Tag: Romans

Sermon April 30, 2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. – Romans 15:7


I can remember spending spring break holidays at the family farm with my grandparents. On the weekends, a treat for us kids was going out to eat followed by stopping at someone’s house for dessert, cards, and conversation. It was always a spontaneous drop-in.

We would drive around a little bit (long before the days of cell phones and texting) to see who was entertaining. The first clue we looked for were the vehicles in the driveway to see if folks were home and if they already had guests. The second signal was if the porch light was on.

That porch light was the small-town welcome sign. If the light is on, all are welcome, stop on by, come on in. It was like those old Motel 6 commercials, “We’ll leave a light on for you, except when we are closed.”

This Sunday was our third installment into our series, “We Call Ourselves Disciples.” We focused our attention this week on our sense of welcome. We claim an open table, to which all are welcome. Showing a wide-open hospitality is a trait the (Disciples of Christ) pride ourselves on.

Romans 15:4-13 reminds us to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with what Christ Jesus would express. So, with that in mind, we can see that the guest list is quite long. We explore together the ways we leave the porch light on, and who it is we welcome.

View the April 30 bulletin

Sermon 4/23/2023

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Romans 8:31-35 

Like the author of the letter to the Romans in 8:31-35, I too am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. As God’s beloved we are never left destroyed. Yes, tragedies hit, life happens, and we are often tossed about like a boat in a storm. In our humanness, we are not exempt from brokenness.

In the presence of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit we are restored. We find wholeness. Unfortunately, this assurance doesn’t always reveal itself in ways that remind that we are connected to the fullness of God.

This is where Jesus’ resurrection, appearance to his disciples, and the proclamation of the “Great Commission” is important. When Jesus sent out his followers that were with him that day as well as all those who have continued to walk through the waters of baptism or proclaim him as Savior, we became a part of the promise of connectedness.

Our Church takes seriously this role of reminding that world that nothing can come between God and all of God’s people. As our denominational identity statement states:

“We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.”

We are called to any act of love that connects the wholeness of God through our resurrected Christ, to a broken world. We are not sent to break down, but to build up. We have a purpose to live into, and as Yvonne Gilmore from the Office of General Minister and President reminds us our current mission “We are called to be a new church for a new time.”

I look forward to furthering the role we are to play in extending the wholeness of Christ.

Brett