Jordan Rimmer Sermons

What Child IS This?

This is my Christmas Eve sermon where I look at who this Christ-child is thorugh the way Matthew connects the birth of Jesus to Moses.

Luke's Nativity Story

I take a look at Luke's version of the Nativity story. Why does he include what he does and write the story the way that he does?

Matthew's Nativity Story

In this Advent sermon, I walk through Matthew's story of Jesus' birth and why he tells the story the way he does. We are so used to hearing a story as one story and in quick and edited form that we are unfamiliar with the way Matthew and Luke each tell their own version of the story.

The Meaning of Advent (and Christmas Jeopardy)

In this sermon I am a little more playful than usual. I start out talking about the meaning of Advent and our need to have the prophets and Mary teach us to wait for and long for Christ. I then shift gears and look at how our tendency to rush through Christmas is evident in how much we don't know about the Christmas story. My challenge, to my congregation and to you, is to slow down and be intentional about experiencing Christmas.

Christ the Shepherd King

In this sermon, I take a look at Jesus for Christ the King Sunday through the metaphor of the shepherd. We don't associate shepherding with royalty, but that is because we don't really grasp the image of a shepherd because it is so foreign to us. Yet in the ancient near-east, this was a very common connection.

The Valley of Dry Bones

In this sermon, I look at Ezekiel's vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. I also use the story to pivot to some personal words to my congregation, who found out this week that I am leaving at the end of the year.

The Four Chapter Gospel

In this stand alone sermon I unpack what the Gospel actually is in its fullest and most robust understanding. The good news comes in four chapters--Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Part of the probglem in Christianity today is that many only have 2 of the 4 chapters in their faith.  

I am the Bread of Life

In this sermon, I unpack Jesus' language in John 6 about "the bread of life." I connect Jesus' words with the feeding of the crowd and also with communion.

 

Martin Luther Part 5: Luther's Legacy

October 31, 2017 marks a monumental moment for the church and the world. It was on that day 500 years ago that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to door at Wittenberg.  This is typically noted as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was a moment that sparked a movement that continues to influence not only the Christian faith but also daily life. In this, the final sermon, I track the history of the Reformation from Wittenberg 1517 to New Brighton, PA 2017. I look at how the fire that Luther sparked spread across Europe, across the ocean, and around the world.

Marin Luther Part 4: Luther's Leadership

October 31, 2017 marks a monumental moment for the church and the world. It was on that day 500 years ago that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to door at Wittenberg.  This is typically noted as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was a moment that sparked a movement that continues to influence not only the Christian faith but also daily life. To celebrate, I am planning to do a whole month of worship and preaching around Martin Luther.

This sermon looks at what Luther did to lead the movement and keep it going. I especially take a look at how our world is similar in some ways to Luther's and in need of another reformation. I also take an honest look at Luther's flaws. Ultimately, Luther was a flawed human being that God used, just like you and me.

Martin Luther Part 3: Marrying Katharina

October 31, 2017 marks a monumental moment for the church and the world. It was on that day 500 years ago that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to door at Wittenberg.  This is typically noted as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was a moment that sparked a movement that continues to influence not only the Christian faith but also daily life. To celebrate, I am planning to do a whole month of worship and preaching around Martin Luther.

In this sermon, I take a look at Luther's marriage to Katharina von Bora and how it changed his view not just of marraige, but of the Christian faith and Christian community. 

 

Martin Luther Part 2: The Theology of Martin Luther

October 31, 2017 marks a monumental moment for the church and the world. It was on that day 500 years ago that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to door at Wittenberg.  This is typically noted as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was a moment that sparked a movement that continues to influence not only the Christian faith but also daily life. To celebrate, I am planning to do a whole month of worship and preaching around Martin Luther.

This sermon continues the series, as I look at the theology of the church at the time and how Luther critiqued it. I am also clear in the sermon that the Catholic Church of today is not the same as the church 500 years ago.

The painting I refer to in the sermon can be seen at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haywain_Triptych.

Martin Luther Part 1: The Life of Luther

October 31, 2017 marks a monumental moment for the church and the world. It was on that day 500 years ago that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to door at Wittenberg.  This is typically noted as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was a moment that sparked a movement that continues to influence not only the Christian faith but also daily life. To celebrate, I am planning to do a whole month of worship and preaching around Martin Luther.

This sermon started the series. I did a biography of Martin Luther's life and why he wrote the 95 Theses.

 

Faith in Practice: How to Pray

In this sermon, I walk through the Lord's Prayer not as a prayer that we should pray all the time but as an outline for prayer that Jesus used to teach his disciples how to pray. 

Faith in Practice: How to Read and Study the Bible

In this longer sermon I give a crash course on how to read and study the Bible. I also talk along the way about the tools you need for good Bible study. There is also a handout for this sermon in pictures below.

 

Faith in Practice: What is the Bible

In this sermon, I continue to talk about the need to put faith in practice by talking about the Bible. I argue that it is not an instruction book, but a library of people's relationships with God. I use the story of Jonah to show how arguing about it can often lead us to miss the point.

Faith in Practice: Belong, Believe, Behave

In this series, I am taking a look at how we practice our faith, particularly in Bible study and prayer. In this starting sermon, I take a look at how we make a mistake by defining our faith as a belief system instead of a relationship to which we belong and behaviors to support that belonging. Our theology/beliefs give language to our experiences of God, and trying to talk of our beliefs without an actual experience of God is harmful to our faith.

I am indebted to Diana Butler Bass and her book Christianity After Religion for the concept of the reversale of Belong, Behave, and Believe.

Call Stories: Paul Reclaimed

I end this sermon series which I have enjoyed so much by one of my favorite Bible stories. It is the conversion of Paul. It has so much to teach us about the gospel and about how to listen to and follow God's calling in our lives.

Call Stories: Timothy Trained Up

 

Here I take a look at the call of Timothy, which is not a spectacular story. He was trained in the faith by his mother and grandmother and annointed by the elders of his congregation. Paul writes to Timothy to encourage him as Timothy seems to be fading in his zeal. This is a lot like us--a more normal call and trouble persisting.

Call Stories: Esther

This sermon looks at the story of Esther, particularly the political intrigue that provides the context of the story and Mordecai’s calling of Esther to action.

The prayer at the end of my sermon was written by by Richard Einerson, and published in Prayers of the People. I found it at: https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/09/pastoral-prayer-esther.html

Call Stories: Isaiah's Lips

Here I take a look at the call of Isaiah from Isaiah 6. How does Isaiah react to God's presence, and how does his response lead to his response to God's call? We must all walk the road from "Woe is me" to "Here I am."

 

Call Stories: Elijah's Whisper

This is a continuation of my series of the great call stories of the Bible, but this story is not typically thought of as a call story. It is really a re-call story as God calls Elijah away from Elijah's plans and back to God's plans.

Two notes: 1. This was an outdoor service and I did not have a sound system. I was projecting my voice a lot and walking around. 2. I am indebted to a great sermon that Timothy Keller did on this passage that you can download at http://www.gospelinlife.com/the-still-small-voice-9091.

Call Stories: Moses and the Burning Bush

Sermon series on the great stories of God's call from the Bible. In this one I take a look at Moses and the Burning Bush. Why is the symbolism of the desert, the bush, and the staff so significan to his call?

Call Stories: Abraham's Great Nation

This is a new series titled "Call Stories." I will take a look at a few of the great call stories of the Bible. I want to help us reflect on how God calls us in our lives and as a church. It is interesting that all these call stories are different. God calls his people to different things in different ways. Further, the responses of his people are equally diverse. So looking at these stories provides us some insights into how we should respond to God’s leading.

In this sermon I take a look at the call story of Abraham and what it means for us today.

 

No If's, And's, or But's

This sermon was given to address some anxiety my church is going through as we get low on our savings and try to discern what that might mean for us having a full-time pastor in the future. The first part of the sermon is a bit of a state of the church address, but I then get into the need to trust God when feel anxious and how we do that.

True Freedom

Special sermon inspired by the Fourth of July looking at what the Bible means by Freedom and how we so often choose to return to slavery.

 

The Bad Habits of Jesus: Jesus Procrastinated

Jesus seemed late sometimes. He was "long expected" at his birth and procrastinated with Jairus' daughter and his friend Lazarus' death. But Jesus is never late, he just doesn't run on our time. 

This sermon is part of a series called "The Bad Habits of Jesus." We are not looking at Jesus as sinful, but rather how Jesus often broke social norms and expectations because he lived in a different kingdom. The series is inspired by a book by my teacher Leonard Sweet of the same name.

The Bad Habits of Jesus: Jesus Loved to Party

Jesus was at parties all the time with the wrong sorts of people. He had a reputation as a glutton and a drunkard, and was criticized for his party guests. We should learn from him.  

This sermon is part of a series called "The Bad Habits of Jesus." We are not looking at Jesus as sinful, but rather how Jesus often broke social norms and expectations because he lived in a different kingdom. The series is inspired by a book by my teacher Leonard Sweet of the same name.

The Bad Habits of Jesus: Jesus Appeared Wasteful

This sermon is part of a series called "The Bad Habits of Jesus." We are not looking at Jesus as sinful, but rather how Jesus often broke social norms and expectations because he lived in a different kingdom. The series is inspired by a book by my teacher Leonard Sweet of the same name. This sermon takes a look at how Jesus, in his actions and his stories, appears wasteful. He makes too much wine, too good of wine, the sowers wastes the seed, the father wastes the fatted calf, and Jesus lets Mary waste money on ointment to wash his feet. Why does Jesus appear so wasteful?

 

The Bad Habits of Jesus: Jesus Spit

Spitting is a bad habit, yet Jesus spit in three of his mracles. In fact, Jesus may have even healed with a wet-Willy.  

This sermon is part of a series called "The Bad Habits of Jesus." We are not looking at Jesus as sinful, but rather how Jesus often broke social norms and expectations because he lived in a different kingdom. The series is inspired by a book by my teacher Leonard Sweet of the same name.