In Sermons:

Elijah & Obadiah Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Oct 6, 2013

Obadiah was a good man in a bad place, risking all to protect God's prophets...his concerns resonate with anyone with a stressful job, and show us the path to encouragement and reassurance.

It would be easy to skip over this passage as merely a transition, leading to the exciting confrontation that follows on Mount Carmel. Yet this brief episode in the life of Elijah is for anyone who feels discouraged and defeated. Following three years of drought, three years of decisively ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:1-15

Denomination: Congregational

A True Prophet Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Sep 29, 2013

The prophet Elijah was God’s instrument to test this Gentile widow’s trust. It’s easier to be reminded of God’s promises than to act on them.

As someone who has moved 27 times in my life, I know that God decides how long we remain in place. I received orders from the Pentagon, but I regarded them as from God. Elijah was directly told when to move. We, on the other hand, do not have supernatural guidance, or access to God’s ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:7-24

Denomination: Congregational

Provision Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Sep 22, 2013

Whatever we may think of Elijah, “he was a man just like us.” So says the Apostle James (5:16-17). Yes, he was a mighty prophet, but he was also a flawed person with doubts, fears, and needs--a real person, not a superhero.

Whatever we may think of Elijah, “he was a man just like us.” So says the Apostle James (5:16-17). Yes, he was a mighty prophet, but he was also a flawed person with doubts, fears, and needs--a real person, not a superhero. He experienced success and despair. “He put on his ...read more

Denomination: Congregational

Wedding Wine

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Sep 16, 2013

Jesus can transform everything. We would do well to heed Mary's directive: "Do whatever He tells you."

A Sunday School teacher shared this account of our Lord’s first miracle, and after church a parent asked what the lesson was about. The child said, “I learned that if you’re having a wedding, make sure Jesus is there!” Sound advice. Wise is the couple who invites Jesus to ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Denomination: Congregational

On The Wings Of Eagles Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Sep 1, 2013

We need reminders to wait on God, to hope in Him. When we do, our strength will be renewed. By our own resources we will never achieve satisfaction or serenity. Trust in God produces confident expectations and a meaningful life.

In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown has a moment of reflection after losing a baseball game: “When I am down and out, I lift up my head and shout, ‘I’M DOWN AND OUT’!” People without God, who see life as a cosmic accident, have no Higher Power when life hurts. W ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:28-31

Denomination: Congregational

The Mind Of The Lord Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Aug 25, 2013

God transcends words. He is beyond language. We cannot reduce Him to our experience. God is unique and different from anything in this world. He is massive, boundless, beyond all imagining. God is His own category.

I’d like to explain to you Who God is…but I can’t. Isaiah speaks of God as so massive, so far above us, that we can barely take in who He is. God surpasses human comprehension. Some people think they can put God “in a box”; that is, have Him fully figured out. How ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:12-27

Denomination: Congregational

Consolation Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Aug 18, 2013

Outline: Purchased consolation, vss 1-2 Coming consolation, vss 3-5 A Word of consolation, vss 6-9 Our Consoler, vss 10-11

Most people in Israel weren’t especially thrilled when a prophet showed up. That usually meant some bad news, a critique, and harsh warnings of impending judgment. In fact, the previous 39 chapters of Isaiah were just that. But here in chapter 40, things change; the welcome news is of ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11

Denomination: Congregational

Stumbling Stone Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Aug 11, 2013

We can be set adrift amid a sea of relativism by our own choice, or be anchored in the Truth. God will be for us either a stepping stone or stumbling block...either our hiding place or a bolder blocking our way.

Where do you get your news? From TV, radio, newspapers, the internet, your telephone? Where do you get truth? According to Isaiah, a lot of people would rather believe fanciful theories than facts. More and more people make their own truth. Isaiah cautions us not to believe everything we hear; ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 8:12-17

Denomination: Congregational

"The Kind Of Man That Job Was"

Contributed by Paul Ray on Jul 24, 2013

So called early Wisdom Literature is rather simplistic as to cause and effect. Whereas Job is a vital stride toward being more realistic, & honest, about life's complications. So, now look at the kind of man Job was, his 'friends' were, and his God is.

July 28, 2013 “The Kind of Man That Job Was” Job 1:1-22 The book of Job is an important part of the Wisdom Literature found in the Old Testament. It is important because it provides an often ignored premise - concerning the questions about the suffering of the innocent. In ...read more

Scripture: Job 1:1-22, Job 40:1-5, Job 42:1-6

Denomination: Congregational

"The Merry-Go-Round Of Time"

Contributed by Paul Ray on Jul 22, 2013

God's timing is sovereign, sufficient, seasonal, and surprising. God turns extreme calamity into extreme possibility in the pendulum swing from Good Friday to Easter morning. Change comes as an unfolding pattern rather than a mindless swing of events.

January 20, 2013 “The Merry-Go-Round of Time” Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. 2 He sets the time for birth and the time for death, the time for planting and the time for pulling up, 3 the time for killing and the time for ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

Denomination: Congregational

Joseph's Precarious Path To 'providence'

Contributed by Paul Ray on Jul 22, 2013

please enter a brief summary Is there a once cherished dream that comes to mind? Between the dream dreampt, and the dream realized, life happens. Like Joseph, during the in-between time, we have the choice to be faithful or write the dream off.

September 16, 2012 “Joseph’s Precarious Path to ‘Providence’ ” Genesis 37:1-28; & 50:15-21 Joseph was born to Rachel, the true love - favorite wife of Jacob, but only after many long years of childlessness. Immediately doting Jacob starts showing ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 37:1-28, Genesis 50:15-21

Denomination: Congregational

The Last Sermon

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jul 14, 2013

In His last sermon before the Cross, Jesus affirms His union with the Father, along with a message of hope for tomorrow and light for our darkness. He also states the position of believers and unbelievers.

If somehow I knew my next sermon would be my last, what would I preach? Our Lord’s time on earth was drawing to a close, and so He delivered a final sermon, an appeal to people to embrace His light. One translation introduces His message: “And Jesus cried aloud” (Moffat). ...read more

Scripture: John 12:44-50

Denomination: Congregational

Engaging The Enemy

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jul 8, 2013

Psalm 137 begins with heart-breaking pathos and ends with shocking hostility.

Psalm 137 begins with heart-breaking pathos and ends with shocking hostility. The children of Israel were taken by force from their homeland, a place given them by God. In captivity they sat by the edge of the Euphrates and wept, overcome with despair. Anyone who has suffered a significant loss ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 137:1-9

Denomination: Congregational

Heaven Is A Concert Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jun 24, 2013

Heaven is all about harmony, unity, a place where divisions will be past and we will be one Body. Heaven is a symphony where each movement is better than the one before. "You ain't heard nothin' yet!"

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? I have several: I remember going to Lincoln Center to hear the NY Philharmonic perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto #2. Seeing Paul McCartney in Frankfurt, Germany was quite an experience. Wynton Marsalis playing jazz in San ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 5:8-14

Denomination: Congregational

Heaven Is A City Series

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jun 24, 2013

Heaven is our true home, a city that will reveal Paradise restored..."Salvation history began in a garden and ends in a city."

A man died and arrived at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter greeted him, then noticed the man was carrying a suitcase. “What’s in that?” he asked. The man said it was filled with gold bars. Peter frowned and told the man that this wasn’t permitted; in fact we can bring nothing ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-4

Denomination: Congregational