Christ City Church Memphis: Recent Episodes
Christ City Church
We are Christ City Church in Memphis, TN. We are becoming followers of Jesus who recover their lives, reimagine their purpose, and refresh their world.
It is possible to become so loyal to the immediacy of the present or the ghosts of the past that we neglect the responsibilities and possibilities of the future. What does it mean to see the future as a place where we consider, not only ourselves, but our community? How can we view our choices as seeds being planted that will bear fruit or thistles, wheat or chaff, trees or bird food for the future of our family, our community our city? Join us as we seek inspiration to live with a holy sense of loyalty to the future.
Our loyalty to our family can be a good and needed thing. There are also times It can also hold us back from living out the full potential of our life of faith. Discerning the difference is important. Join us as we explore the radical way Jesus redefines family and family roles in the gospel of Mark.
What decisions keep you up at night? What are the moral dilemmas that confuse or enrage you? Is there a path to greater clarity and humility in our lives? Jesus navigates these important questions in a world of complexity and danger.
Do you have an overdeveloped sense of guilt? How would you know if you did? Can guilt be helpful? What role does guilt play in healthy spirituality and relationships? Listen in as we learn about one of the most powerful forces in the human experience.
“In a dangerous world what can we expect God to protect us from?” How we answer this question has a significant impact on the choices we make and the lives we lead. Listen in as we explore this fundamental concern.
Parenting has always been a challenge and seems to be more complicated than ever today. What we may not realize is that all of us have the opportunity to be in a parenting role of one kind or another- which means the challenge of parenting applies to us all. Join us as we answer the question “How does our understanding of being a child of God inform our roles as parents?”
Have you ever learned something new about a friend and that new understanding helped you feel like you knew them better? This can highlight our propensity to mistake familiarity with understanding. Its times like these we need a shake up to remember things can be more than what we have come to see them as. What if Jesus’ gospel message is this way-something we are familiar with but still have much to discover. Join us as we consider a future reimagined by a gospel that is a little less familiar and has more to teach us than we may have thought.
The fifty-day feast following the pinnacle of the Christian calendar, Easter. During Eastertide, the Church celebrated the resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Christ after His death by crucifixion.
Join us as we continue to explore the act of sharing life, neighborhood, possessions, and money as an active and concrete reminder of the faith we belong to through the resurrected life of Jesus the Christ.
How do you know what groups you belong to? What actions and thoughts do you engage in that remind you of your place in your family, job and world? As followers of Christ Jesus, we believe we are a part of one body collected in the wholeness of the resurrected Christ. We can sometimes forget this, but there are things we can do and think about that help us to remember. Join us as we remember together.
We all need guides in a world of uncertainty. Who will you choose to have faith in? Who can lead you into a future of hope and possibility? Is there anyone that has gone before us? (Spoiler Alert: Jesus Has).
“Why?” The question everyone asks when suffering visits their world. During the fifth week of Lent, we delve into the role of prayer and salvation in Jesus’ suffering and our own. How can we live with faith, courage and hope in a world where we, and the ones we love, are likely to experience great suffering.
Often we prefer hiding over being seen due to feelings of shame and guilt about our story. When this is coupled with a lack of courage and hope in others it can keep us in the same hidden ruts —even if we want to change. Still, our hearts ache to be seen. How can we find the faith to walk in the light of Christ and let ourselves be seen? Listen in as we chart a path into the light.
When you think of justice what comes to mind? How is justice to be defined and understood by those of us whose first allegiance is to Christ? How do we keep the pursuit of justice as a practice in our lives? Join the conversation this Sunday as we conclude our Eight Practices series with the eighth and final practice- Pursue Justice.
What does it mean to be a merciful person? As Christians we believe that God is abundantly kind, loving and merciful and that the supreme expression of this is located in the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus. How do we own the practice of showing mercy in our daily lives and decisions? Listen in as we explore the seventh practice in our series on the Eight Practices of Christ City.
What does it mean to be a creator of beauty in our world? How can we live with more purpose and intention by elevating beauty to an essential place in our lives? What are the barriers and counterfeits to creating beauty? Join us as we discuss these ideas and more as we explore Create Beauty- the sixth of our eight practices.
People shape culture and culture shapes people. Culture informs our view of the world and gives meaning and purpose to many of our actions. What does it look like to engage something so immersive it can be hard to distinguish how we influence it an how it influences us? As Christ followers understanding this distinction is key in practicing our faith. Join in for the discussion on our fifth practice in our series on the eight practices.
Every person bears the fingerprint of God and are therefore a unique glimpse into the Divine's multifaceted nature. Yes, so often we are content tom maintain our safety and comfortability in what is familiar and unchallenging, depriving ourselves of the growth and maturity that comes in welcoming and loving the manifold beauty in human experience. Join us as we explore the fourth practice in our series on the eight practices - Embrace Diversity.
Every human being is spiritual, this is a core belief of faith. Yet, how often do we think of actively cultivating our spirituality with the goal of producing spiritual fruit in out lives?Just like the farmer cultivates the ground for a future crop and harvest, so too, the follower of Christ cultivates their spiritual life to produce of a life of faith, hope and love. Join us as we explore the third practice in our series on the eight practices- Cultivate Spirituality.
What does it mean to be a healthy individual? Or better yet, what constitutes a healthy culture? There are a staggering number of different answers to these questions in our world today. To make it even more complex, there have been interpretations of the Christian life that have led to very unhealthy lifestyles. Join us as we explore a practice of seeking health that is deeply rooted in a Christian identity.
Many people regularly talk about “being present” or being “in the present moment.” Indeed, choosing presence is a powerful tool that can lead us into deeper communion with ourselves, others and God. In the scriptures we see many examples of how a sustained attention to what is happening in and around us can lead us into a holy awareness resulting in a life marked by compassion and empathy. So why is it so hard to actually sustain and what battles can we expect to encounter if we begin the intentional practice of presence in our lives? Join us in the first of an eight week series called the Eight Practices of Christ City Church.
When life threatens to crush all hope, the people of God have again and again relied on the deep reservoir of the dreams of the prophets. Yesterday and today, dreams are what fuel our hopes for tomorrow. Just as the coming of Jesus was once a sustaining dream in the hearts of those longing for renewal and refreshment, so we wait as expectant dreamers for his return. Join in the discussion as we participate in the third Sunday of Advent.
Have you ever waited for a problem to get better by ignoring it and hoping the passing of time would bring resolution? Dr. King once said that time is neutral and can be aligned with evil or good, but to expect that its passing will fix our problems is folly. So what do we do in this advent season? Listen in as we learn what it means to take part in an active peace that becomes the ally of time. The second week of Advent.
In the first week of advent we ask “What is missing in our lives?” Could there be a grasping for something without realizing what that something is? As we reorient ourselves to the spiritual task of expectant waiting we consider that what we are waiting for is simply to be seen- To be seen, in particular, by the luminous gaze of our Creator. Join us in this hopeful space of advent!
On the last Sunday of the church calendar we observe the celebration of Christ the King, and collectively remember to whom we belong and how we are all joined together.
What does Jesus ask from his disciples? Join us this week as we explore the demands of the Kingdom of Heaven and what our work in it is.
Have you ever had a moment where you realized something big had happened in the world and you hadn’t noticed until it was over? Life is overwhelming enough and it can be hard to focus our attention and to have the energy and passion to live with clear vision. Let’s explore what it means to stay spiritually awake in a world asleep to a purposeful good news.
Have you ever been called a hypocrite? It’s one of the most common epithets used toward someone who claims to be religious, christian or moral. Even when we try with all our might it can be difficult to integrate the person we want people to see us as and the person we are. What are the results of living a whole life pretending to be someone we are not and is there any real hope of change? Join us as we discuss hypocrisy and a life of integrity.
Scripture is replete with stories and impact of a multigenerational faith and perspective. How can we bring this far seeing awareness into our present world that is so dominated by the tyranny of "nowness"? Listen in and discover more of our purpose in the grand narrative we find ourselves in.
After a series on the vision and mission of Christ City Church, and a word from Ben and Robert, we are moving back into the lectionary as we get closer to the season of advent. Wondering what the lectionary is and how we use it for worship and preaching? Check out our Instagram to learn more about it from pastor Jamin.
Whom are you loyal to? -for what reasons and to what extent? This is the underlying question Jesus is being asked when a group of “frenemies” ask his opinion on paying taxes to the occupying Roman forces of his day. How does one live in a compromised world of contradictory loyalties? How do we make decisions that bring light and not darkness as we seek to imitate the life, teachings and creativity of the Christ? Listen in as we wrestles with these important questions.
Everyday we are bombarded with the message More = Better. But what if this is a lie? Join us this Sunday morning as Robert Grisham teaches on the concept of Enough.
Join us this Sunday as we explore questions about who God is, belonging, and what it means to wander from the fold.
Join us this Sunday as we explore these passages and learn what our spirituality produces.
Jamin was sick last Sunday, so this week he will pick up where he left off in the two part series on discipleship. Join us as we continue to explore questions about how we grow and access our potential as human beings made in the image of God- in essence how can we become Christ-like?
How do we grow? How do we realize our potential as unique human beings made in the image of God? Listen in as we discuss the path of a learner.
As humans we can’t help but create and we use this impulse with both noble and reckless intention. Jesus saw the material world infused with the blessing and goodness of God to the point that a sparrow does not fall without God's notice and care. Seeing through this divine paradigm means we get to take what God has given us and bless it, form it, shape it, build it, break and share it. Christ created in these ways with the bread and wine, mud on a blind man's eyes, building a community of followers, restoring those who had fallen ill, were possessed or maimed, and with water made wine.
Listen in as we move toward a greater understanding and inspiration of creating lives of purpose! The final part of our mission series.
Without wonder, our faith and life can become inflexible and rigid. At Christ City we are calling one another to a space where we can worship in wonder. This means we may have to address some of the ideas, narratives, and behaviors that crowd out the possibility of wonder in our lives. Jesus winks at this when he says the kingdom of heaven belongs to children and that we will access it only by becoming like them.
What is a child if not a being filled with wonder? Listen in as as we explore part two of the new mission of Christ City.
At Christ City Church, and as followers of Jesus, we are compelled to serve one another and our community. To serve others well we need access to our hearts. Duty and obligation alone will not sustain us. Join us this Sunday as we learn more about the first part of the new mission of Christ City Church - Serve with Heart.
Join us as we continue to explore our vision - A Place to Know God and see how belonging and believing (knowing God) are intricately and intimately connected.
Join us this Sunday in welcoming guest preacher Rev. Dr. Rosalyn R. Nichols. Roz is the organizing pastor of Freedom’s Chapel Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, TN. She is a native of Memphis, TN and proud to have graduated with honors from the historic Booker T. Washington High School and LeMoyne Owen College.
Join us this Sunday in welcoming guest preacher Vahisha Hasan. Vahisha is a faith rooted organizer with a passion for well people and well systems. She is currently serving as the Program Director at the Historic Clayborn Temple, where she plans and implements programs that support the artistic, interpretative, and community based expressions of the organization. An ordained reverend, powerful public speaker, and transformative facilitator, she has published 4 books, contributed to published works, and written curriculum for an Applied Psychology Degree Program. She holds a Master’s of Divinity and Master’s of Mental Health Counseling with an Education Specialist Certification from Gardner-Webb University. Vahisha is her best self in community and can be found moving to the end of her own rainbow in the US South.
As we explore the complex and all too familiar family dynamics of Isaac and Rebecca’s family, we reflect on what healthy expectations of God, ourselves and others look like. What does it mean to be blessed? Are you giving you giving up your blessing?
Join us as elder Amanda Wiig shares the story of the meta narrative of the Bible, pulling out specifically redemptive themes and highlighting the role of women and marginalized people.
Humans find it so easy to separate themselves from one another: through sports, politics, theology, tragedy, culture, etc. Some are certainly more welcome than others. But when these lines drawn become barriers to genuine relationship with others and Christ, which will we find ourselves valuing more? Which will we allow to define us? Join us on Sunday as we discuss how Paul sees becoming like Christ and finding Christ in others as the answer.
Who is in God’s family, and on whose behalf should God act? The answers to these questions have the power to build or destroy families and communities (and has!). Spending time with the story of Hagar and the oppression she experiences from Sarah and Abraham can help us to see family, faith, and the provision of God in a more complex, empathetic, and grounded way. Join us as we walk with Hagar in her journey of faith and the ties it has to family. Part three of three of Family Matters.
How do you deal with the ever-present gap between what you hope for in life and reality? Each of our families taught us ways to manage, engage, deny, or denounce our hope. This doesn’t always work out well. Is there a better way? Listen in as we continue exploring how family matters in life and faith. Part two of a three-part series called Family Matters.
Our faith and spirituality is inextricably tied to those we call family. Some of the most difficult, and necessary, times in every family are the seasons when someone leaves to explore who they are and to make their own choices in life. Whether we are the one leaving or letting go, how do we navigate these threshold moments in family life? Listen in to join the discussion.
What does it mean that humans are “made in the image of God?” Many have proposed that this means humans possess consciousness, rational thought, a spirit, among other things. While none of these are necessarily incorrect, do they help us in understanding what Genesis One wants to communicate? Join us this Sunday as we explore how the image of God, as understood in Genesis One, is a descriptor of humanity’s vocation or role within creation, rather than a specific attribute imbued upon humankind, and how this can inform how we live.
Sometimes we lose the capacity to be surprised by what others are capable of and how God might use them. When we find ourselves here we will almost certainly miss out on the Spirit of God’s movement in the world. Listen in as we open up to a curiosity and wonder of how God chooses to work.
What motivates you? Dreaming about the future, and imagining what God will do and how we can partner with the Divine, can inspire us and strengthen us to live with courage, wonder, and purpose in the present. Part of the series Life Goes On.
People in our culture often claim to be spiritual. This is good! We are spiritual beings. Yet our spirituality has a source and knowing that Source is what our faith claims is possible- that the great unknowable one [God] has been made known. How can we engage the infinite mystery of God in our own spiritual lives today? How could doing so make us more whole? Part of the series Life Goes On.
Have you ever noticed that when you expect to find something(or someone) in a particular place you have better chance of finding it/them? In scripture and the breaking of bread is how Jesus is revealed to the disciples who traveled down Emmaus road on the third day after His crucifixion. Join us as we continue to explore how we can do the same. Part of the series Life Goes On.
Have you ever thought- “I don’t really know what to do with the Bible or how to make sense of it?” If you have, this eastertide message is for you. If you think you already know how to use the Bible, this message is for you. Part of the series Life Goes On.
Pain, disappointments, grief and hurt are gifts no one longs for, yet they come. When they leave somehow we become stronger - trusting in what no one else can see and feeling God’s loving arms as they surround us letting us know it’s okay!
Come join us as we explore waiting for this peace that surpasses all our understanding.
All of us have doubts about the things, people and events that matter most to us. What we do with our doubt can produce trust and proper confidence or shrink our hearts with lonely cynicism. Lean in as we learn what it looks like to live with a doubt that builds trust.
Distraught and confused, completely out of equilibrium; looking for something (or someone) that has almost certainly been lost forever -have you ever felt this way? Mary Magdalene, one of the first witnesses to the resurrection, experienced this loss of balance until she was steadied by a familiar voice. Open your ears to hear the kingdom of heaven! The final part in the series- The Kingdom of Heaven is Near You.
As we observe Palm Sunday we contemplate what success looks like in the Kingdom of Heaven. Part Six of the series- The Kingdom of Heaven is Near You.
Why do we suffer? Why do some people have good health (sometimes despite the way they live) while others fight unrelenting sickness or disabilities? These questions have always troubled humanity and religion has grappled with them just as long. Unsurprisingly, Jesus is faced with this problem when he and his disciples encounter a man who was born blind. Jesus’ answer may not satisfy our curiosities but it can help us to see through his eyes into the Kingdom of Heaven. Join us for part five of The Kingdom of Heaven is Near You.
Join us as we continue the conversation about sharing our faith and how we can speak of God in a way that feels as natural as breathing, eating or even drinking(water). Part four of series the Kingdom of Heaven is Near You.
When you think of sharing our faith with others do you feel constricted to only a few metaphors and ideas? -a particular type of speech that must be said in a singular way? Can God be found only in these places? Let’s listen in to Jesus’ conversation with a woman at a well known location to gain some insight. Part three of series The Kingdom of Heaven is Near You.
Contrary to what is often said, most of us see the world the same way, it’s how we interrupt what we see that greatly varies. Sometimes our interpretation of the world is so wounded and disfigured it needs to be reborn, so we can see the world as an awe-strikingly beautiful place full of a staggering potential for good and evil. This type of vision is what Jesus sometimes calls seeing the kingdom of heaven. Receive the gift of new sight!
Have you ever tried to take control of something thinking it would be better if you were in charge? In a moment of desperate weakness Jesus was tempted to take charge over all the kingdoms of the world. But he rejected it. The gospel of Mathew makes it clear that that type of lust for power is akin to worshiping evil/the devil and courting disaster. Yet as human beings we are made to wield power and to have ambitions. Jesus rejects one kind of power that leads to pain and misery for the many and corrupting greed for the few. He embraces a different power residing in a kingdom of physical, spiritual and justice oriented abundance for all- The kingdom of heaven. It's available for us as well!
As we wrap up our Epiphany series, Robert Grisham will be sharing a story of one day in the life of Jesus.
Whether they are spiritual or secular, laws are meant to create justice and order in our world. If only they worked (better). Join us as we wrestle with Jesus’ stance on the rules of our sacred text and what might help us work it out in a better way. Part 5 of the series Epiphany.
How do you handle change? Do you reject it or embrace it? And what happens when what you thought you knew about God comes crashing down around you? This week, in part four of the series of Epiphany, we'll explore how God actively works patient, loving change in us and through us to bring newness of life to everyone.
In the wake of the murder of Tyre Nichols, we contemplate the connection between protest and seeking justice. How do we do this as individuals and as Christians, and what does this look like for our congregation in particular?
Have you ever tried not to know something? Because knowing it would mean you had to face a truth you weren’t ready to face(good or bad)? Many epiphanies strike us when something significant is revealed and at the same time we have the feeling we already knew it somehow. What if we lived our lives knowing that we were made to know God and so was everyone else? That this “knowing” lay dormant in every individual we see? Join us as we explore the thing you already know in part three of the series Epiphany.
Have you ever been working hard on something important to you only to watch someone else do it far better and more creatively? How did you react? There is an incredible life lesson available to us in these moments, when we have done all we can do and we are still unable to become what we want to become. All it takes, to attain this understanding, is a willingness to reexamining what the biggest thing about your life could be. Easy right? Part two of the series Epiphany.
What are the moments that create a distinct sense of a “before and after” in your life? How have these moments changed the way you view the world and your relationships? As we begin the series Epiphany we start by reflecting on the revelation of Jesus as the place where heaven and earth comingles as never before. Once recognized, this event, this person, forever changed and changes the perception of what is possible for humans and God and for us today.
Have you given up on love? -the love of relationships filled with meaning and hope? Love that anticipates divine care in the midst of the mundane and ordinary loneliness of life? What if we were in the company of such love and didn’t know it? Join us as we explore love, loneliness and the expectation of divine company in our final sermon of the series Elevating Hospitality.
Have you ever felt the heights of optimism and the depths of despair within a single day? As we wait for God during this advent season, it can be frustrating to acknowledge that our lives are continuously filled with both joy and sadness, beauty and ashes. How we think about this paradox is essential to how we practice hospitality. Join us in part three of the series Elevating Hospitality.
In our second sermon in the series Elevating hospitality we explore the sometimes difficult idea of preparing a place in our world for the activity of God and how repentance plays a critical role in the process.
Hospitality is one of the most essential needs. It has the potential to deepen existing relationships and create the space for new ones to flourishing. The prophets dreamed of a day that God would make a home with God's own people and, in turn, that all people would benefit from God's divine and universal hospitality. Join us as we ponder the importance of hospitality in our faith. This is a four part series called Elevating Hospitality.
God’s ultimate goal for humanity is redemption and rescue, and his means for doing that was Jesus’ death on the Cross. Join us this Sunday as we seek to unpack all that this means as Robert Grisham teaches.
Join us as we explore the value of hard work, the distinction between idleness and rest, and how our faith can help us find the equilibrium we all so desperately need.
As we acknowledge all saints day this Sunday we take time to engage some of life’s most eminent questions. What happens when we die? If there is an afterlife, what will it be like? Do we have a connection to those who have died? Join us as we contemplate what it means to know the Divine as the God of the living.
What does it mean to be reconciled to God? Is it believing the right doctrine or following the right teacher? Maybe it’s simply having a personal relationship with Jesus? What if reconciliation with God actually has just as much to do with with our relationship with God as it does our relationship with others? Join us this Sunday as we explore these questions.
What if generational poverty didn’t exist? What if each family had their own property? What if the deck was stacked, every seven years and every fiftieth year, toward the most vulnerable- debts being forgiven, priceless family land restored? How would our world look different today? In the book of Leviticus, which is mainly concerned with holiness and purity laws, stands a chapter where these magnanimous and holy statutes are given. The year in which these things take place is called the year of Jubilee! A time of celebration where burdens are removed and the vulnerable are made secure. What would happen if we believed it was possible? Listen in as we continue to discuss the divinity of debt forgiveness! The final installment in the series Possession(s).
The concept of owing someone something seems to be an inescapable aspect of human interaction. It’s something we don’t often question unless we are the ones that need to be forgiven. What kind of world would we have if every debt had a shelf life and everyone, not just those “too big to fail”, had a chance to start fresh-financially. This is the world that the prophets of ancient Israel put forth to the people of God. What will we do with these ideas today? Listen in and discover more. Part five of the series Possession(s).
How do we respond to the demands and opportunities within the complex web of social and economic relationships we call society? How do we live when resources, jobs, and opportunities seem to be at our finger tips or, inversely, far out of reach? What would it look like if we began to view our money and resources, not only autonomously, but as part of a greater economic, interdependent ecosystem? Join us as we dive deep into the state of welfare in our city, and in ourselves, in the fourth installment of the series Possession(s).
What does it look like to be mastered by money, and in contrast, to learn to master money? Join us this Sunday as Robert Grisham preaches part three of the series Possession(s).
What does it take for you to listen to good advice? Many aspects of a healthy spiritual life are not a matter of needing more information or some special revelation. Instead, what we often need is to understand what makes us so complacent, self involved or afraid that we fail to do the good we already know to do -with our finances. Join us as we find hope and strength to take action in part two of the series Possession(s).
What happens when we apply the same creativity used to build wealth or get ourselves out of financial jams to our spiritual life? Listen in as we reimagine the relationship between money and religion and see ourselves as spiritual entrepreneurs.
Being overloaded with information today from social media, streaming services, various entertainment sources, breaking news reports, gaming etc.; the list is endless how our attention gets pulled in so many ways. Join us as we look at this practice Cultivating spirituality and how we can begin to heal from fears, being overwhelmed, anxieties, bitterness and grief.
Life is dynamic and so are each of us. At Christ City we are learning to follow Jesus in the constant changes we experience in the flow of life. This perspective has led us to our mission: Becoming disciples of Jesus who recover their lives, reimagine their purpose and refresh their world. Listen in to join the conversation and click https://christcity.org/vision-mission to learn more about the vision and mission of CCC.
The vision of Christ City Church is to be A Place to Belong and A Place to Know God. Join us as we discuss the deep and layered topic of what it means to know God and the paths we seek to connect with the Divine. Click here to learn more about our vision https://christcity.org/vision-missions.
A place to belong is the first half of the vision of Christ City Church. Join us as we explore what this looks like in the life of our church and how we aspire to be, more and more, this type of spiritual family. Click https://christcity.org/vision-mission to learn more about our vision.
When we try to make meaning in our present without taking into account the past, we end up living untethered lives, deriving purpose in a vacuous space. We need neither deride the past or accept it uncritically but instead seek to recognize our place and purpose within it. Join us, as we examine the powerful implications of knowing your place. Part three of three in the series Embracing Purpose.
How can we live our lives knowing that one day we will be gone and those coming after us will inherit what we have left? Depending on our age and stage in life, the answer to this question can look very different. One thing we can be sure of is that it takes faith mingled with purpose to build a spiritual inheritance for the future that all followers of Jesus are called on to help create. Join us as we embark on that task. Part two of three of the series Embracing Purpose.
In every stage of life we find ourselves in there is an important task to accomplish. When we fail to recognize the task set before us we can lose faith, or worse, become petty, bitter, or disengaged. In this Sunday’s gospel passage, Jesus illuminates one such stage. Join us, as we ponder our life tasks as changing, growing humans. Part one of three of the series Embracing Purpose.
With all that is, and continues, to happen in our world we can be quick to say the phrase “ It’s the will of God” from everything to disease, war, and if there is a good parking spot for us at Kroger. But what do we really mean when we say “Will of God?” In this sermon Rev. Sandra will unpack this loaded phrase using the framework presented in “The Will of God” by Leslie Weatherhead. This short book was originally published in 1944, and remains a powerful tool for more deeply understanding what the Will of God is and how to live our lives accordingly.
In our society, we gauge our quality of life by our bank accounts, how much we can produce, and how much entertainment we can consume. The undercurrent in our thinking says we can get enough to be satisfied, we just haven’t made it there yet. The Scriptures remind us again and again that while we live by “bread”-material goods, it’s not bread alone that can sustain and satisfy us. When we try, the bread goes bitter and so does life. Listen in as we imagine a different way.
If you’ve been around church very long you’re probably familiar with the term discipleship. It’s not a term that we use outside of the church world. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Why would we want to become his disciple? And what should we hope to gain by being his disciple? Join us this Sunday as Robert Grisham explores these questions.
Political division, sexual abuse and coverups, gun rights, abortion rights, COVID vaccine responses, immigration, racial injustice; these are just a few of the many issues that are ripping us apart, both as a society but also as individuals. And they continue to cloud this “Way of Jesus” faith that we belong to. There are days when we wonder if perhaps the church is causing more harm than good. That’s a scary question, but it’s a real one. If we were to peel back the layers and layers of our faith, what would we find at the center? Join us this week as Robert Grisham explores what our identity as part of the Family of God looks like.
We tend to notice things that are important to us or things we have been trained to see- a carpenter notices which way the wood grain runs and a parent can tell if their child is telling the truth. What we notice shapes our view of reality, what we think is possible and which proble
Join us this Juneteenth and Father's Day as we welcome a special guest preacher, Rev. Ayanna Watkins. Rev. Watkins is the Lead Organizer and Executive Director of the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH).
We often speak of truth as something that exists on its own, independent of any person or perspective. The Bible, on the other hand, speaks of truth as understood in relationship and mediated through relationship. Join us as we explore just what it means to live out of the truth of your relationships.
Dreams and visions can inspire us to pursue higher, more noble and creative goals. Truth telling can ground us by forcing us to look at what life is, instead of what we wish it to be. How can we become the type of people who ask for, and look to receive, these gifts from the spirit of God? Join us as we explore these questions on Pentecost Sunday.
Christians have been waiting for the restoration and the renewal of all things - the return of the Christ - for a long time. What does it look like to live in between the despair of our current world and the hope of a renewed one? Join us as we conclude the series The End. And the Beginning.
What would you do if the sun didn’t set and you always felt safe enough to keep your doors unlocked? What if the most difficult challenges of your personal life and of society seemed solvable? Join us as we commit our imaginations to 24 hours of daylight. Part of the series The End. And the Beginning.
In a vision of the end, John shows us an amazing scene where the divine presence comes to dwell on earth in a new, incredible city. This picture stands in stark contrast with the familiar image of a few faithful christians being caught up from the earth into a weightless heaven. Join us this Sunday as wonder and worship at the prospect of a heavenly address on earth when God moves in! Part of the series The End. And the Beginning.
People of every nation, tribe, and language, get along and rejoice in John’s inspiring vision of the future. What makes this possible, and how can this revelation bring hope to our present? Join us as we continue the series The End. And The Beginning.
The story is bookended by belonging and connection and wholeness. How do we live in the middle of the story in light of this hope? Join us as we continue to explore The End. And The Beginning.
Each person sees things from a different vantage point based on when, and where, we were born and what we’ve experienced. It’s part of the reason we argue about the best path forward as a society or who’s turn it is to do the dishes. Understanding the limits of our perspective can be freeing as we seek a connect to the one who is and who was and who is to come. Join us as we pursue a new point of reference.
It can be scary when something ends, even when its something we wouldn’t describe as good or helpful. In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul is writing to new christians about accepting the end of their old way of viewing realty and the startling revelation of a new one. The resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, he argues, is the hinge upon which the door to this new paradigm is swung open. Join us as we wonder, celebrate and worship together in light of this new reality.
Confrontation is a part of life. How we engage and avoid it greatly affects the way our lives unfold. Join us this Palm Sunday as we see Jesus' mounting confrontation with the power of Jerusalem itself and what this moment can teach us as his followers.
If we find the necessary courage to ask for what we need, confessing what we have tried to do on our own that has hurt or harmed ourselves and others, a newness can open up to us. This newness is filled with togetherness, wholeness and hope. It is a place in step with the work of God. Join us as we conclude our series Failing at Sin!
What keeps us from returning to God when our bad decisions have caught up with us and we’ve “sobered up”? Why won’t we go “home” when that’s exactly what we want to do? Jesus answers these questions with a story. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the spiritual genius of Jesus’ parable about coming home. Part of the series Failing at Sin.
The story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet is often read, but not lived. Foot washing isn’t a common practice across Christianity, despite Jesus’ explicit command to wash one another’s feet. What does it mean to live a life answering “the Jesus ask” of washing one another’s feet and how can that show up in our Lenten practices? What does it mean that Jesus asked his disciples to love one another, even when he knew the response wouldn’t meet his needs? This week we reflect on our own ability to answer The Jesus Ask, by reflecting on our own ability to ask for what we need.
When we talk about sin we are also talking about others expectations and what they think about our actions. What does God think of us when we stray from the path?
Listen in to join the discussion. Part two of Failing at Sin, a Lenten series.
Do the ends justify the means? Jesus was tempted to think so during a pivotal moment in his life - the beginning of his public ministry. As we gather for the first Sunday of Lent we wrestle with the powerful pull of three temptations Christ faced in the desert. We will confront how their meanings and message shape our personal and public worlds and how we can resist turning stone to bread.
When Jesus died, one of the things that changed was that we as followers of Jesus now have access to God that those before never did. In this passage Paul shares what a big deal this is. Join us this Sunday morning as we talk about what an awesome privilege it is to experience the presence of God.
Last week we began to discuss the rules that those in the family of Jesus Christ gather around. This week we continue to explore the soaring heights of the law of Jesus as we are confronted with his instruction on how to treat our enemies and those who mean us harm. Part of the series KinFolk.
Every family has guidelines by which they live. The rules let us know what is off limits and for what we should strive. When you are kin through Jesus, the family rules are much more invigorating and distinct from the rules we find elsewhere in our culture. How these Christ-kin codes are interpreted by our denominational cousins and aunties is also hotly contested and debated. Kinfolk! Join us as we wrestle, explore, wonder, and work toward a more full understanding of the Jesus-family rules and an ever increasing creative flourishing. Part Four of the Kinfolk series.
As kinfolk, the family of God, we are part of a community unified by the grace we have received and the life we want to live(in Christ). While we strive and hope and pray for unity, we are not the same. We are part of one body but with different parts and a variety of functions, roles and life experiences- unity within diversity. This is an inspiring vision but living it, well that’s a bit different. Join us as we explore What you don’t gotta do in the family of God. Part three of the sermon series Kinfolk.
What type of picture comes to mind when you think of your relationship with God? Does it look like eating together at a table? In the scriptures one of the main metaphors for God and his people is a bride and groom-a marriage. When we receive the bread and the wine it is sometimes called the wedding feast. It represents a covenant of love renewed every Sunday between us and God. Listen in as we discuss this food for the soul. Part Two of Kinfolk.
Baptism marks the beginning of joining a new family- one started by Jesus. This family isn’t defined by race, allegiance to country, the will of a parent, or blood. It transcends our categories of “us” and “them”. It has the potential to reconcile the impossible chasms of fear and hatred amongst human identities and reconnect those alienated from God. Listen in as we we become reacquainted with our family of origin. Part One of the sermon series Kinfolk.
In the only glimpse we get of Jesus’ childhood we see a boy of twelve who was able to ask questions that astonished the religious leaders of his day. As we observe Epiphany this Sunday, we ponder the story of the child-who-would-become-savior and the place wonderful questions have in a life of faith in Christ.
What is the cure for cynicism? In this season of Advent, we are reminded of the coming of Christ within the detailed account in the book of Luke - through the lens of two pregnant women. And through this account, we may ask ourselves: Where does love, something that requires a lot of courage, belong in our own lives? And how can we be containers of love to others? It is through this story that we discover when you are captive to envy or cynicism, it alerts you to your need of love and belonging.
Everyone has to contend with anxiety, a fear of the unknown circling around and around in our minds. How do we break from this cycle? Join us as Jamin explores Philippians 4:4-7 on the third Sunday of Advent.
How did Jesus’ words and John’s actions influence a small town of Christians in southern France to heroic actions during World War II? Could our own faithful actions also create a bigger impact than we could possibly imagine in our broken world? What does your truthful living look like? Because it is not about power. It is about love.
Join us on the First Sunday of Advent as we finish our Tending Shoots/Dressing Vines sermon series.
Life is a gift. What do you do with that gift - the time and resources you've been given - and how would that change if you saw from the lens that God sees through? In the Gospels, Jesus talks about a kingdom that is not of this world - a Kingdom of Heaven - that is active among us and that we can be a part of.
As we move toward the end of another year where the world is shifting, hurting, grieving, and hoping, we acknowledge that much is outside of our control. Yet we look to the things God has given us to steward. What is enough for us to know as believers before we can act in tending these shoots and vines. Jesus takes our notions of order and and control and throws them into disorder. He asks us to deconstruct our current reality to make way for His righteous kingdom without knowing when that time will come. Would you choose to live differently if you knew the world was ending tomorrow.
God is in the business of meeting needs and has chosen to use people to do so. How can we practice generosity in our abundance and our lack? Join Christ City Church as we study 1 Kings 17:8-16 and begin our new sermon series, Tending Shoots, Dressing Vines.
This week we are celebrating new life with three baby dedications! Join us as Robert Grisham explores parenthood and the responsibility of the Christian community in helping raise children.
As we conclude our series on the vision and mission of Christ City we explore what it means to be a refreshing presence in our world. Join us!
What does it mean to reimagine your purpose and create an environment that embraces the change in our lives? In the Gospel, Jesus gave us a new and countercultural perspective on the Kingdom of Heaven - that it is in the here and now - and that you can experience the hope and value that He brings today. It’s a perspective that looks beyond tradition and challenges us to approach life differently and apply our God-given imaginations when things grow stagnant and times of change come.
Are you weary? Does life feel unrelenting with pressure on all sides? At Christ City we take Jesus' counter cultural message of rest and recovery seriously. Learn from the teacher and Messiah a different way to hold the burdens of life, to live without despising your needs, to find something more enduring than a break, deep rest for your soul.
As we continue to explore the vision of Christ City we zero in on the second half of the statement-“knowing God”. Our assumptions about how we can know God as well as the conclusions we come to about what God is like are incredibly influential. These ideas shape our individual actions, values and perceptions of the world and, on a larger scale, dictate the direction of every human culture. Join us as we explore what it means to engage in knowing God at Christ City Church.
As we celebrate the 11th birthday of Christ City Church, we are also welcoming newly baptized friends and family into the body of Christ. In light of this sacred celebration we are taking time to reflect on Jesus' inspiring plan for all to belong and know God.
Humans have been given an immense amount of power. We channel this power to help us navigate life; we use it to create and destroy. The conduit of our voices, and the words we choose, alter destinies, they build up and tear down. With them we bring despair and we fill with courage and hope. Join us as we reckon with James’ powerful description description of the human tongued the responsibilities and potential inherent in wielding such an ordinary and awesome tool.
Who do you find yourself showing partiality toward? It is attractive and seductive to gravitate towards those with wealth and influence. Often because we sense doing so could somehow make our own lot better. James says this is an issue of deep discrepancy with the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we favor the wealthy and, by default, slight the disadvantaged we put ourselves at odds with our faith. Listen in to hear an important message that reminds us of a central and grounding position for those that would follow after Jesus.
Do you ever find it difficult to control your anger? To keep your profound opinions and ideas to yourself when you know how badly others need to hear your “wisdom”? Do you wonder if there is a productive place for your anger to come out in words and admonitions? Listen in as we explore these questions and think through what it means to be slow to speak.
Ayanna Johnson Watkins is an ordained Disciples of Christ minister and executive director and lead organizer for Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (M.I.C.A.H.) She is excited to share a message with us this Sunday after needing to reschedule earlier this month.
Join us as we think through appetite, desire, and the promise of satisfaction in Jesus as the self described, "Bread of life."
Instant gratification—God does not want his people to be reactionary and work to see quick, short term results in the moment. He is not a transactional deity. God wants us to look past our immediate desires to be faithful, have patience, and strive for the eternal life only Jesus gives.
How do Paul's prayers for the church at Ephesus differ from our modern practice of prayer? Paul prays for the power from God to allow Christ to dwell in our hearts. God has created us to deeply know his love and allow his love to challenge and change us so that we may become who He created us to be. Have you personally experienced the power of God’s love in your heart?
To say that this past year and a half has been stressful is an understatement. Our brains, bodies, and souls are quick to tire. This Sunday, we will look at how Jesus engaged in his ministry as a lens to understand how stress impacts how we can best care for ourselves and create space for true Sabbath.
Sometimes it’s important to take a moment to reorient our hearts to the divine provisions around us, especially when things aren’t going well.
Have you ever promised yourself you wouldn’t ever fail, be humiliated, or taken advantage of again? The rage of discontent with our weaknesses has produced awesome displays of power in humanity. Some of them glorious and many full of tragedy. How we view our weaknesses can determine the type of world we live in and this passage in second Corinthians has something astounding to say about it. Listen in to hear more.
Have you ever been given a hug that you didn’t realize you needed until you received it? Have you ever found yourself avoiding physical touch even when you felt lonely? If you relate to either of these, this message is for you. Join us as we explore the importance of kind and caring physical contact as an important and potentially healing part of our spirituality in the next installment of Physical Contact!
Who of us wants to willingly experience pain? There is a temptation, and sometimes even a necessity for survival, to deny the painful physical and emotional events we have experienced. We tell ourselves, “Once this is over, I’ll start living my best life.”Is there a different way?
Have you ever felt brand new? Like you could start over? -leaving the past behind and starting fresh? How did that work out for you? Did you make any of the same old mistakes? Does the concept of understanding yourself as a new creation seem somehow daunting? Is this merely an example of a “spiritual” idea that has no impact in your physical world? Join us as we consider these questions in Physical Contact part two.
In the introduction to our series Physical Contact, we explore a big idea presented in 2 Corinthians-measuring the trials of today as small and almost weightless against an everlasting glory so heavy it can’t be measured. How should we interpret this asymmetrical life of faith?
In a culture where a disagreement or a mistake can get you “canceled,” how can the message of forgiveness and new purpose in the scriptures give us hope? How do we make room for growth and change in our own life and the lives of others while still standing up for what we believe to be right and just?
In the last installment of the series Presence, we encounter the Divine moving through a congregation of believers by wind, fire, and a multilingual testimony. The prophet Joel is invoked to signal what the Spirit of God is up to, (speaking to and through an intergenerational, multiethnic, economically diverse group of men and women through dreams, prophecies, and visions). Join us as we learn to anticipate and wonder where God might show up next.
The phrase “Personal Lord and Savior” causes a number of reactions in those of us who grew up hearing it. In America, we tend to be hyper-focused on the individual, so it only makes sense that the phrase was popularized here. What does it mean to deal earnestly and honestly with these words and the impact it’s had on our society and the Church for good and for ill? What impact does it have on our search for the presence of God today? Listen in to hear more.
We have many names for God- Lord, Creator, Judge, Almighty, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Christ, Jesus, Father, and Holy Spirit, to name a few. In the gospel of John, Jesus emphasizes another title to describe himself to his disciples-friend. This almost casual way of thinking about the Christ has some important, and maybe even life-changing, implications for us if we can believe it. Listen in to learn about the friendship of God.
Most living things are either in a process of growing or atrophying. For us to grow in our connection to love, we look for ways to be present with the source of love.
The presence of God is near. When we chose to be present with those in need, we can become aware of the presence of Christ with us.
How does broiled fish become a key to presence in communion? And how does this experience between Christ and the disciples nourish presence for us as vaccines provide more possibilities of gathering? Join us as we explore presence in living Divine communion together.
In this message, we’ll look at the post-resurrection encounter between Jesus and Thomas. As we do that, we’ll explore both the benefits and limitations of skepticism.
What do we do with the moments that are too big to hold? The experiences that we can’t find categories for? As life weighs us down with disappointments, it becomes increasingly difficult to carry the largeness these unbelievable moments offer us in our wounded and smallish hearts. Resurrection Sunday is a reminder that the living God is still ready to roll away the stones of grief and heartache to reveal the elusive and everywhere-ness of hope and new life!
What are you willing to do to achieve success? What if the game of getting ahead is rigged? Would you want to find out before it’s too late? In our final installment of Jesus Walks, we see Jesus…riding into Jerusalem to seemingly win the game, all the while knowing it’s a house of cards. What’s better than success? The crucified King Jesus points us to a hopeful and scary answer.
Jesus came to save and not to condemn. Believing in him is the only thing one must do to be delivered from death and one’s own sin… and a copper snake on a pole has something to do with it all. Let’s talk about life and death, poison and healing, light, dark, and shame in this week’s installment of Jesus Walks.
In an uncertain world, how can one be sure of their standing with God? The ancient Jewish sacrificial system helped millions of people deal with this question. Through a clearly prescribed ritual, someone could know she was okay with God, and God was okay with her. Jesus disrupted this system as he flipped tables, drove out sacrificial animals, and foreshadowed the destruction of the temple where these sacrifices took place. Why? Listen in as we explore this question in part three of Jesus Walks.
The second installment of our Lenten series, "Jesus Walks."
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? "
The kingdom of God is near”, “repent,” “believe in the “good news.” What do all these familiar yet ancient terms mean? What is it that Jesus is calling us to? Join the discussion in part one of Jesus Walks a Lenten series.
What if I told you you had an inexhaustible access to creativity? What if the key to tapping into it was less work and more rest- Resting, waiting, believing. What if this slower pace of active and intentional rest, was the path to deeper contentment, better ideas, more hope, and an inexhaustible creativity? With God, it can be. Part 5 of 6 in the Recreate series.
We were created for community, but in our world today, community is not what it once was. Isolation due to quarantine, coupled with the political divisiveness all around us, has made true community really challenging. In this passage, we are given a fresh vision of the life together that God has in mind for us.
Jonah’s story is a good place to start looking at all the ways we struggle with connecting to others. Jonah’s resentment and unclear boundaries leave him filled with rage and isolated even from God’s Divine Mercy. We unpack what resentment does and how boundaries help us understand limits that support reconnecting with God, self, and other.
To commit to pledge for 2021, go to christcity.org/pledge.
If you've never given to Christ City, consider making a one-time donation.
If you would like to give to our ministry, please go to christcity.org/give
What is freedom? Who has it? What does it look like? Explore with us a vision of an integrated view of Christian freedom and how it can make us more creative, less divisive, and more self-aware.
To pledge for 2021, go to christcity.org/pledge.
If you've never given to Christ City, consider making a one-time donation.
If you would like to give to our ministry, please go to christcity.org/give
Have you ever imagined God speaking to you? What’s The first thing you imagine hearing? For many of us, it's words of judgment or disapproval. Not so from the Scriptures who introduce God as a passionate creator speaking life, goodness, and abundance. Join us as we explore God as creator and re-create what it means to know God as a being infinitely creative and interested in our creativity.
To pledge for 2021, go to christcity.org/pledge.
If you've never given to Christ City, consider making a one-time donation.
If you would like to give to our ministry, please go to christcity.org/give
Have you ever found yourself frustrated, scared, or confused by the actions of people in your own faith tradition? Maybe just plain unsatisfied by them? Would you be willing to receive a gift from those outside of that tradition? If you were Mary and Joseph caring for the Christ child, the answer would be yes. Listen in as we reimagine the Christmas story of the three magi with these ideas in mind.
How can one find satisfaction in life? Listen in as we encounter a pair of lesser-known figures in the early life of Jesus that provide some answers in part one of this two-part series.
In your life you will face times where you say to yourself, “How can this be?” Sometimes this will be because of a good you scarcely imagined possible other times it’s because of tragedy. Sometimes the trust required to believe in the good mingles with a terrible fear of the potential of tragedy. The birth of Jesus, the Christ, was like this. Listen in as we ponder the “How can this be?” of this seemingly familiar story to find hope and courage.
When we enter Advent, we are entering into a season full of waiting and tension. But within this waiting and tension, we also find that there is great hope in a world to come.
How can we expectantly wait for change while experiencing a discouraging delay? 2nd Peter has some ideas that might help.
Have you ever said, “Why do You let this happen?” or “Will You please fix this!” to God, and you are still waiting for an answer? Are you still waiting for God to “show up”? If so, this message is for you.
What happens in the end? Do my decisions matter? Is it all up to believing the right things? This parable in Matthew gives us a lot to think about when we ask ourselves the question “How will my life be seen in light of eternity?”
There is great hope in the promise that with God, death does not have the last word. Today we look at how this promise can impact our lives today.
"Choose you this day whom you will serve" has nothing (ok, a little) to do with who you vote for. How can Christians living in 2020 lay aside generations of beliefs, idols, and cultural norms and reclaim their identity as the chosen, beloved family of God? Join us as we unpack Joshua's final challenge to the Israelites!
As we observe All Saints Day together, we ask the question- “Who is a saint? How is the task of the saint different from what is typically expected from an American Christian? Is it something we can participate in?” Listen in to join us.
Some of us are rule followers by default, and others tend toward breaking the rules. Regardless of where we land, we are all more likely to follow the authority of someone or something when it is personally compelling to us. What happens when something becomes so compelling that when we share it, it doesn’t stop there, but we end up sharing ourselves as well. Spoiler alert, we’re talking about the gospel.
Eavesdropping on Moses' conversation with God arguing for His presence to go with the Jewish people as they go to the promised land. We begin to consider how we are wrestling with God. What jagged, hard edges are pressing against us inside the cleft of the rock? Then we remember God's hand covering us and seeing God's back in the afterward.
When we trust that God is bigger than our impulses, wiser than our anxiety, and has more to give than what we have; we can live a life brimming with faith and courage. We can follow leaders who believe in what life could be and never resign ourselves to the “golden calf" of what is.
In these epic scenes in the Old Testament and New Testament we encounter one of life's fundamental questions. Listen in and take some time to reflect so that you might live life more fully and deeply.
Have you ever thought, “One day I’ll be full enough of- comfort, information, experience, prestige, safety, and rightness? Then I’ll be okay. Then I’ll be safe, whole and right”? Did it ever happen? What if filling yourself up isn’t the solution, but you can find what you need by emptying yourself. Listen in to learn more.
What you are experiencing right now will soon be the past. As individuals, and collectively, our past can bind us or lead us into a future of freedom and hope. Christ City Church has experienced ten years of triumph and defeat, pain and glory, sadness, and joy. Join us as we explore what it means to celebrate and grieve the past so we can live in the present and imagine a new future.
The story of a missionary kid growing up on the US, Mexico border where language strains to connect and the fringes hold undiscovered possibilities of a God who speaks. Special Guest Stacie Martin
In this final episode, the conversation concludes with a discussion on the permeation of white supremacy and privilege and a foundation for allyship.
How do you handle conflict? -Political, religious, personal, online, in-person? Are there relationships that you’ve lost over a single argument that got out of hand? Jesus knew arguments, grievances, and hurt were inevitabilities in every person’s life, and he gave the church wisdom to navigate it. If you could benefit from tools to work through conflict with others, this message is for you.
As the conversation continues Robbyn and Jamin discuss the narrative context for protest and the exclusion of blackness.
Choosing presence often begins with curiosity that leads to courage. Curiosity beckons us to be open past what we have been taught and experienced. This curiosity leads to courage enabling us to engage beyond the milieu. This kind of engagement changes our recognition of ourselves, God, and others. Join us as we explore presence through Moses’ example.
Join Robbyn Abedi as he interviews Jamin Carter on growing up biracial and the journey to becoming a black pastor and activist.
The Hospitable Mind : a journey toward a Christianity grounded in relationship and dignity.
Join us as pastor Jamin interviews one of CCC’s elders Rachel Remington as they discuss life, work, faith and a vision for the future of our church.
Do our actions matter? Is everything predetermined? How do I judge and interpret things like accidents and natural disasters? Does God prefer to use bad things to accomplish good? Join us as we wrestle through these timeless questions.
Faith is risky and requires vulnerability. This can feel strange to some of us that have grown up with a “faith” used mainly as a tool to produce religious conformity. A faith that is neither risky nor vulnerable. Explore with us a gospel story that can give inspiration and hope to practice faith in an uncertain world.
Being sincere is not the same as being right. Being right doesn’t make someone else wrong. Having convictions about what you believe about Jesus and God can bring division where you’d hope to find unity. How do we respond?
Have you ever tried for something really big or hard to get? Maybe a job or a relationship or a body image or an item that you felt was something meant for you, but to go for it would cost you more than you were comfortable giving up?
In these parables, Jesus gives us a hint of what it means to go for a life and reality that is beyond belief or is reasonable to others...and perhaps even ourselves. Yet, a life we each know we want, and we’re meant to find.
Listen in as we unpack these parables and discover what it means for “go for it” within God’s kingdom.
Everyone wants to belong. We find groups, religions, political parties, ideologies and teams in a quest to get that elusive sense that we do [belong]. But for some reason few of us end up with a secure sense of true acceptance. How do we hope for something more
As the pandemic continues, many of us may find ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually digressing. These are difficult times, and it’s easy to resort to simply surviving.
Listen in as we discuss Jesus’s parable about the sower and the seed, and seek to discover what it means to thrive in times like this.
There are so many ways to become imprisoned in our world: You can commit, or be accused of a crime, you can lose yourself in an addiction or anxiety, you can be born in the wrong place with a certain color of skin, you can lose the mobility of your body. But what does it mean to be a prisoner of hope? Is it a good thing? Listen in as we discuss this important idea.
Letting our views and understanding of God evolve can be scary waters to navigate. To do that, we have to be willing to put so many things under the microscope, and then let go of what doesn’t line up to the deep truths we know within ourselves.
This is a journey not only we as 21st-century people are on, but even people like Abraham who lived over 4,000 years ago.
Listen in as we unpack what it means to let our unloving and judgmental beliefs go, and evolve into a more loving and robust views of God and others.
Doing the right thing at the right time is hard. But doing the right thing in hard times is even harder.
Listen in as we look at Jeremiah and his unquenchable spirit to say the hard things even when he knew no one wanted to hear it, and how we can learn from him during these historically difficult times.
Hurt, fear, and anger make forgiveness difficult. As we examine Jesus' words "Receive the Holy Spirit" and "If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven," we learn the importance of self in the process of healing as well as knowing how to extend to others.
Humility tells us to be “right-sized.” Anxiety tells us “we can control this.” In the passage, we see a people going through incredibly hard circumstances. In turn, they are given a word of admonishing to stay right-sized, wait it out, and let God handle the outcome. A timely word for us today, as well.
Listen in as we unpack what it means to live in the midst of tension and create space for God to show up and relieve us of our overwhelming circumstances.
What do you feel like gives you value as a person? What are the ideas or activities you rely on to reassure yourself of your worth? The life and teachings of Jesus offers us a fresh perspective on our internal struggles with these questions. Listen in as we open ourselves up to new answers.
Can you be demanding with God? Like, really demanding? The psalmist, David, felt like he could when penning his heart to paper (parchment...papyrus?) thousands of years ago, and so can we.
Join us as we ask questions around this and more.
In times of hardship and tragedy, many of us have been told to “look for the silver lining.” If that’s you, you can probably attest to how unhelpful it was. Yet, it doesn’t mean there isn’t any truth to the idea.
More often than not, tragic times convince us of only more tragedy, but there are things to be seen and experienced that can give us strength and hope.
Listen in as we unpack this famous passage of the road to Emmaus, and what it can tell us about God in these hard and tragic times we live in today.
Are faith and experience in opposition to one another? Let’s explore that question together as we visit the familiar passage of “Doubting Thomas”
For more ways to connect with this devotional please visit christcity.org and go to the adult track or the family with kids track.
As Easter is celebrated around the World this Sunday, a shroud of chaos and uncertainty overshadow us all. The world is looking for hope in these hard times, and Easter couldn’t come at a better time.
Listen as we unpack the glorious hope this passage brings about life in the midst of death.
He is Risen! He is risen, indeed!
We’ve heard it said that Abraham was a man who walked by faith, but what does this even mean? When it comes to walking by faith, what is the role of doubt? And what can we learn from such an ancient story about following God in the 21st century?
Listen in as we seek to answer some of these questions.
As we enter into the season of Lent, we’re faced with our limitations as humans and our propensity to sin. And though we all deal with this, we don’t want to talk about it because of the guilt and shame we feel.
Listen in as we unpack the negative power guilt and shame have over our lives, and the healing we can experience through confession.
Have you ever experienced God? It's a big question that many of us either fret over (because we haven't) or become cynical over (because of life's circumstances since that moment), but it's still something most of us still wonder in our stillest moments.
Listen in as we unpack this surreal and fascinating experience that the disciples have with Jesus, and what it means for us today as 21st century people wondering...can I experience God in that way?
What does it mean for you to choose life today? And how can the answer to that question be so different depending on who you ask and when you ask them? Listen in as we seek a response in the ancient text of Deuteronomy.
Our desire to be taken up into something bigger than ourselves can be constrained by our own misunderstandings, agendas, and ritualistic expectations. Paul is addressing some of the misconceptions about wisdom that have created foils to being grounded and rooted in the Corinthian church. Paul shows that it is the Holy Spirit who enables a communion that gives space for grounding and rootedness individually and together. Listen as we unpack a few suggestions to promote connectedness with self and God.
Living in pain is hard. The pain of life, love, ups and downs — sometimes it’s unbearable. And when we pray to God, many times it’s for the pain to subside.
But what if the pain is an entry point to more life?
Listen in as we unpack suffering and how God both invites us into experiencing it all and can empathize with us each step of the way.
Epiphany is about the Christ being revealed. And when he is revealed to you, you’re left with a choice: follow him into whatever is ahead or stay where you are. It’s a risky choice to make, but one that can lead to great transformation if we do follow.
Listen in as we unpack what it means to follow after Jesus, and how we’re trying to do that faithfully at Christ City Church.
Paul's greeting to the church at Corinth might initially feel like an outdated text – a personal salutation to a specific people of a bygone era. But in this text we see the heart of a pastor, and Paul's heart speaks directly to our church in this present moment. As we walk through lots of transitions as a church, listen in for comfort and hope.
"New year, new you,” at least that’s what we’re told a new year is about. And what do we do at the end of every year with the failed attempts to become that “new us?” More than likely, throw them into a compounded bowl of shame.
But what if it’s instead, “new year, true me?”
Listen in as we unpack this inaugural moment for Jesus and so what it means for us to take on the same reality as Jesus: the beloved of God.
Religion and trite sentimentality are often used to explain away the deep complexities of the human experience; especially the things we would rather not dwell on. These quick answers can dampen our ability to reflect on our past and therefore hinders our potential for the future. What can Matthew’s gospel teach us about reflecting on another year that has passed? Tune in to find out.
The familiar Christmas hymn says, "Come and behold him born the King of angels!" On this first Sunday after Christmas, we behold the Christ-child. Who is this child? What's so special about him? Whether these are familiar realities or new ideas, may these thoughts stir your hearts towards worshiping Jesus this Christmas season.
Signs. We all find ourselves looking for them; from God, the universe, the guy we like. What does it mean to see and understand a sign of Divine origin? How can advent teach us to wait for the wisdom needed to interpret what we see and experience?
Are you sometimes ready to tap out? Do you grow tired of living in the tension? Are you exhausted by the struggle? On this Third Sunday in Advent, we encounter pastoral and meaningful words in the Epistle of St. James. James encourages us to wait, to wait with purpose, and to love one another all along the way. These ancient words speak remarkably to our own context as a church, so listen in on this pastoral conversation as we unpack this passage.
Advent is about waiting. Waiting can be rife with anxiety, distraction and avoidance. Waiting can also be an imaginative space of mystery propelling you into your real life. What if you could choose?
Today begins the season of Advent, a time when followers of Jesus eagerly anticipate the arrival of our Lord. Waiting can be hard, but it's something that we all experience throughout life. During this Advent season, what exactly are we waiting for? And what does our waiting look like? Listen in to discover ways you can faithfully wait so that you can more fully feast when Christmas arrives.
Sometimes we assume that because something is familiar to us that we understand it. We talk about it using words and phrases that have been repeated over and over and we feel confident we are describing it accurately. That is until someone shows up looking carefully, possibly seeing it for the first time, and says “Did you ever notice this?” And we realize, although we were familiar, we did not understand.
This week’s reading comes from the book of Malachi. It’s an ancient text that upon first glance seems very disconnected from our lives today. But as we take a closer look, we find a timeless story of a community who comes to remember that God is a good and loving parent who is closer to us than we think.
"Hope is a dangerous thing." Red in The Shawshank Redemption was right! Said differently – hope is a powerful thing. This morning we explore the unique hope that followers of Jesus have, and how it affects powerful change right here and now.
Have you ever found yourself willing to compromise what you believed was right in order to get ahead? Most of us would answer yes even if it was in ways we would consider insignificant. How do we move forward in a life of compromise? A life where we, and the world around us, have made decisions to secure a more comfortable life at the expense of others? Jesus points us toward a way forward.
This week's reading strikes at the core of what it means to be human and exposes a fundamental need that we all share: to be seen. Unfortunately, however, we often go about chasing after the fulfillment of that right need in all the wrong ways. This parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector has much to teach us about what it means to be healthy and whole humans, and it offers a surprising invitation to deeper intimacy in relationship with God. Listen in!
What does prayer look like? Depending on who you ask you can get a very different picture. Listen in as we explore images of prayer that can inspire, challenge and comfort us as we seek connection with the Divine.
Jesus talks about the kingdom of God more than anything else. And as we uncover two essential elements of this kingdom, we discover that it's something all of us are really longing for, deep down. So how do we respond? What does this fascinating story about Naaman in this ancient book have to teach us today? Listen in as we discover a rich invitation!
Have you ever had to wait for God to show up? Maybe for an answered prayer, or a broken relationship, or a healing in your life?
The answer is probably “yes.”
If we can’t control when God will answer, how do we live in the space between a request and a desired result?
Listen in as we unpack this longing we all have, and seek to discover how we live in the space between.
We are all looking for help in times of trouble. We are all looking for comfort in times of despair.
Listen in as we talk through a Psalm that speaks to these needs and how we can know that God is with us, even when we doubt it the most.
Psalm 113
If you live your faith out long enough, you might find yourself coming to a place of complacency and being disgruntled, mumbling internally, "what does it matter?"
What does it matter to pray?
What does it matter to reach out to God in my distress?
What does it matter....
Yet, there's always more -- more life, more healing, more love to receive from God and give to others. There's a "yes, and..." we were meant to have as humans, as children of God.
Listen in as we celebrate our 9th birthday as a church, and ask the questions around what it means to be a "yes, and..." people.
John 11:1-6, 32-44
We all long for refreshment. Some people respond to life in such a way that their very presence brings refreshment to those around them. What qualities does this type of person possess? Listen in as we immerse ourselves in a gospel story where the shape and color of a refreshing life becomes clear.
To learn more about our Vision & Mission please visit christcity.org/vision-mission
Mark 4:30-32 & Ephesians 4:11-16
Purpose. It's something every person in every generation searches for. Does what I'm doing really matter? Do I really matter? At Christ City, reimagining your purpose is central to who we are. But it's a weird concept: "reimagine your purpose." Listen in as we unpack this strange but rich invitation to a more robust purpose and ultimately a deeper and more satisfying life itself.
To learn more about our Vision & Mission please visit christcity.org/vision-mission
Mark 10:46-52
This week we look at the first part of our mission at Christ City Church: recover your life.
We believe, just like the blind man Bartimaeus, Jesus wants the deep and true things we desire for ourselves — to recover our sight, to recover our lives. But it takes neediness, and that’s something few of us truly ever get to.
Listen in as we unpack the neediness of this blind man, and how we can learn from him.
To learn more about our Vision & Mission please visit christcity.org/vision-mission
Colossians 1:15-29
There is a yearning in us to know where we come from. We want to know if there is a caring being responsible for us and our world. We wonder, “If God exists, is it possible to know One who seems so mysterious and unreachable?”. Even if we accept that Jesus is the incarnation of God, is reading about someone in a book the same as knowing them? Join us as we find encouragement and hope exploring these enduring questions.
To learn more about our Vision & Mission please visit christcity.org/vision-mission
Galatians 5:1-6
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “where is all this headed?”
Maybe about your life, or career, or a relationship? It’s important for us to be honest about where we are and where we want to be, and that’s the conversation we want to start with this series on the vision and mission of Christ City Church.
To learn more about our Vision & Mission and to watch “The Pendulum” video please visit christcity.org/vision-mission
Acts 27:1-26, 37
As we come to our final sermon of an year long journey through the book of Acts, we come to Paul sailing to Rome. Met with violent storms and on a boat with people who’ve seemingly been his enemies, we find Paul and company learning to trust in one another and God.
Listen in as we unpack what it means to do life together not only with those who we find commonality and comfort with, but differences, too.
Acts 26:1-32
Have you ever found yourself in a season of life where you just felt stuck? Maybe you were trying to make good, godly life decisions but found it only lead to more misery.
If so, you can relate to Paul.
Listen in as we unpack what it was like for Paul to be in prison, and how God used him for great things in the midst of hard times.
Acts 22:22-29
Paul does something very interesting in this week's text: he acknowledges and even uses to his advantage his privilege as a Roman citizen. This story presents an opportunity for us to take a larger cultural conversation about privilege a step further. Listen in as we unpack privilege and look to Paul and Jesus as guides to help us reflect on this important question: what do you do with the privilege(s) you have or don't have in society?
Acts 21:26-36
As we continue our series called “Facing Life,” we follow Paul back to Jerusalem where he’s faced with the religiosity he once championed: a harsh system that decided who was in and who was out.
For anyone who grew up in church, the chances of us relating to that kind of religious system is more common than we may realize.
Listen in as we unpack the difference between having religion and religiosity, and the necessary journey we all must go on if we want to find a more substantial relationship with God.
Acts 21:1-14
We live in a culture that tells us we can do anything and have anything. This message, and its effects, are counter to the Kingdom of God and practical reality. All of our decisions have consequences and we are, in truth, a small part of a greater whole. When we cultivate a sober understanding of our limitations we have a shot of achieving the potential God has for us. Listen in as we face our limits.
John 15:1-9
Jesus’ invitation to us is to learn from him how to live life. Listen in as we discuss what is meant by rest and responsibility. We’ll see how these two work together to make us fruitful, which Jesus says is how we know that we’re his disciples.
Acts 20:7-12
This week we encounter a bizarre story! In the midst of Paul preaching a long sermon (very long!), a young man named Eutychus (which means "lucky," by the way) dozes off and falls from a third-story window to his death only to be restored to life by Paul a few moments later. It's a fascinating (and mildly comical!) story, but is there anything that it has to say to us today? You'd be surprised at the transformative message in this story for you, so listen closely to see what God might have in store.
Acts 19:20-41
Things are heating up for Paul and the other early followers of Jesus as the story of Acts progresses. This week we encounter a dangerous riot opposing the message and activity of Paul and his friends. We learn an important reality: the kingdom of God necessarily confronts and challenges kingdoms of this world. But the way that confrontation and challenge happens with Paul and other early followers of Jesus might surprise you and have a lot to teach you.
Acts 19:1-20
Many people claim Jesus is the source of their actions, successes and even failures. How can we know if it’s true? Can we? Listen in as we discuss the workings of the Divine in our lives.
Acts 20:17-38 (MSG)
As we recognize and install new elders this Sunday at Christ City Church, we look to the pattern that Paul had set for the Elders of Ephesus. The life Paul lived and calls these elders into is a life of vulnerability, a life of heartache and hardship, and a life of care for self and others.
Listen in as we look at this and more, and continue in our series on GodSpeak pt2.
Acts 18:18-28
Sometimes it can be hard to know when to give and when to receive. In fact many of us have been taught that it is a virtue to give all of ourselves away and then end up burnt out and resentful. Others of us expect (often unconsciously) to constantly receive- judging everything by how much it entertains us or reaffirms what we already think. What if neither position is a mature response to the Christian life? Listen in to hear about another path.
Acts 18:1-17
Have you ever felt done? Like, you try and keep trying, but feel life is against you and NOTHING works out?
Probably so.
In this passage, we find Paul in a similar spot. He has stepped out on faith to follow God and preach the good news of the Christ, but everywhere he turns he encounters backlash, hardships, and simply "life not working." But there's a deeper truth God has for Paul, and for us, in those moments.
Listen in as we unpack this story and discover what it means that God is with us...and there’s someone, somewhere on our side.
Acts 17:16-34
Have you ever experienced something that so dramatically shifted your perspective about life that it made it difficult to relate to the people around you? The apostle Paul did. As we continue to explore Paul's encounter with Athenian thinkers we find the meeting of two different world views- Is the divine a separate and abstract idea or has it walked among us, spoken and acted? In essence- "Is God near?" The answer to that question can, and has, shifted our understanding of reality as we know it. Listen in to engage the conversation.
Acts 17:16-34
This week we encounter Paul as a tourist in Athens right before his famous Mars Hill sermon. But Paul isn't on vacation, checked out and taking it easy. Instead, he's dialed in, choosing presence and engaging culture. Listen in as we seek to learn from the Apostle Paul about how we as modern people can live as followers of Jesus in our complex cultural landscape.
Acts 17:10-15
You ever hear something that sounds so good you just can't help but believe it without checking up on the sources? Of course! Haven't we all? But when Paul and his crew encounter a group of Jews called the Bereans he finds they have a more thoughtful approach to his good sounding news. They receive Paul's messages about Jesus the Christ with eagerness but they also look to the scriptures to see if they can find a basis to accept his good news. Listen in as we learn to think like a Berean.
Acts 17:1-9
Paul's opponents accuse him in Acts 17 of "turning the world upside down." Their statement is loaded with irony, and Paul would likely agree with them! Paul might suggest that the world is being turned "right side up" through King Jesus. But would people say the same thing about Christians today? Are we turning the world "right side up"? If not, why? What if it's because the message we're proclaiming and living is subtly different than the message Paul was proclaiming and living? A subtle difference can have massive implications! Listen in as we explore...
I Corinthians 15:1-11
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Resurrection tells us the world has changed and we are invited to be a part of it all and help usher in all that is true about God to a world hurting. Something was opened up and unleashed on Easter...something big and life-changing...something true and of first importance.
Listen in as we unpack the “of first importance” of the resurrection, and the life-long pursuit it puts us on, in the world.
Luke 23:32-43
During his last hours Jesus was not consumed with rage and resentment but was instead found so full of mercy and compassion he could listen to and see the two men next to him who shared his fate-a criminal's death on a cross. One hurled insults, the other asked for mercy. Jesus gave immediately to the one who asked. What kind of man (God) is this who bestows mercy so freely in the midst of such intense, undeserved suffering? How can we ask for, and receive, this mercy from the suffering savior?
Genesis 1:26-31
In a world looking for beauty to behold, Scripture tells us humans are the best chance at meeting those needs. And though we've seen much beauty come from humanity, we can point to countless ruins where we've not sought to create true and lasting beauty, but something to simply suffice our momentary impulses and lusts.
At Christ City Church, we believe there's a mandate and true function to every human to make this world more whole and free and beautiful, through recognizing that we're made in the likeness of God. Listen in as we unpack this scared practice of Creating Beauty.
Esther 3:1-4:17
The story of Esther is timeless and inspiring: an orphan, minority woman who rises to a seat of power only to be faced with the dilemma of risking her meteoric rise and privilege, as she attempts to save her people. We know Ester finds the courage to confront the king and thus the cultural norms, and God uses her to bring change to her world...simply because she was willing to engage her culture.
This week we explore our 5th Practice, Engage Culture, and ask the question: what does to mean to engage the cultures we find ourself in, and seek to critique and change the things we know are not right, good, holy, and of God?
Galatians 2:11-14
Like the early church, Christ City desires to practice ‘embracing diversity.’ But this practice is never easy. This story in Galatians 2 exposes how hard this practice was for the early Church, and it won’t be easy for us either. In fact, if our embracing diversity is easy, are we really embracing the sort of diversity that honors God and honors others? Listen in as we wrestle with this question.
2 Peter 1:3-9
In most expressions of Christianity belief and faith are highly valued. This is good since both are essential to following Jesus and living in Christian community. Yet a breakdown can occur when we fail to realize that living this life of faith is not merely an act of will power or change in attitude but requires careful and ongoing cultivation of our spirituality. Listen in as we look at the importance of practicing this cultivation as people made in the image of God and filled with his Spirit.
Mark 12:28-34
There’s a stigma in the church that any kind of self-love is wrong. Even if it’s not explicitly said, it’s seemingly inferred when we think of Jesus telling his followers to “denying yourself.”
But a closer look at Jesus’ teachings tells us something different.
Listen in as we explore what it means to love yourself well and seek health, and how that’s the only true path to offering something more to the world around us.
Matthew 9:18-38
When we read and talk about how interactive and insightful Jesus was with people wherever he went, we tend to attribute it to his divinity. But what if it was his humanity that allowed him to see and have compassion for so many people?
What if Jesus was the most present human who ever lived? And if we want to follow after him, what does it mean to seek that kind of awareness and choose to be a present people?
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Jesus invites us to participate... to engage life with practices that aim our heart at that which will ultimately bring life and flourishing. Jesus doesn't invite us to merely believe in the Living Water, he invites us to drink deeply and quench our thirst. Listen in to this special Ash Wednesday sermon as we reflect on the invitation of Jesus and also look forward to our new sermon series: The 8 Practices.
Acts 16: 16-40 Have you ever been so annoyed with something you decided to do something about it? You see something in your life or the world around you and you decide to act because you just can’t live with how it is any longer. Even if it won’t accomplish much, you simply have to do something or you can’t go on.
And yet, those small moments of annoyances have the potential to bring change. The potential of Christ’s love to be seen.
That’s kinda what happens with Paul in this pasage. And it is though this an uproar is caused, systemic power plays are exposed, and the possibility of change is revealed.
Acts 16:6-15 We're all familiar with dramatic stories of God intervening in people's lives and calling them on a great adventure with him. But for many (or most!) of us, those dramatic stories are unrelatable. We want to live in what God is calling us to, but how do we discern God's call? Listen in as we unpack important lessons from this story of Paul's radical call to change his plans and head to Philippi. Perhaps you'll discover unexpected paths God may be calling you towards.
Acts 15:36-16:5
Few of us enjoy conflict but all of us have to deal with it. Whether its called a disagreement, argument or debate all relationships must either engage it or end. What we sometimes forget is that these differences and disputes give us opportunities to either grow in wisdom or flounder in immaturity depending on how we respond. Listen in as we explore one such situation in the book of Acts and look for opportunities to grow through conflict in our own lives.
Acts 15:22-35
For many of us, the Bible was taught as a book with all the answers to life. We like the idea of being able to turn to specific chapter and verses to get answers to succor us. But what do you do when the Bible doesn't answer the questions you're asking? And what if the Scriptures weren't meant to always give us strait-up answers, but instead a model -- a container -- into which we put our questions and wrestling things out?
That's what we find in Acts 15: people living in tension with the questions long enough to discern something new and beautiful God was about in the world. And in an age of identity politics, outrage culture and shallow religiosity, people are looking for better spaces to take their questions and discern better solutions with people not like them, even if it means living in the tension with the questions longer than you want.
Acts 15:1-21
Scientists tell us that the universe is continuously expanding. That there are potentially billions of galaxies and forever counting. What if this tells us something about who God is? That his kingdom is expanding? Like a mustard seed growing into a tree, or a little bit of yeast that permeates a whole piece of dough, or the microscopic, multiplying cells in our bodies or a risen savior. How do we recognize the expansion of God’s kingdom when we see it? What does it mean to live a life that blesses?
Acts 14:8-23 One of the most glaring critiques of modern Christianity is its incessant need to idealize and follow particular voices, to the point of crippling the message Jesus set out to proclaim.
Yet, this isn't left to Christians alone.
The world has always gravitated towards men and women, sun and moon, rain and harvest, psychology and religion to gives us answers to the questions asked at different points in history...and to make these things worthless gods.
To this point, Paul and Barnabas have something to say as they interact with the people of Lystra.
Acts 14:1-7
This week we continue to follow Paul and Barnabas as they arrive at Iconium, and this story is full of twists and turns. How do we deal with bitter divisions in the church and world? How do we deal with lack of character in leaders? Paul and Barnabas's time in this ancient city is surprisingly relevant in our day! Join us as we explore these things and more!
Acts 13:13-52
The story of Jesus is big...like REALLY big. And if it's that big and important and life-changing, why do we attempt to boil it down to a few antidotes, or worse -- a TRACT?! (shudders)
Listen in as we unpack this story in Acts and explore what it means to talk about this good news of Jesus (the gospel!) in a way this world can relate to and receive.
Acts 13:1-12
As we start our new series in Acts, GodSpeak, we find Paul and Barnabas are journeying into an unknown world where people don't have reference points to Paul and Barabas' God. This means they have to start finding creative ways to talk about God and the saving reality of Jesus.
Listen in as we unpack their journey to Cyprus and ask what it means to provide straight paths for others to see God, even if we're a crooked stick.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18
Another year is over, and a new one has begun.
As we wrap up 2018 and step into 2019, let’s remember all the ways God has blessed us and consider what it would mean to live with with acceptance and gratitude going into a new year.
It’s a big ask, but one necessary to find serenity and peace within all the complexities of what it means to be the body of Christ and a beacon of hope to the world watching.
Luke 2:1-20
In the familiar Christmas story we see how radically personal the birth of Jesus really is: “For to us a child is born.” This is the gift of Christmas, the gift that has changed the world. But - just like any gift - the gift of Christmas must be received. And in our independence-valuing culture, simply receiving isn’t as easy as it might sound. Listen in to learn how you can experience Jesus this Christmas in a new and fresh way.
Acts 12:20-24
As we come to the end of our series, we are faced with the reality that nothing -- even powerful tyrants -- can get in the way of the good news Jesus has to offer.
Listen in as we talk about this and more, as we conclude our Acts: Margins mini-series.
Acts 12:1-19
Have you ever felt pressed on every side...cornered without hope...a victim of the worst life has to throw at you? If so, you might can relate to Peter in Acts 12. And if so, maybe you can experience a God who is for you and with you in those pressed-down moments, just like Peter did.
Acts 11:15-18
In today's cultural climate a Christian who holds fast to "traditional" morals or faith can often be labeled as narrow minded, unintelligent or worse -all by other Christians! Many of these Christian "traditionalists" are just trying to live by their convictions; believing that truth is plainly revealed in the bible by God and that we must all simply align with it whether it suits us or not. This situation is similar to the Jewish Christians of the early church who were struggling to see Peter extending the hand of faith to Gentiles who lived completely out of sync with the standards and traditions they held so dear. "Just whom is Jesus for?"
Listen in as we wrestle through this sensitive topic.
Acts 10:1-29
Have you ever thought, "That person is DEFINITELY not a follower of Jesus!"? If so, the Apostle Peter can relate. This is the chapter in Acts where everything changed. Jesus was for Jews...but for others, too? Listen in as we explore Peter and Cornelius' interaction, and learn what it means to call no part of God's creation "unclean."
Acts 9:31-43
The world was different before Jesus. The marginalized remained marginalize, and those in power remained in power. But as Jesus walked the earth the world saw huge cracks forming in the societal norms that ruled the day -- especially within the power structure of men and women. Jesus constantly saw people that were invisible to society, and elevated the marginalized to honorable places. Knowing this, the early church sought continue that work and do the same. Listen in as we unpack the story of Tabitha - a disciple of Jesus, and what her story means for us today.
Acts 9:1-22
Sometimes religion gets a bad rap and sometimes it should. Yet when done well religion can help build the necessary security, stability, and morality for a person to grow and develop in healthy ways. Still, at some point, everyones’ system of religion will fall prey to a life problem it cannot handle. At that point it is difficult to keep growing unless something more mysterious and less predictable can be accepted- an ever-enlarging view of what the world really might be like, a world where someone is in control but it is not you.
Acts 8:26-40
This week we encounter the first non-Jewish convert to Christianity, and he's not at all who the early church was expecting. He's just as surprising and relevant in our twenty-first century world. Listen in as we reflect on the good news that Jesus is for the outsider.
Acts 8:4-25
Have you ever felt like a faker? That you were hoping you could figure it out before everyone realized just how much you didn’t get it? Being confronted with the gospel of Jesus can expose our attempts to be something we are not while also offering a strange freedom to give up trying. What is the means of this freedom? Can it be for a faker like you and me? Listen in to join the conversation.
Acts 7:44-60
What does it mean to confront and speak truth in the midst of scarce and challenging moments? What does it cost us to show up and simply “be” by calling out the lies of our time?
These are big questions Stephen is facing down in this passage, yet they’re not just for Stephen, but us, too.
Acts 6:1-15
As we continue looking at the story of the early church, we see an important shift happen in Acts 6: the early followers of Jesus begin the movement from organic to organized. This spontaneous bunch of Jesus followers begin empowering leaders, and more and more people move from consumers to participants. This story is filled with surprises and important significance for followers of Jesus today.
Acts 5:12-33
Following Jesus and obeying his commands can be hard. Just read the book of Acts! Time and again, followers of Jesus are asked to do some very difficult things, yet they willingly do it each and every time.
Listen in as we seek to unpack what it means to have courage to obey God, even when it means experiencing hardship and pain.
Acts 4:32-5:11
Living generously is easier said than done. Many of us like the idea of meeting the needs of those around us but few of us count the cost of meeting those needs.
In this message we'll look at how generosity was a staple, a calling card, of the early church that was used to change the world and how people could learn to treat one another. Listen in and join the discussion of what this meant and how we can learn to live in a generous reality, together.
Acts 4:8-22
There are people who are able to speak clearly and passionately about what they believe is right and then there’s the rest of us. What kind of person can bear witness to a movement of Jesus as it presses against the powers that be? Can you and I be that kind of person? Listen in to join the conversation.
Acts 3:1-21
The book of Acts are filled with stories of ordinary people realizing the significance of the moments at hand and not wasting them. And because of that, those ordinary people did extraordinary things that brought refreshment into people's lives.
Listen in as we talk about how we can step into those kairos moments and not miss out on becoming a refreshing presence to our world.
Acts 2:1-13
Throughout Scripture nothing is as intriguing or confounding as the Holy Spirit. There are whispers of it in from the Prophets, promises of it from Jesus, and the wild reality of it in Acts 2.
Listen in as we unpack what Celtic Christians called the Wild Goose, and discover the kind of life we can find when we go chasing after the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:1-14
Following Jesus is wild stuff... just read the book of Acts! As modern people, we read what’s happening in the beginnings of the Church and tend to walk away with dissonance, wondering, “Could I ever experience something like that?”
But following Jesus is supposed to lead to wild and wonderful experiences. And that’s why we’re going to talk about it for the next 10 months.
So buckle up and get ready! Start asking the question, “What if I knew Jesus the same way his early followers did?” And get ready to experience him in such a way that leaves you refreshed, doing great acts in this world that leave it refreshed too.
John 21:1-14
"Everybody wants to change the world, but nobody wants to die." We're called to be sources of refreshment in our spheres, but being a truly refreshing presence for the long-haul comes from walking a surprising path. Listen in as we look at the stories of Jesus and Peter. Their stories may bring fresh insight into your own story and empower you to bring refreshment to your world.
Matthew 5:3-16
Most of us would agree that without a sense of purpose life just isn’t fulfilling. So what happens when the purpose we are striving to fulfill seems elusive or cumbersome; at best filling us with anxiety and at worst causing us to despair? What if instead of fulfilling this purpose you need to reimagine it? Maybe the rest and recovery of life that Jesus offers in the Beattitudes is the secret to a reimagined purpose that could fill you with life, hope and courage. Listen in and decide for yourself.
Luke 15:11-24
Few parables invoke as much longing as when we read the parable of the prodigal son. It captures something every human desires, but few attain: recovering the life you’re meant to have.
Listen in as well unpack this parable, and look at part of our mission, as a church, to help others recover their life.
John 17:1-10, 20-26
At the core of the Bible is a promise that humans can know God. But if we're honest, few things feel as daunting or hopeless than this endeavor. We study our Bibles, pray, go to church, yet still feel so lonely and lost in knowing God. For many, it's enough to make them walk away.
So, what does it mean to know God? Listen in as we ask this question and more, and attempt to unpack some of the mystery and beauty of Jesus' prayer in John 17.
John 4:4-26
What does it mean to create a space where people can belong? What does it take to let your self be known and belong to something? These questions are just a couple of what we find in this story of Jesus and the woman at the well.
Listen in as we begin our new vision and mission series, and discover what it means to be a place for others to belong.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
If loving God with all of our heart is the most important commandment, then one of the most important things we can do is cultivate love for God. But what does that even mean? And how do we go about cultivating love for God? Maybe you've tried the whole "Quiet Time" thing and you've only experienced boredom and dullness. Listen in to discover rich ancient practices for our modern world that might breathe fresh life into your love for God.
Genesis 2:15-17
We all have jobs to do. Some of us enjoy what we do, some of us are just “trying to pay the bills”, others just want work that is “decent” and still others are looking to “find themselves” through their occupation. How do we understand work as a gift, and divine responsibility from God when it doesn’t meet our expectations and when it does? Listen in as we wrestle with understanding work as a vocation, or calling, of immense importance to God, the church and the world.
Exodus 20:8-11
In our busy world it's essential that we discover a liturgy of rest. Our own life depends on it. Our love for neighbor depends on it. Our love of God depends on it. It might be one of the most important and most counter-cultural liturgies we can engage. Listen in as we talk about spiritual practices like sabbath, silence, solitude, and stillness: what prevents us from practicing these liturgies and how we can discover spiritual riches in these practices.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
In a culture that elevates individualism the signs, symbols and actions of church liturgy can help us understand and cultivate a sense of community. If we allow the ancient liturgies to penetrate our modern lives we might see more of God than we had imagined possible.
Colossians 3:15-17
What is liturgy? And what is liturgical worship? Liturgy may mean more than you think, and liturgical worship may be more important than you know. Listen in to discover how you're a liturgical being, always being formed and shaped by practices of the heart and how regularly gathering for corporate worship shapes you in surprising ways.
Luke 12: 35-48
As we end our series on parables, we come to one that is frightening and challenging. The wait for our King's return is a serious matter, and something we cannot take lightly. Join us as we talk about what it means to wait and watch well until Jesus returns.
Luke 18:1-8
Prayer is hard. Many of us have prayer lives that are nonexistent. The rest of us have prayer lives that are inconsistent. In the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus offers deep comfort and teaches a necessary posture to cultivate in order to enjoy a rich, deep, robust, prayerful relationship with God.
Ephesians 2:19-21
No matter our distinctive or differing doctrines, all churches are called to unify in one particular mission woven throughout Scripture. Listen in as we take a journey through the Bible from Jacob, to Jesus and ending with Paul -- and find out what it means to be a dwelling place for God.
Luke 14:12-24
We all struggle with FOMO -- the fear of missing out on something special and significant. That's not just a 21st century thing, but an ancient fear, too. Listen in as we talk about FOMOG -- the fear of missing out on God, and how we can learn to jump into God moments when we come across them and not miss out.
Matthew 13:44-46
When we read about Jesus and what he had to say something awakens in us, stirs us, moves us. That thing is desire. Desire is a dangerous thing because it compels us to "go for it" even if it costs us more than we were willing to give up. Listen in as we continue our series on parables and look at two that show us what it means to step into desire.
Luke 5:36-38
If you think of your spiritual life as a container to hold your beliefs, practices, feelings and doubts what would it look like? Listen in as we explore the shape and form of that container for a follower of Jesus.
Mark 4:30-32
This week we look at a kingdom parable, a metaphor Jesus uses to fill our imagination with truth about the kingdom of God so that we can live as kingdom-shaped people in the world. We see that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which sounds like a strange thing to say, and it is! As we'll see, it was surprising to Jesus's original listeners, and it's just as surprising (and challenging) today. Listen in to hear what it means to live in the way of Jesus, and how following in the way of Jesus is so opposed to the ways of our world.
Matthew 20:1-16
Many times we want fairness when it benefits us and aren't that concerned if it doesn't. How does Jesus describe what fairness looks like in the Kingdom of Heaven? Who goes first? Who gets more? Who misses out? Jesus' answer might surprise us and give us hope.
Luke 24:50-53
Jesus has ascended to heaven and the disciples return to the temple in Jerusalem. In these few verses, we see God's ultimate hope for his people. We see a group of people desperate to be with their God and a God eager to welcome them home. Listen in as we explore the conclusion to Luke's gospel account.
Luke 24:36-49
What do you do when a man who was dead three days ago is standing in front of you, fully alive, and pointing you to a new reality in how see and interact with the world? That is what the disciples are faced with in this passage...and so are we.
Listen in as we attempt to unpack the bigness and meaning of this passage and see what it means for us.
Luke 24:13-35
Death is scary and talk of resurrection brings questions and uncertainty. Imagine the confusion of Jesus' followers after his death hearing reports that Jesus' tomb was found empty and some had seen angels proclaiming He had risen. "Could it be that something we thought impossible might have occurred?" A challenge to our perception of reality accompanied the resurrection of Jesus and, for many, it still does today. When God does something we think impossible or even unlikely we can feel confused and afraid but the resurrection can give us the courage not to avoid these situations but to understand it as a path leading to clarity.
Luke 24:9-12
Jesus's resurrection means new creation is bursting forth into the world. And the first implication of the resurrection that we see in Luke's telling of the story is a radical reversal of the values of the first-century world. Suddenly, those who were viewed as voiceless are given a strong voice. Those who were viewed as powerless are given important power. Listen in as we unpack the strange presence of women at the empty tomb of Jesus and discover implications for our own day.
Luke 24:1-8
He is risen! And that means there's life for anyone in need when they come to Jesus. So why do we instead keep looking for life in dead places? Listen in as we celebrate Easter and ponder the angel's question: why are you looking for the living among the dead?
Matthew 27:24-50
We all know what it’s like to feel lonely. We know that it can sometimes feel akin to doubt. Doubt in ourselves, in others and in God. Jesus in his full humanity has felt that too. As he hung on the cross and cried out to his Father asking why he had "been forsaken" he understood both loneliness and doubt. Join us as we ponder the power of this moment on Good Friday.
Matthew 26:47-56
One of the most infamous stories in the Bible is Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss. Deceit and betrayal from those we love and trust are themes throughout literature, because it's one of the most basic human experiences. Join us as we look at how Jesus responds to this, and the hope he can give us.
Luke 19:28-44
In this passage we encounter a publicly lamenting Jesus. When we really consider the scene, it makes us uncomfortable. Isn't an important public (even royal!) figure supposed to "maintain his composure"? To "keep it together"? But what if Jesus and other ancient Hebrew people have some important to teach us about what it means to be human? Something that we as modern people might be missing out on?
John 11:32-44
Pop psychology, religious leaders, and books have told us that being angry will only lead to bitterness and death. Jesus believed being angry would lead you to passion and life. Listen in as we try to reconcile these different understandings and watch Jesus as he models what healthy anger looks like and how it can bring change.
Matthew 8:18-22
Never before in history has the modern church been more out of touch with the simple fact that Jesus was a poor man. We live as the most privileged people in the most privileged country in the history of the world. So what do we do with that? And what can the poverty of Jesus teach us? Listen in as we explore this and more.
Luke 7:11-17
True compassion takes us to truly painful places. This week we look at an amazing story that highlights the true compassion of Jesus and his willingness to enter into the pain. There's a lot of encouragement for us in this story, but there are also important lessons for us to learn about what it means to be truly compassionate people.
John 15:12-17
Everyone needs a good friend even... Jesus? As we continue our series on the humanity of Jesus we stop to consider the fact that the one whom we call God, LORD, Christ and Savior also needed friends and was a friend to those around him. Listen in as we consider the implications of this reality on our relationships with God and others.
Matthew 4:1-11
As we begin both the Lenten season and a new sermon series called "The Humanity of Jesus," we encounter a familiar but strange passage about Jesus's meeting with the devil in the wilderness. As we examine the ways in which Jesus operates, we discover some important fundamental realities about our humanity, and an important way we miss out on living fully as humans. Listen in to find out how you can experience God in deeper ways this Lent.
John 15:1-11
As we close out our series, we explore a vivid and rich passage that brings both a lot of comfort and a lot of conviction. Jesus tells us we are his and to "abide" in him. He also says that if we don't, we'll run the risk of being "cut off and burned." Pretty drastic.
Listen in as we explore how our usefulness in this world hinges on how well we understand what it means to abide in Jesus.
John 14:1-14
Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life -- the only way to the Father is through him. For his followers 2,000 years ago, this was a difficult saying, and the same can be said for anyone looking to follow Jesus today -- much less anyone looking over the fence at Christianity.
Join us as we unpack what this means, and find how this "I Am" statement from Jesus is more inviting than we could ever imagine.
John 11:17-27
In Jesus' announcement that, "I am the resurrection and the life," he implies something deeply profound and troubling: you'll have to die to have the life he's offering... but you can have it here and now. At first glance that doesn't make sense, but it can if we are willing to hear Jesus and see it through his eyes.
John 10:1-21
Many teachers throughout the ages have given us instruction in how to best live life and be pleasing to a god or gods. Jesus claims to not only teach the only way to an abundant life but to actually be the "door" by which we enter into it. A bold claim from which an important question erupts- “Why should we believe you over others Jesus?” Listen in to join the conversation as we explore Jesus’ bold claims and the lengths he is willing to go to prove them.
John 8:12-20
Listen in us as we explore Jesus' second "I am" statement: "I am the light of the world." We'll discover rich life in these seemingly simple words that Jesus spoke hundreds of years ago. There's also deep challenge here to live the full life that God created you to live.
John 6:24-35
How often do you wonder, "Will this satisfy me?" Whether consciously or unconsciously we're always asking this question -- from the people we meet, to the stuff we buy, to the food we eat -- we're all seeking...wondering, "Will this person/place/thing satisfy me?"
And this is the question Jesus answers when he states, "I am the bread of life."
Join us as we ask this question and hear Jesus' response, as begin our new series on the I Am statements of Jesus.
Proverbs 16:1-9
Life is filled with disappointments, failures, unmet expectations, and unfulfilled dreams. How do we live in the tension of making plans for our lives but also trusting in the God’s sovereign direction? Join us as we explore the wisdom that is found in Proverbs 16:1-9 and how God meets us in the disorder and chaos.
Matthew 1:18-25
Nothing in history is as astounding and confounding as the incarnation of God. Join us as we explore the simple, yet profound truth of Christmas, and how that brings us hope here and now.
Matthew 7:21-27
As we conclude the Sermon on the Mount, we are left with a line in the sand of either doing what Jesus says, or not. Following him, or walking away. Building our house on a rock, or on sand. Being wise, or being foolish.
Listen in as we explore this call to a wise life -- what it will cost us and what it can give us.
Matthew 7:12-20
Jesus tells us that the "golden rule" is so important, that all of scripture can be summed up through it. Not only in Christianity, but other religions have held the "golden rule" with similar importance. So what is the big deal with this simple statement? Join us as we explore all the depth and riches this "golden rule" has to offer.
Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” There are few passages of scripture concerning prayer that inspire more passionate action, misunderstanding, judgment and self condemnation as Matthew 7:7. What is Jesus communicating to use about the power of a request and the heavenly Father who hears those requests? Join us as we explore a power that is fundamental to the kingdom of heaven and creation itself-the power to ask.
Matthew 7:1-6
In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus points out destructive ways that we try to go about relationships, by elevating ourselves and lowering others. Not only is this damaging, but it makes genuine and thriving relationships with other people impossible. Listen in to discover the profound message Jesus has for us in these verses and to discover a powerful new way to go about relationships.
Matthew 6:19-34
Who doesn’t struggle with worry and anxiety among us? We are a culture plagued by ever-present fears that we will lose something we treasure, or worse, fail to acquire something we believe we need.The result is a flood of sleeplessness, stress induced illness, fractured relationships and growing addictions that our society has made little progress in addressing. In this message hear how Jesus gives us the cure for a life lived in anxiety and misplaced treasures as he leads us further into the reality of the kingdom of heaven. A reality filled with generosity and faith.
Matthew 6:1-18
The Christian life is often marked by epic events and mountain-top experiences. But that sort of spirituality doesn't fit into the everyday, ordinary, mundane moments of life. Jesus invites you into a spirituality that's deeper, richer, and more relevant than what you might have ever experienced before.
Matthew 5:38-48
"I don't like to mix politics and church." If that is a thought you've had before, you may be surprised with what Jesus has to say. Somehow, the follower of Jesus is called to oppose the systems of the world, yet compel the "enemies" who promote them. Join us as we explore what it means to be involved in changing the politics of our times, while inspiring those who set the politics of our times.
Matthew 5:33-37
Of all the things Jesus seems to have a problem with, his dismissal of making oaths is the most unrelatable as 21 century people. But of all the things he has to say, nothing is more necessary for us to consider than Jesus' push for our "yes" to be "yes" and "no" to be "no." Listen in as we unpack what it means to live with utter honesty and how that shapes us as a people and community.
Matthew 5:31-32
The topic of divorce was a big topic in Jesus's day. With divorce rates going up, and more couples decided to skip the "til death do us part" bit and marriage all together -- it's fair to say marriage and divorce is a pertinent for us today, as well. Join us as we unpack the meaning of marriage and the impulse we all have to "look for the back door."
Matthew 5:27-30
Jesus is calling humanity to a higher standard of living by insisting that until a person deals with matters of the heart (the cause), you'll always deal with your character defects with extreme measures (the symptom). And when Christians try to deal with matters of the heart with sheer force it leaves us looking ridiculous to the world and offers a bottom shelf ethic that is neither compelling or helpful.
Listen in as we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount and seek for a higher ethic and inspiration through Jesus's teachings.
Matthew 5:21-26
"It's not like I killed somebody!" If you’ve ever said a phrase like this in order to justify your actions Jesus might disagree with you. He says anger, rage and contempt are as dangerous as murder. How do we deal with this revelation? Is there such a thing as righteous anger? When and how much responsibility should I take for being at peace with others? Instead of appeasing our self-righteousness with more rules to follow Jesus takes us to the heart of the matter.
Matthew 5:17-20
A giant portion of the Bible is filled with rules, and we find more rules in the Sermon on the Mount. How do we interact with the Law in light of Jesus? Are these laws merely arbitrary, antiquated rules? Or is their purpose simply to show us how bad we are and how much we need Jesus? What if there's something more? And what if there's something more that can inspire the imagination of the entire world?
We live in a world driven by power: power over our circumstances, power over our inadequacies, power over each other. Jesus shows up 2,000 years ago and instead is driven by love. This is what makes Jesus so compelling: his willingness to give up power and chose to love, even when he was the most deserving to have power. Listen in as we unpack what it means to live a powerless life, and how that changes everything.
Matthew 5:13-16
When you really listen to Jesus and unpack what he has to say you can't help but be inspired, yet so many people who claim him as Lord have an uninspiring faith. Listen in as we discover what being "salt and light" means, and how it can inspire a world to follow Jesus.
Matthew 5:11-12
No one likes to be hurt. Everyone tries to avoid it at all costs. But Jesus tells us that following him will be painful...and it will be worth it. This begs the questions, "what does it mean to follow Jesus?" and "what do we get out of following him?" Listen in as we unpack these questions and discover both the cost and reward of walking the path of Jesus.
Matthew 5:1-12
While persecution is something most people avoid at all costs Christ arrives on the stage of history and claims it is nothing less than an essential part of following him. He says that, in a mysterious way, those who are persecuted for righteousness sake are blessed and in that blessing will possess the Kingdom of Heaven. In this message hear how Jesus' teachings and life show us that a life lived righteously over a period of time brings persecution as the Kingdom of Heaven crashes into the kingdom of men.
Matthew 5:1-12
"Blessed are the peacemakers." This two-thousand year-old saying from Jesus is amazingly relevant in today's fractured world. Listen in to learn what it means to be a peacemaker. As usual, Jesus' words are more challenging and more hopeful than we might see upon first glance.
Matthew 5:1-12
'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.' To seek God and him alone can be a disheartening journey, for to seek and see God comes not through right action but through an undivided heart without duplicity. Listen in as we examine this Beatitude and seek to understand what it takes to have a pure heart and see God.
Matthew 5:1-12
It's been said that resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. It's hard to be merciful to those who don't deserve it, but even more dangerous to not take the risk. Listen in as we explore the Beatitude of being a person of mercy, and what it costs to live this way.
Matthew 5:1-12
In the beatitudes Christ blesses the unexpected and as he approaches the idea of righteousness his language slightly shifts. He speaks of those who desire righteousness in terms of the most basic and primal human needs- hunger and thirst. There are those who literally and figuratively hunger and thirst for righteousness in their lives and the lives of others. Often they are treated with disdain as not being willing to accept the "real world". Christ comes and says they are blessed but not only are they blessed they will be filled, their need will be met, their hunger will be satisfied.
Matthew 5:1-12
In this beatitude Jesus shows us something that all of our hearts long for: a place to belong. And he tells us who finds that sort of place in his kingdom. Listen in as we discover this upside-down way of living.
Matthew 5:1-12
In a society that values strength over weakness, a winner over a whiner, it's hard to fully comprehend what Jesus meant by saying, "Blessed are those who mourn (the whiners!), for they will be comforted." Join us as we explore this and discover what it means to to be a whiner in God's kingdom.
Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes are considered some of the most prolific and timeless thoughts ever taught. Theologians and philosophers have spent centuries trying to understand and mine out all the wisdom in them, yet for Jesus, the Beatitudes were more than wise words -- they were snapshot of God's Kingdom and what it means to follow after Him. Listen in as we begin to look at these timeless truths and what it means for us as we walk in the path of Jesus.
Psalm 42
Life is filled with hard times. No matter how much we don't want to admit it, that's true. Our tendencies become trying to get around these moments in life, but the only way is through them. Listen in as we consider what it means to face life on life's terms.
Revelation 21:1-5
There's a lot of confusion about the end-times and what happens when you die. Unlike the stories we find in best-selling novels, what we encounter in the Bible isn't a story of God destroying the world and snatching a few people away to spend all of eternity playing harps on clouds in the sky. Instead, the story we find in the Bible is rich and deep and compelling. And it can change the way you live now. Listen in to find new hope, purpose, and passion for your life right now.
1 Peter 2:4-12
"What is the Church?" Being in the South, we all have perspectives and opinions we've formed through our experiences in church. For may of us, those experiences have been negative, at worst, or indifferent, at best. But regardless of what we think, the scriptures tell us the Church is God's "treasured people" and a "prized possession." So, "what is the Church?" and "what does it mean to be the Church?" Join us as we explore this and more.
Genesis 1:13, John 1:1-3
Today is Trinity Sunday, and we're continuing through our series in the Apostles' Creed. Over the last few weeks we've looked at God as Creator and our Father, at Jesus as our Lord and both fully divine and fully human, and at the Holy Spirit empowering and comforting and convicting followers of Jesus. Three Persons, yet one God.
Acts 1:9-13, 2:1-12
For many, the Holy Spirit is the part of the Trinity we either scoff at or try to exploit; for the rest, simply a part of the Trinity not worth learning more about. Yet, the Bible teaches this person of the Trinity plays the most pivotal role in our lives in regards to growing and living an impactful life. Listen in as we explore the role of the Spirit in our lives.
Ephesians 4:1-16
For centuries Christ's ascension to heaven has been celebrated but not his descent into hell. It's a portion of scripture that is largely ignored, minimized or overlooked, yet Paul believes it plays a huge role in understanding unity and how to love one another. Join us as we explore this and more, as we continue series on the Apostles' Creed.
Philippians 2:1-11
The Incarnation is one of the central mysteries in human history. The extent of the Incarnation in Jesus' sufferings is astounding. Join us as we reflect on this mystery and discover much-needed comfort for our day and also challenge on what it means to live as a people formed and shaped by Jesus.
John 8:53-59
In the past 2,000 years the identity of one man has been contested more than any other. Who was Jesus of Nazareth really? Was he a prophet? A teacher? A lunatic? A pathological liar? A blasphemer? Or was he what he claimed to be- God's very son. The cornerstone of the church is built on the belief that Jesus is God's son and that all the fullness of God dwells in him. Join us as we explore and wrestle with who Jesus claimed to be and the importance of how we choose to respond.
Colossians 1:15-23
When the early church proclaimed, "Jesus is Lord," there was a different and all consuming world-view that accompanied that phrase. Unfortunately, for many of us, there's a disconnect we have in relating to the gravitas of those three words. Listen in as explore the Lordship of Jesus and how far it reaches into our lives and our world.
Psalm 33:1-9
One of the earliest confessions Christians held to was the Apostles' Creed. It has since become the bedrock for God's people throughout space and time, and something to bring unity in the midst of diversity. Join us as we begin to look at each part of the creed within scripture and what it means for us today.
Was the earth created in six days, or has it evolved over millions of years? Was there a literal Adam and Eve, or were they simply symbolic in the creation narrative?
These are questions and discussions many of us run to when we think about God creating the world. But what if we're missing the point? In this sermon, we continue our discussion of the Apostles' Creed by looking at God the Creator.
2 Corinthians 1:2-10
One of the earliest confessions Christians held to was the Apostle's Creed. It has since become the bedrock for God's people throughout space and time, and something to bring unity in the midst of diversity. Join us as we begin to look at each part of the creed within scripture and what it means for us today.