2021 Sermons

When we hear the word “connect” or “connections” what do you think of? Often, we think about connecting with people. Or we talk about naturally having a bond with someone you connect well with. Or we may be referring to our effort to reach out and relate to someone. Yes, when we associate with a relative or friend, we feel connected.

We also speak about connecting the dots. Making sense of a larger picture by bringing together the smaller pieces gives us better clarity and greater connectedness. In many ways, life is about connectivity. Wholeness is experienced when we as individuals connect our mind, soul, and body. Greater oneness is often a means to increased health.

We also need connectivity with other people. Beginning while still in our mother’s womb, throughout childhood and into adulthood, close links to family, friends, groups, etc. are vital for wellness.

Spiritually, a loss of connection with our Creator, His people, His plan for our life and His world, can easily lead to searches for meaning in life, unanswered questions, unanchored beliefs, fears for the future, loss of inner strength and courage, misconceptions about reality, etc.

Our God is a relational being. He created humans as spiritual beings so that He could relate to us and us to Him. He shaped humans as social beings so that we could/would relate to one another in friendships, covenantal relationships, experiences, etc. He endowed us with intellects to be able to think and reason with one another and to seek to understand the reality He created for us to enjoy! And, to make sense of what has gone wrong within creation since Adam and Eve stumbled.

So, when it comes to connectivity, there are various meanings and experiences involved. Each is an area of intrigue and value.

In our next series of Sunday sermons, we will engage a broad spectrum of themes that relate to the topic of connectivity. We will work at “Building Connections” over the next 2-3 months. Connections that are deeper, broader, healthier; more meaningful, lasting, and mutually beneficial; increasingly secure, enjoyable, and wholistic. And of course, more inline with God’s reign through Jesus! Without that undergirding connection, the rest will not be connected to what is most vital!

Relating to LGBTQ Persons

online

L. Hiebert
Luke 19:1-10

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
-- John 3:16

Relating to LGBTQ Persons (Part 2)

online

L. Hiebert
2 Timothy 3:14-17

“In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
-- Galatians 3:26-28

Relating to LGBTQ Persons (Part 3)

online

L. Hiebert
Psalms 19:7-14

There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
-- Revelation 7:9-10

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