Pastor Lee preaches from John 12:22-28, and he opens with a statement we’ve all heard. “I’m worth more dead than I am alive.” Pastor Lee does something striking: he agrees with that statement. But he takes it deeper. He suggests that Jesus Himself struggled with this reality—knowing that in some sense, He was worth more to us dead than alive. The reality of His upcoming crucifixion on our behalf. It wasn’t something He welcomed; it was something He wrestled with. Pastor Lee central question of this message—really, the central question of the Christian life: What is the purpose of your life? What are you dying for? What are you living for?

Communion Sunday, March 3rd, 1991. The message from Pastor Lee is titled “What Makes You Mad.” Pastor Lee opens his sermon by reminding us something important: it’s not really worth getting angry over something small—like a penny, as he illustrates. God designed us with the emotion of anger. The issue is how we use it. Pastor Lee reminds us that anger can be reflective and positive, or it can be purely reactionary and destructive. The difference matters enormously.He draws from the Gospel lesson for that Sunday, which describes Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem—overturning tables, driving out the money changers. It’s one of the few times we see Jesus visibly angry. And Pastor Lee uses this scene to explore what righteous anger looks like.

Titled “Handling His Portfolio,” Pastor Lee uses Malachi 3:8-18 as the backdrop for a message on tithing. He invites us to view tithing not as a burden or obligation, but as an adventure—something that can bring real joy to the person who tithes. Pastor Lee helps us understand that everything already belongs to God. Everything we possess is part of His gift to us. Giving is the natural way for us to live. We are designed to give, because God is a giver. We’re created in His image. Generosity flows from our very nature when we’re aligned with God’s.