First Baptist Church - Madison, WI

The Spirit of Inclusion

Pastor Tim tells the story of Pentecost, which is considered to be a story about the birth and unity of the Church.  The big takeaway of this story: God created a new identity of unity through the Holy Spirit.  The emphasis here is on new, not a unity that expects assimilation or places limits on outward expressions of diversity. Pentecost is a celebration of God's spirit of inclusion, of equity, of equality. The sermon text is Acts 2:1-21; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Set Apart for a Purpose

Pastor Tim preaches on how the church is set apart for a special purpose; our job as a church, as a community, as followers of Jesus, is to be that community where people are made to feel that they belong, to be that community that models the ministry of Jesus. The sermon text is John 17:6-19; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

The Power of Love

Pastor Tim comments on Jesus' preaching on love. What kind of love is Jesus talking about?  The English language has a limited lexicon for love, but the ancient Greek had many words for love. In each case in this scripture, the Greek word agape is used for love. Agape is an altruistic love, a selfless love; it is a love that requires faithfulness, commitment, even sacrifice.  Jesus is telling us to agape love each other, to sacrifice for each other. This is how we support each other and model the love of Jesus.  What does agape love look like to you? How do you show agape? The sermon text is John 15:9-17; the reading of the scripture in included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

The Conversion of Philip

Pastor Tim preaches about the story of Philip baptizing the Ethiop1an eunuch. The Ethiopian eunuch in today's scripture is a sexual minority, a gender minority, an ethic minority, and a racial minority; he represents the ultimate outsider. What keeps the eunuch from being baptized? The Holy Spirit leads Philip to realize that nothing keeps the eunuch from being baptized. In this story we learn that God's plan includes all types of people; the Christian faith community is open to all.  But the question remains, how will we be Philip to the Ethiopian eunuchs in our midst? How will we practice this new form of evangelism?  The sermon text is Acts 8:26-40; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.

Are We Sheep or Shepherds?

Pastor Tim preaches on the story of the Good Shepherd, where Jesus is modeling the way for us to be in relationship with each other, how we should care for each other, to protect, and to support each other. In this story we tend to identify ourselves with the sheep and Jesus is the good shepherd. But the story also invites us to identify with the good shepherd.  When we lead and comfort other people, when we advocate for social justice, when we stand up for each other, we are like the good shepherd. The sermon text is John 10:11-18; the reading of the scripture is included in the podcast. The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor, preaching.