Join us this Sunday as we continue our Empty series. We will focus on the Empty Bed. Is it a site of restless anxiety or a place of reflection and peace? Sometimes, our culture's messaging on sex and our trust in God's goodness in this tender area of our lives determines whether we hide in shame or isolation or whether we open up this part of our l…

The Bible talks a lot about power of the words that come out of our mouths. Proverbs says that death and life are in the power of our tongue. Are our tongues producing words of life or words of death? Join us this Sunday as we discover if our mouths are full of gossip, slander, and lies or truth, encouragement, and edification. - Series Description…

When we come to Jesus, we are not only joined to him, but to his people—to his household. In the way of Jesus, our identity as members of his household takes precedence over all other memberships and identities, and, humanly speaking, becomes the locus of all our other relationships. To continue the “Empty” series, this week’s sermon will be called…

It is easy to live our lives thinking that are worth is in our accomplishments. Thankfully, Jesus has a list of accomplishments that are different than our own. They are freeing and completely free. Child. Reliant on God’s power. One who discerns the way of Jesus with him, not alone. This is the way to a life where we don’t withdraw from the world;…

Empty wallet. Empty bank account. How could those things have anything to do with resurrection? Jesus’ life giving advice on money isn’t go forth and chase “up and to the right” or “more, more, more.” Instead, Jesus’ path towards abundance goes once again through loss. Can we trust Jesus with our finances? Whatever our answer is, come and consider …

Following our Easter service exploring the power of the empty tomb, we will spend several weeks looking at how resurrection changes emptiness. Because of the resurrection, we know that empty things can be blessed. And some things need to be emptied to be consecrated for blessings that go far beyond what we can see. How do our schedules, wallets, co…

What’s a time you’ve had something redefined? Was it sudden or over time? Some of us have woken up with an ordinary understanding of some specific part of our life and by the time we went to sleep, everything was different. Others had that change happen over months, years, decades. This Easter, we remember that Jesus’ followers went through a whirl…

What if tomorrow brought freedom to all people and the land? This was God's vision of Jubilee, a time when the Israelites were invited to take a break from harvesting every 50 years to let the land rest and enjoy the abundance God would provide. They were also called to free all enslaved people. This is the essence of Jubilee. Where are you longing…

Over the past few weeks during this season of Lent, we’ve been spending time considering God’s heart for those who are materially poor. There is Gospel good news for all of us in this call to love the poor. And yet, we can so easily miss the good news altogether because we get entangled and distracted with other things, like wealth, and stability, …

Jesus’ famous last words dealt with being known by one’s love. What does love have to do with the poor, service, and justice? A lot, it turns out. Love isn’t just motivation to do work with and among the marginalized. Love is how we will be recognized as disciples, students of Jesus. On Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing someone who has walke…

You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Exod 23:9). The remarkable text from Matt 25 about the sheep and the goats and the "least of these" has been with us every week so far in our series on "Loving the Poor in Word and Deed" as we've explored how we serve and encounter Jesus…

In the famous parable of the sheep and the goats, both parties are surprised by Jesus’ connection with the poor — even the ones who have seen Jesus through their feeding, clothing, visiting, and compassionate service. Through our hearing of the story, we don’t have to be surprised anymore that we can see Jesus in the face of the poor. Instead, our …

Who is “the poor”? What does that phrase even mean anyway? Throughout the Bible, that phrase is used to describe people God wants to remember, serve, include, and relieve. Yet, we often forget these people. During this Lenten season, we’re remembering this group and God’s call for us to serve the marginalized amongst us. In Matthew 25, Jesus has su…

Last week, Josh shared about how Jesus died for our sin not to be a big deal. But once we understand and receive the good news of Jesus’s rescue from sin… what happens next? How are we supposed to relate to our own sinfulness as people who have been set free from sin if we can’t stop sinning? This Sunday, for the second installment of our two-part …

After exploring four weeks on hospitality, we will dive into one of the most contested topics when it comes to hosting others — SIN. Jesus was constantly accused of spending time with tax collectors and sinners, unsavory types. Religious experts thought Jesus minimized God’s law. Jesus wasn’t just full words and teaching on the matter either; he to…

Our January teaching series on Hospitality has explored how we need to be hosted by God with the gifts of love, home, and family that God gives us and then give those gifts in turn to others. We conclude our series with the gift that makes all of those (and more) possible-- the gift of himself in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus, who welcomes sinners (L…

The loneliness epidemic in our country impacts our city and our church. Even with people around us and in our lives, we can ask who is our family? Once we receive family, we have a choice. Do we hoard sacred and beloved relationships? Or do we connect other people to life-giving relationships and see that family grow. When we’re warmed, we provide …

Last week, we kicked off our series, Warmed, by proclaiming and experiencing God’s love. Even though God’s love is abundant, we can act like it is as scarce as warmth in the winter. How can we show God’s warmth to others when we haven’t received it ourselves lately? We need to be hosted first by God with the gifts God gives us (love, home, family, …

Have you ever been so cold that you don’t share a blanket? When you finally get some warmth in the winter, sharing it is not so easy. Sometimes, we simply need to be warmed in order to share that warmth with others. This is often true for God’s lavish love and hospitality. How can we show God’s warmth to others when we haven’t lately received it ou…

When we think of humility, we often think about lowering ourselves and our self-worth so as to not seem prideful or arrogant. What if being humble is not about taking on a false worth but actually stepping into the fullness of who God created you to be? What does that mean in the scheme of God's bigger story that He is writing? Join us this Sunday …

All of us, at some point, have wrestled with belief and unbelief. When we doubt, sometimes it causes us to wonder - do our questions and uncertainty cut us off from God? Could any of God's promises still be real and trustworthy in the face of our own unbelief? How can we still cling to the bigger story of our faith when we're not sure? This Sunday,…

In Advent, we remember the anticipation of many who were looking forward to the birth of Jesus. In Advent, we also expect and look forward to the second coming of Jesus. Both parts of Advent help us expand our own story — it started well before us and it is connected to something beyond us. As we expect a bigger story than just our own, we grow in …

Last week, we learned that “can I pray for you right now” is a helpful question to encourage real-time compassion, discipleship, and service to others. This week, we’ll engage “come Holy Spirit” as a powerful prayer to call on the Spirit’s power. This is an ancient prayer that has its roots in the disciples waiting on the Spirit at Pentecost before…

In the last few weeks, we proclaimed that spiritual gifts like prophecy and healing are from God and are meant to build up the Body. We also demonstrated this through some practical exercises around these gifts that have yielded some good stories. Praise God! Our Empowered series continues looking at how any number of these spiritual gifts operate …

"...and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal..." (Luke 9:2) The accounts of Jesus's public life and ministry in the gospels of the New Testament can be roughly divided between stories of Jesus's healing ministry, his teaching and dialogue with disciples, crowds, and religious leaders, and the extended narrative of his arrest …

After one of the most famous passages on love ever written, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians says, “follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” Huh? What do love, spiritual gifts, and prophecy have to do with one another? This Sunday, we will explore how prophecy is relevant today — not as a pl…

Last week, we looked at how Jesus invites us to Kingdom ministry alongside Him. We took a risk and sent out a few folks to pray for others on the green during service to see what God would do and got to hear testimonies of how God showed up. This week, Andy Saperstein will look at how Jesus and Elijah were able to notice and act upon the shouts and…

Last week, we talked about Jesus’ declaration that the Kingdom of God is at hand. We even practiced as a church as we did some real time Kingdom ministry during service. This week, we’ll continue that work as we unpack how Jesus invites us to Kingdom ministry alongside him. It is Jesus’ Kingdom, but we are all invited to pray in the power of the Ho…

What is the Kingdom of God? Is it now or not yet? As we begin our series, Empowered, we will start with an introduction of Jesus’ core message: the Kingdom of God is at hand. This Kingdom story is our story. Come and learn more. - Series Description - Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live…

As we’ve looked at our stories over the last few weeks, it’d be easy to see our stories as purely individual affairs connected to the person of God. After all, it’s my story! Right? Well, there is a power in stories not being only our own. Our stories are impacted and influenced by others. Our stories flourish in community. Many of our best stories…

How do you live out a story of worship even when wronged? This isn’t just the story of Jesus; it’s our story. It might not be a surprise to learn that our way of responding is different than Jesus’ way. Jesus was wronged repeatedly. And yet, he still chooses love. Learning the story of this kind of suffering might not be attractive, especially when…

What is your calling? This simple question can begin existential crises. Who am I, we ask? What if, however, our calling is less who we are and more what we find we cannot stop doing over the long haul. In good seasons, in bad seasons. Looking at our calling through the lens of our story, we can find patterns, habits, and rhymes that help us unders…

Our Stories series continues with a look at a story that invites us to trust. After hearing about the gift and power of stories, the primacy of love in our stories, and the way stories rhyme with goodness, we’re going to take a deeper dive into the stories of several folks from the Bible. As we consider what it means to trust God even when we don’t…

Join us this week as Kyanna shares about the power and importance of stories from our childhood. - Series Description - Revelation 12:11 says that we have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Our stories are powerful tools that reveal how God has been and continues to be at work in our lives and are meant to be weapons a…

Join us for our next sermon in our Be Not Afraid series. This Sunday, Shirley will be sharing about what it means to be not afraid in our speaking. Come and hear more! - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid. Fear not. Do not be afraid for God is with you. God says it. Angels say it. Jesus say…

Today, we’ll reflect on our fears of disqualification. What does God have to say to us even when we feel constrained by our fears? Gather with us to receive Jesus’ encouragement from the gospel of Luke. - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid. Fear not. Do not be afraid for God is with you. Go…

This week, Kyanna will be exploring what it looks like to be under the Lord's protection in danger. Come and hear more! - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid. Fear not. Do not be afraid for God is with you. God says it. Angels say it. Jesus says it. People say it. Why is it such a repeated e…

This week, Tina will be taking us deeper into God's invitation to not fear in the face of battle, through the lens of an ancient king who stood firm in battle by embracing his powerlessness and taking up worship as his weapon against the advancing enemy. - Series Description - Scripture records variations of this phrase so many times. Be Not Afraid…

God wants us to know that we do not have to fear. Whether it’s simply how harsh life can be or whether it’s opportunities God speaks to us about it, the fear we face can come either way. Today, Josh will explore both of those scenarios — the fears of life and the fear that comes when God invites us deeper into His story. After all, we have a story …

This week we connect rest with play. - Series Description - Rest can seem so elusive in our fast-paced culture and our own choices to cooperate with such a breakneck speed. Yet, rest remains a gift from God for God’s people. As the school year winds down, we have a chance to reevaluate and reset before we just adopt a version of a speedy summer. Us…

Join us as we connect rest with prayer. - Series Description - Rest can seem so elusive in our fast-paced culture and our own choices to cooperate with such a breakneck speed. Yet, rest remains a gift from God for God’s people. As the school year winds down, we have a chance to reevaluate and reset before we just adopt a version of a speedy summer.…

As we begin, we’ll connect rest with pausing and reflecting on God’s love. - Series Description - Rest can seem so elusive in our fast-paced culture and our own choices to cooperate with such a breakneck speed. Yet, rest remains a gift from God for God’s people. As the school year winds down, we have a chance to reevaluate and reset before we just …

In this series, we’ve been thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. As we near the end of the series, we'll reflect on corporate resurrection in the Body. Our hope is that our messages each week haven't made more individual to-do lists for us in the Church as we pursue our own …

In this series, we’ve thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. On Pentecost Sunday, we talk about how the story of the resurrection and the story of the Spirit's coming changes what it means to wait. Waiting for a season, waiting in the Sabbath, and waiting even in a moment of …

In this series, we’ve been thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. What might it look like to know God's power in the very places where we feel powerless? Through 2 Corinthians 12, we see how it's in our weaknesses that we meet the resurrection grace and power of Jesus. - Seri…

In this series, we’ve been thinking together about how different facets of our lives are changed by the hope and power of the resurrection. This week, Patrick will be talking about the grace that God has for us in parenting. - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives, we are exploring what it means to live post-Easter lives in light o…

This week, we will be discussing sex in light of a resurrected life. - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives, we are exploring what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has been raised, we can be raised too. But sometimes, it takes more than three days for us to believe and live into that res…

This week, we will be discussing money in light of a resurrected life. We'll take a look at the early church and learn from them what it looks like to live a hospitable and generous life until the Lord. - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives, we will explore what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrection. …

If resurrection has the power to transform death to life, shame to honor and forgiveness, isolation to community, and scarcity to abundance, then how might living in light of that kind of resurrection change us? - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives, we explore what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrecti…

If resurrection has the power to transform death to life, shame to honor and forgiveness, isolation to community, and scarcity to abundance, then how might living in light of that kind of resurrection change us? - Series Description - In this series, Resurrected Lives, we explore what it means to live post-Easter lives in light of Jesus’ resurrecti…