Rev Chris Roth

My Journey Through Chistology Col 1:15-20 Hear the sermon here When I became a Christian I was obviously really drawn to Jesus, but I also remember being really confused by him as well. He would say things like in John chapter 10, "The Father and I are one", and in chapter 14 "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". And what made me confused was that Jesus was human and he would sneak off to deserted places to pray to God. If he and the Father were one, who was he praying to? Why did he need to? I continued to be drawn to Jesus, but it seemed like the more I tried to understand him the more mysterious he begame.           I went to university and took classes in Christian history and then later in seminary I took classes on Christology, which tries to understand Jesus. I started to realize that when I became a Christian I drifted through numerous heresies. I remember being fascinated in my classes because I had lived...

2 Thes 3:6-13 Click here to hear the sermon Crystal and I aren’t really into reality shows, but one that we did enjoy was America’s Best Dance Crew.  Our favorite group was called “ Quest Crew ”.  Through their dance they would often tell a story. They would show an amazing physical ability as they flipped through the air. They worked together amazingly. … But, if any one of the members didn’t do their part it wouldn’t work. The story wouldn’t be told, and watching it would become awkward. All the attention would be on the person who let the group down.  In our reading from 2 Thessalonians Paul is describing members who are letting the group down. The church is like a dance. There are many parts to play and it works best when all the parts are played well.  Paul is warning the Thessalonian church about those who are “living in idleness”. The word in the original Greek has a couple meanings. It could refer to a person who is slacking off, but it can...

Remembrance Day 2013 We gathered to remember on remembrance day. We remember those who have suffered and died because of war. They are many of our family members. No doubt some of those who read this have suffered as a result of war. Why do we do this? Why do we want to remember these horrible times? Wouldn’t it be better to stuff those memories into humanity’s closet? … There is a former soldier I know who will only remember late at night, and will only speak about the war in a whisper, and even then only to one or two people- if he speaks about it at all. Wouldn’t it be better to put these memories away? Why are we doing this? Why is it important that we remember?  We are not gathering to remember the glory of battle. Thankfully, that romantic notion has died. … We remember because we dare not forget. We remember because those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it. We gather to remember those who suffered because of our failure to make peace. Peace has...

Hear the sermon here Today we celebrate the feast of “All Saints”. It is a day we set aside to remember all the saints, known and unknown to the church. The word “Saint” is related to the word “Sanctus” and it basically means “holy one”. Something that is “holy” has dedicated for God’s purposes and is used by God in this world. The saints are those who have been “hallowed”, which means “made holy”. “Halloween” comes from the phrase “All Hallows Eve” which is the night before “All Hallows Day”- the day we call “All Saints”. There are a couple ways to think about the saints. In one way the saints are those who have shown amazing holiness. They have done good and amazing things. They have shown an incredible character and courage in the face of impossible odds. Their lives have also shown the presence of God’s Spirit in a variety of ways.             We find some of these saints in the Bible. The Apostl...