Default Podcast Chelten - a church of hope

Message from Bill Krewson on June 4, 2023

Every one of us has experienced rejection. And every one of us, in some way, has rejected someone else. As pastor Jin reflects on the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, many rejecters emerge. But only one is rejected. With unwavering love and forgiveness, his response to rejection transforms us rejecters into acceptors and absorbs our rejection with acceptance.

As followers of Christ, deep in our souls, we want to represent our savior well, to be faithful witnesses. But that’s not so easy, is it? All of us experience trials and moments of weakness when our words and actions deny ever knowing Jesus. In this sermon pastor Shep explains how Jesus’ faithfulness during his trial and moment of voluntary weakness procured for us power to exchange faithlessness with joyful, submissive obedience to the Spirit.

Does your response to failure, you own and others, make you feel like, well, a failure? In this sermon Jake Fairfield, Chelten’s Director of Youth and Young Adults, explores how understanding and embracing Jesus’ response to our failure empowers and frees us to respond the same way to ourselves and to others.

As enamored as they are with it, many people resign themselves to the notion that love is probably nothing more than a byproduct of evolution, a social utility void of any intrinsic value or deeper meaning. In this sermon pastor Jin emphatically proposes the polar opposite.

The Temple in Jerusalem was a magnificent building and Jesus’ disciples were quite taken with it. So, when Jesus told them that one day not one of the temple’s stones would be left standing the disciples were shocked and asked Jesus when will this happen and what will be the signs? As pastor Shep examines Jesus’ complicated answer it becomes apparent that he is more interested in how knowledge of these future events will affect the way his followers chose to live their lives now, in the present.