Sermons from Vienna Assembly of God. Pastor Brenda Burns speaks most weeks, and we are honored to host amazing guests as well from time to time.
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We are considering Gethsemane, and Jesus' prayer there, and looking at it through the lens of Philippians 2.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Even when face to face with a resurrection miracle, there are those who doubt. Jesus prayed a specific prayer before calling Lazarus out, and it was for those struggling to believe.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Prayers of blessing are much more than just hoping to get something good for yourself. The blessing of God opens channels of favor and paths of right-living within our hearts, and flows out into our families, our church, our community. We need to seek the Lord's blessing.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Prayer is about talking with God about what you need. And he knows what you need. And he's a loving God who is intensely interested in receiving your sincere prayers and answering. It's not a formula, it's not a guarantee of everything going your way, but it is an invitation to relationship with God.…
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As we prepare to enter the season of Lent, a vital practice of prayer is listening.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Give something back. Give something forward.بقلم Brenda Burns
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In our consumer culture, saturated by advertising and manipulation, we are accustomed to being baited and targeted. Was this what Jesus had in mind when he said he would teach his followers how to fish for people?بقلم Brenda Burns
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God sees you. And he is not content with that - he also wants you to see him.بقلم Brenda Burns
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On this Epiphany Sunday, we take a quick look back at Pastor Brenda's six-year anniversary, and then see the work of the Holy Spirit through today's readings.بقلم Brenda Burns
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We apologize for the audio quality, but wanted to share this special conversation with you. We can trust the goodness of God even through long-term illness and chronic health challenges.بقلم Brenda Burns, Craig Burns, Susan Stiles
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The story we tell as Christians is dependent on this mystery - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Creator of the world come to dwell in the world he created as a creature, fully man, fully God.بقلم Brenda Burns
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We must understand that even though our story is constantly being written and there will be good days and there will be bad days, we are called to keep telling the SAME story. The love of God, the salvation of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit poured out on all people, the hope of the resurrection - this story doesn't change no matter what happens to u…
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Blane shares up-to-the-minute stories of God at work in students' lives, and a fresh take on a familiar story from the Book of Acts.بقلم Blane Young
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I have become concerned about Christian nationalism, and its impact on our society and on the Church. But that does not mean we should not be patriotic, or love our country. So today I just want to give a pastoral talk to encourage us in navigating the differences between proper love of country and patriotism, as opposed to idolatry and Christian n…
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Pastor Brenda shares from her recent travels and inspires us to "Be Strong in the Lord!"بقلم Brenda Burns
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Guest speaker and missionary Rev. Becky Pucher challenges us: What is your mission?بقلم Becky Pucher
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In my early planning for this series, three promises stood out to me to cover. And I expected that each one would be the focus of an entire sermon. But for today, I'm going to talk about them together: 1) God has promised his presence. 2) Jesus has promised he will return. 3) There will be a new heaven and new earth!…
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Hebrews 8:6. But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.بقلم Brenda Burns
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We live in the new covenant promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This is the arc of the biblical narrative, that God has made a way for us to be right with him. Initiated by love, God established the new covenant, and we can be assured that what God says will come to pass.بقلم Brenda Burns
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What can we believe? Who can we trust?It is within God's character to initiate covenant. It is an exchange of life - "I am yours, and you are mine." This has been God's way with humans always. Understanding the background of covenant in the Old Testament is crucial to grasping Jesus' words as he shared the cup of wine with his disciples on the nigh…
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The truth of God's blessing is real. And the fact that the Scripture gives us some specific wisdom regarding God's blessing is an amazing gift. We are not left to wander around looking for some secret portal into the blessings of God. We are given very clear understanding of what God blesses, and who God blesses.…
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As personal as it feels to me anytime I read, "The Lord is my Shepherd..." it also is true and available to whoever calls on the name of the Lord. Through the centuries, people from all over the world have found comfort and strength in Psalm 23.بقلم Brenda Burns
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As we long for revival, for an awakening that reaches to our children's generation, we work toward that. And we pray, "Lord! Make our efforts successful!" I pray for you, that all that you do in service to the King is blessed and anointed, that God's favor be poured out on you, and you receive that smile of God's approval, and the sense of God maki…
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Jesus taught that the Psalms spoke of him. We learn how Psalm 22 proclaimed the suffering and victory of Christ.بقلم Brenda Burns
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"You healed me!" "Joy comes in the morning." "Your anger lasts only a moment, but your favor for a lifetime." -So many memorable and important declarations are contained in this Psalm. Thanksgiving sets us apart as we experience orientation, disorientation and reorientation through the Psalms.بقلم Brenda Burns
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How good it is! when brothers and sisters live together in harmony. Jesus prayed that his followers would be one. That prayer has yet to be fully answered, yet we are invited to join ourselves to this hope.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Do you have a favorite Psalm? Or more than one? You may be surprised as you read through the Psalms to realize how familiar some are to you, because the Psalms serve as the lyrics for many hymns, anthems and songs of worship. As we spend a few Sundays looking closely at Psalms, my hope is that you are intrigued and inspired, and that through the gi…
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Jesus gave us this prayer for the already and the not yet, for the right now, everyday following Jesus step by step, and the joyous anticipation of the glory that will be. It doesn't give us a key to destroy evil before God's time when that day will come, but it does give us the pattern for how to live in anticipation of that day.…
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In the Genesis account, we see an important correlation to the part of the Lord's Prayer that we are examining today. Genesis 2 illustrates two basic needs that we humans have had baked into us at creation: 1. Food. 2. Relationship. In current jargon, this need for food and for relationship is not a bug, this is a feature.…
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When we pray, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven." we are expressing the hope that our hearts will align with God's heart. God is love. God is good. God is kind. God is holy and just. His will for you is love. His will for you is good. His will for you is kind. His will for you is holy and just.…
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This request - deliver us from evil - is profound. And full of hope. We are going to spend some time really unpacking this prayer, and seeing how Jesus teaches us to approach coming down to this final request - deliver us from evil.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Encouraging us all that we each have a destiny in God, founder and president of Heart to Hands International Debbie Gillispie shares the vision and opportunities before her for impacting communities in Africa by raising up leaders and providing resources for healthcare, education and empowerment. Learn more at https://www.h2hinternational.com/.…
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On the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out on all people. Every nation and ethnicity that was gathered there heard the praises of God in their own language. Men and women, servants and handmaidens, the young and the old, the sons and the daughters, it doesn't matter your gender or your age or your vocation or economic status - the Spirit of…
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Announcing the Gospel is bringing the good news, proclaiming that Jesus has come to bring life and freedom!بقلم Craig Burns
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Colossians 3:23-24:Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.بقلم Brenda Burns
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God cares about justice. How can you practice justice? Start where you are.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Practicing hospitality is the deeply intentional practice of presence. Being present to the people you are with, and being present to the Spirit of Christ, sharing that presence through hospitality.بقلم Brenda Burns
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People talk about heaven, a belief in a better place, a comfort, a solace that their deceased loved one is still alive in a new reality. What gives people this hope? It is only through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that such a nonsense could even be considered.بقلم Brenda Burns
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The overwhelming, overpowering love of God was poured out in full through the cross. A love so deep, a devotion so strong, a purpose eternal from before the beginning - the cross is the power of God unto salvation. Journey with us through Holy Week as we remember Christ's path to the cross.بقلم Brenda and Craig Burns
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Missional Presence is about purpose and aligning our will with God's will, choosing to be 'on mission' with God, desiring to live in such a way that God's presence is revealed in us and through us.بقلم Brenda Burns
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"God...is the ultimate source of our lives, joy, and sexual desire. The starting point and the end point of our desires is God. This is the work of good theology and spiritual formation--believing that our bodies and sexuality were meant to point to something outside ourselves." -Rich Villodasبقلم Brenda Burns
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Lent is especially meant as a time for re-energizing this practice of self-examination. The purpose of the fasts and contemplation are to draw us into a better posture for opening ourselves up before God, allowing the Holy Spirit to show us what is true about ourselves.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Our spiritual formation, the transformation that is afforded us through the Gospel, includes dealing with racism.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Prophetic resistance is still necessary - we must choose to be a people distinct from the world. We are called to live differently, and when we choose to shape our lives according to the rhythm of Sabbath, we are allowing God to form us, and serving as a signpost of his rule and reign in our lives.بقلم Brenda Burns
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Rather than embracing nationalism and triumphalism, we are called to a higher vocation, and given the power to triumph over sin and death.بقلم Craig Burns
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One of the hopes and dreams for our church is that this be a place where you can experience peace. We want to have open hearts that welcome the weary traveler looking for a spiritual home. We want to have a resolute spirit that rises up against oppression, harassment and exploitation. Becoming a peaceful presence is not about turning a blind eye to…
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Practical in prayer, and practical in practice.بقلم Brenda Burns
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God is a revealing God. He makes himself known to us. And we receive that revelation in many ways. Through creation, through his Word, in times of transition, in the middle of everyday life. God is on the throne. It is through his revelation that we are able to grow in relationship with him - and learn to truly love the Lord our God with all our he…
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Pastor Craig shares today from Psalm 145:13 - "For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does." How do we experience the rule and reign of Christ in our lives?بقلم Craig Burns
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We are light-bearers in the shadows we inhabit. And our role is not to control the effects of the light, but to allow the light to shine and for that light to do its good work wherever it is shown.بقلم Brenda Burns
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