Monument Presbyterian Church

Silence and Solitude 7 – Retreat (10/5/2025)

When we look at Elijah at Mt Horeb – before he ever saw the wind, fire, andearthquake and heard God in the silence, he spent a long time waiting and being ministered to. In other words, it took him a long time before he was even ready to hear the voice of God. There are times where daily times of silence and solitude just aren’t enough. Instead what we need is an extended time of retreat – just like Elijah. Times of retreat allow us extendedspace to clear our mind and wrestle through tough things. And it is worth setting aside time in our own schedules to retreat every year. Audio from Tyson's sermon on October 5, 2025.

Silence and Solitude 6 – The Desert Place, Part II (9/28/2025)

The desert place isn’t always a place of renewal and ecstatic experiences of God. Sometimes the desert place is where battle for our soul is waged. Before Jesus ever began his ministry, he went into the desert for 40 days and was tried and tempted by the devil. This was the place where Jesus’ identity and purpose was tested. It was the place of his temptation. Solitude can be that for us too. The Desert Fathers famously felt they were waging war with the devil in their isolated desert enclaves. Perhaps times of solitude is where we too wage war with the devil to test, sharpen, and refine our identity in Christ. Audio from Megan's sermon on September 28, 2025.

Silence and Solitude 5 – The Desert Place, Part I (9/21/2025)

So far, we have been discussing what happens in silence. But equally important is solitude. When we look at the life of Jesus, he constantly retreated to a “a lonely place” or the “desert place”. His pattern was so significant that it is mentioned several times in scripture. That is significant. Jesus’ cycle was to do really powerful kingdom work and then retreat to bealone with God in the desert place. This should be our cycle too – retreating to be recharged by God and reminded of our beloved status on a regular basis. Only when we spend this time in solitude will we ever be able to effectively minister to the world as God intended. Audio from Tyson's sermon on September 21, 2025.

Silence and Solitude 4 – The Fear of Facing Ourselves (9/14/2025)

For some, silence is scary and disturbing. We keep ourselves busy and our lives noisy precisely because we don’t want to face what may come up in silence. In silence, we fear we will have to face our demons – our past, our failures, our brokenness, etc. But maybe that is precisely the point. When we come to God in silence, we will have to face those things. But we do it with God right beside us. Jesus famously went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed for God to remove the cup of the cross before him. But instead, in silence and solitude, he gained the courage to face what he needed to do to face what was ahead. Silence can work the same for us if we let it. Audio from Megan's sermon on September 14, 2025.

Silence and Solitude 3 – Quieting the Waters of Our Soul (9/7/2025)

Just being silent and alone doesn’t guarantee that we will commune with God and hear from him. The truth is that even when we are silent, there is still a lot that comes up in our mind. In fact, we may avoid silence because there is so much going on our thought life! But there is a discipline to learning to calm the turbulent waters of our minds and soul – to set asidetime to let the waters settle. Psalm 46 says “Be still and know that I am God.” Part of silence is allowing us space to be still and learn to quite our mind so that we can know God is there and allow him to actually speak. Audio from Tyson's sermon on September 7, 2025.

Silence and Solitude 2 – God Rarely Shouts (8/31/2025)

Part of the reason we need to practice regular times of silence is that God rarely shouts at us to get our attention. He does not want to compete with all the other things but asks us to seek after him. If anything, he speaks with a still small voice most of the time. Looking at the example of Elijah, we see that God is not in the earthquake, wind, or fire, but in the stillness and silence. We need the discipline to wait for the silence to hear God’s voice. Audio from Megan's sermon on August 31, 2025.

Silence and Solitude 1 – Living in a Culture of Noise and Activity (8/25/2025)

We live in a world that is busy, loud, and attention seeking. Between phones, TV,and internet, it is easy to never have time alone in silence. And this has a huge implications for our spiritual lives because without time alone, we will rarely hear God. Silence and solitude are counter-formational practices that enable us to cut through the noise of our culture and hear the voice of God.

Moses' Early Life 7 – Song of Moses (8/17/2025)

Worship is our response to God’s faithful deliverance. When God brings us through the waters, our first response isn’t strategy — it’s praise. Salvation leads to song. Audio from Megan's sermon on August 17, 2025.

Moses' Early Life 6 – Crossing the Red Sea (8/10/2025)

The exodus story is all about freeing us from slavery into life and relationship with God. If we look at this story from a metaphorical standpoint it mirrors the Christian journey. The significance of this story is in what God has done for us: He delivers us. Audio from Tyson's sermon on August 10, 2025.

Moses' Early Life 5 – God's Deliverance (8/3/2025)

Nothing can stop God’s power or promises. God delivers not only from Pharaoh’s grip, but into freedom — on His terms, in His time. The plagues represent our captivity which God systematically frees us from. Audio from Megan's sermon on August 3rd, 2025.