2011 Sermons

Sovereignty and Surrender In Advent we revisit a very familiar story. Because we are so familiar with the storyline, it can come across to us as expected, even obvious. But the actual events are deeply surprising, and when we look closer, we see a God lovingly shaping these events—a God who is sovereign, in control of every detail as he unfolds this surprising story of redemption. This God-sovereign over the events of the Christmas story-is sovereign over all of history, and sovereign over all the details of our own stories. The call this Advent is to look for God to be working in our lives in ways we don’t expect; to trust him even when we don’t see how his plan is unfolding; and to surrender to his loving plan.
12/25/11	King Over All	Rev. John Schmidt	Matthew 2:12	Read notes	Listen
12/24/11	God With Us	Rev. John Schmidt	Matthew 1:22-23	Read notes
12/18/11	Surrender to the Savior	Rev. Laura Crihfield	Matthew 1:21	Read notes	Listen
12/11/11	When God Answers	Andy Gathman	Matthew 1:18-20	Read notes	Listen
12/4/11	A Sovereign Plan		Matthew 1:1-17
11/27/11	Our Deepest Need	Rev. John Schmidt	Isaiah 64:1-12	Read notes	Listen
11/23/11	Turning Back to Praise (Thanksgiving Eve)	Rev. John Schmidt	Luke 17:11-19	Read notes
Legacy of Faith After spending the first part of the fall studying the book of Acts and learning what it looks like to be an intentional, committed disciple of Christ, we are taking a month to focus on how this discipleship plays out in two specific life areas: our homes and our finances. In this 'Legacy of Faith' series, we are first examining the call to pass on our faith in our specific areas of influence, especially in the home, and celebrating the generations who have lived out this call obediently for decades. Then we will turn to the topic of stewardship, looking to scripture to teach us how intentional disciples should view this important topic. At the end of our lives, will we be clinging to our 'stuff,' or to stories of God's faithfulness as we pour ourselves out in sacrificial love for our families and for the world?
11/20/11	Stuff or Stories?	Robert Gehman	Acts 20:35		Listen
11/13/11	Not Our Own	Ian McFadden	Acts 4:32-5:11	Read notes	Listen
11/6/11	The Opposite of Faith is Not Unbelief	Rev. Dr. Ron Scates	Deuteronomy 8		Listen
10/30/11	Discipleship in the Home	Rev. John Schmidt	Deuteronomy 6	Read notes	Listen
The Intentional Disciple: Taking our Cues from the Book of Acts The early church gives us a solid look at both an intentional body of believers, and motivated, obedient individuals. In this series we will be continuing a year-long journey of discipleship, with Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Dorcas, and many others as our mentors. We are part of God's drama of redemption-and to play our part well, we're going to look back to the early church in Acts, and take our cues from them.
10/23/11	Facing Resistance with Courage	Ian McFadden	Acts 4:23-31	Read notes	Listen
10/16/11	A Disciple's Courage	Ian McFadden	Acts 4:1-22	Read notes	Listen
10/9/11	Seizing Opportunities		Acts 3:1-10	Read notes	Listen
10/2/11	Our Story	Rev. George Antonakos	Acts 2:14-41	Read notes	Listen
9/25/11	The Spirit's Empowerment	Rev. George Antonakos	Acts 2:1-13	Read notes	Listen
9/18/11	First Things First	Rev. John Schmidt	Acts 1:1-11	Read notes	Listen
9/11/11	The Church in Action	Rev. John Schmidt	Acts 2:42-47	Read notes	Listen
Strangers With Purpose Pressure. Stress. Bills. The wave of things that could engulf us seems enormous sometimes. You try to hold on, but you are not sure how long you can last. Christians in the first century were more than familiar with pressures far greater than most of those we will ever face. The long hot summer on A.D. 64 was made even hotter on July 19 when Rome was put to the torch. Although the Emperor Nero did it, scapegoats had to be found. Christians bore the brunt of the persecution that followed. This letter of 1 Peter is written to the community of Christians scattered all over the Roman world. They have experienced direct persecution, and are acutely aware that they don’t really belong to the world around them. The Apostle Peter wrote to these suffering Christians with a word of encouragement and hope. And a vital part of his message is that standing strong in the storms of life takes people who know that they really belong to God and not this world. These same words are relevant today, so if you need strength to stand, the words of Peter are for you!
9/4/11	A Rock in a Hard Place	Rev. John Schmidt	1 Peter 5:8-11	Read notes	Listen
8/28/11	True Humility ~~ Services cancelled due to hurricane	-	1 Peter 5:1-7	-	-
8/21/11	Suffering with Joy	Rev. Laura Crihfield	1 Peter 4:12-19	Read notes	Listen
8/14/11	Mission Almost Accomplished	Rev. John Schmidt	1 Peter 4:1-11	Read notes	Listen
8/7/11	Suffering for Good	Rev. John Schmidt	1 Peter 3:13-22	Read notes	Listen
7/31/11	Trust Falls	Rev. George Antonakos	1 Peter 3:1-12	Read transcript	Listen
7/24/11	Beautiful Strangers	Rev. Laura Crihfield	1 Peter 2:11-25	Read transcript	Listen
7/17/11	I Have Called You By Name (VBS Celebration)	Rev. John Schmidt	Isaiah 43:1	Read transcript	Listen
7/10/11	Meant to Be	Ian McFadden	1 Peter 2:4-10	Read transcript	Listen
7/3/11	Freedom to Fear	Rev. John Schmidt	1 Peter 1:13-2:3	Read transcript	Listen
6/26/11	Living Hope	Rev. George Antonakos	1 Peter 1:1-12	Read transcript	Listen
6/19/11	Peter: Strange Journey	Rev. John Schmidt	Mark 1:14-20	Read transcript	Listen

6/12/11	Empowered (Pentecost)	Rev. George Antonakos	Acts 2:1-21	Read transcript	Listen
Wisdom: Tools for Living Well We live in an age where information is being exchanged in historic proportions. Along with it are so-called sources of knowledge and advice that seek to dispense a myriad of "how to's" on every subject imaginable. Since we have an innate desire to learn, we can fall prey to guidance that will not benefit us in the long run. The book of Proverbs contains ancient wisdom which is still applicable today and may be needed now more than ever. The wisdom this book dispenses provides "skill for living" that comes through being in right relationship with YHWH. (See also the series postcard.)
6/5/11	Dangerous Anger	Rev. John Schmidt	Proverbs 14:16-17	Read transcript	Listen
5/29/11	The Gift of a Friend	Rev. George Antonakos	Proverbs	Read transcript	Listen
5/22/11	Money Matters	Rev. Laura Crihfield	Proverbs	Read transcript	Listen
5/15/11	Life-Giving Words	Rev. Eliot Winks	Proverbs	Read transcript	Listen
5/8/11	The Attraction of Folly	Rev. John Schmidt	Proverbs 9	Read transcript	Listen
5/1/11	Finding Wisdom in a Search Engine Age	Rev. Laura Crihfield	Proverbs 1:1-7	Read transcript	Listen
I Am Christianity stands or falls on the identity of Jesus Christ. Our faith is based on a person who lived in a certain time and a certain place. His life and teachings are preserved and transmitted to us in the Gospels and epistles. In this body of teaching two things are of supreme importance: the identity of Jesus, and the reality of his resurrection. In this series will look at how Jesus described his identity to us as preserved and shaped by the Gospel of John. The "I Am" statements in John not only assert Jesus' divinity, but shape our understanding of what that means in his relationship to us. The series will culminate on Easter with a look at Jesus' resurrection.
4/24/11	I am the Resurrection and the Life (Easter Sunday)	Rev. John Schmidt	John 10:1-17	Read transcript	Listen
4/21/11	Loving Like Jesus (Maundy Thursday)	Rev. Laura Crihfield	John 15:9-17	Read transcript	Listen
4/17/11	I am the Good Shepherd	Rev. George Antonakos	John 10:11-21	Read transcript	Listen
4/10/11	I am the Gate	Ian McFadden	John 10:1-10	Read transcript	Listen
4/3/11	I am the Bread of Life	Rev. Laura Crihfield	John 6:35	Read transcript	Listen
3/27/11	I am the Vine	Rev. George Antonakos	John 15:1-8	Read transcript	Listen
3/20/11	I am the Way, the Truth and the Life	Guest Speaker	John 14:6		Listen
3/13/11	I am the Light of the World	Rev. George Antonakos	John 9:1-7;8:12	Read transcript	Listen
3/9/11	Who Do I Say That I Am?	Rev. John Schmidt	John 8:53-58	Read transcript	Listen
Jesus and His Prayer Prayer must be a greater emphasis for Central in our future. Yet we carry around with us a host of misconceptions about what prayer really is. We can't just tell ourselves to pray more. First of all, that is unlikely to have any effect. But even if we did, would it be prayer like God intends for us. Would it be prayer that really changes anything? We need more than to be told to pray; we need to be shown how to pray. Let’s join Jesus for a few weeks and learn prayer from the Master. 'Lord, teach us to pray...'
3/6/11	Deliver Us From Evil	Rev. John Schmidt	Matthew 6:9-13	Read transcript	Listen
2/27/11	Forgive Us	Rev. John Schmidt	Matthew 6:9-13	Read transcript	Listen
2/20/11	Give Us What We Need	Rev. George Antonakos	Matthew 6:9-13	Read transcript	Listen
2/13/11	Bring Your Kingdom	Rev. John Schmidt	Matthew 6:9-13	Read transcript	Listen
2/6/11	Honor Your Name	Rev. George Antonakos	Matthew 6:9-13	Read transcript	Listen
1/30/11	Our Father in Heaven	Rev. John Schmidt	Matthew 6:9-13	Read transcript	Listen
1/23/11	The Lord's Prayer	Rev. Laura Crihfield	Matthew 6:9-13	Read transcript	Listen
Hopes and Dreams As we begin a new year it is always helpful for the congregation to have a sense of spiritual direction from the leadership base. What is leadership hearing from God? Which way is this ship headed and why? What are our hopes for Central Presbyterian Church? The first three weeks of 2011 will focus on three hopes and dreams as we look at the most intimate prayer of Jesus in scripture. Week one - we are empowered (indwelt); week two - we are unified (1) week three - we are mobilized (influential). All three are highlighted in how Jesus prayed to the Father at the end of his earthly life.
1/16/11	A Church of Influence	Rev. George Antonakos	John 17:17-26	Read transcript	Listen
1/9/11	All One, All Together, All Important	Rev. John Schmidt	John 17:9-23	Read transcript	Listen
1/2/11	The Spiritual Microchip	Rev. George Antonakos	John 17:1-8	Read transcript	Listen