God’s Acre on the Go

God's Acre On the Go: Emmanuel Living

In this message, Chapin reflects on Jesus’ invitation to “Come and see” from John 1:35–42. From a front porch in West Virginia to a hospice bedside in New Canaan, from the hills of El Salvador to the embattled Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank, this sermon traces how presence—not productivity—is often the most powerful way we love and serve others.

The name Emmanuel means “God with us,” and this message reminds us that we are never alone—and that our greatest gift to others is often simply showing up. In an age of distraction, Emmanuel Living is a call to reconnect with God and with one another in real time, with real presence. Whether welcoming new members or traveling halfway across the world, we are called to be God's presence for others—flesh and blood reminders that love never leaves.

God's Acre On the Go: The Current of Compassion

In this episode, we reflect on Luke 8:40–48, where Jesus is surrounded by pressing needs — Jairus pleading for his daughter’s life, a woman reaching for healing after twelve years of suffering, and a crowd pulling at him from every side. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus notices the touch of faith, declaring, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

This story reminds us that compassion always costs something, but in the kingdom of God, love doesn’t run dry — it flows. Jesus lived from a rhythm of prayer, rest, worship, and community that kept him connected to the Source, so his love could keep pouring out.

We also explore a modern story of Monica and Kevin — a young couple learning that healing and renewal are sustained not by willpower, but by steady faith, supportive community, and God’s abiding grace. When compassion stretches us thin, we too are invited to return to the Source, trusting that the same God who renewed Jesus renews us.

God's Acre On the Go: Observations On the Water

When Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23–27, he didn’t just demonstrate his divine authority—he raised questions that still challenge us today. This sermon reflects on Jesus’ question to his disciples, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”, not as a rebuke, but as encouragement. Jesus, a “lake guy,” found rest and trust on the water—and even in a storm, he trusted his friends at the helm. With insight into boating, lakeside living, and deep faith, the message invites us to consider how we weather life’s storms, how we help others through fear, and how a mustard seed of faith may be all we need. The story of Horatio Spafford and the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” underscores that faith doesn’t prevent storms, but offers us peace—even when boats go down.

Faith doesn’t erase fear, but reminds us that God is always in the boat.

God's Acre On the Go: The Impulse Within

In this episode, we explore a moment of sacred interruption. “In the year King Uzziah died…” begins the powerful scene from Isaiah 6:1–8, a passage where a young priest encounters the raw presence of God amid national instability and personal uncertainty. Isaiah’s instinctive reply to the divine question—“Whom shall I send?”—is stunning in its immediacy: “Here I am; send me.”

But what causes someone to respond with such impulsive courage?

Drawing also from 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter written by the Apostle Paul—himself radically transformed by a divine encounter—we reflect on how love, faith, and spiritual conviction can lead ordinary people to say yes to extraordinary callings.

In a cynical and fractured world, could the Spirit still be prompting you? Could that quiet tug you feel be your own “Isaiah moment”? This episode invites you to listen closely… and to respond.

God's Acre On the Go: Made Well

This week’s message reflects on Jesus’ healing of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52 and Paul’s plea for deliverance in 2 Corinthians 12:7b–9. What do we really want God to do for us—and how does God sometimes answer in ways we don’t expect?

Drawing from real-life stories of struggle and grace, including the inspiring witness of a blind church member and a lesson learned from a high school football teammate with a stutter, Chapin explores the ways in which God’s strength is revealed through our weakness.

This is a powerful and honest reflection on what it means to be made well—not just healed of our infirmities, but transformed into agents of light, gratitude, and blessing. Whether you’re wrestling with unanswered prayers or wondering what your life’s challenges are meant to teach you, this episode reminds us that God’s grace truly is sufficient.

 

God's Acre On the Go: A Recipe for Hope

This week’s message, “Can These Bones Live?”, begins with a deeply personal story of addiction, emptiness, and hopelessness. The preacher compares his past to the prophet Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 37:1–14, where God brings him to a valley of dry bones—lifeless remains that seem beyond restoration. But even here, in a place of total despair, God is present.

Through this vision, we see that God can breathe new life into what seems long dead. The sermon reveals a powerful spiritual truth: God revives dry bones through two essential ingredients—His Word and His Spirit. Just as the bones come together and rise into a vast army, we too can find healing and purpose when we allow God’s Word to move us and His Spirit to fill us.

No matter how lifeless your situation may seem, Jesus is near—as close as your breath—ready to bring you back to life.

God's Acre On the Go: A Touching Story

This week we explore Luke 7:36–50, where Jesus asks a striking question: “Do you see this woman?” She had just anointed him with perfume, tears, and love at Simon the Pharisee’s dinner party. But Jesus’s question goes deeper than physical sight—it’s about truly seeing someone’s worth, their transformation, and their capacity to bless others.

The sermon draws out how God consistently sides with the overlooked and outcast—from shepherd boys like David to enslaved peoples like the Hebrews. In the same spirit, Jesus allows this unnamed woman to touch him, defying purity laws and flipping expectations: holiness, it turns out, can be transmitted through proximity and compassion.

Her fragrant offering lingers like the grace we carry from faithful encounters. When we open ourselves to the unseen, their blessedness “rubs off” on us. Jesus teaches that real connection—with others and with God—often comes through the ones we’re most likely to miss.

God's Acre On the Go: Ask Me a Question

This week, we turn to Matthew 16:13-20, where Jesus takes his disciples to the politically symbolic city of Caesarea Philippi to ask a bold question: “Who do you say I am?” In a city named after Caesar—the so-called “Son of God”—Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah,” is a revolutionary claim.

But instead of launching into doctrinal explanation, Jesus does what he so often does: he asks a question. In fact, he asks over 300 in the Gospels, answering only a few. Why? Because Jesus was more interested in relationship than in right answers. Questions spark conversation, and conversation builds communion.

This sermon invites us to reclaim the spiritual power of curiosity. Whether it’s using our new Disciple Deck around a dinner table, or asking our own questions in prayer, Jesus shows us that connection comes not by knowing everything—but by asking, listening, and truly caring.

God's Acre On the Go: Jesus’ Guide to Fine Dining

This week’s sermon explores Luke 14:1, 7–14, where Jesus dines at the home of a Pharisee and watches guests scramble for seats of honor. Rather than scolding, Jesus turns the moment into a graceful, witty parable on humility and hospitality. Drawing from both ancient and modern examples — including inherited fine china, youth mission trips, and Chef José Andrés’ work feeding people in crisis — we see how Jesus’ table isn’t about etiquette or influence but about making room for the overlooked.

Jesus reminds us: the real blessing comes not when we get repaid, but when we welcome those who can’t repay us at all. That’s where God’s joy is found — and where true community begins.

What if every table we set — in our homes, schools, or churches — became a little glimpse of the banquet of heaven?

Tune in and take your seat at the table.

Gods Acre On the Go: Be the Church, Trust in God

In this closing message of our Be the Church series, we turn to Matthew 6:25–34 and hear Jesus’s bold invitation: “Do not worry about your life… but seek first the kingdom of God.” Easier said than done, perhaps—but essential if we are to live as Christ’s people. In this sermon, we reflect on why trust in God is the foundation for everything else: loving God, protecting creation, fighting for the powerless, embracing diversity, and sharing resources. With humor, honesty, and story, we wrestle with our tendency to trust in calendars, bank accounts, and control more than grace. But Jesus points us to the birds and lilies as living parables of divine care. Trust, we discover, is not passive—it’s courageous, generous, and communal. To be the church is to live from this trust, daring to believe that God’s promises are reliable and that grace is enough for today—and tomorrow too.