Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire – Naming the Empire
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Release Date: 05/05/2025
The People of God in the Age of Empire – Practices of Resistance
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire – Practices of Resistance (Colossians 3:1–17) - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this third installment of the Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire series, Pastor Donnell Wyche explores Paul’s invitation to live a resurrection-shaped life as resistance to the demands and distortions of empire. After deconstructing the false promises of empire—security, glory, and salvation—Paul turns toward reconstruction, calling the Colossians to embody new life...
info_outline
Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire – Naming the Empire
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire – Naming the Empire (Colossians 2:6-15) - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this powerful and provocative sermon, Pastor Donnell Wyche continues the Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire series by exploring Colossians 2:6–15 and what it means to be faithful to Christ in a world shaped by empire. Drawing from Paul’s letter to a fledgling church in Colossae, Donnell frames the passage as a deeply subversive text—one that directly confronts the...
info_outline
Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire – The Unco-opted Christ
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire – The Unco-opted Christ (Colossians 1:15-20) - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this opening message of our new series on Colossians, Pastor Donnell Wyche invites us into a powerful re-centering of our lives around the crucified Christ. Preaching from Colossians 1:15–20, he reminds us that in the midst of empire, cultural pressures, and leadership failures, Paul does not begin with fear or anxiety but with a bold proclamation: Christ is the image of the invisible God,...
info_outline
All Things New: An Invitation to Hope, Restoration, and Life
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
All Things New: An Invitation to Hope, Restoration, and Life (John 20) - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this Easter Sunday sermon, Pastor Donnell Wyche invites the congregation into the heart of the resurrection story—not just as a historical event, but as an unfolding promise. Drawing from John 20, he weaves together the emotional power of personal remembrance, the cosmic implications of Jesus’ resurrection, and the deep yearning we each carry for renewal. The story of Mary at the tomb becomes a powerful symbol of...
info_outline
Palm Sunday: The Subversive King
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Palm Sunday: The Subversive King – (Mark 11; Matthew 16, 26; Zechariah 9:9) - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Donnell explores the tension between divine hope and human expectation. He contrasts Jesus’ humble entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey with the imperial procession of Pontius Pilate entering from the other side of the city. Drawing from Zechariah 9:9, Donnell invites us to notice how Jesus subverts conventional power—not through violence or domination but through vulnerability and...
info_outline
Unfinished: Learning Who Jesus Is—and Isn’t
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples – Learning Who Jesus Is-and Isn't - Dan Lewan - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this powerful and deeply personal sermon, Dan Lewan opens up about a fifteen-year journey exploring the life of Peter, a disciple whose failures, impulsiveness, and transformation make him a compelling leader in the early church. What began as a college observation—that Peter was often wrong—grew into a lifelong fascination with how Jesus patiently shaped Peter through moments of correction and grace. Dan introduces the...
info_outline
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples: When Faith Gets Interrupted
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Unfinished: When Faith Gets Interrupted – Acts 10 - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this week’s message, Pastor Donnell continues the Unfinished series by exploring Acts 10 and the story of Peter and Cornelius. Framing the journey of discipleship as one that continues to unfold, Pastor Donnell reminds us that even Peter, a foundational leader of the church, still had much to learn. The sermon highlights how God disrupted Peter’s expectations through a vision that challenged his deeply held religious assumptions, ultimately...
info_outline
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples - Fear to Faith
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples – Fear to Faith – Acts 3 - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this week’s message, Pastor Donnell Wyche continued our Unfinished sermon series by exploring Peter’s journey from fear to faith through the story in Acts 3. Picking up from last week’s reflection on Peter’s restoration by Jesus, Pastor Donnell highlighted how Peter’s transformation continues as he and John move from hiding to boldly participating in the unfolding kingdom of God. As they head to the temple...
info_outline
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples – John 21 - Martha Balmer - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this sermon, Martha Balmer explores the transformation of the apostle Peter in John 21, highlighting how discipleship is a journey of becoming. After Peter’s painful denial of Jesus, he fades into the background, wrestling with disillusionment and shame. But in the final chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus reappears to him—not to rebuke or dismiss, but to restore. Through the familiar scene of a miraculous catch of fish and a simple meal by...
info_outline
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples - Matthew 26
Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor Sermon Podcast
Unfinished: Encountering Jesus, Becoming Disciples – Matthew 26 - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - . Like us on or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - Summary: In this sermon, Pastor Donnell Wyche explores Peter’s bold declarations of loyalty to Jesus in Matthew 26, contrasted with his eventual denial. Peter, full of confidence, insists that even if everyone else falls away, he never will. Yet, when faced with fear and self-preservation, he denies Jesus three times. This moment reveals not just Peter’s weakness, but the human tendency to overestimate our strength. Jesus, knowing...
info_outlineColossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire – Naming the Empire (Colossians 2:6-15) - Rev. Donnell T. Wyche - a2vc.org. Like us on fb.com/vineyardannarboror watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - vimeo.com/annarborvineyard
Summary:
In this powerful and provocative sermon, Pastor Donnell Wyche continues the Colossians: The People of God in the Age of Empire series by exploring Colossians 2:6–15 and what it means to be faithful to Christ in a world shaped by empire. Drawing from Paul’s letter to a fledgling church in Colossae, Donnell frames the passage as a deeply subversive text—one that directly confronts the ideologies, powers, and allegiances of the surrounding Roman empire. For Paul, and for us today, to declare that Christ—not Caesar, not the economy, not nationalism—is Lord, is to resist the false narratives that shape our lives and identities.
Pastor Donnell draws sharp connections between Paul’s world and our own, exposing the subtle and not-so-subtle ways empire exerts its influence today—from militarism and economic control to curated media narratives and Christian celebrity culture. He names modern forces—TikTok, Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Warner Bros, and even popular pastors—not to shame, but to awaken the church to how deeply these forces shape our desires, fears, and theology. “Don’t be taken captive,” Paul warns, and Pastor Donnell echoes that call with urgency, reminding us that resistance starts by rooting ourselves in Christ, not in power, performance, or fear.
The sermon crescendos with a bold declaration: Jesus, crucified by empire, disarmed the powers not with violence, but through the cross. Pastor Donnell invites the weary, the skeptical, and the disillusioned to see Jesus clearly—not as a tool of empire, but as the one who triumphs by love, truth, and resurrection. “Empire doesn’t get the last word,” he proclaims, “Jesus does.” The call to the church is clear: Wake up. Resist. Stay rooted in Christ. And when overwhelmed by the noise of the world, pray the simple prayer of resistance: “Jesus, free me from the voices that hold me captive. Root me in you again.”