Erin Church of the Nazarene

Why We Do Christmas: Untangling Traditions and Truth

Pastor Daniel Medders says he is encouraged by the growing number of people at ECN who are new to faith or returning to church, and he uses their questions to explain why it matters to ask, “Why do we do church the way we do.” He intentionally shifts the service into a more conversational format to mirror how he believes Jesus taught, then uses Christmas topics to explore how traditions formed, including the real history of Saint Nicholas and how the modern Santa image developed much later. He highlights the hope of Christmas by emphasizing that God worked through an imperfect human in Mary, and he explains why December 25 was chosen based on early Christian reasoning tied to Jesus’ conception and death rather than a recorded birthday. He also challenges common nativity assumptions by arguing that “inn” is better translated as “guest room,” that the birth setting was likely a sheltered space connected to a home, and that some alleged historical contradictions can be understood with better context while others still leave room for “we do not know.” He closes by noting that Joseph disappears from the story after Jesus’ childhood, likely because Joseph died, and he ends with prayer that understanding these details will deepen gratitude and awe for Jesus.

Walking With Jesus: Emmaus and Everyday Faith

Pastor Daniel Medders reflects on how Christmas and Advent can start to feel routine, and he urges the church to recover the season’s meaning by remembering Jesus as “Emmanuel, God with us.” Rather than reading the birth narratives, he walks through Luke 24 on the road to Emmaus, focusing on two disappointed disciples, possibly a husband and wife, who talk about their shattered hopes while Jesus walks with them unnoticed. He warns against treating Sunday worship like a quick spiritual fix, and he challenges listeners to make spiritual conversation normal at work and at home even when fear of others’ opinions makes that feel risky. He also cautions newer believers that church is not a magic pill for an easier life, because following Christ involves sacrifice and can create real tension with others. The message closes with Jesus opening the Scriptures, being recognized in the breaking of bread, and the reminder that believers do not leave Jesus behind at church because he continues to walk with them in everyday life.

Invite With Urgency: Seize the Golden Years Now

Pastor Daniel Medders asks listeners to think about their best Christmas memories, then uses his family stories to show that experiences and relationships tend to last longer in our minds than the gifts themselves. He connects that “golden years” nostalgia to faith and church life, warning that people often only recognize a great season after it has passed, and challenging ECN to realize they are living in a meaningful growth season right now. He describes past and present momentum at ECN, cautions against shifting from mission to maintenance, and says the church must make room for newcomers while remembering that worship is first about honoring God and being equipped to be sent. He closes by urging personal, face to face invitations, saying that in a world where AI makes digital content harder to trust, an authentic invite to Christmas services can change someone’s life and ripple into eternity.

Joy Over Anxiety: Prayer and Peace at Christmas

Pastor Daniel Medders uses the Christmas season, with its travel, family tension, gift pressure, and financial strain, to introduce Philippians 4:4–7 as a passage about rejoicing, gentleness, and anxiety. He illustrates “rejoice in the Lord always” through personal stories, especially his mother in law Karen, who has endured both abandonment and widowhood yet remains deeply joyful, and through others like Miss Janet whose lives radiate steady joy. Pastor Medders explains that the word often translated “gentleness” carries the idea of more than justice, pointing to the way Jesus offers grace beyond what strict justice would demand, and calls believers to be people who refresh others rather than drain them. Instead of simply telling people to stop worrying, he teaches that God gives tools for dealing with anxiety, such as bringing every situation to Him in prayer and petition, being honest about fears, and giving thanks in all circumstances. He closes by urging listeners not only to admire joyful and peaceful Christians but to practice these disciplines of prayer, trust, and gratitude so that anxiety lessens and Christlike joy grows during the Christmas season.

To Know Christ: From Trivia to True Intimacy With Jesus

Pastor Daniel Medders begins by admitting his frustration that his mind remembers trivial facts, song lyrics, and useless information more easily than important things like people’s names, which leads him to ask what is truly worth knowing. He turns to Philippians 3:10 and explains that Paul, who was once obsessively focused on religious achievement, later counted those pursuits as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. Throughout the sermon, he warns against settling for head knowledge or Bible trivia and explains that the Bible’s language of knowing Christ is about an intimate, lived relationship where we deeply understand his character, heart, and ways. He unpacks Paul’s desire to know the power of Christ’s resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to become like him in his death, using examples like sulfur springs, King Tut’s grave goods, and a difficult mule trip in Wyoming to show how shared struggle and purposeful sacrifice create deep bonds and meaningful lives. The message ends in prayer, asking God to help believers clear out what is rubbish, truly know Christ rather than just know about him, and live lives poured out for others in light of the hope of resurrection.

Real Ones in Christ: Wearing the Cross With a New Heart

Pastor Daniel Medders begins by reflecting on how people introduce themselves, noting that men often lead with jobs and hobbies while women often mention family and their role in the home, which reveals what they believe gives them value. He then turns to Philippians 3:1–9 and explains Paul’s command to rejoice despite suffering, along with his warning about “dogs” and “mutilators of the flesh,” people who rely on outward circumcision instead of true inward transformation. Using Old Testament language about uncircumcised hearts, Pastor Daniel explains that the covenant sign was meant to point to a changed heart and he contrasts “real ones” who genuinely belong to God with posers who only display religious symbols, illustrated through humorous stories about hunting gear, cowboy hats, and surface level identities. He applies this to the way Christians decorate their bodies and homes with crosses, reminding the church that the cross was a brutal instrument of torture and asking whether they truly live in sacrificial obedience to the One who died on it. Pastor Daniel concludes that all the things we brag about, such as career, success, or hobbies, are rubbish compared to knowing Christ, and he prays that God would circumcise their hearts so that the cross they wear or display reflects a real inward change that points others to Jesus.

Gambling for Christ: Risking Our Lives for Jesus' Gain

The sermon, preached by Pastor Daniel Medders, centers on Philippians 2:25–30 and the often overlooked figure of Epaphroditus, whose common Greek name contrasts with his uncommon faithfulness. Paul’s descriptions of him as a brother, co-worker, fellow soldier, messenger, and caretaker are unpacked to show deep relational loyalty, shared work for the gospel, spiritual struggle side by side, high personal trust, and sacrificial service. Pastor Daniel then explains that the word translated “risked” in verse 30 comes from a Greek term with a gambling flavor, and uses Scripture along with data on lotteries and sports betting to show how the Bible warns against dishonest gain, the love of money, and practices that harm the poor. He clarifies that Epaphroditus was not a gambler for personal profit but someone who “rolled the dice” with his own life for Christ’s sake, and he calls believers to become that kind of gambler, going all in so that God and others, not themselves, are the ones who gain.

Meekness and Power: Jesus' Body, Humility, and Life Issues

Pastor Daniel Medders preaches from Philippians 2 about the mystery of the Trinity and the nature of Jesus as fully God and fully man, emphasizing that our inability to fully understand or explain God does not invalidate His existence. Using the analogy of looking through windows and doors, he explains that we only see partial but true glimpses of who God is, then focuses on Paul’s description of Christ’s humility, that although Jesus was in very nature God, He did not use His divine status to His own advantage but took on human likeness and the role of a servant. Pastor Medders teaches that biblical meekness is not weakness or passivity but controlled strength, shown in Jesus’ capacity for power and even violence that He kept under control, such as when He cleansed the temple or restrained Himself when provoked and mistreated. He reflects on Jesus entering the world through a uterus and offering His body “for you,” contrasts this with modern abortion rhetoric of “this is my body, I’ll do what I want,” calls that stance the “anti-Eucharist,” and urges Christians to side with the voiceless unborn while speaking with compassion and care toward those who have experienced abortion.

Scared Yet Called: Trusting God When You Feel Inadequate

The sermon explores why following Jesus is hard, including walking the narrow path, dying to self, forgiving others, and discerning God’s will versus our own ideas, illustrated by Moses, David, Paul, and Gideon who felt inadequate or doubted amid hardship. Pastor Daniel Medders shares his 2014 calling to ECN, describing providential moments at camp and the YES Conference, confirmation through leadership conversations, and arriving in town with a strong sense of “coming home,” while remaining “scared to death and excited” in a way that keeps him dependent on God. Marking 4,010 days since his first sermon and beginning year 12, he urges believers to expect feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy yet to move forward because God’s presence, “I AM,” makes them sufficient. He notes the aging pastoral workforce and calls the church to accept, pursue, and persevere in ministry callings, contrasts eternal impact with fleeting pursuits, invites people to speak with church leaders, and closes with a prayer for discernment and trust in God’s sufficiency.

Faith That Works: Don’t Just Signal, Turn

Pastor Daniel Medders teaches from James 2:14–26, using a driver who signals a turn but never turns to ask when faith is genuine. He affirms salvation by grace, citing Acts 16:31 and the thief on the cross, yet argues that real belief must produce action since even demons believe. Drawing on Abraham, Rahab, John the Baptist, Paul, and Jesus, he shows that Scripture links faith with visible fruit and that people are known by what they do. He concludes that we are not saved by works but saved for works, urging listeners to stop signaling and actually turn by serving others, and then closes in prayer.