Worship

Sermons Planned Through 2007

During 2007 Markham Woods Church will see a wide range of content in the sermons presented. Each sermon is planned to be of special interest to a specific group or groups within the church. In addition to the generic elements designed to benefit everyone, over the course of time there's something tailor-made for most listeners. First Service is at 9:00 am and Second Service begins at 11:30 am.

Be sure to invite your family, friends and neighbors to come to church with you. Our goal for worship services at Markham Woods is to open new spiritual insights to everyone, irrespective of their spiritual background. And we try to present these insights in a way that won't be offensive even to those who have always viewed things from a different perspective. Every service is for "visitors" and "regulars" alike.

Most of the sermons are presented by senior pastor Jim Coffin. All speakers, however, will seek to provide practical, encouraging, upbeat, Bible-based, Christ-centered, hope-filled, service-oriented messages.

The pulpit of Markham Woods Church is a "No Put-Down Zone." Our goal is to help attenders grow spiritually-not to condemn those who are struggling or to berate those who may not have arrived at the same conclusions we have. Everyone is welcome. So don't keep the Markham Woods worship experience to yourself. Share it.

January 6.  All God's Children.. “Jesus loves the little children—all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” Not to mention that he loves the oldies too. And the right-handers and the left-handers. And even Democrats and Republicans. In fact, even those who question whether He could possibly love Democrats . . . or Republicans. Come and celebrate God’s great blessing of diversity. Speaker: Jim Coffin.  

January 13. The Life That Gets Noticed. In the life of our heroes, we see common characteristics. But what characteristics does God look for? What kind of a life gets God's attention? The answers may surprise you. Speaker: Rey Descalso.

January 20.Behind the Scenes of The Ten "And God spoke all these words . . ." This is the preamble to Exodus 20. Today we’ll take a look at the Ten Commandments. What do they mean to us as Christians? What are some of their implications? Remember, God brought the Israelites out of the land of slavery before asking them to obey. Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

January 27. Finding the Real Thing. Aristotle said that the person who would find the right answer must first ask the right question. God says that to have the right spiritual experience, we must relate to the only true. There’s good reason why the first commandment is the first commandment. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

February 3. Sticks and Stones. We live in a highly visual society. Throughout human history, humans have sought to have visual representations of God. But God asks that we have no representation of Him. Why? The answer may surprise you. Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

February 10.Hanging God's Name on the Wrong Hook. When the third commandments proscribes taking God’s name in vain, most people think immediately of cursing and swearing. But is it possible that it goes a lot further? Such as not attaching the name of God to anything that’s unworthy of having His name associated. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

February 17. Remember the Sabbath Day Because . . . Most of us think of the Sabbath as a memorial of creation. It is. But it’s much more than that. It’s a celebration of God’s saving work in our lives. It’s also a reminder of both the dignity of labor and the need to avoid overwork. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

February 24. Leading in Our Past. "Adventist Heritage Sabbath" is being celebrated throughout the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church today. We are pleased to welcome to our pulpit Adventist Church history specialist Stanley Cottrell, whose stories of God’s leading in our church’s history will be informative, inspirational and entertaining. Speaker: Stanley Cottrell.

March 3. VIP "It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice." Many of us enjoy recognition. It feels good when we are made to feel important. There's nothing like the VIP treatment. What does God mean when he asks us to "Honor" our parents? Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

March 10. Live and Let Live. When God created humans in His own image, there were some abilities He didn’t pass on. One is the ability to create life. Since we can’t give life, neither should we take it. But true respect for life goes far beyond just not committing murder. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

March 17.  The God of the Birds and Bees. How did you first learn about the bird's and the bees? Probably not from reading the book of Exodus. Today we'll learn of how God gave "the Talk" to his chosen people and what it means for us today. Speaker: Rey Descalso.

March 24. What Would Jesus Say? In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a broader application to the sixth and seventh commandments than His listeners were used to. Had He expanded in similar fashion on the commandment not to steal, what might He have said? Speaker: Jim Coffin.

March 31. White and Colored Lies. Lies can be color coded, from innocent white lies to destructive red ones. Some people say; "it's ok to lie, as long as it's not in a life and death situation." Today we'll take a look at what God has to say about this issue and how it impacts our lives. Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

April 6. Candlelight Communion. Bring your entire family to this annual highlight of the Markham Woods Church worship calendar. Enjoy an experience that comes closer to what it was actually like on that night when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples in the upper room. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

April 7. This Son of Mine . . . Is Alive Again. What was the significance to God the Father to have His Son rise from the dead? We don’t know exactly. But we may be able to gain insights from an Old Testament story of parents whose dead son was restored to life. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

April 14. Getting to the Heart of the Matter. The first nine commandments deal with overt, observable actions. The tenth commandment deals with something going on in the heart. It also shows that mere outward behavior isn’t adequate—which is what Jesus showed repeatedly in His Sermon on the Mount. Speaker: Jim Coffin

April 21. The Pursuit of Happiness. Proverbs says: "Happy is he who keeps the law." And Jesus said: "If you love me, you will obey my commandments." Is there a direct connection to loving Jesus and being happy or to keeping the commandments and being happy? Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

April 28. Why Me? Why Anybody? "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?" (Jeremiah 12:1) Why do good things happen to bad people? What’s wrong with this picture? And what does the Bible have to say about it? Speaker: Jim Coffin.

May 5. The Runaway Juror. Judging others never works out quite the way we intend. A brief air of superiority dissolves into emotional and spiritual baggage. So are we supposed to see everybody with rose-colored glasses? Perhaps there is a better way. Speaker: Rey Descalso.

May 12. Yes, Yes and No, No. 2Corinthians 1. Today we begin a survey of the second epistle written to the Christians in Corinth. Chapter 1 is meant to reassure its readers of God's grace. Paul's words to first-century Christians are just as appropriate 20 centuries later as they were then. Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

May 19. The Aroma of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2. According to the Apostle Paul, Christian behavior should permeate the atmosphere like sweet-smelling perfume. It’s not a metaphor we usually use to talk about the impact of the gospel, but it makes sense—or should we say scents? Speaker: Jim Coffin.

May 26. You Are a Letter From God. 2 Corinthians 3.The Bible employs metaphors to help us understand spiritual truths. What we know physically is compared to the spiritual realm. Paul says he doesn’t need to write a letter about what God is like—because the Corinthians are a living letter, showing God’s character through the way they live. What might he say about us? Speaker: Jim Coffin.  

June 2. The Spiritual Leader. In the book of Mark, James and John, son’s of Zebedee, make a rather bold request of Jesus. Given the nature of their request, in light of Jesus’ comments about His impending death, it becomes clear that there’s a terrible misunderstanding of their role as followers of Christ. Speaker: Andrew Perrin.

June 9. Treasure in a Jar of Clay. 2 Corinthians 4.Genesis tells us that God created humans from the dust of the ground. The Apostle Paul describes humans as jars of clay. But the amazing part is this: God wants to use these jars of clay to deliver a priceless treasure to the world. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

June 16. Tents, Buildings and Ambassadors. 2 Corinthians 5Just when we thought the Apostle Paul couldn’t possibly come up with any more spiritual metaphors, he throws a few more our way. Your body is kind of like a tent—that some day is going to give way to a new building. And whatever the form, we’re to be God’s "ambassadors." Speaker: Jim Coffin.

June 23.Bosom Friends: Hearing the Rabbi's Heartbeat.  Exploring great friendships in history. In John 13 when Jesus predicts his betrayal, we see a snapshot in time that is often overlooked, but is evidence as to why John is so bold to call himself the Beloved. Speaker: Jaci Perrin.

June 30. Hardship Ponderables.2 Corinthians 6. While advising the Corinthians, Paul  reminds them of his hardships, why he endures such troubles and how he’s able to stand. As we glance at Paul’s list of troubles, we can identify with his distress. The advice Paul gave the Corinthians on how to deal with hardship we can apply to our own lives. Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

July 7. Caring Enough to Change. 2 Corinthians 7. When we get caught, a lot of us suddenly become "sorry" for what we did—because no one likes having to face the consequences of bad actions. However, there’s a big difference between being truly sorry and merely being sorry we got caught or that things didn’t work out as we had planned. The Apostle Paul advocated of a type of sorrow that leads to repentance. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

July 14. As the Father Has Sent Me. Communion. In 2 Kings 6 and 7 is a story of four men on whom good fortune fell. So good, in fact, that they realized they shouldn’t keep it to themselves. Today we celebrate the good fortune of God’s love, which has fallen on us. And it’s so good that we shouldn’t keep it to ourselves. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

July 21. Generosity Revised.2 Corinthians 8. In a selfish world, Paul encourages the Corinthians to be generous. He calls generosity "grace of giving." To save the world, Jesus became poor so that we might become rich. The world continues to be selfish. Paul’s advice encourages us to be generous with all our resources and to help those who are in need. Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

July 28. God's Generosity. 2 Corinthians 9.  The Apostle Paul was proud of the church at Corinth. Despite the members’ shortfalls and failures, he could depend on them. And he could assure them of the life principle that generosity yields a big harvest. Not only in material blessings, but also in the spiritual realm. And the greatest of all manifestations of generosity is God’s grace extended toward sinful humanity, which Paul describes as "God’s indescribable gift." Speaker: Jim Coffin.

August 4. Self-Congratulations or God's Congratulations? 2 Corinthians 10. You’ve heard the apocryphal quote that "if thou tootest not thine own horn it will not be tooted." The Apostle Paul would take exception. Patting ourselves on the back may have its place; but being patted on the back by God is what really counts. By the way, don’t waste time comparing yourself with someone else just to make you feel better. It doesn’t work. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

August 11. Been There, Done That, Have the Scars. 2 Corinthians 11 We’ve all heard the saying about not needing to re-invent the wheel. We equally don’t need to repeat someone else’s pitfalls. If we can learn from the experience of others, we can save ourselves a lot of time and a lot of hardship. According to the Apostle Paul, that’s a major reason the Bible was written. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

August 18. Strength through Weakness--A Paradox. 2 Corinthians 12.  The Apostle Paul wouldn’t likely buy much of today’s "prosperity theology." The good don’t always live on Easy Street; the bad don’t always suffer. But no circumstance can be so bad that it can’t yield some positive benefit. Paul found that his own physical maladies—his absence of strength—forced him to find even greater strength in God. Speaker: Owen Vazquez.

August 25. Authority to Build up-Not to Tear Down. 2 Corinthians 13. With a visit to Corinth pending, the Apostle Paul reflects on some of the things he may have to address. Recognizing that he may have to correct some wayward situations, Paul assures the Corinthians that whatever steps he has to take will be because God has given him the authority to build up, not to tear down. And God has entrusted each of us with a similar ministry. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

September 1. Labor Day: A Biblical Perspective. This may come as a surprise, but Labor Day wasn’t set aside as a holiday just to have outdoor barbecues and to get in the last trip to the beach before autumn. It was to celebrate the rights of workers. And the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about the how workers should be treated. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

September 8The Judge and the Litmus Test. The way you view yourself, your deeds and your thoughts may be different from the way God views them. Can we figure out God's litmus test for every action and attitude? And if we can, will we be able to apply the same litmus test? The answer is up to you. Speaker: Rey Descalso.

September 15. The Two Faces of Jesus--1 The phrase "Gentle Jesus meek and mild" has forever prevented some people from seeing His more aggressive, more masculine, more testosterone-driven side. But Jesus was no wimp and no pushover. He could be rather fearsome if necessary. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

September 22. The Two Faces of Jesus--2Just because Jesus "could be rather fearsome if necessary," doesn’t mean we should focus solely on that aspect of his character. He was also the loving older Brother who was willing to suffer any privation and hardship for his "siblings." Speaker: Jim Coffin.

September 29. The Easier Way Out. In a world where people let you down, you've got a few options. No doubt you've tried them all. Today we'll consider these options and how forgiveness is the better way. Forgiveness isn't easy, but it's easier than the alternatives. Speaker: Rey Descalso.

October 6. Yea, Verily. The book of Proverbs falls into a genre of biblical writing called "wisdom literature." And, indeed, the book contains some pithy pieces of sage advice. Jim Coffin shares his five favorite proverbs and shows how they apply to life just as much now as when written. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

October 13. A Call to Arms The book of Revelation is a call for resistance against the powers of the world, but not with this world's weapons. Our guest speaker today, Ernie Bursey, is a professor of religion at Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences. Before coming to Florida, he taught religion for many years at Walla Walla College, Walla Walla, Washington. Speaker: Ernie Bursey.

October 20. Yea, Verily--Again.  The wisdom contained in the biblical book of Proverbs is often little more than pithily worded common sense. Few readers would disagree with the comments made or the advice given. But some of the statements head in a direction we definitely wouldn’t expect. Yet they’re in the Bible. So how should we relate to them? Speaker: Jim Coffin

October 27. Church Retreat at Wekiva Springs State Park.

November 3. U.S. Elections or Acts Chapter 15?  Government in the United States features majority rule, with some built-in safeguards for the minority. The party that can muster the most votes gets to rule. The story found in Acts 15 follows an altogether different model of government–consensus. It’s more cumbersome, to be sure. But it allowed the early church to make what is, arguably, the boldest claim ever put forward by a group of humans. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

November 10. Surviving the Holidays The stress and strain of being happy for the holidays can be overwhelming. Peace on earth, good will toward men, just not on Black Friday. The Scriptures provide practical tips for maintaining your grace under pressure. Speaker: Rey Descalso

November 17. The Lighter Side of Discipline T o the untrained eye Thanksgiving Day has institutionalized gluttony and sloth. However, we will discover that we have a spiritual responsibility to enjoy all that God has provided. Thanksgiving is more than just a day, it's a spiritual discipline. Speaker: Rey Descalso

November 24. What Counts from God's Perspective? Isaiah 58, like Christ's Sermon on the Mount, looks behind the facade and gets to the core of what true spirituality is about. The kind of "fasting" that really impresses God has little to do with food. Speaker: Jim Coffin.

December 1.The Perfect Christmas Gift. Can you remember the best Christmas gift you ever received? How about the worst? In Bethlehem many years ago, a few key characters gave Christ the best Christmas gift. Today we will discover the very best gift we can give back to God this holiday season. Speaker: Rey Descalso

December 8. A Tale of Two Carpenters.  Nazareth had at least two carpenters, Joseph and Jesus. Each influenced the other greatly. Through a first-person narrative, we’ll look at how the life of Jesus may have impacted the life of his earthly father, Joseph. Speaker: Jim Coffin

December 15. Let the Heavens Ring. Music was a major part of worship in the Hebrew culture. Heavenly music accompanied the birth of the Messiah. Christianity has greatly utilized music both to celebrate what God is and to teach about Him. Today’s service will feature a brief homily and an array of performed music that focuses especially on the events that transpired in Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago. Speaker: Jim Coffin

December 22. What the Prophets Said.  Those who love Christmas carols as well as congregational singing will find today’s service particularly enjoyable as we celebrate the words of both scripture writers and song writers. Through scriptures, carols and a brief homily we’ll be reminded of why God sent His Son to be our Savior.                                                                 Speaker: Jim Coffin

December 29. Fingerprints. As we reflect on this past year and look into the new year, let’s consider the lives we’ve touched. We leave our unique fingerprints on everything we touch. We own our prints. No one else has them. Every personal interaction at work, school or at home gets fingerprinted. What kind of fingerprints are we leaving behind? Our speaker, associate pastor  pastor Owen Vazquez, who for more than three months has been at Fort Jackson in Columbia , South Carolina , doing training for military chaplaincy, will be the speaker for both services today. We welcome Owen back after his long absence and look forward to his message. Speaker: Owen Vazquez