Sermons on 1 Thessalonians
Carpe Diem in the Name of Jesus!
There are multiple divergent voices in the Bible that describe what will happen at the second coming of Jesus (aka the end of time, aka the Day of Lord). The voices diverge on the how, but they agree on the when. Or at least agree that we have no idea when and it will probably be unexpected. This teaching reminds us that life is impermanent and finite. Not only will we all die one day (and we don’t know when)…
Grieve with Hope by Knowing the Author of Our Story
There is no wrong way to grieve. We can prepare for times of grief by nurturing our relationship with the author of our story; the story of our life and of our common human existence. The second coming of Christ and the rapture are details in one understanding of the story but not critical to our faith. Nurturing a relationship with God as the author of life, can help us to grieve with hope and ease our suffering.
Embracing Joy and Living a Persistent Faith
Minister Lea Gilmore discusses I Thessalonians 3:6-13 as a call to live a persistent faith, embrace joy in living, and dedicate ourselves to doing good in the world. You (Yes, you!) are a beautiful child of God whose good works impact us all. Let’s receive it and believe it.
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around
The Apostle Paul is concerned that the Thessalonians will lose faith by being tempted to believe that we can be Christian without experiencing persecution. Pastor Tom makes the connection between our calling to always stand with the marginalized and our being destined to experience persecution with them. We will never by able to fix injustice. But, if we believe that some people will always seek to enrich themselves at the expense of others, we are called to stand with the…
Live a Courageous Christianity
Minister Lea Gilmore speaks on being courageously Christian (not Christian nationalist) no matter where you find yourself. Hint: we should strive to choose love.