Woodbury Church of Christ Sermons

Revival | Part One | First Love

When our faith starts to go on autopilot we want to substitute other, lesser things for the love that should mark every disciple. When Jesus wrote this letter to Ephesus he warned them, a church without love is not a Church of Christ. 

The Final Week | Easter and the Ordinary Day

(Watch Online) Disciples know that Easter is special. We know we celebrate the risen Lord. But it's possible to overlook the way that miracle should impact the mundane, average, ordinary moments of our lives. 

The Final Week | Confusion and the Cross

(Watch Online) We tend to make the assumption that, if we do good things then good things should happen to us. Christ was faithful to God and every step led him closer to the cross. How is our obedience when we are confused about the results? 

The Final Week | The Passover and Living with Uncertainty

(Watch Online) The Passover is a millennia-old festival that is deliberately designed by God to be celebrated in a very specific way. Then Jesus comes along and changes all of that, and teaches us something about how we view the future.  

The Rebellious Bible | Part Five | Don't (just) Read the Bible...

(Watch Online) Scripture doesn't actually teach us to read Scripture...it's much bigger than that! 

The Rebellious Bible | Part Four | Unless...

(Watch online) What Jesus would say in the age of COVID-19 might be challenging for disciples. But, then again, it's not the confusing parts of Scripture most of us have a problem with...it's the clear expectations of God that that are hard for us to live out. 

The Rebellious Bible | Part Three | Other People's Mail

(Watch Online) We've all run into parts of the Bible that were strange - even to the point that they were disturbing. We should've been clued in when the whole thing started with a talking snake! However, the parts that we're tempted to avoid are incredibly valuable and, if we give them a chance, transformative. 

The Rebellious Bible | Part Two | Jesus on Every Page

(Watch Online) Sometimes we're tempted to view the Old Testament as something outdated or disposable on our way to the New Testament. Rather Jesus himself taught that the entire point of the Hebrew Bible was to lead us to Jesus. Join as we explore Jesus on every page! 

The Rebellious Bible | Part One | Sky-Writing

The Bible doesn’t behave like we expect it to. It has rules but it’s not simply a list of rules. It contains stories but it’s not a clear narrative. It contains vast treasures of knowledge but it’s not an encyclopedia. It is filled with long, intense sections of (often very gloomy) poetry. It has in-depth and complex legal requirements. It is packed with strange, sensational and often bloody, history. 
     Believers have been both comforted and confused by it. Humans find it simultaneously sacred and scandalous. Some disciples dedicate their lives to deciphering it while other Christians hardly crack it open. How can people find the same book both breath-taking and boring? How are we supposed to think about, approach and be shaped by this library of books?

The Illusion of Control | Part Three

When we think about prayer, it can make us feel guilty. Most of us know we don't pray like we should. Therein lies the problem..."should". Yes, prayerlessness is a problem. But the solution isn't to buckle down and dutifully pray. Prayer shouldn't be thought of as a burden but a gift. Through prayer, we have been given constant access to our heavenly Father!

The Illusion of Control | Part Two

Sometimes we presume we can't be honest with God about everything, including our doubts. But the writer of the 73 Psalm makes it clear that we can open up about anything and, often, honesty with God is the best path forward to easing our fears and doubts. 

The Illusion of Control | Part One

Scripture confronts us with an uncomfortable truth - We have little control over the circumstances of our lives. We have all lived this when we waited to hear back after a job interview, when we experienced turbulence on a flight or when we had a sick child in the hospital. Those moments where, for a moment, the illusion of control was lifted, drove us to pray. What if, instead of being terrified by our lack of control, we leaned into it by constantly seeking God in prayer? 

Pure & Simple | Part Four - Conquered By Conviction

Belief isn't simply that we THINK something MIGHT be true - Belief is when we have been wrestled to the ground by the truth. We often call this kind of belief, conviction. We may have beliefs but conviction have us. We are conquered by conviction. What convictions are so fundamental to who you are that they shape the very core of your identity and trajectory of your life? 

Pure & Simple | Part Three - Worship Without Limits

Worship can be one of those elements of discipleship that we know is important but we aren't 100% sure what it is. Worship defies easy explanation. We know we should do it but what exactly is the "it" we're doing? Worship can profoundly impact and give meaning to our lives if we're willing to explore just a little. 

Pure & Simple | Part Two - Obedience Without Excuses

Our devotion to Christ is observed in our obedience to Christ. We have a rocky history with obedience because we tend to think obedience is about a loss of personal freedom and agency. But that isn't the Biblical understanding of obedience at all. God doesn't expect our obedience because it benefits Him, He wants our obedience in order to bless us.

Pure & Simple | Part One - Devotion without Distraction | Patrick Doherty

Devotion described the earliest Christians. Now we might only describe the most serious Christians as "devoted". Much of our life and culture conspire to make our lives about anything other than Christ. Many Christians haven't challenged the basic assumptions about what or who we value, what we prioritize and how we live...and, without noticing, Christ was removed from the center of our lives. ...we have become devoted to something else. How do we reclaim pure and simple devotion? 

What's It Going To Take? | Patrick Doherty

Every decision to improve or transform ourselves involves an entire host of choices. If we want to exercise in the morning we have to make choices about going to bed at night. If we want to be generous we have to make choices about how we spend our time. Unless we're prepared for ALL the decisions that are involved we're not going to make any transformations. Join us as we explore 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and we ask ourselves the question - do we have what it takes?

Wonder | Part Three | A Rescue Mission of Grace | Patrick Doherty

Christmas is a rescue mission of grace. The nativity was just one phase of this a quest to redeem humanity. 

Wonder | Part Two | It's NOT Relative | Steve Countryman

We're taught that God loves us more than we can comprehend. However, we're tempted to wonder if that's true when life is tough. How can we trust that God loves us when it's hard to see? 

Wonder | Part One | The Final Frontier

(Note, the recording starts a few minutes after the message. If you read Psalm 8 you'll get the idea.)  Wonder is not only knowing that God is loving, powerful and good but knowing the He is those things beyond our ability to comprehend. That space between what we know and what we believe is the wonder that fuels our praise our worship and our relationship with God.