Christ Church Evangelical Covenant

A Foothold in the Current (Pastor Vann Trapp)

How do we know if God is with us and for us? That’s an important question when we wade into new challenges and deep waters. If God is for us, we know all things are possible and victory is certain. If we are alone, we know that we are in for the fight of our lives and we’re probably out of our depth. So, how can we know? Sometimes you just have to ask.

Waiting for Fireworks (Pastor Vann Trapp)

Poetic justice. For the most part, we love the concept of it. Whether it is the person caught by the police as they drive down the shoulder to avoid the stopped traffic, or the bully who picks on the wrong person and gets “what’s coming to them.” There is an equation of justice in our heads that we think is what keeps the universe in balance. That’s what Jonah thought about Nineveh. He believed if God could just know how unsettled he was about the “imbalance” of God’s mercy, God would come around and set the equation right again. So, he sat on the outskirts of the city to watch as God gave them what was coming to them, like we sometimes do. But is poetic justice really God’s equation, or just an example of our bad math?

The Distant Shore (Pastor Vann Trapp)

When we look at others, for various reasons we can assume that they are far from God. We may think that they don’t know enough about God, that they are too interested in the evil that they love to do to ever love Him, or that they are just too bad for God to ever love. But only God really knows how close or how far people are from Him; whether that person lives across an ocean from us or if that person is us. And sometimes, it is the very people that we consider to be the farthest away from God who turn to Him so quickly it should make us think about how close we truly are to Him. Maybe we’ve drifted further than we thought and hadn’t even noticed.

Being a Rescued Hero (Pastor Cheryl Lavornia)

We are leaving Jonah for just a week and looking at another man standing beside a river waiting for a rescue. Rescue is a big theme in the Bible. We find people running from big, scary pharaohs and rulers; crowds and mobs, famine and natural circumstances, even running from God. But being rescued is not how we want to spend a night... no one wants to become famous for needing to be rescued. But what if rescue is a way in which God’s works out His purposes? This week's sermon is called: Being a Rescued Hero and we will be asking the question: What if rescue is a way for us to experience God in a more meaningful and important way?

When Everything’s Underwater (Pastor Vann Trapp)

The place of transformation is a tough place to get to and a tough place to get through. It feels like you’re dying. And it is like a dying. Everything is stripped away that used to define you and used to motivate you. All that is left is the purpose that God gave you and the God who gave that purpose. It’s not that transformation is a bad place to be, it’s just hard. So, how might God be transforming you? Where are the places you feel like you’re underwater, but only because God is about to raise you anew from the deep waters of your transformation?

Missing the Boat (Pastor Vann Trapp)

How many of us want to be used by God in a big way in the lives of others? But then, when the opportunity comes, we choke and we run. Our assumption is that this must be work for other, more godly people, not me. But that’s not the message of Jonah. God even wants to use those of us who run when He calls. It just takes a little more time. Thankfully, He’s more persistent and committed to this process of making us more like Jesus than we are sometimes.

Deep Waters (Lauren McDonough)

How do we respond when God invites us to deeper waters? Join us this Sunday as we look at a story from the book of Ezekiel and consider what it looks like to be people of faith who say “yes” to those invitations.

Dangerous Coastlines (Pastor Vann Trapp)

We often say “between a rock and a hard place,” but what about “between a hostile army and an ocean.” That’s a pretty tough spot, too. When we find ourselves in those places we usually ask God why He brought us there to begin with. Now, we get into plenty of messes on our own. But I mean those times that we really are trying to follow Jesus and we still end up “between a rock and a hard place.” Why does God lead us into places like that? So, He can show everyone just what He is capable of and how much He loves us. That’s what this story is there to tell us. Do we believe that?

God and Chaos (Pastor Vann Trapp)

So, where is God in the midst of chaos? When nothing seems to make sense or fit anywhere. Because we all have times like that in our lives. And during those times, that’s when anxiety and unsettledness set in… or worse. So, where is God? What is He up to during those times? The story of the sea has a lot to teach about God and chaos.

The Heart and Power of God (Pastor Vann Trapp)

We are the sent people of a going God. He wasn’t satisfied to sit and wait for us to try to work our way to Him. He came to us; to rescue us, redeem us, and restore us. And now, He sends us, with His heart, His drive, and His authority to continue the work He started. The day Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 28:18-20 was the day we were commissioned. But Pentecost was the day we were empowered to carry out that commission. So, what does that mean for our everyday lives?