The Great Divide

September 28, 2025
Luke 16:19-31
“The Great Divide”
Guest – Rev. Jeanell Cox

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Our guest speaker, Rev. Jeanell Cox will bring the message, “The Great Divide”. We will be reading from Luke 16:19-31 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 103.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 103)

Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul,

People: And all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Leader: The Lord is merciful and gracious,

People: Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Leader: He will not always accuse,

People: Nor will he keep his anger forever.

Leader: He does not deal with us according to our sins,

People: Nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Leader: For as the heavens are high above the earth,

People: So great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

Leader: As far as the east is from the west,

People: So far he removes our transgressions from us.

Leader: As a father has compassion for his children,

People: So the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Leader: Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.

People: Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Faith and Art, Redux

A little over three years ago, I preached a sermon series entitled, “Faith and Art.” It was a series designed to connect different passages of scripture with pieces of art hanging in local art museums here in the Triangle. Since then, several folks have mentioned to me that they’d enjoy doing a series like that again. So, I spent some time in the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Ackland Art Museum and I found six new pieces I’d like for us to talk about as we move into autumn.

I’m not going to list out all six in this article—you’ll need to come to worship or tune in to see which pieces we talk about—but in looking over the six pieces as a whole, I realized there were some common threads connecting them all. I didn’t mean to pick pieces that seemed so connected, but art has a tendency to resonate with whatever we’re feeling when we view it. And so, I suppose these pieces all stirred up similar things within me. They connected with me at this particular time, in this particular place, for their own particular reasons.

In looking these pieces over, there’s a consistent theme of appreciating life for what it is and living in that moment. Artists, so often, try desperately to capture one moment, one idea, one dream and communicate it to the rest of us. These pieces speak to that message from the artists—live now; life is precious. There’s also a consistent theme of choosing to do the right thing in the moment. Art often seeks to encourage our better angels, empowering us to do right by others, and challenging us to value things like truth and beauty and grace.

So, starting on October 5th—with a break on the 19th for a guest preacher—we’ll be looking at these works of art and asking ourselves, “What do these pieces stir up in me? And how do they connect to my Christian faith? How can I take the lessons of these artists, filter them through the lens of scripture, and find faithful ways to live and express myself?” I’m looking forward to this series!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

Everything Happens for a Reason

September 21, 2025
Romans 8:26-39
“Everything Happens for a Reason”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Everything Happens for a Reason”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”.  We will be reading from Romans 8:26-39 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 105.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 105)

Leader: O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name
People: Make known his deeds among the peoples.
Leader: Sing to him, sing praises to him;
People: Tell of all his wonderful works.
Leader: Glory in his holy name;
People: Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Leader: Seek the Lord and his strength;
People: Seek his presence continually.
Leader: Remember the wonderful works he has done,
People: His miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
Leader: O offspring of his servant Abraham,
People: Children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

Questions for Further Reflection:

What role can the Christian community play in grief?
How does having a community help in all aspects of life?

There Go I

September 14, 2025
John 7:53-8:11
“There Go I”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “There Go I”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”.  We will be reading from John 7:53-8:11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 112.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 112)

Leader: Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord,

People: Who greatly delight in his commandments.

Leader: Their descendants will be mighty in the land;

People: The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Leader: They rise up in the darkness as a light for the upright;

People: They are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Leader: It is well with those who deal generously and lend,

People: Who conduct their affairs with justice.

Leader: For the righteous will never be moved;

People: They will be remembered forever.

Leader: They are not afraid of evil tidings;

People: Their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

Leader: Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;

People: In the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

Leader: They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;

People: Their righteousness endures forever.

Bonus Phrase!

Brothers and sisters,

As you all know, we’re in the midst of our, “I’m Just Trying to Help” sermon series that looks at various phrases Christians will say that are not as helpful as we might think they are. I mentioned one phrase this past Sunday that I wanted to dive into a little deeper here in the Illuminator. I told y’all that my high school Calculus teacher’s extra credit policy was based on a phrase she claimed was in the Bible, “God helps those who help themselves.” I want to take a moment to unpack some of what that phrase says.

Ultimately, the idea this phrase is pushing is that a person has to take some initiative before God will swoop in and help them. On the surface, that feels logical. If a person is in a bad situation and is not doing anything we think would help their situation, it’s easy to say, “Well, there’s no need to waste time or effort on them.” Whether we like it or not, that’s a judgmental attitude. It’s saying that the person does not deserve help because of who they are. They only deserve help if they’ve earned it.

But on top of that, by throwing God into the mix, “God helps those who help themselves,” we’ve snuck a kind of works righteousness into the way we think God views others. “Show God your good works, then you’ll get help” or “Show God your works, then you’ll receive God’s grace.” That is not scriptural. Let us remember Paul’s words to the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God helps whoever God wants to—not because one particular person did more than the other, but because all people need God’s help. Always.

I wanted to write about this because I increasingly see faith leaders, particularly some Baptists, coming out and saying that empathy—the ability to walk in another person’s shoes and the desire to help them—should be considered a sin. They argue that it is wrong and sinful to show empathy toward other people. Or they will argue that there is an order in which you should extend your empathy—almost a flow-chart that tells you whether or not you have to care about a person. And there’s a judgmental attitude that comes with that. There’s a judgmental nature that comes with saying, “This person doesn’t deserve my help” or with saying, “To help this person would be a waste.”

Let me quickly correct the record here—empathy is not a sin. It never has been. It never will be. It is never wrong to look at another person, feel empathy for them, and choose to help them—whether they’ve “helped themselves” or not. If you feel called to help someone, then help them. Why do I say all this? Because, thanks be to God, Jesus did not look on sinful humanity and say, “I’m not going to help them till they help themselves.” Thanks be to God, Jesus did not decide that empathy was sinful and that people should be left to their own devices, desperately trying to do enough to get God’s attention and compel God to help them. Empathy is not a sin. God does not withhold help till someone “deserves” it. Cause if God did, we’d all be in trouble. Show people grace simply because God has shown you grace.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

The Bible Says…

September 07, 2025
Matthew 4:1-11
“The Bible Says…”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “The Bible Says…”, part of the ongoing Sermon Series, “I’m Just Trying to Help”. We will be reading from Matthew 4:1-11 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 19.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 19)
Leader: The law of the Lord is perfect,
People: Reviving the soul;
Leader: The decrees of the Lord are sure,
People: Making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of the Lord are right,
People: Rejoicing the heart;
Leader: The commandment of the Lord is clear,
People: Enlightening the eyes;
Leader: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
People: The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Leader: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
People: Sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Leader: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
People: Be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus and Satan both use scripture to make their points.
What role does humility play in reading the scriptures?
How can we use the scriptures to lift others up?

More Than You Can Handle

August 31, 2025
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
“More Than You Can Handle”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “More Than You Can Handle”. We will be reading from 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 123.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 123)

Leader: To you I lift up my eyes,

People: O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

Leader: As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,

People: As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress.

Leader: So our eyes look to the Lord our God,

People: Until he has mercy upon us.

Leader: Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

People: For we have had more than enough of contempt.

Leader: Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those at ease,

People: Of the contempt of the proud.

Questions for Further Reflection:

In this passage, Paul says he relies on God’s power to get through trials.

What does it mean to rely on God’s strength?

How can you be a tangible sign of God’s grace for other people?

I’m Just Trying to Help

Brothers and sisters,

I wanted to briefly write about our upcoming sermon series, where the inspiration came from, and what I’m hoping we can do over the next four weeks. The sermon series is titled, “I’m Just Trying to Help” and, in this series, we’re going to take a look at some phrases that Christians will say that might not be as helpful as we think they are. In other words, we’re going to look at some cliches that get thrown around in casual conversation and ask ourselves, “Ok, but what does it mean to say that?”

Over these next four weeks, we’re going to look at four phrases. The first is a classic, “God will never give you more than you can handle”—a phrase usually said to folks going through some sort of trial. The second is, “The Bible says…”—something you typically hear when a person wants to make a more generic point about some-thing they believe. Third, the phrase, “But for the grace of God, there go I”—one that a person will sometimes say when they recognize how fragile life can be. Finally, the big one, “Everything happens for a reason”—when someone is going through the unthinkable, we Christians are quick to reach for this one.

In this series, we’re going to talk about why these phrases are not as helpful as we might initially think. But I do not want this to be a negative series. In other words, I don’t want anyone to think this is a series in which we’re going to dogpile anyone who has ever said any of these. Instead, I want this to be a series in which we acknowledge what the phrases are trying to say and how they can unintentionally be hurtful. But, in each sermon, we’re also going to take the time to talk about a better phrase that we can use in place of the four I just listed. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to help each other. If we have better language to use, I think we can help each other more effectively.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben

“Praise and Joy”

August 24, 2025
Luke 13:10-17
“Praise and Joy”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “Praise and Joy”. We will be reading from Luke 13:10-17 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 71.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 71)
Leader: In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
People: In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Leader: Incline your ear to me and save me.
People: Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me,
Leader: For you are my rock and my fortress.
People: Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
Leader: From the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
People: For you, O Lord, are my hope,
Leader: My trust, O Lord, from my youth.
People: Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
Leader: It was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
People: My praise is continually of you.

Questions for Further Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus heals a woman. Her immediate reaction is praise and adoration.
How does God remove obstacles to our joy?
How can being joyful be faithful?

A Word like Fire

August 17, 2025
Jeremiah 23:23-29
“A Word like Fire”
Rev. Benjamin J. Wines

We look forward to joining you in Worship, starting at 11:00AM in the Sanctuary. Rev. Benjamin Wines will bring the message, “A Word like Fire”. We will be reading from Jeremiah 23:23-29 and our Call to Worship comes from Psalm 80.

Call to Worship (from Psalm 80)

Leader: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

People: You who lead Joseph like a flock!

Leader: Restore us, O God;

People: Let your face shine, that we might be saved.

Leader: You brought a vine out of Egypt;

People: You drove out the nations and planted it.

Leader: You cleared the ground for it;

People: It took deep root and filled the land.

Leader: Turn again, O God of hosts;

People: Look down from heaven and see;

Leader: Have regard for this vine,

People: The stock that your right hand planted.

Leader: Then we will never turn back from you;

People: Give us life, and we will call on your name.

Leader: Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;

People: Let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Question for Further Reflection:
In this passage, God speaks out against those who peddle their own desires as “prophecy.”

How do we, as flawed people, figure out the difference between what we want and what God wants?