Pastor Joel Leyrer

Text: Philipians 2:5-11

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Dear Friends in Christ, I have a childhood memory of a bookshelf in our house lined with the colorful spines of a literary collection known as Reader’s Digest condensed books. Some of you may have that same memory. Today, these books seem to be standard items in thrift stores and yard sales. These “condensed” books were just what they said they were: within one book four or five larger novels were condensed down to the essentials necessary for understanding the whole story. And while the reader may not have gotten all the details, you got enough to see how the story fit together.  This thought comes to mind because the portion of God’s Word from the book of Philippians before us this morning presents us with a sort of “condensed version” of the entire life and ministry of Jesus Christ.  And we would have to say that it is a story of extremes. 

Pastor Eric Schroeder

Text: John 12:20-33

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We all have strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think any of us disagree. And as we go through life, part of the challenge is trying to figure out where we fit within society, and trying to find a way to glorify God with the particular combination of gifts that he has given each one of us. For instance, a young person might realize that he or she excels in math and science, but doesn’t do particularly well in literature and art. Such a young person might consider a career in engineering or medical research. Another student might struggle with numbers, but has a gift for writing and communicating. This student is encouraged to look at journalism or marketing. Still another teenager might seem to be average in school, but is able to accomplish great things in being creative and working with his hands, so he goes into a career in custom cabinetry or another trade. You get the picture. No career is “one size, fits all,” none is objectively better or worse than another, but there can be great satisfaction if you find the one that is just right for you.

Pastor Kyle Bitter

Text: Ephesians 2:4-10

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What are you going to do now? If you listened to the interviews with Olympic athletes after they completed their competition, I’m sure you heard that question asked – especially of those who were on their last Olympics. What are you going to do now? After reaching a goal that has been many years in the making – what’s next? Seems like almost anything that you do is going to be a letdown. And it’s hard, because sadly, the list of famous people who have struggled after their time in the spotlight has ended is long and tragic.

Pastor Eric Schroeder

Text: Romans 8:1-10

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I know this isn’t the place to talk about politics, but I assure you, it relates to our discussion for today.  So here goes… How do you feel about guns?  That seems to be a big question in our country lately.  And it turns out that a simple question can be quite a divisive one, because different people can react to the same events, and based on their own background, experience, and opinions, they can come up with different answers. There are those on one side who say that we need new laws, because people shouldn’t have so many guns, or they shouldn’t have access to certain kinds of guns. Too many guns…At the same time, there are also people on the other side who also say that we need new laws, but they are on the opposite end of the spectrum: they say that we need more guns; we need armed guards or even armed teachers in every school. Who is right? Passionate people on both sides; I’d hope we’d all agree that no matter where we fall, preserving human life is always worth thinking about. I have no doubts that guns will be part of an ongoing conversation, but today we have an even bigger issue to deal with…