Sermon 01-01-12 :: Hope

New Year

A clean slate. A fresh start. A new beginning. January is a time to reestablish routines. What will this year hold? What should I do? What can I change? Today our Scripture readings deal with names and identity. What we do is based on who we are. We begin 2012 grounded in our foundational identity.

Pastor Jeff Cloeter preaches on "Hope"

Luke 2:21 - And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Numbers 6:22-27 - The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance1 upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”



Galatians 3:23-29 - Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Sermon 09-18-11 "Pardon to Power"

Presence. Pardon. Power. These words define who God is for us. These words also define who we are for others. Today we meditate on the power of God over us.

Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon. - John Piper

New sermon posted at reliantchurch.org

Sermon 09-11-11 "Worse and Better"

Let my sins rise to the surface like stones in a field. Let me see them and feel their damaging pain. And then pick them up and throw them into oblivion.

Anonymous

New sermon posted at reliantchurch.org

Sermon 09-04-11 "Messes"

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.” At times our love for others is lukewarm at best – we may be concerned for another’s wellbeing, but not to the point that we would do something costly. God’s love, on the other hand, is never an emotion or feeling of goodwill alone – it is costly. Gods love acts. It sends. Today we ponder again what it means that God has sent Jesus to be present among us. We call that sending incarnation, and in that incarnation we are inseparably bound to him, now and forever. He is present among us. And that presence sends us out into a world that desperately needs God’s presence. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The mystery of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.

- Martin Luther

The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.

- C.S. Lewis

New sermon posted at reliantchurch.org

Sermon 08-21-11 "You are because I AM"

Next week we have our annual Call to Mission. Every year we revisit the heart of who we are and what our mission is. In advance of that, we consider today the heart of who Jesus is. Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Little did he know what that confession would mean.

“I did not make it, no it is making me.”

- Rich Mullins, on the Creed

“It is to be believed because it is absurd.”

- Tertullian (155-222 A.D.) on why he

believed the Christian faith

New sermon posted at reliantchurch.org

Sermon 07-10-11 "An Interview with Pastor Bill Simmons"

Throughout the summer we have been devoting ourselves to the Psalms, using them as a prayer book. In conjunction with our look at the Psalms, we are devoting ourselves to prayer and discussion over Reliant’s mission. We are in a season of transition, which is a prime time to evaluate our ministry and listen for God’s guidance on how best to move forward. With great anticipation, we push into the next season.

As part of this summer’s time of prayer and listening, we are blessed with guest preachers. Today we have Pastor Bill Simmons, Administrative Pastor at our “home base,” Christ Memorial. Pastor Bill comes to bring encouragement, love, and support from our broader church. He also comes to bring his expertise in mission, strategy, and pastoral leadership. Pastor Bill is husband to Gail, father of four (and a daughter-in-law), and grandfather of one. He has over 30 years of ministry experience from rural to suburban congregations, as well as a stint at Concordia Publishing House. He is also a St. Louis County Police chaplain, and on the boards of Lutheran Senior Services, and The Dakota Boys Club. We are blessed by his presence today.

Listen to an interview with Pastor Bill Simmons

Sermon 07-03-11 "Enemies"

¹ LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
² Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”^[b]

³ But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
⁴ I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.

⁵ I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
⁶ I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.

⁷ Arise, LORD!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.

New sermon posted!

Work and Rest

On this Labor Day weekend, we pause to ponder work and rest.  Our culture has distorted both of these, resulting in an unhealthy, burned out, and over-medicated people.  Today we stop, listen to God’s Word, and rest in him.  A proper understanding of work and rest is the catalyst to escape the rat race, and offer meaningful and God-pleasing service. 

“Society as a whole and individuals are dying because they do not have the revolutionary old Biblical doctrine of work. The modern doctrine of work, which has replaced the old Biblical doctrine of work, is working so that you earn a living. You make money so that you can do what you really want to do…. The result of the work is only a byproduct…. the real aim is money or status.”  -Dorothy Sayers, “Why Work?”

For Further Reading:
Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller.
Walking on Water by Madeline L’Engle
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J. Dawn.

Pastor Jeff Cloeter
jeff@reliantchurch.org