FBC Wilmington Sermons

May 10 | John 14:15-21 | Life After Death includes the Spirit Jesus promises another Advocate—the Spirit of truth. In the Gospel of John 14:15–21, resurrection life is described as an indwelling presence: “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” Life after death includes the Spirit who abides, teaches, and empowers. The risen Christ is not distant; through the Spirit, he is nearer than ever, guiding us into courageous love.

May 3 | John 14:1-14 | Life After Death Predicted Before the cross, Jesus promises, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” In Gospel of John 14:1–14, he speaks of dwelling places, abiding presence, and works greater still. Resurrection was not an accident but the fulfillment of a promise. Life after death begins with trust in the One who prepares a way through fear into hope.

April 26 Acts 2:42-47 | Life After Death for the Community Resurrection does not create isolated believers; it forms a new community. In Acts of the Apostles 2:42–47, the early church shares meals, prayers, possessions, and praise. Life after death reshapes economics, relationships, and priorities. The risen Christ gathers people into a Spirit-formed fellowship that embodies good news together.

April 19 | Luke 24:13-35 | Life After Death in Emmaus Two disciples walk away from Jerusalem, hearts heavy with disappointment. On the road to Emmaus in Gospel of Luke 24:13–35, the risen Christ draws near, opening scripture and breaking bread. Often, we recognize Jesus only in hindsight, when our hearts burn within us. Life after death is discovered on ordinary roads and around common tables.

April 12 | John 20:19-31 | Life After Death for Thomas When the risen Jesus appears in a locked room, Thomas is absent—and unconvinced. In Gospel of John 20:19–31, doubt becomes the doorway to faith. Jesus does not shame Thomas; he invites him closer. Resurrection life makes room for questions and meets us in our uncertainty, offering peace where fear once ruled.

April 5 | Easter Sunday | John 20:1-18 | From Death to Life Before sunrise, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and finds it empty. In Gospel of John 20:1–18, grief turns to recognition as the risen Christ calls her name. Resurrection does not erase the wounds; it transforms them. Easter proclaims that death does not have the final word. Christ is risen—and because he lives, we are invited into a new creation, stepping from death into life. 

March 29 | Palm Sunday | Matthew 21:1-11 | Marching Towards Death and Life On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna!” Yet beneath the waving branches lies a harder truth: he is marching toward his own death. In Gospel of Matthew 21:1–11, triumph and tragedy are intertwined. The crowd longs for a conquering king; Jesus comes as a suffering servant. This week begins by asking us what kind of salvation we truly seek—and whether we are willing to follow a Messiah whose victory comes through surrender.

March 22 | Romans 8:31-39 | Nothing Separates us from the Love of God The Path of Descent leads us to the Spirit of Christ. And as Paul says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When we pursue God . . . there is no condemnation. Paul says, “We become more than conquerors through him who loved us” which means we experience unconditional grace.

March 15 | Romans 7:15-25 | The Inner Conflict It’s hard to go down this Path of Descent. Our flesh wants to hold on to sin. Paul goes as far to say we are enslaved to this pattern. Psychology calls this the ego. As Paul says, “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.” To truly become more like Christ, we must wrestle with this inner conflict and realize when left to our own devices, we sin and fall short.

March 8 | Romans 6:1-14 | Crucified with Christ The Path of Descent is best described through the ritual of baptism. When we go through the waters, we descend . . . dying to our old selves . . . crucifying our sin unto Christ . . . and rising in grace. Our ashes become redeemed when we become crucified with Christ.

March 1 | Romans 5:12-21 | Grace Abounds in the Descent When we take the Path of Descent seriously, we see a theological truth that surpasses understanding: Grace. Like Adam who came into the world and introduced sin . . . Jesus came into the world and introduced grace. Scripture says, “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.” In other words, when we move towards Christ, grace abounds.

February 22 | Romans 5.1-11 | A Path of Descent Scripture says, “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Jesus takes the Path of Descent to bring us out of our sin . . . and we must do the same. Our path is one that starts with suffering which luckily produces endurance which produces character which produces hope. We get to hope through taking a Path of Descent starting with our suffering.

February 15 | Matthew 17:1-9 | Transfiguration Sunday The Transfiguration, like Jesus’ baptism, is another archetypal story. It happens but then also offers new depths for what it could mean today. The story, in and of itself, is a reminder that God is enacting things much deeper than what our day to day lives comprehend. And God’s wisdom is wider than our narrow understandings of faith. Peter misinterprets this moment because he wasn’t deep or wide enough to realize it. It’s one reason we keep coming back to this story year after year. It’s easy for us to miss its depth and breadth too.

February 8 | 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) | The Spirit Reveals God is Deep and WidePaul aggressively positions the story of Christianity as one in which the Holy Spirit wants to take us on a journey that is both deep and wide. As a matter of fact, Paul says the Holy Spirit is the only one who can comprehend God but, thankfully, the Spirit takes us deep into God and connects us to the mind and mysteries of God too. The Holy Spirit is the bridge that allows our faith to go both deep and wide.

February 1 | Matthew 5:1-12 | Jesus’ Sermons are Deep and Wide All throughout the gospels, Jesus teaches and preaches. His most famous is the Sermon on the Mount. For three chapters he waxes poetic on the depth and breadth of faith, loving neighbors, being a good person, and living for the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ preaching is one that is both deep and wide.

Matthew 4:12-23 | Being a Disciple is Deep and Wide After Jesus is baptized, he calls his disciples to join him in spreading the gospel message wide. The disciples learn quickly that if they are going to be up to this challenge, they’re going to have to find new depths. The call to discipleship is one that requires our willingness to go deep so we can go wide.

January 11 | Matthew 3:13-17 | The Baptism Waters are Deep and Wide The story of Jesus’ baptism is one of the most archetypal stories in all the gospels. When Jesus emerges from the baptismal waters, God’s voice booms across the cosmos saying, “This is my son, my beloved, in whom I’m well pleased.” This single statement is one of the deepest, most spiritual claims in all the Bible and it propels Jesus’ ministry far and wide.

January 4 | Matthew 2:1-12 | The Magi Travel Deep and Wide The Magi travel wide to find the newborn baby king. And this journey takes them to new depths. As a matter of fact, v10 says the Magi were “overwhelmed with joy” when they realized the star guiding them had stopped. To be a person that can follow God on faith, being open to what’s new, takes depth.

God is With Us | John 1:1-5 | Rev. John Daniels | 12.28.2025 Sermon Synopsis - The first five verses of the Prologue to John say a tremendous amount about God’s presence among us. These five verses hold powerful prose and theological conviction on why we Christians can surrender to the hope, peace, joy, and love found in Christ.

Christmas Eve | Emmanuel: Christ is With Us | John 1-1-5 | Rev. Barrett Owen | 12.24.2025 Sermon Synopsis - The Christ in-breaking changes the world forever. Never again will humans feel or be separated from God. The God of the Universe has stepped down into time and space and because of this . . . we have a future in which we are never alone. Christ is always with us.

Emmanuel: Love is With Us | Isaiah 11:1-10 | Rev. Barrett Owen | 12.21.2025 Sermon Synopsis: To be Christian is to embrace and share that love with the world. We can do this because we know and feel that this love is first with us. Israel felt this love, and we can too.

Emmanuel: Joy is With Us | Isaiah 35:1-10 | Rev. Barrett Owen | 12.14.2025 To be Christian is to embrace and share that love with the world. We can do this because we know and feel that this joy is first with us. Israel felt this joy, and we can too.

Emmanuel: Peace is With Us | Isaiah 2:1-5 | Rev. Barrett Owen | 12.7.2025 To be Christian is to embrace and share peace with the world. We can do this because we know and feel that this peace is first with us. Israel felt this peace, and we can too.

Emmanuel: Hope is With Us | John 1:1-5 | Rev. Barrett Owen | 11.30.2025 To be Christian is to embrace and share hope with the world. We can do this because we know and feel that this hope is first with us. Israel felt this hope, and we can too.

November 23 | Psalm 100 | As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Choose Gratitude On this Thanksgiving Week, it is important to see that our faith must abound with gratitude. Our faith, our church, our ways of operating as a religious institution is present because of God’s steadfastness and love. When we gather, we can’t help but be grateful. Gratitude can be chosen even when emotions are steeped in hurt or resentment. The effort to choose gratitude, especially in difficult times, strengthens our spiritual resolve.

November 16 | Psalm 1 | As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Have a Rule of Life Psalm 1 serves as an introduction to the entire book of Psalms, presenting a fundamental choice between two paths: Path of the “wicked” and the path of “delighting in God’s law.” It is a blueprint for living a blessed, disciplined, and fruitful life. This blueprint in Christianity is a called a Rule of Life. It is the blueprint of what our spiritual lives must include.

November 9 | Psalm 65 | As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Show Hospitality Psalm 65 speaks powerfully of God's hospitality toward people and the earth. The psalm is a song of praise and thanksgiving for God's provision and grace, which can inspire and inform our own practice of hospitality towards one another. As God treated us and the world, so we should treat one another.

November 2 | All Saints Day | As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Remember | Psalm 42 On this All Saints Day, we are challenged to remember. Memory is a spiritual discipline. Memory is not a neutral act. For Christians, the interpretive principle for memory should be Christ. Remembering can involve reflecting on challenging experiences and processing them with God. This practice admits our inability to handle the past on our own and strengthens our dependence on Christ.

October 26 | As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Keep the Sabbath | Psalm 127 This short psalm reminds us that all the nonstop effort in the world is in vain if we do not learn to rest. Verse 2 says, “In vain. You rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.” In other words, we must be people who build in rest to our work. The psalmist sings it. It’s one of the ten commandments. It’s baked into the rhythm of life from Genesis 1. It is the most repeated commandment in the Old Testament. We should take it more seriously.

As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Read Scripture Spiritually | Psalm 23 Christians need to learn to read scripture spiritually. There are many practices that can do this but the most well-known is Lectio Divina. It is a way to pray the scriptures slowly reflecting on their meaning in a way that is less mechanical, mental, but, rather, spiritual. Psalm 23 is a great text to demonstrate this, for it is the most comforting chapter in all the Old Testament. It begins with the image of God as the Great Shepherd coming to us and guides us home into the afterlife. It has so much imagery, this chapter will give ample opportunity for people to develop a skill to read scripture spiritually.

October 12 | Psalm 37:1-9 | As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Practice Stillness | Christians have inner lives. They have access to God which comes to us as a still, small voice. It comes thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit, and it needs to be cultivated. Our inner, spiritual lives are open canvases that need to be explored through study, stillness, solitude, and silence.

Psalm 146 | As for Me and My House . . . We’ll Sing | Tracie is preaching To build up a Christian life, you need to worship. You need to come to the “water” and experience the overflowing grace of God so you can be “filled up” to go back out into the world and share it. A life of worship is essential for a life of faith.

September 28 | James 5:13-20 | A Woven Mercy “If anyone among you wanders from the truth and is bought back by another,” . . . they will be saved together. In other words, . . . our lives are intricately connected and woven together, so much that when we are suffering, we can call on our neighbor for help, and when we are thriving, we can worship together. These shared moments are God’s woven mercies for us.

September 21 | James 3:13-4:3 | A Gentle Mercy The true sages of our day live out of a wisdom that is from “above." Wisdom from “below” is bitter, envious, boastful, and full of false truths. Wisdom from above is gentle, peaceable, and bears no trace of partiality. To live with wisdom, we must learn of mercy that is gentle.

September 14 | James 3:1-12 | A Merciless Tongue Our words are used to cut people down and drown people out. Our tongues are like tameless beasts used to both praise the Lord and curse our neighbor. This ought not to be so. For us to live with mercy, we must learn to control the parts of us that seek mercilessness.

September 7 | James 2:1-17 | A Working Mercy A faith without works is dead. Lifeless. Pointless. The faith we have in God and in one another must birth in us action and care and a willingness to give of what we must serve one another.

August 31 | James 1:17-27 | An Undefiled Mercy Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, according to James, is this: “to care for the orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” It is time we take these words to heart. Our religion is only as pure as our ability to care for those who are need of care.

The final lesson for Timothy from a dying Paul is to endure. Paul believes the Lord will come to rescue the faithful, and we must not give up or walk away. Christian work is hard, but God will strengthen us with the resolve and endurance we need if we remain faithful.

August 17 | 2 Timothy 3:14-3:17 | Equipped for Every Good Work Paul warns Timothy that culture will have ‘itching ears.’ What he means is that people will find teachers that speak to their own desires even if it’s a false witness or doctrine. To push against this cultural trend, Christians need to feel comfortable convincing, rebuking, and encouraging others who have fallen prey to false myths.

August 10 | 2 Timothy 2:8-15 | Speak Well Perhaps the most profound advice from Paul to Timothy is found here: ‘Remind them of this and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening.’ What we say (and how we say it) matters to our faith and witness. This applies to us in all aspects of our lives (both digital and real life).

August 3 | 2 Timothy 1:3-14 | Do Not Be Ashamed We have a testimony. God has suffered unto us in the world, and it is our calling to share this with everyone. We do this best if we learn to not be ashamed of our faith but claim it. Live out of it.

Why would a competent sower sow seeds on ground he knows won’t take root? It seems bizarre, but that’s how the Kingdom of Heaven works. Despite some things taking root, the Kingdom spreads everywhere and to everything. The farmer, like God, is giving everyone a chance to find their place in Kingdom work. 

The Kingdom of Heaven is growing and producing good wheat. Unfortunately, weeds sprout up in the middle of the good growth. Should you cut it out? According to Jesus, “No. You should not.” Let the weeds and wheat grow together. They will be separated in the harvest. Similarly, people in the Kingdom of God will also do so.

Could you sell everything you own? I could only if what I was buying in return was worth it. Jesus offers us an image of the Kingdom that he believes is worth it. He says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl that is so mesmerizing it enraptures us to sell everything we have to buy it.

Kingdom of Heaven is like a Mustard Seed | Matthew 13:31-32 | Rev. Jayne DavisA mustard seed starts small and seemingly insignificant, but it grows like wildfire. According to Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven starts similarly. It was insignificant at first, but now it has caught fire across the globe, and our actions help spread it.

Walk Humbly | Micah 6:8 | Dr. Jim BaldwinChristians do not get to be the morality police walking around “doing justice” and “framing what is loving” or “deserving of mercy.” A third element must be baked into the pie: Walking Humbly. Micah is referring to the long stretch of a life of faith. We are to be humble people. And this stance needs to be how we move through life.

Christians who take scripture and spirituality seriously must love kindness (also translated mercy). It’s an imperative from God that we lead with love, we incorporate kindness, we generate forgiveness. It is required by God.-Rev. Barrett Owen

You can’t read the Old Testament without bumping into the word justice. It’s everywhere. But what is it? What does it mean to “do justice”? What kind of justice is scripture promoting, and why is it required by God?-Rev. Barrett Owen

Pentecost is the ultimate testimony. It is all our testimonies. It is the time in history where God looses the Holy Spirit upon the world. Everything now is infused with God, and everything now has access to the Divine. It is the way in which we are tethered to the Divine Realm.-Rev. Barrett Owen

June 1 | Acts 10:39-47 | Peter’s Testimony: Baptized by the Holy Spirit Peter’s inner and outer change lead him to new theological depths. The concept of baptism is changed for him and his awareness of what gift God gives humanity and how to receive it: Being baptized by the Holy Spirit. The same is still true for us.