Listen – Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene

Lent (#4): "Thou Shalt Not Whine" Text: Psalm 107 Throughout the Old Testament wilderness narrative, we discover a community which grumbles, complains, and whines about their situation.  In contrast, when we read the narrative of Jesus in the wilderness, we discover faithfulness and contentment.  In the New Covenant Community, we ought to find Christ-followers who continually adopt the posture of praise and thanksgiving.

Lent (#5): "Confession is Good for the Soul" Text: Psalm 51 Confession is good for the soul.  Confession allows us to remove our masks… and to be open and honest before God and before each other.  Confession reminds us of the “Good News of Repentance,” that there is hope for a better way.

Lent (#3): "Sweeter Than Honey" Text: Psalm 19 C. S. Lewis calls this psalm, “the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”  As we look at the Psalm, we consider that the primary reason God's Word is "sweeter than honey" is because it reveals the nature and character of God.  In essence, it is through the Written Word that we come to know the Living Word.

Lent (#2): "Praising in the Desert" Text: Psalm 22 Possibly one of the most "schizophrenic" psalms in all of scripture, Psalm 22 reminds us that even in the midst of great suffering we are to praise God.  David.  Esther.  Jesus.  Each one an example of someone who might feel abandoned by God, and yet gives praise to God in advance of the deliverance they are certain they will receive.

Lent (#1): "Where God Isn't" Text: Psalm 139 If there are places on earth that seem particularly close to the heavens, then it is only reasonable to suggest that there may be places which seem particularly distant.  And yet, as the Psalmist is quick to point out, even if we make our bed in the depths... God is present.

"On the Mountain" Text: Mark 2:2-9 On this Transfiguration Sunday, we explore the idea of "thin places" on earth, where the realm of the Divine seems to intersect with the mundane in an extraordinary way.  Unlike Peter, we must ignore the temptation to package up the experience, controlling and marketing it to others... but that when we find Jesus, we find transformation.

"The Great Equalizer" Text: Mark 1:40-45 Pastor Jon explores a couple of texts related to leprosy.  We are reminded that God has the power to cleanse lepers... and to forgive us of our sins.  The great equalizer is neither leprosy nor cancer, but the sin that so easy entangles us.

"The Good News of Repentance" Text: Mark 1:14-40 Repent.  It’s an important word in Christianity… but it’s a word that carries an awful lot of baggage… both inside and outside the Church.  Pastor Jon attempts to get through the some of baggage, exploring how we might see the call to repentance as a call full of hope and optimism.

"Seeking the God who Sees" Text: John 1:43-51 Hagar.  Samuel.  Nathaniel.  We are reminded that we are seeking the God who sees--the God who sought us before we knew enough to seek after Him.  The God who saw Hagar by the spring in the desert is the same God who called out to Samuel in the middle of the night, and the same God who saw Nathaniel under the tree.