Redeemer OC Podcast: Recent Episodes
Redeemer OC
Redeemer is a Church in Orange County, CA (redeemeroc.org). We love Jesus and we love Orange County. Jesus is at the center of all that we are and all that we do. He is at the center because He is that good, and we need Him that much. Jesus is here in Orange County, He is here at Redeemer. He transforms disaster into abundance, joy and laughter; he strengthens, deepens, and treasures relationships. He promises to speak to us through the preaching of the scriptures. May you hear Jesus' voice and be challenged, encouraged, loved, and transformed.
This Sunday, we start a new sermon series: The Gospel and the Christian life. We will spend the next several weeks considering Colossians 3:1-17.
This week we begin with the first verse: "If then you have been raised with Christ…"
See you on Sunday.
Pastor Josh
As you know, we are reading the Bible together in 2023 and we start our reading plan on the first Monday of the year, January 2nd. For many of us, this sounds like a daunting task. We wonder, how do I read the Bible?
That’s the question we’ll take up this Sunday and hope to leave you more equipped to read the Bible in the new year.
Pastor Josh
“Advent begins in the dark.”
These words are a famous description of the season of Advent from Fleming Rutledge. As we enter Advent this Sunday and prepare to celebrate Christmas, we remember that the world is not the way it’s supposed to be. On one hand it’s “the most wonderful time of the year,” but on the other hand it’s one of the darkest times of year.
In Genesis 1 God spoke over the darkness and said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
In John 1 God’s Word once more speaks over the darkness. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
This Sunday we’ll begin our Advent sermon series through chapter one of the Gospel of John, by looking at John 1:1-5. In preparation for our time together, read these verses and spend a few minutes meditating on the theological significance of Jesus being the Word - who is also the light that shines in the darkness.
I look forward to singing Advent songs with you this Sunday as we prepare for the joy of Christmas!
Pastor Adam
On Sunday we are fortunate to have a guest preacher, Rev. Justin Edgar from City Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque. This is his introduction of Psalm 143:
I have a low tolerance for the dark. Whether it is dark emotions…sadness, frustration, low grade anger, anxiety, fear…when I run head on into these, my tendency is to find artificial lights to cope. Food, drink, shopping, tv, phone…anything to get my mind off of it.
But what if renewal begins in the dark. What if God brings us into these places in His mercy, because this is where His renewing work begins.
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Pastor Josh
Last week Pastor Josh began our sermon series on the Trinity with the idea that there is but one true God.
This Sunday Pastor Derek will continue the series with the idea that the one true God exists in three persons.
To best prepare for Sunday, take time to read, meditate, and pray through John 14:1-31. As you do, notice and reflect on the truths of the Trinity in that chapter.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Can you explain the Trinity?
How would you respond if a neighbor asked you this question?
Over the next three weeks we will consider the essential truths we affirm when we speak about God as triune. This Sunday we begin with the idea that there is but one true God.
Pastor Josh
Happy are those who are persecuted.
Really?
Can you say that? Who would be happy after being persecuted?
This Sunday we will conclude our sermon series through Jesus’ Beatitudes by looking at the climactic and final beatitude: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. At first glance, it doesn’t make sense. However, after further reflection nothing else makes sense.
If you’d like to reflect more on the topic of persecution prior to Sunday, I would suggest meditating on the following passages: Matthew 5:1-12, Josh 17:18-27, 2 Timothy 3:12-17, and Amos 5:21-24.
I look forward to worshiping together this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Are you a Christian?
If so, in the seventh Beatitude Jesus says you are a peacemaker.
Peace in the Bible is not the absence of pain or hostility. It’s not even described as tranquility of mind.
When Jesus speaks of peace, he describes whole relationships that function and flourish in the way they were created to be.
I look forward to worshiping together this Sunday as we consider how we can be peacemakers in all our relationships: with God, with family, with friends, with neighbors, and with co-workers.
If you’d like to reflect on some passages prior to Sunday, I suggest the following: Isaiah 11, Psalm 85, Matthew 5:9, Romans 5:1-5, and Colossians 1:15-23.
Pastor Adam
Blessings on you!
This Sunday we'll begin a 4-week summer sermon series through the second four Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5, the beginning of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. Last summer I preached through the first four Beatitudes, which are often known as the Beatitudes of Need. This summer we are climbing the ladder of the Beatitudes and focusing on the Beatitudes of Service. These Beatitudes are ultimately portraits of Jesus. As Jesus blessed his disciples and invited them to imitate his service, the same is true for us. Jesus blesses us and invites us to be merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted for righteousness sake in and through him.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday and receiving a blessing from Christ our King!
Pastor Adam
Blessings on you!
This Sunday we'll begin a 4-week summer sermon series through the second four Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5, the beginning of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. Last summer I preached through the first four Beatitudes, which are often known as the Beatitudes of Need. This summer we are climbing the ladder of the Beatitudes and focusing on the Beatitudes of Service. These Beatitudes are ultimately portraits of Jesus. As Jesus blessed his disciples and invited them to imitate his service, the same is true for us. Jesus blesses us and invites us to be merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted for righteousness sake in and through him.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday and receiving a blessing from Christ our King!
Pastor Adam
Have you ever succumbed to peer pressure? Are you a people-pleaser and find it hard to say, “No”? Are you codependent with someone? Do you control your life in such a way so people will not think bad of you?
We all struggle with the problem of fearing others. We are all concerned with what others think about us and often we let what other people think dictate our actions. We will even behave contrary to our professed beliefs and act like hypocrites because of our fear of others.
This Sunday we will be looking at Galatians 2:11-14. It is an awkward passage. Paul opposes Peter to his face over Peter's fear of others and hypocritical actions. However, Paul doesn't confront Peter because he failed morally. Paul considers Peter's actions a gospel issue.
Join me this Sunday as we consider how to live in step with the truth of the gospel against the threat of fearing others.
I look forward to worshiping with you!
Pastor Adam
This week we’ll be considering Paul’s conversion experience in which the risen Christ appeared to him and commissioned him to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. This event, along with the church planting ministry and subsequent letters to these churches (which make up approximately 30% of the New Testament), dramatically changed history. No wonder the Apostle Paul appealed to his unique calling when his credentials were attacked by the false teachers in Galatia.
Join us this Lord’s Day and we’ll continue in our studies of Galatians! Pastor Josh
“Paul is breathing fire. His zeal is so fervent that he almost begins to curse the angels themselves.” These are the words Martin Luther used to describe the beginning of Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia. His letter addresses gospel issues, truths that are vital importance for the church in every place and time.
Join us this Sunday for our new sermon series in Galatians.
Pastor Josh
You’ve heard the accounts of what happened on the first Easter, but do you know why Jesus was raised from the dead?
In Romans chapter four the Apostle Paul makes a thought-provoking statement: “[Jesus] was raised for our justification.”
On Sunday we’ll consider these words together and hope to grow in our appreciation of the significance of the resurrection for the people of God.
Pastor Josh
Palm Sunday is a perplexing day.
The crowd cheers and Jesus sheds tears.
Come ready to celebrate, alongside the children waving palm branches during our annual Palm Processional prior to the Gospel reading and sermon. Also prepare yourself to be shocked and perplexed by where Palm Sunday leads us, and why Jesus would weep after such a triumphal entry.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter together!
Pastor Adam
This week concludes our sermon series Something More. Pastor Danny Morgan will be speaking about success, and how the gospel reorients our vision of success from one of accumulating wealth, power, and influence to giving of oneself for the glory of God.
See you on the Lord's Day!
Pastor Josh
This week we will be talking about beauty. Not the beauty of a sunset or the ocean but our appearance, attractiveness, body image. In Orange County we are fixated on beauty, but the Lord wants something more for us.
Join us on Sunday to learn what the Scriptures teach about beauty and how the gospel sets us free.
Pastor Josh
In Orange County we work hard, play hard. We love our entertainment, hobbies, and play. Who doesn't want to be happy? But there must be something more?
Join us this Sunday as learn about the generosity of God and the way to lasting joy.
Pastor Josh
The Scriptures speak about money more than 2,300 times! That is good news for us who live in Orange County, where we enjoy, and are surrounded by, unusual prosperity.
On Sunday we’ll consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 6. He teaches about how your life can be about something more than money and how to seek first his kingdom. See you soon…
Pastor Josh
This Sunday Danny Morgan will be ordained to be a minister of the gospel! As such, we’ll be taking a break from our Something More sermon series in order to consider Jesus words in Matthew 16:19, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
It’s going to be a great Sunday. Grab a friend and join us at 10am.
Pastor Josh
This week we continue our sermon series Something More by thinking about Paul’s words on the Christian life to the ancient church in Colossae. He says that covetousness is idolatry. For many of us, this is a curious claim. Isn’t idolatry something from bygone ages when superstitious people bowed down to ridiculous statues? What does idolatry have to do with our passions and desires, as Paul says?
Join us on Sunday and we’ll take up these questions as we think about idolatry in our modern world.
Pastor Josh
What comes to mind when you think of hospitality?
Tea parties? Hotels? Entertaining?
This Sunday we will continue our Something More sermon series by looking at the Parable of the Great Banquet from the Gospel of Luke 14. We will see there is something more to hospitality then what immediately comes to mind.
In fact, the more we study the Christian understanding of hospitality, the more we realize its extreme importance in reaching our secular Western age with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
How do you envision your Christian life connecting to the great redemptive work of God in the world? How does your work, play, neighborhood, etc. intersect what God is doing?
This Sunday we’ll take up these questions in a practical way as we continue to consider how God is using the community of the church to fulfill the mission of the gospel. I hope that as we do so we’ll grow in our vision for the way in which God will use Redeemer to convey something more to Orange County.
See you on Sunday!
Pastor Josh
Why does your life matter? What do you live for? Where do you find purpose & meaning? These are the type of questions we are considering in our sermon series Something More.
This week we come to Jesus’ famous words at Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 16:13-20. There Jesus speaks about community and mission, two things we all long for.
See you on the Lord’s Day! Pastor Josh
This Sunday Redeemer will have two worship services: our normal service in Newport Beach and a special service in Palm Springs for the 80+ guys attending our Men’s Retreat!
In Newport Beach, we are excited to announce that the Rev. Paul Kim, from Redeemer City to City Los Angeles, will be preaching. He will teach from Luke 18:9-30, 35-43, and gave us the following teaser…
This passage speaks to how we only come to Jesus as beggars, children, tax collectors—bankrupt, marginalized, condemned. But we unwittingly bring our “middle-class sensibilities” into our relationship with Jesus, which is a danger. The only way we come to Jesus is like a child, humbled and bankrupt. In this season of feeling weak, out-of-control, dependent, perhaps financially or physically threatened, there may be a spiritual opportunity to embrace the weakness. This is good for our souls, especially for those who are diligent and accomplished.
In Palm Springs, we are excited to have the Rev. Dr. Peter Leithart teaching on the book of Revelation for the whole weekend, but specifically preaching on Revelation 6:9-11 on Sunday morning. He gave us the following teaser…
Sunday’s Sermon is the Triumph of the Witnesses. When Jesus opens the fifth seal, John sees martyrs beneath the altar, crying for vindication. Revelation portrays God's answer to their prayer, following the martyrs as they ascend to heavenly thrones to reign with Christ.
I look forward to both attending the Men’s Retreat and worshiping with the rest of you this Sunday morning in Newport Beach!
Pastor Adam
This Sunday we continue our new series “Something More” by considering two parables in Matthew 13:44-46. Jesus uses the ideas of hidden treasure or finding a great gem to help us think about what we long for, ultimately value, and love.
See you on the Lord’s day! Pastor Josh
This week we start a new sermon series titled Something More. We begin in Mark 2, with the story of a cripple who experiences redemption. It is a story that helps us to think about ourselves—our longings, what we think will make us whole—as well as what Jesus is doing in the world.
See you on Sunday Pastor Josh
This Sunday we conclude our series Advent & Christmas in Luke with the baptism of Jesus. It is a short passage but for its size it tells us a shocking amount about Jesus.
Join us, and together we’ll listen to the voice from heaven and watch the Spirit move. We’ll also have some baptisms of our own and Three Kings’ Cake!
Pastor Josh
“We love stories for countless reasons. Two considerations may be the way they allow us to see the world or the hope they offer us in moments of love, peace, and joy. Stories also help us make sense of the darkness in our lives. That darkness comes in many forms; illness, grief, sorrow, struggle, etc. Christmas is the ultimate story through which our own stories come together as darkness is pushed back and overtaken with light. This Sunday, we will be in the Prologue of John’s Gospel together and ask; how does my story fit into God’s story? First, we will hear the good news that Christmas is for people who find themselves lost in darkness. Then, we will hear of Christ’s coming into the world to be with us and to reverse the curse of that darkness.”
Peace Danny Morgan
Merry Christmas Eve!
The advent candles have all been lit and the last door on the advent calendar has been opened. Christmas, in all its glory and joy, is about to burst forth!
Join us this evening at 5pm as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with our annual Lessons and Carols service. The service will be an hour or less and is the perfect way to welcome the shift of seasons from Advent to Christmastide.
Tonight, Pastor Adam will give a brief meditation on the birth of Christ from Luke 2:1-7, and on Sunday Pastor Josh will continue our Luke sermon series by preaching on Luke 2:22-24, 36-38.
A great way to celebrate Christmas - on your own or with family and friends - is to simply read the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. Soak in the reality and wonder that God came near to us in the person of Jesus Christ, born in a lowly stable in the little town of Bethlehem.
We look forward to worshiping with you tonight and Sunday morning!
Last week we were introduced to John the Baptist. He entered the story of Scripture when times were bleak. God’s people were occupied by foreign enemies, their faith had become sectarian and corrupt, and their prophets had gone silent. John comes with a singular message, the advent of God.
This is what John the Baptist proclaimed, but his ministry was also one of preparation, to ready people for the Lord’s arrival. He did so by teaching about repentance, baptism, and the forgiveness of sin. Join us on Sunday and together we’ll learn from John and seek to prepare ourselves as we remember the arrival of God in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
PCA minister Tim Keller writes, “Christmas is not simply about a birth but about a coming.” This week we continue to consider the coming of Christ in the gospel of Luke. Like the other gospel authors, Luke begins with John, the son of Zechariah, who we know as John the Baptist. He sought to prepare Israel for the advent of God and declared, “All flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Join us this Sunday and together we’ll seek to learn from John the Baptist as well.
Pastor Josh
Advent is a time between.
This season holds the tension between Jesus’ first advent (coming) and his second. A time that reminds us: things currently are not the way they are supposed to be - but one day they will be. On one hand it is “the most wonderful time of the year,” and on the other hand it is one of the darkest times of year.
This Sunday we’ll begin our Advent sermon series by reflecting on Jesus’ second coming. In preparation for our time together, spend 5-10 minutes reading and praying through the following passages: Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, and the Gospel of Luke 21:25-36.
I look forward to singing Advent songs with you all this Sunday as we prepare for the joy of Christmas!
Pastor Adam
Give thanks in every season!
Thanksgiving is upon us, reminding us how important it is have a spirit of gratitude rather than entitlement.
This Sunday we have the privilege of hearing a sermon on giving thanks from Pastor Derek Rishmawy, our RUF Campus Minister at UCI. To best prepare for Sunday, read and pray through Psalm 136 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
I look forward to worshiping, in joy and gratitude, with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
This Sunday, for our final sermon in Genesis, we will consider Joseph’s famous words in Gen 50:20, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”
Upon the death of Israel, Joseph’s brothers were apprehensive about their standing with Joseph—had he really forgiven them for their betrayal? What Joseph says leads to a beautiful reconciliation with his family.
These words are true as we move beyond Genesis as well. God means to do good, his purpose is to bring forgiveness, reconciliation, and blessing to the world.
See you on Sunday Pastor Josh
Genesis is the book of beginnings. It sets the stage for the grand story of Scripture, and, even from the start, it prepares us for what is to come. This week Jacob prophetically blesses his sons, and in his blessing to Judah we enjoy a glimpse of what will be. These are the things into which angels long to look (1 Peter 1:12), a prophetic picture of the Christ and his kingdom.
See you on Sunday! Pastor Josh
This Sunday the Joseph narrative comes full circle as he meets his brothers, that betrayed him so long ago and sold him into slavery in Egypt. It is a story of redemption, first on a personal level, for this family as their shameful secret and decades of guilt are forgiven. It’s also a story where Genesis—which tells the beginnings of God’s grand story to redeem—looks to the future and what will one day be true as God’s redemption moves beyond this family.
See you on the Lord’s Day! Pastor Josh
This week we continue our studies in Genesis with the first of two weeks on the life of Joseph.
If ever there was a life made for the big screen, this is it. Joseph’s story is full of twists, trials, tragedy and triumph. Through it all, Joseph perseveres and the Lord shows himself to be faithful.
Bring a friend and join us this Sunday at 10am!
Pastor Josh
*Sexual assault/trigger alert.
This Sunday we will study Genesis 34. It’s an intense chapter, full of abuse. It starts with sexual abuse, then neglect abuse, and concludes with physical abuse.
These are heavy topics that can bring up traumatic memories for many people, including many of us. As we approach a chapter like Genesis 34, would you begin by simply praying. Pray for those who have been abused, pray for those who have abused others, and pray for our church as we learn together how to properly respond to abuse. If you have kids and/or students with you during the sermon, it’d be great to have conversations with them ahead of time and also afterward.
God is not silent about abuse and neither should the church be!
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
This week, in Genesis 32, we come to one of the most unexpected stories in Genesis—God picks a fight with Jacob. It’s an actual punch throwing, no holds barred, wrestling in the dirt and black of night sort of fight. Jacob leaves a different man, and the Lord intends to use this story to change us as well.
See you on the Lord’s Day for worship! Pastor Josh
This week we consider our largest portion of Genesis to date: Genesis 25-32. It is the story of Jacob’s life. In his journey, as is true for many of us, there are a number of unexpected twists and turns. Yet, through it all, the Lord is faithful, even when Jacob is not.
In preparation for Sunday I encourage you to read these chapters then together we will think about Jacob’s life as well as our own lives.
See you on Sunday Pastor Josh
Will the promise continue?
God made a promise to Abraham back in chapter 12 - that he would bless him by making him and his family a great nation. After years of waiting he is given a son, Isaac. Then as we heard last week in chapter 22 - he almost sacrifices Isaac.
Now Abraham is old and dying… and Isaac doesn’t have a wife. Without a wife, Isaac can’t have a son to carry on the blessing promised to Abraham. Suspense is building, and Abraham takes matters into his own hands.
To prepare for Sunday, read and enjoy seeing how the story plays out in Genesis chapters 23 - 25.
As you read, reflect on the themes of prayer, guidance, and blessing.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
This Sunday we come to the climactic story in the Abraham narrative—The Sacrifice of Isaac. It is a story that has captured audiences for millennia, been a seedbed for theological discourse, and one that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the larger story of the gospel of Christ.
See you on Sunday! Pastor Josh
After the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah, Genesis tells the final account of Lot’s life. It is a disturbing story; one that includes rape and incest. Why is a story like this included in the Bible? How does it benefit us Spiritually?
Join us on Sunday for worship and we’ll take up these very questions.
Pastor Josh
Presbyterian minister Eugene H. Peterson once said, “I know there are Christians, so called, who never crack a smile and who can’t abide a joke, and I suppose Presbyterians contribute their quota. But I don’t meet very many of them. The stereotype as such is a big lie created, presumably, by the devil. One of the delightful discoveries along the way of Christian discipleship is how much enjoyment there is, how much laughter you hear, how much sheer fun you find.”
This week in Genesis (21:1-7) we come to a fun story. One in which the original characters break into a full belly laugh, where they weep for joy, and where they marvel at God. Come on Sunday and we’ll join with them.
Pastor Josh
This week we come to an infamous passage in Scripture—God’s destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah.
We’ll look to the past, ask what it teaches us about the future, and how that should change our lives today.
See you on Sunday!
Pastor Josh
Over the next three weeks we’ll take up a story which everyone has heard about but fewer have learned from, the story of Sodom & Gomorrah.
This Sunday, in the first part of the story, found in Genesis 18:16-33, we eavesdrop on a fascinating interchange between God and Abraham. It is a dialogue about justice and mercy. We’ll learn not only from the content of this conversation but also from Abraham’s example as he intercedes for others. See you on the Lord’s Day!
Pastor Josh
How do you respond to crisis? A courageous Christian if ever there was one, Elizabeth Elliot, says, “Fear God and become fearless.” Similarly, the key word that I’ll be speaking about this Sunday, from Psalm 11, is unflappable.
Join with your church community on Sunday at 10 am by listening to this teaching ONLINE or on the APP and seeking the Lord in prayer.
This Sunday we begin our new series on the book of Genesis.
Genesis, means ‘beginning.’ As its title indicates, Genesis tells the story of the beginning of all things as well as the beginning of God’s salvation through the people of Israel. This week we’ll focus on one verse, the verse that begins it all: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Come join us, bring a friend; its going to be a fun series!
Pastor Josh
40 Days.
Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before he began his public ministry!
This is the opposite of hitting the ground running. It‘s completely counter intuitive to how most of us understand productivity.
The season of Lent began two days ago on Ash Wednesday. The church is now on its historical 40 day journey through a desert as it prepares for the joy of Easter.
For the first Sunday in Lent, we will study Jesus’ 40 days in the desert from Matthew 4:1-11. As we reflect on Jesus’ 40 days, we will likewise reflect what our 40 days of Lent will look like.
To prepare for Sunday - read, meditate, and pray through Matthew 4:1-11. If you haven’t already picked up our Lent Guide, click here for a downloaded version. May it help you prepare for the joy of Easter.
This weekend is also our Men’s Retreat in Malibu. For the men who will be there, Aaron Renn will be teaching on Friday and Saturday through 2 Timothy on masculinity. On Sunday morning Pastor Josh will wrap up the retreat by preaching on 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.
Looking forward to worshiping on Sunday with most of you, as well and enjoying the retreat with the men in Malibu!
Pastor Adam
Christians think differently about money, or at least they should. We follow a Christ who valued others above his personal comfort and was therefore willing to give of himself in love.
This Sunday we are talking about giving. It’s the least requested sermon topic, ever. But it is a necessary topic if we are to think about our finances as Christians.
Join us this Sunday as we conclude our series on The Rhythms of our Life Together by answering the question—What happens when you give?
Josh
Imagine your friends and neighbors visiting Redeemer on a Sunday, and the one word they used to describe our church was: “hospitable.”
Historically until the eighteenth century the church was always known for her hospitality. Sadly, we have lost that characteristic, and it’s my prayer that we will be able to recover it for the sake of our friends and neighbors.
How beautiful would it be if your friends and neighbors felt welcomed and at home in our church?! And not because we entertain people (hospitality is not entertainment). But rather because each us of have been welcomed by Christ into the household of God and we cannot help but show others that same welcome.
Over the past month Pastor Josh has preached on our church’s Rhythm of Life Together: Worship. Formation. Mission. Culture. Now for the next two Sundays, before we enter the season of Lent, we are going to study two important practices that we pray Redeemer becomes known for: Hospitality this Sunday and Giving/Generosity on February 23rd.
To prepare for our study of hospitality I would suggest reading, meditating, and praying through Matthew 25:31-46, Romans 15:7, and Hebrews 13:1-2. As you do, reflect on how Christ has welcomed you and how you can welcome others as Christ.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
What does it mean to be the image & likeness of God? How should that change me?
In 2020 we have been thinking about our rhythms of life together as a church in light of Jesus vision for his people explained in the Great Commission. Thus far we’ve considered worship, formation, and mission. This week we take up culture, by which we mean the way we are sent into the world to develop and cultivate God’s creation.
Join us on Sunday as we seek to answer the above questions.
Josh
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, what is our mission? How do we fit into God’s plan for and work in the world? How does the Lord want to use you? What should you do?
Join us this week as we continue to think about our life together in light of Jesus’ vision for the church in Matthew 28:16-20.
Josh
We all want to be different, better versions of ourselves. We make resolutions, and are susceptible to the allure of quick-fix gels, pills, and formulas that promise transformation. Yet, lasting change is so elusive.
In Matthew 28, Jesus explains his vision for the church, that we would grow to observe all that God has commanded. Join us on Sunday as we continue to think about Spiritual formation.
Josh
You were made to worship.
Last week we heard Jesus’ announcement that he would build his church and for the next few weeks we’ll be thinking together about Jesus’ vision for this church, explained in the Great Commission. To give you a hint—it begins and ends with worship.
Josh
We hear it relentlessly from popular media sources—the church is in trouble, membership is down, and the nones are on the rise. The widespread narrative is that Christianity is failing and its inevitable demise looms large.
Jesus says, "I will build my church.”
Join us this Sunday as we consider Christ’s words. It is the first of several weeks in which we’ll be thinking about what it means to be a church and how we at Redeemer OC can grow into Jesus’ vision for his people.
Josh
Why did Jesus have to be baptized?
John the Baptist clearly didn’t think Jesus needed to be baptized, but Jesus insisted. Why?
This Sunday is the twelfth day of Christmas and Epiphany Eve. One of the main events celebrated in the season of Epiphany is Jesus’ baptism. Thus, this Sunday we’ll take some time to study Jesus’ baptism. To best prepare for the sermon, take five minutes to read, meditate, and pray through Matthew 3:13-17. As you do, reflect on why Jesus insisted on being baptized.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday, concluding this Christmas season by singing our favorite carols together one final time!
Pastor Adam
Merry Third Day of Christmas!
Keep the celebration going during these 12 days of Christmas. Here are 10 suggestions to stay in the spirit during these next 10 days of Christmas:
-
Sing carols together with friends and family.
-
Keep your Christmas tree, lights, and decorations up.
-
Bake cookies and give some to your neighbors.
-
Do individual or family Morning & Evening Prayer together using Redeemer’s Advent/Christmas Guide (also in our APP)
-
Add a Christ candle to the center of your advent wreath and light it every night.
-
Watch a Christmas movie with family or friends.
-
Have a “silent night.” Turn off every electronic and share Christmas memories, go through old Christmas photos, or talk about which Christmas story character you most relate with.
-
Review all those Christmas cards you received and pray for each person/family.
-
Give gifts to those in need instead of returning gifts.
-
Plan for a “Twelfth Night” party on January 5th.
This upcoming Sunday, on the fifth day of Christmas, we’ll continue singing Christmas carols together and we’ll hear a sermon from Derek Rishmawy, the RUF at UCI Campus Minister, from the Gospel of Luke 2:41-51. This is the story of the boy Jesus in the temple. It’s also the text where we hear Jesus’ first recorded words. Read, meditate, and pray through this text and reflect over importance of Jesus’ first words.
I look forward to worshiping with you!
Pastor Adam
For what have you waited? (Take a moment and consider that question.)
God made a promise to Simeon—one that foretold his destiny in life—that he would see the Lord’s Christ before he died. On the first Christmas, Simeon’s years of waiting were over. Simeon held Jesus in his arms and sang God’s praise.
Join us this Sunday as continue our series Advent Songs and consider Luke 2:22-35.
Advent & Christmas songs are easy to sing, but difficult to live.
This Sunday we’ll continue our Advent sermon series through the songs sung in the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke by looking at the Angels’ song.
The song consists of two simple and well-known lines: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth”
As you prepare for Sunday, meditate on the lyrics from Luke 2:14 and reflect on how you can live them out this Advent & Christmas season.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Last week, in our series “Advent Songs” we said that some truths are so glorious that prose is inadequate; our hearts demand that we sing. This week we take up the account of Zechariah in Luke chapter 1. There, the aged priest encounters one such truth. It was perhaps the last thing he might have expected but it left him singing.
Join us this Sunday as we continue our celebration of Advent and study The Song of Zechariah.
Josh
This Sunday we begin our new series: Advent Songs. We start with Mary’s famous song, The Magnificat, in which Mary responds to good news of a coming savior. Mary rejoices that God is fulfilling his promise to restore his kingdom and longs for the day when his salvation will be complete.
Join us this Sunday as we, with Mary, sing God’s praise and await our celebration of his coming near in the person of his son.
Josh
In Romans 6 the Apostle Paul says that the church has been “baptized into Christ Jesus” and “united with him” in this death and resurrection.
If you join us on Sunday for worship I hope that you will leave with an understanding of what Paul meant as well as a readiness to put these ideas into practice.
Josh
Last week Pastor Adam began a brief series on Union with Christ. From Galatians 2, he taught that Christ lives in us and we live in Christ. To be sure, this is mysterious, but the Lord’s Supper helps us both to understand and to grow in our union with Christ. This Sunday we will consider the language that the Apostle Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 10. Speaking about the Lord’s Supper, he says that as we eat of the bread and drink of the cup we participate in Christ.
Grab your Bible, bring a friend, and join us this Sunday! Josh
This Sunday we begin a new three-week sermon series on Union with Christ.
Union with Christ means simply that Christ lives in you and you live in Christ.
Simple explanation, complex comprehension.
To help us practically live in our union with Christ, our three-part series will focus on first the basis of our identity, then how we’re reminded of our union with Christ in the sacrament of Baptism, and lastly in the sacrament of Communion.
To prepare for this Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Galatians 2:15-21, with a specific focus on verse 20. Reflect on the basis of your identity, and what the Apostle Paul means when he says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
This week the sermon is about hell. It’s a topic that is frequently misunderstood, uncomfortable for everyone, and difficult to address. No wonder most people cite “Hellfire & Brimstone” as their biggest hang-up with preaching. So, why bother at all?
Because we want to know God. His prophets are our guides. Nahum tells us that God is a God of vengeance (as well as mercy, as we saw so clearly with the prophet Jonah) which means that he will not let the world go its own way but will intervene. This is good news. As we learned last week, when we began to study Nahum’s vision of the destruction of Nineveh, a day is coming when there will be justice and all will be right. For God’s people the main take away is that this is a God to fear and obey. This week we will consider what Nahum’s vision means for God enemies, that there will be hell to pay…
See you on Sunday, Josh
Nahum’s oracle against Nineveh is a prophetic vision of the last day, the final judgment. Nahum describes that day with vivid and arresting imagery as if it were a great battle in which a city falls to an invading army.
His message—that God will judge—is not a popular one, though it is necessary if we are to live well in this life or the one to come. To prepare for worship, take a few minutes to read Nahum 2-3.
See you on Sunday, Josh
This week we begin our study of the minor prophet, Nahum. Like Jonah, Nahum muses upon the nature or character of God. Like Jonah, Nahum starts with God's famous description of himself spoken to Moses in Exodus 34, stating that, "God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love… but who will by no means clear the guilty…” Unlike Jonah, Nahum’s focus is on the final section, that God is a God of vengeance.
Join us this Sunday as we learn about God’s character and what that means for both the ancient Ninevehites as well as for us.
From last week... we recently concluded our time in Jonah 4 the same way the book concludes—with questions for contemplation. Some of your asked for those questions:
- What does it mean to be the people of God in a fallen world?
- Does our church love the lost (Lk 13:34)? Do they know that we love them?
- Will we, like Jesus, not only be willing to be inconvenienced and insulted for lost but spend our lives in love for others?
- Do you have gospel amnesia? Have you forgotten the grace you have received?
- How are you participating in mission of God? Do you see your vocation, family, your ordinary obedience, and your various relationships—with neighbors, coworkers, friends, etc.—as part of God’s mission?
- Do you have friends that are not Christians? Do you pray for them? Do you practice hospitality?
- Is your heart for the world like God’s heart for the world?
See you on Sunday Josh
Jonah knew about God’s self-disclosure to Moses in Exodus 34, that he is a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…
Jonah didn’t just know about God’s mercy, he was also the recipient of this mercy. God had been kind, patient, and forgiving to him. But, Jonah was not like the Lord; he did not love the lost. Why?
In our final sermon in Jonah, considering chapter 4, we’ll take up difficult questions that the Lord has for his people and hope to leave with a clearer vision of God’s mercy for ourselves as well as our neighbor. Don’t forget, we’ll also have a 30-minute town hall discussion over a cup of coffee after church. You are invited to ask me any question you might have about our study of Jonah, or even more broadly, Christian faith and practice. I look forward to it!
See you on Sunday, Josh
In the third chapter of Jonah the prophet gets a second chance at the same calling—to go to Nineveh preaching God’s message. What follows is as unexpected as it is comedic. It’s a beautiful story about God’s mercy to a beastly people.
To best prepare for Sunday, take a few minutes to read through Jonah 3
I hope to see you on Sunday, Josh
Thus far, in our fall sermon series on Jonah & Nahum, I’ve been telling you, “It’s not about the fish!”
But this Sunday we will talk about “the whale of the tale” which leads some to call Jonah a “fishy story.” Even then we’ll see that the focus is on a God who hears the cry of his people no matter what they have done or where they are and is mighty to save.
To best prepare for Sunday, take a few minutes to read through Jonah 1:17-2:10
See you on Sunday, Josh
It’s not about the fish!
This Sunday we continue our fall sermon series considering God’s mercy & justice in the prophets Jonah’s & Nahum.
Jonah exclaims, “Salvation belongs to the Lord!” This week that point is made through twin stories of salvation. These stories are full of irony, twists & turns, and intrigue. Most of all, they surprise us with God’s grace.
Come join us on Sunday, invite a friend to come along, and pray that God will meet you with his surprising grace.
Josh
Its not about the fish!
This Sunday I am excited to begin our fall sermon series through the books of Jonah & Nahum.
When we think of Jonah we tend to focus on the whale of the tale, but at its heart this comedic story is about God’s love for the nations. Should God not pity the nations which he has made for himself but are yet far from him?
In this punchy story God takes aim at the lackadaisical attitudes of his people and calls them to consider his generous mercy.
To prepare for our new series, sit down and spend 15 minutes reading through Jonah & Nahum. Notice and meditate on God's love for the nations.
I am looking forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Josh
This Sunday is a momentous day in the life of our church.
Josh Hahne will be installed as Redeemer’s third Senior Pastor!
To celebrate and be a part of the installation service, we are honored to have Rev. Pat Roach, a PCA pastor from Portland and close friend of Josh, preach for us. Pat will preach a sermon from Mark 5:1-20 on Jesus’ work in each of us and in his Church.
To best prepare for Sunday, take 5 minutes to read, meditate, and pray through Mark 5:1-20. While you are praying, please also make a point to pray for Pastor Josh, his family, and our church.
Plan to stick around after the worship service for a celebratory lunch to welcome Josh Hahne. Ministry tables will also be set up with information on how to get connected this fall with various small group options and ministries of our church.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Waiting in lines.
How do you feel about waiting in lines?
Most people find waiting in lines torturous, specifically when the waiting time is unoccupied.
Waiting in general is something that most of us try to avoid.
The Psalms remind us that not only is waiting a part of life, but it is actually a practice that we need to cultivate.
This Sunday we’re wrapping up our Summer Psalms sermon series by looking at Psalm 62: A Prayer of Waiting.
To prepare for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Psalm 62. Then practice waiting in silence. Try to sit in one place for 5 minutes and embrace the silence, while letting the words of Psalm 62 become your words, your prayer.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
“Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end.” - A prayer from Psalm 7.
Let this cry for justice become our prayer.
Evil and sin is rampant in our world (and in ourselves).
Psalm 7 describes God as a righteous judge who hates evil and loves justice. This Sunday we have the privilege of welcoming Derek Rishmawy, the new RUF Campus Minister at UCI, as we hear him preach on Psalm 7, A Prayer for Justice.
To prepare for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Psalm 7. Let the words make you feel uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because of the evil and sin inside you, and uncomfortable because of the evil and sin this world. But then, let this reality comfort you: God is a righteous judge, he is on your side and he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to deal with all evil and sin.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Psalm 23 is one of the most popular psalms and prayers in the Bible.
It resonates with us because we all go through dark valleys in life, and we need to be reminded that God is with us and will comfort us.
If you haven’t already, try and memorize Psalm 23. Spend 5 minutes each day over the next week and dedicate some time and energy to memorizes these 6 short verses. It is not if you will need to pray this prayer, but when you will need to pray this prayer.
This Sunday Rev. Josh Eby will conclude his month long visit by preaching on Psalm 23. As you prepare for the sermon, please also give thanks for all the work that Josh Eby has done for Redeemer over this past year, especially with the pastoral search committee and me.
Have a blessed Lord’s Day this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Fear dictates so much of our lives, but it doesn’t have to.
God is a very present help in trouble. Emphasis being on present. God is with us. He is in our midst when trouble surrounds us.
Meditate on that reality. Chew it over and let it sink in. The God who created and upholds all things is present with us when our fears take over our senses.
This Sunday Rev. Josh Eby will encourage us in this truth by continuing our Summer Psalms sermon series on Psalm 46, a prayer for trouble. To prepare for Sunday, and to calm your fears, read, pray, and let Psalm 46 be a balm to you.
Have a blessed Lord’s Day this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Everyone sins.
Everyone needs to confess their sin.
And everyone needs to learn how to receive and offer forgiveness.
Psalm 51 is a raw and beautiful prayer that teaches us how to be people who regularly confess and forgive.
In Christ, all our sins are washed away, a new heart is created in us, and a renewed right spirit is placed within us. However, we still sin and need to be in the habit of praying Psalm 51 on repeat.
This Sunday Rev. Josh Eby will continue our Summer Psalms series by preaching on Psalm 51 - A Prayer of Confession. To prepare for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Psalm 51. As you do, let the words of this psalm become your words, your prayer.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Jesus reigns as King.
Do you ever pray for Jesus’ reign as King?
As a truth, Christians believe that Jesus reigns as the King of Kings over all the earth. How often to do you pause and respond to that truth in prayer?
Psalm 72 is a prayer for the King. It is a prayer for Jesus.
This Sunday the Rev. Josh Eby will be back in town and continuing our Summer Psalms sermon series by preaching on Psalm 72. He will unpack the psalm and show us how it teaches us to pray for Jesus’ reign as King.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
We all long to be seen and known.
Yet, there is often a tension in our lives between the desire to be fully known and the desire to hide.
We hide because we fear people seeing certain aspects of our lives. But we experience great joy when we let people fully see us and are still loved.
This Sunday we’ll continue our Summer Psalms sermon series with the popular Psalm 139, a prayer of being known.
As you prepare for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Psalm 139. When you get to verses 23 & 24, ask yourself how the psalmist could pray those lines, and then how you might pray them as well.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
BIG NEWS…
This Sunday the Rev. Josh Hahne will be preaching and leading elements of the liturgy at Redeemer!
Josh is our senior pastor candidate who was unanimously recommended by our pastoral search committee (PSC), session, and staff.
Plan to stick around after the worship service to enjoy our annual all-church summer lunch and meet Josh and his family.
To prepare for Josh’s sermon, read, meditate, and pray through Mark 4:30-32. As you do, reflect on how these verses describe what the Kingdom of God is like, how Jesus Christ has established that kingdom, and what impact that has for your life.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Rage is only safe in the presence of God.
As we continue through our Summer Psalms sermon series, this Sunday we arrive at an imprecatory psalm, Psalm 109, a prayer of anger.
Eugene Peterson describes imprecatory psalms as prayers where Christians learn how “to cuss without cussing.”
When we read these psalms, we often don’t know how to handle them and feel weird expressing similar anger to God in prayer. This Sunday, we have the honor of having the Rev. Eric Chappell, Assistant Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Orange, preach on Psalm 109 and help us learn how to pray a godly prayer of anger.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Majestic: Having or showing impressive beauty or dignity.
The name of God is majestic!
When we pray to God, Psalm 8 shows us how to contemplate the majesty of God.
This Sunday the Rev. Josh Eby will be back in town as we continue our Summer Psalms sermon series by preaching on Psalm 8, a prayer of praise.
In preparation for Sunday, spend two minutes to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate Psalm 8, specifically the majesty of God.
I look forward to worshiping and praying with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Joy!
We all want to lead a joyful life.
How do we cultivate joy in our lives, even in the midst of sorrow?
Last Sunday we kicked off our Summer Psalms preaching series with Psalm 13, a prayer of lament. This Sunday we will be looking at Psalm 126, a prayer of joy.
Psalm 126 is a simple and concise prayer of joy that is written to help foster a life of joy for God’s people.
In preparation for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Psalm 126. Reflect on the gifts God has given you in the past and what he promises for your future.
As you pray and prepare for Sunday, notice that tears of sorrow are shed in Psalm 126. Pain and suffering are not antithetical to joy.
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy.” - Psalm 126:5
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Summer Psalms.
I am excited to announce that this Sunday we will begin a new sermon series through the Psalms for the summer!
The Psalms are the prayer book of the Bible. If you desire to deepen your life of prayer, saturate yourself in the Psalms. Let their words become your words, their prayers your prayers.
Over the summer we will be cover the main categories of psalms/prayers: Praise, Joy, Lament, Confession, Longing, Thanksgiving, Wisdom, Remembrance, and Messianic.
This Sunday we’ll begin with Lament.
Everyone suffers. Thus, we need to let the scriptures teach us how to properly lament. Psalm 13 is a powerful example on how to pray a lament to God.
To best prepare for Sunday, read slowly through Psalm 13. Notice the paradox of agony and adoration in one breath. As you do, reflect on how you normally lament to God in prayer when you face suffering. What might you learn from Psalm 13?
I look forward to praying and worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Pentecost is upon us.
The fiftieth day after Easter Sunday.
The day we remember that the apostles received the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The day we celebrate that all Christians, like the apostles, have received the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
In honor of Pentecost this Sunday, we will intentionally study the work of the Holy Spirit and specifically pay attention to how the Holy Spirit changes our identities and continues to remind us of who we are.
To prepare for Sunday, take a few moments to read and meditate on the following Pentecost scripture passages: Genesis 11:1-9, Psalm 104, Acts 2:1-21, and Romans 8:14-17.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
This Sunday is Ascension Sunday!
For centuries, the Church has celebrated Christ's Ascension into heaven 40 days after his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Sunday following the 40th day is called Ascension Sunday.
To celebrate Christ’s Ascension, we have the honor of welcoming the Rev. Marc Choi to preach on the theological significance and practical implications of the Ascension.
Rev. Choi currently serves as one of the pastors at Grace Presbyterian Church in Pasadena.
To best prepare for Sunday, take a few minutes to read, meditate and pray through Luke 24:44-53, Acts 1:1-11, and Revelation 1:4-8. Let these stories of Christ's Ascension encourage and remind you of where Christ currently is and what he is doing on your behalf.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
It’s hard to forgive.
It’s especially hard when you have been betrayed.
Jesus was betrayed by Peter. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times after loudly proclaiming that he would remain loyal to Jesus.
If you were in Jesus' shoes, what would your follow up interaction with Peter be like?
Do you think you’d be able to forgive him?
With such a betrayal and your trust eroded, do you think you’d be willing to give Peter any future responsibility?
This Sunday we are studying Jesus' post-resurrection interaction with Peter in the Gospel of John chapter 21. Prior to Sunday, spend a few minutes reading through that chapter. Pause and meditate on Jesus' words, "Peter, do you love me? ... Feed my sheep".
Jesus forgives and entrusts Peter, after Peter betrays him. What would it take for us to be people who could do the same?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Easter is not just a single day, but a season of fifty days to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Church historically couldn't contain her joy and feasting in one day. In union with that practice, over the next three Sundays at Redeemer we will be focusing on post-resurrection texts from the Gospel of John and The Acts of the Apostles. Here is a preview of what’s to come:
This Sunday | May 19th - Jesus' First Post- Resurrection Appearance to his Disciples - John 20:19-23 - Rev. Josh Eby
Next Sunday | May 26th - Jesus' Post-Resurrection Conversation with Peter - John 21:1-19 - Rev. Adam Feichtmann
Ascension Sunday | June 2nd - Jesus' Ascension - Acts 2:6-11 - Rev. Marc Choi
To best prepare for this Sunday and the next few weeks, read through the post-resurrection stories in the Gospel of John, chapters 20 & 21. As you do, reflect on why Jesus appears to these specific individuals and not to the masses? What call does Jesus repeatedly give to these individuals? And what type of resurrected life do they embody?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
The Christian life is often described as a pilgrimage, but where are we headed?
What is God doing and what hope do we have for the future?
Join us this Sunday for the Rev. Dr. Dennis Okholm's third and final sermon in his series: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Salvation." On week one Dr. Okholm spoke of knowing Jesus as the driver of our pilgrimage. On week two he taught us that grace is the primary rule of the road. This Sunday he will preach on the destination of our journey. If you missed one or both of the previous sermons, click on the link below to listen and get caught up.
To best prepare for Sunday, spend a few minutes reading, meditating, and praying through Romans 8:18-25 and Philippians 3:12-14. As you do, reflect on the themes of hope, new creation, salvation, and God’s renewing work and our participation in that work.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Grace.
It is a common word in our vocabulary, but foreign to our way of thinking.
This Sunday is the second week in a three-part series from the Rev. Dr. Dennis Okholm entitled, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Salvation." Last week Dr. Okholm preached on getting to know Jesus Christ as the driver in our pilgrimage (click the link below to listen to the sermon). This Sunday he will preach on the rules of the road, specifically our understanding of sin, grace, and forgiveness.
To best prepare for this Sunday's sermon, you can read, meditate, and pray through Isaiah 43:18-25 and Mark 2:1-12.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
I am excited to announce that for the next three Sundays we have the honor of hearing the Rev. Dr. Dennis Okholm preach at Redeemer!
Dr. Okholm is currently a professor of theology at Azusa Pacifica University and an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to teaching in Southern California he taught for many years at Wheaton College in Illinois. He has 30+ years of ordained pastoral ministry experience, and is currently a canon theologian for the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others in the Anglican Church in North America. He is also an author of many books, including Learning Theology through the Church's Worship and Monk Habits for Everyday People.
His sermon series is entitled "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Salvation."
Overview: Week 1 (April 28) - "Getting to know the Driver" Week 2 (May 5) - "The Rules of the Road" Week 3 (May 12) - "Where are we Headed?"
To best prepare for this Sunday, you can read, meditate, and pray through John 1:1-18 and Colossians 1:15-20. As you do, reflect on the truth that as you come to see Jesus clearly, you will also come to see God the Father clearly.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
I love Easter.
I love how we mark the day with joy, flowers, feasting, and fancy pastel attire!
On Easter, more than any other day, we embody our theology in a wonderful way. We live out the Christian story in real time and space. It is such a beautiful reality and experience. In doing so, the resurrection of Jesus Christ becomes more near.
Today is Maundy Thursday and tomorrow is Good Friday. Just as you do on Easter, may you embody your theology today and tomorrow by remembering and lamenting the last supper, arrest, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
If you’re able, please join us tonight for our Maundy Thursday service (details below). Hopefully, as you focus and meditate on the sorrow and pain of the cross, it will better prepare you for the joy that will rise up in you on Sunday.
If you would like to read and meditate on the texts prior to our services, here are the readings:
Maundy Thursday - Exodus 12:1-4,11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; & John 13:1-10, 12-15, 17 Easter Sunday - Isaiah 25:6-9, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, 19-23, 54-57, & John 20:1-18,30-31
I look forward to worshiping with you tonight and on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Are you ready?
Are you prepared to celebrate the most climactic day of the year?
Easter is almost here. 9 days and counting!
Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent have helped us prepare for the glory and joy of Easter. However for many of us, 46 days is a bit long of a preparation season. When leaving for a trip, we are lucky if we pack a day or two early!
This Sunday is Palm Sunday. It marks the beginning of Holy Week, a week specifically dedicated to intensify our preparation for Easter. If you have yet to pack, yet to begin your preparations, may this Sunday be the day that helps you get started.
We are honored to have the Rev. Matthew Trexler, the RUF Campus Minister at UCLA, preaching a Palm Sunday sermon from Matthew 21:1-11, Jesus' famous triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
I look forward to worshiping with you, and preparing alongside you for the glory and joy of Easter!
Pastor Adam
Have you ever wondered what Jesus prays for you?
At the conclusion of Jesus' Farewell Discourse to his disciples, on the eve of his crucification, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed to his Heavenly Father for his disciples and the forthcoming church.
This 26 verse prayer, often titled Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer," is his longest recorded prayer.
This Sunday we have the honor of having the Rev. Josh Eby back in town to conclude our Lenten sermon series by preaching on Jesus’ famous prayer recorded in John 17.
To best prepare for Sunday's sermon, read and meditate on all 26 verses of John 17. As you do, may you reflect specifically on the key theme of Christian unity.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Father, Son, AND Holy Spirit.
Over and under-emphasis of the person of the Holy Spirit is extremely common. In some churches you would think that God is not triune, but is only functioning in the mode of the Holy Spirit. In others, you may wonder if there is even a person known as the Holy Spirit, because he is never mentioned.
Jesus' Farewell Discourse to his disciples, recorded in the Gospel of John, is drenched in trinitarian language. In chapter 14 the Holy Spirit was introduced as another Helper, and Jesus develops this reality more in chapter 16.
This Sunday the Rev. Chris Stratton will continue our Lenten series on The Farewell Discourse by teaching on the topic of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John chapter 16. To best prepare for Sunday, read and meditate on chapters 14 & 16. Reflect on the reality that we worship a Triune God, and that the Holy Spirit is a real and active person of the Trinity, who is a Helper to us every minute of every day.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Who are you? How do you become generative?
Not many questions in life are more important than those.
This Sunday we will study John 15:1-5. Jesus' teaching in this text discusses some of the most foundational life topics: our identity, and what we create.
In preparation for Sunday, take 5 minutes to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate Jesus' words in these 5 verses and then ask yourself: Who am I? How can I become a generative person?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
"Peace I leave with you... Let not your hearts be troubled."
Jesus says these words to his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion.
When our hearts are troubled, may we remember that Jesus gives us peace.
This Sunday we will continue our Lent sermon series through Jesus' Farewell Discourse recorded in the Gospel of John. In chapter 14 Jesus knows his disciples' hearts are troubled. He gives them peace by telling them three things. Three things that we can still hold onto today.
To prepare for this Sunday and to see how Jesus calms the hearts of his disciples, read, meditate, and pray through John 14:1-11. These verses are well-known and often discussed outside of their direct context. As you sit with them, try not to get lost in the heavy (but important) theological debates, but rather reflect on how these verses brought peace to the disciples' troubled hearts and can do the same for you.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
To receive love is sometimes more difficult than to give love.
This is especially true for many of us in relation to God.
Often, we are happy to serve God by giving love to others; however, we have a hard time sitting and letting God love us.
Is that true of you? Do you find it difficult to sit and simply let God love you for who you are? Or do you feel like God loves you only if you are serving him?
This Sunday is the first Sunday in the season of Lent. During our journey together toward the celebration of Easter, we will begin a new sermon series. We will study Jesus' Farewell Discourse to his disciples in the Upper Room on the night before his crucification, recorded in the Gospel of John chapters 13-17.
In chapter 13 Jesus begins his time with the disciples by washing their feet, an act that only the lowliest of servants would perform. Some of the disciples awkwardly let Jesus wash their feet, but Peter won't receive Jesus' love at first. He doesn't want to receive love from someone who is acting like a servant.
In preparation for this Sunday, read John 13, meditate and pray through the themes of love, discipleship, and servanthood. If you have extra time, read Jesus' entire Farewell Discourse in John 13-17. This will help you understand Jesus' view of the essence of discipleship, and the parting words he spoke prior to his crucifixion.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday, as we journey together through this Lenten season.
Pastor Adam
Christ is our life.
This is the main theme of John’s Gospel account. It is seen clearly in the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, and his teaching that follows in chapter six. Jesus gives bread to the crowd and then states that he is the bread of life. He meets their most basic physical need to live, and then shows them their most basic need to experience true life.
Bread is the most basic life source for people across the world. Likewise, Christ is the most basic source of true life.
This Sunday we have the honor of hearing Rev. Josh Eby continue our Epiphany sermon series through the Gospel of John, preaching on chapter six. Rev. Eby was a missionary in Peru that Redeemer supported for years, and he is currently the Founder and Executive Director of Vida House in Austin, Texas. Vida House exists to train ministry leaders in and for cross-cultural mission in life-giving ways. Rev. Eby also currently works for Redeemer as a consultant, to help the Pastoral Search Committee and Session during our search for our next Senior Pastor.
Prior to the sermon, I am excited that one of the members of the Pastoral Search Committee (PSC) will come forward to give an update on all the work the PSC has done over the past month, and will give an overview of the next few months.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Do you want to be healed?
In John 5, Jesus asks a man this question, and it’s the same question he still asks us today.
Don’t immediately assume you know the answer to that question.
Often, we don't really want to be healed. We might be in denial of our sickness - whether physical, spiritual, or some type of an addiction. Perhaps we are aware of our sickness, but the work it would take to change feels like too much to invest, or even fathom.
Or maybe we’ve just become complacent in our current state.
"Do you want to be healed?" Seems like an easy question to answer. But as we will see, it’s often not that simple.
This Sunday we will return to our Epiphany sermon series, looking at the life and ministry of Jesus from the Gospel of John with the overarching theme of our life in Christ. In preparation for Sunday's sermon, spend a few minutes to read, meditate and pray through John 5:1-18. Reflect on Jesus' question to the man near the pool, and how you would answer that question if Jesus asked you.
I look forward to gathering to worship with you this Sunday!
In Christ,
Pastor Adam
How long, O Lord?
Have you ever prayed that prayer? If so, you are not alone.
King David knew what it felt like to pray and cry out and wonder what God was doing, or maybe what God wasn't doing.
This Sunday Pastor Chad Brewer will be preaching on King David's prayer from Psalm 13. Take a few minutes to simply sit with this psalm, this prayer. Remind yourself that you are not alone when you pray "How long?", and more importantly, notice how King David concludes his prayer. His final words are hopeful in the midst of distress, and the same can be true for us today.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
How does the Church bear witness against the powers of the world?
Purity, peace, gentleness, open to reason, mercy, being impartial and sincere are some of the attributes that James mentions that the Church should cultivate.
Last Sunday Dr. Kyle Strobel, Associate Professor of Spiritual Theology at Biola University, introduced the truth that Jesus' power comes through weakness. This Sunday Dr. Strobel will be preaching part two of his mini-series on Power/Weakness from James 3:13-4:4 with the emphasis being on the witness of the Church in the world.
To best prepare for this sermon, read, meditate, and pray through James 3:13-4:4. As you focus on the attributes that James mentions, reflect on which ones you need to cultivate as you live day by day in Orange County.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
I am excited to announce that Dr. Kyle Strobel, Associate Professor of Spiritual Theology at Biola University, will be preaching at Redeemer for the next two Sundays!
This week he’ll be teaching on the nature of Christian power from 2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10.
In our culture, we think that weakness is the antithesis of power. However, when we look at the person and work of Jesus, as well as the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul, we see that power comes through weakness.
As you prepare for Sunday, meditate and pray through these words from 2 Corinthians 11:30, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."
If you are interested in reading more on this topic, check out Dr. Strobel's book The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus' Path of Power in a Church that has Abandoned it
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
We all thirst. Every day we experience the basic desire for thirst, and we satisfy that desire with water.
Life is dependent on water. Clearly, since 60% of the human body is made up of water. If we don't quench our thirst, we will slowly cease living.
If we don't quench our soul’s thirst with the living water of Jesus Christ, we will slowly cease finding our life in him.
This Sunday we will be looking at Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well in Samaria from the Gospel of John chapter 4.
As we study this story, we'll be reminded that all of us struggle with quenching our thirst with habits, passions, or people other than Jesus.
We try to find life and meaning in our desires for money, work, image, sex, family, approval from others, etc. We experience a temporary satisfaction when we indulge those things. But as we will see in the text, none of them will offer us true and ultimate satisfaction for our souls.
To best prepare for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through the story and themes in the Gospel of John chapter 4. As you do so, take a moment to reflect. How might you reorder some of your desires? What desires do you need to put to death? Is Jesus Christ your main desire? Does your soul thirst for him?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
What is your life about?
This Sunday begins the season that comes after Epiphany and before Lent. It's a two-month period for the church to focus our attention on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, before making our way to the cross and resurrection. It's a time to remind ourselves that our lives are found in Christ, so that ultimately others may see Christ in us.
In an effort to ground our lives in Christ this season, we will be looking at various interactions Jesus had with individuals, recorded in the Gospel of John. This Sunday we'll begin by studying John 3:1-15, the story of Jesus and his conversation with a Pharisee named Nicodemus.
To best prepare for Sunday, I recommend you read, meditate, and pray through the above verses. Reflect on how Nicodemus comes to Jesus with answers, but instead leaves confused.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Throughout Advent we prepare for the coming of Jesus. During Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
On Epiphany we remember the visit of the wise men and their gifts to Jesus. In the season after Epiphany we try and embody the life and ministry of Jesus.
This Sunday, January 6th, is Epiphany! Come and celebrate with us. Our worship service liturgy will have a special Epiphany theme. Jesse Robinson will be preaching an Epiphany sermon on the visit of the wise men from Matthew 2:1-12, and we will be serving the traditional Three Kings Cakes after the service in the chapel hall! Jesse is a long-time friend of Redeemer and is currently finishing this Ph.D from the University of Virginia in theology.
To best prepare for Sunday, keep celebrating Christmas for another day. Then read, meditate, and pray through the visit of the wise men in Matthew 2:1-12. As you do, reflect on the humility of Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The King who was not born in the splendor of a royal palace, but in the simplicity of a lowly manger.
Pastor Adam
"What's love got to do with it, got to do with it, who needs a heart when a heart can be broken." - Tina Turner
When we are hurt from another person (friend, parent, child, or spouse) we often want to remove our hearts and give up on love all together. We want to be self-protective instead of self-sacrificial in how we relate to others.
This third Sunday of Advent, we are going to continue preparing for Christmas by looking at the third mother mentioned in Jesus' genealogy, Ruth. Ruth is the main character of the Old Testament book of Ruth and is renown for her self-sacrificial love. A love that isn't felt at a candle-light dinner, but displayed in actions that give life to others. A love that risks being hurt, because another's needs are greater than someone's own. A love the ultimately points beyond itself to Jesus and his self-sacrifice for the sake of others.
To prepare for our study of Ruth this Sunday. Spend some time reading through the book of Ruth and notice the picture of self-sacrificial love that Ruth displays, while also stopping to see how the other characters, Naomi and Boaz, likewise display this type of love. Then ask yourself how those pictures of self-sacrificial love point us to Jesus, the great celebration of Christmas, and how we also can live out a similar type of self-sacrificial love in our own lives.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Woman. Prostitute. Gentile. Rahab was the ultimate outsider.
Join us this Sunday for the second week of our Advent series on The Mothers of Jesus. Matthew in his gospel account includes five women, five mothers, in Jesus' genealogy as a way to help his readers prepare for and anticipate the birth story of Jesus. As we too prepare for and anticipate the birth of Jesus, each Sunday during Advent and on Christmas Eve we are looking at the characters and stories of each of these five women. Last week we looked at Tamar and this Sunday we will be studying Rahab.
To best prepare for this Sunday, spend some time reading about Rahab. Her story is found in Joshua chapters 2 and 6, as well as James 2:25-26 and Hebrews 11:31. Notice and reflect on the truth that God specifically chose the ultimate outsider to be an example of godly faith and works. He reversed expectations and is proud that she is highlighted in Jesus genealogy.
I look forward to worshiping with your this second Sunday of Advent as we wait and prepare together for the great celebration of Christmas!
Pastor Adam
Advent begins this Sunday!
Get ready to sing Christmas songs, light the Advent candle, start a new sermon series, and make Advent wreaths after the service. It is my favorite season of the year and I am excited to celebrate it with you as we prepare together for the joy of Christmas.
Our Advent sermon series is called "The Mothers of Jesus." In the Gospel of Matthew chapter one, prior to the birth story of Jesus, Matthew prepares the way by writing down Jesus' genealogy. In our more individualistic culture we tend to quickly scan over biblical genealogies, however, back in Jesus' culture a genealogy would be similar to a person's CV or resume. It would showcase who a person was and what they can do. There are several fascinating parts to Jesus' genealogy, but one of the most fascinating is that five women are listed: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah's Wife, and Mary. It was very rare for women to be listed in a genealogy, so that would have jumped off the page to the first century readers of the Gospel of Matthew. It is also very interesting why these five women, these five mothers of Jesus, are listed and not more popular and respected women from the Old Testament.
For each of the four Sundays of Advent and on Christmas Eve we will be looking at each of these women's characters and stories and asking the question, what themes do we see in them that enable us to better anticipate the birth Jesus?
To best prepare for this Sunday spend a few minutes reading, meditating, and praying through the Gospel of Matthew 1:1-17 and Genesis 38 (the whole chapter). Reflect on the character and story of Tamar, asking yourself why do you think Matthew thought it was important to add Tamar to Jesus' genealogy, and how does her character and story enable us to better prepare for the joy of Christmas?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
The Burning Bush. It is a scene that always amazes me. A bush on fire, yet not consumed, and has the voice of God coming out of it!
On this final Sunday of the church calendar year, prior to entering Advent in December, we have the honor of hearing Rev. Chad Brewer, RUF Campus Minister at UCI, preach to us from the burning bush story in Exodus 3:1-15. To prepare for Sunday's sermon spend 5-10 minutes reading, meditating, and praying though this text and try to focus your attention on the character and person of God. Who is God and how does he reveal himself to us in this story?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
"You do not know what you are asking?" Has someone ever said those words to you?
Jesus said those words to two of his disciples, James and John, and easily would say it to us if we were to ask for the same thing. The conversation is recorded in the Gospel of Mark 10:35-45, as these two disciples want glory for themselves. Jesus reminds them that to be glorified, to be made great, first means to lay one's life down and become a slave of all. If that is what it means to be made great, do you want to that?
This Sunday I am excited to welcome Rev. Alex Watlington, RUF Campus Minister at USC, back to preach his second sermon on the glory of Jesus Christ! To best prepare for this sermon, spend 5-10 minutes to read, meditate, and pray through the Gospel of Mark 10:35-45. As you do, reflect on how being first in life also means being a slave of all.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, but before he did he taught them how not to pray.
Last Sunday we concluded our fall sermon series on Praying the Lord's Prayer. This Sunday we are taking one week to look at Jesus' prologue to the Lord's Prayer, in which he spends four verses teaching his disciples how not to pray.
In preparation for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Mathew 6:5-8. Ask yourself if your life of prayer might be similar to two of the examples Jesus gives of how not to pray. If so, reflect on how you might shift more toward the model of prayer found in the Lord's Prayer.
I look forward to worshiping and praying with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Life is full of temptations and trials. How are we to pray in the midst of difficult times?
This Sunday we have the honor of having Rev. Chris Stratton, Academic Dean at Pacifica Christian High School, continue our fall sermon series on Praying the Lord's Prayer. Rev. Stratton will unpack the sixth petition of the prayer from the Gospel of Matthew 6:13 which is, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." In preparation for this Sunday, spend a few minutes reflecting on what temptations and trials are currently in your life, then pray for God to lead you away from those situations and shelter you with his loving protection.
Have a blessed weekend and may God encourage and strengthen you as you gather together for common worship around Word and sacrament this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
To forgive is to suffer.
When we forgive someone we don't just forget their sins and shove them under the rug. Rather, we pay the cost for their sins and carry them ourselves. We suffer instead of trying to make them suffer for what they did.
This Sunday we are continuing our fall sermon series through Praying the Lord's Prayer by looking at the fifth petition of the prayer, which is, "and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." As you prepare for Sunday, reflect on your relationships with God and those in your life. Do you need to ask God or someone else to forgive a specific debt/sin? Is there someone whom you need to forgive their debt/sin? Neither of those conversations will be easy, they may even cost you something, but as we will see on Sunday, forgiveness ultimately will bring life not death.
I look forward to worshiping and praying with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Greed or need?
In your prayers of petition, are you able to identify whether your requests are based on greed or need? Reflect back over your most recent prayers of petition and ask yourself if they leaned more in the direction of greed or need.
Jesus in the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer teaches his disciples to ask God to "Give us this day our daily bread." Bread is food at its most basic level. It represents our essential needs to survive. Most of us at Redeemer are surrounded by material affluence and thus in our prayer lives we might have the temptation to skip over this fourth petition. However, upon deeper reflection, the fourth petition might actually be the most relevant petition in the Lord's Prayer to us!
Prepare with me for worship on Sunday by reading, meditating, and praying the Lord's Prayer from the Gospel of Matthew 6:9-13. Pause and take a few minutes to ponder the fourth petition. Ask God what your most basic needs are, how he is providing for you, and how you can deepen your dependence on him.
I look forward to worshiping and praying with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
What is the point of prayer?
In the the third petition of the Lord's Prayer, which is "Thy will be done," Jesus answers that question. In most of our lives, and even more specifically in our prayer lives, we desire for our will to be done. Jesus teaches the disciples, and us today, that the point of prayer is alignment. That we need to be people who learn to align our will to God's will.
Alignment of our will to God's will is no easy task. To best prepare for our sermon, take a few minutes and ask yourself if in your prayers you are often trying to align your will to God's will, or if you are trying to have God somehow align his will to yours?
I look forward to worshiping and praying with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Life is precious. How do you want to use the days which you have been given?
This Sunday we have the joy of hearing from Rev. Chad Brewer, RUF Campus Minister at UCI, preach to us on the topic of death and life. We will be taking a one week break from our fall sermon series on Praying the Lord's Prayer to look at Psalm 90 and reflect carefully on how we spend our days and time. To best prepare for this sermon, spend 5 minutes reading, meditating, praying through Psalm 90 and how you live your life.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
I am excited to announce that Rev. Jason Polk, our global partner in Ethiopia, will be in town and preaching at Redeemer this Sunday!
Jason is an ordained PCA pastor, together with his wife Liz and their three children, is one of the two families that we directly support, as he oversees the spiritual care for Ethiopia ACT and its work to grow a gospel-centered church planting movement among the poor communities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Find out more about Jason and Ethiopia ACT by stopping by his table before or after the worship service this Sunday and at www.ethiopiaact.org
He we will be continuing our fall sermon series on Praying the Lord's Prayer by preaching on the second petition, which is "Thy kingdom come." To best prepare for the sermon, spend a few minutes reading, meditating, and praying the Lord's Prayer, and specifically the second petition. Reflect one how the Kingdom of God is already, but not yet fully here, how Jesus currently is reigning as our king, and what implications those truths have on how we live as kingdom-bearers in our daily lives.
I look forward to welcoming Jason back to Redeemer and worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
I often see prayer as medicine, yet Jesus sees prayer as food. (adapted from a Tim Keller quote)
In my life of prayer, the first thing that I normally ask of God is a petition for him to help me in some way. The first thing that Jesus asks of God, in the Lord's Prayer, is for God's name to be hallowed, to be treated as holy and sacred, to be given glory and worship. Why?
This Sunday we are continuing our fall sermon series through The Lord's Prayer by looking at its' first petition, which is "Hallowed be Thy Name." In preparation for Sunday, meditate on why you think Jesus would purposefully teach his disciples, and us today, to not have the first thing that they/we pray for be a petition for help, but rather a petition to hallow God's name.
I look forward to worshiping and praying with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Brief. Intense. Frequent. Those are the words that Martin Luther used to describe what prayer should be like.
Do you think a healthy prayer life = long prayers on your knees for hours?
This Sunday we are beginning a new fall sermon series on the Lord's Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6. Over the weeks we will see how Jesus offered a corrective to some of the poor prayer practices of his day, and also learn how he taught his disciples to pray a 30-second prayer. A prayer which is simple for children and yet profound for theologians.
In preparation for this Sunday, spend a few minutes slowly reading the Gospel of Matthew 6:5-13. Pause on each of the petitions in the prayer to meditate and pray through its significance in your life. May your prayers be brief, yet intense, and frequent as you ponder this text over the next few days and months.
I look forward to worshiping with you all together on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Is it really that important?
"If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain… If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins… If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 and 19).
All of Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. This event is the very fulcrum of history. If Jesus stays in the grave he joins the ranks of the many failed would be messiahs of his day. Instead Jesus rises in victory and the world is never the same. We are never the same. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees our rescue from sin and death, and the renewal of God’s good creation. All of 1 Corinthinans has been building to this powerful articulation of the centrality of the resurrection. This Sunday we will focus on the reasons why we can have confidence in the historical reality of Jesus rising from the dead and begin to explore how it really does change everything.
I look forward to worshiping together this Sunday.
Pastor David
Read two things:
All of 1 Corinthians 14 and the below excerpt from Annie Dillard.
"On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. "
Now read, meditate on and pray through 1 Corinthians 14. In what ways could we all come to worship this Sunday with greater expectations and deeper preparation for God to speak?
I can't wait to worship together.
Pastor David
How do you know that?
The Corinthians prided themselves on their knowledge about spiritual things, and it made them miserable people. As they grew more knowledgeable, sophisticated, and experienced as followers of Jesus, they grew less loving, more divisive, and toxic to the people around them. This is terrifying to me. How can we avoid hurting ourselves and those we love in our pursuit of knowing God?
Read, meditate on, and pray through 1Corinthinans 13:8-13. May we learn together how to love each other well, even as we too grow in our knowledge, sophistication, and experience.
I can't wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Is this supposed to make me feel good... or bad?
1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most well known passages in the Bible and for good reason. The lyrical and beautiful pronouncement of the priority of love can send the hopeful and aspirational heart soaring. Thus we hear it often at weddings. However for those struggling to love or challenged by the seemly lack of love in their lives, this passage can feel like a lead weight around the neck. How will we carry the weight of living this way?
We all want to experience love as described in this passage. We all want the strength and courage to love this way. Oh but it is hard. 1 Corinthians 13 offers no invitation to skip through the wild flowers with your love. This is a call to hack through the jungle on a wild adventure, wiping sweat from our eyes, legs aching on the way to a breathtaking vista, on a mission to rescue those in danger, well worth it, but no small feat.
Read 1 Corinthians 13 this weekend. Meditate on it. Pray through it. Feel good and uplifted. Feel bad, challenged and disappointed. Feel both and let Jesus speak into both. Let’s see what he says to us together this Sunday.
I can’t want to worship together.
Pastor David
Trick question (and the answer is not “nothing”): What do we need more than Jesus?
We are back in 1Corinthians this Sunday and I am back as well. I had some great time off with the family, but we are all looking forward to being back at Redeemer. Take a few minutes this weekend and read through all of 1 Corinthians 12. Meditate on the passage. Pray through it.
What do we need more than Jesus? Well, phrased differently, where do we find Jesus? Where is he manifested to us and experienced by us? 1 Corinthians 12 shows us and we are all more involved in that than we may realize.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Small deaths and little resurrections.
Have you ever noticed that hospitality is a gift to both guests and hosts? It involves redemption for everyone. One beautiful outcome of hospitality is that the giver often receives almost more than the one receiving the gift.
This Sunday we are going to conclude our four-week summer series on Ruth: Hospitality as Mission by looking specifically at hospitality through the gift of redemption in Ruth chapter 4. In preparation for Sunday, spend 10 minutes reading, meditating, and praying through this concluding chapter and its main theme of redemption. As you do that, please also reflect on the genealogy at the end of the book and why most people think it is the climax of the story.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday and welcoming our guests!
Pastor Adam
Hospitality is risky.
Welcoming guests in your home is not always easy. In fact, most of the time it is hard work and can be a burden. However, showing hospitality is a risk worth taking and a burden worth carrying.
This Sunday we are continuing our summer sermon series through the book of Ruth with the theme of Hospitality as Mission. We will be studying chapter 3, a chapter full of risk. In preparation, take 5 minutes to read, meditate and pray through Ruth 3 and notice the risks that Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz take, while reflecting on what risks you might take by showing hospitality to your neighbors this summer.
I look forward to worshiping with you all and welcoming guests this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
There is an old Irish proverb that says, "It is in the shelter of each other that people live."
When have you been given life by someone's shelter and hospitality? How did it feel to receive that form of kindness and love? Can you imagine giving that gift to another person?
This Sunday we are continuing our summer sermon series through the book of Ruth with the theme of Hospitality as Mission by looking at Ruth chapter 2. Last week saw that one of the first steps to showing hospitality to our neighbors this summer is through lament. This week we are going to see how we can show hospitality to our neighbors this summer through generosity, and specifically being generous in offering shelter and food to our neighbors. To prepare for Sunday, read, meditate, and pray through Ruth chapter 2 and notice how Boaz shows hospitality toward Ruth by being generous in offering shelter and food to her.
I look forward to worshiping with you all and welcoming guests together this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Summer is here! This Sunday we are kicking off our new summer series on the Book of Ruth with the theme of Hospitality as Mission.
Ruth is one of the most well-loved stories in the Bible and summer is a perfect time to show hospitality to our neighbors with the long days and countless summer parties/gatherings.
To prepare for this new series consider doing two things: 1. Read through the book of Ruth. (It is only 4 chapters and will only take about 10-15 minutes.) 2. Write down a few names of neighbors/acquaintances/friends to whom you can show hospitality this summer and start praying for a specific opportunity.
I am looking forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
You look hungry.
Have you ever been surprised by your hunger? Maybe you were so busy with or focused on your work that you arrived with a crash at the end of the day and suddenly realized you didn't eat. This week we continue our study of 1Corinthians 11:23-34, likely the earliest teaching in the New Testament on the Lord's Supper. It often happens that we get so focused, so busy, with our day-to-day that we don't notice how famished we are for what the Lord's Supper offers. With the Old Testament background to this practice as our foundation from the sermon last week, we now focus on the New Testament reality. It is better, more powerful, than we could have ever imagined.
Take a few minutes this weekend and meditate on 1Corinthians 11:23-34. Reflect on how hungry you are and ask God to provide for you what you need.
I can't wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Before I eat that I really need to see the ingredients.
We celebrate the Lord's Supper every week at Redeemer, but have you ever paused to reflect on what it is and why we do it? In 1Corinthians 11:23-26 we find that the Lord’s Supper, also called Communion or the Eucharist, was given to the church by Jesus himself (see also Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22), but why? They may be familiar words to some of us, but it is quite odd to talk of eating someone’s body and drinking their blood. What is a covenant in blood? What is the significance that Jesus instituted this practice at the important Passover celebration of the Jews?
What we will see from 1Corinthians 11 is that Jesus, like a master chef, is taking many ingredients, images, promises, and expectations from the Old Testament, and combining them into one magnificent meal. The meal both highlights the essence and significance of those original ingredients and makes something surprisingly new. Jesus then sets the table, lays out the feast, and invites all who trust him to join him at this banquet.
As you prepare for worship this Sunday, read Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and 1Corinthians 11. Pray through these passages with your family and friends, and come to worship hungry.
Pastor David
As Christians, if we could only do one thing, what would we do? If we lived in a society where Christianity was illegal, but we wanted to figure out how to do one thing, what would it be?
If you are curious how the Apostle Paul would answer that question, spend a few minutes reading 1Corinthians 11:17-26. Read, meditate, and pray through it and see what one thing the Apostle Paul is passionate about.
Beginning this Sunday we are starting a three week mini-series on Communion from 1Corinthians 11:17-34. We partake of the Sacrament of Communion every week at Redeemer, so we are excited to look at the riches of the longest passage in the Bible on this practice.
I look forward to worshiping with you in the pews and around the table!
Pastor Adam
No one wants to be a hypocrite.
We want to have a consistent life. A life where our beliefs and actions are in concert with one another. A life where our message and behaviors align.
The Apostle Paul wants the same thing for himself and the church in Corinth. This Sunday we are returning to our preaching series in Paul’s letter of 1 Corinthians, specifically chapter 9 verses 24-27. Spend a few minutes prior to Sunday morning to read, pray, and meditate on these verses. Reflect on Paul’s writing of consistency and your own life.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Missionaries are sent and we are a missionary people. This Sunday is a Sunday of sending.
This Sunday, May 20th – Pentecost Sunday – we’ll be commissioning the Fullerton Launch Team to begin the work of establishing a new Redeemer congregation in Fullerton. The word ‘Pentecost’ comes from the Greek meaning simply ‘fiftieth’. Pentecost Sunday ends the season of Easter and symbolizes a new beginning. It celebrates the unleashing of the Holy Spirit on the world and the empowering of the church to reach the world with the gospel. In remembering Pentecost and living in light of this powerful turning point, the church expresses gratitude to Christ for sending “another counselor” (John 14:16), celebrates the work of the Spirit in the renewal of all creation, and professes its confidence and security in knowing the Spirit’s power is available for its mission.
Pentecost is a perfect Sunday to gather the launch team in front of the church and pray for them, and then release them from their activities at Redeemer Newport to go forth and establish this church. Read Acts 13:1-3. Christians are always sending out those they love to advance the mission of Jesus in the world. This Sunday we participate in the same.
This is an important Sunday in the life of Redeemer. I can't wait to worship and pray together.
Pastor David
What is in that bag on your back?
We all have it… that pack slung across our shoulders. What's in it? Does it weigh us down making every step harder and the journey longer? Or is it full of what we need? And not just what we need for the journey, but so much more? Always something that supports and empowers us. Think for a moment about what sits on your shoulders. Does it push you down or pull you up?
Take a moment and read 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1. Ignore for a second the specific first century Corinthian issues pastor Paul is addressing and look at the basic worldview principles he is explaining. Do you live in a world of scarcity or abundance? How you answer that question will shape every part of your life. Scarcity or abundance? In your marriage? In your health? In your finances? In your parenting? In your vocation?
Scarcity or abundance? What do you think Jesus wants you to know about the nature of his world that we live in? Meditate on 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:1, pray through it, struggle with it, and listen for the Spirit. What is he saying to us?
I can't wait to worship together.
Pastor David
It is totally your right to do it. You deserve it.
The good news is that Jesus has something even better in store for us. He is offering to help us give up our rights for the good of another who doesn't deserve it. Wait what? That sounds stupid. No thanks. Did I just say that out loud?
Take five minutes this weekend and read 1Corinthians chapters 8, 9 and 10. Yes, three whole chapters. It really won't take that long. Notice how these passages turn upside down the notion of freedom from constraints as essential to happiness. Let's be honest with ourselves. How would we define freedom? How important is freedom to our happiness? How is that working for us? These passages provide another way. A better way.
I can't wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Did Jesus really mean what he said in John 15:5? That "apart from me you can do nothing."
Nothing? What does Jesus mean when he says that we can do nothing apart from him? Or to ask it another way, what does it mean to abide in Christ, to be connected to him like branches to a vine, and have everything we need?
This Sunday we will have the honor of hearing from Rev. Chris Stratton preach on John 15:1-5 and he will bring some clarity to Jesus' teaching on abiding. To prepare for this upcoming sermon take a few minutes to read, meditate on, and pray through this passage and reflect on your union and rest in Jesus.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday.
Pastor Adam
He can't really mean that can he?
One of our highest aspirations as a culture (the highest?) is to find a romantic partner. Yet in 1Corinthinas 7 we read singleness presented as better, happier, for some. Singleness is not presented here as a problem to be solved, but a platform for a happy and thriving life.
Sit with this passage over the weekend. Read it, meditate on it, pray through it. Let it mess with our categories and challenge us to imagine what the church community would need to look like in order for singleness to not equate to loneliness. Loneliness is a crushing curse. Singleness can be a powerful gift. How can Redeemer cultivate the one and protect us from the other? This passage is not a passage for the single, but for all of us.
Pastor David
Questions, questions, questions.
We are now in the section of Paul's letter to the Corinthian church in which he turns to their specific questions. Just like us, they had questions about sex within marriage, divorce and remarriage. As we saw a few weeks ago ultimately what they were asking was, "What changes should I make in order to experience the life I was made for?" Should we change our sex lives? Should we change our marital status? They had questions about marriage and so do we.
Take a few minutes this weekend and read, meditate on, and pray through 1 Corinthians 7. It has much to say about marriage and singleness. However, the power of this chapter is not only in the specific advice it provides, but in the foundation for all of life, regardless of our relational status, that it reveals.
Pastor David
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
This is the traditional Easter acclamation that will begin our worship this Sunday. However, Jesus is not the only one. Easter is not only about remembering the resurrection of Jesus, but about all the others who have been raised with him. You might even know one or two.
Our passage this Easter Sunday is Colossians 3:1-4. Over the weekend, read it. Meditate on it. Pray through it. Doubt it and struggle with it. Then be still and let the Spirit weave it deeper into you.
Christ is risen, but he is not the only one.
Pastor David
Maundy Thursday is a beautiful and solemn service that will focus your mind and grip your heart. After singing, silence, and a short meditation on a passage of scripture, we take the Lord’s Supper, prayerfully and seated at tables. For many this is one of the most powerful and rich communion experiences. At the conclusion of the service the communion tables are ceremonially stripped and we leave in silence and darkness. Symbolically this darkness and silence is broken with the shout of “He is risen!” at the opening of our Easter worship the following Sunday. Due to the late start time, there will be no childcare provided during the service.
Holy Week begins in two days, and Easter, the biggest Christian holiday, is around the corner. How are you preparing?
Over the centuries one of the main ways the Church has prepared for Easter is by remembering Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. When you think of Palm Sunday what do you imagine? Maybe a swelling crowd cheering Jesus on? Maybe the waving of palm branches? Maybe Jesus riding on a donkey?
How about a Trojan Horse?
There is something very surprising that happens on Palm Sunday. We come expecting a celebration and we leave with a different experience. And it is in that experience that we can best prepare for Easter.
Take a few minutes to read the story of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry in Luke 19:28-44. Meditate and pray through it. As you do, what are you surprised by? How does that surprise help you prepare for Easter?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Palm Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Hear from Rev. Chris Stratton as he takes a look at stories over time and challenges us to explore our own redemptive story. Read, meditate on, and pray through Psalm 40:1-5 and John 13:31-35. Then consider these questions: What is your story? How do you respond in the midst of it?
Stop!
Really, stop right now. Don’t move. Don’t think. Don’t plan. Don’t look forward. Just stop.
Who are you right now? Where are you right now?
Pause all the aspirations: relationally, personally, vocationally, financially. All of it.
Let it sink in, the reality of who you are now.
How do you feel?
Now what?
This is what 1Corinthians 7 is all about. Yes, that passage has much to say about marriage, divorce, singleness, and sex, but at the very core it is about this: if you remain exactly where you are today without change, Jesus is abundantly, extravagantly, unthinkably more than enough for a life of explosive significance and joy. Actually, we couldn’t even hope to handle, let alone make use of, all that Jesus is to us at this moment. We don’t need more in the future than what Jesus is to us today.
I kinda believe this… ish, but I want to believe it more and in deeper ways. Let’s worship together this Sunday and trust that Jesus will help us know and experience this reality.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
I feel so guilty.
What do we do with our guilt? We all know what it feels like to be in its grip, to be caught in its web where every move we make to free ourselves seems to worsen our situation. Psalm 51 can free us. We see in this most famous of the penitential psalms a model of responding to God’s mercy that will burn away the web of guilt that paralyzes so many of us. If you are like me you have tried a multitude of things to save yourself from the guilt: minimizing, excusing, justifying, ignoring, blaming others, self penance, and on and on. Jesus wants to free us from these false ways of dealing with our sin and guilt. Psalm 51 will show us the life and hope that come from responding to God’s mercy.
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
Do you know where we’re going? Where did we put that map?
This Sunday we are honored to welcome back Rev. Joel Pelsue, Co-Founder and President of the Arts & Entertainment Ministries in Los Angeles. Joel will be preaching from Proverbs 2. In preparation take a few minutes this weekend to read, meditate on and pray through Proverbs 2.
Attend the Middle Hour this Sunday. It is a big one. I will lay out the map, or at least the compass heading, for where we think God is leading us in the next chapter in the life of Redeemer. As a church family I am asking that we all pray about and engage with the potential mission that God seems to be calling us on together. It is a season of discernment. Is Jesus calling us all to be a missionary people in this way? To be formed by his love to love our neighbors in this specific way? It seems like a plan, a mission, is taking shape before us, will you prayerfully help us discern God’s call for us to participate in what God is already doing?
I look forward to worshipping with you all on Sunday.
Pastor David
So am I supposed to feel bad or what?
This Sunday marks the first Sunday in the season of Lent. It is easy to mistake the season of Lent as one of dourly introspection and austerity. Who wants to participate in that? However, Lent is about preparation for something joyful and magnificent! Yes, it is a season when our focus highlights greater self awareness and repentance and that can be hard, but it does not need to be a negative burden. It can be a season of preparing to celebrate the resurrection by untangling ourselves and lightening our load. Lent is about getting ready for joy. Psalm 139 will help us.
In preparation for the sermon this Sunday read, meditate on, and pray through Psalm 139. Lent has begun. It is not too late to start. Let Psalm 139 help get you started.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Wait… gimme that back. That’s mine!
Read 1Corinthians 6:12-20 closely and we may feel like Jesus is taking something from us; something more intrinsically and intuitively ours than anything else. God says that we are not our own. That we have been bought with a price – the life and death of Jesus. In our passage Paul applies this reality to our sexual lives, but this truth of course touches everything.
In preparation for our worship together and for God to speak to us through his preached word, wrestle with this statement from 1Corinthians 6:19-20 , “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” Let’s be honest with ourselves. Why do we hate this? In what ways is this deeply offensive? Why do we also love and long for this? Why do we ignore this reality and live as if it were not true?
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Explicit content warning, especially for parents.
The passage of 1Corinthians we are currently studying together does not shy away from talking explicitly about sex. Pastor Adam set the context for us last week, powerfully calling all of us to greater honesty with our sexual struggles and reminding us that what we do with our physical bodies is deeply entwined with our spiritual lives. This week and next we will stay in the same passage and ask, “Why does it matter so much what we do with our bodies, especially sexually?” This week we will focus on what we long for, but often don’t realize we already have. Next week our focus will be on what we think we have, but actually don’t.
This Sunday we will think about this question together, “Why do people have sex?” If you currently have an active sex life ask yourself, “Why do I have sex?”
Parents need to know that I will talk openly about sex including masturbation, orgasm, prostitution, pornography, and most importantly God’s creation of and celebration over marital sex. Parents will need to decide what is appropriate for their child. We will have our regular children’s programs for all kids 5th grade and younger. If you would rather your 6th grade or older child not hear this kind of content you have two options. You can contact Amanda Knox (amandak@redeemeroc.org), our Children’s Ministry Director, or Pastor Adam Feichtmann (adamf@redeemeroc.org) and ask if your child can help serve in the children’s Sermon Time program this Sunday, or you can take your child out and stay with them during the sermon portion of the service. We cannot guarantee that there will be enough room for your child to help serve during Sermon Time so whoever contacts Amanda or Adam first will get priority.
Take a few minutes this weekend to read, meditate on, and pray through 1Corinthians 6:12-20. Ask yourself seriously, “Why do people have sex?”
Pastor David
MeToo. These two words have dominated much of the news over the past few months and carry a lot of weight. They reveal both the deep pain and abuses of sexual freedom, while also giving us hope that certain sexual acts will not and should not be tolerated.
This Sunday we are continuing our study of 1 Corinthians by looking at chapter 6 verses 12-20. In this section of his letter, the Apostle Paul is addressing the sexual immorality of the Corinthian cultural. It doesn’t take long to make the connection that our modern culture, two thousand years later, is still struggling with some of the same issues.
Read, meditate, and pray through this passage. Reflect not just on sexual sins that have caused you or others around you pain, but take the time to reflect primarily on the type of identity Christ has given you and who your body belongs to. Then ask yourself how you can live into that identity, specifically related to your sexual actions and/or the sexual actions of the culture around you.
I look forward to worshiping with you all together on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
How big is the story you are living?
This week in our study of 1 Corinthians, like last week, we find a passage addressing a very specific issue facing the Corinthian congregation. Apparently some in that small church were suing each other, yet another example of the division and arrogance plaguing their church. We must be careful not to think that this passage is relevant only when we are tempted to file a lawsuit against someone we go to church with. Take a few minutes this weekend and read the passage more deeply. Paul is pointing out why it is utterly ridiculous that these brothers in Christ would even consider secular legal action against each other given what Jesus has done and will do for them.
How very small they must consider the story of their lives. Paul is lifting their eyes and ours to see the extravagant story that Jesus has drawn us into. Pray for me now that I would see this and I will pray the same for you.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
That doesn’t seem nice at all!
This Sunday we return to our study of 1Corinthians. In the fall we made our way through the first section of the book and now in this new section Paul is taking up some very specific and controversial issues facing that first church in Corinth. This weekend read 1Corinthinas 5:1-13. This is a tough one. Followers of Jesus are called to be a missionary people, formed by God’s love to love our neighbors. A missionary people entrusted with a message to our neighbors that the God of love is for them! However, what Paul is teaching in 1Corinthians 5 seems like the absolute opposite of love. How could a God of love call us to treat one of our own in such a way in full view of our watching neighbors?
Read the passage. Wrestle with it. Pray an angry, confused prayer if you feel the need. God can handle it. Let’s just not take the passage lightly or walk away from it quickly. Listen to it. Let it sit. Let it begin to shape us.
Redeemer is a church not for ourselves. We are a missionary people who are formed by love to love, yet it must be God’s love we are formed by, not our limited conception of love. A passage like 1Corinthians 5 confronts us with the reality that our conception of love must expand and be refined.
Are we willing to be shaped by God’s love so that we might begin to love as he loves?
Pastor David
Epiphany is the day, followed by a season, in which Western and Eastern churches have historically celebrated the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the nations as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), who paid homage to a young Jesus. Along with the visit of the Magi (aka wise men or three kings) Epiphany is a time to focus on the life and ministry of Jesus. Passages on Jesus’ baptism and his first public miracle of turning water into wine are also remembered at this time in the church calendar as they emphasize Jesus’ identity and mission.
This Sunday we will be seeing how Jesus reveals himself in an epiphany moment during his first public miracle of turning water into wine from the Gospel of John 2:1-11. Take a few minutes to read, meditate, and prayer through this passage and reflect on how Jesus might be leading you to follow him on his mission to proclaim the good news of his coming.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Time flies. It is almost 2018!
As we approach 2018 and our calendars change, we are reminded of how our time flies. Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses which helps us begin our year on the right foot and in the proper mindset.
Right before we ring in the New Year, this Sunday we are honored to have Rev. Doug Swagerty, Southwest Regional Director for the PCA’s Mission to North America, preach from Psalm 90 on how we understand God and time. To best prepare for this Sunday, read and pray through Psalm 90 and reflect on who God is and how you plan to structure the year of 2018.
I look forward to worshiping with you for one final Sunday in 2017!
Pastor Adam
Join Redeemer for our annual Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve service. We will sing the great Christmas songs interspersed with readings from Scripture, and a short Christmas message.
Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, first created the Nine Lessons and Carols service in 1880. The best know version is broadcast from King’s College, Cambridge, each Christmas Eve where they have been celebrating this service since 1918.
Nothing will focus your heart and mind, and get your family into the Christmas spirit like this stirring Christmas Eve service.
Who is Christmas for?
These last weeks we have been wrestling with the experience of feeling like God is gone. We have been trying to listen to the whispers of the incarnation to help us interpret this “God is gone” feeling. Is he absent or hidden? Is he missing or involved?
The incarnation assures us that even when it does not feel like it, God is lovingly hidden and intricately involved. A God in us, fully in the human experience. A God with us, on the mission to renew all things.
With a God like this who is Christmas for?
Pastor David
God does not just feel gone. God is gone.
The season of Advent reminds us that when we feel like we don’t have enough of God in our daily lives, like our connection with him is not all that it could be, we are not making it up. In one sense God is gone. At least gone enough that it is right for us to long for him to come again.
The incarnation shows us that God is fully, deeply, more than we could have ever imagined, in our actual human experience. He knows us. He is with us. However, God is not yet with us in the way that he will be.
Knowing how God will be with us in the future not only helps us make sense of our experience of feeling like God is gone today, but it also shows us what God loves and what he is inviting us to love as well.
Read and reflect on Revelation 21:1-7. Given the choice, we would only spend our time and energy on restoring and moving into a place we love, to enjoy with those we love. Notice where God is and who God is with.
Pastor David
What do you do when God feels gone?
Advent is about those times when we long for God’s presence, but feel like we don’t have it. In those moments, or long seasons, when God feels gone we have a decision to make. Whether we realize it or not, we emotionally decide whether God is absent or hidden. Absent as in God is gone or does not exist and we are alone, or hidden in that for our good and his purposes he has hidden himself for a short time. When God feels gone do we think he is absent or hidden?
This Sunday we will listen to the whispers of the incarnation in Matthew 13:53–58. Read, meditate on, and pray through this passage. Imagine Jesus’ actual neighbors, those he grew up with. Do you think they ever felt like God was gone? Yet there he was; Jesus in our human experience.
Pastor David
As another calendar year draws to a close, a new church year is just beginning. This Sunday we will gather together to celebrate the first day of Advent. Wreaths will be hung, candles will be lit, and carols will be sung. It is my favorite season of the year!
In all of our joyous and festive parties, we do need to remind ourselves that Advent is not Christmas. The season of Advent is the 4 weeks prior to Christmas (all 12 days of Christmas). Advent means “coming.” It is the season in the church calendar when we wait and prepare for the coming birth of Jesus on Christmas, while also hoping for Jesus’ second coming to renew all things.
So, what does waiting look like? What are we supposed to do during Advent to better prepare for Christmas? Join me this Sunday as we explore those questions together and read from the Gospel of Luke 2:1-7, 21-24.
Two sermon spoilers that would be good for you to know ahead of time are: 1. Advent Wreath Making and 2. Advent & Christmas Guides. This Sunday during the Middle Hour (10:10 – 10:50am) we will be making Advent wreaths together. Stay late or come early to join us. Also, our new Advent & Christmas Guides are printed, free, and ready for you to grab on the book table. Let the guide help you and your family and/or friends draw closer to Jesus in prayer and scripture readings this season.
I am really looking forward to worshiping with you on this first Sunday of Advent!
Pastor Adam
God will provide. He will.
Abraham knew this truth when he was climbing the mountain to sacrifice his son Isaac. Pause for a second, imagine Abraham climbing a mountain thinking that he was going to sacrifice his only son, his son whom he thought was the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless him as the father of many nations.
We are very privileged to have Redeemer’s own Rev. Chris Stratton preach on this fascinating text from Genesis 22. Take a few minutes to pray for Rev. Stratton and also to read/pray through Genesis 22 with the knowledge that God will and does provide for you as his beloved children.
This Sunday is also the final Sunday in the season of Pentecost before we arrive in Advent on December 3rd. Stop by our book table and pick up a FREE copy of our new Advent & Christmas Guide to help you prepare for the Advent and Christmas season.
See you all Sunday!
Pastor Adam
What is the one thing that when you forget it you finally come to know it?
Our passage from the ancient letter of 1Corinthians for this Sunday draws to a close the first section of the Apostle Paul’s letter. Take a few minutes this weekend and read 1 Corinthians 3:18 to the end of chapter 4. Our focus will be on 3:21-4:7, but it would be good for us to linger this weekend over the broader passage. Read it a few times. It takes some twists and turns.
How can Paul do what he says in 4:3-4? How can he possibly escape the crushing weight we all feel when we assess ourselves, our progress, maturity, growth, character, accomplishments, and when we know that others are pronouncing their own judgments on us? Just think of the freedom we might experience if we could imitate him.
Paul is showing the Corinthians, and us, that this type of freedom is possible. Are we ready to forget so that we can experience this?
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
If you were a building what kind of building would you be?
In our passage for this Sunday the Apostle Paul uses three images to help the Corinthian congregation understand who they are and what they are for. Who are we? What are we for? Take a few moments this weekend and read, meditate on and pray through 1Corinthians 3:5-17.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Um… What? He can’t really mean that, right?
Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16. Doesn’t this seem almost the opposite of what the Apostle Paul wrote in the opening of this letter? How are we to make sense of this? Is there really some kind of “secret” wisdom that only some special people get? If so how would we get it?
Now read 1Corinthiains 3:1-4. For a people longing to be wise, longing to be special this would have been tough to hear, even enraging. Paul wants to open up for them whole new vistas of thriving communion with God and each other, but they must stop acting as if they are “merely human.” What they long for is theirs for the taking, but will they take it? Will we?
Pastor David
No one could have seen this coming.
We all know at least the basics. I mean we have all made it this far in life. We aren’t perfect of course, but we’re functional. Mostly. We are no different than the normal folks in the Corinthian church so long ago.
Then the cross. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. This is God’s plan? The cross simply does not fit with how life really works.
Take a few moments this weekend to read 1Corintians 1:10-2:5. It can be a bit hard to follow at first, but read it over and over again. Maybe we don’t know how life is supposed to work after all. Maybe the cross reveals a different way. A better way. A more powerful way. A way to freedom and health and love that our other ways could never take us to. Maybe. That or the cross really is ridiculous. It can only be one or the other.
Pastor David
It looks really bad. Worse than we thought.
When we look out at the world the evil is staggering. When we look in at the shape of our own hearts, at best we are a mix of truth and error, compassion and selfishness, love and hate. Even when we look at the condition of the Church it is really no better, sometimes worse. What are we to make of all this mess? What hope do we have of becoming the people we long to be? How can we together, in our evil and mess, bring love and hope to our world in so much need? What do we have to offer really?
2000 years ago the apostle Paul wrote a personal letter to a church community he knew well. He knew the details of their lives in all their messiness and sin, and this practical letter addresses much of it. Far from the tight categories and overly precise theology we sometimes experience, this letter takes the central message of the bible and unpacks it in the confusing, brokenness of real life. As we will find, that is actually where Jesus shines, where we experience all that he has to offer. Jesus did come for the sick after all, not the healthy.
This Sunday we begin our journey into the book of 1 Corinthians. Read, reflect, and meditate on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. Ask yourself, what is the shape of God’s faithfulness?
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Prayer begins by listening to God speak to us.
Like children learn to speak from their parents speaking to them first, so Christians learn to pray by God speaking to them.
This Sunday we will listen to God speak to us through the passages of Psalm 29, Hebrews 4, and John 1. Prior to Sunday morning, take a few minutes and read aloud these chapters. Listen to God speak to you and reflect on the responses or prayers that the words generate in you.
I look forward to listening to God speak to us together on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Have you ever thought about the difference between hearing and listening?
Attention.
Auditory neuroscientists will say that paying attention to sounds is the difference between the sense of hearing and the skill of listening.
The skill of listening is key for any type of relationship: spouse to spouse, parent to child, friend to friend, employer to employee. It is also foundational for Christians to obey what is spoken in the Bible, the WORD of God.
This Sunday we will listen to God speak to us in the Gospel of John 14:21-24 and will explore the connection between listening, obedience, and love. Prior to Sunday morning, take 5 minutes and read John 14:21-24 out loud or listen to someone else read it. Listen well and try to pay attention to Jesus’ words to understand what he is really saying.
I look forward to listening to God speak to us together on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Let’s do this.
Hopefully at this point the idea of taking a weekly Sabbath rest sounds like a good idea. It’s now time to move it from an idea to a reality. After all just thinking about rest isn’t very restful, it can actually be stressful!
This Sunday we conclude our series on Sabbath rest. Let’s move it from theory to regular practice. We are going to learn two new things about the Sabbath from the gospel of Mark, but mostly we will be talking about concrete practice, the nitty gritty “how to” of Sabbath rest.
As part of the sermon I will be taking questions. You can text me while I preach, and I will do my best to answer them, while punting the really hard ones to Pastor Adam.
This weekend read, meditate on, and pray through Mark 2:23-3:6.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Was the Sabbath just an Old Testament practice? Does the New Testament say anything about it?
Most often when we think about the Sabbath we remember the Old Testament’s teachings. However, when we survey the New Testament we also find plenty of passages on the Sabbath. The teachings in the New Testament on the Sabbath don’t just cause us to look backwards, they show us that part of our Sabbath practices is to look forward to what is guaranteed in the future.
Join me in preparing for worship this Sunday by reading, meditating, and praying through Matthew 11:28-12:8 and Hebrews 4. Reflect on how Sabbath and rest were practiced in the Old Testament, can be practiced today, and will be practiced in the future.
I can’t wait to worship with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
A lecture exploring a technique of reading/praying scripture from a devotional and contemplative perspective.
Sleep is a mystery.
According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, “despite decades of research and many discoveries about other aspects of sleep, the question of why we sleep has been difficult to answer.” Researchers can prove it is critical to our health, but how it works exactly remains unclear.
Sabbath rest is similar. The scripture tells us that it is critical to our health (spiritually, emotionally and physically), but understanding exactly how it is so powerful is beyond us. In Deuteronomy 5:12–15 participating in the Sabbath has the power to reshape the broken and wounded identity of God’s people, transforming them into a people of purpose and freedom. Regular Sabbath rest takes a slave people and forms them into a people of freedom.
What are the obstacles that stand in our way to experiencing the joy and freedom of regular Sabbath rest? Come with a list of your obstacles and let’s see how God’s gift of Sabbath rest can set us free.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
God is resting. What are we doing? Why?
This Sunday we start another installment in our Spiritual Formation sermon series. Last Spring we explored the formative practice of generosity and now we turn to the active practice of rest.
Formed by Rest: Finding true rest in a culture of exhaustion
God’s word tells us that he is transforming us, conforming us to the image Christ. He does this by the work of his Spirit and guarantees to complete the work he has started. God also calls us to participate in this work by giving ourselves to certain practices; practices that have shaped his people for countless generations. Over the next weeks we will focus on the spiritual practice of Sabbath rest.
Tired? Restless? Exhausted? God has so much to offer us. This weekend consider reading all of Genesis chapter 1 through to Genesis 2:3. God rested. Consider that. God rested. Do you hear the invitation?
I can’t wait to worship with you all.
Pastor David
I am excited to announce that our guest preacher for this Sunday is the Rev. Dr. Jim Belcher, founding pastor of our church! Dr. Belcher is currently the President of Providence Christian College and resides with his wife and four children in Pasadena, CA.
He will be preaching on Jesus’ fourth Beatitude in the Sermon on Mount from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” In preparation for this Sunday, take a few minutes to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate on the topic of Spiritual Hunger. Ask yourself what you think Jesus means by hungering for righteousness and how that is or is not evident in your life right now?
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Have you heard of Simon Johnson?
You probably have – but didn’t know it. Simon Johnson became world famous but under a different name. He almost wasted his life away until Jesus pursued him and saved him from himself.
This Sunday we’ll talk about who Simon Johnson was and why he had to die.
I’m looking forward to being with you this Sunday. Invite your friends!
Pastor Chad Brewer RUF at UC Irvine
Sometimes what we need to hear is not what we want to hear.
That’s how I personally feel about the passage from the Bible I am preaching on this Sunday. How is that for an encouragement to worship at Redeemer this Sunday?
Peter is telling us that the Christian life is more dangerous than we realize, and that the comfort and safety we long for in this life is not guaranteed. Thanks, Peter! That’s not really what we wanted to hear. However, Peter does promise us that what is guaranteed is better than any fleeting comfort and safety this life could provide. Read 1 Peter 5:6-11. Meditate on it. Talk to God about it. Listen to God speak through it.
This is not a message I want to hear, but it is one I desperately need to hear.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Why is this happening to me? Why now? Why in this way?
God, where are you?
This summer we have been studying together the letter of 1 Peter. Written by a wise and experienced pastor at the end of his life, Peter knew first hand what it is to suffer, to fail, and to lead others into and through both.
I imagine that the followers of Jesus 2000 years ago, who were the first to read this letter, asked the same questions we do when we suffer: “Why is this happening to me? Why now? Why in this way? God, where are you?” Often suffering brings with it more suffering because we don’t know why we are going through what we are going through, and we simply just don’t expect it. Our hard circumstances can be made worse by the confusion, shock, and self-doubt that often accompany it.
Peter knows this. Jesus knows this.
That is one of the reasons we have been given the letter of 1 Peter. God wants us to know that he is doing more in our suffering than getting us out of it.
Take a few minutes this weekend to read, meditate on, and pray through 1 Peter 4:1-6. If you are in the midst of a season of suffering these words can help. Yet even for those of us in a season of peace, of course difficulty and suffering in its varied forms can come at any moment. If we want to maintain resilience, even joy, when suffering does come, we must listen well to these words from 1 Peter.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Let’s talk about marriage.
Too often people in our modern Western culture believe that marriage exists for our individual satisfaction. The apostle Peter in his letter says the opposite. Peter has a vision for marriage that is bigger: For a marriage that exists for the common good of others.
In laying out his vision, Peter gives very practical and helpful instructions on how wives and husbands are supposed to love and serve one another. Take a few minutes to read, meditate, pray, and contemplate on 1 Peter 3:1-7. If you are married, reflect on how your marriage compares to Peter’s words. If you are not married, ask how you can encourage and walk alongside married couples in the church to best support them in their marriages, as churches thrive with a balance of married and single members.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
The Church is called to be present in the world.
The Apostle Peter in his First Letter encourages the Church to be fully present in the world. To do good works for the common good and peace of the world. To support the local government and every human institution. And to even continue doing good works for the world when the Church suffers as a result of those good works.
For the Church to be even more present in the world beyond good works and supporting every human institution, Peter also urges them to abstain from certain worldly behaviors. Yes, you read that correctly, Peter wants Christians to be more present by abstaining. Abstention from certain behaviors = Being more present in the world.
In preparation for our study this Sunday, read, meditate, pray, and contemplate over 1 Peter 2:11-3:22. Reflect on where you spend most of your time, and then ask yourself these questions: How can you be more present there? Are their certain good works you can add/continue to do in those places and vocations? And are there certain behaviors that you can abstain from so you can be more present as well?
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Every Christian is a priest.
Every Christian is formed by love and has a priestly vocation to love others.
This Sunday, as we continue our summer preaching series through the letter of 1 Peter in chapter 2 verses 4-10, we are going to see how God’s love not only forms us, but enables us to go and love others. A priest in the Old Testament was always a priest to real people. Likewise, Christians today are formed by the love of God and have a vocation to love real people in real places, no matter how easy or difficult it may be.
Read, reread, meditate, pray, and contemplate on 1 Peter 2:4-10 and its application in your lives and your relationships to others.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
What does it mean to be holy?
If you were to try and live a holy life what would that look like? Would that be any different from trying to live an upright or moral life?
When the Bible commands us to be holy it’s telling us to be more than just upright and moral people. This Sunday we will be looking together at the call of holiness from 1 Peter 1:13-21. Take a few minutes to read, reread, meditate, pray, and contemplate on this passage before Sunday. While you do so, focus specifically on Peter’s call for you to be holy as God is holy and what that means for your daily life.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
If only we could have been there to see it ourselves!
Have you ever thought that if you lived in the age of the Old Testament, where you could actually witness the miracles of God, then your faith would be strong and would propel you into a life of faithfulness and passionate devotion? In our passage this week Peter makes the case that what we have now, what we know now, what we taste and experience of God in Jesus now, is actually far better than anything the prophets of the Old Testament experienced. What they looked forward to we now see fulfilled.
Read, meditate on, and pray through 1Peter 1:10-12 and 1:22-2:3.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
We are formed by love to love.
Our summer sermon series will take us through First Peter, and the themes of love and hope woven throughout.
Peter tells us that we have been “born again to a living hope” (1Pe 1:3) and that we are to “above all, keep loving one another earnestly” (1Pe 4:8). Love and hope provide both our strength and our unifying mission. In times of trouble, when circumstances or even other people are afflicting us, our hope is to be so palpable, so certain, that even our tormenter would demand to know why they cannot with all their might crush our spirit and why we continue to love even them. As impossible as this sounds Peter tells us that the Christian has access to this kind of strength. It can be ours. Peter will show us how.
This weekend consider reading through the whole of First Peter then focus back on chapter 1:1-9. Meditate and pray through that short passage.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Will you wrestle with God? What blessing do you want from God right now in your life? Sometimes God only blesses us after long periods of wrestling with him.
This Sunday we have the privilege of hearing Rev. Alex Watlington (RUF Campus Minister at USC) preach on the strangest wrestling match in history. Genesis 32:22-32 tells the story of Jacob wrestling with God. Read, meditate, and pray through this story. Let this story encourage you to come to God with your struggles. He loves to bless those who have a tenacious faith.
I look forward to worshiping with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Ethiopia has a very old and rich Christian heritage.
This Sunday we look forward to having Rev. Jason Polk, one of our Global Partners, visit from Ethiopia and preach for us. Jason will be preaching from Acts 8:26-40. The conversion of an Ethiopian in this passage reveals how the gospel continues spreading from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
In this season of Pentecost, we pause to remember not only the sending of the Holy Spirit, but the spreading of Christianity across the world. The late English Pastor John Stott is famous for saying, “We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”
Read, meditate, and pray through Acts 8:26-40. Praise God for the spreading of the gospel to the ends of the earth and ask him to give you a global vision, while also praying specifically for Ethiopia.
Plan to stay after the first service or come early before the second service for the Middle Hour (10:10-10:50am). Jason will give a presentation and update on their organization, Ethiopia ACT. Click on the link below to read further details about the Polks, Ethiopia ACT, and how to connect with them during their visit.
I look forward to worshiping our global God with you this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
Have you ever wondered what the differences are between the English Standard Version (ESV), New International Version (NIV), King James Version (KJV), etc.? Learn some of the strengths and weaknesses of our modern day Bible translations.
Want a picture of your insides?
X-rays and MRI’s, they show us what is going on underneath. They help diagnose structural weaknesses in our body and therefore help us plan on what to do to fix what is broken.
This Sunday we conclude our series on the spiritual practice of generosity. In our last sermon we saw that tithing is not being generous, it is simply trusting and obeying God. However, tithing is one practice that helps form us into generous people. Tithing is not about guilt and financial planning. It is about learning to taste and see God’s love and care for us and participate with God in his work of renewal in the world. Tithing forms us, but like an X-ray it also diagnoses us. In the last sermon I asked all of us to do three things: Find out how much your household tithed last year (to the worship and ministry of the local church), ask why you tithed that amount, and compare that to what you personally feel the scripture calls you to tithe.
What did this activity show you about what is underneath? Did you find some structural weaknesses? If so don’t be afraid. Don’t be ashamed. Read, meditate and pray through 2 Corinthians 9:6–15. Where you might have found weaknesses, God wants to build strength. Where you might have found the phantom of scarcity, God wants to show you a future of abundance. N.T. Wright reminds us, “In the normal and healthy Christian life, everything proceeds from God’s generosity, and everything returns to God in thanksgiving. Grace, generosity and gratitude: these are not optional extras of Christian living, but are the very heart of it all.”
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
Contentment. Would you consider yourself a content person?
We often think of being content in relationship to our circumstances. You might be content this afternoon because you had a good morning, but who knows what tomorrow holds?
Contentment in the Bible is not related to changing circumstances. Rather, contentment is tied to God, who does not change.
This Sunday we will be looking at Psalm 131 and Philippians 4:11-12 as we reflect on how we can be content persons. Take a few minutes and read, meditate, and pray through those texts.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Just tell me what to do!
Fine.
Talking about money at church is tricky, but we need to do it. Over the last two weeks we have been talking about generosity as a way of life rooted in God’s generosity towards us. I have invited us to start some new habits that put us into contact daily with God’s abundant generosity towards us. That of course is the soil out of which true personal generosity grows. So what about tithing? How is tithing connected to becoming generous people and does the bible really direct us to give a specific amount of money to the church? This is what we will talk about Sunday.
I know that this can be an uncomfortable topic for many of us. To help I also plan to make offensive political jokes as well! It should be fun for all. Seriously though, tithing is not about guilt and financial planning. It is about learning to taste and see God’s love and care for us, being shaped into generous people, and participating with God in his work of renewal in the world.
Tithing is an invitation to a rejoicingly raucous party. It really is. Read Deuteronomy 14:22-29.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Monk habits are not just for Roman Catholics who live in monasteries, but can also be practiced by everyday people. These habits and practices are not only good for our spiritual health, but also formative for who God is shaping us to become.
More than enough or barely enough? Which one are you? Which describes your home?
Last week I asked you to get with someone you trust and with them ask this question of yourself: “To what level do I functionally believe that everything I have is a gift from God?” Don’t let that conversation be theoretical or vague. Look at your actual behaviors and thought patterns. If you have not done this, consider taking a few minutes today or tomorrow. If you want to grow as a truly generous person this could be a significant step forward.
When you think about becoming a deeply generous person, where giving of yourself in healthy ways for the good of others becomes second nature, not a chore or even a hesitation, do you know where to start? Does that seem like a massive and overwhelming project of personal change? Read Deuteronomy 6. Notice the behavioral strategies that God gives Israel so that they would stay empowered for the mission. He is completely reshaping the identity of his people and empowering them for a massive mission, but by means of small, ordinary behaviors and habits. Read the passage again. Did you notice them?
This Sunday Deuteronomy 6 will help us see the power of small habits, little behaviors, to fundamentally shape us. Developing these small habits and little behaviors will build deep and genuine generosity into our character.
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
If only it was like flipping a switch; just decide to change that thing about you and “flip” you’re different. Find another behavior or thought pattern you want to change and, like flicking the light on or off, boom, changed. If only.
God’s word tells us that he is transforming us, conforming us to the image Christ. He does this by the work of his Spirit and he guarantees to complete the work he has started. Can we participate in this work of the Spirit? If so, how ? We can and should. Our spiritual formation is not like flipping a switch, but similarly it is a small movement, one done slowly, consistently in the same direction over the course of time, over and over again.
Do you know what kinds of practices, what kinds of small movements, we can give ourselves to that allow us to participate with the Spirit in our formation? Over the next several years we will periodically break from our current sermon series to engage two or three sermons in a row that explore the kinds of practices Christians have participated in for countless generations that have shaped us as a people. Well worn practices that the Spirit of Christ has used to slowly transform his people.
The first practice we will explore is generosity. Over the weekend read and meditate on Deuteronomy 8:11-20. One New Testament scholar and pastor has said, “virtue is what happens when wise and courageous choices become second nature.” Over the next three weeks we will explore how generosity can become second nature to us.
I can’t wait to worship with you all.
Pastor David
This Sunday Redeemer will do something we have never done before.
Redeemer takes the individual spiritual care of our members more seriously than anything else we do. Supporting your communion with God is the top priority of our leadership. In order to better do this we have been working hard over the last year to expand our team of leaders who provide our members with loving and proactive spiritual care. In the past this work was done primarily by our elders, but as the Redeemer community has expanded our six elders have struggled to provide all our members with the shepherding care they need.
A year ago the members of Redeemer recommended to the elders a handful of godly women to be considered to serve on the shepherding team as diaconal assistants with the elders and deacons. This Sunday, after months of training, five women will be appointed to serve in this capacity. Christie Brewer, Nancy Cox, Stephanie Handley, Emily Patterson and Anita Regehr will all be appointed to join the shepherding team and work closely with the elders and deacons to provide each member of our church with the shepherding care they need to thrive in their communion with God.
Consider allowing your older children to stay in the worship service during the sermon to observe and participate in the appointment. A shorter sermon describing the significance of this appointment will be followed by a ceremony for these women as we thank God for their service to Redeemer and charge them to faithfully carry out their duty.
This is an important day in the life of our church. I am excited to share it together.
Pastor David
Do you ever think about Jesus’ ascension?
As the church, we think regularly about Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death, and his resurrection, but the ascension is more often than not an afterthought. The ascension is how Luke concludes his gospel account, but for most of us it is the forgotten ending.
This Sunday we are finishing our preaching series on the Gospel of Luke. As the grand finale of Luke’s gospel account, he describes the ascension of Christ our Lord. As we end our study of Luke, may Jesus’ ascension not be a forgotten ending.
To best let Luke’s finale stick with us and to prepare for our text, read, meditate, and pray through the Gospel of Luke 24:49-53. As you do, reflect on Jesus’ absence. Jesus is gone. He is gone! His presence turns to absence. How would you feel if someone you loved, depended on, and enjoyed is gone? Now what?
For the disciples this is what they are facing with the ascension of Jesus. Yet, the absence of Jesus moves them to worship and experience joy. How is that possible? We feel and know the absence of Jesus. Is joy possible for us?
I look forward to gathering with you this Sunday to see if Jesus’ ascension and absence can move us to worship and experience joy in the same way it did for the disciples!
Pastor Adam
Too often the church falls prey to the seductions of worldly power by chasing relevance and influence. The way of the Lamb, Jesus’ path, is a way of weakness that is counter-cultural to our modern day understanding of how people come into power.
Where is Jesus right now? I think we would be surprised. He could be closer than we think possible, but kept from our sight. It has happened before. Could it be happening now?
What is the worst thing you can imagine happening to you?
On what is believed to be Friday, April 3rd, AD 33, the worst thing imaginable in all of history happened. Jesus Christ was crucified. It was the middle of the day and darkness covered the whole land and the feeling of God’s judgment was palpable in the air.
This Sunday is the sixth and last Sunday in Lent. As we head toward the bright light of Easter, we will conclude our Lenten preaching series on the final days of Jesus’ life by studying the darkest and worst thing imaginable, Jesus’ death from Luke 23:44-49.
Even though the cross and the scene in Luke 23:44-49 is humanity’s worst nightmare, Luke in this text shows us how God transforms our worst nightmare into the fulfillment of our grandest dream.
Take a few minutes this weekend to read, meditate, and pray through these verses. Reflect on the darkness and also the beauty of what happens on the cross.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Details matter. There is a substantial difference between a stick figure drawing and an expertly crafted portrait. We have come to Friday morning in our Lenten study of the last week of Jesus’ life.
You be the judge. Make an assessment of the statement below:
“I know what God wants me to do, the path he is calling me to walk, but with every ounce of my will, in the deepest most visceral sense of my being, I want to go another way.”
When one is having this experience is it wrong? Is it sinful?
Is it even possible to overcome such a deep conflict of will and follow God where we don’t want to go?
On Thursday night after the Passover meal, Jesus speaks directly to his disciples about what is about to happen within the next hours. In the words of Andreas J. Kostenberger and Justin Taylor, “Jesus promises restoration even as he predicts [the disciples] failure.” Jesus tells them that their wills will turn against him and they will betray him. However, this betrayal will not have the final word.
Take a few minutes this weekend to read and pray through Luke 22:14-53. For those who have been betrayed, for those who have betrayed others, for all of us, Jesus shows us, gives us, a way to health.
Pastor David
Hungry?
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week at Redeemer, but have you ever paused to reflect on what it is and why we do it? In Luke 22 we find that the Lord’s Supper, also called Communion or the Eucharist, was given to the church by Jesus himself (see also Matthew 26, Mark 14 and 1Corinthians 11), but why? They may be familiar words to some of us, but it is quite odd to talk of eating someone’s body and drinking their blood. What is a covenant in blood? What is the significance that Jesus does this all at the important Passover celebration of the Jews?
We will see from Luke 22 that Jesus, like a master chef, is taking many ingredients – images, promises and expectations from the Old Testament – and combining them into one magnificent meal that both highlights the essence and significance of those original ingredients and makes something surprisingly new. Jesus then sets the table, lays out the feast, and invites all who trust him to join him at this banquet.
As you prepare for worship this Sunday, read Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 and 1Corinthinas 11. Pray through these passages with your family and friends, and come to worship hungry.
Pastor David
Sunday and Monday of Jesus’ last week proved to be quite dramatic. Entrance into the city with rejoicing crowds, weeping over a city whose eyes were closed, then rage in the temple.
Surely the powers that be in Jerusalem are trying to get their bearings after such an entrance, weighing their options. What would they do with Jesus the rabble-rouser, the instigator, the charismatic rebel leader? Who does Jesus think he is anyway?
Tuesday and Wednesday prove a bit more subdued, but only on the surface. Jesus spends most of his time teaching in the temple and verbally sparring with the religious leaders and their spies. It is here, in these back and forth dialogues that Jesus exposes why these leaders are really opposed to him. It is there, at the motivating center, the heart of a person, the real reason behind our actions, that the real battle rages. The battle is always there.
Lent is a time to look at the battle that rages within us. It is a battle over loyalty and love. Who we will give them to and who we won’t. Who or what will hold our chief affections. Read, meditate, pray and contemplate Luke 20. What is Jesus exposing in the hearts of his opponents? What might he be lovingly exposing within us?
The only way to the life we long for is to give it away. Will we follow Jesus with love and loyalty on that path? This is where he is leading us during his last week, these 6 weeks of Lent, and all of our weeks.
Pastor David
Was Jesus an emotional wreck or what?
This Sunday marks the first Sunday in Lent. Starting on Ash Wednesday, which was last Wednesday, Lent is a season of 46 days, 40 days not including Sundays. It is a season of repentance and preparation as the church journeys together toward the cross of Christ on Good Friday and the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.
During the six Sundays of Lent this year, our sermons will focus on the last week of Jesus’ life. In the words of authors Andreas Kostenberger and Justin Taylor, this time is “the most important week of the most important person who ever lived.” During our study of Luke these last months, we have followed Jesus on his last journey to Jerusalem. His last week begins with his last entrance into that troubled city, and it closes up around him, to consume him. The sermon this Sunday will focus on Sunday and Monday of Jesus’ last week, and it is a storm of emotion. Read, meditate, pray, and contemplate Luke 19:37-46. Notice the emotion Jesus expresses. The crowds rejoice and Jesus praises and encourages the rejoicing. Then he weeps. Then he rages.
This is our invitation into the journey of Lent. Are we ready to rejoice, to weep, and to rage?
Pastor David
Do you feel like you might be on the road to a burnout?
Do you find yourself searching for something bigger and better that might give value to your life?
This Sunday we have the privilege of hearing from Rev. Matthew Trexler, the RUF Campus Minister at UCLA, as he preaches from 1 Kings 19 and focuses on life lessons we can learn from the prophet Elijah on the topic of burnout. Take a few minutes to read, meditate, and pray through 1 Kings 19 and reflect on the speed and patterns of your life.
This weekend is also the Men’s Retreat in Malibu at the Serra Retreat Center. Pray for our men as they spend time resting, praying, hearing Rev. Chad Brewer preach on “The Hunger for Glory,” receiving spiritual direction, and deepening their relationships with one another.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Jesus came eating and drinking.
Most of Jesus’ ministry was done around tables and in homes. Tables and shared meals are powerful settings and Jesus clearly takes advantage of them as a venue to do some teaching. In Luke 14 Jesus is in the home of a Pharisee enjoying a meal, and then he begins to stir the pot by giving the host and other guests some lessons in table etiquette. It is fascinating to hear the way Jesus teaches. Listening to him almost makes the hairs on the back of our necks stand up, while at the same time we can feel more loved than we could ever dream.
Read, meditate and pray through Luke 14:1-24. Imagine yourself at the table eating with Jesus. What would you be feeling? What would you leave the table thinking about?
I can’t wait to worship together!
Pastor Adam
Surprise!
Imagine it. There is a celebration and all the rejoicing is over you. Some of us may hate the idea of a surprise party, but try to remember a moment when you felt genuinely and deeply celebrated. Even if specific memories don’t come to mind I think we can all imagine what that feels like. Life-giving. Beautiful. Powerful.
Last week I asked all of us to get honest about the ways we are trying to build a life for ourselves apart from Jesus. Then, sincerely and honestly, to pray the same prayer as the tax collector from Luke 18:13, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Now with three stories recorded in Luke 15, Jesus shows us how God responds to those honest prayers of repentance.
We all need to hear how God responds. When we learn to hear God’s response day in and day out, we will finally find the transforming life-giving power to become the people we long to be and that God is shaping us into.
Read, meditate and pray through Luke 15. I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
There are no good options here. None.
Read this parable from Jesus in Luke 18:9-14. Pick a character to identify with. Let’s set aside our pious right answers. Who do you want to be?
Let’s just say that we want the right thing. That deep within us we have at least a vague notion of the good and the beautiful, of what will bring us the lives we long for. However, the way we go about trying to get it is so backward and tangled up that our progress is not only hindered, but we set off in the completely wrong direction.
We all do this. Both men in this parable have done this. Jesus shows us how to untangle and actually get what we long for.
I will pray for you. You pray for me. We need this message from Jesus. Will we declare dependence or pursue independence?
Read, meditate, and pray through Luke 18:9-14. Who do you want to be? Is it time to switch paths?
Pastor David
Our time is ours, right?
This Sunday we will continue walking with Jesus on his last journey to Jerusalem as he gives instructions to his closest followers regarding what they do with their time. In the Gospel of Luke 12:35-48, Jesus tells two parables on the topics of time and faithfulness.
Read, meditate, pray, and listen to God speak to you in these parables prior to Sunday morning. Let Jesus’ words both deeply encourage and lovingly challenge you in how you think about and also spend your time.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor Adam
Money speaks, but we give it the script.
What words have you given your money to whisper back into your ears?
We are walking with Jesus on his last journey to Jerusalem. We are listening in to his instructions given to his closest followers who will continue his movement after he wins the victory on the cross that defines it. Throughout the many illustrations and instructions in this section of Luke, we hear Jesus call his first followers and us to declare complete and utter dependence on him. He tells us that to the extent that we learn to depend on him and trust in God’s fatherly care, we can be free from crippling anxiety and able to walk with confidence and hope no matter what we face.
Over the next few weeks we will look at a few of the chief culprits that Jesus warns us can threaten to pull our dependence away from him and on to themselves, thereby stealing away our confidence and joy, replacing it with anxiety and insecurity.
Read, meditate and pray through Luke 12:22-34 again this week. Focus on verses 32-33. Let’s ask ourselves, “What does our money whisper into our ears? How might Jesus correct or confirm those words?”
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
The new year is underway. What have you declared?
Any new commitments? Have you asserted or announced anything about how 2017 will be different? This Sunday the sermon will focus on a passage from the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus is calling for a declaration and a new commitment, a declaration of dependence.
What we depend on forms the foundation upon which our day-to-day experience is built. No matter what circumstances we face, what we choose to depend on shapes how we experience them.
Over the next weeks we will complete our study of the Gospel of Luke. During Epiphany we will walk with Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem through to Luke 19. We will hear his call to declare our utter dependence on him and listen to several of Jesus’ evocative stories revealing God as the one who lovingly seeks to find and care for the lost. Then during Lent we will focus on the last week of Jesus’ life beginning in Luke 19 and culminating with the celebration of his resurrection at Easter.
In preparation for this Sunday read, pray, and meditate on Luke 12:22-34. Ask yourself how declaring dependence on Jesus in this way might change your life. Imagine. Imagine life in full dependence on Jesus free from anxiety. This is what Jesus is offering. Are we ready to declare dependence?
Pastor David
Happy Epiphany!
In Advent we waited. In Christmas we celebrated. Today is now Epiphany, the day and season we remember the revelation of Jesus our Savior, as the light of the world.
For Epiphany, as the singular day, some of you might enjoy King’s Cake for dessert as you read and remember the story from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 when the Magi (Three Kings) followed the bright star to bring gifts to Jesus.
For Epiphany, as the season that transitions the church from Christmas to Lent, we focus on the life and ministry of Jesus. We remind ourselves that Jesus is not an ordinary teacher, but rather the Christ, and the Christ who calls us to follow him in the world.
For this Sunday, we will look at how Jesus begins ministry with his own baptism. To best prepare for the sermon, take 10 minutes and read Mark 1:4-11. Reflect on how Jesus’ identity is revealed and then how that affects your own identity.
I look forward to worshiping together with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Time flies. It is almost 2017!
As we approach 2017 and our calendars change, we are reminded of how our time flies. Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses which helps us begin our year on the right foot and in the proper mindset.
As we ring in the New Year, this Sunday we are honored to have Rev. Dr. Dennis Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary California and Associate Pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in Escondido, preach from Psalm 90 on how we understand God and time. To best prepare for this Sunday, read and pray through Psalm 90 and reflect on who God is and how you plan to structure the year of 2017.
I look forward to worshiping with you all in 2017!
Pastor Adam
Gifts are wonderful!
Imagine someone loving us enough to truly know who we are and what we long for. Then at great cost to themselves giving us what we want the most as a gift. This is of course what we remember and celebrate during Christmas. God loves us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we long for the most, under and behind and deeper than the longing we can actually verbalize. Then at great cost to himself gives a gift better than anything we could have asked for or imagined.
This is why we give gifts at Christmas, so that we might stir up within each other and remind each other what God has already given us. May our gifts this year be whispers of the great gift of Jesus given to us so many years ago.
The sermon this Christmas Sunday is especially designed for children since they will be with us during the sermon including a little active kid competition (better practice your balance) and candy of course. However, the sermon is not just for children. It is so easy to tarnish even the greatest gifts by how we receive them. Reflecting on John 3:16, my hope is that the Spirit will help us avoid some of the ways we diminish the gift of Jesus by how we receive him, and thereby increase our joy and confidence in our communion with him.
Have a great Christmas weekend! I can’t wait to worship together.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor David
Join us for our annual Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve service. We will sing the great Christmas songs interspersed with readings from Scripture, and a short Christmas message.
Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, first created the Nine Lessons and Carols service in 1880. The service, which has its focal point the coming of Christ, is characterized by a very simple pattern. It is ordered around Scripture readings that pertain to Christ’s coming, followed by songs and prayers. Since its first use, the service has spread around the world and has been adapted in many countries, languages, and cultures. The best know version is broadcast from King’s College, Cambridge each Christmas Eve where they have been celebrating this service since 1918.
Nothing will focus your heart and mind, and get your family into the Christmas spirit like this stirring Christmas Eve service.
“I didn’t want that.”
It is tough enough when God answers our prays by saying, “no.” That was the focus of last week’s sermon. What about when God actually gives us things, circumstances, even relationships that we really don’t want? What is the return policy on God’s providence?
If you have ever felt like God gave you something you did not want, even something you absolutely dreaded, well, you are in good company. Jesus knows what it is like to receive from God that which he dreaded the most. Read and pray through Matthew 26:36-46. Try to image what Jesus is experiencing, the dreadful tension between God’s will and what we want. Advent is about longing and waiting for what we want. However, God often answers our longings with what we don’t want. In our passage this Sunday, Jesus shows us how, better yet empowers us, to accept this dreadful providence.
The late Dallas Willard said in a lecture a few years ago, “We are meant to live a dramatic life full of good feeling and we do that if we are caught up in the drama of redemption and creative work under God.” Always on the pathway of being caught up in this drama of redemption and creative work are whole seasons of getting what we don’t want from the very hand of our loving God. Yet he knows what he is doing. We can trust him. Jesus shows us the way and carries us in it.
Pastor David
If we want the right thing then why won’t God give it to us?
We all know that we often want the wrong things. We all know that we can often be consumed by what we want. Of course we should avoid these dangers of wanting. However, if we want something that is good and right, if we want to be free from something that is clearly no good at all, why would God not provide what we are asking for?
On this third week of Advent we look at the example of the Apostle Paul who wanted something good and right, and God said no. We can all point to real experiences of asking God to provide and then he did not. What does this mean about God? What does this mean about us?
Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 over the weekend. Meditate on it. Pray through it. It is not a typical Advent passage, but it will teach us much about wanting and waiting, and how God loves and provides when at first it seems like he is not even listening.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
A funny thing happens when we want something really bad.
When we want something really bad we often become consumed and even defined by our wanting. In those moments it is very hard for us to think of other things. Wanting things can be sneaky. They can slowly creep up on us and then before we know it we have a hard time differentiating ourselves from what we want.
This upcoming Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent. As we continue preparing for Christmas, we will proceed with our Advent series on the themes of Wanting & Waiting, by observing how Israel during their Exodus became consumed by wanting. Spend 10 minutes reading Exodus 16 and ask yourself, what did Israel want and how did they wait? Then reflect on the abundance of generosity that God showers on Israel and how that reshapes their wanting and waiting.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Go buy your Christmas tree. Start decorating your homes. Turn up those speakers and begin listening to your favorite Christmas carols.
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, a season of four weeks leading up to Christmas. A season which prepares us for the great joy we will experience on Christmas.
This Advent we will prepare for Christmas by studying the themes of Wanting and Waiting in four biblical characters/stories. We will see where God reshapes what they want and how they wait. This Sunday we will start by looking at the wanting and waiting of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-13. Come prepared to hear not only how Adam and Eve wanted the wrong things and couldn’t wait properly, but also how God invited them and invites us into deeper and restored communion with him. And how through Advent and Christmas we are encouraged to know and experience Jesus Christ as Emmanuel, God with us.
Please also make it a point to stop at the book table this Sunday. We will have Advent & Christmas guides, books, and devotionals for adults, kids, and families.
I cannot wait to worship together for the first Sunday of Advent.
Pastor Adam
Prayer can seem impossible.
Most struggle with deepening, or even beginning, their life of prayer. There are of course many reasons for this. However, Paul Miller, in his book The Praying Life shines a spotlight on what he sees as one of our chief obstacles to prayer:
“One of the subtlest hindrances to prayer is probably the most pervasive. In the broader culture and in our churches, we prize intellect, competency, and wealth. Because we can do life without God, praying seems nice but unnecessary. Money can do what prayer does, and it is quicker and less time-consuming. Our trust in ourselves and in our talents makes us structurally independent of God. As a result, exhortations to pray don’t stick.”
Jesus tackles this exact issue in Luke 11:3-4. Jesus teaches us how to make impossible prayer possible, and not just possible but liberating and life-giving. This weekend read slowly and meditate on Luke 11:2-4. Use this prayer as the outline and structure to your own prayers.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Prayer can seem impossible.
Most struggle with deepening, or even beginning, their life of prayer. There are of course many reasons for this. However, Paul Miller, in his book The Praying Life shines a spotlight on what he sees as one of our chief obstacles to prayer:
“One of the subtlest hindrances to prayer is probably the most pervasive. In the broader culture and in our churches, we prize intellect, competency, and wealth. Because we can do life without God, praying seems nice but unnecessary. Money can do what prayer does, and it is quicker and less time-consuming. Our trust in ourselves and in our talents makes us structurally independent of God. As a result, exhortations to pray don’t stick.”
Jesus tackles this exact issue in Luke 11:3-4. Jesus teaches us how to make impossible prayer possible, and not just possible but liberating and life-giving. This weekend read slowly and meditate on Luke 11:2-4. Use this prayer as the outline and structure to your own prayers.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Why does God require us to persist in prayer?
If you are like me, you often struggle with praying on a semi-regular basis. How then are we to always pray, and why should we even persist in prayer if God knows all things and appoints all things?
Jesus in Luke 18:1-8 tells a parable of a persistent widow which teaches us about the beauty (and hardship) of persistent prayer. One of the treasures that we find in persisting in prayer is discovering that prayer is not primarily about the something we are praying for, it is about the someone we are praying to.
Spend 5 minutes reading and rereading Luke 18:1-8. In prayer, ask God what this parable of Jesus teaches you about persisting in prayer.
I look forward to worshiping and praying together with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Why does God require us to persist in prayer?
If you are like me, you often struggle with praying on a semi-regular basis. How then are we to always pray, and why should we even persist in prayer if God knows all things and appoints all things?
Jesus in Luke 18:1-8 tells a parable of a persistent widow which teaches us about the beauty (and hardship) of persistent prayer. One of the treasures that we find in persisting in prayer is discovering that prayer is not primarily about the something we are praying for, it is about the someone we are praying to.
Spend 5 minutes reading and rereading Luke 18:1-8. In prayer, ask God what this parable of Jesus teaches you about persisting in prayer.
I look forward to worshiping and praying together with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Sometimes when I pray it just seems broken, like it’s not working or I am doing something wrong. Do you know what I am talking about?
Jesus wants to help. He wants to teach us to pray, to train us in a life of prayer so that we can experience life giving communion with God. Jesus wants us to know it is possible for all of us, and he wants to show us the way. Over the weekend read slowly and meditate on Luke 11:1-13.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Sometimes when I pray it just seems broken, like it’s not working or I am doing something wrong. Do you know what I am talking about?
Jesus wants to help. He wants to teach us to pray, to train us in a life of prayer so that we can experience life giving communion with God. Jesus wants us to know it is possible for all of us, and he wants to show us the way. Over the weekend read slowly and meditate on Luke 11:1-13.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
This Sunday we will continue in our study of Luke with a mini-series on the Lord’s prayer. In our passage the disciples are watching Jesus pray and then one of them says, “Teach us to pray.” The disciples, those who walked with Jesus, needed to learn how to pray and so do we. We will take a closer look at how Jesus answered this request over the next few weeks. To prepare for this Sunday, read and meditate on Luke 11.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
This Sunday we will continue in our study of Luke with a mini-series on the Lord’s prayer. In our passage the disciples are watching Jesus pray and then one of them says, “Teach us to pray.” The disciples, those who walked with Jesus, needed to learn how to pray and so do we. We will take a closer look at how Jesus answered this request over the next few weeks. To prepare for this Sunday, read and meditate on Luke 11.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Have you ever been fixated on something?
In that moment of fixation you have zero desire to have your attention be diverted. You know what you want and you are going to try and get it. You don’t want anything to to encumber your mission.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus. To not let anything divert our attention. This Sunday we have the privilege of hearing from Rev. Matthew Trexler, the new RUF Campus Minister at UCLA, preach on Hebrews 12:1-3. To best prepare for this Sunday’s sermon, spend 5 minutes reading and praying through Hebrews 12:1-3 and ask yourself, what are the biggest things in your life that could possibly divert your attention/fixation from Jesus?
I look forward to worshiping with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Have you ever said, “bless you”? What did you mean? What does it mean to be blessed? When you think of being personally blessed how is that connected to the mission of God?
With many women off at the women’s retreat this Sunday we are taking a break from our series on Luke and will be looking instead at Psalm 67. We are going to see here that blessing and mission are intertwined. We will learn how the Bible describes blessing, and how God’s invitation and command for his people to live out his mission is intimately connected to their being blessed by him.
Are you living a life empowered, or are you struggling to find the energy and sense of purpose to move forward? The Spirit of God wants to breathe life and health into you with Psalm 67.
Pastor David
I love being great. I bet you do too. I think about it a lot. I would imagine you do too. The problem is, I have found greatness and glory in my life to be elusive. But I haven’t given up yet. I am still pursuing glory. I am still trying to make a name for myself.
All of us have a glory problem. We were made for glory. And yet we continually fall short of the glory we desire for ourselves. Instead of finding our glory in God, instead of finding God glorious, we pursue our own glory in this world to our own demise.
This Sunday we will talk about the story of Simon the Great in Acts 8:9-24. Simon wanted to make a great name for himself, like we often do. But he failed. On Sunday, we’ll look at our glory hunger and the only thing that can satisfy it.
Pastor Chad Brewer
I have good news and bad news. Well not me. Jesus does.
In our passage for this Sunday we listen to Jesus giving his disciples unbelievably great news. Their dreams are coming true right in front of their eyes. However, a nightmare seems to be twisted into those dreams. The good news is wrapped in a bad news package. Not only is Jesus predicting his own suffering and pain, he is calling his disciples to follow him right into it.
Every follower of Jesus will face moments, seasons even, when to follow Jesus means to deny ourselves what we are convinced is what we need to lead a happy life. Yet, in another upside down inside out teaching from Jesus, he tells us that sometimes denying ourselves and giving up what we think we need most is actually the pathway to the thriving life we all long for. Often times with Jesus, losing is winning.
This weekend read our passage, Luke 8:18-27, even extend the reading to verses 28-36. Pray for me and I will pray for you. Let’s ask Jesus to give us a vision of his beauty that would make us willing and ready to deny ourselves and follow him.
Pastor David
I have good news and bad news. Well not me. Jesus does.
In our passage for this Sunday we listen to Jesus giving his disciples unbelievably great news. Their dreams are coming true right in front of their eyes. However, a nightmare seems to be twisted into those dreams. The good news is wrapped in a bad news package. Not only is Jesus predicting his own suffering and pain, he is calling his disciples to follow him right into it.
Every follower of Jesus will face moments, seasons even, when to follow Jesus means to deny ourselves what we are convinced is what we need to lead a happy life. Yet, in another upside down inside out teaching from Jesus, he tells us that sometimes denying ourselves and giving up what we think we need most is actually the pathway to the thriving life we all long for. Often times with Jesus, losing is winning.
This weekend read our passage, Luke 8:18-27, even extend the reading to verses 28-36. Pray for me and I will pray for you. Let’s ask Jesus to give us a vision of his beauty that would make us willing and ready to deny ourselves and follow him.
Pastor David
You gotta go somewhere.
We all know the anxious suffocating cloud of being powerless and overwhelmed, and we all have developed habits and patterns to cope. So much of our dysfunction grows out of these coping mechanisms.
But, hey, you gotta go somewhere. So where do you go?
When the stress is high, when the pressure is on, when disappointment lurks, when the pain shows up again, where do you go to get relief, to find safety? We should all be able to rattle off two or three places we retreat. In your times of prayer this weekend ask the Spirit to reveal where you retreat. Then read Luke 8:22-56. What do these stories show us about Jesus?
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
You gotta go somewhere.
We all know the anxious suffocating cloud of being powerless and overwhelmed, and we all have developed habits and patterns to cope. So much of our dysfunction grows out of these coping mechanisms.
But, hey, you gotta go somewhere. So where do you go?
When the stress is high, when the pressure is on, when disappointment lurks, when the pain shows up again, where do you go to get relief, to find safety? We should all be able to rattle off two or three places we retreat. In your times of prayer this weekend ask the Spirit to reveal where you retreat. Then read Luke 8:22-56. What do these stories show us about Jesus?
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
How we respond matters. Taking an honest look at how we are responding is critical.
For months we have been engaging the Gospel of Luke, and over and over Luke has been showing us pictures of Jesus. He offers these images so that we could experience what Jesus is like, so we could hear Jesus’ teaching. Luke has also given us windows to observe how people are responding to Jesus whether religious leaders, simple fishermen, or even the notorious. Now the lens turns to the reader. How are we responding? What are we doing with what we have seen and heard from Jesus? This is the power of Jesus’ parables. They force us to ask questions. They invite reflection. What do we see? How are we responding?
Read, pray and meditate on Luke 8:1-21. Jesus is speaking. Are we listening?
Pastor David
How we respond matters. Taking an honest look at how we are responding is critical.
For months we have been engaging the Gospel of Luke, and over and over Luke has been showing us pictures of Jesus. He offers these images so that we could experience what Jesus is like, so we could hear Jesus’ teaching. Luke has also given us windows to observe how people are responding to Jesus whether religious leaders, simple fishermen, or even the notorious. Now the lens turns to the reader. How are we responding? What are we doing with what we have seen and heard from Jesus? This is the power of Jesus’ parables. They force us to ask questions. They invite reflection. What do we see? How are we responding?
Read, pray and meditate on Luke 8:1-21. Jesus is speaking. Are we listening?
Pastor David
UCI this Sunday!
Not only will all the fall offerings to deepen and enrich your faith be on display, but we get to worship all together at 10am. I’m excited! You can find the location and parking details below or click HERE for a printer-friendly version of this information.
Since we’re worshiping on the campus of UCI we are setting aside time to pray for UCI students, led by Pastor Chad Brewer the RUF minister at UCI, and to pray for UCI faculty and staff, led by Dr. Dave Reinkensmeyer, UCI professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. UCI is of tremendous cultural importance not only to Orange County, but truly to the world. As Christians it can be confusing and difficult to know how we are to relate to such powerful cultural institutions. We know they do much good for the world, but they also advance many ideas that directly oppose morals and beliefs we hold dear. What are we to do? Jeremiah 29:1-14 will help us. In preparation for the sermon, pray through this passage and ask yourself, “What kind of posture did God want his people to have towards the Babylonian culture?”
I am so looking forward to worshiping together this Sunday.
See you all at UCI at 10am.
Pastor David
Starting something is easy. Finishing well is hard.
How are you living your life today in order to finish well?
The Apostle Paul in his Second Letter to Timothy, chapter four, helps us understand that it is not good enough to simply scrape by in life. Paul, in his last recorded letter desires for us to live rightly today in order to end well tomorrow.
This Sunday we have the privilege of hearing from Rev. Alex Watlington, RUF Campus Minister at USC, preach on Paul’s final words from 2 Timothy 4. To best prepare for this Sunday’s upcoming sermon, spend 5 minutes reading and praying through 2 Timothy 4:6-18 reflecting on the theme of finishing well.
Reminder: Worship location change on September 11th. Please click on the link below for more details.
I look forward to worshiping with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
This Sunday we will finish our summer series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Jesus ends his sermon with two profound images. Read them and pray through them over the weekend, Luke 6:43-49. How do these two images offer a fitting conclusion to Jesus’ sermon?
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
This Sunday we will finish our summer series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Jesus ends his sermon with two profound images. Read them and pray through them over the weekend, Luke 6:43-49. How do these two images offer a fitting conclusion to Jesus’ sermon?
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Okay. Don’t lie. You’re totally judgmental. Me too.
Whether it is someone’s driving, their parenting, the way they look, what they say, how they spend their money, whatever. We are always evaluating, and we’re pretty sure it’s wrong, or at least we wish others wouldn’t do it to us. Oh but it feels so good and comes so naturally! Yikes.
Jesus can help us and we need it. To prepare for our worship together read Luke 6:37-42. We want to be part of a relationally generous community. We all want to be loved and accepted for who we are. We all want to be known and still wanted. Jesus shows us how.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Okay. Don’t lie. You’re totally judgmental. Me too.
Whether it is someone’s driving, their parenting, the way they look, what they say, how they spend their money, whatever. We are always evaluating, and we’re pretty sure it’s wrong, or at least we wish others wouldn’t do it to us. Oh but it feels so good and comes so naturally! Yikes.
Jesus can help us and we need it. To prepare for our worship together read Luke 6:37-42. We want to be part of a relationally generous community. We all want to be loved and accepted for who we are. We all want to be known and still wanted. Jesus shows us how.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Which is harder? Walking across red-hot coals with bare feet or doing what Jesus says? Listen to Jesus from his sermon on the plain in Luke 6:27-28,
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
What!?! I will take the red-hot coals please. Jesus sounds impossible here. How could he even ask us to do this? How could we ever hope to live this way?
Last week we saw in the sermon on the plain that experiencing deep abiding happiness despite our circumstances is possible. Jesus offers this to us as a gift. This week we will see that this way of life is not only possible, but powerful in ways that are hard to imagine. Jesus makes the impossible possible. With Jesus we can experience true love and learn to love others, even our enemies, with the love we have received.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Which is harder? Walking across red-hot coals with bare feet or doing what Jesus says? Listen to Jesus from his sermon on the plain in Luke 6:27-28,
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
What!?! I will take the red-hot coals please. Jesus sounds impossible here. How could he even ask us to do this? How could we ever hope to live this way?
Last week we saw in the sermon on the plain that experiencing deep abiding happiness despite our circumstances is possible. Jesus offers this to us as a gift. This week we will see that this way of life is not only possible, but powerful in ways that are hard to imagine. Jesus makes the impossible possible. With Jesus we can experience true love and learn to love others, even our enemies, with the love we have received.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Jesus guarantees your future, but what about today? What about today’s sadness and pain?
This week we start our study of Jesus’ sermon on the plain in the Gospel of Luke. The sermon on the mount is the parallel sermon found in the Gospel of Matthew. Take five minutes this weekend to read the sermon on the plain. It starts in verse 17 of Luke chapter 6. Read it out loud. Pray through it. Listen to the Spirit. What does he want to teach you over the next weeks as we focus on this teaching from Jesus?
Jesus opens the sermon on the plain by contrasting two approaches to life, two kingdoms. It is surprising. Shocking even. Could it be possible that the Kingdom of God could be ours today? Not just in the future, but today. The Kingdom of God, with all of its resources and power, is so much in our possession that it addresses today’s sadness and pain, actually allowing us deep happiness despite our circumstances. This is what Jesus offers us in his sermon on the plain.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Jesus guarantees your future, but what about today? What about today’s sadness and pain?
This week we start our study of Jesus’ sermon on the plain in the Gospel of Luke. The sermon on the mount is the parallel sermon found in the Gospel of Matthew. Take five minutes this weekend to read the sermon on the plain. It starts in verse 17 of Luke chapter 6. Read it out loud. Pray through it. Listen to the Spirit. What does he want to teach you over the next weeks as we focus on this teaching from Jesus?
Jesus opens the sermon on the plain by contrasting two approaches to life, two kingdoms. It is surprising. Shocking even. Could it be possible that the Kingdom of God could be ours today? Not just in the future, but today. The Kingdom of God, with all of its resources and power, is so much in our possession that it addresses today’s sadness and pain, actually allowing us deep happiness despite our circumstances. This is what Jesus offers us in his sermon on the plain.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
We have a choice. Either an overflowing abundance or just a little. One or the other. We choose.
Do we want to experience love in abundance, both receiving and giving love, or will we choose to live with just a little?
No catch. We get to choose.
Well maybe there is a bit of a catch. How honest are we willing to get about ourselves? How open are we to seeing Jesus for who he really is?
This Sunday we get to look at another beautiful, but challenging picture of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. To prepare read, meditate on, and pray through Luke 7:36-50. Ask yourself how aware and honest you are about your true motives, desires, and fears. If you laid those bare before Jesus what do you think he would say to you?
Pastor David
We have a choice. Either an overflowing abundance or just a little. One or the other. We choose.
Do we want to experience love in abundance, both receiving and giving love, or will we choose to live with just a little?
No catch. We get to choose.
Well maybe there is a bit of a catch. How honest are we willing to get about ourselves? How open are we to seeing Jesus for who he really is?
This Sunday we get to look at another beautiful, but challenging picture of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. To prepare read, meditate on, and pray through Luke 7:36-50. Ask yourself how aware and honest you are about your true motives, desires, and fears. If you laid those bare before Jesus what do you think he would say to you?
Pastor David
Join us this Sunday as we conclude our summer series through the book of Jonah on the topic of compassion.
The book of Jonah ends by God asking Jonah a question about his compassion. However, we don’t know how Jonah responds. We are simply left hanging!
As one of the Old Testament’s literary masterpieces, the unanswered question is intentional. We are not missing any verses. The unanswered question is now aimed at us, the reader.
Spend 3 minutes reading chapter 4 of Jonah and ask yourself, “How would I answer this hanging question in verse 11?”
I look forward to worshiping with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Compassion begins by suffering with those who suffer and weeping with those who weep. But once you open your mouth, what message are you supposed to say? What are you supposed to say in the tricky context where the individual’s suffering is their own fault?
This Sunday we are continuing our summer series through the book of Jonah on the topic of compassion. In chapter 3 Jonah finally arrives in the city of Nineveh. It is the moment when he opens his mouth and preaches a message of compassion, a message that is one of repentance, but also one of great hope.
I look forward to worshiping with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Compassion given at an arm’s length is not really compassion. Compassion is received best when it is embodied. When someone has experienced it first hand and then extends that same compassion to another in need.
This Sunday we are continuing our summer series through the book of Jonah by looking at Jonah chapter 2. In this chapter Jonah’s stubborn and callous heart is broken. He realizes his own need for compassion, experiences God’s compassion, and then is able to be sent out to preach a message of compassion which he now personally embodies.
As we prepare to reflect further on the topic of compassion, read and pray through Jonah chapter two and ask yourself, how have I experienced compassion, and can I be a person who embodies that same compassion to others?
I look forward to worshiping with you all on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Our summer series through the book of Jonah begins this Sunday.
The story of the Minor Prophet Jonah is one of the most well known stories in the Old Testament. This short four chapter book is a literary masterpiece that captures our imaginations in a playful manner with irony and satire. Every page takes us on a wild ride.
We literally have a hard time believing all the aspects of the story and we cannot comprehend why God would speak to such a rebellious, arrogant, and compassionless prophet like Jonah.
What is more fascinating about the book than the great fish that swallows Jonah or the sending of the prophet to the evil city of Nineveh, is that we (the readers) begin to see ourselves in the person of Jonah!
Through the book we see Jonah’s, as well as our own, tendency to struggle with showing compassion to others who are not like us. Over the next four weeks as we study this wonderful book, may our prayer be that God expands our hearts toward others around us. Not to simply find ways to serve them, but to take the time to have our hearts be moved by their troubles and pain. To show compassion by suffering with them.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday and seeing how God will (re)form us during this summer series through the book of Jonah.
Pastor Adam
We often struggle with comparing ourselves to others and being content. Jesus in John chapter 21 calls us to lay down our pride and follow him. To hand over our sins of comparison and find contentment in him.
This Sunday we have the privilege of hearing from Rev. Paul Kim, from Pacific Crossroads Church in Los Angeles, preach to us from John 21 and Luke 9. Two texts that will move us as a church from comparison to contentment.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
In response to the violent shootings in Florida, we will take a look at Psalm 137 in which the psalmist unabashedly prays his anger to God. This visceral cry to God leads us to ask these questions: What do we do with our anger? Can we entrust our anger to God? Can we also pray to God in this way? In preparation for this sermon, read Psalm 137 and consider these questions and how we respond to God in our anger.
Love is a core pillar for the Church. Love is what our community should be defined by and known by.
This Sunday we have the opportunity to hear from Rev. Josh Eby as he preaches on “A Community of Love” by looking at Jesus’ new commandment in the Gospel of John 13:31-35.
Josh and his wife Robin are both from Southern California. They met and married in Los Angeles. Over their 20 year journey together, they’ve participated in church planting, theological education, and pastoral training, both in the states and in Peru. Josh is an Associate Pastor at All Saints Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX, and the Executive Director of the Center for Latino Leadership. CLL exists as a learning community that prays, studies, serves, and works together. CLL trains Christian leaders in the gospel for the embodiment of the gospel in their lives and the world.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
What if you found it, that thing you are longing for?
Our hearts and minds are in motion. We are always looking, always searching. Imagine for a moment what it might actually be like to lay our hands on it. To actually draw it close, that thing, that person, that experience we are longing to embrace.
In our passage for this Sunday, John the Baptist asks Jesus the question we all ask, whether we realize it or not, “Are you the one, or should we be looking for someone else?” That’s the question our whole lives revolve around. Jesus of course answers, and the focus of the sermon Sunday is how we can live in light of his answer. It changes everything.
St. Augustine famously wrote, “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they find their rest in you.”
I can’t wait to worship and rest together this Sunday.
Pastor David
What if you found it, that thing you are longing for?
Our hearts and minds are in motion. We are always looking, always searching. Imagine for a moment what it might actually be like to lay our hands on it. To actually draw it close, that thing, that person, that experience we are longing to embrace.
In our passage for this Sunday, John the Baptist asks Jesus the question we all ask, whether we realize it or not, “Are you the one, or should we be looking for someone else?” That’s the question our whole lives revolve around. Jesus of course answers, and the focus of the sermon Sunday is how we can live in light of his answer. It changes everything.
St. Augustine famously wrote, “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they find their rest in you.”
I can’t wait to worship and rest together this Sunday.
Pastor David
A Sabbath is the silence in music, the line breaks in poetry, and the white space in design. Without it there is no rhythm, no understanding, and a lot of clutter.
Taking a Sabbath should be something beautiful. A blessing, not a burden. Yet, most of us struggle to stop and rest. We see it as a luxury instead of a necessity created for our good.
The Scriptures regularly speak of the gift and beauty of the Sabbath, of stopping to rest. Join me this Sunday as we will look at how Jesus approaches the Sabbath and rest in Luke 6. He doesn’t do what we would expect him to do, and it is beautiful.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
A Sabbath is the silence in music, the line breaks in poetry, and the white space in design. Without it there is no rhythm, no understanding, and a lot of clutter.
Taking a Sabbath should be something beautiful. A blessing, not a burden. Yet, most of us struggle to stop and rest. We see it as a luxury instead of a necessity created for our good.
The Scriptures regularly speak of the gift and beauty of the Sabbath, of stopping to rest. Join me this Sunday as we will look at how Jesus approaches the Sabbath and rest in Luke 6. He doesn’t do what we would expect him to do, and it is beautiful.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Pick one.
Pick one thing to change about yourself. One broken thing fixed. One suffering thing healed. What would it be?
This Sunday we will focus on Jesus as healer. Luke 5:12-32 describes several well known stories about Jesus healing the sick as well as these famous words from Jesus himself, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
If you could ask Jesus to heal one thing what would it be? If Jesus could heal one thing in you what do you think he would choose? We all need healing. Jesus offers more than we can imagine.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
Pick one.
Pick one thing to change about yourself. One broken thing fixed. One suffering thing healed. What would it be?
This Sunday we will focus on Jesus as healer. Luke 5:12-32 describes several well known stories about Jesus healing the sick as well as these famous words from Jesus himself, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
If you could ask Jesus to heal one thing what would it be? If Jesus could heal one thing in you what do you think he would choose? We all need healing. Jesus offers more than we can imagine.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
What about women?
Christians are called to follow Jesus as king in every area of their lives. This means openness to having every aspect of our lives torn down and rebuilt around the resurrection of Jesus the king. Thankfully Jesus has not left us alone on this massive project of transformation, but has given us, among other things, a support structure of elders and deacons to nurture and empower us.
Well, what about women? What role do women play in this empowering support structure? Can women hold the office of elder? What about the office of deacon?
This Sunday I hope to answer these questions from the scripture and paint a picture of the full shepherding team we are working to build at Redeemer that includes women as a critical part.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
“You can’t tell me what to do!”
I wonder how many in the Corinthian church back in A.D. 55 responded that way when they read this section of Paul’s letter, chapter 5 of 1Corinthians. It really is a tough passage. Take some time this weekend to read and pray through 1Corinthinas 5. As I have been repeating each week, when we decide to become a Christian we follow a new leader (King Jesus), we adopt a new lifestyle (the kingdom lifestyle), and we embrace a new mission (the mission of the king to renew all his things). God is transforming our very identity at the deepest level; conforming us to the image of Christ.
What happens when one of us rejects some aspect of this new lifestyle, and stops listening to the church instruct and encourage them to follow Jesus in that area? 1Corinthinas 5 gives us a window into how Jesus expected the Corinthian church to answer that question.
This Sunday opens the nomination period for new officers at Redeemer, new elders and deacons. Last week I preached on the office of deacon and this Sunday I will preach on the office of elders. On first glance 1Corinthians 5 might not look like it has much to say about elders. It doesn’t even mention them. However, what it does show us is how every member of the church is supposed to respond when the elders are forced to make a judgment regarding church discipline.
Not only will this passage make clear how careful we must be in choosing our elders, but it will show us that while the elders are uniquely responsible for protecting the local church, ever member of the church is responsible for playing their part in that protection as well.
Our elders must be those ready, willing, and competent to make hard, often complicated, biblical judgments for the protection of the church, and then lead the church in living out the kingdom lifestyle.
Nominate your elders carefully and prayerfully.
Pastor David
A full and equal order.
This is the subtitle to James Monroe Barnett’s book on the diaconate. It is a helpful corrective for us. It is not uncommon for some church communities to mistakenly think that deacons are a second class office. That the “real” ministry and influence rests with the elders and pastors. That way of thinking is unbiblical and just plain wrong on several levels. I hope to expose and correct this thinking in my sermon on Sunday.
The truth is that the health and future of Redeemer rests in large part on the shoulders of our team of deacons. This is all the more critical for our church because at present we only have one deacon, Mike Maxwell. Mike is a tremendous example of a deacon, a shepherd, a leader, a man willing to provide both comfort and counsel in the hardest seasons and details of our lives. He embodies well the biblical vision of a deacon and we need more men like him willing to shepherd the people of Redeemer as deacons.
As you prepare for worship this Sunday read, pray through, and reflect on these passages: Philippians 1:1–2, 1 Timothy 3:8–13, Acts 6, and Matthew 25:31-46. Allow these passages to guide you in your nominations for new deacons.
I look forward to worshiping together this Sunday.
Pastor David
This Sunday is the fourth Sunday in the season of Easter.
Pastor Greg Thompson reminds us of the significance this season holds for the Christian,
“This is the time when the church around the world joins together, having longed for Jesus’ coming in Advent, celebrated his coming at Christmas, benefited from his ministry during epiphany, and entered into his suffering and death during lent, now we get to celebrate his resurrection together. It is the great season. We are an Easter people and now we get to contemplate what is really the very heart of the Christian faith which is the resurrection of Jesus.”
For us at Redeemer, three things are converging in this season: our celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus, our current study of the Gospel of Luke, and a period of officer nominations for our church, more elders and deacons, that are needed desperately to serve and care for the Redeemer community.
In our passage for this Sunday Jesus calls his first disciples. Jesus is founding a new community that will now and forever be centered around him. For this new community to thrive it needs new shepherds to serve and lead. To prepare for Sunday read and pray through Luke 5:1-11.
Also find some time this weekend to download and read the officer nomination document from the link below. Read through the document and consider whom you might nominate for elder or deacon. The nominating period opens on May 1st and closes on May 15th.
It is the season of Resurrection! Rejoice in it!
Pastor David
This Sunday is the fourth Sunday in the season of Easter.
Pastor Greg Thompson reminds us of the significance this season holds for the Christian,
“This is the time when the church around the world joins together, having longed for Jesus’ coming in Advent, celebrated his coming at Christmas, benefited from his ministry during epiphany, and entered into his suffering and death during lent, now we get to celebrate his resurrection together. It is the great season. We are an Easter people and now we get to contemplate what is really the very heart of the Christian faith which is the resurrection of Jesus.”
For us at Redeemer, three things are converging in this season: our celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus, our current study of the Gospel of Luke, and a period of officer nominations for our church, more elders and deacons, that are needed desperately to serve and care for the Redeemer community.
In our passage for this Sunday Jesus calls his first disciples. Jesus is founding a new community that will now and forever be centered around him. For this new community to thrive it needs new shepherds to serve and lead. To prepare for Sunday read and pray through Luke 5:1-11.
Also find some time this weekend to download and read the officer nomination document from the link below. Read through the document and consider whom you might nominate for elder or deacon. The nominating period opens on May 1st and closes on May 15th.
It is the season of Resurrection! Rejoice in it!
Pastor David
Judgment. Now that’s a word that brings a smile to everyone’s face. Well, I guess maybe not. Why are we talking about the Day of Judgment? Because Jesus keeps bringing up the subject when he teaches.
Pastor Chad Brewer will be preaching this week from Matthew 25:31-46 to help us wrestle with the judgment we read about here. What do we learn from Jesus about the final judgment in this passage? What is God’s judgment based on? How should, and how shouldn’t, this judgment effect our daily lives? Pastor Chad will help us.
Also remember to attend the RUF at UCI fundraising event on April 16th. We are thankful and excited for Chad’s growing ministry, and we need you to help support the growth and impact of RUF at UCI. Attend the event and bring a friend who might appreciate the kingdom importance of impacting UCI. Read more below and RSVP today!
Pastor David
Authority. We all love it, right?!
If we are honest, we seem to only like certain authorities as long as they don’t threaten our own personal authority. Jesus threatens our personal authority. He threatens it, but also teaches us that we don’t really want to be our own authority and that we need a final authority outside of ourselves to trust in.
This Sunday we will continue our study of the Gospel of Luke by looking at the second half of chapter 4, verses 31-44. In preparation for our teaching, spend 5 to 10 minutes reading these verses and reflect on the goodness of Jesus’ authority over your life. See how other people and groups react to Jesus’ authority, and then see how Jesus’ authority can be something that doesn’t restrict you, but something that can bring you freedom.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Authority. We all love it, right?!
If we are honest, we seem to only like certain authorities as long as they don’t threaten our own personal authority. Jesus threatens our personal authority. He threatens it, but also teaches us that we don’t really want to be our own authority and that we need a final authority outside of ourselves to trust in.
This Sunday we will continue our study of the Gospel of Luke by looking at the second half of chapter 4, verses 31-44. In preparation for our teaching, spend 5 to 10 minutes reading these verses and reflect on the goodness of Jesus’ authority over your life. See how other people and groups react to Jesus’ authority, and then see how Jesus’ authority can be something that doesn’t restrict you, but something that can bring you freedom.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Have you ever seen a sunrise? The darkness of night chased away by explosions of color. Easter is a celebration where the darkness of death is chased away by the bursting forth of new life.
If our Easter service is the sunrise, our Maundy Thursday service tonight is the darkness before the dawn. Maundy Thursday is a beautiful and solemn service that will focus your mind and grip your heart. After singing, silence, and a short meditation on John 13, we take the Lord’s Supper, prayerfully and seated at tables. For many this is one of the most powerful and rich communion experiences. At the conclusion of the service, the communion tables are ceremonially stripped and we leave in silence and darkness. Symbolically this darkness and silence is broken with the shout of “He is risen!” at the opening of our Easter worship service.
See you tonight (March 24th) at 8:00pm for our Maundy Thursday service and then this Sunday for our Easter worship service at 8:45am or 11:00am.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Have you ever seen a sunrise? The darkness of night chased away by explosions of color. Easter is a celebration where the darkness of death is chased away by the bursting forth of new life.
If our Easter service is the sunrise, our Maundy Thursday service tonight is the darkness before the dawn. Maundy Thursday is a beautiful and solemn service that will focus your mind and grip your heart. After singing, silence, and a short meditation on John 13, we take the Lord’s Supper, prayerfully and seated at tables. For many this is one of the most powerful and rich communion experiences. At the conclusion of the service, the communion tables are ceremonially stripped and we leave in silence and darkness. Symbolically this darkness and silence is broken with the shout of “He is risen!” at the opening of our Easter worship service.
See you tonight (March 24th) at 8:00pm for our Maundy Thursday service and then this Sunday for our Easter worship service at 8:45am or 11:00am.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Kings are scary.
I don’t mean the contemporary “kings” and “princes” whom we see on the cover of magazines. They may have royal titles but they seem more like figureheads and global celebrities.
The scary kings are the ones with real power and real authority. Who can tell you what to do and don’t take no for an answer, or else.
Jesus is a real king. No question. Our passage for this Sunday is the first time in the gospel of Luke that we see Jesus in action. It is our first window into the kind of king Jesus is going to be.
We started the series on the Gospel of Luke recognizing that the most fundamental question Luke is attempting to answer for his readers is this: Should we entrust our whole lives, every part, to Jesus? Is he capable of that? Is he worthy of it? Our passage this Sunday will help us decide.
Pastor David
Kings are scary.
I don’t mean the contemporary “kings” and “princes” whom we see on the cover of magazines. They may have royal titles but they seem more like figureheads and global celebrities.
The scary kings are the ones with real power and real authority. Who can tell you what to do and don’t take no for an answer, or else.
Jesus is a real king. No question. Our passage for this Sunday is the first time in the gospel of Luke that we see Jesus in action. It is our first window into the kind of king Jesus is going to be.
We started the series on the Gospel of Luke recognizing that the most fundamental question Luke is attempting to answer for his readers is this: Should we entrust our whole lives, every part, to Jesus? Is he capable of that? Is he worthy of it? Our passage this Sunday will help us decide.
Pastor David
It was a big moment. What would he say first? The crowd was gathered. Expectations were high. How would he start?
“You brood of vipers!” (Luke 3:7)
Yikes. He starts by insulting the crowd? That’s one way to do it.
The ministry of John the Baptist starts with a bang; a scary dude yelling at people in the wilderness about their sin. We have looked together at the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel, but those are more like a prequel to the main story. The main story starts here with a scraggily scary prophet screaming, calling all who would listen to repentance, aggressively confronting them on their failure and sin.
Surprisingly, the bible summarizes John the Baptist’s message this way, “with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.” Good news!?! How is this message of repentance good news?
This is what we will focus on this Sunday: the truly good news of an invitation to repent. When we see it correctly, repentance is honest, hopeful, and really just the beginning of the beautiful life we all long for.
Repentance is where we should start… with everything.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
It was a big moment. What would he say first? The crowd was gathered. Expectations were high. How would he start?
“You brood of vipers!” (Luke 3:7)
Yikes. He starts by insulting the crowd? That’s one way to do it.
The ministry of John the Baptist starts with a bang; a scary dude yelling at people in the wilderness about their sin. We have looked together at the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel, but those are more like a prequel to the main story. The main story starts here with a scraggily scary prophet screaming, calling all who would listen to repentance, aggressively confronting them on their failure and sin.
Surprisingly, the bible summarizes John the Baptist’s message this way, “with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.” Good news!?! How is this message of repentance good news?
This is what we will focus on this Sunday: the truly good news of an invitation to repent. When we see it correctly, repentance is honest, hopeful, and really just the beginning of the beautiful life we all long for.
Repentance is where we should start… with everything.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Life will bring moments of amazement. Times when you don’t believe what you have just witnessed or heard.
Jesus’ forgiveness of sins and healing of the sick are some of those moments in which people are seized by amazement. This is especially true in the story of the paralytic found in Luke 5:17-26. This Sunday we are honored to have Rev. Dan Myers, pastor of New Creation Church in Los Angeles, guest preach on this passage from Luke 5. To best prepare for worship and this sermon, spend a few minutes reading through this story from Luke 5, reflect on Jesus’ words and actions, and then try to let amazement seize you.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Friendship. A relationship that is valued, sometimes. A relationship, unlike marriage, that can be terminated at any point.
Christians understand the importance of community, yet at the same time, we struggle to have deep, meaningful, life giving, and long term friendships.
This Sunday we have the honor of having Rev. Jason Harris from Central Presbyterian Church, NYC, preach on The Barriers to Friendship. Rev. Harris will also be our Men’s Retreat speaker this weekend in Malibu, and is delighted to be able to teach on the topic of Friendship not only to our men, but to the whole congregation. To prepare for Sunday, reflect on your current friendships, or lack thereof, then spend 5 minutes and read Genesis 3:1-13 through a biblical filter of friendship.
I am looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
“Lent” is an old English word that means spring.
This season of the church calendar prepares us for the bright joy of Easter by slowing us down to remember the preceding darkness of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross.
Join me this Sunday, the Second Sunday in Lent, as we study Psalm 130, one of the six Penitential Psalms, and remind ourselves what Christ endured and suffered on our behalf, as we prepare for the joy of Easter. You can best get ready for this Sunday by reading Psalm 130 (only 8 verses), contemplating over your daily habits, and then using the psalm as a model for your own time of prayer.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
Yawn. Click. Yawn.
What’s on next? I’m bored.
Even the most magnificent of experiences can fall victim to familiarity. Folks, it is time to fight!
Read the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2. Apparently the angels think what is happening is a pretty big deal. I am afraid that for many of us much of the splendor and magnificence is lost. Luke 2 is like alarm bells going off. Something massive is happening! Everyone take notice! Everything is different now!
Yes. That was three exclamation points. I almost wrote it in all caps. But that would have been obnoxious.
This Sunday we will look together at not only what happened surrounding the incarnation, but also what it means for us. We often say at Redeemer that Jesus is the center point of history and that all of life is meant to revolve around him. Well, Luke 2 is when he shows up.
Pray for me. I will pray for you. May the Spirit of God open our eyes to what the angels saw, to what caused them to stop all they were doing to praise God.
Pastor David
Yawn. Click. Yawn.
What’s on next? I’m bored.
Even the most magnificent of experiences can fall victim to familiarity. Folks, it is time to fight!
Read the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2. Apparently the angels think what is happening is a pretty big deal. I am afraid that for many of us much of the splendor and magnificence is lost. Luke 2 is like alarm bells going off. Something massive is happening! Everyone take notice! Everything is different now!
Yes. That was three exclamation points. I almost wrote it in all caps. But that would have been obnoxious.
This Sunday we will look together at not only what happened surrounding the incarnation, but also what it means for us. We often say at Redeemer that Jesus is the center point of history and that all of life is meant to revolve around him. Well, Luke 2 is when he shows up.
Pray for me. I will pray for you. May the Spirit of God open our eyes to what the angels saw, to what caused them to stop all they were doing to praise God.
Pastor David
No one wants to learn the hard way, but sometimes that is just what it takes.
Luke tells the story of Jesus beginning with a series of parallel events: two visits from the same angel, two announcements about God’s renewed work of redemption, two miraculous births, and two dramatically different responses from two very different people. Luke is getting his readers, us, ready to respond as well.
A few weeks ago we began the story of Zechariah. He did not respond to God’s messenger with trust, but instead demanded to be shown a sign, a reason to trust. So God disciplined him by taking away his ability to speak and hear for nine months.
Does God really do stuff like that? Does he really cause that kind of hardship and suffering? How is that loving?
This week we will bring to close the story of Zechariah and hear the sobering, but profoundly hopeful message, that God does indeed bring correcting hardship to those he loves.
Two questions: Do we need to learn the hard way? And if we do, how will we respond when God loves us enough to actually do it?
Prepare to worship and hear from our God this Sunday. Pray for me. I am praying for you.
Pastor David
No one wants to learn the hard way, but sometimes that is just what it takes.
Luke tells the story of Jesus beginning with a series of parallel events: two visits from the same angel, two announcements about God’s renewed work of redemption, two miraculous births, and two dramatically different responses from two very different people. Luke is getting his readers, us, ready to respond as well.
A few weeks ago we began the story of Zechariah. He did not respond to God’s messenger with trust, but instead demanded to be shown a sign, a reason to trust. So God disciplined him by taking away his ability to speak and hear for nine months.
Does God really do stuff like that? Does he really cause that kind of hardship and suffering? How is that loving?
This week we will bring to close the story of Zechariah and hear the sobering, but profoundly hopeful message, that God does indeed bring correcting hardship to those he loves.
Two questions: Do we need to learn the hard way? And if we do, how will we respond when God loves us enough to actually do it?
Prepare to worship and hear from our God this Sunday. Pray for me. I am praying for you.
Pastor David
Happiness is tricky. We all want it, but how do we get it? How do we keep it when we have it? How do we get it back when we lose it?
This Sunday we will listen together to one of the most revered and well known songs of rejoicing, a hymn now over two thousand years old. The world’s best musicians have crafted their own compositions for these famous words and it has been performed constantly for generations. Mary’s song, or the Magnificat, is a psalm of happiness and joy, and offers tried and true wisdom about how to live a life of joy. We would do well to listen close.
Take a few moments to read Luke 1:39-56. Read it slowly and pray through it. Consider listening to Bach’s musical setting of the Magnificat, one of his most beloved vocal pieces, and pay close attention to the emotional weight of the music.
It is possible to live a life of joy, of rejoicing, no matter what circumstances we face. Mary is going to show us how.
Pastor David
Happiness is tricky. We all want it, but how do we get it? How do we keep it when we have it? How do we get it back when we lose it?
This Sunday we will listen together to one of the most revered and well known songs of rejoicing, a hymn now over two thousand years old. The world’s best musicians have crafted their own compositions for these famous words and it has been performed constantly for generations. Mary’s song, or the Magnificat, is a psalm of happiness and joy, and offers tried and true wisdom about how to live a life of joy. We would do well to listen close.
Take a few moments to read Luke 1:39-56. Read it slowly and pray through it. Consider listening to Bach’s musical setting of the Magnificat, one of his most beloved vocal pieces, and pay close attention to the emotional weight of the music.
It is possible to live a life of joy, of rejoicing, no matter what circumstances we face. Mary is going to show us how.
Pastor David
Things just don’t go how we plan them. Life is surprising and not always pleasantly surprising. Where is God when things seem to be falling apart or at least stuck in a dead-end?
This week I want to share with you an extended quote from Jon Bloom who is the board chair and co-founder of Desire God Ministries:
“The Holy Family’s first few years were not tranquil. They were filled with grueling travel during the hardest part of pregnancy, a birth in worse than a barn, no steady income, an assassination attempt, two desert crossings on foot with an infant, living in a foreign country, waiting on God for guidance and provisions just in the nick of time. It was difficult, expensive, time-consuming, career-delaying and full of uncertainty.
And it was God’s will.
The unplanned, inefficient detours of our lives are planned by God. They are common for disciples, and they commonly don’t make sense in the moment. But God’s ways are not our ways because our lives are about him, not about us. He is orchestrating far more than we know in every unexpected event and delay.
So when you find yourself suddenly moving in a direction you had not planned, take heart, hold tight, and trust God’s navigation.”
To prepare for God to speak to us this Sunday, set aside some time and slowly read and pray through Luke 1:1-38. There is so much to learn from this passage. What is the Spirit of God showing you?
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
Things just don’t go how we plan them. Life is surprising and not always pleasantly surprising. Where is God when things seem to be falling apart or at least stuck in a dead-end?
This week I want to share with you an extended quote from Jon Bloom who is the board chair and co-founder of Desire God Ministries:
“The Holy Family’s first few years were not tranquil. They were filled with grueling travel during the hardest part of pregnancy, a birth in worse than a barn, no steady income, an assassination attempt, two desert crossings on foot with an infant, living in a foreign country, waiting on God for guidance and provisions just in the nick of time. It was difficult, expensive, time-consuming, career-delaying and full of uncertainty.
And it was God’s will.
The unplanned, inefficient detours of our lives are planned by God. They are common for disciples, and they commonly don’t make sense in the moment. But God’s ways are not our ways because our lives are about him, not about us. He is orchestrating far more than we know in every unexpected event and delay.
So when you find yourself suddenly moving in a direction you had not planned, take heart, hold tight, and trust God’s navigation.”
To prepare for God to speak to us this Sunday, set aside some time and slowly read and pray through Luke 1:1-38. There is so much to learn from this passage. What is the Spirit of God showing you?
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
Where can we find a stable place to stand, a secure place on which to build our lives?
Whether it’s the roller coaster volatility of our stock markets, the rancor and confusion of our political races, the lurking threat of terror, or even just the pressure of our daily responsibilities, it is clear that the world is not safe and that there is much at stake.
This Sunday we start a sermon series on the Gospel of Luke. Luke is writing to a people in desperate need of confidence in the face of great struggle. Their concerns are the same as our concerns. Their questions are our questions. In a world seemingly out of control and dangerous, with overwhelming pressure to make the right decisions regarding whom we should trust, the Gospel of Luke offers us certainty and confidence.
God inspired Luke to write his Gospel to show us where we can find security, stability, and hope. To show us in whom we can trust.
Pastor David
Where can we find a stable place to stand, a secure place on which to build our lives?
Whether it’s the roller coaster volatility of our stock markets, the rancor and confusion of our political races, the lurking threat of terror, or even just the pressure of our daily responsibilities, it is clear that the world is not safe and that there is much at stake.
This Sunday we start a sermon series on the Gospel of Luke. Luke is writing to a people in desperate need of confidence in the face of great struggle. Their concerns are the same as our concerns. Their questions are our questions. In a world seemingly out of control and dangerous, with overwhelming pressure to make the right decisions regarding whom we should trust, the Gospel of Luke offers us certainty and confidence.
God inspired Luke to write his Gospel to show us where we can find security, stability, and hope. To show us in whom we can trust.
Pastor David
Happy Epiphany! The twelve days of Christmas have ended (you can take down your tree) and the Church has now entered into the season of Epiphany.
Epiphany is celebrated from January 6th through Ash Wednesday. It is a season to help transition the Church from the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas to his death and resurrection during Lent & Easter. It is a time to intentionally focus on the life and ministry of Jesus and how that applies to our daily and ordinary lives.
This Sunday I will be preaching from Psalm 27, a psalm closely related to the themes of Epiphany. To best prepare for this Sunday, take 5 minutes to read Psalm 27 and reflect over the themes of light, beauty, and confidence. Then ask yourself how they relate to the life of Jesus Christ and our daily and ordinary lives.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Happy New Year! 2016 is upon us, but the Christmas season is still here.
Join us this Sunday as we celebrate the 10th day of Christmas and gather for one final week to sing Christmas carols together.
On this second Sunday after Christmas I will be preaching from Psalm 8, a psalm traditionally and liturgically read on the first day of each new year. To best prepare for this Sunday, keep the Christmas music playing in your homes, while also taking a few minutes to read Psalm 8 through the filter of a new year and your planned resolutions.
I look forward to worshiping and celebrating Christmas and the New Year together this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Christmas is here! The waiting is over. We get to celebrate the birth of Christ our Savior.
This first Sunday after Christmas we have the honor of Rev. Jeff Suhr, Pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in Irvine, preaching a Christmas sermon from the book of Ruth.
To best prepare for this Sunday consider two things:
Christmas doesn’t end on December 25, rather it just begins. After reading the book of Ruth (only four short chapters), notice the role Ruth plays in the Christmas backstory. I look forward to worshiping and celebrating Christmas with you on Sunday.
Pastor Adam
Christmas is here! The waiting is over. We get to celebrate the birth of Christ our Savior.
Bring your family and friends this evening at 5pm as we gather for our annual Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve service. Don’t let Christmas end tomorrow, but plan on stretching out the celebration over the 12 days of Christmas.
I look forward to worshiping and celebrating Christmas with you tonight.
Pastor Adam
It is so close now. Only days away.
It is not too late to let Advent prepare you for Christmas.
How we keep our time shapes us. How we organize our schedules, what makes it in and what is excluded, forms the people that we are becoming. Over these last weeks we have seen this biblical principle applied to the weekly and daily rhythms of our time keeping, and this week we will look at the shaping power of the rhythms of seasonal time.
It is not too late to adopt the rhythms of Advent. Throughout Advent many at Redeemer are setting aside one-minute morning, noon, and night for prayerful waiting and silence. We open and close that minute praying Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” When our minds wander away from Jesus during that minute, we use the same verse to bring our focus back to him. Everyone has three minutes. Try it.
The waiting is almost over. I look forward to worshiping together this Sunday, the last Sunday of Advent.
Pastor David
We are living in a climate of fear.
Night after night on the news, article after article on our news feeds, more details about death and destruction. And questions. Unanswerable questions. Why? How? Why would they do that? How could others celebrate such atrocities?
I took my son to the movies last week and like never before I watched the exit doors for danger.
How can we be a centered presence of hope and peace within a climate of fear?
This is a question Advent is designed to answer. This is the time to listen.
Cancel everything. Change your plans. Come ready to hear from Jesus by his Spirit through his word.
Pastor David
Don’t make this mistake.
If you want big change, big strength, big transformation, if you want dramatic results, don’t look big.
Look small.
It is the small things done consistently over the course of time that have the power to shape us profoundly. This is the strategy Tony Dungy, former NFL head coach, used to bring his teams consistently to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl. Dungy explains, “Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking… They follow the habits they’ve learned.”
Consider the skills and talents you have used to build your life, even how your personal character has developed over time. Notice how the small things, the almost invisible habits, have carved and shaped you into the person you are today.
Advent is all about our posture towards time and the rhythms of time keeping we adopt. This Sunday we will look at a way of keeping time in small ways that has for thousands of years produced massive results.
If you want to change, if you want to grow, if you want deep abiding strength and hope, then you will want to learn this way, this small way, of keeping time.
Pastor David
Test nightmares.
Have you ever had a dream that you walked into your classroom only to discover that today was the final and you had not cracked a book all semester? The anxiety of being unprepared for the important things grips us. If only someone would have helped us prepare.
This is our call to get ready. We do not have to be unprepared. Christmas of course is not a test, but it is an event to be prepared for.
Are you ready?
Christmas is the day we celebrate the incarnation, the mysterious and shocking reality that the eternal Son of God has come in humility as a baby. Jesus, fully God and fully man, will forever have a body like ours. God has moved into the neighborhood. We must prepare to behold this reality of Christmas, which is why Christians have observed the season of Advent for more than a thousand years.
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, a season of four weeks leading up to and preparing us for Christmas. Theologian and worship scholar Robert Webber reminds us that Advent is, “a corporate spiritual journey that calls for expectant waiting and readiness for the coming of the Christ. When the Church travels this journey and treats it as a discipline of life and prayer, the joy of Christmas is immeasurably intensified.”
Will you give yourself to Advent this year, to the preparation for Christmas? God will use it to comfort, encourage, and restore you.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Jesus’ resurrection changes everything. Death as we know it is reversed.
Join us this Sunday for worship as Rev. Bryce Hales, a PCA church planter of Resurrection OC in Ladera Ranch, preaches on Acts 2 and the reversal of death that the church experienced at Pentecost and continues to experience today.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 5 minutes reading Acts 2:14-41, then ask yourself, family, or friends, “What did Jesus’ resurrection change for the early church and what does it still change in our lives today?”
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
One billion dollars to give away, that is a lot of zeros.
The IRS has one billion in unclaimed tax refunds to give out if only people would claim them. Come on people, just reach out and take your money! It’s just sitting there.
This Sunday we conclude our fall preaching series on Heaven. I hope that you no longer think of heaven as just that place far away that you get to escape to someday. The bible is clear: Heaven is close, the God who dwells there is close to us today. God’s people are connected to heaven now, citizens of heaven.
Better than one billion dollars are the resources of heaven, the resources of God the king himself. Those resources are available to us now. Come on people, just reach out and take them! What are we waiting for?
This Sunday we focus on how to take Heaven home. We need it. Our family needs it. Our neighbors need it, and it is simpler than you might think.
This weekend read and reflect on Ephesians 6:10-20. Pray through it, discuss it with your family. Ask the Spirit to show you the resources available to you and how to pull them into your life today.
Pastor David
This Sunday as part of our morning worship service, our presbytery will install Rev. Adam Feichtmann as Redeemer’s Associate Pastor. This is an important Sunday in the life of our church.
Jesus is the great shepherd who promises to lead, guide, and protect his people. To fulfill that promise Jesus gives his Church undershepherds, pastors and elders, to carry out his shepherding ministry in the concrete specifics of our daily lives. Jesus’ undershepherds are a gift from a God who loves us, but a gift often misunderstood and therefore underutilized. The installation homily will help us see this gift for what it really is, and how to make use of our shepherds so that they can be used by God to bring thriving to our lives.
Take a few minutes this weekend and read 1Peter 5:1-7. Meditate on and pray through the passage. Prepare to hear from God this Sunday and to celebrate the installation of Pastor Adam
Pastor David
What did you expect?
We can’t avoid them, our expectations.
What did you, what do you, expect in your communion with God?
During our preaching series on Heaven this fall, “Heaven with Us”, we have seen how the bible describes heaven as exceedingly close to us today. That God is close; that his Spirit is in us. That God is present as our loving father now.
However, what if we just don’t feel it? What if instead of God’s presence with us and in us, we only feel his silence and absence?
What do we do then?
This Sunday we focus on the reality of God’s hiddenness, the hidden power of heaven. When we embrace the hiddenness of God we unlock the power of his presence.
Prepare for Sunday. Prepare to hear God speak to you through word and sacrament. Read Psalm 13. Meditate on it and pray through it. Let the words of Psalm 13 become your own.
Pastor David
How do you punish those already being punished?
Solitary confinement. Disconnection, loneliness, and isolation are monsters that drain our lives away.
This Sunday Pastor Bryce Hales will be preaching from Acts 2:1-13 and I will be leading worship. Pastor Adam will be preaching and leading worship at the women’s retreat.
Rev. Hales’ sermon, “Reversing Alone-ness” will show us that God’s plan for the church is to fill his people with a power beyond themselves and give them a forever family. Connection, community, intimacy – these are the essential ingredients to a thriving life. God wants to give them to you through his Spirit and in his Church.
Pastor David
Do you remember when you first realized that you would die?
How did you respond? How did you cope?
We live today in society distanced from death and ill-equipped to maintain human dignity and hope in the face of our mortality. Unfortunately this is true both in religious communities as well as in secular. How ironic that we are so unprepared for so ubiquitous a reality; so unprepared and weak, when our strength is most needed.
It does not have to be this way.
Over the last weeks we have been studying heaven and our focus has been the nearness of heaven today while we live, and the future hope of the resurrection and renewed cosmos when Jesus returns. This Sunday we focus on the moment of our death and what we should expect.
It is possible to cultivate the kind of strength that will allow us to die with dignity and hope, and not cower from the sober realization of our mortality. Yet this strength, so much needed in our modern culture, is not reserved for the end of life alone, but can be brought to bear on all of life, allowing us to truly live today no matter what we face.
Jesus will show us how in the life and words of the apostle Paul. This weekend prepare yourself to hear from God by reading and praying through Philippians chapter 1, and by contemplating your own death.
Jesus has powerful words of hope and strength for us this Sunday.
Pastor David
This is the first ever sermon preview I have written for Redeemer, but I am sort of afraid to tell you what the sermon on Sunday is about. The topic of the sermon is one of the most anxiety-filled callings found in the Bible.
Evangelism.
But before you start to sweat while reading this preview, hear me out. Sunday’s sermon, Lord willing, will not produce guilt but joy. Seriously.
The Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians, in so many words, tells these Christians that they don’t have to tell people about the reconciliation that Jesus has won… but that they get to.
Sunday we will hear some of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture, and they are found in the context of evangelism.
Pastor Chad
Want to share a special moment? Do you have something emotionally significant to share? Want to make a deep connection?
What would you prefer, a conference call or face-to-face?
Sometimes it can feel as if our communion with God is like an awkward conference call. Is he hearing me? Should I speak now or listen? Is anyone on this call yet? Did we get disconnected? Hello?
Our communion with God today is real. Heaven is close. The Spirit of Christ is in us. However, what we experience today is only a small taste of what is to come. We will see his face. Awkward conference calls will one day be a thing of the past.
Last week we focused on the first glimpse of heaven in the bible found in Genesis 28, and this week we look at the last. It is good to fill our lungs with the air of the future and feast our eyes on what is to come. We will see his face and as a loving father he will touch ours.
Let us look together at what is to come.
Pastor David
Nights don’t get much worse than this one.
Alone in the wilderness in the dark of night fleeing from your older brother who plans to kill you, hundreds of exhausting miles ahead until safety, Jacob had seen better days.
Heaven was hidden.
Yet, God knew what Jacob needed, so for the first time heaven opens up. This Sunday we will look over Jacob’s shoulder and see what he sees.
Come ready to see heaven.
Pastor David
What advice would you give a nearsighted baseball player?
That seems like the start of a good joke, but I don’t have a punchline. Write one for me and email me back.
The truth is if you cannot see the ball you cannot hit it, you cannot catch it, you could not even throw it accurately. You would not be much of a baseball player.
Nearsighted Christians have the same struggle. If we can’t vividly imagine heaven coming to earth or learn to perceive the heavenly reality we are already connected with today, we will swing and miss, drop the ball all over the place, and miss the mark on our critical throws.
This Sunday we begin our sermon series, “Heaven with Us,” and like the right lens prescription it is meant to clarify and bring into focus what we need to see the most.
When you think about Heaven what do you think?
Does your view of heaven clarify your future and give you rock solid hope?
Does your view of heaven give you passion for life now and give creative direction on how to live today?
It can.
Let us fight to overcome our nearsightedness by looking deeply into God’s description of heaven.
Pastor David
I am a liar.
Well, is it a lie if you’re just trying to be polite? Maybe I am just a polite liar avoiding an uncomfortable and long-winded answer.
Many of you have asked, “How was the sabbatical?”
I have responded it was good and it was, but it was also hard and even miserable at times. Much of the sabbatical was great. The opportunity to read and study was wonderful. I am so grateful for the additional time with my family, rest from vocational responsibilities, and the space to take on personal projects that have been long neglected. The sabbatical was “good”, but a challenging, revealing, and refining type of “good.”
This Sunday I will explain. I think God was doing to me what we will sing about in our second “Hymn of Praise” this Sunday, entitled “I Asked the Lord.” The Order of Worship is online. Download it. Read through our liturgy to prepare for worship and read that hymn closely.
Also read Philippians 4:4-7 and Psalm 3. What Paul explains in Philippians 4 and what King David experiences in Psalm 3 is available for all of us now. Peace, joy, and strength despite our circumstances. Together let’s learn how to live this way, rooted, grounded and solid, and support each other in the storms of our weakness and trouble.
Pastor David
Jesus is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” When we pause and think of Jesus, we are to be reminded that he dwelt among us and is still with us. Repeat those words a few times to yourself, “God with us.”
This Sunday we are honored to welcome back Rev. Chad Brewer, the new RUF Campus Minister at UCI, to preach a part two sermon on John 1 in which he will address the practical implications of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 5 minutes around the table with family and/or friends reading John 1:1-18 and then ask each other, “Why is it so stunning that God put on skin and dwelt among us, and how does that continue to affect us today in our daily spiritual practices and habits?”
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Jesus came as the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. In his coming, he came to give us a purpose.
What is your purpose? In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?”
Join us the next two Sundays as we have the honor of Rev. Chad Brewer, the new RUF Campus Minister at UCI, preach at Redeemer on the text of John 1 and the purpose for which Jesus came to give you.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 5 minutes and read John 1:1-18, then ask yourself, family, or friends, “What does this passage say about Jesus coming and our purpose in this world?” I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. The beauty of God is revealed across all of creation.
Join us this Sunday for worship as Rev. Joel Pelsue, President/CEO of Arts & Entertainment Ministries in Los Angeles, preaches his second sermon on the topic of beauty in the scriptures. This Sunday Joel will specifically be preaching from Psalm 19 on the revelation of God and beauty found in the world around us.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 5 minutes reading Psalm 19, then ask yourself, family, or friends, “How have you noticed the handiwork of God in creation lately? When you experience something beautiful in the world, what effect does that have on you?
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
A woman comes to Jesus and pours expensive oil on his head. Jesus responds in Mark 14, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
I am excited to announce that for the next two weeks we have the honor of having the Rev. Joel Pelsue, President/CEO of Arts & Entertainment Ministries in Los Angeles, preach for Redeemer on the topic of beauty in the scriptures. This Sunday Joel will begin by preaching on the beautiful fragrance of love found in the Mark 14 story of the woman who came and poured her expensive oil on Jesus.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 5 minutes reading Mark 14:1-10, then ask yourself, family, or friends, “What is so beautiful about the woman’s actions in Mark 14, and what does she understand about Jesus that the disciples do not?”
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Praise God! Make a joyful noise! He will judge the world!
Psalm 98 seems like a normal psalm of praise until we read the final verse when the psalmist speaks of God judging the world. We are not used to seeing praise and judgment going hand and hand, yet this psalm puts them together.
Join me this Sunday as we study Psalm 98 and let this psalm teach us and give us words to pray for the life of the world.
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Be doers of the word, not hearers only.
Too often our lives are like that of people who, as James says, look intently at their face in a mirror and then forget what it looks like as soon as they walk away.
This Sunday, we are excited to welcome back Rev. Dr. Darian Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Biola University and a world-class Book of James scholar, as he preaches his third and final sermon of this three week series on James chapter one. This Sunday Dr. Lockett will specifically be addressing our great skills of listening to God’s Word, while also struggling to be doers of that same Word.
If you can spend 10 minutes preparing for the sermon, read James 1 a few times over and focus on verses 22 through 25. Then ask yourself these questions: How often do you hear God’s Word and not do anything in response to it? How can you respond to God’s Word after reading James 1?
I look forward to worshiping with you all this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Temptation and deception.
Two words that automatically, and rightfully so, cause us to pause and reflect a little deeper into what is happening in and/or around our lives.
This Sunday we are excited to welcome back Rev. Dr. Darian Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University and a world-class Book of James scholar, as he preaches part two of a three part series on James chapter one. This Sunday Dr. Lockett will specifically be addressing temptation, deception, our loss of wholeness, and the way back to wholeness that comes from what James calls the “implanted word.”
Have a great 4th of July and I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday as we will be enriched and encouraged by the teaching of God’s Word from the Book of James.
Pastor Adam
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” (James 1:2)
Wow, James, those are not the most empathetic and caring words that most people would want to hear amidst difficult times in their lives. But they are the words he chooses to use in order for his listeners to have a faith that will endure through their trials.
I am excited to announce that we have the honor of hosting the Rev. Dr. Darian Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University and a world-class Book of James scholar, as he will preach three sermons on James chapter 1 in the next month at Redeemer. Come ready to listen to this great preaching mini-series.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 10 minutes and read through James 1 a few times, focusing specifically on the first 11 verses. Then ask yourself, “What wisdom can I receive from these verses regarding trials and testing in my faith?”
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
God’s ultimate plan is to put the world to rights. As N.T. Wright simply, yet brilliantly states, “How is he doing this? Here is the shock: through us, his followers.”
God has chosen us, in all of our depravity, to join him in putting the world to rights, to join Christ in the renewal of all things. What a responsibility, but also, what a gift!
Join us this Sunday for part two of a two week series on the mission of God from John Rogers of Harbor City Church in San Diego. To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend a few minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table and read Matthew 28:1-20. Reflect over it and ask each other what you think it practically means to be part of the people through whom God has chosen to renew all things.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Gathered, yet going. As the people of God we don’t just gather each Sunday to hear a good and encouraging word only to leave that wisdom in the chapel. One of the main reasons that God speaks to us is to move us beyond ourselves for the sake of others. To cause us to be a people who apply the wisdom and gift of Scripture to our hearts and spread that wisdom and gift across the culture around us.
At Redeemer this upcoming Sunday, John Rogers, from Harbor City Church in San Diego, will be preaching part one of a two part series on the topic of God’s people being a gathered, yet going church.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 5 minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table and read Deuteronomy 4:1-8. Reflect over it and ask each other what the practical implications are of being part of a church that gathers weekly, but also takes the wisdom and gifts of salvation into the culture around us.
Personally, I am sad to have to miss worshiping with you this Sunday. I served our denomination this week by attending the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and will remain on the East Coast this weekend. Our elders and Rev. Dan Myers will joyfully lead you all in worship, as John Rogers preaches.
May you all have blessed Sunday together.
Pastor Adam
Vanity of vanities. Vapor of vapors. Meaningless! Meaningless!
What a brilliant way to begin a book. King Solomon gets straight to the point with his first words in the book of Ecclesiastes. Life is but a vapor, it comes and goes like the wind, and is often thought to be meaningless. At Redeemer this upcoming Sunday, Rev. Eric Kapur, Associate Pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church of San Diego, will open up chapter 1 of the book of Ecclesiastes and lead us in a search for true meaning in this world.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 10 minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table and read Ecclesiastes 1. Pause for a few more minutes as you sit in the reality of those verses, then enjoy discussing the topics of meaning, vanity, vapor, life, and wisdom.
I look forward to worshiping together this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
“Of course I love the human race! I just can’t stand Lucy.” – Charlie Brown.
We all laugh at Charlie Brown’s words, but if we are honest, we are far too often like Charlie. At Redeemer this upcoming Sunday, Rev Joe White, RUF Campus Minister at UCLA, will unveil the Charlie in all of us by preaching on the Parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 10 minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table and read Luke 10, especially focusing on verses 25-37. Then ask yourselves, what does this parable teach us about our hearts and actions in loving others?
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
Jesus loved to teach in parables, simple short stories which illustrate instructive lessons. This Sunday and next we have the honor of hosting Rev. Joe White, RUF Campus Minister at UCLA, as he preaches on the parables of Jesus.
To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 10 minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table and read Matthew 13, especially focusing on verses 44-46. Then ask yourselves, what do these parables teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven?
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday and during our upcoming Summer Preaching Series in the months ahead.
Pastor Adam
This Sunday we have the honor of kicking off our Summer Preaching Series with Redeemer’s founding pastor, Rev. Dr. Jim Belcher!
Jim will be teaching on the topic of suffering from Luke 8:22-25. To best prepare for the sermon, spend 10 minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table to read Luke 8. Then ask the questions, what does this chapter, specifically verses 22-25, have to say about suffering, and what is so interesting about Jesus’ response to the disciples’ panic?
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday and during our upcoming Summer Preaching Series in the months ahead.
Pastor Adam
The worst illnesses can hide in us until it is too late. If only we could have known.
This is true of physical illness and spiritual.
As a good father, God sent the prophet Malachi to help his people see their true condition and to call them back to health. Exposing our illness is not an expression of God’s anger, but his love and mercy. This Sunday we finish our brief series on the book of Malachi. Consider taking 15 minutes this weekend to read through the entire book. Engage the book like you are listening to your loving father. It may expose some illness hiding within you, or just be a warning of potential danger. Either way it will be loving words from a father caring for you and calling you to follow him on the path to health.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Trust. More than anything else trust is the foundation of relationships. We all long for loving relationships with those we can trust. However, each and every one of us falls short of complete trustworthiness. Whether in massive lies or small subtle misdirection of perception, we all cover up the truth, and our relationships are corrupted.
What hope do we have to experience the relationships we long for? Through his prophet Malachi, God shows us.
This Sunday we return to our series on Malachi. God once again lovingly exposes the true condition of his people. They have drifted from him. He not only calls them back, but he shows them the way to experience loving relationships founded on trust. They needed this message and so do we.
Read and pray through Malachi 2:10-3:7. Prepare yourself to hear from Jesus through his word this Sunday. I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Why confess? Why not just take care of that darkness quietly and on your own?
This Sunday we take a planned break from our series on Malachi. With Heather serving on the Redeemer Ethiopia Team this week, I took some time off to take care of my kids.
Jesse Robinson will be preaching on 1John 1 on the topic of confession. Confession is the doorway to freedom and health. We cannot get healthy where we hide, nor on our own.
I am looking forward to worshiping together and listening to Jesse open up God’s words for us. Have a great weekend.
Pastor David
We are paper mache.
Paper mache, French for “chewed paper,” a kid crafting staple, is most often made of strips of paper draped over some type of a form, then saturated and pasted together with a wet adhesive. Once the adhesive dries the strips of paper harden together in the shape of whatever form they were draped over.
As we continue listening to God through his prophet Malachi this Sunday, we are once again listening in on a tough conversation. God as a loving father is confronting his people because they have drifted away from him and put themselves in great danger. God knows that his people will be shaped by what they honor most, by what they worship. In love God reveals to them that they have not draped their lives over him, choosing instead lesser and distorted things that are now forming the shape of their lives.
God shows them that they have drifted from him and he gives them a concrete and specific way to return.
What shape is your life taking? It will take on the form of whatever you have draped your life over, whatever you honor most.
We are paper mache.
For worship this Sunday come ready to hear from God and to be formed in his image.
Pastor David
A toddler is running into a busy street, chasing a ball, ignoring the panicked calls of his parents.
Parents who love their children will do everything to protect them, but so often a child’s greatest danger is himself. A loving father would never leave his children on the precipice of destruction without a stern warning, a call to return to safety, and intense pursuit.
God is a loving father.
This Sunday we start a new series on the book of Malachi entitled, Drifting From God and How to Return. How would you know if you drifted away from God? If you had drifted away how would you return?
Our greatest danger is us. God is going to hold the mirror up so we can see ourselves for who we really are, and then help us to become the people he intended us to be and who we long to become. What else would we expect from a loving father?
Pastor David
The open ocean, horizon to horizon nothing but endless water. The desert, arid featureless wilderness for as far as you can see. No GPS. No cell phone reception. How do you navigate your way? How did the ancient Nabataeans make their way across the trackless desert? How did the ancient Phoenicians traverse the dark waters?
How are we making our way through the circumstances we face? We may not be stuck in the desert or the ocean, but our normal day to day is enough to weigh us down, stress us out, overwhelm us, and even break us with anxiety. What are we to do?
This Sunday we re-orient our lives once again around the resurrection of Jesus. We left our Maundy Thursday worship in silence and darkness. Read Revelation chapter one. It is silent and dark no more. We find here what we need to navigate heroically the most dangerous deserts and the most threatening oceans.
Pastor David
473,000,000 results in .51 seconds. This is how much we need a King.
This Sunday, Palm Sunday, is the day we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding over the palm branches and cloaks of those who cheered him on. It was the beginning of the last week of his life. Jesus the King rides into the heart of the storm, Jerusalem. He knows he will not come out alive. He knows he entered Jerusalem as king and will leave a king on a cross. Which is exactly the kind of king we need.
Search for “how to have a happy life” on google. There are a few opinions out there. The question is not whether we can find someone wants to lead us; there are a lot of would-be kings. The question is will we find the right king to lead us into the thriving life we long to experience.
Take a moment to prepare for worship this Sunday by reading Matthew 21. Consider inviting a neighbor, friend, or co-worker to join us for our Easter worship: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter Sunday.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Do you ever feel distant from God? Do you ever feel insecure? I do. This sermon is for us.
The current series of sermons is all about confronting our “Ricky-Bobby” Jesus, our small, truncated, safe mental versions of Jesus, with the real Jesus, powerful, dangerous, but good and life giving. Everybody has a “Ricky-Bobby” Jesus. Do you know yours?
Last week we saw that Jesus is the great prophet who challenges us and calls us to faithfulness and the thriving life. However he is not only a prophet, but a prophet on a cross who died for us, giving himself completely for us. This is a prophet we can trust no matter how challenging his words to us might be. God is not silent. He has always spoken to his people through his prophets and now supremely through the culmination of all the prophets, Jesus.
This week we turn to another biblical office, the office of priest, and how Jesus is the fulfillment and completion of the priesthood. What the ancient Hebrew priests pointed to, Jesus fully accomplishes. Jesus covers the distance between us and God and unwinds the tangle of our insecurity.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Silence. It’s terrifying.
Well, yes. After a long day some silence might be nice.
But relational silence, silence that screams we are being ignored, or that we have been rejected, or worse that no one is there at all to respond, that kind of silence is the dread under all of our anxiety and fear.
This Sunday we start a sermon series that will help us prepare for Easter. Jesus has always been a controversial figure. People have always been trying to figure out who he is and what he is all about. Since the earliest Christian communities, Jesus’ followers have used three categories to help wrap their minds and hearts around his significance: prophet, priest, and king. Jesus is the fulfillment of the ancient Hebrew expectations for a great prophet, priest, and king who would accomplish what mere human prophets, priests, and kings never could.
Over the next three weeks we will explore the identity, mission, and significance of Jesus as prophet (this Sunday), priest (3/22), and king (3/29), culminating at Easter when we will look at the glory of the risen Jesus in Revelation 1.
When you think of Jesus what do you think? When you pray to Jesus to whom do you think you are praying?
This Sunday we look at the significance of Jesus as the great and long expect prophet. Did you know you needed a great prophet?
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday and listen to our great prophet shatter our silence.
Pastor David
Do you know the deep joy of being genuinely welcomed and wanted? Do you know how to offer this life giving experience to others?
When we throw a party or have guests over we often conflate hospitality and entertaining. Are they really the same? This Sunday we will be studying Luke 14 and Jesus’ teaching on hospitality. Read the chapter out loud with friends and family. Ask yourselves, “What are the new hosting and guest etiquettes that Jesus is presenting and where do we find ourselves in these stories?
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday. Jesus is ready to welcome you. You are lovingly wanted.
Pastor Adam
In words of Abraham Heschel, “Labor is a craft, but rest is an art.”
This Sunday we have the honor of listening to a sermon on the gift of rest from Dr. Karl Johnson. Dr. Johnson is this year’s Men’s Retreat speaker and will be concluding his weekend with Redeemer by preaching at church on Sunday morning from Psalm 84. Dr. Johnson is the Executive Director of Chesterton House, a center for Christian studies, at Cornell University.
To best prepare for the sermon, try to do two things: 1. Spend time simply resting this weekend. 2. Spend 5-10 minutes reading Psalm 84 and ask yourself, family, and friends, what this Psalm has to do with rest.
I look forward to worshiping together with you this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
Are you ready to pursue your future spouse? I am not talking only to the unmarried and the answer is not Jesus. No simple Sunday school answers please.
This Sunday is the last sermon in our current series on marriage. For the married, what is God doing right now in the life of your spouse? For the unmarried, above all else what key quality should you look for in someone to marry?
In preparation for Sunday reflect on this quote from Pastor Eugene Peterson in the context of your relationships: ”The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it.”
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Divorce is devastating and tragically we have all been touched by it in some fashion. Over the last weeks we have been looking at the biblical vision of marriage. It is beautiful. This Sunday we turn to the biblical view of divorce. Is it ever allowed? In what situations? How does God feel about divorce? What hope does he offer if we have been divorced or are even contemplating it right now?
Whether it is directly for you, or so that you can love and support a family member, a friend, or a neighbor, come listen to the challenging but life-giving teaching from God’s word on divorce. Jesus is good and we can trust him with our marriages.
Pastor David
And they lived happily ever after. Really?
We all want to be happy and marriage can produce such happiness, but it can also do exactly the opposite.
This is the question for the sermon this Sunday: How do we find happiness in our marriage when the source of our greatest unhappiness can often be our marriage?
Jesus is not far from our difficulty and he is more committed to our flourishing than we can imagine. We can trust him, especially with our marriages. Jesus is here to comfort us, guide us, and empower us to follow him. Let’s gather together to hear from him and worship him this Sunday.
Pastor David
Who is marriage for?
Is marriage a blessing or a curse? If we know who marriage is for and we learn to live out that vision, then marriage is a blessing to us and all connected to us. However, if we misunderstand or resist who marriage is really for, then marriage becomes a crushing burden and a curse. Let’s not get this question wrong. Thankfully God makes clear in the bible his design and intention for marriage. He wants us to thrive, like a tree planted by streams of water bearing fruit to all around. Let’s trust him with our marriages, and with our dreams for marriage.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
Marriage is hard.
Marriage is a good gift from a God committed to the flourishing of his creation. However, like anything with significant power, marriage has the potential to not only produce tremendous life and joy, but also pain and even despair. If marriage is such a blessing why does it often feel like such a curse?
Many of you have asked for a sermon series on marriage, and many of you have voiced concern over your marriage and/or the marriage of your friends. So over the next few weeks we will look to God’s word to shape our vision of marriage, and to lead us into the thriving life he intended for us in and through our marriages.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Happy Epiphany! January 6th was the Feast of Epiphany, and now we have entered into the season of Epiphany until we arrive at Lent. Sometimes we can feel a “let down” after the season of Advent and Christmas. However, in terms of the significance of the church calendar, Epiphany has a huge importance in the drama of our year. Epiphany is a season which celebrates the revelation of Jesus as the light of the world. A time to explore the ministry of Jesus between the manager and the cross. A time for us as the church to follow the entire life of Jesus, as we join him in the renewal of all things here in Orange County.
On this first Sunday of Epiphany we will have the honor of having Jesse Robinson, a licensed PCA preacher, teach from Genesis 1 & 2 on faithful stewardship in the Christian life.
I look forward to worshiping together with you in Word and Sacrament this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Happy New Year! 2015 has arrived and we are excited for what God has in store for Redeemer in this year ahead.
It may be 2015, but the 12 days of Christmas are still in full force. On this second Sunday after Christmas we will joyfully sing our last round of Christmas carols before the season of Epiphany. We also have the honor of having Rev. David Rapp from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Temple, Texas, preach a sermon from Judges 16 on Samson. To best prepare for the sermon, spend 10 minutes and read Judges 16 around the table as a family, or by yourself, and ask the question: What does this passage say about strength, about a savior?
I look forward to worshipping together with you this first Sunday of 2015!
Pastor Adam
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and are still able to celebrate the birth of Christ with family and friends during these 12 days of Christmas.
On this first Sunday after Christmas, we have the honor of having Dr. Darian Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical & Theological Studies at Biola University, preach a sermon from Isaiah 11 on the topic of hope. To best prepare for the sermon, and to simply enjoy this Christmas season, spend 10 minutes and read Isaiah 11:1-10 around the table as a family, or by yourself, and ask the question, what does this passage say about hope, about longing?
I look forward to worship together with you this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
Join Redeemer for our annual Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve service. We will sing the great Christmas songs interspersed with readings from Scripture, and a short Christmas message.
Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, first created the Nine Lessons and Carols service in 1880. The best know version is broadcast from King’s College, Cambridge, each Christmas Eve where they have been celebrating this service since 1918.
Nothing will focus your heart and mind, and get your family into the Christmas spirit like this stirring Christmas Eve service.
Christmas is not what we think it is, but its secret is hidden in a long list of names hard to pronounce.
Our culture is saturated with a version of Christmas awash with sentimentality. It gags and chokes and leaves us sputtering for breath. True Christmas offers refreshment and hope and life.
This Sunday we will pan back and look at Christmas from high above. The view is breathtakingly beautiful.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday, the final Sunday of Advent.
Pastor David
Two options. Resist or rejoice.
God is on the move. He is at work unfolding his plan of renewal. During this season of Advent we look back to what God accomplished in the first coming of Jesus, and we remember that for generations God’s people had to wait for that first advent. Also during this season we also look forward to the second and final advent of Jesus, and now we are those who wait. But who likes to wait? There is so much broken and ugly within us and around us. Why must we wait for God to renew all things?
Are we going to resist God’s plan or rejoice?
This Sunday we will look at Advent through the eyes of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She shows us the way of rejoicing as we wait.
Come this Sunday prepared to hear from God and to rejoice together singing some of our favorite Christmas carols. Invite a neighbor to join us.
Pastor David
Is that the right baby?
Christmas is about the coming of a baby, but if you read the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke he starts with the wrong baby. The birth of John the Baptist is told first. This is consistent in all the Gospel accounts. John the Baptist comes before Jesus. Why? How is John’s advent, his coming, connected to the advent of Jesus? When we answer those questions we will see what a gift John the Baptist is to the people of God.
John the Baptist has some hard things to say, but his words lay out the pathway to the life we long to live. We don’t have the time or energy to cover things up and pretend. John helps us move past the superficial and experience the true health and hope of Christmas.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, a four week season that marks the beginning of the Christian year. It is a time of anticipation, of longing, of waiting for the coming of Christ. Over the next four weeks we will be looking at the significance of this season through the eyes of four people: this Sunday Simeon, then John the Baptist, next Mary the mother of Jesus, and finally God himself.
As we allow their perspectives on Advent and Christmas to shape our own it will deepen the joy and power of this season for each of us, and trust me there is tremendous joy and power here. Robert Webber explains Advent as, “a corporate spiritual journey that calls for expectant waiting and readiness for the coming of the Christ. When the Church travels this journey and treats it as a discipline of life and prayer, the joy of Christmas is immeasurably intensified.”
Talk with your family about how to incorporate Advent into your celebration of the Christmas season. Consider purchasing an Advent devotional that will guide you through the season. I have found Dietrick Bonhoeffer’s, God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, especially moving. Also look at Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year, which, while not exclusively an Advent devotional, has a section on Advent. For a family devotional mindful of kids look at Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski. All are available on Amazon.com and at the Redeemer book table.
I can’t wait to worship with you all this Sunday.
Pastor David
In less than a week most of us are going to enjoy one of the most lavishly set tables of the year in the company of friends and family. Even thinking about your Thanksgiving feast and the drippings from your turkey or ham may make your mouth water. This Sunday we are going to open up the Scriptures to Isaiah 55 and read a passage about a lavishly set table that rivals your most elaborate Thanksgiving meals.If you would like to wet your appetite before Sunday, spend a few minutes alone or with your family and read Isaiah 55. Enjoy the invitation that God offers you to feast and remind yourself of how grateful you are for what God has already given you.I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday.Pastor Adam
On average, in a given day, an American spends roughly 9 hours working and commuting, just under 8 hours sleeping, almost 3 hours in leisure activities, nearly 2 hour eating, drinking, cooking and cleaning, and almost an hour grooming. Most of our days are filled with pretty normal stuff. I guess that’s the definition of normal, the stuff we do everyday.
We tend to count our success and significance by the big victories; the victorious moments on the mountain peaks. However, we spend a lot of time in the ordinary. The vast majority of our time is spent doing everyday tasks at work, commuting, sleeping, eating and drinking, preparing what we eat and drink, grooming, shopping, etc. How are you feeling about your ordinary, your every-day?
If we are going to live beautiful lives we need to know how to think about the ordinary. Is it significant or are we just wasting our time?
God has a plan for your normal. There is power hidden there.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
You have more power and influence than you realize. Yes, others might have more than you, but don’t let that minimize the significance of the power and position you do have.
In preparation for this Sunday spend some time thinking about the areas where you have the greatest influence. Whether large or small, where do you have the ability to shape someone else’s life?
The nature of power is to effect change. The question is what kind of change is our power going to produce – beauty and blessing, or pain and ugliness?
Power can be dangerous. It can so deeply wound those around us and even destroy our own lives. This Sunday we will see in our passage how to use our power to build beauty without hurting those around us and destroying ourselves.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
The ancient church in Thessalonica was a picture of strength. Persecuted, afflicted, and suffering in many ways. Yet, they were known for their joy. They were not just surviving their difficulty. They were thriving.
Second Thessalonians 1:3-4
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.”This Sunday we will look throughout the letter of First Thessalonians and see the strands of strength woven throughout this church. Jesus made them strong and he wants the same strength for us.I can’t wait to worship together. Pastor David
This Sunday we are pleased to hear from Dr. Darian Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Biola University. Dr. Lockett will be preaching on Luke 7.
A beautiful life is on the far side of suffering. Is the bridge you are on strong enough to carry the weight of your suffering?
What if, no matter what our circumstances, we could experience true joy?
This fall we have been looking at the Gospel of Luke chapter 10 and thinking together about how we can live beautiful lives and build beautiful neighborhoods. We will continue this theme as we shift our focus to the letter of First Thessalonians, likely the apostle Paul’s earliest, sent to the church in the city of Thessalonica.
Read the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians this weekend. Notice how thankful Paul is for this group of people and how much influence they had far and wide. Why? Look at verses 6 and 7.
Somehow the Thessalonian Church was able to maintain joy in the midst of severe suffering. How? What if we could learn to do the same?
This will be our focus Sunday: how to maintain the strength of joy under the weight of suffering; beautiful lives in the midst of ugliness.
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
Our sermon this Sunday is given by guest preacher, Rev. Eric Kapur, from Redeemer San Diego, who is preaching in Pastor David’s absence. His message is based on 1 John 2:15-17.
Why is it important for Christians to think about food and creation?
We don’t just eat to fuel ourselves several times a day. We eat food to feast, to enjoy gifts, to be creative, and to live in community together. Food and creation should matter to Christians.
This Sunday, through the study of Psalm 104 and 1 Peter 2, we will explore how food and creation are gifts that we should receive with gratitude. Gifts that we never selfishly hold onto, but joyfully give away to God and to others. Gifts that pass through our hands and are creatively reshaped and offered as sacrifices.
I look forward to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
What did I forget? I don’t know what it is, but I know I forgot something.
Do you know the feeling? I fly to Atlanta for a conference on Monday and I know when I get on the plane my mind will be searching for that one necessary item I left out of my bag.
Over the last three weeks we have been talking about how we can be neighbors to those Jesus has placed around us. It is going to take our time. It is going to be messy. But it will also be powerful. It may seem ordinary to get to know and love our actual neighbors, but there is a lot at stake, for them and for us, a beautiful life and a beautiful neighborhood.
Luke knows how much is at stake. He follows the telling of the Good Samaritan story with another story to remind us not to forget the one necessary thing. Before we get busy in the good and hard work of neighboring he wants to make sure we have not forgotten what must be at the center.
Anxiety or peace? Fear or confidence? Distraction or focus? Don’t forget this one necessary thing and you will have all you need.
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
From stranger to acquaintance to relationship, this is the pathway of being a neighbor. Last week we saw that Jesus completely rejects the mere notion that anyone could be considered a non-neighbor. By grace Jesus has become our neighbor and he now makes us gospel neighbors to those he has placed around us.
One of the greatest obstacles to being good neighbors is our time. So much competes for our time. How can we find even one more minute to connect and deepen our relationships with our neighbors? We all feel that tension. Understanding and overcoming the obstacle of time in our neighboring will be our focus this Sunday.
I hope you have prayerfully engaged with the block map assignment this week. If you have been too busy, make a point this weekend to work through the block map. Click HERE to download the assignment.
Also, please take a moment to view the video below, Moving to the Front Yard – The Art of Neighboring. The video is 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Watch the video and then explore some creative ways to move to the front yard, and move from acquaintance to relationship with your neighbors.
Have a great weekend.
Pastor David
Stories are powerful. Just think, the story we are going to listen to this Sunday has been read and loved by countless millions for generations. We are not the only ones who have longed for a beautiful life and a beautiful neighborhood.
Who is your neighbor? Or is that even the right question? Read Luke 10:29-37. What do you think?
We all want to live in beautiful neighborhoods. Where do we even start in our effort to build them? We will answer that question on Sunday.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
A beautiful life and a beautiful neighborhood, we all want both. Not just manicured beauty seen from the curb or in the mirror, but a substantial health that goes deep. A poetic resilience that allows us to meet hardship and disappointment with strength and endurance. A hopeful courageous honesty that allows us to face our failures and weaknesses, and with a smile ask for the help we need. A lasting satisfaction with what we have today. Confidence that what we do matters, really matters. A beautiful life. A beautiful neighborhood.
In the Gospel of Luke chapter 10, Jesus teaches us how to live this life. Challenged by a religious teacher, Jesus summarizes the bible into two short statements, and then he tells one of histories’ most beloved stories. Starting this Sunday we begin a new sermon series, A Beautiful Life; A Beautiful Neighborhood, focused on Jesus’ Greatest Commandment and his story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. This weekend read and pray through Luke 10, especially Luke 10:25-37.
I am looking forward to breakfast and worship together this Sunday. Have a great weekend.
Pastor David
It’s common as Christians for most of our communal meals together to begin with the liturgical practice of saying grace. A majority of us are in the habit of pausing before we enjoy our food to give thanks to God for the day, for our company, for our food, and of course for the cook.
As with any habitual practice, sometimes we forget why we really say grace and what the act of saying grace does to us. For many of us, we may even have a stock prayer that just rolls off our tongues without much thought. This Sunday we are going explore this practice of saying grace by looking at Psalm 104. A psalm that reminds us how wonderful the gift of food is, and then moves us to say grace with deep and profound gratitude around our tables.
Prior to our service on Sunday, spend a minute or two before saying grace at the dinner table to pause and ask yourself and/or your family why you are about to pray. Maybe even open up Psalm 104 and read it before you pray and enjoy your meal. Let those reflections lead you to delight more in God and the food you are about to enjoy.
I look forward to worship with you this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
Think of a well known person of contemporary history that you respect the most. What would you rather have? An email they sent you that you printed out on your home printer or a handwritten letter, personally signed? What is the difference? Am I being overly sentimental, or is there something different about actually touching the paper they touched, reading words written with their own hand, smelling the faintest scent of where the letter originated?
God wanted his world to touch his glory. So he sent Jesus. Jesus wants our neighbors to touch the same. So he sends us. It is a mission of staggering significance. What do we do? How do we do it?
This Sunday we will take our final look at the prayer of Jesus in John 17. He prays that through us our neighbors would be able to touch the glory of God. Take a few minutes this weekend to read and pray through this prayer of Jesus. I can’t wait to hear from him together.
Pastor David
What if?
How would your day-to-day life be different if loving, real communion with God and his people was your norm? If that unity, oneness of family identity, purpose, significance, even dignity, informed your emotions, captivated your thoughts, motivated your actions?
What if?
How might this give you strength in the face of the hard and sad things? How might this increase your pleasure of the good and beautiful things?
Jesus wants this for you. 2000 years ago, moments before his arrest, Jesus actually prayed for you about these very things (John 17).
I can’t wait to worship and hear from Jesus together this Sunday.
Pastor David
Battlefield or playground? Out for a stroll or prepared for danger?
Our lives are more dangerous than we realize. What you do matters. In your workplace, in the public square, in your family, in your neighborhood. What you do and don’t do carries weight and significance, lasting effects.
In John 17 Jesus is praying for your protection. Do you realize that you need it? What you face outside, and even inside of you, is so dangerous that you need the protection Jesus offers and prays for.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday and receive from Jesus the protection we need.
Pastor David
What is that one thing you want most of all? The one thing you can’t live without. The one thing you would give your life for.
As we continue our look this Sunday at the prayer of Jesus in John 17, we get to see how Jesus would answer that question. What do you think Jesus would say?
As you prepare for worship this Sunday read through John 17. Read it out loud. Read it with your friends and family. Pray it.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Why does Jesus pray? Have you ever thought about that? He’s the son of God, a member of the Trinity. He is intimately and constantly connected to God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Why would Jesus need to pray?
This Sunday we start a sermon mini-series that will run through the end of August. We will spend several weeks focused on John 17 where we find the longest written record of one of the prayers of Jesus. John 17 not only gives us a window into the prayer life of Jesus and thus his desires, priorities, and character, but it also teaches us what prayer is and could be for each of us.
Prayer is central to the Christian life. We are actually called to live a life of prayer. However, there is much confusion about, even guilt over, our prayer lives, or lack thereof. Whether you have been praying confidently for years, or you are struggling to learn how to pray, our study of John 17 will be refreshing and life-giving.
I am looking forward to deepening the joy and power of our prayer lives. I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
This Sunday I am looking forward to worshiping with you and our children as we study Psalm 19 and learn about the glory of God in creation and the Law. Psalm 19 is a wonderful psalm that helps us understand both the duty and the delight of knowing God. Prior to coming to worship on Sunday, spend a few minutes reading the 14 verses of Psalm 19 and ask the following questions:
When following the teachings and commands of the Bible, how often do you consider those a duty or a delight? Husbands, when giving your wife flowers on your anniversary, how often do you consider that a duty or a delight? What role is the Law of God supposed to play in your life and your relationship to God? Lastly, when you go to the beach or the mountains what is the voice of creation pointing you toward? See you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
The prophet Jonah was surrounded by God’s grace. We today are also surrounded by God’s past, present, and future grace.
Last Sunday Rev. Joe White from RUF UCLA reminded us that not only do we, like Jonah, run from God, but God runs too. He runs after us. Plan to join us again this Sunday as Joe continues his two part series on the prophet Jonah. Prepare yourself to delight in learning about the all-surrounding past, present, and future grace of the God that runs after us.
Spend a few minutes as an individual or family reading through Jonah 1:11-2:10 prior to our worship service to better prepare for our study.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Pastor Adam
For the next two Sundays we will have the privilege of hearing Rev. Joe White from RUF at UCLA preach to us from the book of Jonah. In preparation for these sermons, spend some time as an individual or family reading through Jonah a few times. The book is only 4 short chapters and will take you about 10 minutes to read. In doing so, you will be reminded that Jonah is not just the story of a man being swallowed by a big fish, but as Tullian Tchividjian says, “Jonah is a storied presentation of the gospel. A story of sin and grace, of desperation and deliverance.”
I look forward to worshiping next to you in the pews this Sunday!
Pastor Adam
We all desire and long to be known by others, and to know others in return.
To be known and to know come in different forms for different people. For some that is a two hour, pour out your heart, transparent conversation; for others that is receiving a desired gift or favorite brand of mint chocolate chip ice cream from a thoughtful spouse or friend.
This Sunday we will look at Psalm 139 and notice how God delights in searching for and knowing us as his people in deep ways, often beyond our imagination. Join me in preparing for this study by reading through Psalm 139 a few times, pausing to be in wonder at the depth of God’s knowledge of us, and then joining King David as he concludes this psalm with the prayer of verses 23-24. A prayer that invites God to continue his searching and knowing of us that results in asking him to lead us to live the life that we were created to live.
I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday.
Pastor Adam
Summer is here! I hope you are looking forward to a good few months. Try to take some extra time to spend with friends and neighbors. Go outside. Take a walk. Have the kids play in the front yard. You may be surprised at how easy it is to meet your neighbors by simply making a point to get outside.
I am planning to take a few weeks of vacation in July so Rev. Joe White with RUF at UCLA will preach twice and Pastor Adam will preach as well.
This Sunday Rev. Joel Pelsue is with us preaching from 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 on the beauty of brokenness. Kintsukuroi means “to repair with gold”, the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.
You are more beautiful for having been broken and repaired with gold. What a picture of the gospel!
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
Don’t worry. I am leaving, but I am not leaving you alone.
Jesus tells his disciples that he is leaving. He will no longer be with them, but they are to continue his work. As we have been exploring these last weeks, John 13-17 records some of Jesus’ last words to his first followers. We can imagine the look on their faces by listening to Jesus’ response to their emotion. Jesus says to them, “Let not your hearts be troubled” and “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:1, 18). I imagined shocked, even tearful, silence from the disciples as they realized the gravity of what was happening.
They were going to be left alone.
What if you never had to feel alone again? What if you never had to feel abandoned, overwhelmed, rejected? What if you could live with confidence that you had at your finger tips all you needed for a life of joy and deep connection?
Jesus explains to his first followers and to us, that he will not leave us as orphans. Do we believe it? How would our lives be different if we did?
Take a few minutes and prepare for worship. Read John 13 and 14. Pray, meditate on this passage, and talk about it with friends and family.
Have a great weekend. I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Where is your ambition taking you? It is good and right to be passionate and driven; to desire and work hard towards accomplishing worthy goals. However, questions haunt us: How do we know we are not wasting our life on the wrong things? In the wrong ways? For the wrong reasons? Even hurting or neglecting those around us we are called to love.
Last week we started a four week series focusing on John 13-17. The first half of the Gospel of John follows Jesus’ mostly public interactions, teachings, and miracles over the course of years. John 13-17 takes place over just a few hours in one little room. It’s private. It’s small. It’s quiet. These are the final words, the final instructions, of Jesus to a small group of his closest followers tucked way in an upper room in the corner of Jerusalem.
Jesus tells them, “I am leaving. I have important work for you to do, and this is how you are going to find the strength to get it done.”
We saw last week that as Jesus’ followers, both then and now, we are to continue his work. You are continuing the work of Jesus. I asked you to say to yourself this week right before you move into that new task, or project, or conversation, “I am continuing the work of Jesus with these people, in this situation, in this place.” Did you try it? Did it change how you thought about those people, how you approached that situation, or how you felt about that place? You are continuing the work of Jesus. But how?
This week we begin to answer the how. Jesus gives us a stirring picture, challenging and inspiring. Not only does this picture give us a beautiful pattern to follow, it actually redeems our ambition and saves us from wasting our life.
I can’t wait to hear from Jesus and worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
Why doesn’t Jesus show up? Sometimes when we need him the most he seems the most distant. What do we do with that?
This Sunday we read an account of a family that desperately needed Jesus to show up. And he didn’t. A least not in time and not in the way they wanted. Do you know what that’s like?
This passage of scripture invites us to ask Jesus some hard questions and we will. But trust me, the way Jesus answers those questions in this passage are beautiful, life changing.
I can’t wait for us to gather to worship and to hear from Jesus together this Sunday.
Pastor David
It is fun to remember the good times, and even more fun to share those stories with each other around a campfire or table. As we remember and tell those stories we help refresh memories for each other and generate hearts of gratitude.
This Sunday we will be looking at Psalm 136, a psalm of praise where the Israelites paused to remember all the good things that God had done for them as acts of his steadfast love. And as a result of their remembering, they responded in gratitude by giving thanks to God.
In preparation for our study, spend 5-10 minutes as an individual or family around a table remembering and sharing some of your best memories with each other. And like Psalm 136, let those memories and stories lead you to give thanks to God.
I look forward to remembering the great story of God and responding by giving thanks through song beside you all this Sunday as we worship together.
Pastor Adam
The ancient desert east of Jerusalem is dangerous. Food is hard to find, water is scarce, and bandits hide ready to strike. It is a dangerous place for a flock of sheep. They need nourishment. They need protection. They need a shepherd who can lead them to both.
Life is difficult, dangerous, and confusing. We need a shepherd, tough enough, wise enough, and good enough for the real problems we face. In John 10 Jesus uses the image of a shepherd to tell us who he is and what he is like. Jesus wants us to know that in him we have the shepherd we need. He wants us to pay attention to his voice and follow him.
We all need to hear from Jesus. I can’t wait for us to gather to worship and listen to Jesus together.
Pastor David
Close your eyes. Well not yet. Finish this first paragraph then close your eyes. Keep them closed and go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before. Well, not if it will hurt you or anyone else. Be responsible. You’re an adult.
How did that go for you? Unless you were already taking a nap or listening to music, the darkness got in the way, it probably completely frustrated whatever you were doing. It could have even been dangerous. Power tools? Butcher knives? Driving? The darkness severely limits you, even makes you dangerous to yourself and others.
This week we get another glimpse of the future, of the coming Kingdom, when Jesus employs the rich biblical metaphor of light and darkness. Do you feel limited, even threatened by the darkness inside you, or the darkness looming around you? Jesus grabs the attention of the crowd during the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem and announces, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The darkness in us and in the world around us will not have the final word. The light of the world is here. Like that crowd 2000 years ago, Jesus will speak to us this Sunday and as the light of the world he will lovingly expose us for our good, then renew us and finally send us out to reflect his light into the lives of others.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
If you could get a glimpse of the future what would you want to see? If you did how might that change what you do today?
This Sunday we move into John chapter seven. Over the last weeks we walked through the first six chapters of John in a series called “Beauty and Belief”. We have seen that the apostle John wants to show us the beauty of Jesus and encourage us to believe, to entrust our lives to Jesus.
Starting this Sunday we begin a new series that will cover John 7 to 11, “Glimpses of the Kingdom.” We will focus on the glimpses Jesus gives us, though his teaching and actions, of what the Kingdom will be like when he returns. However, this series is not just about the future. We will also see how those aspects of the kingdom are breaking in to our reality even now. Each week we will ask what the kingdom will be like when Jesus returns, but also how we can see that kingdom reality now and how we can show that aspect of the kingdom in our neighborhoods. Below is an outline of the series:
The End of Thirst – John 7 – April 27th The End of Darkness – John 8 & 9 – May 4th The End of Oppression – John 10 – May 11 The End of Death – John 11 – May 25th Our vision of the future shapes our lives now. May we know what is coming, see what is already here today, and show forth that beautiful reality to those around us.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday and glimpse the future.
Pastor David
Have you ever seen a sunrise? The darkness of night chased away by explosions of color. Easter is a celebration where the darkness of death is chased away by the bursting forth of new life.
If our Easter service is the sunrise, our Maundy Thursday service tonight is the darkness before the dawn. Maundy Thursday is a beautiful and solemn service that will focus your mind and grip your heart. After singing, silence, and a short meditation on John 13, we take the Lord’s Supper, prayerfully and seated at tables. For many this is one of the most powerful and rich communion experiences. At the conclusion of the service, the communion tables are ceremonially stripped and we leave in silence and darkness. Symbolically this darkness and silence is broken with the shout of “He is risen!” at the opening of our Easter worship service.
See you tonight (April 17th) at 8:00pm for our Maundy Thursday service and then this Sunday for our Easter worship service at 10am.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Jesus is a very odd sort of King. He is simple, yet complicated. His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday 2,000 years ago reminds us that he is not the King we expected, but he is the King we needed.
Jesus at times can be easily understood, and yet, at other times be easily misunderstood. This Sunday, Palm Sunday, we will study a passage where three different groups of people understand but also misunderstand Jesus. It will feel normal to relate to each of these groups as they understand/misunderstand Jesus. Our goal for the morning will be to acknowledge that Jesus is not confused about his identity and mission, he is greater than we imagine and is in control. As a response, we then must learn how to trust in him daily, even in the midst of our confusion.
As you prepare for this Sunday, may you also remind yourself that next week is Holy Week. Please take the opportunity to invite a family member or friend to our Maunday Thursday and Easter services by forwarding them the invite you received earlier this week.
I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday!
Adam Feichtmann Assistant Pastor
God loves to be in the presence of his people, the church! This is all the more amazing when we realize that the church, every single one of us, is made up of God’s former enemies. Yet God pursued us in love and won us back.
God knows us from top to bottom; nothing is hidden from his sight. But don’t try to run and hide. Rejoice! Psalm 87 show us that God delights to be with his people. He loves us now and is transforming us into the people he made us to be, the people we long to become.
This Sunday Rev. Bryce Hales, the RUF campus minister at the University of Utah, will be preaching from Psalm 87.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
The Lord’s Prayer, most of us have it memorized and recite it often. This prayer that Jesus taught his disciples is rich with meaning and sets forth a wonderful example and pattern for us to pray in weekly worship, as families, with friends, and by ourselves. However, from time to time it is worthwhile for us to pause and remind ourselves of the truths that are placed in the preface and each of the six petitions.
This Sunday we will have the joy to pause and look at the preface and first petition found in Matthew 6:9, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” We will recognize our need for God as our Father, the significance of Him being in heaven, and the applications of hallowing his name.
In preparation for Sunday, read and pray through the Lord’s Prayer a few times, and as you do so, pause and spend time reflecting over the richness and depth of truth found in the preface and each petition in a way that might be lost when you often recite this prayer on a regular basis.
I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!
Adam Feichtmann Assistant Pastor
You are what you eat. Our bodies are constructed out of the nutrition we get from our food. Think of what you had for dinner last night. Right now your body is reducing that food into its essential components and absorbing it into your cells. You are built out of the food you eat.
We will finish our look at John 6 this Sunday. Jesus is speaking to a crowd in a synagogue in Capernaum. He tells them that “the bread I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” and that his “flesh is true food” and that his “blood is true drink.” The crowd erupts in confused revulsion. What is behind this odd image of eating flesh and drinking blood? How are we even supposed to eat Jesus’ flesh?
This Sunday we will look at these questions and others, as Jesus points us to the nourishment that we need. You are what you eat, so Jesus gave us himself.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
No matter what your work might be, whether you are a stay at home mom, a professor, surgeon, or gardener, your work is more of a witness than you might realize. The Kingdom of God is on display in our work. Do you understand how the Spirit empowers you for this vital kingdom witness?
Dr. Vincent Bacote is our men’s retreat speaker this weekend and will be preaching at Redeemer on Sunday. He is an Associate Professor of Theology and the Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He is the author of the The Spirit in Public Theology: Appropriating the Legacy of Abraham Kuyper (2005), and has contributed to books including On Kuyper (2013), Aliens in the Promised Land (2013), Keep Your Head Up (2012) and Prophetic Evangelicals (2012). He is a regular columnist for Comment (wrf.ca/comment) and has also had articles appear in magazines such as Books and Culture, Christianity Today, Think Christian and re:generation Quarterly, and journals such as Christian Scholars Review, Urban Mission and the Journal for Christian Theological Research. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Christian Ethics. He resides in the Chicago area with his family.
Dr. Bacote’s message on Sunday will aim at expanding our view of witness to include not just how we build bridges to others through our extra-church activities (and particularly work life) but also how what we do with those many hours a week are laden with the potential for kingdom witness empowered/enabled by the Spirit.
A message we all need to hear. I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Where does confidence come from? In the face of rejection, in the face of being misunderstood, questioned, and doubted how can we maintain true confidence?
Last week in John 6 we focused on the first portion of Jesus’ dialogue with the crowds in Capernaum. It’s true, what Jesus offers them and us is bigger and better than we could imagine. Yet the crowd does not trust Jesus. They don’t believe him. They don’t like the way God is doing things and they grumble, they complain. Have you ever felt that way?
Take a moment to reflect on the current circumstances of your life. Where are you complaining, or at least tempted to complain, about how God is doing things? Be honest. He already knows. Jesus wants to lovingly move us from complaining to confidence.
Confidence is possible, even in the areas where we struggle the most with complaining. Jesus invites us to feast on the bread of life and live with confidence. Where else would we go?
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Hunger. Fortunately, most of us do not have direct experience with the fear and anxiety of not knowing where our next meal is coming from. However, many people today and throughout history have, and all of us can at the least begin to imagine it. Hunger is a powerful metaphor. Where do you feel like you are starving? Where do you feel like you don’t have the resources or energy to carry on?
We all hunger for a life that will matter and that will last. Jesus hones in on this powerful image of hungering for true life and tells a crowded synagogue in Capernaum, and us today, that he is the bread we need; he is the source of the life we long for. Jesus announces that God is satisfying our hunger with life that will last. Then he calls us eat the bread of life and live.
Come hungry this Sunday. Jesus is ready to feed us the bread we need, but he only feeds the hungry.
Pastor David
5,000 men, plus women and children…totalling 15,000 – 20,000 people. In John 6:1-15 we read about Jesus miraculously feeding a massive gathering of folks – all from 5 measly loaves and 2 fish. Pause and just imagine the size of that crowd!
So far, we’ve seen that Jesus has been performing miracles and teaching about the kingdom of God. As he has gone from town to town, word has begun to spread about him. His popularity has now attracted a huge following, and in front of them he chooses to display his abundant power and generosity by feeding them all.
Abundant power and generosity. Sit for a second and reflect on the weight of Jesus’ miracle. What does this teach us about Jesus? What does this stir up in you?
If possible, spend 5 minutes reading John 6:1-15 a few times, and get ready to delve into it together on Sunday morning.
I look forward to worshiping with you.
Adam Feichtmann
38 years. Unable to move on his own for 38 years. Imagine.
A day like any other. Begging. Hurting. Humiliated. Then Jesus walks by.
Do you have anything like that in your life or the lives of those you love? What is broken in you that you have suffered for so long that you have lost hope of ever being healed?
Read John 5. Read it aloud. Picture the story in your mind. Pray through the passage. Listen for Jesus. Ask him your questions. Why have I not been healed? Can I really trust you for the healing I long for? Listen to what he says.
We can trust Jesus to heal, in his way, in his timing, and to reveal to us the God of healing.
I need healing and so do you. I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday, to worship the God who delights to heal us.
Pastor David
Awkward. Did they really just say that? Is this conversation really happening?
The apostle John is on a mission to show us Jesus. To show us who he is and what he is doing. To show us his strength, wisdom and grace. To show us his beauty; to show us that he is better than anything else we could ever possibly imagine. To show us that we can indeed entrust our lives to him. We can put our lives in his hands.
In this section of his Gospel, John is allowing us to listen in on several of Jesus’ conversations with people just like us. Last week we met Nicodemus, and this week we meet the Samaritan woman at the well. Read John 4:16-18. Put yourself in the place of that woman. Can you believe Jesus just said that? Why would Jesus put his finger on an area so full of shame, disappointment, and failure? Why would he bring up a topic so awkward and painful? Because that is where she needed him the most. That is the barren desert land where she needs living water the most.
The Samaritan woman learned that she could trust Jesus with the most painful and shameful areas of her life. She learned that Jesus rescues her from the inferiority and fear of those areas, and replaces it with joy and abundance. Jesus is that good and we need him that much.
Read John 4:1-26 this weekend. You many not have had five husbands and be currently living with a man who is not your husband, but if you were at the well alone with Jesus what might he say to you? To what dry, dark and dead part of your life is Jesus wanting to bring living water? Jesus stands ready to restore you, to bring you joy and hope and a future.
I cannot wait to worship together. We need it desperately.
Pastor David
This Sunday and next we meet two people and get to listen in on their conversations with Jesus. A man who thinks he knows and a woman who knows she doesn’t. A man respected for doing and believing all the right things, and woman notorious for her messy life and ridiculous religion. Both need Jesus more than they realize. In both interactions Jesus, with wisdom and grace, goes to the heart of the issues holding them back and then shows them the path to life.
We will meet Nicodemous first, respected professor and religious leader. He thinks he knows how to get the life he wants. He teaches others how to do the same. Jesus confronts him with a path so simple and so beautiful that Nicodemous does not have a category for it.
Take a few minutes this weekend and dream. Imagine. What would the perfect life look like for you? If you were the king what would your kingdom be like? What are you doing to get there? What are you doing to make that dream a reality? Jesus wants to show all of us that the life we long for, his kingdom, is more beautiful than we can imagine and more simple to see and enter than we ever dreamed.
Read and pray through John 3:1-21. See the beauty of Jesus and put your life in his hands.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Who doesn’t enjoy attending weddings? Weddings are rightfully some of the most joyous celebrations that we get to witness. To watch a father walk his daughter down the aisle, to listen to the marriage vows, to enjoy good food and wine, and to dance the night away… weddings are worth traveling across land and sea to attend.
Our culture’s weddings & celebrations typically last a handful of hours, but in the the first century it was typical for the celebration to last a week or more! Those were true parties. In the context of a joyous wedding celebration in the town of Cana, Jesus decides to perform his first miracle. To begin his public ministry of announcing the Kingdom of God by turning water into wine.
Weddings are amazing and unforgettable, but they are never ends in themselves. They always point to something more. Similarly, Jesus doesn’t perform miracles for them to be ends in themselves. Wine in itself is great, but it is so much more. As his first public miracle, it acts as a sign that points to another reality.
I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday to unpack the good news and significance of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
Pastor David
When you meet someone for the first time what kinds of questions do you ask them?
This Sunday we will take a second look at the opening paragraphs of John’s Gospel. He is introducing us to Jesus. The apostle John want to show us the beauty of Jesus, so that we would believe and entrust our lives to him.
Last week I asked you to find someone you trust and who knows you well, and to ask them to help you honestly answer these questions: Where am I placing my trust? What am I functionally trusting in to get the kind of life I want? Asking these question will help us engage with the gospel of John. Page by page John wants to show us the beauty of Jesus, his worthiness to be trusted, so that we actually want to entrust our lives to him instead of the many other options around us.
Take a few minutes and ask those questions. Then read and pray through the opening words of John’s Gospel. Jesus offers us exponentially more than we can imagine. Look for his beauty in John 1:1-18 and entrust yourself to him.
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
Words fail us. There are just some areas, some topics, that cannot be described well in words. We can try and it is good and right for us to do our best, but we must live with the tension that our words just can’t quite get us there.
This Sunday we begin a series on the Gospel of John. John opens with some of the most important words ever written; they change everything. They soar and penetrate and inspire, but as you read them you can tell he is straining to express what words can barely describe.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”
John writes his gospel so that his readers ”may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John writes so that we would see Jesus, his beauty and majesty and unrivaled significance, and thereby place our complete trust in him. This is the doorway to life. Close your eyes and you can see the glory of that light shining under the door. This winter we open the door of John’s gospel.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Listen to Sermon Audio Player
00:00 00:00
Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. Download Files Download Sermon Audio (.mp3) Download Order of Worship (.pdf) Summary Happy New Year! 2014 has arrived, but Christmas is still here. Sunday is the 12th and last day of the Christmas season. To give Christmas one last celebratory hurrah, before we have to wait another 353 days, we will be opening our Bibles to Matthew 2:1-12 to study The Visit of the Wise Men.
Who were these men? Why were they wise? And why are they in our Christmas nativity scenes if Jesus was 2-years-old when they visited?
Join us on Sunday to find out these answers and to explore how God’s wisdom turns the wisdom of the age upside down.
I look forward to worshiping with you.
Adam Feichtmann
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and are still able to celebrate the birth of Christ with family and friends during these 12 days of Christmas. One of the highlights of Christmas for me was the chance to savor the sweetness of great food and drink around the table with my family. For most of us, we have been blessed to acquire tastes for food and drink, as well as gain wisdom in our tastebuds to know when certain foods or drinks fall short.
In Psalm 119:97-104, our Scripture passage for this Sunday, we have the chance to learn how God forms our tastes to savor what he loves and to have the wisdom to know when something falls short of its original design…To delight in tasting the sweetness of God’s Word, and to have disgust for the false ways and teachings that invade our lives.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday as we study and savor the sweetness of God’s Word together.
Adam Feichtmann
Sing it with me, “All I want for Christmas is my…
King to come!?! I don’t think that’s how it goes.
In our final sermon on the Minor Prophets we will look at the promise God makes to his people to send them a King. I know that when we think of Kings we think of fantasy novels and global celebrities, but we really do want a King. Really. In all of our longings for a secure future, in all of our desire to have clear direction in our life, our hopes for comfort and safety; in all of this what we really want is a good King.
I know that it is not the first thing that rolls off our lips when we reflect on what we want, but the truth is we are all longing for a King. The good news is that he has come and he is coming.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Christmas morning with little kids, just hopping with excitement and joy. If you let them they would dive head first into the presents, and rip through the paper and packages in an instant. I also love the comedy of their honesty. Get them a present they don’t like or don’t know what to do with and they will tell you, maybe even just throwing it aside with a confused shrug to see what is next. They haven’t yet learned the subtle art of accepting a gift you don’t like without offending the giver.
God has a wonderful gift for you. Are you ready? Rip open the package and take a look. He got you a priest! Excited? Do you like your new gift? Maybe like me you kind of shrug at this gift with a confused look. What is a priest for? Why would I want that? I can think of some other things I might have liked better.
This Sunday we continue our look at the book of Zechariah. The people of God have returned from the exile and God has given them a gift. A priest. And not just them, but us as well. God has given us a priest and it is better than you can imagine.
For all those who feel like they don’t measure up. For all those who feel like you are hopelessly on the outside. For all those who fear they don’t have the endurance to keep up with those racing around them. This sermon, this gift of a priest, is for you. There really is no better gift. Trust me.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Here is a four letter word that you never want to hear… “wait”. The Advent Season, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, is about waiting. Waiting reveals us. Consider the last time you were forced to wait. What did that experience tell you about yourself? Waiting also reveals God. It is often through waiting that God shows himself to us. Are you using the season of Advent to learn how to wait for God?
We spent the fall studying the minor prophets and we conclude our study this Advent with three weeks on the book of Zechariah. Zechariah is often quoted in the New Testament and speaks powerfully into a season of waiting. This Sunday we will focus on Zechariah 7-8 and ask the question, “Will we wait forever?” As our waiting reveals us, in our waiting God reveals himself and shows us that in him we have all that we need and more.
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, a season of waiting. Hopeful waiting. Expectancy. Longing. Things are not right within us nor in the world around us, so we wait. We wait for the arrival of King Jesus. The word “advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” During Advent we remember the first coming of Jesus and we long for his second coming. Robert Webber explains Advent as, “a corporate spiritual journey that calls for expectant waiting and readiness for the coming of the Christ. When the Church travels this journey and treats it as a discipline of life and prayer, the joy of Christmas is immeasurably intensified.”
We all need to learn to wait. You will be surprised by the power and health that comes from learning to wait on Jesus. Make good use of the Advent season.
Pastor David
This Sunday we will be hearing from the prophet Joel. In this short book we are informed of a terrible locust plague that has hit Israel. And by locust plague, Joel is describing a literal storm of locust, 80 million thick. Imagine dark clouds of flying insects that make the day seem like night.
As an agrarian society, Israel is not just facing a bad weekend, they are experiencing an event that will ruin their economy for years. In the midst of their tragedy, the prophet Joel stands up, grabs everyone’s attention, and begins to give clarity and hope to a people lost in a sea misery and pain.
Join me for worship this Sunday as we listen not only to Joel’s message to the people of Israel, but God’s words to us, as we, like Israel, experience similar tragedies in our modern society. To prepare for our study, consider reading the book of Joel this weekend. At only three chapters it will take about 10 minutes to read.
I look for to worshiping with you!
Adam Feichtmann
I love you.
You’re a mess.
But I am not done with you. The best is yet to come.
The book of Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament, probably written around the mid-fifth century. Malachi is likely a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah, and the people of God are discouraged and dissatisfied. The wonderful promises of a restored temple and capital in Jerusalem, of restored prominence and prosperity, have not come to pass. What was supposed to be beautiful is ugly. The people of God were tempted to believe that they would get a better life, a better return on their time and energy, if they invested elsewhere.
God sends the prophet Malachi as a wake-up call to his people, “I love you and I am not done with you. Trust me.”
I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday. Consider reading the book of Malachi this weekend. At four chapters it will only take a few minutes. Let’s all pray and prepare to hear from God this Sunday and respond together with trust.
Pastor David
Acts 17:16-33
Athens was one of the cultural and intellectual centers of the Roman Empire. In Acts 17 we see the Apostle Paul go to this center and speak with power to the heart of the culture.
UCI is one of the most influential cultural and intellectual centers in Orange County. For years Redeemer has talked and prayed about how to impact UCI, and now we are taking a huge step forward. Through the efforts of Redeemer and our presbytery, we are working to launch Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), the college ministry of our denomination, on the UCI campus.
This Sunday Rev. John Stone, Assistant Coordinator of Reformed University Ministries, will join us for worship. John will preach from Acts 17:16-33 about Paul in the University. I will also interview John about RUF, its distinctives, and the impact RUF could have on UCI and Redeemer.
I look forward to worshiping together.
Pastor David
Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many are left? Five, because deciding is different than doing.
God sends the prophet Haggai to call the people of God to jump off the log. Stop talking about doing it, stop saying you are going to do it. Do it. God brought Israel back from exile. They were to restore the city of Jerusalem and rebuild the temple again. What started with great energy in their return from exile in 538 BC, slowed and stopped by 520 BC. Other priorities took center stage. God sent Haggai to get the people moving again, to call the people of God to put him and his mission at the center again. This is not a call to make God a priority again, but to recognize that life only makes sense and only works when God is at the center of our life together. God is not just one of our priorities, not even just the top priority, Haggai is calling the people of God, then and now, us and them, to recognize that God is at the center of everything. Any other approach to life, in the words of Haggai, is like putting your salary, day after day, week after week, month after month, into a bag with holes. Empty. Worthless.
Haggai is a short book. In preparation to hear God speak to us this Sunday, read and pray through the book of Haggai. God loves us. We can trust him. He has much to teach us through Haggai.
Pastor David
Failure after failure, set back after set back. Do you know what it feels like to think you will never win?
In our march through the Minor Prophets this fall, we have seen stirring images of God, but a dismal view into the faithlessness of his people. In mercy God sends his spokesman, his prophets, to call his people back to covenant faithfulness. Yet they continue to rebel against him, to violate the dignity of others, and even to violate their own dignity. As God warned, their refusal to live out their mission as his covenant people meant the destruction of their nation by foreign powers. In 722 BC the Assyrian army crushed the northern Kingdom of Israel and those ten tribes of Israel were lost to history. Tragically, the southern Kingdom of Judah followed the same path. After generations of repeated warnings, God allows the Babylonians to destroy the northern Kingdom and God sends his remnant people into exile.
The book of Obadiah, likely written after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, announces God’s judgment against Edom, a neighboring nation to Judah. Edom delighted in the destruction of God’s people, refused aid to Judah’s refuges, and even handed those refuges over to the Babylonians.
Failure after failure, set back after set back. Is there any hope for God’s people as they suffer under the weight of their self-inflicted tragedy?
God commissions Obadiah to speak into this shadow with a message of hope. God wins and so do you if you are on his side. Those who hurt you are not going to get away with it. Take heart. All is not lost.
God wins.
I look forward to worshipping together this Sunday.
Pastor David
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? (Habakkuk 1:2)
Are you allowed to ask questions like that? The book of Habakkuk in the Hebrew scriptures opens with some tough questions. You can hear the anger and the pain. Habakkuk was an 8th century prophet in the southern Kingdom of Judah during Judah’s final years. He looked around at all the evil and chaos, and it seemed like either God did not hear his cries for help or didn’t care enough to help. Maybe God was not powerful enough to make a difference.
Habakkuk asked his hard questions and God responded. Habakkuk got a vision of God as a fierce warrior King completely in control, a God that could be trusted with every question, with every evil, and with every need.
Come to worship this Sunday with your own questions for God and let’s listen together as he responds.
Pastor David
Can you imagine what it would be like for God to sing over you? It was merely a spoken word that brought the universe into existence. What would happen if God lifted up his voice and not only spoke but sang?
This Sunday we are continuing our series on the Portraits from the Prophets by looking at the book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah as a prophet has one single message, “The Day of the LORD is coming.” At the end of the book he paints a magnificently beautiful picture of a great Day of blessing when God will remove the guilt of his people, restore his presence with them, and then rejoice and sing loudly over them. The reality of God singing over his people is almost something too grand to comprehend, something too wonderful to grasp. But Zephaniah makes it even more marvelous when he paints it’s diamond-like radiance in front of the dark and gloomy background of the Day of the LORD as a day of wrath as well as a day of blessing.
On Sunday, we are going to explore the Day of the LORD as a day of wrath and a day of blessing, and ask the questions: How can it be both? How can God come in both wrath and blessing? And how does Jesus Christ resolve this tension for us, so we can rejoice in God’s singing over us?
I look forward to worshipping and singing with you all this Sunday as our God sings over us as well.
Adam Feichtmann
“The LORD roars from Zion.” The prophet Amos begins his book with a terrifying image. Strike from your mind all your experience with lions behind bars and glass at the zoo; strike cartoons and cuddly stuff animals.
This week we look at the portrait of God given to us in the story of Jonah. It is a simple story. A man is running from God and God pursues him in love. As Jonah tells us, God is “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”
This week we look at the portrait of God given to us in the story of Jonah. It is a simple story. A man is running from God and God pursues him in love. As Jonah tells us, God is “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”
This Sunday we are pleased to welcome Rev. Iron Kim from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Orange as our guest preacher. Iron will be teaching on the topic of humility and God’s community. Please prepare for his visit by reading James chapter 4 as a family or individually.
The Sunday following, on September 1st, we have the exciting opportunity to hear about The Muslim World and the Future of the Christian Church, with our guest preacher Fikret Bocek. Click HERE to read an invitation and RSVP to the 9:00 am talk he will be giving. This will be great opportunity to invite friends to church over Labor Day weekend.
I look forward to worshiping with you!
Adam Feichtmann
Over the next few weeks we will have the privilege of listening to a handful of different guest preachers. This Sunday Rev. Bryce Hales, RUF campus minister at the University of Utah, will be with us and teaching on Revelation 4. Prepare for the sermon by setting some time aside on Saturday night or Sunday morning to read Revelation 4 individually or as a family. Now, as a foretaste of what we will be hearing, David Chilton has a great quote:
“The apocalyptists said: The world is coming to an end: Give up! The Biblical prophets said: The world is coming to a beginning: Get to work!”
I look forward to worshiping together this Sunday!
Adam Feichtmann
Pray for me. Next week is an important week. You don’t have to be at Redeemer long to hear me mention Colossians 3:16:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
This is a snapshot, a picture of the community life all Christians are to pursue. In a culture that prizes independence, autonomy, and privacy there is almost nothing more countercultural. Who knows you, really knows you? Who have you given permission, even invited, to speak into your life with truth and love? And not just at one moment in time, but consistently over the long term.
If you are a member of Redeemer, as your church community this is one of the primary places you should be pursuing these kinds of relationships. Of course it can happen other places as well, but your local church community, with your pastors, elders, deacons and other brothers and sister in Christ, is meant to be the primary place you experience this community life. It does not happen naturally. It does not happen quickly. You have to work for it. You have to plan for it. You have to rearrange your life for it. It is worth it, but it is not easy.
This is why you can pray for me this coming week. I am in a group with six other pastors from across the county. We are deeply committed to each other. We connect throughout the month each month and gather together for four days each year. Next week I am hosting this group at my house. It is a wonderful time and so much fun, but also a time of intense transparency, accountability, prayer, engagement with the scripture, and speaking truth and love to each other.
Pray that the Spirit would move with power during our time together. Pray that the support and challenge I receive from these other pastors makes me a better servant to you and the Redeemer community. Also, consider taking a step into deeper community at Redeemer this coming year. It is not easy, but it is worth it.
Preaching this Sunday will be one of the other members of this group, Rev. Ronnie Garcia. (We will return to Esther on August 18th.) Ronnie is a wonderful pastor and a church planter in Puerto Rico. Below you will find links to two documents about his work. Please take the time to learn about what God is doing through Ronnie and his church, and pray for their work.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
Is church membership biblical? Is it necessary?
Last week we saw that God created the church, that the church is the family of God, his household, his people. Embracing this identity means that we embrace a new leader (King Jesus), a new lifestyle (the kingdom lifestyle), and a new mission (the mission of the king to renew all his good creation). As the church, together as his people, we follow Christ in all of life for the glory of God and the renewal of our neighborhoods.
Here is the rub. All that identity and mission of the church stuff can sound great when it is general. However, that identity and mission is not meant to stay in the abstract, in the realm of ideas. It is meant to touch down into real life, with real people; real people that you commit to, submit to and love in all their (and your) messiness. Membership in the local church, where we rub shoulders with real people, is where this happens. The local church is where the people of God take shape and form.
In preparation for Sunday, please read and pray through 1Corinthians 12:12-27. I can’t wait to worship together this Sunday.
Pastor David
“The visible Church, which is also catholic or universal under the Gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, and of their children, and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” (Westminster Confession of Faith 25.5).