There are a lot of difficulties in ministry, but if we’re not careful, the presenting challenges can easily distract us from one covert challenge with damaging potential. When ministry goes well, the danger of success creeps in, tempting us to chase a name for ourselves instead of elevating the name of the One to whom we owe credit for all our successes. Listen to this sermon as Rev. Alex Watlington instructs us to be on guard against this danger as we engage in God’s mission. ________ Sign up f...
Jul 13, 2025
Short term mission trips are a popular way for Christians to go out and be the hands and feet of God to others in need. But what if the real beneficiary of mission is not who we traditionally think it is? After all, when God sent Jonah to preach to Nineveh, unbeknownst to Jonah, Nineveh was not the primary focus of God’s plan. Watch this sermon as pastoral resident Hansol Kang helps us consider how God sends us out in order to accomplish his work in our own hearts. ________ Sign up for Central’s...
Jul 06, 2025
We all love a good comeback story. Whether it’s sports, rags-to-riches, or otherwise, there’s something about a new start — a second chance — that resonates with us in the depths of our souls. The book of Jonah tells us one such story and reminds us that God is a God not just of second chances but of third chances, fourth chances, and millionth chances. Listen to this sermon from guest preacher Brent Harriman as we consider God’s mercy and our response to it. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsl...
Jun 29, 2025
Taking up a collection has been a regular feature of Christian worship since the beginning. The Bible exemplifies believers giving to support one another and to support the mission of God. But the Bible doesn’t just instruct us TO give; it tells us how to give so that we’re both responsible and generous in how we honor God with our finances. Listen to this sermon as we consider how to engage in the gracious act of giving. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website ...
Jun 22, 2025
The earliest Christians had their lives radically transformed by Jesus, and their response was justice, mercy, and faithfulness, yes, but in addition to the practice of tithing. The radical generosity of Jesus in giving his very life naturally led to the Church radically giving to support the advancement of the gospel and to provide for those in need. Listen to this sermon as we consider the voluntary, responsive, and sacrificial gift of generosity. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters her...
Jun 15, 2025
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he gained access to the throne of the universe. But he didn’t just leave us behind to fend for ourselves. His Spirit is alive in us, and with that Spirit comes power — power that changes our hearts, gives us life, and allows us to be his witnesses to the world. Listen to this sermon as Rev. Walter Henegar considers the manifestation of God’s power in and through the Church. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website to learn more. F...
Jun 08, 2025
We live in a troubled time and a troubled world. We’re not strangers to the challenges Paul speaks of in Scripture. But when Jesus came, God reclaimed the earth as his own. Jesus modeled a new way to live — a way of love — that we, as heirs with Christ, can also embody in order to make God’s presence and power known to a perilous world. Listen to this sermon as the Right Reverend N.T. Wright leads us to consider the powerful love that God offers us so that we can in turn offer it to a world in n...
Jun 01, 2025
Life is chaotic and confusing. Most of the time we can’t tell exactly where we’re headed, and everything feels out of our control — probably because it is! Which is why it’s such great news that we have a God who is in control and is actively involved in every aspect of our lives. When it feels like we have nothing to hold on to, we can find confidence in a God who is working all things together for our good. Listen to this sermon as we consider the beauty and freedom of assurance in Christ. ___...
May 25, 2025
We live in between God’s promised future and our present reality. This place of suspense causes pain — pain for us as the people of God, pain for all of God’s creation, and even pain for God’s Spirit, who hears our groanings and groans along with us, longing for the day when pain will be overshadowed once and for all by God’s glory. Listen to this sermon as we consider how to wait eagerly and patiently for that day, all the while interceding on behalf of the world through lament and prayer. ____...
May 18, 2025
We often hear mention of the “glory of God,” but what exactly is it? Glory has much to do with fame, honor, and renown, but even more specifically, the glory of God relates to his majesty, his power, and his rule as the true King. So what a marvelous truth it is that God doesn’t just reveal his glory to us; he shares it with us! Listen to this sermon as we consider our future glory and how even the deepest suffering we experience on this earth doesn’t begin to compare to the weight of it. ______...
May 11, 2025
When we embrace the salvation Jesus offers us, that brings with it a number of new realities, not the least of which is the spirit of adoption from God. We become not just heirs of God’s Kingdom but beloved children, upon whom he delights to bestow every blessing of inheritance. Listen to this sermon as we consider our position as sons and daughters of God, and how that motivates us to put to death our sin, bringing it to the gospel. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on ...
May 04, 2025
The resurrection is what it’s all about because the resurrection offers salvation. But what is salvation all about? Is it just about rescue for the next life? Is it just about being saved from this world? No, in Romans 8, Paul begins to show us that salvation has just as much to do with freedom and renewal in this life as it does our eternal destiny elsewhere. Watch this sermon as we explore how we are saved for this world, to be a part of God’s great work of renewal. ________ Sign up for Centra...
Apr 27, 2025
If Jesus rose from the dead, it changes everything. It really is what it’s all about. It gives us forgiveness for the past, hope for the future, and meaning in the present. You can’t get that anywhere else. Listen to this sermon as we consider the historical support for the resurrection and the massive implications its truth has on our lives. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram , YouTube , and Facebook ....
Apr 20, 2025
Jesus felt a lot on the cross. In addition to the most intense physical pain, he felt abandoned. He felt humiliated. He felt rejected. He felt so many negative human emotions and experiences to the greatest degree. But these emotions of Jesus don’t just point to his humanity or provide us with an example of how to endure them. Listen to this sermon as we consider how Jesus’ emotions on the cross demonstrate his salvation — and his utmost love for us. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters he...
Apr 18, 2025
We’ve observed how, during his life on earth, Jesus experienced the whole spectrum of human emotion, and yet without sin. Perhaps this was never more difficult than on the night before his crucifixion, when he faced the most painful of human emotions: agony. Listen to this sermon as pastoral resident Hansol Kang considers how Jesus’ response when facing intense pain and betrayal exhibits his role as a better friend, a better son, and a perfect savior. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters h...
Apr 17, 2025
The biblical account of the original Palm Sunday reveals a complex messiah capable of experiencing multiple strong emotions simultaneously. While Christ’s seemingly paradoxical emotions teach us a lot about him, they also teach us a lot about ourselves. Listen to this sermon as we consider the multifaceted image of Jesus and what that reveals about our position as being simultaneously a sinner and justified. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website to learn more....
Apr 13, 2025
When we think about the countenance of Jesus, we tend to think of him as calm, composed, measured, or stoic. We rarely think of him as being outwardly joyful. But Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit with a joy that was very deep and very real. Listen to this sermon as we consider Jesus’ pure joy and how we too can experience that in our own lives. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram , YouTube , and Facebook ....
Apr 06, 2025
We see in Scripture accounts of Jesus walking on the earth, experiencing the full gamut of human emotion, yet navigating those emotions without sin. We find peace in the relatability of the incarnate Jesus in this area. But what about the ascended Jesus and his connection to our emotions? Listen to this sermon as Rev. Dr. Jay Harvey considers how, in addition to being able to identify with our emotional life, the ascended Jesus also shepherds our emotional life by dwelling with us and reigning o...
Mar 30, 2025
Anger is a big emotion, but it’s also a more complex emotion than we give it credit for. There’s blowup anger — the type we typically think of, which feels negative and leads us to strive for no anger at all — but there’s also a slow anger that grows in response to the ways the world deviates from God’s original plan. So does anger have a place in the Christian life? Watch this sermon as Rev. Andrew Smith considers the righteous anger demonstrated by Jesus that’s rooted in nothing less than the ...
Mar 23, 2025
Sorrow is a tricky emotion. Too often it feels like our options are to be completely overwhelmed by sorrow, or to shut it out completely. But in Jesus’ life, he showed us that there is a place for healthy sorrow, so long as it has the correct object and doesn’t lose sight of the truth. Listen to this sermon as we consider how fallenness justifies sorrow, but the hope of Christ has the last word. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on...
Mar 16, 2025
Of all the emotions Jesus could have felt toward the sinful people around him, compassion makes the least sense. But time and time again in the Gospels, we see that Jesus looked upon those around him with compassion. He saw the needs of the people, and he was so moved in his gut that it spurred him on to action — even the ultimate action of giving his life on the cross. Listen to this sermon as we explore the implications of understanding the compassion of Christ. ________ Sign up for Central’s ...
Mar 09, 2025
Lament is rooted in longing. We all know what it feels like to have deep longings go unfulfilled, but Jesus knew what it felt like too. In his life, he longed for Jerusalem to receive him as King, and every day now, he longs to be in relationship with us. His lament over our sin drove him to the cross; this Lent, we have the opportunity to let our lament over our sin drive us to him. Watch this sermon as Rev. Andrew Smith considers how Jesus exemplifies holy lament. ________ Sign up for Central’...
Mar 05, 2025
What difference does anything in this life make if we’re all just going to die? Is there really any meaning to life? These are the questions Ecclesiastes asks, but they are also the questions that in the end Ecclesiastes finally does answer. So does that meaning exist, and if so, where do we find it? Listen to this sermon as we examine the fear of the Lord as the joy-filled, life-changing sense of awe that provides meaning and fullness of life. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . V...
Mar 02, 2025
The seemingly inescapable problem of death hangs over us all. No matter who we are, no matter how we live, the same thing is going to happen to all of us in the end. So of what value is anything in this life? Listen to this sermon as we consider how Jesus’ act of going to the cross opens up a way, through death, for us to find true value and enjoyment in life. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our website to learn more. Follow us on Instagram , YouTube , and Facebook ...
Feb 23, 2025
The Bible never tells us we shouldn’t have wealth. The Bible never even tells us we shouldn't enjoy wealth. But in Ecclesiastes (among other places), the Bible does tell us we shouldn’t love wealth. Because wealth offers all kinds of problems, and in the end wealth offers us a false promise. Thankfully, the Bible also offers an antidote to the problems of wealth. Listen to this sermon as guest preacher Rev. Dr. Scott Redd explores how earthly wealth pales in comparison to the wealth of Jesus tha...
Feb 16, 2025
Whether you profess faith in God or not, suffering is a challenge. It’s a challenge to endure, and it’s a challenge to watch other people endure. The problem of suffering — and of the justice that often seems so elusive — was a challenge for the author of Ecclesiastes as well. But this problem isn’t without answer. Listen to this sermon as we consider the ultimate resolution to suffering and injustice.
Feb 09, 2025
It may be identity, it may be security, it may be celebrity, or it may be one of any number of other enticing outcomes. Everyone looks to achievement to meet a deep need. But all of those attempts will fail because we're asking our achievements to provide something for us that they never can. Listen to this sermon as we consider how success will only satisfy when viewed in light of the one ultimate, final, promised achievement. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our we...
Feb 02, 2025
Wisdom is revered and coveted. It’s often seen as the byproduct of education, experience, or maybe just a life well lived. But when we seek wisdom in earthly sources, it’s temporary at best and foolish at worst. If you want to embrace a wisdom that will successfully inform your life now and last into eternity, then you don't need to look any farther than Jesus. Listen to this sermon as we consider the true source of wisdom. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters here . Visit us on our websit...
Jan 26, 2025
We all have different goals, dreams, ambitions, and desires, but there is one thing everyone seeks: happiness. No matter what paths we choose for ourselves, there is the consistent hope that those paths will bring us happiness. The professor in the book of Ecclesiastes had this same hope, and we have much to learn from his experiment toward this end. Listen to this sermon as we explore the elusive yet good gift of pleasure and consider how to obtain it. ________ Sign up for Central’s newsletters...
Jan 19, 2025
To both Christians and non-Christians, life is a baffling enigma. There’s so much about life that we don’t understand. But when it comes to the meaning of life, that’s where Christians differ. The author of the book of Ecclesiastes runs through all different philosophies on the meaning of life to show us that in the end, either nothing matters, or everything matters because of God. Listen to this sermon as we uncover the only source of true meaning, significance, and purpose. ________ Sign up fo...
Jan 12, 2025
