You can find all my sermons here. Actually, not just my sermons, but the sermons from my lay preaching team. And not just my sermons – all the talks I give that I can get my hands on. I collect them all here for you.

    Below, you can also find the sermon previews I publish each Sunday.

    They include the full manuscript of the sermon and the discussion guide for each message. If you’re going to join us at Catalyst Church on a Sunday, try reading the sermon before hand – it actually helps you engage more fully in the message!

    You can also subscribe with these links: 

    iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS

    JR. Forasteros - December 11, 2016

    Get a Grip!

    Pure Imagination

    For those with less-than-perfect lives, the Christmas season can sometimes feel like wandering in a desert, thirsty for the holiday cheer that seems to come so easily for others. The prophet Isaiah spoke to a people living in a sort of wilderness of their own, and his words help us see how we can pursue life and hope even in the midst of our own deserts because the desert is where we learn to love God best.

    Related Topics: Calling, Freedom, Problem of Evil, Advent | More Messages from JR. Forasteros | Download Audio

    From Series: "Pure Imagination"

    In a world increasingly divided and hopeless, even something as simple as respectful disagreement seems impossible. But the prophets who taught Israel how to long for the birth of the Messiah made bold promises: weapons formed into gardening tools; wolves and sheep living in harmony; deserts blooming. Such promises seem impossible - like pure imaginative fiction. But God's promises aren't fiction. They're a future God is bringing into existence. Jesus birth proves God is with us, that God is working. We can have purified imaginations, see the world as it will be, and begin to work for that world now. What does it mean to be a people of Advent? Advent means the impossible has been made possible!

    Manuscript     Discussion Guide

    More From "Pure Imagination"

    Powered by Series Engine

    Sermon Previews:

    Recent SermonsVIEW ALL

    • Do They Know It’s Christmas?
      Do They Know It’s Christmas?

      It's easy to get so wrapped up in Christmas that we forget Jesus came for the whole world. But the truth is that Christmas means peace for the whole earth, and good will for all people. How can we have a global perspective on Christmas?

    • Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
      Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

      Our preparations for Christmas are all about minimizing suprises - we'd prefer the only surprises be what's inside the gift wrappings. But the first Christmas was one surprise after another. That's how it's always been with God - God relentlessly refuses to conform to our agendas. How can we be sure we're watching for what God is doing this Christmas?

    • All I Want for Christmas is You
      All I Want for Christmas is You

      "All I Want for Christmas is You" is the best-selling Christmas song of all time. At its heart is a vulnerability that's essential to the Christmas season. Hope requires risk, an admission that where we are is not where we want to be. How can we choose to be vulnerable as we approach Christmas?

    • Last Christmas
      Last Christmas

      Have you noticed Christmas decorations seem to be going up earlier and earlier? First it was Thanksgiving... now Halloween is in danger of getting swallowed up by Kris Kringle! But with a world so full of war, plague and division, is it any wonder we want to throw up Christmas Cheer like a shield? Can you blame us for wanting a garland-strewn respite? But is it possible that, by closing ourselves off from the pain in the world, we miss the truly liberating power of Christmas?

    • Baby, It’s Cold Outside
      Baby, It’s Cold Outside

      During the Christmas season, we celebrate God coming to earth. In a world marked by violence, division and bigotry, God's arrival means a big shake up. Are we sure we're ready for God's arrival? If not, how can we prepare?

    • Curiosity (2023)
      Curiosity (2023)

      Christians aren't known for being curious. Why would we be, when we have a monopoly on truth? But that attitude is at odds with the God who created our universe and invited us to explore. It's at odds with the God who calls us to welcome the stranger and go into the whole world. What does a church that cultivates curiosity look like? How does prioritizing curiosity shape our mission and engagement with the world around us?

    • Change 2023
      Change 2023

      Read the Manuscript | Join Worship | Get the Discussion Guide What does it take to change?  Like… think of a subject you’ve really changed your mind about. Maybe you’re not part of the same political party you were when you were younger.  Or maybe you swore you’d never get married and now you have […]

    • Collective Liberation (2023)
      Collective Liberation (2023)

      Even though diversity has become a buzz word, it's hard to find any organization that takes it seriously - especially churches. What does it look like to take diversity seriously? The radical truth is that none of us is free until all of us is free. So how can we chase that together as a church?

    • Friendship 2023
      Friendship 2023

      We're in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, and far too often, churches are part of the problem. How can that be, when Jesus insists that he made us his friends? What does it mean for a church to take friendship seriously, particularly in the midst of a culture dying to connect?

    • The Road Ahead
      The Road Ahead

      There's no way around it: change is traumatic. That the change is good doesn't alter the reality that it's really hard. Paul's paradigm-shifting transformation on the road to Damascus illustrates the pain and joy of following God's radical call to something new. How does faith enable us to follow God faithfully into the unknown?

    Previous Sermon Series:

    Recent Series VIEW ALL