Sermon Summaries
July 26, 2026: Christmas: Beginning to End and Always (John 1:1-5, 9)
- This sermon explains why “Christmas in July” can help people focus on Christ without December’s distractions, travel, weather, busyness, or emotional strain.
- The central message is that Christmas is about Jesus—God’s Word, love, peace, hope, and joy—coming into the world.
- John 1 is used to show that Christ was part of God’s purpose “from the beginning,” not just a seasonal celebration.
- The sermon emphasizes Jesus as the Light of the World: light entering darkness, bringing life, love, and hope that darkness cannot overcome.
- Christians are called to continue the “unfinished business” of Christmas by carrying Christ’s light into dark, hurting, and hostile places.
- The closing takeaway: Christmas is not confined to December; believers are invited to live and share its message always.
July 19, 2026: "...limping because of his hip..." (Genesis 32:22-31)
This sermon is a reflection on Genesis 32:22–31, focusing on Jacob wrestling with God at the Jabbok brook and emerging with a limp, a blessing, and a new identity as Israel.
Summary:
Pastor Steve begins by personally identifying with Jacob through shared experiences of hip problems, limping, and being a twin. From there, the sermon recounts Jacob’s story: his birth as the younger twin grasping Esau’s heel, his reputation as a schemer, his stealing of Esau’s birthright and blessing, and his later years of prosperity and conflict with Laban.
The central focus is Jacob’s nighttime wrestling match with God before meeting Esau again. The sermon suggests Jacob may have been wrestling with regret over the past, anxiety about the future, and most deeply, his present relationship with God. Jacob’s struggle becomes a symbol for the spiritual wrestling that many people experience in moments of fear, illness, guilt, uncertainty, or searching for purpose.
Though Jacob is physically wounded and left limping, he receives a blessing and a new name: Israel, meaning “God-wrestler.” The sermon emphasizes that Jacob’s limp becomes a sign not only of brokenness but also of transformation. Outwardly he is weakened, but inwardly he is stronger, more aligned with God, and ready for a fresh start.
The sermon concludes by inviting listeners to surrender to God, receive forgiveness for the past, live without fear of the future, and allow God to heal and reshape what is broken in their lives.