Sermons by Matt Smith (Page 22)
All Means All
Our worship series, This Christian Life, is based on the format of story telling curated by Ira Glass on This American Life. Our stories this morning invite reflection on what it means to be a community that says, “All Means All.” We begin with the story of the gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out on “outsiders” in Acts 10.44-48. Act 2 is an original composition by Joe Kye called 11-8.
Unexpected Guides
Our worship series, This Christian Life, is based on the format of story telling curated by Ira Glass on This American Life. Our stories this morning focus on Unexpected Guides. How might the story of Philip and the eunuch from Acts 8.26-40 guide us to faithfully engage the complexities of gender identity and gender performance in the 21st century?
Crossover Tactics
This is the third week in our worship series, This Christian Life, based on the format of story telling curated by Ira Glass on This American Life. Our stories focus on Crossover Tactics.
Inside Job
Worship this morning is rooted in the Book of Esther. Esther’s Inside Job prevented the genocide of her people. Matt and Linda also share stories on the Inside Jobs of Robert McAfee & Sydney Thomson Brown and Bishop Mel Talbert. What Inside Job might God be calling you to?
Weighing What Matters
This is the first-week in our new worship series, This Christian Life, based on the format of story telling curated by Ira Glass on This American Life. Our stories focus on Weighing What Matters.
Resurrection: An Unresolved Version
Matt’s message is rooted in Mark 16.1-8. Mark’s ending of the resurrection story doesn’t sound like an ending at all. What might the unresolved ending of Mark’s Gospel have to teach us about God’s resurrection this Easter?
Preparing Our Endings
Matt’s message is rooted in John 12.20-36. How might we look toward the end of our own lives and make decisions that will shape our dying in love?
Did Jesus Die for Your Sins?
Matt’s message is rooted in John 3.14-21. Did Jesus die for your sins? How do you understand the death of Jesus? Matt’s message draws on the writings of Carl Gregg’s “John 3.16 – The Rest of the Story” and Gregory Anderson Love’s Love, Violence, and the Cross: How the Nonviolent God Saves Us through the Cross of Christ.
Losing Our Lives
Matt’s message is rooted in Mark 8.31-38. What might it look like for us to lose our lives for the sake of the Gospel?
Love Letters
Matt’s message is rooted in Philippians 4.10-20. How is God shaping our hearts in gratitude and generosity? What might we learn from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi and how might our lives align more fully with our values & passions today?
Deliver the Punchline
Matt’s message is rooted in Psalm 104. Where in our lives are we allowing scarcity to take up too much space? How might the abundance of God’s love shape us in gratitude and generosity?
Dreaming and Fishing
Matt’s message is rooted in Mark 1.14-20. How might our sleep lead us to hearing the call of Jesus to follow? As we find ourselves caught in the net of God’s love, how will we respond to God’s dream by fishing for people?