In Sermons: showing 121-135 of 312

A Princess To All The World Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Aug 12, 2013

Sarai/Sarah faced a lot of hardships in her life with Abram/Abraham. Sometimes he dealt with things in her own way and suffered the consequences. But in the end, her faith in God brought her the one thing she desired the most, a son.

Four thousand years ago, barrenness was the ultimate disgrace; it was seen as a sign of divine disfavor. If you don’t have children, it’s because God’s got something against you. Period. A woman who couldn’t conceive suffered not only lack of approval, but also the threat of ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

The Mother Of All Life Series

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Aug 7, 2013

A sermon about Eve: the first woman, the Fall, and the life-giving gift of God's grace.

For the first chapter and a half of the Bible. We see God busy at work; creating the place we call Earth and all that is a part of it. And at every step of the way, God declares his creation “good.” Then it all changes. Halfway through chapter 2, God is busy helping the human, ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

Ciritical Thinking

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jul 31, 2013

When we are conformed to the image of Christ through salvation, it changes us, and we begin to look at the world in a different way. No longer can we be comfortable with the way things are, but we have to begin to see things as Christ sees them.

Earlier this summer, Mary Ellen watched The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for the first time. As a result, she has developed a keen interest in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series and Ken has been reading to her from the series almost every night. Mary Ellen has asked me several times which Narnia ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-14

Denomination: United Methodist

Plugged In

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jul 25, 2013

Christ is all we need. Through his death on the cross, Christ shamed all the powers of this world and offered us forgiveness and new life! Will we accept this amazing gift?

In my relatively limited years as a student of theology and a pastor, I have learned a lot. Some things I learned in the classroom, some things I learned on the job, and some insights have just sort of emerged as I study different parts of the Bible in different contexts and from different ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:6-19

Denomination: United Methodist

The Blueprint

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jul 16, 2013

Everyday, we face powers and temptations that urge us to downplay Jesus' significance for our lives. But Jesus is the firstborn of creation and the firstborn from the dead, the sole source of redemption; the blueprint for the genuine humanness which is on offer through the gospel.

When I was a kid, one of my most favorite things to do was to get out some graph paper and draw house plans. Now, obviously, I didn’t have any idea what I was actually doing, that’s just what I liked to draw. I’d try to imagine the most unique mansion, and then I’d seek to ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-28

Denomination: United Methodist

Life Led By The Spirit

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jul 3, 2013

The Galatians (and we) may desire specific orders about how to live our lives (which the law provides), but God calls us to a life led by the Spirit, and we cannot know exactly how that will look.

We humans are sort of a funny bunch. Many of us love the thrill of the unknown. We like to take a good opportunity whenever it presents itself, even if that may mean changing our plans entirely. Young adults, those in my generation and younger, are notorious for waiting until the last minute to ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-16

Denomination: United Methodist

Freedom For...

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jul 3, 2013

We need to learn to live into the freedom Christ has offered us and line up more effectively with the Spirit who changes us.

There’s a really great scene in the movie, Cars. For those of you who might not be familiar with this movie, it is a Disney-Pixar animated film in which a famous racing car, on his way to the next big race, actually ends up lost in a sort of “po-dunk” town called Radiator Springs. ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-25

Denomination: United Methodist

Not For Nothing

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Jun 5, 2013

Christ changes our lives and this world. If that were not true, then his death would be for nothing!

A rather well-known story is told of Margaret Thatcher. The story recalls a time during her tenure as Prime Minister of Britain. It seems Mrs. Thatcher was visiting an old people’s home, going from room to room and meeting citizens who had lived there a long time. One old lady showed no sign ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:15-21

Denomination: United Methodist

Laying The Foundation

Contributed by Clair Sauer on May 22, 2013

If we truly wrestle with these words from Galatians, we will find ourselves called to a life in which the only approval that matters is God’s. And when we follow God, when we build on Christ’s foundation, there is only one way to go.

Imagine for a moment that you are in South Africa in the 1970s. Apartheid is at its height, and you are there with a special mission. You are charged with a particularly risky project: to build a community center where everybody will be equally welcome, no matter the color of their skin, no matter ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 1:1-12

Denomination: United Methodist

Strangers No More

Contributed by Clair Sauer on May 15, 2013

The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and to all believers in all times gives us the power to share the gospel of Christ with all people, so there is no reason to fear our commission.

For good or bad, we in the church have sort of disconnected from the meaning and significance of the liturgical seasons; so much so that many don’t even know what liturgical seasons are! As an example, consider this: most people have heard of and celebrate Christmas, but few are familiar with ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-41

Denomination: United Methodist

Unity And Love

Contributed by Clair Sauer on May 15, 2013

Jesus prays for the unity of his disciples so that the world might know and experience the love and unity of God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Last week, we took a look at some of Jesus' last teachings to the disciples. He knew the time was drawing near that he would return to the Father, and he wanted to offer some final instructions to his closest followers. Now this week, with that same preparation still going on, Jesus here offers a ...read more

Scripture: John 17:20-26

Denomination: United Methodist

All Things New

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Apr 24, 2013

In this life, we deal with chaos and tragedy daily, but there is coming a new day when all that has hurt us will be gone, and we will live face-to-face with the God who loves us immeasurably.

An elderly couple passed away and found themselves at the pearly gates. Peter was there to welcome them. First he showed them their mansion. The husband, overwhelmed by the sheer luxury of it all, asked, "How much does this place cost per night?" Peter replied, "Sir, this is heaven, it ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-7

Denomination: United Methodist

An Unsung Hero

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Apr 17, 2013

The greatest work of the church is often the little acts of service that happen "behind the scenes."

How many of you are familiar with penicillin? Of course, this is one of the most widely used antibiotics in modern medicine. Perhaps you have also heard the name of Sir Alexander Fleming, the pharmacist who discovered the medicine. Or maybe if you haven’t heard of Mr. Fleming, perhaps the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:36-43

Denomination: United Methodist

Seeing Straight

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Apr 10, 2013

When things aren't going the way they should be in our lives, the Lord is there; working, changing, helping us see straight.

Scripture holds absolutely no power unless is has a message for our lives. We come to the scripture in our context. We have issues that we want resolved. We have questions we want answered. We have doubts we want wiped away. And so, when we find ourselves in these moments, many of us often sit ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-20

Denomination: United Methodist

Oreo Goodness: It's All About The Middle

Contributed by Clair Sauer on Apr 4, 2013

A sermon for Confirmation Sunday.

Today is a day full of milestones. Last week, we celebrated together the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; and though every Sunday is a "little Easter," our special Easter celebration will continue on for a few weeks until Pentecost Sunday. One of the ways the church has traditionally marked ...read more

Scripture: John 20:19-23

Denomination: United Methodist