Sermons by Lucas Maciel
Go down the list of the most popular questions asked about God and the Bible and you’ll find questions like – “Can people actually look down on us from heaven?” and “Do pets go to heaven when they die?” to “What is God’s view on cloning?” and “Why are there so many Bible translations?” But probably one of the most difficult questions many people ask is “How could a good God allow suffering?” You can’t listen to the news without hearing about a disaster or tragedy in some part of the world. For some of us, tragedies or suffering hit closer to home. Do we just accept this as a natural part of life or is there another perspective? We’ll talk about it more as we continue our series “UNFILTERED. Big Questions. Honest Answers.”
We often hear the word diversity used to describe the culture of our country. It is popular to support diversity… of thought, of people groups, and ways of doing things. It is often viewed as a requirement for a mature society – to be able to embrace what is different from our views or background. And it’s used as a means of generating original fresh new ideas – a result of bringing people together with different perspectives and life experiences. But reality is, diversity often produces disagreements and tension in relationships. Left to our own devices, we can use our differences to make comparisons of who is superior to the other, or who is more highly regarded in another’s eyes. But grace changes everything. Grace never produces this kind of pride. Why is that? What can we learn from the book of Galatians in the Bible, that will change everything? Join us as we continue looking at the apostle Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia.
Have you ever been engaged in a meaningful conversation with a friend only to hear “Well, that’s true for you, but not for me”? Or maybe you sought advice for a major life decision and you were encouraged to “follow your heart”. Perhaps these popular soundbites are well meaning but are they genuinely helpful? Do they help bring clarity out of confusion? Surely if anything can be real or true, then nothing is truly real and we are left nowhere to stand and have nowhere to go.
There was once a man who claimed to be Truth himself. Could he hold the keys that unlock all reality? Could he be the answer for why we are here and where are we going? Join us this Sunday as we explore Jesus’s response to the oldest question of all: “What is truth?”
The Unshakable Life is both satisfied by and hungry for God’s word
We all know someone like this…or maybe we can relate because we’ve been there. When you’re hungry, all you can think about is getting something to eat. In fact, you might get grumpy. Or, you can’t focus on a conversation because you’re looking for the nearest fast food restaurant. You might remember being out with a group of friends or family and the chatter is almost deafening, until the food arrives. Suddenly, the room goes silent because everyone is focused on eating. Then one by one, you might hear sighs of satisfaction as people’s bellies are getting full. What if reading the Bible felt like that? Is that too unusual of an idea? We’ll talk about it as we continue our series on The Unshakable Life.
Poems and songs have always had a way of capturing the full range of human emotions – from delight to despair. Poems and songs bring colour to our world creating a way for our own honest emotions to be felt.
The book of Psalms in the Bible is essentially the prayerbook and hymnbook for the people of God. These poems and songs serve as a vehicle for a deeper and more honest connection with God.
They also affirm that God is not afraid of our emotional honesty and desires. He longs from us the kind of heartfelt prayers and songs we see in the Psalms.
During the month of August, we’ll spend our summer weeks understanding how to connect emotionally with God and each other through the help of the following Psalms:
Ps 23 – a song of trust
Ps 13 – a song of lament
Ps 51 – a song of remorse
Ps 100 – a song of thanks
Join us as we continue our Summer in Psalms series.