fear, wonder, love, and all of the reactions in between were products of an encounter with Jesus. Some wanted to get rid of him, while others left everything behind to follow him. Why would someone do this? Join us as we explore the call to follow Jesus.

John the baptist plays a crucial role in John's account of the life of Jesus, but not in the same way as he does in the other gospels. In John, JTB is the crucial first witness to the person of Jesus. He exists to do one thing: point the way to Jesus.

The Gospel of John was written so that those who read it would come to understand who Jesus is and believe in him. John, in a departure from the opening of the other gospels, did not mix words. Jesus was not just a man born in Nazareth. He was not just a teacher, healer, or prophet. He was so much more than you can imagine.

Churches all over the country have seen a lot of change over the past few years. Where does our church fit into this big picture? As we look forward to what we want to accomplish, what do we hold on to? What keeps us grounded? Join us as we explore where our future lies.

Join us as we look back at some of the good things that God has done here at Sonoma Avenue.

Jesus told a story about a father and his son. The son approached the father and demanded his inheritance, even though his father had not yet died. His father gave it to him. The son squandered his father's money and ended up destitute. We know this story. We understand the rules. We know how the son ended up amongst the pigs. We know what the reaction of the father should be. We hurt for him. We are angry for him. But that is not who the father is, and the story ends in a way that it shouldn't. Join us as we explore what makes the father in this story different from all other fathers.

Even though we do not know much about Jesus when he was a child, the question of what he was like is a fascinating one. There is only one story, told by Luke, which give us any kind of insight. It's not much. But Luke believed it was important to tell. Let's take a look at what happened when Jesus went to the temple at the age of twelve.

The coming of Jesus the messiah is an unbelievable story right from the start. How do you convince someone that something so amazing is true? Luke faced this problem when he set out to write an account of the beginning of Jesus' life. He pulled on the best resources he could: eyewitness testimony from trusted sources to show that Jesus really is the Messiah.

I want more joy in my life. Advent tells us that the greatest joy is available to us at any time. It is not dependent upon things going right or life being perfect. It is always there, steadfast and waiting for us. You can have joy no matter what is going on in your life. Join us as we explore the joy that Jesus brought to the world.

I am pretty sure that we would all like for there to be more peace in the world, and yet peace seems to be something we continually pursue without ever capturing. It makes me wonder: "What are we asking for when we ask for peace?" God provides peace. Jesus is the bringer of peace. We have heard that over and again. But how does it work?

The Hope that we have in Jesus is a greater hope than we can have in anything in this world. But what makes it different? Join us as we begin the season of Advent by exploring how Jesus brought a new kind of hope to the world.

Corinth was a messy church, but what was the solution to many of their problems? The answer is a simple one: Love. Join us as we wrap up our series on the messiest of churches.

What is it that holds us together? How are we all joined under one purpose, and yet so different? Why can't I do the same things that someone else does? Is that person a better Christian than me? Am I a better Christian than someone else? Join us as we study 1 Corinthians 12 and take a look at the most common cause of fragmentation within the Body of Jesus.

We love being right about things. Being wrong... not so much. The stakes are high within the church when people disagree on an issue. What is the right way to handle those disagreements? Paul has some thoughts.

This week, we continue to explore the underlying issues that lead to the Church in Corinth being so dysfunctional. What happens when the practices of the world around us come into direct conflict with the values of Jesus? What happens when our sense of self preservation conflicts with the values of Jesus? It's complicated but let's take a look.

We live in a world that has rules. We all live by these rules everyday. We follow a God whose rules are different than the rules of the world. In Corinth, we see how difficult it is to live the life that God has called his people to. They were not very good at it. In fact, they “adapted” God's rules so that they could still live as Corinthians with a Jesus flavor. Paul told them clearly that they could not continue to live that way and call themselves Christians. There was only one thing that could help them change course. Would they use it?

The Corinthian church had several extraordinary problems. That is how it looks on the surface. Join us as we dig deeper and see that one of their core problems was one that has been around since creation. Who knows better? God or us?

The church in Corinth was a complicated community, but by no means were they unique in their complications. In fact you can trace some of their tendencies back through many of the phases of God's relationship with his people. This week we take a look at one episode from the Exodus which explains why people, across human history, similarly respond to adversity.

The Israelites were released from slavery by the Egyptians! That whole chapter is over...right? There was still one more lesson that needed to be taught: to Egypt, the Israelites, and the world. There is one God and he can do the impossible

The time has come for the people of God to leave the shackles of slavery behind, and begin their journey into freedom. But liberation is not something that just happens. Yes, God is setting them free, but they must first commit themselves to him in order to gain that freedom. Do they have the faith to believe that this is really going to happen?

The Exodus story has taken us down a long and complicated road on the way to freedom for God's people. One by one, the plagues came upon Egypt and each time, Pharaoh failed to let the people of God go. The tenth plague is the one that broke his will. Gods people were free at a terrible cost: the lives of all of the firstborn children in Egypt. What do we do with this story? It is a story of freedom, victory, sacrifice and great loss. Join us as we discuss one of the most significant and hard to swallow events in the Exodus story.

God sent the plagues upon Egypt for a very specific reason. The world needed to know that he is God. The road to deliverance is not an easy one. There are all kinds of things that can get in the way. Even so they cannot stop God and his plans for his people.

In the Exodus story, we see that God needed to make a statement. He wanted the world to know that he is God. He wanted Pharaoh to let his people go because he is God. He wanted the Hebrew people to follow him into the wilderness because he is God. But what was the best way to show them who he is? If frogs, gnats and flies came to mind, then you and God are on the same page.

Moses went to Pharaoh to demand that the people of God be freed from their slavery. Pharaoh said no. Moses had done as much as he could. It was time for God to step in. God's first intervention in this dynamic is at times weird, unexpected and terrifying. But God has a message for Pharaoh and his people. There may be other "gods" but there is no one like me.