Two recent sermons from Christ Church have been posted in the Sermon Archives on our website. To access them, click the links below. More sermon audio coming soon.
3.8.2009 - 2nd Sunday of Lent
Mark 8:31-38
Dr. George Mason
Cross Words: Communion
http://www.christchurchrockwall.org/resources/CrossWords.mp3
1.11.2009 - Baptism of our Lord Sunday
Mark 1:7-11
Pastor Andrew Daugherty
Watermark
http://www.christchurchrockwall.org/resources/Watermark.mp3
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Song
This morning's Resurrection Sunday sermon included a reference to a new Easter song written and recorded by Athens, Georgia singer-songwriter Bill Mallonee. The title is "Coming Out of Hiding." If you'd like to take a listen, follow the link.
HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/WORKSPROGRESSADMINISTRATION
HTTP://WWW.MYSPACE.COM/WORKSPROGRESSADMINISTRATION
Cross Word Follow-Up: Church
The Lenten sermon series Cross Words is now a wrap, but we wanted to post a nugget from another one for reflection and feedback.
Part of this Lenten sermon focused on what we mean when we say and use the word Church? It is a really important word for practicing Christians, because one of the hallmarks of following God in the way of Jesus is being in a community.
Sometimes it might be easier to say what Church is not rather than what it is. Of course the church is not even so much a place or a thing at all. The church is people.
And when you measure the vitality of a church, more factors must be considered than the size of membership or the annual budget. The "business metaphor" of the church can often become the dominant way people define Church.
Spiritually speaking, when we are being who Jesus calls us to be as a community, this is what it looks like: Galatians 5. This is it. We bear this kind of fruit, Paul says: we become people who make up a human version of a mixed fruit salad: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.
Do we love well because we are part of Christ Church? Are we more peaceful, patient and kind? Are we following Jesus for any other reason except that we want our lives to bear this sort of fruit?
Which leads to a working definition of Church offered in the sermon. Church is:
Part of this Lenten sermon focused on what we mean when we say and use the word Church? It is a really important word for practicing Christians, because one of the hallmarks of following God in the way of Jesus is being in a community.
Sometimes it might be easier to say what Church is not rather than what it is. Of course the church is not even so much a place or a thing at all. The church is people.
And when you measure the vitality of a church, more factors must be considered than the size of membership or the annual budget. The "business metaphor" of the church can often become the dominant way people define Church.
Spiritually speaking, when we are being who Jesus calls us to be as a community, this is what it looks like: Galatians 5. This is it. We bear this kind of fruit, Paul says: we become people who make up a human version of a mixed fruit salad: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.
Do we love well because we are part of Christ Church? Are we more peaceful, patient and kind? Are we following Jesus for any other reason except that we want our lives to bear this sort of fruit?
Which leads to a working definition of Church offered in the sermon. Church is:
A spiritual community of human beings delighting in the mystery of God and following the way of Jesus through worshiping, learning and serving together.This definition puts the emphasis on church as a spiritual community first: we are being formed spiritually in the image of Jesus. And that we are human beings: we are sinful and broken people and so this is a community of imperfect people. And we are delighting (seeking joy) in the mystery of God (realizing God is always so much more than we could ever imagine) and we seek that mystery through Jesus (the One who reveals the nature of God as love) through worshiping, learning, and serving together (it just so happens that this is the mission statement of Christ Church!).
- What is your definition of Church?
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