Sermons by “Pastor Adam Soderberg”
The Food Cupboard
Have you ever been to a community food cupboard? Either, to get some needed food, to make a donation, or to volunteer? You may notice the vast majority of the canned goods are generic. Where is the heart of someone who donates foodstuffs they would not eat themselves?
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A Congregational Church
At long last, through conflict and councils, controversy and courts, on the 22 of February, 1670, Reverend John Whiting and thirty-one members of the First Church of Christ, Hartford, along with their families, formed themselves into a new and distinct church – the Second Church of Christ (South Congregational). Hartford now had one more “House of Hope.” It still does.
View SermonThe Reverend Lemuel Haynes
The Congregational Church of Connecticut licenses African-American Lemuel Haynes to preach, making him the first African-American minister certified by a predominantly white denomination. He will later become the first African-American minister to pastor a white church in the United States.
View SermonJust Jesus
That Christ is the head of the church is a foundational congregational understanding. When Christ is the head, why should any other group of leaders be elevated to a place of special authority over the rest of the body? The church does not need two “heads.” It’s just Jesus.
View SermonMartin, Chuck, and Henry
The Roman Catholic Church was the only church in town for 1,500 years when a Catholic priest named Martin Luther began protesting many of the manmade rules of the church. Luther’s idea of “Sola Scriptura” (“Scripture Alone”) began to resonate with others who were soon protesting, demanding that the church be reformed. This begins the “Protestant Reformation.”
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Grace is Not Cheap
Although we can never do anything to deserve or earn God’s grace, we can show our appreciation to Him. We can live lives that honor and glorify Him. Lives that reflect our thankfulness for Christ, the cross, and the empty tomb.
View SermonThe Last to Be Forgiven
We are often quick to forgive those who have hurt us — to offer grace to others. Th last person we struggle to forgive is ourselves. Shame and guilt follow us like a shadow. Through Jesus, God offers us grace from not only our sin but from our shame and guilt as well. Grace is a gift from God that we do not deserve, nor can do anything to earn. That’s why it is called amazing.
View SermonI Am Barabbas
Pontius Pilate declares Jesus’ innocence three times. Nonetheless, the mob of people scream for Barabbas to be set free. Barabbas knows he is a criminal and yet he is set free. I know I am a sinner, and yet, I too am set free because of what Christ did on the cross. That is unmerited favor. We call it grace.
View SermonMalchus, Servant of the High Priest
Malchus was not a soldier so much as an observer. A spy for his boss, really. His role was to return to Caiaphas and share who did what, how the arrest went, did Judas really betray him, etc. Even though Jesus knew these people hated Him and were arresting an innocent man, He showed compassion for Malchus and healed him. That is grace.
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Maria & Pablo
As the story goes, in 1825, Euphorbia pulcherrima (also known as the Christmas flower) was brought to the Americas by Dr. J.R. Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico. The story behind the poinsettia is even better. It teaches us that the gift of love is dearer to Jesus than anything money can buy.
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