How To Forgive: A Sermon based on Philemon
We are wrapping up our final sermon in this series where we’ve been reflecting on conflict, using Paul’s letter to Philemon as a case study. Paul wrote this letter to Philemon because of a dispute between master and slave. The slave, Onesimus, had run off, perhaps having stolen some items from Philemon’s household, he left without leave and went to seek out Paul. Onesimus found Paul in prison, called on him for help, and during that time Onesimus came to know Jesus. Thing
How to Fight: A sermon based on Philemon 1:1-21
This morning we are continuing our series on conflict, using Paul’s letter to Philemon as a case study. Let me quickly review the story. Philemon became a Christian under the guidance of Paul. Philemon grew and grew in his faith, became a partner and colleague of Paul in his ministry. Philemon even established a church in his house. Now, in ancient Rome, slavery fueled the economy. In Philemon’s household, there were slaves. Philemon was a Christian, and he owned slaves. But,
Prayer and Conflict: A sermon on Philemon 1:1-7
We are in round two of our sermon series in which we are using Paul’s letter to Philemon as a case study for the way God matures his people through conflict. Last week we worked through this first section of the letter. If you missed last weeks sermon, I’d definitely recommend reading it to get a fuller picture of the background of this letter. Paul is working through a conflict between Philemon, and his run away slave, Onesimus. Last week we noted how there are a lot of pe
A Request for Help: A sermon based on Philemon 1:1-3
That was a short Scripture reading. I wonder if anyone has ever before heard an entire sermon based on just the introductory greeting of a letter? Today we’re going to begin a new four week sermon series on Paul’s letter to Philemon. Its a short letter, so we’ve got to milk it for all its worth, hence only reading the introduction. I’m only joking, every paragraph in this short letter speaks an incredibly important message to our church today, and that includes the gree
Facing the Troll: An Easter Sermon based on Mark 14
Over the past four weeks, we as a church have been reflecting on the question, “How is God with us when we’re sick?” We’ve been asking, “How should we be with God when we’re sick?” Today we’re going to wrap things up by asking another question. “How do we face death?” How do face the death of others, and how do we face our own. Today on Easter, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.The resurrection changes everything, not least our approach to sicknesss and death. The resurre
