You can find our weekly homilies (sermons, messages, etc) here.
This sermon centers on two deep human fears: abandonment and being unloved, tracing them back to the fall in Eden where doubt in God's love first took root. Jesus directly addresses these fears in John 14:18, promising not to leave his disciples as orphans but to come to them through the Holy Spirit. This promise is not superficial comfort but the profound reality of God's indwelling presence. Throughout salvation history, God has always been with his people, but now, through the Spirit, he dwells within them. The Spirit is not secondary to Christ but brings a deeper intimacy with God, actively working in believers to transform them. This indwelling assures Christians that while they may feel lonely, they are never truly alone or abandoned. The Spirit animates, sanctifies, and draws believers into love and obedience—not out of fear or obligation, but as a response to God's love poured into their hearts through Christ. As fears resurface, believers are called to trust in the Spirit's abiding presence. Ultimately, the sermon proclaims that God's presence within us dispels the lies of abandonment and replaces them with the enduring truth of divine love.
November 2, 2025
October 26, 2025
This sermon unpacks Jesus' hard words in Luke 14:26 about “hating” family and even one's own life. It clarifies that in Hebrew idiom, “hate” means “to love less,” so Jesus is calling His followers to detachment—to love Him above all else. Too often, we cling to created things—family, success, wealth, or even our own lives—as if they could bear the weight of being God. When we do, they crack under the pressure, and both they and we suffer. Jesus asks us to “give it up”—to open our hands and hearts by setting down the false gods we cling to, so we are free to receive His love, mercy, and strength. Taking up our cross is not about needless suffering but about learning to rely on Him above all things. When we surrender, He returns our relationships and possessions as true gifts—loved and appreciated, but no longer idols. With simple prayers—“Jesus, give me your eyes to see, your heart to love, your hands to serve”—we learn to place everything in its proper place under Him. Detachment becomes freedom, and the cross becomes life. In Christ, we gain immeasurably more than we ever give up.
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