Sermons Archives - Congregational Church of La Jolla

What does it mean to follow Jesus when the way forward doesn’t look like winning?

In Matthew 16, Peter cannot understand why Jesus would choose a path leading toward suffering and death rather than power, victory, and survival. But Jesus asks us to see beyond the immediate moment. The Christian story is a long arc, one that passes through darkness before arriving at light, and through disappointment before redemption.

For this week’s sermon, Rev. Tim delivered a message from Bolivia on the importance of empathy and standing up for the marginalized.

What happens when God’s will meets our own? Jonah was dragged toward Nineveh through storm and darkness, resisting a mission he never wanted: mercy for Israel’s enemy. But Jesus offered something different. When a rich young man walked away sad, Jesus didn’t chase him down; he let him go with love. And when the crowds turned back, Jesus simply asked the remaining twelve, “Do you want to go too?”

This week we explore the story of Jesus walking on water after feeding the 5,000.

Rather than dwelling on the miracle’s mechanics or the common “have more faith than Peter” reading, Rev. Tim reframes the story as a mirror. Every character in the boat, whether afraid, adventurous, sinking, or amazed, represents a way we experience life’s storms.

In this sermon on the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Rev. Tim begins with Jesus withdrawing to grieve John the Baptist’s execution, choosing solitude over strategy and “rest as resistance.” But the crowds find him anyway, and Jesus meets them with splagchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι), a gut-level compassion that turns scarcity into abundance.

How often do we overlook the small in search of something grand?

In our third week exploring Jesus’s parables, we unpack the Parable of the Mustard Seed—a story about a tiny, seemingly insignificant seed that grows into an expansive place of shelter. From dollhouse miniatures to the overlooked legacy of Abigail Adams, this message explores how “the art of noticing” small details trains us to see hidden truths.

We all carry old anxieties, defenses, and toxic habits that once protected us from harm.

Like the weeds intertwined with wheat in Jesus’s parable, these “loyal soldiers” became so deeply rooted in our lives that letting go feels impossible. But trying to uproot them prematurely risks damaging our growth.

In this sermon, Rev. Tim reframes one of Jesus’s most famous parables.

Challenging traditional, judgmental interpretations that categorize people into “good” or “bad” soil, Rev. Tim shifts the focus to the sower. He reveals a God of radical grace who scatters love and abundance everywhere, without restriction.

Rev. Tim dives deep into a challenging section of scripture often called the “Missionary Discourse.”

In this Father’s Day sermon during Global Pride Month, we explore some of Jesus’s toughest words—including his call to love him above our own families. But did Jesus intend to exclude and divide? Far from it.

What does it mean to answer Jesus’s call to serve?

In this week’s sermon, we reflect on Christ’s invitation for every disciple to put their God-given gifts into action. No two gifts are the same, yet each plays an essential role in God’s work of healing, compassion, justice, and community.