Sermons not tied into a sermon series.
How do we live out the Gospel? How do we live it out in our hearts, in our community, and in the whole big wide world? During this series we will take a look at how the Gospel message of grace comes to us right where we are at, our hearts. We’ll look at how grace shapes and changes our lives, our families, and our communities as we live out Jesus’ message in acts of love and service in our world.
To help you really dig into this life changing grace, the Lenten Devotional is written to help you follow along with the theme of bringing the Gospel of God into our daily thoughts and prayers. If you did not receive a Lenten Devotional in the mail, you can still pick one up at Southwood Central .
During these weeks in worship you will see a colorful mural come to life. Volunteers from Southwood will be contributing to the worship experience by depicting visually this beautiful theme. We’ll be watching together as people from our community use paint and a blank canvas to depict God breathing life and hope into the world.
22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
In the gospel of John Jesus says “I Am” many times. He says “I am the bread of life.” (chapter 6) He says “I Am the good shepherd.” (chapter 10) He says “I Am the resurrection and the life.” (chapter 11) These are incredibly powerful metaphors for our lives. Jesus tells us: like bread, he provides sustenance for our souls. Like a shepherd, he knows us and will protect us. Like the power of his own resurrection, he promises to give us life eternally.
These are powerful metaphors, but they pack even more of a punch when we know that they are connected to another story as well, the story of Moses. Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. When God called, Moses was hesitant. He was not sure if the people would believe that God himself had sent Moses. Moses asked God what he should say when the people ask who sent him. God replied “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14)
In Hebrew thought, names embody the essential character of a person or god. The Hebrew root of God’s personal name, “Yahweh” (3:15), means “to be,” or, more accurately, “to be present” or “to encounter.” “I AM WHO I AM” may also be translated “I will be present where I will be present.” God’s name expresses both freedom and availability.
In John, Jesus promises us that He is God—a God who comes to be among us.
Most of us feel pretty certain in our belief in God. We understand the basic tenets of the faith. Some of us are quite good at talking about it with others. However, when it comes to putting our faith into action there seems to be a great disconnect. We say we believe, BUT our lives and actions oftentimes do not reflect the faith and God we say we believe in. During the summer months we are going to take a look at some of the ways that our profession of faith and our real actions in life don't always match up. We will ask the hard questions of why, we as God's people, can be so inconsistent between our stated faith and our real actions. And we will look at ways that we can grow in living out the faith we have in Jesus Christ. Our hope is that we can grow into Christ followers who can live out their faith in such a way that makes us different, and the world a better place to live.
Jonah is not like any other prophetic book in the Bible. The prophetic speech or sermon in the book is only one verse long. The rest of the book tells the story of the prophet Jonah, who was called by God to take a message to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. Nineveh was destroyed in 612 b.c.e., when the Babylonians defeated Assyria. On that basis, it may seem as if Jonah lived in the time after the hated Assyrians had defeated Israel in 722 b.c.e., and before 612 b.c.e. because, in the story, Nineveh is not yet destroyed. But many think the book comes from a much later time, even after the people returned from the exile. 1
The story of Jonah is a masterpiece, filled with great plot twists and irony. You might already know the part about Jonah being swallowed by a whale. But the story really is about God and what God does. Read the story with that in mind. Another idea is to read Jonah alongside the short book of the prophet Nahum. Nahum’s prophecy calls the people of Israel to rejoice that God will make sure their enemy Nineveh is destroyed. The story of Jonah shows another side. God forgives the people of Nineveh when they repent of their evil ways. The story of Jonah is another reminder to the people of Israel, and to us, that God acts as both judge and savior. 1