Monument Presbyterian Church

If you’ve ever tried to read the Old Testament law straight through, you’ve probably felt a bit disoriented. Some laws make sense. Others feel strange. And some leave you wondering what to do with them at all. Part of the challenge is the word itself. We call it “law”—but that word carries assumptions. It makes us think of modern legal systems: precise, exhaustive, and meant to be applied the same way in every situation. But that’s not how the law of the Old Testament actually works. Audio from Tyson's sermon on May 3, 2026.

The law is not a rigid system of legal demands. It is a relational gift—God giving His people a way of life shaped by His presence, their identity in Him, and their calling in the world. And if we miss the story, we will inevitably misunderstand the law. Audio from Megan's sermon on April 26, 2026.

Most Christians don’t quite know what to do with the Old Testament law. We skim it. We avoid it. Or we assume it belongs to another time, another people, another covenant. And yet, Psalm 119—the longest chapter in the Bible—is a sustained meditation of delight: “Oh how I love your law…I rejoice in it like one who finds great treasure.” Which raises an uncomfortable question: Why do they love what we ignore? This opening week invites us to confront that gap—not by jumping immediately into explanations, but by examining the assumptions we carry. Because the truth is, many of us aren’t rejecting the law consciously—we’ve simply inherited a set of quiet misconceptions. Audio from Tyson's sermon on April 19, 2026.

Audio from Megan's sermon on April 12, 2026.

Audio from Megan and Tyson's sermon on April 5, 2026.

Audio from Megan's sermon on March 29, 2026.

It is tempting to equate our self-worth with the tasks we accomplish. It is only when we can give up this unhealthy view of work that we experience life through our vocation. Audio from Tyson's sermon on March 22, 2026.

We are not machines–we work WITH God, not FOR God, and rest is part of our sent-ness. We are called to find a balance between work and rest. Being a workaholic doesn’t witness to Christ or reflect the character of God. Audio from Megan's sermon on March 15, 2026.

Witness isn’t another task to add—it’s reflecting God’s character to the people you already influence. We are meant to see the work we do and the people we are surrounded by as a place where we witness to Christ. Audio from Tyson's sermon on March 8th, 2026.

Vocation is not about prestige but about doing the task before you as an act of service. Whatever we do, we can do it with excellence and integrity that reflects God. It doesn’t matter if we are a plumber, a stay-at-home parent, or a pastor. It doesn’t matter if we are retired or working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Whatever we do we can faithfully reflect Christ in how we work. Audio from Megan's sermon on March 1st, 2026.

This week we shift from the theological background to the practices of living out a sent vocation. Paying attention to our gifts and desires along with the needs around us helps us to hear God’s calling on our lives. According to Parker Palmer (Let Your Life Speak), God’s calling often emerges where your deep joy meets the world’s deep need. Audio from Tyson's sermon on February 22, 2025.

Jesus invites those who are weary not to sit in the clouds eating grapes, but to put on his yoke. A yoke is an image of labor. Jesus’ yoke is not idleness but partnership, working with Jesus to bring about the kingdom. That is what it means to be his disciple. Discipleship means apprenticing with Jesus in daily labor. Audio from Megan's sermon on February 15, 2026.

When God makes us as Image-bearers he gives us the job of stewarding, cultivating, and creating. Vocation is about partnering with God’s care for creation. Audio from Tyson's sermon on February 8, 2026.

From the beginning God works: He creates. Then after creation is done, God rests. God demonstrates both and calls us to emulate both. Our rhythm of sent-ness is meant to follow God’s own pattern. Audio from Megan's sermon on February 1, 2026.

We are sent out carrying what we’ve received in community. Witness flows from encounter and formation. The church doesn’t just gather—it goes. We are meant to go out in mission together. Audio from Tyson's sermon on January 25, 2026.

Love is learned in real relationships. We grow in our faith and shaped into Christ-likeness through community. The church is the place where this happens. Audio from Megan's sermon on January 18, 2026.

God meets us in gathered worship and in relationships with people who are not like us. Worship as a place where we encounter God through voices not our own. In this passage we see that differences among the community are not portrayed as an obstacle, but as a means of grace. We learn who God is by encountering one another. Audio from Tyson's sermon on January 11, 2026.

Faith is not static belief but a lived journey of discipleship, and the church is the place where that journey is practiced together. This sermon will explore how Jesus calls people into a way of life, not just ideas, a lifelong journey of becoming more like him. The passage naturally unfolds into: Encounter (Who do you say that I am?), Formation (daily following), Mission (losing life to find it). We are encouraged to continue on that journey, together. Audio from Megan's sermon on January 4, 2026.

Reflections on the gifts of the Magi. Audio from Tyson's sermon on December 28, 2025.

The greatest gift is not something God gives, but His presence with us. King Ahaz doubted God’s help and sought his own solutions, but God promised a sign of love: His presence. Advent reminds us that love draws near, especially in fear and failure. Audio from Tyson's sermon on December 21, 2025.

The gift is a King whose rule brings lasting joy. True joy is found not in comfort or ease but in trusting the good reign of Christ. Even when the world feels chaotic, His kingdom is already breaking in. Audio from Megan's sermon on December 14, 2025.

God’s greatest gifts often arrive in small, surprising ways. The people expected power from Jerusalem, but God’s peace began in obscurity. Advent teaches us to look for God’s peace not in control or success but in humility and trust. Audio from Tyson's sermon on December 7, 2025.

The gift God’s people longed for was a person — the Servant who would make things right with gentleness and power. Israel longed for political rescue, but God’s promised gift was deeper — the restoration of hearts, nations, and creation through His Servant. Advent invites us to hope in the One who quietly restores what is broken. Audio from Megan's sermon on November 30, 2025.

Peter closes his letter by turning to the leaders of the church. True shepherds are called not to domineer or seek status, but to serve with humility, following the pattern of Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Leadership in the kingdom is not about power but about faithful, sacrificial care for God’s people. Audio from Beau Smith's guest sermon on November 23, 2025.

Suffering is a part of life. In scripture we are told “In this life you will suffer” (John 16:33). Peter does not minimize the reality of suffering—in fact, he calls believers to expect it. But suffering is not meaningless. When we share in Christ’s sufferings, we also share in His glory. Far from being a mark of God’s absence, trials become opportunities for God’s Spirit to rest on us and for our lives to bear witness to Christ. This passage challenges us to see suffering not only as inevitable, but as formative. In our trials, we are shaped more into the likeness of Jesus. And when we endure with faith and joy, the watching world catches a glimpse of the hope and strength that can only come from Him. Our suffering, then, becomes part of our testimony: we belong to the crucified and risen Christ. Audio from Tyson's sermon on November 16, 2025.

Peter reminds believers that every part of life—our suffering, our love for others, our acts of service, even our hospitality—can become a testimony to Christ. When we endure hardship with grace, or when we open our homes and lives in love, we point beyond ourselves to the God who sustains us. At the heart of this passage is the call to always be ready to give the reason for the hope we have. This hope is not wishful thinking or shallow optimism, but a deep confidence rooted in Christ’s death and resurrection. To glorify God “in all things” means living so that our words and actions consistently point others to Him—the source of our hope. Audio from Megan's sermon on November 9, 2025.

As “foreigners and exiles,” Christians are called to live honorably within a society that does not share their values. Peter emphasizes submission—not as passive weakness, but as a chosen posture that reflects trust in God’s greater authority. In a culture that prizes independence and self-assertion, these words may feel uncomfortable. Yet submission, rightly understood, is part of the calling of every follower of Jesus. This passage invites us to see submission not as loss of freedom, but as an act of witness. By entrusting ourselves to God, we live in a way that confounds a “me first” world. Our humility, patience, and integrity become a testimony to the One who submitted even to the cross, so that we might share in His life. Audio from Tyson's sermon on November 2, 2025.

Peter gives a rich vision of what it means to be the Church. With Christ as the cornerstone, we are being built into a spiritual house—a living temple where God dwells. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, set apart to declare the praises of the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. This passage reminds us that the Church is not simply a building or a weekly gathering, but a community whose very life points to Christ. The Church itself is meant to be a witness: in our unity, in our worship, in our love, and in our mission. To belong to Christ is to belong to His people, and together we are called to embody His presence in the world. Audio from Megan's sermon on October 28, 2025.

Peter calls believers to live into their new identity in Christ. To be holy is not about withdrawing from the world, but about reflecting God’s character in the midst of a world that is indifferent at best and hostile at worst. Holiness means living as people who are different—not in self-righteous separation, but in love, integrity, and hope that bear witness to the God who has redeemed us. The challenge for us today is the same: What does holiness look like in our modern context? How do we live set-apart lives that remain deeply engaged in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and relationships? Peter reminds us that holiness is not a burden, but a gift: it is becoming who we already are in Christ, so the world might see God through us. Audio from Tyson's sermon on October 19, 2025.

When we look at Elijah at Mt Horeb – before he ever saw the wind, fire, and earthquake and heard God in the silence, he spent a long time waiting and being ministered to. In other words, it took him a long time before he was even ready to hear the voice of God. There are times where daily times of silence and solitude just aren’t enough. Instead what we need is an extended time of retreat – just like Elijah. Times of retreat allow us extended space to clear our mind and wrestle through tough things. And it is worth setting aside time in our own schedules to retreat every year. Audio from Tyson's sermon on October 5, 2025.

The desert place isn’t always a place of renewal and ecstatic experiences of God. Sometimes the desert place is where battle for our soul is waged. Before Jesus ever began his ministry, he went into the desert for 40 days and was tried and tempted by the devil. This was the place where Jesus’ identity and purpose was tested. It was the place of his temptation. Solitude can be that for us too. The Desert Fathers famously felt they were waging war with the devil in their isolated desert enclaves. Perhaps times of solitude is where we too wage war with the devil to test, sharpen, and refine our identity in Christ. Audio from Megan's sermon on September 28, 2025.

So far, we have been discussing what happens in silence. But equally important is solitude. When we look at the life of Jesus, he constantly retreated to a “a lonely place” or the “desert place”. His pattern was so significant that it is mentioned several times in scripture. That is significant. Jesus’ cycle was to do really powerful kingdom work and then retreat to be alone with God in the desert place. This should be our cycle too – retreating to be recharged by God and reminded of our beloved status on a regular basis. Only when we spend this time in solitude will we ever be able to effectively minister to the world as God intended. Audio from Tyson's sermon on September 21, 2025.

For some, silence is scary and disturbing. We keep ourselves busy and our lives noisy precisely because we don’t want to face what may come up in silence. In silence, we fear we will have to face our demons – our past, our failures, our brokenness, etc. But maybe that is precisely the point. When we come to God in silence, we will have to face those things. But we do it with God right beside us. Jesus famously went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed for God to remove the cup of the cross before him. But instead, in silence and solitude, he gained the courage to face what he needed to do to face what was ahead. Silence can work the same for us if we let it. Audio from Megan's sermon on September 14, 2025.

Just being silent and alone doesn’t guarantee that we will commune with God and hear from him. The truth is that even when we are silent, there is still a lot that comes up in our mind. In fact, we may avoid silence because there is so much going on our thought life! But there is a discipline to learning to calm the turbulent waters of our minds and soul – to set aside time to let the waters settle. Psalm 46 says “Be still and know that I am God.” Part of silence is allowing us space to be still and learn to quite our mind so that we can know God is there and allow him to actually speak. Audio from Tyson's sermon on September 7, 2025.

Part of the reason we need to practice regular times of silence is that God rarely shouts at us to get our attention. He does not want to compete with all the other things but asks us to seek after him. If anything, he speaks with a still small voice most of the time. Looking at the example of Elijah, we see that God is not in the earthquake, wind, or fire, but in the stillness and silence. We need the discipline to wait for the silence to hear God’s voice. Audio from Megan's sermon on August 31, 2025.

We live in a world that is busy, loud, and attention seeking. Between phones, TV, and internet, it is easy to never have time alone in silence. And this has a huge implications for our spiritual lives because without time alone, we will rarely hear God. Silence and solitude are counter-formational practices that enable us to cut through the noise of our culture and hear the voice of God.

Worship is our response to God’s faithful deliverance. When God brings us through the waters, our first response isn’t strategy — it’s praise. Salvation leads to song. Audio from Megan's sermon on August 17, 2025.

The exodus story is all about freeing us from slavery into life and relationship with God. If we look at this story from a metaphorical standpoint it mirrors the Christian journey. The significance of this story is in what God has done for us: He delivers us. Audio from Tyson's sermon on August 10, 2025.

Nothing can stop God’s power or promises. God delivers not only from Pharaoh’s grip, but into freedom — on His terms, in His time. The plagues represent our captivity which God systematically frees us from. Audio from Megan's sermon on August 3rd, 2025.

Obedience doesn’t always lead to immediate results — but God is faithful. When things get worse before they get better, it doesn’t mean God isn’t working — it means deliverance is coming. Audio from Tyson's sermon on 7/25.

God equips those He calls with His presence and power. God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called — and His name is enough for every fear we face. Audio from Megan's sermon on July 6, 2025.

God meets us in the wilderness and calls us from within the ordinary to something sacred. God doesn’t wait for perfect conditions or people — He shows up in burning bushes, on the backside of the desert, and in fearful hearts, inviting us to take off our shoes and listen. Audio from Tyson's sermon on June 29, 2025.

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you have heard to someone say “In all things God works for …good” (Rom 8:28). But it is this really true? In the early life of Moses, we see both God’s plan and the challenging reality that God working for good doesn’t mean things are easy. Audio from Megan's sermon on June 22, 2025.

"What do you want me to do for you?" This question, asked by Jesus to a blind beggar, is a pointed investigation of our deepest desires. What does it mean to bring our true desires to Christ? And what will it look like to follow after Him? Audio from Adi Tilford's sermon on June 15, 2025.

Death comes for us all. And for many people, this is a scary and hard time – whether death is coming for us or a loved one. But actually, for Christians, death can be a time of great joy because we have a hope in the resurrection. That means that while mourning is good and right as we think of the loss of losing someone in our life, we are also able to have joy knowing they will be with the Lord. And that is a good thing. And the same is true for us in our last days. We do not have to fear death – we can exhibit joy even in the face of it. Audio from Tyson's sermon on June 8, 2025.

Think of the most joyful people you know… often one common denominator is that they are people who live for other people rather than themselves. One of the ironies of happiness and joy is that you can never actually seek it outright – it is only gained indirectly. And one of the best ways to gain it is through giving of yourself to others in sacrificial and loving ways. Jesus commanded his disciples to wash each other’s feet – in other words to be self-giving to each other. This is more than a practice of love – it is how we experience the joy of a life lived with Christ.

The truth is that life is not always good – we suffer, have disease, lose loved ones, go through hard times. Is joy possible through these times too? While difficult, even in times of hardship, we can be people of joy because we know that this is not the end. No matter what the trial or hardship, we await a day that Jesus will come and make things right again. That means that even in our hardest times, we can have an underlying joy. Paul speaks about this to the Romans… do not consider these trials to be the end. We wait for God’s victory - so we have joy in the interim. Audio from Megan's sermon on May 25, 2025.

So much of what we are told about our resources are that we are supposed to protect them and use them for our betterment. This comes out of a general idea that we will not have enough or that what we have is earned by us and ours to be used. But more often than not this leads to selfishness and an inward focus. But if we believe Jesus is alive and that he is the one will bless us – in this life and the life to come – then we are freed to be generous with our resources. We can see everything we have a s a gift from God. And we can view our resources as a way of expanding the goodness of God in the world. Audio from Tyson's sermon on May 5, 2025.