God’s Acre on the Go

Jacob has spent much of his life running from the consequences of his choices and grasping for the future he wants. On the night before he must face Esau, Jacob is left alone beside the Jabbok River, where he wrestles with God until daybreak.

Jacob cannot overpower or outmaneuver God. Wounded and unable to rely upon his old strength, he can only remain in the struggle and hold on. There, God asks Jacob to name himself honestly and then gives him a new name before reconciliation is complete. Jacob leaves Peniel without an explanation, but with a blessing, a limp, and the assurance that his past does not determine who he is becoming.

This sermon reflects on the courage to stop running, remain with God through uncertainty, and take the next faithful step before we feel fully ready. Like Jacob, we may not be able to control what waits on the other side of the river, but we can trust that God’s grace has already met us in the night.

How much love is enough?

In Luke 10:25–37, a lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus reminds him to love God and love his neighbor, the lawyer presses further: “And who is my neighbor?” He is looking for a boundary—a clear point at which his obligation ends.

Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan. By making a despised outsider the story’s hero, Jesus challenges his listeners to imagine love crossing the very divisions they find hardest to overcome. The Samaritan notices the wounded man, allows his journey to be interrupted, gives his time and resources, and commits to his continued care. He does not ask how little he can do; he serves as fully as he is able.

This sermon invites us to see our neighbors as the people God places along our path. It also points to Jesus as the true Good Samaritan, who came near to us in our brokenness and gave himself completely for our salvation. We serve others not to earn God’s mercy, but in grateful response to the mercy we have already received.

If God asked you the same question he asked Solomon—"What should I give you?"—how would you answer?

In this sermon, “Deepest Desire,” we explore 1 Kings 3:1–15 and one of the most remarkable conversations in Scripture. While Solomon is often remembered for asking God for wisdom, this story reveals something even deeper: a gracious God who meets imperfect people and invites them to uncover the deepest desires of their hearts.

Moving from the childhood game of three wishes to the spiritual practice of worship and listening, this message considers the difference between the passing wishes that occupy our attention and the holy longings God has planted deep within us. Solomon's request for a "listening heart" becomes an invitation for all of us to seek lives marked by humility, faithful service, and openness to God's leading.

This sermon reminds us that God is not looking for perfect people, but for hearts willing to listen, worship, and align their deepest desires with God's purposes.

What if reconciliation is not a naïve dream, but the very direction of God’s work in the world?

In this sermon on Genesis 25:19–34, we meet Jacob and Esau, two brothers whose rivalry begins before birth and shapes the story of generations to come. Through vivid storytelling, humor, family conflict, and human failure, this ancient biblical narrative introduces us to deeply flawed people who nevertheless become part of God’s greater purpose.

Neither Jacob nor Esau emerges as a hero. One is driven by immediate hunger; the other by restless ambition. Yet the story reveals a God who remains committed to imperfect people and who sees far beyond the choices that consume them in the moment. While the brothers focus on a bowl of stew and a birthright, God is already working toward something larger.

Their story eventually leads to one of Scripture’s most moving moments: reconciliation. After years of deception, anger, and separation, Jacob and Esau embrace, weep, and discover that forgiveness is possible. In that encounter, Jacob recognizes something of God’s own face and character.

This message invites us to trust God’s larger vision, carry God’s blessing into the world, and imagine reconciliation where we can only see division. The challenge is simple yet profound: dare to believe that God is still bringing people, communities, and even nations toward healing and wholeness.

What begins as a child’s question about the World Cup becomes a deeper question about identity, loyalty, and faith. On a weekend when many give thanks for the nation, this sermon asks what it means to celebrate with honesty, humility, and hope.

 

In Matthew 11, Jesus speaks to people carrying real burdens: political burdens, religious burdens, economic burdens, and spiritual burdens. He does not promise them a life with no yoke at all. Instead, he invites them to take his yoke and learn from him, because he is gentle and humble in heart.

 

This sermon reflects on the Statue of Liberty, Emma Lazarus’s poem “The New Colossus,” and Jesus’ invitation to the weary. It considers how Christians can give thanks for their country without asking any nation to bear the weight only God can carry. The invitation is to live under the yoke of Christ: seeing the weary differently, holding truth and gratitude together, and remembering that while we may root for our country, we are rooted first in Christ.

 

What if following Jesus is not only about where we are sent, but also about who we are willing to receive? In Matthew 10:5-11; 40-42, Jesus sends his disciples out to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven has come near. But he sends them without extra supplies, making them dependent on the hospitality of others.

This sermon looks at the often-overlooked side of discipleship: the people who open the door, make room at the table, and offer even a cup of cold water. Jesus says that whoever welcomes his disciples welcomes him, reminding us that hospitality is not just kindness. It is a way of recognizing Christ in the person who comes near.

Through everyday images of offering a drink, moving a bag from an empty seat, greeting a newcomer, or sharing fellowship after worship, this message invites us to see small acts of welcome as part of God’s larger work. The challenge is simple but holy: notice who is near, make room, and trust that no act of care is wasted.

At first glance, Jesus’ words about self-denial, sacrifice, and taking up the cross hardly sound like a summer message. But what if Matthew 10 is actually a kind of pep talk?

In this sermon, “Pep Talk,” we explore Jesus’ challenge to his disciples as they prepare to go into the world proclaiming good news and embodying God’s kingdom. Like a coach preparing a team for a championship run, Jesus reminds his followers that meaningful achievements often require sacrifice. The path to a significant life is not found in comfort, acquisition, or self-protection—it is found in self-giving love.

Drawing on examples from sports, business leadership, family life, and contemporary culture, the message reflects on Jesus’ surprising claim that those who try to save their lives will lose them, while those who give their lives away will find them.

As summer begins, we are invited to consider how small acts of generosity, patience, service, and sacrifice might become seeds of goodness that bear fruit far beyond what we can imagine.

What do we owe God when life is good?

In this Confirmation Sunday message, “Making Vows in New Canaan,” we explore Psalm 116 alongside Moses’ warnings to Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. While hardship often drives people toward God, abundance can tempt us to forget the source of our blessings.

The sermon reflects on the meaning of New Canaan’s name and its connection to the biblical land flowing with milk and honey. Against that backdrop, the Psalmist asks a profound question: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” The answer is found in remembering God through faithful living and keeping the promises we have made.

As confirmands affirm their baptismal vows, the entire congregation is invited to remember its own commitments—to follow Christ, pursue justice, grow in faith, and participate in the life of the church. Because faith is sustained not by occasional inspiration, but by daily practices of remembering.

Matthew had wealth, security, and influence—but he may also have been imprisoned by the very life he had built.

In this message, “The Physician and the Tax Collector,” we explore Matthew 9:9–13 and Jesus’ surprising call to one of the most despised people in Capernaum. Looking beyond the familiar story, we consider how Matthew’s tax booth may have functioned as both a place of employment and a symbol of spiritual captivity.

Jesus describes himself as a physician sent to those who are sick. Rather than avoiding broken people, he moves toward them with healing, holiness, and freedom. The sermon explores how many of us become trapped by identities, habits, relationships, fears, or choices that no longer reflect who God created us to be.

The good news is that Jesus still stands at the door and calls people into freedom. Like Matthew, we are invited to leave behind what confines us and step into the life God intends for us.

What happens when you reach the summit only to discover there is another mountain ahead? In this sermon on Matthew 28:16–20, Jesus meets his disciples on a mountain in Galilee after the resurrection and gives them what we now call the Great Commission. Though they worship him, they also doubt—a powerful reminder that faith and uncertainty often coexist.

Drawing on a story about a business leader who was always looking toward the next challenge, this message explores how the disciples were called to continue Jesus' mission even when they felt exhausted and unprepared. What does it mean to "make disciples" today? It means more than sharing beliefs; it means embodying the way of Jesus through prayer, compassion, hospitality, justice, and love.

As individuals and as a church, we are continually invited to look beyond the mountain we've climbed and toward the next one God places before us—trusting that Christ goes with us every step of the journey.