Sermon Series

Revival 2019 – Stumbling through the Dark

May 13, 2019Sermon SeriesEMC Admin

An old adage says, “If God seems far away, guess who moved.” The point being that when God seems absent it must be our fault. But the Book of Job tells a story that breaks from that conventional wisdom. Job is so holy in heart and life that even God says he is blameless and upright. Yet one day a series of unspeakable catastrophes fall on Job. His world is shattered; his grief is unbearable. And worst of all, Job finds that in his time of greatest need, God is nowhere to be found—and Job insists that he is not the one who has moved.

These messages follow Job’s bewildered journey through the dark maze of pain and confusion into the renewed presence of God. Along the way we’ll learn with Job that spiritual depth is not found in easy cliches, but in the real life battles of trust and obedience where stumbling through the dark is precisely what God has in mind.

Series Playlist

Revival 2019 - Stumbling through the Dark

2019 Revival | The Pain of Easy Answers

00:00 / 43:59

2019 Revival | The Pain of Easy Answers

May 20, 2019 • 43:59

Sermon #3 of the 2019 revival series, “Stumbling through the Dark: Job’s Passage to the Presence of God,” from Job 5:17-27. Speaker: Dr. Dan Burnett
2019 Revival | Hiding in Plain Sight

May 21, 2019 • 1:00:14

Sermon #4 of the 2019 revival series, “Stumbling through the Dark: Job’s Passage to the Presence of God,” from Job 33:13-30. Speaker: Dr. Dan Burnett
2019 Revival | It Isn’t Really About Suffering

May 22, 2019 • 39:39

Sermon #5 of the 2019 revival series, “Stumbling through the Dark: Job’s Passage to the Presence of God,” from Job 38:1-12. Speaker: Dr. Dan Burnett
2019 Revival | An Uncomfortable Conversation

May 19, 2019 • 30:26

Sermon #1 of the 2019 revival series, “Stumbling through the Dark: Job’s Passage to the Presence of God,” from Job 1:1-22. Speaker: Dr. Dan Burnett
2019 Revival | The Silent Treatment

May 19, 2019 • 48:49

Sermon #2 of the 2019 revival series, “Stumbling through the Dark: Job’s Passage to the Presence of God,” from Job 2:1-10. Speaker: Dr. Dan Burnett

Joy

April 23, 2019Sermon SeriesEMC Admin

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Whether you’re skeptical to Christianity or practice it you very likely may believe that real Christianity is about saying no to the things that make you happy—a bunch of rules to ruin your fun. Some Christians may even believe that through their denial, sadness, or detachment that God is more pleased and it’s how we show Him we actually love Him.

While there are kernels of truth, the Scriptures command joy, not despair. Joy is an expected part of the Christian experience. Rather than a mark of immaturity, it is a sign of maturity. Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). He expects joy to be central to the Christian witness as it sustains us (as it does him) through sacrifice, setbacks, and suffering.

You’re invited to a three week series through Philippians unpacking how the Christian has joy in all of life’s circumstances.

Series Playlist

Joy

Joy in Sacrifice

00:00 / 38:58

Joy in Sacrifice

Apr 28, 2019 • 38:58

In a world that pursues happiness through all kinds of self-gratification, the Christian witness proclaims (and even commands) joy in our sacrifices. As we look to Jesus, we find the only means to fulfilling this part of our Christian witness. Speaker: Aaron Meservey Series: Joy Scripture: Philippians 3:1-11
Joy in Setbacks

May 5, 2019 • 44:38

One of the greatest challenges we face as Christians is the threat of questioning God’s goodness when circumstances turn bad. Therefore one of our greatest needs is to have faith that God is in control over every aspect of our lives and will turn even the most aggravating setback we…
Joy in Suffering

May 12, 2019 • 43:25

We often view suffering as an aberration of the normal course of life, but this perspective was far from the early church. Throughout the New Testament, we see both the expectation of suffering as well as the expectation of joy within that suffering as God sustains his people with hope…

Letting Go

March 4, 2019Sermon SeriesEMC Admin

“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8:36)

What stands between you and the fullness of all Jesus has in store for your life? Make no mistake: God has a plan for you – a vision and a dream for your future. But what obstacles exist between your life in the present and his better tomorrow?

For the season of Lent, we will be looking to the gospel of John for answers to these questions. The goal: To identify some of those things needing to be let go – things that have no place in the life of true discipleship, a life marked by the freedom that Christ is offering.

Are you willing to let these things go? Are you ready to experience all he has in mind for you?

Series Playlist

Letting Go

Letting Go of Pretense

00:00 / 40:39

Letting Go of Pretense

Mar 10, 2019 • 40:39

To get to know the real Jesus, you must first lay aside all your preconceived notions. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Letting Go Scripture: John 1:45-51
Letting Go of Superiority

Mar 17, 2019 • 40:10

The needs of people differ in nature and degree, but Jesus Christ is the solution to them all. You and I must embody and exhibit the unifying power of the gospel in our era of social disintegration. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Letting Go Scripture: John 4:1-30
Letting Go of the Rules

Mar 24, 2019 • 39:12

You and I must let go of the rules — not the life-giving commands of God, which reveal his character and trace the lines of holiness defining our life in him — but the rules we manufacture to maintain our power, control, comfort at the expense of others. Speaker: Sean…
Letting Go of Fear

Mar 31, 2019 • 39:31

We, on almost daily basis, find ourselves engulfed in the torrents and swells of life in a broken world, but in Jesus we find refuge and shelter from the storm. He wants to come into the midst of it all, walking on top of it all. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series:…
Letting Go of Control

Apr 7, 2019 • 34:53

We can wait on Jesus. We need not doubt his character or motives. He cares about all of your life, but he is also determined to do a greater good, one that may result in delay, leading to your temporary discomfort. But his greater good always results in the glory…
Letting Go of Misplaced Devotion

Apr 14, 2019 • 41:05

Everyone wants Jesus when they think he has come to do something for them, but who is willing to submit to him as Lord? You and I must make the same decision as the people of his day. Who will it be? Jesus, the messiah, the King of all kings…
Letting Go of Jesus

Apr 21, 2019 • 35:49

The resurrection of Jesus Christ forces us to move beyond our own small perspective of all he wants to accomplish for the sake of the world and see with the eyes of faith the grander purposes of God. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Letting Go Scripture: John 20:1-18

2019 Women’s Conference

January 25, 2019Sermon SeriesEMC Admin

Listen to the complete recordings from the 2019 EMC women’s conference, “Delighting in Him Day by Day,” with guest speaker Chelsea Wortman.

About Chelsea

Chelsea is a pastor’s wife and a mother of three sons, ages 8, 5, and 2. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, she holds a Bachelor’s degree from DeVry University in Technical Management and a Graduate Certificate from University of Virginia in Leadership in Human Resources Management. In 2017, she resigned from her successful career in Human Resources to relocate with her family to Elizabeth City where her husband, Jeff Wortman, accepted the position of Minister of Music and Worship at Elizabeth City Evangelical Methodist Church. Not long after relocating, Chelsea sensed the Lord calling her into women’s ministry leadership. A verse that Chelsea learned to live out over the past year is Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Series Playlist

2019 Women's Conference

Delighting in a Personal Relationship with God - Session 1 of 3

00:00 / 57:11

Delighting in a Personal Relationship with God - Session 1 of 3

Jan 26, 2019 • 57:11

Speaker: Chelsea WortmanSeries: 2019 Women’s Conference
Communing in a Personal Relationship with God - Session 2 of 3

Jan 26, 2019 • 51:44

Speaker: Chelsea WortmanSeries: 2019 Women’s Conference
Maturing in a Personal Relationship with God - Session 3 of 3

Jan 26, 2019 • 39:59

Speaker: Chelsea WortmanSeries: 2019 Women’s Conference

Dreaming

January 14, 2019Sermon SeriesEMC Admin

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)

We all look forward to something. The next season of a favorite TV show. A visit from a loved one. Christmas presents. The start (or end!) of a school year. A trip to the mountains or beach.

God created humans to be future-oriented beings whose hopes are rooted in the prospect of a better tomorrow.

God created us to dream.

No, not dream as in what your mind subconsciously thinks about while you sleep, but rather the ability to imagine a future that has not yet arrived, to exercise a Spirit-filled imagination of better days. Indeed, he wants us to see what tomorrow might be and then join him in giving it shape.

Before there was time, God had a plan for our lives. His future is meant to be discovered. He wants his dreams to become our dreams, and once they do the wonder of tomorrow will enliven every moment of today.

You and I are prisoners of time, inexorably captive to the present. Our memories keep alive the past, but our dreams give life to the future. Let’s dream God’s dreams and join him in bringing them into being.

Series Playlist

Dreaming

Created to Dream

00:00 / 42:04

Created to Dream

Jan 20, 2019 • 42:04

Before there was time, God had a plan for your life. His future is meant to be discovered. He wants his dreams to become your dreams, and once they do the wonder of tomorrow will enliven every moment of today. Speaker: Sean ScribnerSeries: DreamingScripture: Genesis 1:26-28
God's Group Project

Jan 27, 2019 • 34:02

Speaker: Aaron Meservey Series: Dreaming Scripture: Ezekiel 36
The Place I Will Show You

Feb 3, 2019 • 48:04

The destination of God’s calling is not to a “where” but to a “who.” Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Dreaming Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9
Seeing Beyond Our Sight

Feb 10, 2019 • 38:36

Dreaming is how you and I can love people beyond the limits of our own lifetime; how our desires and prayers and endeavors can go further than we could ever see or travel. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Dreaming Scripture: Genesis 22:1-18
A Crisis of Belief

Feb 17, 2019 • 50:55

As you prepare to take the next big step in your journey with God, will your actions align with your beliefs? This is where the rubber meets the road for faith. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Dreaming Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9
His Better Ways

Feb 24, 2019 • 48:09

Those who choose to remain with Jesus must face some tough facts about his purposes and ways. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Dreaming Scripture: Matthew 14:13-21
When God Says No

Mar 3, 2019 • 34:49

There is a huge difference between doing something for Jesus and doing something with Jesus. To follow him we must trust the avenues he both opens and closes. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Dreaming Scripture: Acts 16:6-10