This week, we come to our final question of this series: WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR HAND?

This question echoes (or foreshadows) one that Pastor Dottie preached on a couple weeks ago with the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000+ people with just a few loaves and fishes. While His disciples were panicking, Jesus urged them to share what they had and trust God for the rest. Similarly, in this story, God has called Moses out of his simple, quiet life to do something unbelievable–to confront the most powerful ruler in the land and demand freedom for his people. Naturally, Moses has many objections and excuses to this intimidating calling, and God amazingly accommodates those, but also asks Moses a question. What is that in your hand? What is in his hand is an ordinary, everyday tool; an unremarkable shepherd’s staff. But what can God do with our small and ordinary things? We ask God many questions, but God also has questions like this for us. How will we respond? Will we let God work through us?

Link to readable sermon PDF

This week, we are blessed to welcome Rev. Dottie LaPenta (a frequent guest preacher at COA) as our pulpit supply during Pastor Jessie’s vacation. She continues on with this summer sermon series “Great Questions of the Bible”, and today the focus will be on

This week, we are blessed to welcome Rev. Dottie LaPenta (a frequent guest preacher at COA) as our pulpit supply during Pastor Jessie’s vacation. She continues on with this summer sermon series “Great Questions of the Bible”, and today focuses on

This week, we come to a question in one of the most quoted and beautiful chapters of the Bible in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul is towards the end of his missionary career, and has been through a great deal of trial and tribulation. Christians too are receiving his words in times of persecution, division and violence. Paul offers tremendous reassurance that having faith does not prevent these hardships in life, but still that NOTHING can separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ. Sometimes WE can push God away, but God always seeks relationship and room to work in our lives. How can we find ways to connect more with this love that will not let us go? How can this promise help us to better navigate the inevitable difficulties of life? Let’s meditate together on this incredible promise!

Link to readable sermon PDF

This week, we come to a pretty loaded passage in John. A very religious, very well-respected teacher of the Law approaches Jesus with curiosity and is taught this confounding idea that we must be “born again”. This term is loaded in our current religious vernacular; we tend to associate it with evangelism, even “bible thumping”. We tend to also associate it perhaps with particular kinds of Christians who we may or may not identify with. But what was Jesus talking about with this teaching? Wouldn’t we too wonder with Nicodemus: “how can someone re-enter their mother’s womb? How can someone be born when they are old?” We might wonder it about ourselves, questioning whether we can really change. And we may wonder it about institutions like the larger Church, which not only seem old, but seem as if they may be dying in modern culture. Can we too, as a community of believers, be made brand new? Can we experience new life? Let’s dive into this question together in a fresh and new way.

Link to readable sermon PDF