This is the story where Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. It starts with Gabriel meeting Mary and goes through Mary's stay with Elizabeth. Traditionally it's called The Visitation. This story gives us three gifts to think about during the season of Christmas.First, the gift of community. Mary goes to see Elizabeth. Why? She needs someone. She needs saf…

This story about John the Baptist centers on the question from the religious authorities: Who are you?J the B answers it by talking about who he is NOT. He is NOT the Messiah. I wonder if we should start where he starts. We are not the Messiah. One of the worst mistakes the church has made throughout history is claiming an identity and power that j…

"Come, thou long expected Jesus," the old Christmas carol says. We anticipate the story of a vulnerable family, an ordinary family of no consequence, in a stable. We talk of the arrival of a king, *the* king, so that we might celebrate God becoming flesh and bone in the form of a baby.Commonly the kingdom of God is talked about in future tense. Man…

There's a Rob Bell quote that talks about how Scripture is like a gem - you keep turning it and new and different things come out of it. It's a good quote and a good way to think about scripture. There are sooooo many ways that people have interpreted this story for like 2000 years. It's a frustrating story for me.So today we're turning the gem and…

Last week was the most important commandment - this week we go waaay back to the basics and talk about the ten commandments. We're starting by talking about the story of God saving the Israelites from Egypt. Basically a summary of the first 19 chapters of the book of Exodus. God parks them at the base of a mountain and says, "Okay, after I saved yo…

There are a range of feelings in the room after last week's events. To ignore that would be unfair and dishonest. Let's talk about this story, though. We're near the end of Jesus' life on earth, for context. He's asked a question: What's the most important commandment? If you truly want to live life to the fullest - what's the most important thing?…

Paul says to Timothy in this letter that he's the worst sinner ever. Yeah, ever. So, this is when we talk about his story back when he was Saul and how maybe he was right. Saul was a really bad dude. He was a religious extremist who sought out followers of Jesus so he could get them arrested or kill them.But then Saul met Jesus on the road to Damas…

Yay, Zacchaeus! Okay, did this one about five years ago - now we're taking a totally different angle. Zacchaeus wanted desperately to see Jesus. Questions it raises: when was the last time we felt that kind of desperation to see Jesus? When was the last time we wanted more? More meaning, purpose, significance - more life? He couldn't see because of…

Short little parable: two people go into the Temple and pray. A Pharisee and a tax collector. The tax collector goes home justified. Let's walk through this parable slowly and talk about how easy it is to think that we're "not like the Pharisee."Now there are also two words we should talk about: sin and sinner. Yeah, we have an aversion to those wo…

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Such a good story. I used to think I knew what this story was about - that I had it all figured out. But this story has depth, and layers, and we can learn so much more from it than we maybe expect. The basic read is that we should all be like Philip and courageously tell people about the good news of Jesus so that …

Mark skips any kind of birth narrative in his story about Jesus. He starts with John the Baptist. And J the B is all about preparation. If you want to meet this messiah, you've got to be prepared!John was probably a member of the Jewish sect known as the Essenes. Too much to write in here - suffice it to say they were kinda like the Jewish version …

Today we're talking about the story of the workers in the vineyard. We human beings have this sense of fairness deeply rooted within the human psyche. Which is why when we read this story it immediately doesn't seem fair. Why did Jesus tell such a story? Probably because he wants us to stop and think - maybe see the world differently. It's always w…

I'm gonna talk about who the best people in church are. No spoilers, you'll have to wait.There's a story where Jesus says that whoever welcomes a little child welcomes God. Whaaaat? What did he mean by that? I have three suggestions:1) Maybe Jesus said it because kids teach us that our imaginations can help us understand the things of God. Jesus te…

Speaker: Tony VisScripture: Philippians 1:18-26 http://bible.com/events/49315663Af ReNew Ames

Speaker: Holly ThompsonScripture: John 13:18-30http://bible.com/events/49305374Af ReNew Ames

Speaker: Marlin VisScripture: 1 Kings 19:1-9http://bible.com/events/49302038Af ReNew Ames

One of our current focus team members, Brian Gelder, brings us perspective on the history of soil in the lands of the early Old Testament stories, and what questions some of those stories raise for us when we examine the full context of the culture and history surrounding them. There is benefit in taking a bird's eye view of these lands and stories…

Paul responds with joy and in faith when in a tight circumstance. While imprisoned in Rome, awaiting judgment from Nero, he writes this letter to the church in Philippi. In the same fashion, we are meant to reflect before a watching world what God's intentions and character are.Speaker: Tony VisScripture: Philippians 1:12-19http://bible.com/events/…

We're talking about what forgiveness actually is, and what it ISN'T. Forgiving others who have hurt us isn't easy, and a lot of us were taught that it means forgetting the fault and harm done to us in favor of being in relationship with that person again.In reality, forgiveness often is not a once and done deal, and it will have to happen over and …

Here's a weird one to tackle before sabbatical! It's an odd little story about the Sadducees confronting Jesus with a question about marriage after the resurrection. Here are some things that I notice about the story that might be helpful.First, I notice that just like the Sadducees had questions, we also have questions. The thrust of this part is …

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD." He's asking for mercy - you only ask for mercy if you've done something wrong. So I ask the question: why do we even care about something written by some king over 2000 years ago? There are all kinds of things in this world that indicate it isn't what God intended it to be.The Psalm starts as a personal lam…

Jesus is sending out the disciples to do what they've seen him doing for some time now. But there's a danger here in taking his words too casually. When we put them within the context of the whole of chapter 10, they begin to carry a bit more weight.So if we read these words a little more deeply - and NOT a simply casual reading - here are some thi…

Without joy, there is little fulfillment in belief.Speaker: Tony VisScripture: Philippians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 11:23-27https://www.bible.com/events/49275906Af ReNew Ames

It's pretty clearly established that Jesus is a terrible salesman when he tells people to follow him. He has 4 conversations that challenge people with what he's selling. But what is he selling?1) He's selling rejection and extreme patience. Jesus gets rejected by Samaritans - a bunch of people who believe different things about all the things. Jam…

In several different places in the gospels, Jesus shares what his purpose is. Here's one from John 10 - he says, "I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly." Then a little later on - in John 15 - he tells his followers that if we want to have abundant life, we need to stay connected to the vine.Problem is, that's not always that …

Pentecost - birthday of the church - the day the Spirit came. All of that.Wind is unpredictable. I think one of the best ways to describe wind is that it's powerful. We've been harnessing the power of wind for a really long time. Windmills - sails - etc.As we enter the story of Pentecost, here are three things to think about:1) This wind power - sp…

If you knew you were about to die, what would you say to those in this world you love the most? What hope or dream would you share? What advice would you give?That's essentially what we get in Jesus' words. He knows the end is near. So what dream does he give them? A command and a promise. The command - love each other. Jesus doesn't say, act as if…

The image of the good shepherd brings up complicated feelings for me. I'll explain why - hoping everyone else sort of feels the same way. I don't have answers in this message. All I come with is a bunch of questions. I'll ask them and I'll try to answer them.1) Why does Jesus use this metaphor for himself in this particular setting? A lot to explai…

There are lots of things we do without thinking about the reason we do them. A relevant example on a Sunday morning is how we order our worship services. Why do we worship? More specifically, why do we do the certain things we do in worship? It's called the liturgy - which means the work of the people. There's an intentionality to it - a reason - a…

So Jesus has been gone, his disciples aren't with him anymore. Peter says, "I’m going fishing, who’s with me?" And they all go back to their previous way of life.We often do this, too. God reveals something to us and we’re sure of what next steps to take. But life hits us hard and we end up not doing what we just committed to doing. We revert back …

Doubting Thomas story. Yay. The word "believe" is so important to John. He includes this story about someone who just can't believe. I'm glad that Thomas made it into the story. Because sometimes it's hard to believe. Do we really believe this stuff? I think it's a fair question - and it's a question we shouldn't hesitate to ask.Christianity is mad…

The disciples are locked in a room. Jesus comes through the door and suddenly dead isn't dead anymore. Twice he says, "Peace be with you." Says, "As the Father is sending me, so I'm sending you." Here's what I think Jesus might be getting at: "Just like I created an environment for you to be transformed - become new - I'm now sending you into the w…

We're going to walk through John's account of the resurrection. If we piece all the stories together, we can tell there was a whole lot of confusion about the day. How many guards were there? Was there really an earthquake? What did the angels say? Did Mary go to the tomb alone? Or not? All of these discrepancies in the story show that these people…

There's a Dallas Willard quote where he argues that Jesus is the smartest person who ever lived. It's pretty cool. Not only is Jesus brilliant, but he's also one of the greatest communicators to ever live. He communicated with words, yes. But he also communicated with his body.So the question is: as we watch Jesus enter Jerusalem, what is he trying…

*We apologize for the sound quality, our system was having difficulties this week*The parable of the rich young fool has been read and interpreted many ways. There are some who would see it as a cautionary tale against gaining wealth, and others who would say it is more about what you do with your wealth.Perhaps it is somewhere in between, asking u…

Simple one note message. We're just gonna walk through the story and see if we can make sense of it. Mark's story is important to put into context to understand what's going on here.. The disciples have seen and experienced some mind-blowing things. They're on a spiritual high. Jesus senses it, so he asks them who people think he is. Then he asks t…

It's a common belief and teaching within the Western Church that the passages about not worrying, not being afraid, are commands to never be anxious or worry. That if we do, we are sinful and should repent for those responses to events and wonderings.But this is not the case. Framed as gentle admonishing, or kind reassurances, it is like a parent s…

Jesus in the wilderness, tempted by the evil one. Okay, I've preached on this like six times between Matthew's story and Luke's. But a different angle today. This is always the story that begins Lent, and we need the lessons in this story because of what it says about Jesus.1) We need the Jesus of the wilderness. Jesus knows anxiety, knows depressi…

Pink Himalayan Salt. Yeah, it's all over my TikTok right now and seems to be a thing. Maybe I'm wrong and people will be like, "Dude, what the hell are you talking about?" Don't care. Gonna talk about it anyway because we're thinking about salt.Salt is important today - the ancients knew this, too, for a variety of important things. Jesus said, "Yo…

1) Our self-worth begins with the knowledge that God isn't distant. This would have been a revolutionary idea at the time. No, this God cares for and loves and interrupts the lives of human beings.2) Our lives began with God knitting us together. This is the image of a woman intricately weaving or knitting something together. It's creating somethin…

What does the upcoming year look like? Because it feels like it's gonna be an upward climb. We live in a very different world than just a few short years ago. The past is gone and, as always, the future is unknown. But the future now looks to be a bit more shaky than usual.The context of this passage is Israel's time in Babylonian captivity. They w…

New Year's resolutions are hard to keep; so many people don't even make it out of January. But I think they're still good things. Something inside of us says, "Dammit, life could be better for me. Something's gotta change."That's how it was for Israel - God looked at the state of his relationship with him and thought, something's gotta change. God …

So it's the first Sunday of Epiphany. During this season, we normally take a look at the stories in the Bible where God reveals God's self to people in new and different ways. This is certainly one of those stories. Jesus appears to John in a big robe with a golden sash. He's huge - his hair is white and his eyes are like fire and his feet are bron…

This is the story of the birth of Jesus. Why would God come to us in this way? Why would God do such a thing? It's a question I've asked and answered before - this time in a little different way.1) I think God did such a thing to show us that God's not afraid of the mess. This story is so messy - from an unwed pregnant 14 year old Mary all the way …

The story of the choosing/calling of Mary. We're going to walk through Mary's Song."My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior." How might this be good news for us? In her circumstances, she responds with a song. And not just any song, it's a song that before it's about anything else, it's about joy. She responds with joy. T…

J the B preparing the way. John's mission is to prepare people for the coming of Jesus. His message was all about repentance. To change your mind. Be open to the possibility that the way you perceive the world might not be the very best way. Turn around. Move in a different and better direction. Wake up and take corrective action.Problem is, we don…

When was the last time you were really vulnerable - like you really needed help? This is the context into which Isaiah is praying. Israel really needed help. Tear open the heavens and come down!Advent begins from a place of desperation - the place of helplessness - the place of vulnerability. If we're honest about it, we're all in that place of vul…

We're moving toward Advent and this scripture gets us there. John is writing this letter to real people in a real place and time. These are people who needed to be reminded that God is present and that God is large. So John gives them a vision of the divine that is much larger than our brains can comprehend: God is larger than space and time as we …

The calling of the prophet Samuel. I love the honesty in this story. Clearly, Samuel wasn't ready for a call from God. It took him 4 times before he realized it was God calling and even then he had to have someone else tell him what was going on. If we're honest - no one's ever really ready for a call from the divine. Just read through the Bible - …

What is prayer? Do we have an adequate definition? If we're honest, prayer is kinda hard to define. Jesus never gives us a definition, but he does give us a prayer. The one we find in Luke is the shorter version of The Lord's Prayer. Some of us know this prayer so well that we can say it without thinking about it. Like brushing our teeth, or puttin…