Sermon Series

“Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him.” (Mark 3:13, NLT)

Mark 3:13 tells us that before Jesus called his disciples to preach and engage in works of ministry, he called them first to himself. The Christian life is more than intellectual ascent to propositions. It is hearing the call to come to and follow Jesus as both Savior and Lord.

“Rooted in Christ” is a sermon series for the New Year that examines some of the metaphorical language the Scriptures provide when describing the type of life that is found only in Christ. Together we will discover how the deeper we go in him, the more blessed and alive and fruitful we become.

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Elizabeth City EMC Podcast

Planted by the Stream

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="az2LkDAFs9"><a href="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/01/07/rooted-in-christ/">Rooted in Christ</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/01/07/rooted-in-christ/embed/#?secret=az2LkDAFs9" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Rooted in Christ&#8221; &#8212; Elizabeth City EMC" data-secret="az2LkDAFs9" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

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  Planted by the Stream

  Jan 11, 2026 • 00:53:45

  “Life is full of choices. Some lead to blessing. Others have the potential to lead to disaster. The Psalms begin with a choice between two diverging paths for living life. Which one will you choose? Series: Rooted In Christ Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: Psalm 1

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  Built Upon A Firm Foundation

  Jan 18, 2026 • 00:55:04

  Paul’s ministry in Corinth was to lay a solid foundation like an “expert builder.” That foundation is nothing other than Jesus Christ—his person and his work. Only lives that are built upon him and aligned to him are able to withstand the floodwaters of life today and the fires of…

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  Abiding in the Vine

  Jan 25, 2026 • 00:57:11

  To understand the nature of spiritual life, Jesus left his disciples with the metaphor of abiding in the vine. This is ultimate reality, originating from the inner life of God himself: To be is to be in intimate, mutual, abiding relationship. There is no life for the branch apart from…

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  Rooted in Prayer

  Feb 1, 2026 • 00:44:24

  Prayer is essential to anything that we do for the Lord. The apostle Paul urges us to make prayer a regular part of our daily walk with the Lord. He also urged us to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel. We pray for God to specifically touch hearts and…

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  Anchored in Faith

  Feb 8, 2026 • 00:44:56

  Biblical faith looks beyond the world around us to the One who spoke it all into existence, and it believes and does what he says. Series: Rooted In Christ Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: Hebrews 10:36-11:1,3,6

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  Growing in Knowledge

  Feb 15, 2026 • 00:45:18

  The grace and peace of God is multiplied in the lives of believers who continue to grow in their knowledge and experience of Jesus, who is Christ, God, Savior, and Lord. Series: Rooted In Christ Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-2

In the gospel of John, the theme of light is one of the many ideas that can be traced throughout its message: light that gives life; light that provides direction; light that heals and transforms, and even brings judgment! But light is never meant to be understood as photons traveling through physical space and time, but a uniquely divine-human person who came from heaven to earth. That person is the reason we celebrate Christmas at all.

This Advent season, “The Light of Hope” will examine how Jesus Christ is that true light who has come into the world. Each message connects the imagery of light to the hope of Advent, preparing hearts for the arrival of the Messiah, both in his incarnation and his promised return.

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Elizabeth City EMC Podcast

The Divine Light

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="hZucypEfE3"><a href="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/11/26/the-light-of-hope/">The Light of Hope</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/11/26/the-light-of-hope/embed/#?secret=hZucypEfE3" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;The Light of Hope&#8221; &#8212; Elizabeth City EMC" data-secret="hZucypEfE3" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

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  The Divine Light

  Nov 30, 2025 • 49:09

  Advent declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the true and ultimate Light of the world, who has stepped into the darkness of our ignorance, sin, and captivity to give us life and set us free! Series: The Light of Hope Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: John 1:1-14

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  The Guiding Light

  Dec 7, 2025 • 39:41

  Jesus claimed to be the Light of the World. His exclusive person and teachings alone can reveal the truth of God in a saving way, but his offer to receive light that leads to life is extended to all. Series: The Light of Hope Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: John 8:12-20

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  The Power of Light

  Dec 14, 2025 • 00:42:34

  The miraculous restorative healings of Jesus served a greater purpose than merely removing illness and providing sight. They served to point to the true identity and mission of the Son of God who came to restore spiritual sight and heal us from all sin. Series: The Light of Hope Speaker:…

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  The Discomfort of Light

  Dec 21, 2025 • 00:36:01

  The message of the light of Christmas brings tidings of comfort and joy for all who humble themselves in repentance and faith. But the same light that reveals can also blind, and our experience of it rests upon our response to it. Series: The Light of Hope Speaker: Sean Scribner…

In the early days of the Methodist movement, John Wesley provided his “helpers” (lay preachers who traveled around to preach and spread the movement) a list of 12 rules to follow. Among those rules, Wesley said this: “You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work.”

Nothing to do but save souls. Imagine the difference it would make if Christians were so focused in their passions and efforts?

For our final sermon series of the church calendar, we will dive into the church’s one holy mission “to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance, and with all your power to build them up in that holiness without which they cannot see the Lord.” This mission comes from the very heart of God himself—the God who loves his world, enters into his world, and calls his people to join him in mission.

Wesley’s charge to his helpers is essentially God’s charge to all who follow Him.

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Elizabeth City EMC Podcast

The Father's Sending Love

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="nPcpsF8yw8"><a href="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/10/20/spend-be-spent/">Spend &#038; Be Spent</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/10/20/spend-be-spent/embed/#?secret=nPcpsF8yw8" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Spend &#038; Be Spent&#8221; &#8212; Elizabeth City EMC" data-secret="nPcpsF8yw8" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

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  The Father's Sending Love

  Oct 26, 2025 • 51:18

  God has given the greatest gift that he has to offer. He has sent his one and only Son into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it. He was not compelled to do this because the world was so lovely, but because of his own loving nature.…

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  The Son's Incarnational Step

  Nov 2, 2025 • 40:11

  The Apostle Paul instructs the church to have the mind, or attitude, of Christ. As we seek to be the people of mission we are called to be, this means adopting and cultivating the attitude of Christ toward the world and follow him in his sentness to it, in love.…

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  The Spirit’s Empowering Presence

  Nov 9, 2025 • 43:23

  Jesus never asked his disciples to go and be witnesses in the world in their own power. Instead he commanded them to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon them. He is the power for all Christian mission. Series: Spend & Be Spent Speaker: Sean Scribner…

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  The Church’s Great Co-mission

  Nov 16, 2025 • 51:00

  Armed with the Good News of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, the church is called to engage the world in mission, empowered by the authority and presence of Christ himself. Series: Spend & Be Spent Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: Matthew 28: 16-20

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  The Lord of the Harvest

  Nov 23, 2025 • 42:53

  The Lord of the Harvest is looking for workers who will join him in his compassion for and ministry to the world. His harvest is not made up of wheat or barley, but of the souls of people in the world he loves. We are not called to reap the…

“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” (Genesis 8:22)

God is a God of order. Hardwired into his creation can be found natural rhythms—day and night, seasons, and cycles of work and rest—all reflections of His wisdom and care. These rhythms are not arbitrary but purposeful, offering a framework for living in alignment with God’s design, resulting in a life of peace and purpose in a chaotic world.

But all too often our lives are harassed and harried, governed by what has been called a “pathological busyness.” Apathy, anxiety, depression become the norm, while peace, joy, and rest seem unattainable, or reserved for a select few—the order of creation seeming as distant to our lives as stars in the night sky. Surely the God of planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night has more for our lives than this.

Rhythms is a sermon series devoted to encouraging believers who are caught up in the craziness of life to discover a better way by looking to Jesus. He shows us what a life of balance and wholeness looks like, one that is in perfect alignment with the heart and purposes of the Father. In him there is hope for breaking out of the status quo and entering into the abundant life he has prepared for us all.

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Elizabeth City EMC Podcast

Worship

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ah5sKFpc9R"><a href="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/08/27/rhythms/">Rhythms</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/sermon-series/08/27/rhythms/embed/#?secret=ah5sKFpc9R" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Rhythms&#8221; &#8212; Elizabeth City EMC" data-secret="ah5sKFpc9R" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.ecityemc.org/resources/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

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  Worship

  Aug 31, 2025 • 46:44

  David’s experience of worship in the wilderness shows how turning to God in worship provides strength and abundance amidst life’s challenges. Drawing from Jesus’ teachings in John 4, it highlights worship as a lifestyle of offering one’s whole self to God through the Holy Spirit, not just in song but…

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  Worship (Revisited)

  Sep 7, 2025 • 40:41

  Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman reveals true worship as the foundational rhythm for a fulfilling life, addressing her pursuit of satisfaction through relationships. It underscores how misguided beliefs, practices, and priorities—like the Samaritans’ syncretism or the Jews’ legalism—obstruct authentic, Christ-centered, Spirit-led worship rooted in biblical truth. By offering her…

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  Word and Whisper

  Sep 14, 2025 • 44:42

  Essential to the Christian life is the rhythm of engaging with God’s word and listening for His voice to find healing and direction. The busyness and distractions of modern life, such as smartphones, stand in contrast to Jesus’ practice of retreating to solitude for communion with the Father, underscoring the…

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  Wonder

  Sep 21, 2025 • 44:45

  The wonder one experiences while beholding the beauty in creation or the revelation in worship has the power to point them to divine truths. Attention to God’s presence and activity make awareness possible, leading to worship. Series: Rhythms Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: Psalm 63:2-3

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  Walk

  Sep 28, 2025 • 45:46

  The invitation from Jesus is to come and be yoked to him, walking with him in every area of life. All of yourself, with all of him, everywhere you go, forever. Series: Rhythms Speaker: Sean Scribner Scripture: Psalm 63:1-8