Hosanna! A Fellowship of Christians: Recent Episodes
Jeff Burkholder
This is the official weekly message podcast from Hosanna! A Fellowship of Christians, located in Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA. To learn more about our community and what we believe, please visit our website at https://hosannalititz.org.
Everything has changed. Which means that everyone who feels empty can lead become full, thanks to the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb.
Music:
- He Lives by Anthony Skinner | Chris McClarney | Jonathan Smith
- Sound of the Saints by Mark Stuart, Seth Mosley, Jared Anderson
- What A Beautiful Name by Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood
- Praise (Sing It Now) by Chris Brown / Brandon Lake / Chandler Moore
Today we feel... deeply, honestly, lovingly... along with Jesus and the disciples.
Music:
- Hosanna by Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown
- Ancient Gates by Brooke Ligertwood | Jason Ingram | Scott Ligertwood
- He Reigns by Peter Furler, Steven A. Taylor
- Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me by Jonny Robinson | Michael Farren | Rich Thompson
In a scary, polarized world, Elijah lived a life that was sometimes desperate but more often bold. Let's hear what encouragement he would have to offer us today.
Music:
- Take You at Your Word by Aodhan King | Benjamin Hastings | Cody Carnes
- Sound of the Saints by Mark Stuart, Seth Mosley, Jared Anderson
- Holy Forever by Brian Johnson | Chris Tomlin | Jason Ingram | Jenn Johnson | Phil Wickham
- Let The Praises Ring by Lincoln Brewster
We often see or expect God only in the burning bush or the spectacular moment. What if God (and life) are both extraordinary AND ordinary?
- Praise (Sing It Now) by Chris Brown / Brandon Lake / Chandler Moore
- Raise a Hallelujah by Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser
- Graves Into Gardens by Brandon Lake
- This I Believe (The Creed) by Ben Fielding, Matthew Crocker
For all the talk in the world (and even in Church) about love, God's love is so much more radical and far-reaching than most have ever imagined. And this is wonderfully good news!
Songs:
- Only a God Like You by Tommy Walker
- Great Things by Phil Wickham
- Holy Spirit by Katie Torwalt, Bryan Torwalt
- This I Believe (The Creed) by Ben Fielding, Matthew Crocker
The God who is far beyond human knowing has nonetheless made himself known. How do we know an unknowable God? Let's explore that wonderful paradox!
Music:
- House of the Lord by Jonathan Smith | Phil Wickham
- A Thousand Hallelujahs by Brooke Ligertwood | Phil Wickham | Scott Ligertwood
- This I Believe (The Creed) by Ben Fielding, Matthew Crocker
- Make Room by Evelyn Heideriqui | Josh Farro | Lucas Cortazio | Rebekah White
Being on intimate terms with an infinite God is mind-blowing, yes, and also soul-healing. Today let's explore that amazing paradox!
Music:
- Awakening by Chris Tomlin, Reuben Morgan
- O Praise The Name (Anastasis) by Marty Sampson, Dean Ussher, Benjamin Hasting
- Going Down to the River by Sean Feucht
- Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman, Beth Redman
Most people see justice and mercy as polar opposites, and imagine God being at one end or the other. But what if God instead brings them together, and invites us to do the same?
In a world divided and diminished by "no," we hear and respond to God's persistent yes.
Last week we introduced our theme for this year: "Yes, And..." Today we explore how both listening and engaging can change the way we live... and even how we do church.
The scariest times in life to say Yes to God’s invitations is when we are feeling most vulnerable. Today’s message encourages us that God also says yes to us when we need him most.
As Jesus was revealed more and more in his life, there were more and more opportunities to say YES to what God was doing, is doing, through him.
Just as the characters in the original Christmas story reflected on all they had experienced, so we too stop to reflect on how we are changed as a result of 2023.
In this rebroadcast from 2021, we discuss how the love of God, which we see in the birth of Christ, in the end conquers all.
It's time to start saying yes to the things we want and need the most. Today, we say yes to peace!
It's time to start saying yes to the things we want and need the most. Today, we say yes to joy!
Maybe it's time to start saying yes to the things we want and need the most. Today, we say yes to hope!
Our series on "one choosing" has thus far highlighted attitudes and gratitudes, and now today, the beatitudes (blessings!) of living a transformed life.
We're going to mix things up a bit this morning! In this celebration service, we'll notice how attitudes turn into gratitudes when we trust the transformation that Christ is working in us.
Our movie series invited us into the new life that God offers, but living it out in real time requires a process of transformation... and some new attitudes!
Today's movie message will encourage us to be brave in the pursuit of healing. Sometimes all one can do is the next right thing! What kind of courage and faith does that next right thing take, and who can be trusted in that journey?
The following podcast has our worship set and announcements for November 5, 2023, but the message following is pre-recorded from October, 2021, and features the movie Frozen II.
Today's movie message will encourage us to be brave in the pursuit of healing. Sometimes all one can do is the next right thing! What kind of courage and faith does that next right thing take, and who can be trusted in that journey?
Today's movie message will encourage us to be brave enough to grow in loving others, ourselves, and the God who is love. Hope you can join us, in our building or online!
Today we move from stories told by others on film to the Story told by Jesus himself, which is the story we find ourselves in, and tell with our own lives. Hosanna! at the Movies returns next Sunday!
Today is the second of our 2023 Hosanna at the Movies! services. Join us onground or online for glimpses and invitations of grace embedded in some fascinating movies and some powerful messages.
The following podcast has our worship set and announcements for October 15, 2023, but the message following is pre-recorded from October, 2021, and features the movie Hugo.
Today is the first of our 2023 Hosanna! at the Movies services. Join us onground or online for glimpses and invitations of grace embedded in some fascinating movies and some powerful messages.
Let's reflect a bit today on what the cloud of witnesses from the past has to offer us as we imagine together the future God is building for those who come after.
The 19th and 20th centuries were a tumultuous time for the Church's mission, and raised questions that we grapple with today.
One of the legacies of the church's story is the passion to continually examine ourselves and allow God to reform us.
Eastern Orthodoxy is a stream of our faith that most of us don't know much about, but has some real treasures to offer us.
The tradition of Celtic spirituality can be wonderfully refreshing encouragement for faith and life in the 21st century!
The great cloud of witnesses from the story of the Church remind us of the need for and power of Christian community.
The earliest Christians witnessed to us about who Christ is, and who we are as his people.
For the church to move forward, we must retell the Story, be empowered by the Spirit, and focus on our service.
We will be taking a look at the earliest disciples who were called by Jesus to follow him.
After describing the occasion for Peter's writing and of his recipients, we will explore how a miscast stone forms misfit stones into a living, breathing temple "to declare the praises of him who brought us out of darkness into his wonderful light."
Today is a day to be encouraged by the body of Christ... to be reminded of the care that God has for each one of us, and the graces that are shared by God's good people.
According to Jesus, the kingdom of God is a party! And it's celebrating the most unlikely people.
Today we encourage and thank all the fathers who have shown us what tov, goodness, looks like, even in their imperfections, so we can trust the more perfect tov of our Father in heaven.
The purpose of Church is being very scrutinized in our culture these days, and for good reason. Often, Church hasn't been what God intended. So what did God intend, and why is it such good news?
The Holy Spirit is the gift of God, who loves us enough to partner with us through everything we experience and endeavor in this life.
On Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate and live out the supernatural oneness given us by the spirit of God.
Have you ever considered yourself to be a masterpiece? It’s amazing what we become when God has done his remodeling work on us!
It's amazing how many maternal or feminine images there are in the Bible for God. What good news does this teach us for ourselves?
To experience God as a good, good Father can be challenging, but is also one of the most joyful, freeing experiences we can have.
Sometimes it all gets to be a bit too much, and we need to stop and care for our souls and the world, and then walk forward in peace. Let's do that today!
How can the chasm that divides us begin to vanish? And what beautiful things emerge when it does?
Today we let our souls catch up with our bodies. We review and remember the Story of how God is restoring all things, and all of us, to himself and each other.
The bitter tears of sorrow from Friday's cross are replaced with beautiful tears of joy on Easter Sunday!... and every day since for those who trust in resurrection. Today we hear some of those stories.
Join us Friday evening for this emotionally-stirring experience that reminds us of how Jesus joined us in our pain.
What if Palm Sunday was not a "triumphal" entry?" What might the tears of Jesus on that day tell us about the compassion of God?
Jesus did miracles.... and gave us a glimpse of what is even more miraculous, all the time.
Jesus' message of the kingdom of God was radically good news in a world disordered by sin. It still is.
Come and see! Grace and glory, light and life... this is what Christ has brought from heaven to earth, for us. For us!
Caught off guard? Unexpected moments can open doors and send invitations for God to do good things in us.
The first humans refused the love of God, with consequences for all who have come after them. But God...
In the middle of the tov (goodness) of all God had lovingly made, something "not tov" was introduced. But God remained good.
Beneath all of the things that divide us, there is an original, fundamental oneness built into creation by the God who is One.
What does it mean that we are already one? And how do we possibly live out that oneness in the kind of world we’re in?
Loving God and our neighbor is our greatest invitation, our greatest commitment, and our greatest hope in a divided world.
Our perspective on the future reveals our perspective on our past, and the present... and God's role in it all.
At the end of a year of Gospel, how has our experience and understanding of it changed? What Gospel do you take into 2023?
The most meaningful present is not wrapped in paper and lying under our trees tonight. The most meaningful present is the Presence of the One who for love became one of us. Join us tonight at 6:30 for heartfelt worship, eye-catching videos, singing kids, meaningful meditations, beautiful candlelighting, and, yes, Presence!
The most wonderful mystery of all is the remarkable, transformative love of the God who saves.
Can you imagine God rejoicing, even singing, about you? Today we meet the God who sings for joy!... and invites us to do so too.
To seek and to allow ourselves to be sought by God is how the mystery of genuine peace becomes real to us.
The season of Advent is the season of mystery being unveiled… of seeing and being seen by the God who made Gospel personal and hope-filled.
Accepting both the gifts and challenges of the journey of discipleship results in us being able to lead others in that journey as well.
As we climb the ladders of success in life, in what ways should we look to God? And in times when we stumble down the chutes of misfortune, how should we respond to life's spinning circumstances? Could the answer to both be the same?
Christians get very confused at times about what a mature faith looks like. The Bible summarizes it in one life-changing word...
Is it possible that our moments of greatest pain and loss could also have gifts embedded in them, just waiting to be discovered?
Almost all of us regret something, perhaps deeply. But can there be a gift in our regretting? Perhaps even some Gospel?
What are your limitations in life? How might God be inviting you to embrace, rather than resist, them in order to live most fully?
Jesus continually, consistently invites people to follow him. But what does that mean? How did his understanding of that differ from that of many people in his own day, and in our day as well?
In a noisy world full of distractions, we sometimes forget our intimacy with the God who knows and loves us best. Today we hear how we can foster that relationship as his disciples, and help others do the same.
This morning we're honored to be led in worship by one of Europe's beloved Christian singers and his family. Join us to be inspired and encouraged!
What's good news about our invitation to grow in Christ? Let's find out in this introduction to a new series on how discipleship is gospel!
People are hungry for wisdom these days but there seems to be a supply chain shortage of wise people! Maybe there's some good news in here for Christians!
Are you "full of it?" :) Today we hear the invitation to be filled with the Spirit so we can live the flourishing lives we were created for!
When we become one with Christ, good news is everywhere in our lives... including in our capacity to cherish both God and the people around us.
What good news is God saying through your life and words this year? What of that can we share with each other?
The gospel that God is doing within us is even more important than what God is doing "out there" in the messiness of the world.
Can we trust the gospel that Jesus proclaimed about abundant life for those who follow him? What does that abundance mean?
When we understand Gospel more fully, we see God more fully... and find that He's much better than we had thought!
When we venture out into unknown, even scary, territory, it's nice to have a survival manual to give us guidance. That's what Gospel does!
Gospel is all around us. But what if seeing the good news that God is doing in the world requires a change of perspective?
The world has changed an awful lot in a short amount of time! And we have too. So the question for all of us is now, Where do we go from here?
If Gospel is community, then the community of God's people need to stop once in a while and be Gospel to each other. Join us as we do that today!
Serving others through the love of Christ, and being served by them, is a wonderful way to express, receive, and participate in Gospel!
"For God so loves" is the most encouraging, reassuring, and healing phrase in all of Scripture. What might it mean for you and your relationships?
Perhaps nothing is more powerful in creating healing, healthy community than the spiritual practices of granting and seeking forgiveness.
Nothing is wasted with God. God even uses the love and the suffering of relationships for our spiritual formation.
Of all the spiritual practices that heal community in times like ours, truth-telling is the most needed, but perhaps the most difficult.
In a world where healing community is hard to find, God remains faithful to his promises. Can God's people do the same?
In a world where healing community is hard to find, God is still restoring and reconciling us. Our best response to that gratitude and generosity.
In a loud world, where people often talk past and over each other, it is Gospel to discover a God who truly listens. Maybe God's people can too!
God is with us... and we are with each other... in ways that go far beyond simple physical presence.
Resurrection is even better Gospel than we have imagined! What does it mean for us to rise WITH Christ?
Nothing challenges our faith, or even our humanity, more than the persistent reality of suffering. How can there be Gospel in even that?
In a world that feels everything deeply, so does God!... but in ways that give us life, not distract us from it.
Once we truly trust who we are in Christ, we are free and empowered to live and speak Gospel to the world.
What does Gospel look like in a world of political violence, deadly diseases, and our own brokenness? Might it be possible that there is good news in our ashes?
We've been exploring for the past 6 weeks what Gospel is. Today we pull all of that good news together for our own lives and begin to share it!
If Gospel is anything, it is a message of love, for God is love. And God's love is better than we have imagined!
So often Gospel... and God!... are depicted as solemn, serious, even angry. But Gospel is Joy! Today we revel in that joy, and pass it along to others.
The glory of God has come to us in Christ, so we can shine Gospel like the stars in the sky.
We have all heard that we are saved through God's grace, but what else is grace good for? :) What if life is grace all the way through?
It's hard to stay hopeful in an increasingly hopeless world... unless Hope lives within you! And wouldn't that be Gospel? :)
Gospel is good news! but it's even better because it's also true, because God is true. And if God is true, then we can become true ourselves, and truth-tellers in a world in need of some good news!
Don't just live the new year. Don’t just do a new thing or two. Don’t just learn a new thing or two. Actually BE the new this year!
What do we do the day after Christmas? Instead of going "back to normal," what would happen if we would continue to live in the gifts of this season, every day?
(Please note that the comments and views expressed during the open mic time are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and leadership of Hosanna!)
Christmas is about how God so loved the world through Jesus... and how we, too, can so love the world... all of it. :)
What a difference life can be when we finally trust that God is good and that we’re going to be okay! We can be free with all that we have and want.
The way the world treats money and possessions creates stress and disorder. Today we see how Jesus came to show us a different way, especially in the Christmas season.
Join the global conspiracy to do the Christmas season a bit differently this year! Let's start by worshipping fully the God who came to us.
Of all the things we're thankful for, the realization that "love remains" through the seasons of faith and the tumults of life is the greatest. Let's celebrate!
How do you live in hope when the world seems to be going crazy? How do you offer hope when others are anxious? Today we remember another of the things that remain through the seasons of life: Hope.
Faith is one of the few things that remain through our seasons of spiritual growth. But how can our faith grow stronger when others seem to be losing theirs?
We all encounter seasons of life like fall, when things seem to fall apart or die, but only to be resurrected in new ways when we participate in the grace of what God is doing. Today the sequel to the popular Disney movie "Frozen" illustrates what Scripture has taught us about being transformed in the "dark night."
“We interrupt this broadcast….” When you hear that, you know that what is to be said next matters. Well, today, we’re interrupting our movie series for a time of hearing together what matters most to the world, God, and ourselves right now. Bring your questions, stories, and wisdom!
"Look me in the eye. You know I love you, right?" What if that kind of loving, seeing friendship is one of the gifts we get to give each other and the world, right now? Today we learn about that gift from an animated sea monster (!) in another inspiring movie message!
If everything has a purpose, what’s yours? Today our message is inspired by “Hugo”, a movie about a boy who finds his purpose and helps others recover their own… much like God does for us!
In the movie "Field of Dreams," a farmer hears voices in his cornfield that tell him to build a ballpark, so that the dreams of others (and his own) may finally come to life. Today we learn from that movie how God whispers a similar encouragement to us--to dream again.
A guy named Simon was forced to carry Jesus' cross for him part of the way to Calvary. When we walk with Simon, we might just find out that Jesus is carrying OUR cross!
What happens when being in “shock and awe” by living in an upended world is replaced by being “wonderstruck” by our encounter with the glory of Christ? Today we discover it, and live it!
People talk about good and evil all the time, particularly on a weekend like this when we remember a truly horrific day. Thankfully, our good God has an amazing way of redeeming the evil acts of humans, and we who know God have amazing opportunities to talk with others about that goodness with grace instead of condemnation. Let’s find out how today!
One of the primary reasons people give for not being people of faith, or for walking away from faith, is their experience with Church. How can we have “living conversations” with people about the beauty (and sorrow) of Church?
It’s hard sometimes to talk with people about the Bible, isn’t it? Today’s message notes common objections to the Bible and how we can yet engage people in life-giving conversations about the things that matter most.
“God” is everything to people from a swear word to a sacred mantra that should not be said out loud. Growing numbers don’t even think God exists! How, then, do we talk with people about the God we have experienced? Today’s message offers practical advice for doing so.
Today we explore how Jesus did conversations in a way that brings healing to the world.
What has it been like for you to be a living witness... in your words and in the way you live your life... during this extraordinary time? What questions do you have about being a witness? We'll take up our stories and questions this Sunday at Hosanna!
Rest is a deeply biblical concept. Surely it has to mean more than just hanging out in an easy chair? Rest assured! It's a wonderfully revolutionary word that can change how we live!
What does freedom mean to you? Today, let’s look at freedom from a few different perspectives, together.
As we return to worship together, after more than a year of difficult isolation, we are catching up with friends who have endured much loss and suffered deeply. As a church community, how can we show compassion for our brothers and sisters, while also acknowledging the loss of time and fellowship we’ve all experienced? How do we come together again?
I sometimes think about what I might do when I first see Jesus face-to-face. Will I hug him, thank him for his love and sacrifice on my behalf? And then, will I have the nerve to ask him, “What was that all about?” If I did, I like to imagine he might reply, “Didn’t you enjoy it at all?”
July 4 is the day we celebrate our country’s independence day. This Sunday we will also celebrate the freedom which we have been given in Christ.
If you've ever struggled with prayer, it may not be because you're doing something wrong. It may be because you were taught to pray in a way that had nothing to do with how God created you!
We all create things with our lives, for good or bad. How can we create well, so we can be effective witnesses of the goodness of our Creator God?
The Bee Gees asked us, “How Deep is Your Love?” This Sunday we ask, “How deep is your hope?” Do you hope for a hope so fully anchored that other people will hope for your hope? You can!
Waiting is a hard thing, and we’ve been doing a lot of it for a ling time. But how we wait says a lot about who we are… and who God is. And when we wait well, we bear witness to the world about how good God is!
Last week we celebrated the fact that God laughs!.. and invites us to laugh also. But God also plays!... just like we did when we were children. Let's show people what it's like to play together with joy.
"LOL" means "laughing out loud." "ROFL" means "rolling on the floor laughing." When's the last time you laughed that hard? What is the source of our laughter anyway? And how might laughing believers help save the world? :)
We will take a look at what happens when God is revealed to people in new and very unexpected ways.
One of the best ways to witness with our lives to the good news of Jesus is by how we listen to the pain, fear, and shame of the world.
"Can I get a witness?" Being a witness is more than just evangelizing, more than an obligation. It's actually the delight of a resurrected life! Today we begin a new series about being "living witnesses."
In the kingdom of God, the best is always yet to come! At a time when the disciples were deeply discouraged, Jesus showed up to remind them that there was much more than they could see. He is doing the same for us right now.
Like water, blood, and wine, the oil of myrrh is a liquid with powerful meaning in Scripture… about what it means to be fragrant in smelly, deathly world.
Jesus turned water into wine, blessed wine, and spoke of new wine in the kingdom. What did he mean by all that? How can something as tasty and yet as dangerous as wine be a symbol of the resurrected life?
Since the Garden of Eden, people have been labeling each other and themselves, with shame or approval. Jesus died and rose again to free us from that system and invite us into new life! Join us for this wonderfully encouraging service in which you can remember and celebrate how truly special you are.
Last week we noticed the power of Jesus’ “living water” to heal our souls. This week, Holy Week, we give our focus to his “precious blood.”
Life in Christ is like water–flowing, abundant, nourishing, and refreshing! So how can we drink fully?
Living resurrection begins with a living sacrifice… and results in becoming more fully yourself! Today we hear from someone who has lived this and offers us encouragement for our own lives.
Today we pull the pieces together from our last series of message and invite your reflections, questions, and testimonies about living resurrection!
What’s the spiritual equivalent of having a pulse? Today’s message explores how we come alive, spiritually.
If Christ really has resurrected from our experience of “getting dead” spiritually, then why are so many people… including so many Christians… seemingly staying dead?
To live resurrection, we must first come to terms with the fact that we are, or were, dead, spiritually. What does that mean?
Let’s not wait for our real life “someday” but start living it now, as if it’s already here?
In the tumult of the world this week, what is God saying? Today’s service explores what it is to hear God with a reflective meditation on Psalm 81.
It’s one thing to give grace to others, and even to ourselves, but why and how would we give grace to God?