(704) 599-9810 | Worship Sundays @ 10:55 a.m.
(704) 599-9810 | Worship Sundays @ 10:55 a.m.
Love as We Have Been Loved” by Maximino Cerezo Barredo – A vivid expression of Christ’s call to love one another with boundless compassion and solidarity..
Do You Love Me?
Gospel Lesson: Mark 5:21 – 34
On the peaceful morning of May 4th, Pastor Chris Czarnecki delivered a stirring and thought-provoking sermon titled “Do You Love Me?”, drawn from the Gospel of John’s tender account of the Risen Christ meeting his disciples on the shore.
As the disciples returned to fishing—retreating into the familiar after a season of upheaval—Jesus appeared, not in grandeur, but in gentleness. He stood on the shore and offered them breakfast. This moment, Pastor Chris reminded us, is not just about fish and fire. It’s about grace that meets us where we are—and love that calls us beyond ourselves.
The sermon explored our very human impulse to retreat when life gets hard. When we are overwhelmed, uncertain, or hurting, we tend to go back to what we know—just as Peter and the disciples did. But instead of chastising them, Jesus simply asked, “Do you love me?” Not once, but three times—each time pairing the question with a commission: Feed my sheep.
This was not a call to comfort—it was a call to service. Pastor Chris invited us to see that loving Jesus is not a private emotion, but a public commitment to care, to act, to lead with compassion. We were reminded that discipleship is not about retreating into safety, but stepping forward into purpose, even when it’s hard.
In true Holy Covenant spirit, this sermon was a bold invitation—to resist the pull of disengagement, and to embrace the sacred work of tending to one another and the world. Whether we are newly confirmed or long on the journey, Jesus is calling each of us: Come to the shore. Be nourished. And go feed the sheep.
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