The season of Advent is all about waiting for the coming of our King, Jesus. God promised that he would send a Savior and he did. He followed through on his promise. Jesus has promised he will come again. We trust that he will. In the meantime, we wait. During the Sundays of Advent, we will trace the lineage of Jesus according to the genealogy at t…

"Pride cometh before the Fall." Many of us are familiar with this wise saying. It comes from the book of Proverbs (chapter 16), and applies to all sorts of situations: NFL football players boasting before losing the game; high school students trying to "fit in" with the cool kids before blundering in front of their class...even Old Testament Kings …

At the end of chapter 11, we see David as King - enjoying rest in his house after defeating the Israelites. But the Almighty God is living in a tent! David wants to pay God back for all the God has done for Him; David wants to build God a house. But God says: "No." Why? In this sermon, Pastor Kevin looks at this key text from 2 Samuel chapter 7, wh…

In the first part of chapter 11, we are introduced to David. At this point, Saul (the first king of Israel) had disobeyed God and therefore, God rejected him as king. God, therefore, told Samuel to go to the family of Jesse because one of Jesse's sons would be the next king of Israel. As Samuel, looks at the sons of Jesse, the oldest ones seem to b…

Chapter 9 of The Story covers the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. It is a reminder to us about the importance of following with our whole lives.Pastor Aaron Gehrke

Chapter 8 of The Story covers the Book of Judges in the Bible. The Book of Judges tells us of a 4 phase cycle that the people of Israel go through over and over again for a few hundred years. It is a story not all that uncommon with our own understanding of world history as well. In this sermon, Pastor Aaron connects the dots for us between the Boo…

The Holy Scriptures are rife with military imagery. But Jesus practiced nonviolence? (See Matthew 5:38-48). So what kind of battle are we dealing with? Paul said it well in Ephesians: "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against...the spiritual forces of evil." Our battle takes place in our minds - as our enemy, the Devil, seeks to decei…

In this week's sermon, based on chapter 6 of The Story, Pastor Aaron reminds us to pay attention to the signs of God. Most clearly, pay attention to the sign of the cross which is the reminder of Who God is and what He has already done for us through Jesus. Unlike the Israelites, who lost sight of God's Word, let us be people who love the Word of G…

Why do we bristle when we're told what to do? Why do we sometimes sabotage ourselves by not doing what we're told (even when we know it's probably good for us?). And knowing how we respond to being told what to do -- why did God give us the LAW? In this sermon, Pastor Kevin explores these questions by looking at Exodus 19:4-5. Moses has received th…

In this week's sermon, we are introduced to Moses in chapter 4 of The Story. Moses is a man who is given an important task by God. Yet, Moses responds with an important question, "Who am I?" Who am I? That's one of those questions that not thought about carefully can lead people to moments of mental crisis. Moses finds solace in this question by as…

In the Sermon, Pastor Kevin explores the question that plagues many in the midst of their suffering: "Why?" Chapter 3 follows the story of Joseph. It's a story of suffering. And yet, in it, we learn one of the most important things we can know about God: How He works through our suffering.Pastor Kevin Bender

In this sermon, based on chapter 2 of The Story, Pastor Aaron shares 3 stories one for each generation: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And, in each of the three stories, we see a similar theme, "God gives life to what seems dead."Pastor Aaron Gehrke

The Bible begins with these five words, "In the beginning, God created." God is creator. It's how the Bible begins. It's how The Story begins. In this sermon on chapter 1 of the story, Pastor Aaron preaches about the significance that God is our Creator and we are His creation.Pastor Aaron Gehrke

We are a people of stories. We read them to our little ones, we watch them ourselves. From action movies, to love stories, to fantasy, thriller, and historical documentary. When asked about our weekend - we don't list off our activities like data -- we tell a story. It's like stories are written into who we are. BUT WHY? Perhaps it's because we've …

The story of Ezra & Nehemiah finishes in an unexpected way. All throughout these books - we've heard about all that God was restoring for His people: the temple; the people's spiritual foundations; the city walls of Jerusalem. But in chapter 13 - all of these accomplishments start to come undone. That's because this isn't a Hollywood story with a "…

In Nehemiah 8-12, the characters of our Story of "Rubble Restoration" UNITE. Ezra & Nehemiah join forces to tell "The Story" of God's activity in the lives of His people. But when the people hear it - they weep! Why? Because the "stories" they have been living have been devoid of God. They are confronted with their own guilt & shame for living thei…

We turn the page into the book of Nehemiah today in our sermon series "Rubble Restoration: Rebuilding God's Way." Nehemiah was an important official (the cupbearer) serving the Persian King when he heard that the rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem weren't going all that well. In particular, the city wall and the city gates had not yet been rebuilt aft…

Pastor Aaron and Pastor Kevin join together for this sermon where they share the preaching on Ezra 9-10. This sermon was pre-recorded as both Pastors were out of town this day. In a unique way, they tell the story of these rather complicate words from Scripture. In the end, we hope you hear that Relationships Matter to God.…

Ezra is finally on the scene! In Chapter 7 begins a new "section" of the Rubble Restoration story for the people of Israel. The 1st wave of Israelites have been back in Jerusalem for 80 years; the temple has been rebuilt; and there's a lot of positive movement for God's people. But there's one thing lacking in Jerusalem - spiritual leadership. The …

In this week's sermon, we continue journeying with the returning exiles on their rubble restoration project. This week, in chapter 3, the returning exiles decide to first rebuild the central place of their worship - the altar. Once that is established, they can have regular worship with God. But, do you ever wonder, why is worship such a central pa…

Pastor Kevin walks us into the Book of Ezra by introducing us to characters like Zerrubabel meaning "planted/born in Babylon." This sermon opens up your imagination to put yourself in the shoes of these Biblical characters living in the midst of this defining moment in history. As we journey through Ezra and Nehemiah, we will be looking forward to …

This is the first sermon in the sermon series titled "Rubble Restoration: Rebuilding God's Way." It will be a sermon series walking through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of God's people returning from their time in Babylonian exile. In their return, they find the city of Jerusalem in rubble. So, they begin to rest…

Follow Me. Go and Be Neighbors. We don't have to go very far to follow Jesus into our neighborhoods. All we need to do is go home. Jesus is with us in our homes. Therefore Jesus plans to utilize you, and your home, and your family as a mission outpost in your neighborhoods. In this final sermon in our "Follow Me. Go and Be" series, Pastor Aaron ope…

Is Jesus a part of our politics? Should He be? In this Sermon, Pastor Kevin looks at the politics of Jesus - as He engages in a political conversation with two opposed political groups. In this conversation from Mark 12, Jesus paves a pathway for us to follow Him as citizens by 1) Respecting the civil authorities and by 2) Reforming the Civil Autho…

On this Sunday, the congregation of Saints Peter and Paul gathered together for one combined worship service outside. We gathered under the theme "Follow Me. Go and Be Workers." The average person will work about 90,000 hours in their life, which is about 1/3 of their lifetime. Do you believe that God has created this work for you to do and is pres…

" I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends." These are powerful words from Jesus towards His disciples. Although He IS Lord, Master, God in the Flesh -- He calls His disciples; He calls YOU friend. There are 2 marks of a true friend: 1) They will always let you in. 2) T…

We often consider the Church (building) to be the place where our faith formation takes place. However, studies have shown that the HOME is the primary place where children are formed into the people they will grow up to be -- including their faith. So how do we train up our children in the faith? In this sermon, Pastor Kevin looks at the instructi…

Jesus has commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations. He has also commanded us to follow him and BE his disciples. But... what does the word "disciple" even mean?" In this sermon, Pastor Aaron slows things down and defines what "disciple" means, and then encourages all of us BE disciples and MAKE disciples of others modeling our life and …

This sermon is the first in our new sermon series called "Follow Me. Go and Be." This sermon series will walk us through the ways and places that God has placed us to be his people. Did you know that when Jesus sends you into this world to "Go and Be" he's already there? Jesus never leaves you alone. He actually prepares in advance the good works f…

1 Corinthians 16 is the final chapter of Paul's letter to the Church in Corinth. It follows chapter 15 - "the "Resurrection Chapter" - and everything Paul is relaying to the congregation flows from the Resurrection of Jesus. These are "marching orders" for the Christians in Corinth - to continue engaging in the Mission of the Church. Jesus outlined…

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul uses the human body as an image of what the church of God ought to look like. He calls all baptized Christians the "One body of Christ." Consider your own body. You do not know all of the parts of your body. There are so many parts of your body that you have never seen, you don't know what they're called, or ev…

Meals have a way of connecting people. Drawing people together. There's something sacred about breaking bread with others. The Lord's Supper is a ritual meal that we come back to week after week. But why do we do it? What's it all about? And what's going on when we eat + drink the Lord's body + blood? In this sermon, Pastor Kevin describes three wa…

The theme for this week is "All for One... Morality." Oftentimes when people think about why they should live moral lives, they think, "I want to live a moral life to make God happy," or "I want to live a moral life so I don't make God mad," or "I hope that living a moral life means that I can still have fun." But, none of these ideas get to the fu…

In this week's sermon, Pastor Aaron, preached on Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians chapters 3-4 in which he reminds the church what it means to be the Church. They were facing an issue in Corinth of division amongst many segments in the church population. So, Paul writes to them to remind them of the basic truths of who Jesus is and what the chu…

In 1 Corinthians 2 - the Apostle Paul mentions the "Spirit" 13 times in 16 verses. It's a major focus of the chapter, and of Paul's letters in general ("Spirit" is used 149 times in Paul's 13 letters). But WHO is the Spirit? WHAT is the Spirit? And how does the Spirit work? In this Sermon, Pastor Kevin alludes to the multiple meanings behind the wo…

The apostle Paul was a missionary in the 1st Century. Having learned the Good News of Jesus' death & resurrection himself (that Jesus was the One who died for all) - Paul began spreading the word. One of the places he went was to the metropolitan city of Corinth. There he established a church. A few years later - Paul received a report about how th…

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! What a joyous Easter morning celebration. After last year, when Easter worship didn't take place at the church, you may have felt disconnected and alone. We heard in this sermon that it is Jesus who ultimately was alone - alone in death and alone in resurrection - so that you will know you are never alone.…

Palm Sunday was a massive parade in the city of Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Jews had gathered for the Passover Feast in the city. And there was a certain man headed for the city - Jesus - who had been amassing a following after performing his miraculous signs. The Jews were hopeful that this Jesus was their long-expected K…

In the final chapter of Daniel - chapter 12 - Daniel receives one last word from the Angel Gabriel about "the end." He is told there will be trouble...but then deliverance - ULTIMATE deliverance! Here we have one of the most explicit references to the Resurrection in the entire Old Testament. In this sermon, Pastor Kevin reflects upon Daniel's life…

In Daniel 10, the angel Gabriel peels back the curtain for Daniel on a spiritual realm where angels do battle on behalf of God's people. This idea of spiritual warfare is something that we often don't pay attention to, and may not even notice unless we're attentive. In this sermon, Pastor Aaron teaches us how Daniel - a man of deep faith and trust …

In Daniel 9, Daniel cries out to God in a prayer of repentance confessing his sin and the sins of the people of Israel. At this point, it's been 66 years since Daniel was taken into captivity. We find out in chapter 9, that Daniel had been reading the words of the prophet Jeremiah where Jeremiah had prophesied to the people of Israel that their cap…

In Daniel 8, we are introduced to another beastly vision (after the vision of beasts in chapter 7). This time, Daniel sees two beasts duking it out: a Ram and a Goat. Thankfully, in this chapter, an angel interprets some of the symbolic language for Daniel (and for us!). In this sermon, Pastor Kevin utilizes the 4 tips offered by Pastor Aaron on ho…

Daniel chapter 7 is a shift in writing style from the first half of the book. Daniel 1-6 was written more as a historical recording of events from Daniel's life in Babylonian captivity. Chapter 7 begins visions that Daniel had concerning the life of God's people. Biblical scholars would classify this type of writing (beginning in Daniel 7 and conti…

This is finally the chapter we've been waiting for. Daniel chapter 6 with Daniel in the lions' den. If you didn't know much about the book of Daniel, you likely had at least heard the phrase, "Daniel in the lions' den." But, why was he put in the den? Who made the decision that Daniel should be put to death? And what does this have to do with me? L…

In Daniel chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar needs to be taught a lesson. You could say he needs to be, "put in his place." You see, 30 years have passed since Daniel chapter 3 happened. In that time, the King has become more powerful than ever and he's sitting pretty high and prideful. It seems as though all those lessons he learned about Daniel's God…

In chapter 3 of Daniel - it's Daniel's friends who take center stage: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar has set up a golden "image" that he demands the citizens of Babylon worship. But these 3 boys resist. They won't bow down, and so they face the consequences: to be thrown into the burning fiery furnace. In this sermon, Pastor K…

In Daniel chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that troubles him deeply. He demands that the wise men tell him his dream and then offer an interpretation. No one can do it, so the King orders all the wise men in Babylon to be killed. Daniel hears of it. And, with nothing but a deep faith to trust in God's deliverance, Daniel stands up to seek…

In this opening sermon for our sermon series walking through the Book of Daniel, we begin where the story begins - Daniel chapter 1. Daniel chapter 1 sets the stage for the rest of the book. It gives the context for who the main characters are, the protagonists, the antagonists, and an opening drama. Daniel begins in 605 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar…

Advent is over...technically. Christmas Day is over...but the season continues for a few more weeks. The waiting we've been doing through the Season of Advent...it's over. What now? As Luke shows in his Gospel narrative - the birth of Jesus is not the end of the story. It's only the beginning. In this section of Luke 2, Mary + Joseph will encounter…

Christmas Eve worship at Saints Peter and Paul was a bit out of the norm. But, God's Word was still preached and shared by both Pastor Aaron and Pastor Kevin throughout the worship service. The message was broken down into 3 different sections following 3 sections of Luke chapter 2. What you will hear/watch in this recording is 3 sections each begi…