Pastor Cana’s summer sermon series kicks off with Acts 4:23-41, which sees Peter and John arrested and challenged, but knowing what mattered, they face their trials with the confidence of the Holy Spirit and teach us what to do in suffering and isolation. Our holy directive to love our neighbors as God wants can mean focusing on God in prayer.
Joanne Tramel emphasizes that the values of truth and justice that we hold as Christians are also values to be held as citizens of the United States. Truth is not always what we want it to be, so we are to be open-minded and pray for guidance. A main function of government is the pursuit of criminal and distributive justice and our responsibility is to hold our leaders to a standard that reflects the “What Would Jesus Do” virtues.
Betty Rupp takes us to Luke 8:4-8, in which Jesus delivers the Parable of the Sower. The Word of God is a seed that is sown, but cannot bear fruit unless received by those with good hearts who retain it and persevere through life’s trials. For God to grow this seed in us, we weed out troubles in our hearts by praying for perseverance and discernment.
This Trinity Sunday, Pastor Cana opens to Titus 3:3-7, in which Titus is being prepared to minister to the people of Crete and he is reminded that the Good News of Jesus has the power to create new humanity in the lives of the people. It is through God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that we are saved.
This Pentecost, Pastor Cana opens to Acts 2:1-21, which describes the Holy Spirit descending upon the crowd to grant gifts for them to go out into the world and multiply God’s church. The Holy Spirit’s work in the early church was to bring about miracles of understanding, so we rejoice.
Pastor Cana takes us through Acts 1:1-12, where the apostles witness Jesus’ ascension to heaven 40 days after the resurrection. They wonder what is next, but Jesus reminds them, as well as us, that our role is to return, wait, and witness.
Pastor Cana opens to Romans 8:31-39, where Paul covers the theme of no separation from Christ’s love. Nothing, which ever has been or ever could be, can separate us from Christ’s love. We are called to recenter on the powerful, matchless love of Christ.
Matthew 25:31-46 reminds us to treat the disadvantaged in society as we would treat Jesus. Joanne Tramel, keeping tradition to highlight historic Christians, points to the example set by Paul Farmer (1959-2022). Farmer was a medical anthropologist and physician who worked and advocated for impoverished patients, largely in Haiti and the U.S.
1 Peter 2:1-7 speaks on Christian identity to the young church and dealing with the feeling of instability. Jesus is the foundational stone for the House of God. We seek refuge in the foundation of Jesus, to be built on Him.
1 Peter 1:13-21 speaks on what holy fear is and Pastor Cana expresses that because of God’s holiness, grace, and justice, believers should have holy fear of God. When we repackage our idea of fear of God, it transforms into something better.
Psalm 26 focuses on the topic of vindication and Pastor Cana points out ways we feel the need for proof of our innocence. God is the only one who can vindicate us when we are wrongly blamed or shamed. Therefore, we are encouraged to pray boldly for vindication to the only true judge, our God.
Pastor Cana’s Lenten sermon series concludes in John 11:17-27, in which Jesus arrives in Bethany following the death of Lazarus and meets with Martha to give her comfort and hope. Those who live and believe in Jesus will never die. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.
Pastor Cana’s Lenten sermon series picks up in John 15:1-9, in which Jesus illustrates in a clearly explained metaphor how the vine grower (the Father) tends the true vine (Jesus), nurturing the fruit-bearing branches (abiding in Christ) and pruning the dead branches (that which prevents abiding). Jesus, the true vine, gives us reason to praise and bears fruit in us. We only need to remain with the Vine.
Pastor Cana’s Lenten sermon series picks up in John 14:1-7, in which Jesus addresses His disciples at the Last Supper with crucial final parts of His teaching. Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life guides and provides for us. We as believers already know the Way, the Truth, and the Life though knowing Jesus.
Pastor Cana’s Lenten sermon series picks up in John 10:11-18, in which Jesus provides the metaphor of a good shepherd caring for and protecting his sheep to relay His purpose and God’s heart. The Good Shepherd is selfless, powerful, conscious, and determined. Jesus as the Good Shepherd helps us see the ways Jesus protects us in love.
Pastor Cana’s Lenten sermon series picks up in John 10:1-10, which follows Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath. The man testifies of the miracle and refuses to incriminate his Savior to the religious leaders. In our text, Jesus declares that He is the door (or gate) that invites us into a flourishing life. He is the only door that matters.
Pastor Cana’s Lenten sermon series picks up in John 8:12-20, where Jesus proves to the religious leaders of the temple that He is the light of the world, using their own legal arguments. When we feel that we are walking without support, Jesus, the light of the world, is a trustworthy guide for us.
Pastor Cana begins the Lenten sermon series in John 6:35-40, where a crowd who had witnessed Jesus feed 5,000 approach Him again, but Jesus tells them that they should not focus on physical bread, but true bread from heaven. He tells them that He is the bread of life and promises eternal sustenance. In this we learn that Jesus is sufficient, essential, and accessible for us in life and life eternal.
In 1 Samuel 1:9-18, Hannah prays in the temple, begging to be blessed with a son, and promises to give him to God’s service. The priest Eli, after mistakenly scolding her, gives her a blessing. Following in 1 Samuel 2:9-10, when she keeps her promise and places her son, Samuel, with the priest, she prays again in praise. Pastor Cana expresses that with God, our misunderstood prayers of desperation can me turned into praise.
Pastor Cana opens to Judges 6:11-17, where God calls Gideon to save the Israelites from oppression under the Midianites. God does not need you to be brave, important, impressive, or strong. God only needs you to say yes to His calling. Come see God’s calling in your life and the lives of others, regardless of qualification.
