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Sermons

by TJ Johnson

Season 3

What can God make of this?

Relationship Matters

In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus offers more than a step-by-step approach to conflict. He invites us into relationships marked by honesty, courage, tenderness, and reconciliation. In this sermon, Pastor TJ Johnson explores what it means to become a “sacred companion”: someone who cares enough to tell the truth in love, listens without rushing to judgment, and seeks to regain a relationship rather than win an argument. Jesus reminds us that the person matters, the relationship matters, and even in the difficult work of reconciliation, Christ is there among us.

What is your soul worth?

What is your soul worth—and what are you tempted to trade it for? In this sermon on Matthew 16:21-28, Pastor TJ reflects on Jesus’ challenging words about denying ourselves, taking up the cross, and not gaining the whole world at the cost of our souls. Drawing on insights from Richard Rohr and Meister Eckhart, he explores the difference between the smaller identities we construct and the deeper self already known and loved by God. A personal story about classical guitar becomes a picture of what happens when something we love begins to consume us—and why sometimes the path to freedom is simply to put it down. The sermon ends with a gospel reversal of Jesus' question: What are our souls worth to God? The cross gives the answer.

More than crumbs

More Than Crumbs Matthew 15:21–28; Isaiah 56:1, 6–8 A Canaanite woman refuses to believe that God’s grace is scarce. When others see an outsider, she sees an abundant God—and Jesus praises her faith. In this sermon, we reflect on the danger of imagining God’s mercy too narrowly and the surprising wideness of the Lord’s Table, where there is always room for one more hungry soul to be fed.

Peace in the Midst of Storms

Matthew 14:22–33; 1 Kings 19:9–18 — When life feels unstable, Elijah and Peter remind us that our sure footing is found in the steadfast presence of Christ.

Before the Bread Was Broken

Our scarcity is met by Jesus’ compassionate abundance.

Too Deep for Words

Sometimes Prayer begins where words end.

A Tree Growing Out of Rock

Hopeless landscapes are God’s specialty.

Soulful Rest

When religion feels heavy, Jesus offers rest for the soul

A cup of cold water

What can a cup of kindness hold besides water?

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