Jewel Lake Parish Sermon Podcast

We've seen how our lives are better when we have margin in the areas of time and finance, but really, margin is a great idea wherever we apply it. For example, when we have emotional margin, we aren't anxious or angry or stressed-out. Margin is equally useful in areas of our physical existence like diet or exercise. But another area many of us could use margin is in the area of sleep. On average, Americans today have two and a half hours less sleep than our ancestors had 100 years ago, and we suffer because of it. What should we do? The Bible tells us what Jesus did. Pastor Luke preaches from Mark 4:35-41 in "Jesus Slept," the concluding message in his series, "Margins."

In our discussions about margin, we've seen how having margin in the different areas of our lives gives us peace. But margin is also the place in our lives where we can help others. When we lack margin, our capacity to volunteer or give is constrained. The Old Testament Law shows some ways that people in Bible Times used margin to help others, and studying that Law gives us insights about how we can use our margin the same way. Pastor Luke preaches from Leviticus 19:9-10 in "Edges," part 4 of his 5-part series, "Margins."

One area where many people lack margin in money. While our money goes further than ever before, somehow, we seem to run of out it before we run out of the things we need it for. Jesus taught a key principle about money, however, that he said religious people should learn from nonreligious people. If we did, we could be masters of money instead of money being our master. What is that principle, and how can we apply it in our lives? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 16:1-14 in "Money," part 3 of his 5-part series, "Margins."

Jesus had margin in his life, and he teaches us how we can have it too. Time is one of the areas where we lack margin. Too often, we find ourselves rushing from one activity to another, never catching up with all the demands on their time. Jesus teaches an important principle, however, that shows how we can have margin in the area of time. What is it? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 10:38-42 in "Time," part 2 of his 5-part series, "Margins."

Having margin in our life makes us more like Jesus. Jesus had enough margin that he was able to be effective in his ministry even when the unexpected occurred. But Jesus also showed how God works in the margins: even when our margins aren't very broad, when we feel stressed and stretched, if we offer God what we do have in faith, God multiplies the little we have. Pastor Luke teaches from Luke 9:10-17 in "Multiply," the first message in a new series, "Margins."

There is only one story in the Bible about Jesus from the time of his birth to his baptism and the beginning of his public ministry. (There are a lot of stories, but they aren't not in the Bible. The others are just made up and passed down.) Why have Christians always been interested in Jesus' childhood? And more importantly, if the Bible only has this one story about Jesus' childhood, what should we learn from it? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 2:41-52 in "See Him In the Temple."

The most famous Bible verse is John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world...") and we see it all year long: on billboards and clothes, and especially in the stands at football games. What does it really mean? And what does this "year round" verse have to do with Christmas? Pastor Luke looks at John 3:9-21 in "Love," the concluding message in his series, "Coming Soon."

"Peace on earth" was what the angels proclaimed to the shepherds. What did they mean? Did Jesus really bring peace, and how can we have it? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 2:8-14 in "Peace," part 2 of his 4-part series, "Coming Soon."

How you remember high school or college probably depends a lot on what cliques you were part of: jocks, band, stoners, geeks, etc. But cliques don't end with high school. People spend a lot of time and effort learning how to navigate their social circles, either for personal advantage, or to avoid personal hazards. What does Jesus teach about that kind of jockeying and maneuvering? What does his teaching tell us about our relationship with God? And what does it mean for us as members of the "House of God" that is the church? Pastor Luke preaches from Luke 14:15-24 in "Full House," the concluding message in his series, "House of God."

Do you have a small god? Are there things about your god that are small? Maybe your god doesn't have much power: there are things your god would like to do if he could, but he can't? Or maybe your god doesn't have much love: your god could help, but won't, because it's not his problem? So how big is your god? The prophet Isaiah spoke a message from God that illustrates how big God really is. Pastor Luke teaches from Isaiah 56:1-8 in "Robbers, Eunuchs, and Foreigners," part 2 of his 5-part series, "House of God."

What is the purpose of the church? Why is there a church, anyway? For that matter, isn't Christianity just about the relationship between a believer and Jesus? Not according to the apostle Peter, and Peter spent more time with Jesus than probably anybody except Jesus' mother. Then what is the church about? Pastor Luke looks at 1 Peter 1:22-2:10 in "After Infancy, What?," the first message in a new series, "House of God."

What is the church for? Why did Jesus establish the church? Why shouldn't Christians just pray and praise God and do the other things they do as individuals? Why do we join with other Christians in community? The Book of Acts describes several occasions when the early church wrestled with what it meant to be in relation with other Christians. What can we learn from them? Pastor Luke preaches from Acts 5:40-6:7 in "Community," the concluding message in his series, "Declarations."

What is our role in the Kingdom of God? Jesus tells us the Kingdom of God is drawing near, and calls us to share that good news with others. How do we do that, and does it mean we have to do evangelism? Questions like these were answered by Jesus when he told his disciples how to share the good news about his kingdom. Pastor Luke looks at Luke 10:1-12 in "Mission," part 5 of his 6-part series, "Declarations."

The Cross says that God took on himself the punishment for all the evil we do and the evil we get caught up in. That's good news, but what is God's plan for dealing with the evil itself? Is God ever going to do anything about the sources of human suffering and pain? Jesus says the answer is "Yes...but not yet." Pastor Luke looks at Luke 19:11-27 in "Kingdom," part 4 of his 6-part series, "Declarations."

Last week Pastor Luke said that Grace means that, no matter what your circumstances seem to be, no matter what you may feel or what people tell you, "God doesn't hate you." No matter what you've done, no matter who you've hurt, God still loves you and wants to be reconnected to you. That may seem hard to believe, but grace really is amazing, just like the song says. But is it too good to be true? How can we know that grace is real? Pastor Luke teaches from Romans 3:23-25 in "Cross," part 3 of his 6-part series, "Declarations."

We think about God, but what does God think about us? Is it even possible to know what God is thinking? Christianity says that Jesus shows God's grace. What does that mean, and what difference does it make? Pastor Luke looks at Luke 15 in "Grace," part 2 of his 6-part series, "Declarations."

Christianity makes a lot of claims about the world: about us and the universe and especially about God. But are they true? Do the ideas of Christianity align with the real world? How do we know? Pastor Luke teaches from John 1:18 in "Truth," the first message in a new series, "Declarations."

Autumn reminds us that things change. More things than just the weather change: society has been transformed, for better or worse, in just a generation's time. That includes the church. How do we relate to change? Is there a way to celebrate the past without wanting to live there? Pastor Luke looks at 2 Kings 2:11-18 in "Replacement."

What does the Bible say about work? Even in the garden, humans were given work to do, but after the fall, our work became toil. Several Bible passages tell us to do our work as a witness. Is that all there is to work: toil and testimony? What if we like our work? What if we think it's worth doing? Pastor Luke preaches from Nehemiah 6:1-9 in "Strengthen My Hands."

Have you ever been disappointed with God? Have you ever asked for something and it didn't happen? What can we do when God lets us down? John's gospel records a time when people weren't angry with Jesus, but they were disappointed in him. What can we learn from them, and how can we apply it in our lives? Pastor Luke looks at John 6:56-69 in "This Teaching is Difficult," the concluding message in his series, "Bread of Life."