Tag: Jesus

Sermon 4/16/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

We all know what it means when something is “out of commission.” When we face a health condition, illness, or upcoming surgery we know that regular patterns of behavior may not be possible for a while. When the car is in the shop, an appliance is broken, or things aren’t producing as expected, we often turn the phrase “out of commission.”

So then, when something is rip-roaring ready to go, we could assume that it is “in commission.” In the final story in Matthew’s gospel found in Matt 28:16-20, Jesus commissions the disciples. He makes them ready, gets them in the game, throws them into action, and sends them out. He commissions the disciples. Jesus motivates and anoints; he commands and instructs. Jesus puts the disciples into commission with the simple verbs of “go, make, baptize, and teach.”

Well, these instructions may sound simple enough, but we know the reality is a bit more complex. These were the instructions for how to live life and serve faithfully when Jesus is no longer walking the earth. The very last line of Matthew’s gospel are Jesus’ own words, (Matt 6:20b) meant to bring support and encouragement. “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Holy Spirit is the gift Jesus will leave with them, as well the memories, example, and scriptural understanding to love as he did. The tools are there. The on-the-job training that the disciples have been going through has reached completion and now the time has come for them to continue on, as Jesus showed them.  

This Sunday, April 16th we too wrestled with Jesus commission of “go, make, baptize, and teach.” The joy of Easter continues as we confirm that death did not have the final and we, Sun City Christian Church, will continue serve faithfully for Christ is still with us. I look forward to worshipping with you. 

Brett

Sermon: 4/9/2023 Easter Sunday

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Jesus prepared his disciples and loved ones (and us) as best he could. We know that each of his followers responded in their own ways with doubt and separation being a popular choice but we also know that belief was ever present, especially amongst the women of Jesus’ life.

The women listened and believed and understood Jesus when he said that after the third day he would rise again. Our scripture account for Easter Sunday will come from Matthew 28:1-10.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary will go to see the resurrection promise fulfilled. A great earthquake will rumble, an Angel will appear, and belief will send the women forth to tell of what they have encountered at the tomb. They will see Jesus for themselves and proclaim to the disciples, “Christ is Risen!”

We too will arrive at the empty tomb and see the promise fulfilled and the glory of Christ all around us!

Sermon 2/19/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

This Sunday we celebrate the transfiguration of Jesus as found in Matthew 16:21-17:8.

Transfiguration Sunday marks the end of Epiphany, the season in which we discern how to make Jesus real for the world. It is our task to make the love of Jesus manifest around us.

In the first part of our story for Sunday, Jesus has been showing his disciples the inevitable, that he must go to Jerusalem and endure much suffering before he will rise again. Six days after this teaching he takes Peter, James, and John and goes up a mountain. While there his disciples notice that Jesus face shone like the sun and his clothes were a dazzling white. Elijah and Moses are standing there with him and his followers are overwhelmed.

What an amazing place to be in and a moment to be a part of. A natural response is to desire to stay there and Peter tells Jesus of their willingness to stay in the holy moment forever. God interrupts with a similar message to that of the day of Jesus’ baptism, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” So, we will celebrate this transformation as this moment compels us to keeping moving forward on our journey of revelation as his followers.

Sermon 2/12/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Sunday’s conclusion to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:1-14, 24-29) is jam-packed with verses that are so familiar to many of us, that we can finish many of these phrases on our own.

  • Do not judge…
  • Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye…
  • Do not give what is holy to dogs…
  • Ask, and it will be given you…
  • In everything do to others…
  • Enter through the narrow gate…

We will conclude our sermon time with a story that Matthew slips in on us that can be considered one of Jesus’ first parables in the gospel: the wise man who built his house on a rock. Jesus gives us abundant nuggets of wisdom to chew upon here, the question Matthew wants us to really ponder is, will we come to table and eat? Will we follow Jesus’ advice? Will we rise above our own human limitations and serve God in such a way that builds the Kingdom on earth? Will we listen and act accordingly, as God calls us?

Pastor’s Notes: 2/3/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

The Gospel of Matthew will be our guide for the next several weeks in our sermons. Last Sunday we began the first of three lessons to come out of Jesus’ sermon on the mount which spans the chapters of 5-7. Last Sunday we covered the beatitudes and what it means to be salt and light. We skip ahead this week and pick up Jesus’ instructions on how to pray, Matthew 6:5-21.

I would encourage you to sit down and read what Matthew includes between what we are addressing in worship. Matthew 5:17-6:4 which includes Matthew’s various perceptions on the theme of righteousness as well as his understanding of Jesus’ view concerning a multitude of topics on what it means to love and be in covenant with our God.

In preparation for Sunday’s message, we notice that Matthew is being very intentional in pulling together the teachings of Jesus, by placing at the heart of this sermon a section concerning prayer. Prayer is the greatest connection humanity has with God on an ongoing basis. How to pray and where we direct our focus matters so this will be the focus for our time together Sunday. I look forward to worshipping with you!

Brett

Sermon 1/22/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

What a beautiful Baptism experience Jesus had. A dove descended from heaven and landed upon him and God spoke words of favor and blessing… and then…

Jesus is barely dry before Matthew’s gospel places him in the wilderness, where for 40 days of fasting only to be tempted by the devil in his most vulnerable moment. The Spirit lead him them there, and almost as if on purpose. Matthew 4:1-11 is intense, as Jesus is hungry from fasting and the devil is relentless in pursuit of getting Jesus to cave to the temptation.

Jesus endures and all the while proclaims commitment to God with words of instruction for the reader to take to heart. He is tempted by bread for his hunger, safety from danger, and offered all the power he could ever want.

In her essay in Feasting of the Word, Maryetta Anschutz said of Jesus temptation, “Each time Jesus rejects temptation, he sets up for the reader a way to understand the cross to come. Certainly God can save God’s self from death on the cross, and certainly God in Jesus can refuse temptation to sin, but in our humanity we need to see God offer sacrifice and refuse temptation in order to learn the lesson ourselves.”

In this we wrestled deeper with the Church’s ability to learn this lesson of trusting God and ourselves to endure the temptations of the world we face.

Sermon 1/15/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Listen to Rev. Trish Winters’ sermon, “John the Baptist, Jesus Baptized.”

We walk into the waters of baptism with Jesus and John the Baptist from Matthew 3:1-17. We stand in dismay like John pondering our worthiness to proclaim the amazing presence of our God. We pick up that mantle once more and go forth into the great darkness bringing the light of love.

We are called to bear the light because this story of Jesus’ baptism ordains it. The dove marks him as holy. Everything John preached and proclaimed of the one who is to come that baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire has come into fruition in this story.

And so, for us, those who believe and who have walked through our own waters of baptism, we find our voice. This Sunday we will renewed once more our baptismal vow and claimed our role of sharing the good news of God among us.