Ephesians, pt. 2: Reorientation of the Self
Maybe the structure of Ephesians is more prescriptive than the actual commands or teaching. In a world where our identity is often tossed about on the waves of ever-changing circumstances, technology, culture wars, and opinions, Paul reminds us that who we are is based solely on God's love for us through the work of Jesus. Today's Scripture readings: Ephesians 1:3-14
Everything Sad is Becoming Untrue
Today, we wanted to step away from our normal flow and series to speak into our church. Many individuals in our little church have experienced loss and hurt over the last month. So today we took the opportunity to speak to the heart of that loss and hurt. Today's Scripture readings: Ecclesiastes 7:1-5; Psalm 103:1-14; John 1:1-5, 10-14,16-18; Proverbs 8:22-31
Ephesians, pt. 1
Today, we begin our series through the letter to the church at Ephesus. We have decided to study this small letter as a way to begin to grasp how the gospel in real life invites us to live. However, before we step into the actual book, we want to look at Paul’s first visit in the book of Acts and use this as a way to talk about idolatry. Our scripture readings today came from Job 31:19-30, Acts 19: 8-10, 17-20, 23-28, 32, 35-38
A Better Citizen
Today we take some time to acknowledge America's 250th birthday. We currently face deep division within our nation, and much of that division runs right through the church. Our commitment to the extremes on either side is hindering our witness to the resurrected Jesus. The way of Christ calls us away from those extremes and shapes how we live as citizens in the countries we call home. The way of the cross isn't lived just for our own good, but for the good of this country as well.
A Better Temple
Today, we wrap up our Eastertide series, the season that begins with the resurrection of Jesus and moves through the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. As we close this short season on the Spirit's arrival, we look at how Luke identifies the church as the new and better temple
The Fruit of the Spirit
Growing up, the fruit of the Spirit versus the fruit of the flesh felt like a moral checklist, a list of behaviors that existed for their own sake. But there's a deeper purpose behind them, one that shapes us into a colony of heaven here on earth, the church.
A Literary Icon of the Church
Whether it's the first couple in Genesis or the picture of the church in Acts, the authors of scripture have a habit of creating literary icons, models for what something is meant to be. We see it in individuals, in marriages, in nations. This week, we explore Luke's literary icon of the church in Acts 2, a Spirit-empowered people.
Pentecost Sunday: Why the Holy Spirit
Pentecost is the day we celebrate two events at once: the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. Too often, the gift of the Spirit gets reduced to a doctrinal checkbox or sensationalized into a feeling or a language, missing the point entirely. Join us this week to discover why the Spirit was given to the church in the first place.
Ascension Sunday: More than going to heaven
The Ascension of Jesus is often framed as "he went to heaven so I can too." That story is far smaller than what actually happened. Ascension is the story that releases us to be the body of Christ in the world, under the rule of a far more powerful king. Join us this week as we dig into what the Ascension is actually about.
Eastertide: Abundant Life
Jesus did not come to simply improve our afterlife. He came to give us a life that is full, rich, and real right now. This week, we take an honest look at what that abundant life actually looks like in the everyday.
Eastertide: The Logic of Love
Every decision we make is driven by some kind of logic, whether it is what we want, what we fear, or what we have come to believe is true. This week we ask a simple but disruptive question: what happens to the way we think and live when we believe that love is the most powerful and lasting reality in the universe?
Lent: The Arrest of Jesus
Today we move to our second scene on the way to the Cross. We turn to John’s telling of the garden arrest, where we encounter four different ways of responding to the way of the Cross.
Lent: The High Priestly Prayer
On this first Sunday of Lent, we slow down and listen to the prayer of a dying man — Jesus’ final, heartfelt request to the Father. As we hear what matters most to him in that moment, we have to ask ourselves: Is the thing Jesus emphasizes so deeply the same thing we, as his Church, have chosen to emphasize?
Epiphany: Transfiguration Sunday
As we close out the season of Epiphany, we make our way up the mountain of Transfiguration. There, two things happen. First, we see Jesus revealed as the One in whom past and present meet — the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets gathered into a single, living person. Second, in Peter’s response, we are given a mirror. His instinct to preserve, control, and hold on exposes something in us.
Epiphany: The Voice
Today we explore one of the central figures of the Epiphany season, John the Baptist, and ask ourselves, how we, like John may become the epiphany of Jesus in our world.
Epiphany: The Empty God
As we begin the new year, we want to engage the idea of God - who is God? How do we know? Why? Because what we believe about God shapes who we become and how we engage the world. The way we all engage people, especially those who are different from us, says more about what we believe about God than our stated doctrines.
The Living Nativity
We wanted to take time to close out the year with a message about the Nativity. A symbol of Jesus' birth, but even more so, a symbol of God's character and nature. The nativity has been the victim of culture wars from both sides of the aisle, but if we really knew what it was about we may allow it to speak for itself.
This Story We’re In: Children of Exile
This week, we reflect on Judah’s life after the Temple’s destruction. God sends them, as His children, into exile—but even there, He calls them to live out the covenant: to be a blessing to the world. This call is not easy. We naturally seek security, comfort, and certainty before turning outward. Yet God reverses that order, inviting His people to find peace and prosperity by seeking the peace and prosperity of their host nation.