Steve DeNeff - 1 Samuel 1:1-20. The story of Hannah is the story of a woman and a nation who is barren, “who cannot bring salvation, who cannot give birth to the people of the world,” (Is. 26:18). Still, year after year she worships in the sanctuary of barrenness and it’s here where Yahweh finds her. Then a sudden joyous turn.  Hannah unceremoniously conceives and what she brings forth is no ordinary child. Samuel will be the link. Samuel is the future. Samuel will bring the Word of the Lord (1 Sam. 3:21).

College Wesleyan Church Podcast

In the Sanctuary of Barrenness

Eric Crisp - 2 Kings 5:1-16. Naaman's successful life is summarized in a few sentences but the final phrase, "he suffered from leprosy," overshadows everything else. What do we do when one monumental phrase looms over the sentence of our life? Naaman's story shows us that God's seemingly simple instructions for our monumental problems aren't always easy.

Simple, Not Easy

Steve DeNeff - Esther 3:1-6; 4:1-17. When God seems absent, look for Him in the negative space, in the places between the other things you’ve been looking at.

The God in Negative Space

Matthew Beck - 1 Kings 17:7-24. Israel has lost her way. Her kings are evil; her prophets, rejected; widows, abandoned; and sons, without breath. A devastating drought appears to be her end. But just as the brook dries up and only crumbs remain in the flour jar, Yahweh brings a sudden joyous turn. Miraculous meals are provided, sins are forgiven, a child resuscitated, as Yahweh tells the story of Israel coming back to life through a prophet, a widow, and her son.

The Prophet, Widow, and Son

Steve DeNeff - Genesis 45:1-11; 46:1-7. How do we manage the many transitions we’ve been asked (required?) to make in the last year of our lives?  Toward the end of his life, Jacob was forced to gather his possessions and head to Egypt, where he would remain for the rest of his life. Many times, we’ve made that journey, leaving what we know, for what is unfamiliar; foregoing what we love, for what is unpleasant. But God meets Jacob at the border and offers a promise that every child of God should hear.

Transitions

Ethan Linder - Exodus 1:22, 2:1-10. From Moses’ life, we learn that the world is littered with possibilities of divine intervention (burning bushes, plagues on enemies, waters parted, God’s people delivered). But if we zoom in on Moses’ first days, we learn from another figure (Moses’ mother) that sometimes, God doesn’t remove suffering or give clear direction, and we’re left to make the most of a desperate circumstance. This sermon will meet us in that space, helping us to learn to lean into the Spirit, even when God doesn’t offer clarity or relief.

Downstream

Steve DeNeff - Genesis 37:2-11; 12-13, 17b-28. “Then he remembered the dream…”. We’ve all had dreams, at one time or another, but where did they come from? And what are they for? Joseph’s dreams are an example of what God intends for ours. Like Joseph, we have them and forget them, but on the day we remember them, everything changes and everything comes together.

The Dreamer

Eric Crisp - Genesis 16:1-16. Protagonists of many stories have to survive wilderness experiences. We watch them overcome struggles of circumstance or injustice. The story of Hagar, Sarai, and Abram challenges our assumptions about how to overcome the wilderness while simultaneously showing us how God’s unfailing love and faithfulness is unexpected good news in our own stories of struggle.

Seen By God

Steve DeNeff - Genesis 12:1-7. The Bible is full of stories that convict and inspire, but what if we read them again, this time as fairy tales, each with a sudden and unexpected turn that brings sudden relief, or even joy to the one caught in that predicament? What if we read these stories in the Old Testament as gospel? What if we read them as good news instead of good advice? What if they were announcements and not just prescriptions? Beginning with Abraham, we’ll do just that! We’ll look at how each of these characters were interrupted by God and how each encounter was a sudden and happy turn that changed their situation and their fortunes.

Eucatastrophe

Matthew Beck - Acts 12:6-17. The book of Acts, more than any other book in the Bible, tells the Story of God with humor. The Holy Spirit-filled apostles are mistaken for drunks. A young man falls asleep and out a third story window as Paul preaches late into the night. After Peter is miraculously freed from prison, he is precariously left locked-out, knocking at the door of his friends’ house. If we aren’t laughing through the book, we’re missing the hilarity of the good news: that life in the Spirit is a holy comedy. If we look closer, the “acts” of the apostles aren’t otherworldly, they’re relatable - ordinary, sometimes even laughable, everyday responses to the extraordinary activity of God.

The Gospel as Comedy

Lenny Luchetti - Acts 1:1-11; 2:1-13. Most of us wonder what will or should happen when the Holy Spirit comes upon the church. But according to Acts, when the Spirit comes chains of bondage are broken. First, the disciples are set free from the chains of self-centered self-absorption (addictions and attachments). Then, the Holy Spirit hands the church the chain cutters inviting us to a mission of liberation. The Spirit empowers us to cut chains by witnessing with works and words. But in Acts, most of the times when the Spirit shows up, the church goes out to witness with words about Jesus. When the Spirit comes upon us we will be nudged to say something to someone somewhere about what Jesus has done for us and can do for them too. Obeying that nudge to witness with words has the potential to bring chain breaking jubilee to a diversity of people with a diversity of needs.

When the Spirit Comes

Ethan Linder - Luke 19:1-9. The story of Zacchaeus shows us how an ordinary day can be transformative for our values. In one meal, Zacchaeus transitioned from a swindling tax collector to a vibrant “son of Abraham.” In this sermon, we’ll talk about how (at our tables, in our conversations, and along the road of our life, as in Zacchaeus), Jesus invites us to an “after” that’s better than our before.

Before and After

Steve DeNeff - Psalm 46:1-11; John 20:19​-23. Things are changing quickly in our world (Psalm 46) but in the midst of all that change is a Community of like-minded disciples (John 20), gathered around a Table, and wherever they gather in his name, Christ is Present (Luke 24). This Community is anti-fragile and so it’s attractive to those still caught in the storm. How does this Community gather at that Table? And how, exactly, is Christ present when they do?

Anti-Fragile

Steve DeNeff - Psalm 119:97-105; Luke 24:13-16, 28-32, 36-37, 44-45. What is written in the Scriptures? How do we read them?  Why do some have more success than others in hearing the Voice of Jesus through them?  Here are some things you can actually do to improve your chances of hearing God’s Voice in the Scriptures.

Hearts on Fire

Steve DeNeff - Psalm 19:7-11; Luke 24:25​-32, 44-48. When the Scriptures are read and interpreted in the company of good companions, Christ is present and his voice can be heard.

When the Word Speaks

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