13 episodes
Preaching in the Crimson Kingdom Tim Trussell-Smith
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- Religion & Spirituality
Sermons, Reflections, Music and other items (hopefully of interest) from First Christian Church, Tuscaloosa; located across the street from the University of Alabama campus, two blocks from Bryant-Denny Stadium where the Crimson Tide play. You won't hear about football in the sermons much, though! Still, UA is a big part of our ministry at First Christian. Students live in Disciples House beside the church, we park cars on game days and welcome folks from all over the country into our Fellowship Hall. We do a lot of varied ministry the rest of the year, too.
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December 1, 2019 - First Sunday of Advent
What is it we are really hoping for in Advent? Are we willing to look at the darkness of the world so that we really understand what the light of Christmas means? Or do we simply want to drown out the troubles of our lives and of the world with bright lights and forced holiday cheer? Or, can we acknowledge both: that celebrating in the midst of a dark world is a form of resistance - an experience of God's kingdom, while still paying attention to the world that needs Emmanuel to come and be with us again.
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Sermon - Christ the King Sunday
"Crowned in Glory" - Luke 23:33-43. Jesus is dying between two criminals. Both of them use these last moments of their lives to speak to him. But there is a world of difference between what they ask of Jesus. We can see in their words a model of our own faith. So, which kind of thief will you be?
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October 27, 2019 - Jahman Hill
Jahman Hill - a nationally known slam poet, and friend of FCC, comes back to Tuscaloosa to share his poetry with us and the experiences that lay behind his work. Jahman speaks about being enough and knowing we are new creations in Christ, even in the dark times of life
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Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7 - The Birth of Isaac
"Laughing at God's Promises," Sermon from Sunday, September 15, 2019. Tim Trussell-Smith: Senior Minister. Why do we do often see Sarah as lacking in faith? How would we respond to such an impassible promise? Don't God's promises often seem unbelievable?
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1 John 4: God is Love
Sermon for August 25, 2019: Rev. Tim Trussell-Smith, Senior Minister. "God is Love:" I believe this is the entirety of the Christian faith expressed in three words. But love isn't just a feeling. It isn't romance it sentimentality. Love is powerful and even hard to accept at times. Love overwhelms the barriers that we all have in life. It calls us to be more than we think we can be. It exposes our sin and cleanses us. Love is an actual. It is only real when something happens.
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First John, Part 1: God is...Light
Sermon for Aug 4, 2019. Rev. Tim Trussell-Smith; Senior Minister. The author who has traditionally been known as John is writing on behalf of a group of church leaders to encourage the churches they are connected to to maintain faith in a savior who was truly divine but also truly human in the face of the development of Gnosticism. Gnosticism (the word means "of knowledge") isn't all bad, some of the Gnostic writings are very intriguing and even spiritually enlightening, but it has some major pitfalls as a philosophy. Why does it matter that our material reality isn't lesser than our spiritual reality - but one and the same? How are we the light of God in the world?