Redemption Church - Sermons: Recent Episodes

Redemption Church

Weekly messages from Redemption Church in Houston, TX. Radically inclusive hope. For absolutely anyone. https://redemptionhou.com

The God who makes all things new transforms us into a radically inclusive community of hope. But what exactly is the work of a community like this? Simply put, to let our hearts be set on fire.

Radical Inclusion goes beyond acceptance, it is an invitation into Jesus’ life changing love. The triune God welcomes us into himself by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ into eternal love, His eternal communion. We then as people leading Jesus centered lives are sent out invites to see the world as He does, beautiful, diverse and deeply loved by God.

Why are we a radically inclusive community of hope? We start with God and what God is up to in order to understand who we are and what we should be up to. And the really good news is that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is at work making all things new.

The Old Testament ends much the same way life happens, in an unremarkable, unresolved waiting. Waiting for life to change, waiting for things to get better, waiting for God to break through, Malachi is the prophet of the Old Testament who leaves us waiting.

Ever felt like God is absent or at least asleep at the wheel? Yeah me too. But the fever dream that is the book of Zechariah offers us a compelling vision of a God who has not forgotten us, and who is very much up to something in the chaos we call life.

What does a Jesus centered life look like when the past seems to be better than the present? When the church, or our faith, or even God lets us down? There’s a way forward that is wildly subversive and unexpected.

Zephaniah offers a grand picture of God's judgement and God's love. In the process we find that the heart of God is to make all things new.

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In the face of yet even more “unprecedented times” where is God? And what does hope and victory look like right now?

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How do we trust in God’s goodness in times of chaos when evil seems to always win? What does this look like? It involves us letting go and leaving justice up to God. He declares in no uncertain terms that he is not indifferent to evil and the suffering it causes. Even in the midst of declaring that he will bring judgment on evil, he promises to be a safe place to those who come to him.

In a world complicated by endless demands and distractions, what does God truly require of us? Today we'll dive into Micah 6:6-8 and explore the timeless and transformative call to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God." We'll uncover how these basic principles can simplify our spiritual journey and align our lives with God's heart. Join us as we strip away the non-essentials and return to the core of our faith, finding purpose and peace in the simplicity of God's requirements.

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The book of Jonah tells us of two groups of people: a practiced, knowledgeable Israelite and outsiders who know nothing of Yahweh. It may surprise us to see that throughout this book, knowledge about God does not lead to communion and encounter with God. Through this, God reveals the tension between knowledge about a system of beliefs and trust in God. Sometimes knowing doesn't lead to closeness.

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What is God’s idea of justice and how does this square with what Jesus is doing in our lives? The prophet Amos gives us insight into the profound depths of injustice and how the path to justice is not as obscure and unfamiliar as we might think.

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How do we make sense of a loving God who also judges and seems to punish people? The prophet Joel helps us reimagine all the contours and nuances of this great and terrible day of judgement known as “The Day of the Lord.”

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One of our foundational ideas about God is that He is a reciprocating God, a God of karma. Yet the Book of The Twelve leads with Hosea's depiction of a God who stops at nothing to be with us.

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The often-overlooked story of Hagar is a shocking revelation of God. He finds the social outcast in the wilderness and identifies himself with her—transforming her status to become the woman who named God. Whoever and wherever you are, God sees you and comes to find you.

The love of God offered to the world in Jesus will mean nothing short of dismantling the powers of darkness. What that looks like may surprise us.

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Does a Jesus centered life mean that wives should submit to their husbands? The answer is surprisingly political, subversive, and down right punk.

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After a weekend of chaos, we are reminded of our great hope. The Spirit of the living God is here, even in the darkness, renewing all things.

Reimagining Love

How does Jesus resurrect our ideas of what it means to be human? It starts and ends with love.

How can we change the world?

A Jesus centered life is far more than morality. Jesus invites us to join in His redemptive work in the ways we physically and bodily show up in the world. And this makes all the difference

What does God want me to do with my life?

You have an important job to do. Being a church goer with church going friends is fine. But what difference does that make to you or to the world? Jesus invitation is an invitation into a risky, exciting and deeply meaningful way of life. Jesus has given you a vocation.

Easter Sunday | This Tear-Stained Hope

There really is something beyond the relentless violence and meaninglessness of this reality. Something more robust than the ego defending toxic positivity, or thin optimism. A robust hope exists that all things will be well, and that we are deeply loved.

Passion Sunday | Ephesians 3:13-3:20

Jesus final week offers the central story and pattern of life for Ephesians’ new creation community.

Why We Can’t Ditch The Church | Ephesians 2:19-3:13

We’re not merely rescued by God, not merely included by God, and not merely recreated by God. We are God’s sacrament to a dying world

Inclusion is the fruit of the Spirit | Ephesians 2:11-18

God’s divine embrace extends to the far off, yes even you. Once we realize this, we also realize that we are called to be an active part of that embrace, seeing, including, and loving the ‘other

You have been created to co-create | Ephesians 2:8-10

The surprising reality of God reaching down and re-humanizing us has a plot twist. In our re-creation, we are made co-creators by God. We call this Church.

The Antidote to Shame | Ephesians 2:4-7

Many of us have come to understand that we need to be saved from God's wrath. But Ephesians tells a starkly different story, one that will deeply transform our sense of self if we will let it be our story.

Is God in Control? | Ephesians 2:1-3

Ephesians lays out a dynamic picture of a cosmos in need of God’s re-ordering. This complicates overly simplistic clichés about what Jesus is up to among us. And leaves us with a much richer story to make sense of our lives.

Spiritual but not Religious | Ephesians 1:15-23

Do we need church to believe in and follow Jesus?

Are we predestined by God? | Ephesians 1:1-6

Has God predestined us? The confounding opening of Ephesians does not attempt to pose an interesting theological question. Rather, it makes a striking claim, redefining the very core of your existence.

The Gift of Lament | Psalm 13:1-6

We don’t need 2024 to go a certain way for us to be okay. We can experience God’s goodness right where we are. Through the practice of lament, even our deepest pains and doubts can be transformed into resilient joy.

Love Remains | Ephesians 2:1-10

In every situation, love is the better choice.

Christmas Eve: God as a Baby \ Zephaniah 3:14-17

God is with us, as a baby. He is ours to hold, enjoy, and adore. Merry Christmas!

Centering Ourselves in the Coming Messiah| Advent IV \ Isaiah 61:1-4 & John 1:6-8, 19-28

In our desperation for all that is broken to be restored, we are tempted to grasp for control and try to bring about this restoration ourselves. When we let go and center ourselves instead in Jesus our coming Messiah, we can experience the love and the safety we so desperately long for, even now as we wait.

The Paradoxical Christian Life | Advent III | Isaiah 40:1-11

The Christian life is one of great paradoxes, and the Advent season is a time that draws us into this very reality. We are a people that simultaneously hold a life of waiting and longing with a life of laboring and preparing. We are fully rooted in the present while also pointing ourselves towards the coming Kingdom of God. The Israelite people have much to speak into our lives regarding this theological paradox.

The Weary World and the Absent God | Advent II \ Mark 13:24-37

Advent asks us to reflect on the darkness of the world in a way that helps us see we have every reason to hope.

The Weary World in the Shadow of Death | Isaiah 25

We live in the dark veil of death. Advent is about watching and waiting for God and all that comes with Him, Justice, peace, and finally the end of death.

The Table is Crossed Shaped | Luke 9:23-27

Jesus table is cross-shaped. And those seated at His table are invited to participate in cross-shaped living. What seems like death, actually offers life.

The Table: Busyness | Luke 10:38-42

We live in a world of hustle. No matter what stage of life you are in you are likely busy. But Jesus challenges the idea that being busy is what's best for our humanity.

The Table: Life with God | John 15:1-11

Enjoying God is not meant to be a human luxury, but the heart of what it means to be human. Jesus has some thoughts on how we might begin to experience this enjoyment here and now, even in the busy, broken, places of our lives.

The Table: Distraction | 1 Peter 1:3-9

What does it mean to live a Jesus centered life in a world of distraction? I think Jesus' answer is as compelling as it is radical.

The Table : Be Real | Luke 18:9-17

Confession is the birthplace of communion. Like most of what Jesus' teaches, the counterintuitive reality of coming to terms with our human limitations can be scary, but in it we find liberation and redemption.

The Table : Inclusion | Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus table is open to absolutely anyone. Yes really! So how do we as God's people begin to embody Jesus' inclusion.

A Communal Table Pt. 2: Anti-communion | Genesis 4:8-16

We were made to love and be loved. Our tendency towards isolation is not merely an unfortunate circumstance, but the very thing God has come to unmake in us.

A Communal Table Pt. 1 | John 7:37-39

"Let's do life together!" What does that really mean and what does Jesus have to do with it?

An Invitation to Jesus' Table

Jesus invites us into our full humanity, into life. But the invitation comes with some caveats

The Center of all Things | Matthew 1:1-17

Jesus stands at the center of history. But what does that have to do with me?

We Are Exiles | Isaiah 50:1-11

We often wonder why God is so silent, so distant, and why life feels so heavy and hard at times. Yet Isaiah offers us surprising hope in the midst of the desert. More than that, he shows a God who enters the desert with us.

The Central Thing | 1 & 2 Kings

The narrative story of Israel's Kings is largely a story of failure. But the narrator invites to see behind the scenes and find a God of life at work in a history of death. There is a central invitation to us here.

Losing my Religion | Jonah

Religion has wounded, disillusioned, and 'othered' so many of us. The prophet Jonah helps us see how, and to explore the invitation of the God who is bigger than our religion. Where will we go from here?

Radical Inclusion - Ruth

The inclusion of Jesus was not new. In fact Jesus, echoed the inclusion meant to be modeled by God's people.

Getting it Right Where it Counts // 2 Samuel

David's life is a mess. He is violent, unfaithful, and deceitful. Yet, according to the scriptures there is something about him which makes him a man after God's heart. What in the world are we supposed to learn from a guy like this?

Whose side is God on? // Joshua 5:13-15

It's easy to assume that God being for us makes God against 'them.' But the reality of God's redemptive plan reaches far beyond our tribalism.

A Law of Love? Deuteronomy

Reading the Hebrew Law as modern followers of Jesus often leaves us perplexed and possibly offended. We are ultimately left with the question of what in the world these ancient law codes have to do with us. We're tackling some of these questions together this week.

Exodus 40:33–38

We often think of liberation in terms of freedom from rather than liberation into. Yet the God of liberation is a God of love, always liberating into divine communion.

Exodus 12:21–36

The story of the Exodus is well known. And if we will allow it, this monumental moment in the life of the Hebrew people can shape our imagination in a way that leads us into the subversive way of a liberating God.

Genesis 12–50

The story of the Old Testament is often told as one of faithful heroes. In reality, the story is one of God's persistent faithfulness to be for us, using our messes to bring blessing and flourishing to the world.

Genesis 6:1-13 & 9:1-17

From the beginning of creation, God has been intervening in human ruin to provide a hope for the world through relationship with Him. the Bible’s flood narrative reveals this truth. God saw violence and responded with hope. And it was all through relationship with Him.

Mark 1:9-14

Join us as we answer your questions about life after death.

John 5:19–29

Jesus promises us eternal life, but what does that really mean? The answer gives us insight into what Jesus is inviting us into here and now, but also why the people of Jesus have always been incredibly hopeful in the face of pain, injustice, and even death.

Genesis 5:1–31

In some strange way, Christians tend to confuse death with life. This week we explore why that is, and how Jesus invites us to think about death.

Isaiah 54:10

God is an infinite and diverse being that we are unable to capture in a single description. So Christian scriptures and tradition have employed a variety of metaphors to help us understand God and God's relationship with us. This morning we look at one of the oft ignored metaphors revealing a God who bears suffering because of deep love for us.

John 3:16–31

Taking the scriptures seriously means wrestling with the reality of God's wrath. But if we will, we will often find something shockingly hopeful and redemptive.

Luke16:19-31

What do the scriptures really say about hell if we take them seriously? And more importantly, what sort of picture does this paint of the God we serve and worship? And what sort of damage has this done to those outside the church, but also to those within?

Luke 24:36-53

What happens when we die but before the resurrection? Does Jesus talk about this at all and how might this change the way we live now?

Mark 1:1-15

I think our misunderstanding of heaven, hell and the afterlife has hijacked what it means to follow Jesus. The Good News of Jesus seems to have shockingly little to death with heaven, or hell. And that makes a huge difference.

John 20:1-18

We could all use some good news, but the good news of Easter isn't just good news for the future, it is good news for right here and now.

Matthew 21:1-11

Many of us have come to believe our bodies are bad, or at least neutral containers of the real us. But Jesus shows us something radically different, inviting us into a far richer and more holistic understanding of our selves as bodies.

Matthew 4:1-11

The Scriptures played a key role in the life of Jesus and in the life of God's people for centuries. Is there a way for us to move beyond some of the abusive, simplistic, and cynical ways we relate to the Scriptures in order to recover something redemptive? I think so.

Matthew 12:46-50

If we are made for love then our relationships are vital to our spiritual life. But what does redemptive, Jesus centered community look like?

Luke 11:13-19

Spiritual disciplines help us navigate the strong currents of the world. Feasting and fasting give us tools to stand within but in protest of the evil world, in an embodied way, a way that longs for and celebrates the Kingdom of God here and now.

Matthew 11:25-29

Busyness is probably the biggest obstacle to pursuing life with God. But there are ways to foster one while eliminating the other. Here's an invitation from Jesus to let go and rest.

Luke 18:35-43

Jesus invites us to come and follow Him. But what does that look like in the chaos and busyness of our everyday lives? The answer could revolutionize your life.

Romans 8:28-39

Ready for the most hopeful idea in all of the scriptures? Here is God's plan for your life. And it is wonderful.

Romans 8:26-27

God has a plan for you and pain, suffering, and death aren't it. How do we know? Because of this one magnificent reality.

Romans 8:18-25

What do we make of a world filled with suffering and pain? Why do we suffer? What does our suffering say about God and us? The answer is not one that allows us to escape our present suffering, but does offer us substantial hope as we endure it.

Romans 8:14-17

Familial language about God can be hard. We import all sorts of baggage and the waters of God's intentions towards us get cloudy. But maybe this can offer a bit of clarity.

Romans 8:9-13

We want to follow Jesus but often feel stuck between religious performance and apathy. Is there another way? Have you tried coming back to life?

Romans 8:5-8

God's invitation into a brave new world means seeing the world through the lens of God's subversive action at work in it and in you and this changes everything.

Romans 8:1-4

The most hopeful idea you'll ever hear is not about an escape, away into God's future, but about how God's future breaks into your present. And this good news changes everything.

Revelation 21

Advent is a season of preparation. One that teaches us to anticipate the ultimate advent of Christ. Our hearts and spirits primed, we wait with expectation during this holiday season. As we do, we remind ourselves of God's coming kingdom, assured of God's faithfulness, and reflecting the fullness of Christ Himself.

Revelation 3:20-22

What do we do with religious disappointment? When the our worlds fall apart and it seems like God doesn't care is there anything worth hoping for? The shocking answer comes from a surprising place in scripture.

Titus 2:11-3:15

Living into Jesus way of God's Kingdom means participating in Christ's renewal of the world. But what does that even look like these days? There are a lot of answers, but they all must include this.

Leviticus 23

Life is chaotic, stressful, and remarkably not what we would choose for it to be. Is there any hope for recovering our life? I think so.

Hebrews 10:19-25

Busy, stressed, tired, and just plain worn out. How we can begin to pursue a quiet life that will transform us and maybe even the cosmos by gathering together week after week?

Hebrews 10:19-25

Busy, stressed, tired, and just plain worn out. How we can begin to pursue a quiet life that will transform us and maybe even the cosmos by gathering together week after week?

Mark 10:13-16

We know the good news, but it is sometimes hard to fully receive and live in it. Scripture tells us that children are experts at receiving the kingdom of God. How then could we model our spiritual life after the kids among us? The spiritual practice of wonder helps us answer that question.

Romans 13:8-14

In our final sermon of this series we look at how all of these wellsprings where we can find life work their way into the nooks and crannies of our real every day living.

Romans 6:1-10

The world is a broken place, but there is a profound reality that gives a deep hope in the face of any and every circumstance. It has been the source of hope for God's people for over 2,000 years and can be yours also. Want to know what it is?

Hebrews 10

To find hope amidst our doubts, suffering, and failures, we paradoxically look to a crucified God.

Philippians 2:1-11

In our search for meaning, significance, success, we are each longing for transcendence. But the way up is down. None of this can come through our usual means of hustle, intellect, power, or wealth. We won't find ourselves in gaining, but in losing. This is what Christ shows us.

Discussion
- The incarnation of the Son of God assures us that God is on our side as our destinies are united to his.
- Does this Give you comfort?
- Is it helpful for you as you look for hope?
- Why or why not?
- What would be different for you if this was actually true?
- Do you feel united with God?
- If not, what would be different if you did?

John 10:22-33

If there is a God what is God like? Is God a maniacal tyrant, demanding obedience and subservience? An absent clockmaker? Or something worse? Is there any way to know? A long held Christian confession can help us navigate these important questions.

Colossians 1:15-20

We’ve had to ask hard questions about faith over the last few years. And we’re left wondering if there's anything worth saving? Or maybe better yet anything that can actually save us? Is there a spring of life in this wasteland of death?

Psalm 16

Why should we even pray? Especially if God already knows what we're going to ask, what's the point? The Psalm's answer will completely redefine prayer and it's place in our lives.

Psalm 22 & 23

How do we pray when faced with the unthinkable? More than this, how do we pray when it seems like our prayers are met by silence?

Acts

Ready to pray but don't know where to start? The Psalms show us. Whether you've never prayed, or have prayed your whole life, they teach and train us in prayer like nothing else.

Acts

What can a strange church council decision about eating meat and having sex tell us about worship? A lot.

Acts

We want to be a place of radically inclusive hope. But what exactly do we mean by hope, and why does it matter?

Acts

The Spirit of Jesus led the earliest church into a counter cultural way of living that was beautiful and redemptive. But Jesus invites us to do the same. We can begin to actually experience the radical and transformative communion with God and one another we're made for.

Acts

Women have been active participants in the church from its earliest moments, yet we often overlook their irreplaceable contributions. Today, we recognize and honor the stories of three women who helped establish the church in its earliest days.

It’s Zack’s final sermon as our lead pastor. Join us to hear some things he thinks are very important.

Acts

While the history of the Church as an institution is so often one of exclusion, de-humanization, and violence, the ongoing story of Jesus work in and among the Church by His Spirit is a story of radical inclusion. Buckle up.

We’re going to be ok. Really. Here’s how I know.

Acts 1

Many of us have experienced real pain, hurt, abuse, and manipulation at the hands of "The Church." What would happen if we allowed God's depiction of church to shape and form how we go about this thing called church? Perhaps we would find real love, real healing, and real beauty. Perhaps we might begin to experience heaven on earth.

Genesis 5

78 minutes in Uvalde?! We’ve got some questions for God.

Genesis 3

The depiction of the fall of humanity in Genesis 3 is one of the most devastating passages in all of scripture. And today, it speaks to our reality that our situation is far more dire than we may realize, and the solution is far more beautiful than anything we could ever imagine.

Genesis 1

Big Ideas

We’re in Genesis 1 because this is where everyone talks about gender
Adam = Human, it refers to both male and female
Helper is used most often to refer to God, it isn’t a term of lowering or denigration
There is no one named Eve until after the fall
They are referred to as ish and isha, names that intentionally show the sameness of male and female
Adam names her as he has named the other animals. It is an act of domination and subjugation
Man ruling over woman is a result of the curse, not part of divine design

Questions

What has your experience of gender relationships?
Have you been taught their equality, or complementing differences?
What does this ancient context change about your understanding of Genesis’ creation account?
Do you agree that this passage doesn’t clearly defend strict separation of genders and their respective roles?
Why or why not?

Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-18

Big Ideas

God made us to rule along with him
Helper = partner, co-creator
Can’t mean “lesser” or “subservient” because it’s most often used to describe God
Before loneliness is felt or articulated, God sees the solitude of man. Something is wrong. So he fixes it.
Many of us have been told that religion is a private thing, that the most important thing for us is just relationship with God
God seems to disagree
The human was alone, and in a good creation, this state was not good
Our religion is love
We started Redemption because of this conviction, that we need each other
We can’t be fully human without relationships
The Lord’s Prayer is communal. “Our Father”, not “My Father”
You do not need permission to love the people around you
Sunday mornings are about us loving each other, not entertainment or shows
Spiritual fruit exists if and ONLY if you are growing in love shown to others
Everybody serves because the church needs to know you

Questions

How would you react if I told you I was lonely?
What do you do when you’re lonely?
What would God say if you told him you were lonely?
Have you understood religion to be something private?
What do you think about the statement, “We can’t be fully human without relationships and community.”
What if we judged our Sunday experienced based on this, “who did I get to love today?”
How can we help you get more plugged in at Redemption?
How can you serve your church?
Redemption is less complete if you’re not serving. We need you.
If someone needs encouragement, try telling them something you love about them, that you think Redemption needs to experience through their service?

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Big Ideas

Context changes how we understand things
We don’t think science and scripture are in conflict

Reading Genesis

The biggest thing to understand when approaching Genesis is that it is responding to the other belief systems around it.
In order to get what the writers of Genesis are trying to tell their audience, we need to see where they agree, and where they disagree with the other beliefs around them. Those similarities and differences show what’s important, what’s shared, and what is shockingly different.

Genesis

All ancient near east creation stories started with chaos, deep waters
Naming = creating
Genesis isn’t about how everything was made. It is about why things are the way they are.
These stories are about purpose and function
Genesis starts with peace, not conflict
God creates the world, not competing gods
He rests daily. Other gods created because they could not rest
Man is given dominion, made to rule
Other gods made man to serve them. God serves us, and makes us to serve one another with him
Other gods create man in order to feed the gods. God feeds us.
Other gods are annoyed by man. God delights in us and tells us to multiply.

Takeaways

Who is God? He is hospitable, he made a place for us, he is fantastically good
Who are we? We are rulers in THIS cosmos, not escaping to a distant heaven
God won’t give up on the good thing he’s started.
Salvation = RESTORATION OF FUNCTION

Questions

Have you heard this perspective on Genesis before?
What does it change about what you think about God?
What does it change about what you think about yourself?
Is it easier to believe that God made you with delight in order to care for the cosmos with him if it’s been believed for thousands of years?

Genesis 1

Big Ideas

This is Hebrew poetry
Modern christianity doesn’t know what to do with the resurrection
When we divorce physical and spiritual life, we don’t have any use for resurrection
We call death “life”, pretend it’s not a bad thing
Contemporary Christian Music is sunshine and rainbows, the only theme is victory
Secularism is YOLO, there is no spiritual life, so nothing matters
Real life is EMBODIED
God loves “stuff” so much that he became stuff
God rested on Day 7 because he was done
Real life is embodied communion with God
Our dominion means that we are here to create order out of chaos, to steward and help everything here flourish, and in doing so, experience delight-filled communion with God
God is ALL IN ALL
We’ve stripped God from the world

Implications

Stuff matters. Bodies matter.
Love our neighbors. Glory in diversity. Fight for justice.
Your life is sacred, God is meeting you there
God meet us in the ordinary
Our world matters. We need to protect it.
The cosmos are groaning for resurrection
Spiritual life is really embodied

Questions

What are things in your life that feel like they show separation of spiritual and physical life?
What’s something that you feel spiritual or physical life doesn’t apply to?
What is a part of your week where you struggle to feel connected to God?
What’s an ordinary activity that you wish you could feel communion with God while doing it?
Is everything actually spiritual?
Does everything physical really matter to God?
What would change for you if this was true?

Mark 16:1-8

Questions- What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for you?

What does it change for you if humble love really does win?
Does this news that humble love conquers death cause trembling and ecstasy for you?
If not, why do you think that is?

Questions
- Recast in your own mind, Worship the god who was made one with you, one spirit with you, converging permanently with you
- How have you been taught to understand the cross before?
- Did it seem hard to believe it was about God’s love?
- Was it hard to believe God is love if he had to punish someone for sin?
- What do you think about the idea that Jesus was not separated from the Father on the cross?
- Do you think about God as relational first?
- What does it change for you if the most important thing for you is to be in relationship with God and others?
- What if that is more important than morality or behavior?
- How we help each other participate more in communion today?

Big Ideas
- We tend to hear that God is love, but also that the cross is where his judgement boiled over and he had to punish someone.
- We want to hold up the cross as central to our understanding of God’s love.
- The Father ABSOLUTELY DID NOT turn his face away from Jesus on the cross
- God is, first and foremost, a relationship. It’s the first thing the early church stated when describing God.
- The reason you exist is to participate in divine communion forever and ever
- What is sin? The rupturing of common. The opposite of love. The thing that is breaking all communities.
- Jesus is feeling abandonment. That does not mean he was actually abandoned.
- Everyone around him know these Psalms by heart. Quoting the first line of Psalm 22 is intended to make everyone think of the whole Psalm, not just the first line.
- The curtain is torn. God is directly revealed to humanity.
- God appears in darkness, and the judgement is put on himself.
- The curse was broken because we are no longer alone.
- In this act, God is re-ordering the cosmos
- God and humanity are finally fully converging
- The work of the cross is the love of God, that he would invade and conquer with this absurd foolishness

Questions
- Recast in your own mind, Worship the god who was made one with you, one spirit with you, converging permanently with you
- How have you been taught to understand the cross before?
- Did it seem hard to believe it was about God’s love?
- Was it hard to believe God is love if he had to punish someone for sin?
- What do you think about the idea that Jesus was not separated from the Father on the cross?
- Do you think about God as relational first?
- What does it change for you if the most important thing for you is to be in relationship with God and others?
- What if that is more important than morality or behavior?
- How we help each other participate more in communion today?

Big Ideas- Mark 15:16-32
- The story of Good Friday is split up into 3 sections, each with its own focus or lens
- This lens is humiliation. Mark is focusing on the mockery that Jesus suffered.
- The physical pain of the crucifixion is only given one sentence in Mark’s account
- If Physical suffering was the point of Jesus’ crucifixion, it would have gotten more explanation in the story
- Crucifixion itself was designed to maximize humiliation and shame, not to maximize pain
- Jesus went lower, and lower, until he got to the lowest point that a human could get at this time
- This was what Jesus accomplished on the cross
- The humiliation IS the glorification of God
- This is the image of the invisible God
- The clearest picture we’ve ever seen of God is Jesus suffering humiliation on the cross
- The reason? Solidarity with people feeling shame.
- Solidarity with you
- You have a God who understands you
- You have a God who understands what you’re feeing, and is sharing the burden you’re carrying
- When you get to your lowest point, God has gone ahead, and is already waiting for you there.
- You never have to be alone.

Questions- Read through the story together, talk about what stands out to you in the relentless lowering of Jesus
- Have you thought or been told that the point of the crucifixion was the amount of pain that Jesus suffered for you?
- What does it change if the crucifixion is about humiliation and shame?
- Have you felt like God is too good, too distant to feel what you’re feeling when you’re in a bad place?
- Can you find comfort in God actually understanding what you’re feeling no matter how bad things get?
- What do you think about a God who would come that far to share your lowest experience with you?
- Does this make it easier to think about sharing the burdens of others?

Big Ideas

Grace is free, and entirely from God’s initiative
Jesus is bold in front of his accusers. He is forcing their hand.
Jesus is giving himself up
This phrase in Greek is “paradidomi”
This word occurs 7 times in Chapter 14, translated there as “betrayed”
Same word for what the priests and Pilate do. Handed over.
In Mark, Jesus was “handed over”
God hands Jesus over
Jesus hands himself over. He is active in this process, not passive.
THIS IS WHO GOD IS
God is the one who hands himself over.
He is the self-giving God.
He’s not all powerful because of strength and violence, but because of self-giving love.
The second coming will not be different from this one, it won’t be Jesus coming back with violence to conquer death.
God has always, and will always, conquer by being conquered, defeat death with love.
Redemptive violence does not exist.

Questions

How does all of this strike you?
In your mind, is the cross a “different” event than the way God will finally conquer sin and death?
What do you think about this emphasis on “giving over,” on “paradidomi”?
How does it change your view of God if he is consistently, always, the God who gives himself over?
Can you conquer by being conquered?
How would you change yourself if you really bought into this being true?

Big Ideas

Grace is completely free
Grace has nothing to do with your intentions, attitude, faithfulness. It only has to do with the initiative of God
God’s action, and absolutely free
Mark 14:66-72
Peter is at risk just being in the courtyard
The girl is as marginalized as possible, completely powerless
Jesus is in front of the most powerful
Peter is drifting away from Jesus (moving to porch)
Aside on manuscript accuracy
Peter is still there. He’s seen by the girl.
She shouts his ID, escalates. There might be consequences if he tells the truth. He denies.
Peter runs away breaking down, weeping
I want grace to become the thing that anchors your soul
I want it to dominate the way you read the text
If we don’t see grace, we haven’t read the text correctly
It’s bad. Peter is lumped in with false prophets.
Peter is ashamed of Jesus.
We have to read in accordance to the dominant theme
Dawn is a sign of literary hope. It is not all lost.
Peter remembered. What did he remember? The warning, but then also the next thing he said. “All of you are going to deny me, but when I get up, I will meet you in Galilee
Peter realized in this moment that the prophecy is coming true. Faith. Jesus is a true prophet. He knows it. And he knows Jesus still wants him and said he would rise again.
The angel says, “go tell the others. Especially Peter.”
“I might still have grace as long as…”
Grace isn’t just for small mistakes. It’s for the worst things we’ve ever done. It is limitless.

Questions

what do you remember from youth group?
Do you feel like it was shame or trying to keep God happy with you?
Where is grace?
Have you ever tried reading scripture with the assumption that every story has to be about grace? How would that change how you approach the Bible? Do you think it’s possibly true or helpful?
Have you read Peter’s story as him weeping from grace instead of shame?
How much do you still feel like you need to meet some standard to keep God from being displeased with you?

Big Ideas

Mark 14:53-65
The authorities decided they need to remove the threat of Jesus, they are rushing to make a reason and finish eliminating him before the festival starts.
Why? Because Jesus is threatening their entire system.
I am. I am the one who rules over you.
You can trust Jesus. He has the power to take care of all you needs.

Questions

Am I willing to give up any of my power or status to believe and follow Jesus?
What would it look like for you to have less status in order to follow Jesus?
What’s a circumstance that makes it hard for you to trust Jesus?
How does it change your relationship with Jesus to see him as the Almighty creator and sustainer of all things?
Can he be those things and also close, intimate, and absolutely unconditionally loving and embracing you?
What do you need to hear from him this week? What assurance do you want?

Big Ideas

Mark 14:43-52
Can we trust Jesus?
There are going to be times when it feels like the darkness has won
In those moments, it feels like God isn't with us
Even in the darkness, hold on to Jesus. Hes is with us in it.
Violence does not overcome violence. It perpetuates it.
In darkness, Jesus shows relentless obedience to the Father, obedience to love no matter what.
We stay in the dark garden with Jesus.

Questions

Can we trust Jesus?
What is a time when you felt like you couldn't?
Have you experience comfort in Jesus' nearness, sharing your hurt?
Have you heard the message to "just hang in there, things will get better!"?
How is Jesus' example different than that message?
How can we help offer better hope to hurting friends?

Big Ideas- Many of us believe that we are saved by having right theology
- We want to have the attitude that, “Things are hard and dark, but they’re being made right.”
- We’re just like Peter.
- Peter repeatedly denies Jesus.
- Jesus’ response is to ask Peter to come pray with him, to give him company in his time of need.
- Jesus asks the Father for something he knows he won’t get.
- For all our denial, the God of everything gives himself over on your behalf.

Questions- Do you feel like prayer “works?”
- What do you think God feels about you when you repeatedly deny him? How will he respond?
- What do you think about Jesus’ response to Peter? To pull him in closer?
- How much security do you place in having right theology?
- What do you think about the “infinite pile of crayons” analogy?
- Why Did Jesus ask for something he knew he wouldn’t get?
- Do you pray like that?
- Do you know the feeling of telling God you know he loves you?
- Have you felt peace after those desperate prayers?
- Does this response of Jesus to Peter change your view of God?

Big Ideas- Mark 14:26, Psalm 113-118
- We see little snippets of God’s character in Jesus’ life
- Jesus sings
- This is how Jesus chooses to spend his last night, singing hymns with his friends
- Redemption started as a place that was safe for cynics and doubters (it still is). For a lot of us, it’s scarier to sing, to pray, to be vulnerable in our joy
- Traditionally, Jews sang Psalm 113-118. This is a good guess for the songs Jesus sang on this night.
- They say “Praise Yahweh” over and over
- Things were dark and hard, but they still sang Praise Yahweh
- These are songs of resistance
- In this moment, even if I don’t feel it, I believe God’s steadfast love endures forever.
- They sang with gusto, “this is the day the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad”
- We feel things and say things in worship that we don’t think or say the rest of the week
- We are singing WITH Jesus

Questions- Read these Psalms together
- What would it be like to sing these songs with Jesus?
- What does your heart grab on to in these psalms today?
- Challenge yourself if you don’t think you’re a singer. Apparently Jesus thinks you need to do this too.
- What are things you sing or think in worship that you don’t the rest of the week?
- What would change if you felt like you were singing WITH Jesus?
- Do you feel like you need this practice of singing hymns?

Big Ideas
- Mark 14:12-25
- Jesus is sharing the Passover meal with the Disciples
- Passover is the promise of deliverance to an oppressed people
- There is no lamb, because Jesus is the lamb
- There are no bitter herbs, because Jesus is liberating us from our oppression
- “This is my body” means “This is all of me, body, mind, and soul, and it’s for you.”
- Jesus’ liberation is NEVER only spiritual
- He liberates us from the bankrupt systems of this world.
- We can live in the Kingdom of God right now, while it’s not here in full yet. We can live as if we are in it now.

Questions
- Have you felt liberated by Jesus?
- How do you deal with the tension of being free from chasing power, materialism, etc, but still feeling pulled toward it?
- Do you have a picture of being free from sin that is more than just morality and behavior?
- What does it mean to you that you’re liberated from the power of sin and death?
- What do you want to be freed from today?
- What’s holding you back?

Big Ideas- Mark 4:1-11
- Real worship - I’m demonstrating that Jesus is worth everything to me, he means so much to me
- Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were real people that Jesus really loved
- Jesus raised her brother from the dead
- Of Mary, “What she had, she did.”

Questions
- Have you ever felt shamed for “worshipping wrong”?
- Have you ever judged someone else for doing it?
- What has been your most ecstatic experience of worship?
- What do you have that you should do?
- What is something you feel like you might want to do in following Jesus that feels scary, or feels like you’d be judged for it?
- Can we do something to worship better together? To try something new?

Big Ideas
- Colossians 2:6-20
- The religious stuff is dumb.
- What you need is direct connection to God
- You need liberation from the powers around you pushing you to harm shalom
- This comes through union with Jesus. Through being made one with him, living in him as he lives in you
- The goal of the Christian life, full maturity, is dependence
- This is counter to what we tend to see as maturity, which is independence
- You can never be the person you’r meant to be without direct connection to Jesus
- He is reaching out right now, and wants to fill you with his fullness

Questions

What religious rules have you felt shamed or guilted for breaking?
What rules have you judged others for breaking?
How did those rules fail to make you more loving
How did they fall short of making you more like you want to be?
What would change if you could let go of religious rules?
What would change if you could stop trying to impress people or earn God’s approval?
What would change if Jesus really is reaching out, offering you union with him right now?
What do you think about the idea that full maturity = full dependence?
What would change if you pursued dependence more than independence?

Big Ideas
- Colossians 3:4-11
- These lists are examples of ways we destroy shalom
- Paul says “put to death” the old practices
- Sin isn’t just what we do, it’s part of who we are
- God’s wrath “is coming” against sin. It is already being experienced, not merely a future promise. Already, not in full yet.
- God’s wrath comes against the destruction of shalom.
- Shalom means wholeness, everything made right.
- We have an old self, but it doesn’t have to be this way
- War against the old self!
- The biggest thing we need to do to help ourselves and our relationships is STOP LYING.
- Be honest and vulnerable with one another. Stop trying to hide. You are known and loved already. Be honest, and pursue healing together.

Questions- What do you think about the idea that these lists aren’t exhaustive, but instead making a thematic point? That is to say, these aren’t the specific bad “sins” to avoid, but instead lists to give examples of ways we destroy shalom in our relationships
- How does that change how you read passages like this?
- How much do you really think about or feel like you have an “old self” that’s totally different than how you operate now?
- How have you tried to cast off the old self?
- What do you think about the idea that the main thing we need to do is be honest in our relationships?
- Have you experienced that? What is it like? What does it change?

Psalm 139

Big Ideas- We gather to remember that we are in God’s presence
- Try reading Psalm 139 together with the mindset of asking, “What if this is really true?”
- For us to know God is for God to know us
- It’s hard to hide from God without also hiding from people
- God knows your frame: He knows exactly what your wired for and how you are wired inside. You don’t have to try to impress him. You can be yourself.
- To be indifferent to the suffering of others is to deny that they are known and loved by God
- God knows you and PROFOUNDLY cares about you

Questions
- Does the idea of being in the presence of God scare you?
- Does the idea of being completely, really known by God scare you?
- What if God fully knows and profoundly cares about you. How does that change your view of yourself? How does it change your view of others? (because they’re known and loved too)
- What people or groups are you having a hard time loving like God does this right now?

Psalm 63

Big Ideas- You have a soul
- There is great depth in every human
- If we have that depth, we can connect with the Divine
- Seeing God changes us
- OUR SOULS CAN FEAST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
- Find rest for your soul in deep relationships

Questions
- Do you have a soul?
- If true, what does that change?
- How much of your struggle and havoc in life is a result of soul neglect?
- If your circumstances became 100% easy, would your soul finally be satisfied?

Big Ideas
- Every person is God’s child
- You are always in him
- Your life is for him

Questions
- How do these ideas sit with you?
- Do you believe that everyone is a child of God?
- Do you feel like you move, breathe, do everything, always, constantly in God’s presence?
- What would be different for you if it were true?

Paul seems to think that we can. This important message sheds light on a mistranslation that might be making it difficult to understand how we can be sinners and saved at the same time.

Big Ideas- The Magnificat is a message that is ONLY for the hopeless
- Our paradigm is stuck on karma, which is the reverse of grace
- God is not coming to flex and switch who is on the naughty list. He is fixing everything with love, there is no naughty list.
- The cross perfectly expressed the Magnificat’s message. The richest and most powerful person was emptied and cast down.
- God is humble.
- The Spirit of Jesus enables us to live into the world of the Magnificat here and now.

Questions- Do you worry about being on God’s naughty list?
- Have you ever thought about the cross showing that God lowered and emptied himself?
- How does grace change your idea of the naughty list?
- How much do you internally think about karma and how you perform?

Big Ideas- The gospel is toppling the kingdom, good news to the poor, down with the rich
- The gospel has everything to do with material reality
- Most of us have given up on the hope of Mary and Jesus
- Hope isn’t optimism, it’s confident expectation that God is up to something Good
- Mary’s confidence came from experiencing that God noticed her
- Let’s reject our cynicism, and start moving toward God’s promise of setting all things right.

Questions- How much confidence do you have that God is real? That God cares? That he is up to something good?
- Do you feel like God has noticed you? That he sees and adores you right now?
- How would that change your expectation of what he’s doing? Would it make it easier to have confident expectation that he is actually setting things right for real?
- Would you be willing to try prayer again this week?
- Would you be willing to take a risk and try hope again this week?
- How can we help each other notice that God notices us this week?

Notes- Luke 1:46-55
- First Sunday of Advent
- God is up to something. God is active. God is real. Praise God.
- Mary is a major character in the NT.
- What we believe about how Jesus will return reveals a lot about what we think of the character of God.

Questions- Mary is a major character - what is she like?
- What do you think it’s going to be like when Jesus comes back?
- How do you feel like Mary’s song fits with Advent?
- How can you join God in his program described in Mary’s song?
- Do you believe God is present and active doing this today?
- If it’s true, does it change your view of who God is?

Notes

Mark 12:41-44
If Jesus is giving more than a participation award for the widow, we need to look more closely at this story.
Why was she celebrated by Jesus? Because she's an embodiment of the kingdom lessons Jesus has been sharing the past few chapters in Mark (contra the scribes from last week).
This widow gave enough, despite what anyone else might have thought--Jesus sees things differently than we do.
The widow gave everything she had. This radical gratuitousness is meant to characterize every Christian, as we worship a gratuitous God and are filled with that God's gratuitous Spirit.

Questions

Do you think this widow felt like she'd given enough?
Do you ever feel like you don't have enough to give to God? Does that either (a) compel you to give up and self-destruct, or (b) compel you to frantic overwork and self-cricitism, or (c) something else?
How can you see God's gratuitousness in your own life?
How might you imitate this poor widow this week?

Big Ideas
- Mark 12:35-37
- God isn’t afraid of questions. Neither are we.
- Jesus is saying “look out for the religious experts”
- Jesus is the clearest picture of God
- God is humble. He emptied himself to serve.
- Religious leaders who aren’t humble don’t understand him.

Questions
- Who are some religious authorities or voices that you have relied on or listened to for learning more about what God is like?
- How do those teachings compare with how Jesus is?
- How is Jesus different from some popular understandings of Christianity?
- What is something you currently believe about God that you think might be off-base when compared to Jesus?

Big Ideas
- Mark 12:28-34
- The question of God’s love still being available is constant
- Jesus responds that there is a most important commandment
- If an LGBTQ friend comes out, do they feel safe telling you?
- There were NO early Christians who believed the Old Testament was doctrinally authoritative AND took them literally
- If we are loving God and loving people, then we are ok. God does not expect more from us. We can relax and be free from guilt and worry
- Start with this commandment - then from here, wrestle through the rest of the scriptures
- Asking us to be perfect is proof of grace. It’s obvious that we can’t be, so it’s clearly not what he’s asking.
- God never imposed a law on us that he doesn’t do himself. That means that THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE LOVES YOU AS HIMSELF!!!

Questions
- How often do you wonder if God still has nothing but love for you today?
- What do you think about the idea that there is a command that is more important than all the rest?
- Does Jesus really mean that love is everything?
- What do you think about the idea that the definition of love is as simple as it sounds? Just love? Not the re-defined versions we’ve heard from religious folks in the past?
- Would you feel more comfort or assurance approaching God if you believed that all he’s asking you to do is love him and love people? Less guilt that he’s disappointed in you or expecting more?
- Have you ever tried interpreting the Bible with the lens that, whatever verse you’re reading, it HAS to mean “Love God, and love people”?
- How would that change how you approach reading the Bible?

Big Ideas- Mark 12:28-34
- You’re not far from the Kingdom of God
- Jesus is not afraid of your questions.
- His response to the man is, “Keep going!”
- You get it. What’s the next step?
- How can we stretch ourselves in this?
- Don’t obsess with counter examples of the most difficult people to love
- Focus on the quality of our love, not perfection
- Quality of Love
- Loving God and neighbor with our everything means the two must overlap and be the same thing
- God is the source of all love
- He isn’t the most loving, he is love
- Our goal is to be united to God, to become love
- God’s vision for us isn’t “rational”, it’s so much better
- The only way for you to become this love is to experience it
- To experience that the God of the universe actually loves you
- It doesn’t stay abstract
- He is rejecting all of our rational, tepid love for our neighbor
- Our invitation is to create loving communion with all of our neighbors

Questions- Do you feel safe to ask Jesus your hard questions?
- Do you feel safe to ask us your hard questions?
- How would your love of neighbors look different if it was the same as your love of God?
- What do you think about the idea that God isn’t “the most loving”, but that he IS love?
- If God’s hope for us is that we would love our neighbors, what’s a step you could take with yours?
- Our hope is to have communion with our neighbors. What do you think that looks like?
- Do you think that someone could directly experience the welcome and affection of God through you?
- How can we help each other do this this week?

Mark 12:28-31

Big Ideas- Jesus confirms that there is a most important law
- First command - There is one God
- We have reversed God's commands. They are not things to do, and then God will accept us. They are things that are a delight for us to do because God already loves and accepts us.

Questions- How much do you tend to think of God's commands as things you need to do in order to achieve and/or maintain God's acceptance?
- Do you think Jesus has a smile on his face when he thinks about you?
- What have you been told the Word of God is?
- What do you think about the idea that the Word of God is Jesus?
- Do you tend to have an easier time trying to interact with Jesus than the Father?
- What does it change if we actually see the fullness of God the Father in Jesus? Does that make God more approachable? Easier to feel like we understand?
- What do you do to feel reconnected to your close relationships?
- Will you try the tips below to stoke your affection for God?

Tips for Spiritual Affection- Do these every day
- Think: reflect on the things you love about Jesus
- Speak: Tell Jesus things about your inner life, the things on your heart and mind.
- Sit: Spend time in silence. Just be silent in his presence.

Mark 12:18-27

Big Ideas- We have a few options for response to the brokenness of the world:
1. Everything is broken, and it always will be
2. Everything is broken, but it's not that bad. Be positive!
3. Everything is broken, but it won't be forever.
- We are advocating for #3

The Law of Moses isn't a ceiling. It's a floor. It isn't a cap on how marginalized people should be treated. It's a minimum of what's acceptable to prevent them from being abandoned.
Jesus says they misunderstood the entire scriptures if they don't believe in resurrection.

Questions- What do you think about the idea that you can't understand anything in the Bible without resurrection being true?
- Read the first 5 chapters of Genesis. What do you think about the summary that the problem facing all of creation is Death?
- If we don't believe that Jesus is fixing absolutely everything in the cosmos, then what is the Gospel?
- Is it good news if it's just some form of spiritual comfort and nothing else?
- Is there something more than just smiling, or giving up?
- What is your typical response to the hurt and despair around us?
- Do you want your response to be different?

Big Ideas- We’ve all heard people say the Bible means things that are obviously false.
- It’s easy to react by thinking that either no interpretation of scripture is trustworthy, or that the only way to know what it means is to go to seminary.
- There are lots of good applications of any given passage of Scripture. There are also some bad and unhelpful ones.
- The Bible is for YOU. You can read it and come away with something helpful. And it’s not as hard as you might think.
- You just need to remember 2 things: ask the Spirit for help, and use guardrails.
- Here is a great guardrail that will go a long way to keep your interpretation on the right track. Just ask these questions:

Does this interpretation help me love God or love my neighbor more?
Does it help me connect more with the world around me, making it better?
Try singing the second verse of O Holy Night when you read, and make sure your thoughts on what the verse means agree with these lines:

Truly he taught us to love one another
His law is love and his gospel is peace
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother
And in his name all oppression shall cease

Questions- Have you struggled to feel like you can know what interpretations of scripture are trustworthy and which are not?
- Have you ever asked the Spirit for help applying scripture and gotten help?
- Do you think that every verse in scripture is there to reinforce the truths that God is love, and God is with us?
- Do you feel any more motivation or freedom to read scripture for yourself with this method?
- Put it into practice! Try it out and talk about it with others.

Here’s why we’re sure about “radically inclusive hope.” And here’s how we might even be able to turn it into a lived reality.

Big Idea

The cross not only made peace between us and God, it obliterated the walls between us and one another.
The book of Acts shows repeated instances of the church becoming more and more inclusive, following the direction of God.
Jesus abolished the law. Anyting that makes outsiders has to go.

Discussion

What does the cross have to do with my relationship with you?
Do you think that God actually loves his enemies?
Are there barriers to God? Or is it only acceptance and embrace?
Who do you see as an outsider that you need to embrace?

You ever had an apocalyptic meal? Jesus invites us to share a mysterious meal with Him and each other. And this meal could very well mean the end of the world as we know it.

Big Ideas

Communion is one of the most important and helpful things we get to do as Christians
It is spiritual - we consume the presence of Christ, actually participating in him, and remembering the incarnation - that God came to be fully human so that he could make us fully like him.
It is material - not magic, but real. The food reminds us that all our hunger is for him.
It unifies us. We all receive the same grace of God together
It is CELEBRATION!!! It is our high feast together.

Questions

How have you understood communion up to this point?
How would communion feel different if it was mysterious and spiritual?
What do you want to think about the next time you take communion?
Read this poem together. What sticks out to you?

Read This

Love (III) George Herbert

Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back

Guilty of dust and sin.

But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack

From my first entrance in,

Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,

If I lacked any thing.

A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:

Love said, You shall be he.

I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,

I cannot look on thee.

Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,

Who made the eyes but I?

Truth Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame

Go where it doth deserve.

And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?

My dear, then I will serve.

You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:

So I did sit and eat.

Questions- Do you think that God's love for you can just be love? That it doesn't have to come tinged with disappointment or punishment?
- Think about the idea that the cross was not God needing to punish someone, but instead him going to incredible selfless lengths to unite himself to you and heal you?
- What would change about your view of God if you remove the idea that he will punish you without Jesus?
- Can you accept that God really is love, all love, for everyone? Why or why not? Would that change your outlook toward other people?

Questions
- Are you convinced that spirituality IS love? Why or why not?
- Do you think that we are only able to fully experience spirituality through relationship with other people?
- Do you feel more urge to invest in relationships if they're critical for your experience of God?

Big Ideas- God never had to change his mind about you. You’ve always been loved. Here’s why we’re so sure.
- Read Ephesians 2:1-10, 3:14-21
- If God is love, then his "judgement" is something good for us. It isn't punishment or disappointment, it is him lovingly making us more whole.
- God's wrath is his opposition to the brokenness of the world. It isn't anger toward you.
- He will not stop healing us until everything is made right again.

Questions- Do you think that God's love for you can just be love? That it doesn't have to come tinged with disappointment or punishment?
- Think about the idea that the cross was not God needing to punish someone, but instead him going to incredible selfless lengths to unite himself to you and heal you?
- What would change about your view of God if you remove the idea that he will punish you without Jesus?
- Can you accept that God really is love, all love, for everyone? Why or why not? Would that change your outlook toward other people?

Questions
- Are you convinced that spirituality IS love? Why or why not?
- Do you think that we are only able to fully experience spirituality through relationship with other people?
- Do you feel more urge to invest in relationships if they're critical for your experience of God?

Big Ideas
In order to be reconnected to God, love is the key. This is beautiful and simple and life-reorienting. This week we’re covering a bunch of related ideas to help us start to know the God of love that Jesus reveals.

Questions
- Are you convinced that spirituality IS love? Why or why not?
- Do you think that we are only able to fully experience spirituality through relationship with other people?
- Do you feel more urge to invest in relationships if they're critical for your experience of God?

The (Entire) Book of Colossians

Big Ideas
- It wasn’t just the poets. The earliest church was all about love, from the poets to the theologians to the handworkers, from the dreamers to the doers, and everyone in between.
- Paul's letters are full of descriptions of his love for people.
- Paul is systematic and high minded in his theology throughout the New Testament. Yet it seems that all of his theology is rooted in love. It all has to do with how well we love one another.
- Paul is deeply involved in life with other people.

Questions
- Read through the whole book of Colossians. Focus on how much Paul discusses people and his love for them. Talk about the ones that you see. How do they change the "theology" that you see around them?
- What do you think about this idea: "The only sin you ever commit is not loving."
- Can that be true? Why or why not?
- If it's true, what does it change about the way you see following Jesus?
- Do you know that God has chosen to love you?
- Do you think that he does?
- Love each other.

Big IdeasOur religion is Love. Sound like new age mumbo jumbo? This week we’re reading a poem recited by first century Christians, all about Love.

1 John Love PoemAll’us who are loved— Let us love For truly all love is from God

And all who now love  Are fathered by God  And clearly they’ve come to know God

So all who don’t love  They don’t yet know God For truly in sum God is love

And here’s how God showed us his love:  God sent us his Son, the One-of-a-Kind Down into the cosmos That through him we might come alive

But, just to be clear, this is love: It’s not because we have loved God But rather it’s God who loved us And sent in his Son—Love sending Love! The fixing for all of our sins

All’us who are loved—How truly God loves us. Now we should love just like God does

Questions- Try the same rhythm we used on Sunday with others. 1) One person read the poem, 2) Go through the poem line by line to discuss its implications, 3) Recite the poem together
- The hope of this is something called "liturgy." Practicing these truths together are formative for our hearts and souls.
- What is your love conversion story? Have you had an experience where the actual, radical, shocking love of God felt revealed and real to you? Share your story with someone.
- If you don't find yourself feeling this radical love for others - are you convinced of God's radical love for you?

Mark 12:1-12

Big Ideas
What if we’re held responsible for the histories we’re creating? Yes on a big picture, but also on a micro level. What if you’re held responsible for the history of your street, your workplace, and your neighborhood school? Jesus can help.

Questions
- If there is more presence of God in our midst, we'll know because we experience more Fruits of the Spirit. Look at the list in Galatians 5:22-23. Think about how different areas of your life would look with more of those fruit present.
- What if we could take a little responsibility for the way things are in our work life?
- What if we could take a little responsibility for the way things are in our neighborhood?
- What if we could take a little responsibility for the way things are in our home life?

Mark 11:1-27-33

‘The audacity. What gives you the right?’ Isn’t this what we implicitly ask Jesus whenever we reject one of his simple, clear teachings like love for enemies and concern for the poor?

Big Ideas
When we say "God is love," if we really mean it, it should invade every part of our lives and worldviews.

God loves sinners.
God loves the poor.
God loves his enemies.
God loves me.

Questions
- Which numbers on this list are hard to really believe as being literally, always true?
- Do you think that God passionately, affectionately loves sinners regardelss of their actions or repentance?
- Do you really believe the same thing for you?
- Our world and lives seem to be based on fundamental ideas that are different than these. If we apply this list to our lives and the systems we're part of, what should look different?

Mark 11:1-21

Love is the game. We all want the world fixed, and love is the only effective way. Love will judge all our exclusion, self-interest, and violence, even the kind of violence that is merely to enforce our rights of self-interest—because love will judge and overturn all our hate.

Mark 11:1-21

Big Ideas
- Jesus subverts the expectations of everyone
- In order to understand why, we have to look at the Old Testament
- Everyone had nationalistic, violent, xenophobic ideas of what the Messiah would do
- They expected the Messiah to violently expel the "pagans" from the Temple
- Instead, Jesus symbolically casts out those excluding outsiders
- The message is that Jesus cares about earthly things
- He is fixing politics and all the injustice we see. But he is doing it in a way that is upside-down of what we expect.

Questions- Have you been told that Jesus isn't political?
- How about the idea that Jesus doesn't care about earthly things, just spiritual ones?
- If Jesus cares about politics and "earthly" issues, what does that change for how we should act as Christians?
- Based on Jesus' unexpected interaction, what's an injustice around you that you can address in a radical new way?

Mark 10:46-52

Big Ideas
- This story is our clearest picture of discipleship
- Discipleship isn't morals or knowledge. It's sitting down and crying out for help from Jesus.
- Mercy is everything
- The only people who receive mercy are the pitiful, the needy, the desperate.
- That is where we need to practice being.
- The people around Jesus tried to quiet the blind man, to keep him from Jesus.
- The more we experience mercy, the more merciful we become. This is following Jesus.

Questions- What do you think Jesus wants from you?
- What is discouraging you from crying out to Jesus? What thought? What voice? What fear?
- Have you ever experienced people around Jesus (Christians) trying to keep you from Jesus?
- What would change if you started constantly shouting for mercy?
- Have you decided to not pray for something because it's "unrealistic"?

Try This- Ask yourself what you need from God that you can't do for yourself.
- Ask a friend what they need from God that they can't do for themselves.
- Ask God for those things.

Mark 10:46-52

Big Ideas
- This story is our clearest picture of discipleship
- Discipleship isn't morals or knowledge. It's sitting down and crying out for help from Jesus.
- Mercy is everything
- The only people who receive mercy are the pitiful, the needy, the desperate.
- That is where we need to practice being.
- The people around Jesus tried to quiet the blind man, to keep him from Jesus.
- The more we experience mercy, the more merciful we become. This is following Jesus.

Questions- What do you think Jesus wants from you?
- What is discouraging you from crying out to Jesus? What thought? What voice? What fear?
- Have you ever experienced people around Jesus (Christians) trying to keep you from Jesus?
- What would change if you started constantly shouting for mercy?
- Have you decided to not pray for something because it's "unrealistic"?

Try This- Ask yourself what you need from God that you can't do for yourself.
- Ask a friend what they need from God that they can't do for themselves.
- Ask God for those things.

Big Idea- The entire universe is held together by self-giving love
- Everything in scripture is relational. And it must be read in that context to be understood correctly.
- Sin is PRIMARILY the destruction of relationships. Not individual moral failures.
- The emphasis of scripture is that holiness leads to love in relationships.
- Community doesn't make us holy. The Spirit of God gives us holiness, which expresses itself as loving community.
- The fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5) are all about relationships.

Questions- Does it feel easier to follow Jesus if your purpose is to just love people?
- Read Galatians 5:22-23
- Try resetting your idea of "sin." Think about this list being the only things you need to worry about pursuing. How would that change your spiritual life?
- Will you ask the Holy Spirit to give you more fruit?
- What would look different tomorrow if you had more?
- Will you try opening up to someone?
- Will you try sending a text to someone in your group to try being better friends?
- WE NEED YOU TO BUY IN AND DO THIS WITH US

Mark 10:32-45 We’ve gotten Jesus’ glory all wrong. Getting it right is the secret to fixing our souls. Getting it right is the secret to finally having the life-giving relationships we’ve mostly given up on. Questions- If God (the Trinity) has never existed outside of relationship, does that change how important relationships are to you?
- When you think about Jesus' sacrifice, do you think about how strong he is? Or about how weak he is?
- If God's glory is shown most clearly in his weakness and dependence, rather than in his might and strength, what does that change for you?
- Why does it seem harder to say, "I will share my life with you" than it is to say, "I would die for you?"
- What can you change this week to show more weakness in love for your friends?

Mark 10:17-27

Big Ideas- This week we are trying once more to hear the joyful offer of the Kingdom within Jesus' warning about money.
- There is no way to experience the Kingdom of God besides being carried there. It is entirely based on dependence.
- Riches make it harder to want or practice dependence.
- This is why it's compared to a camel and needle. If you're used to carrying yourself, it feels impossible to choose dependence again.

Questions1. If "entering the Kingdom of God" means experience the new heaven and earth right here and now, instead of "going to heaven when you die," how does that change the way you understand Jesus' teaching here?
2. How much can you relate to the idea that it's harder to practice dependence the more resouces you have?

Practical Action Steps1. Make a budget
2. Make a list of your values (how do you decide what to spend on? What is important to you?)
3. Evaluate these lists. If God entrusted you with money in order to love him and love your neighbor as yourself, then how do your budget and values reflect that?

Mark 10:17-27

Big Ideas- When reading scripture, especially a narrative like Mark, it's important to ask questions like these:
- What's the story that comes right before this one?
- What's the theme of this section?
- Does my reading make sense in light of the bigger context?

In this story, Jesus is continuing from last week when he said, "The only way into the Kingdom of God is to be carried like a child."
Jesus is telling the rich man the thing that the man relies on for independence, the thing that is preventing him from experiencing the Kingdom through childlike dependence. For him, it's money.
We all use money to "flex" in different ways. That is, to compensate for all kinds of needs of our hearts, in order to avoid taking them to God in dependence.
Maybe the main thing is what YOU think about money, not God.

Questions1. If the rich man had given everything away, do you think he would have been richer or poorer?

If you gave everything away, would you be richer or poorer?
If you'd be richer, then what objection or fear keeps you from doing it?
When God looks at you, and knows you better than you know yourself, do you think he feels overwhelming joy and love? If not, what?

Can We Really Meet God Today?
Yes. Even you.

Big Idea
- The restoration of all things isn't coming in some far off place. It's right here. God is bringing heaven right to your street.
- The way he is healing all of creation is through directly experiencing his divine love.
- If this is true, we think it's worth giving it a shot.

Questions

When you think about Heaven, do you consider the idea that he's fixing your actual street?
What does that change about your hope? About how much things matter here?
Do you think that experiencing God's love could be the way he's healing the universe?
If that's true - Do you want to give it a shot?

Here are some practical things for us to try:

Make margin to be still - (You can't do it. Wait for God to carry you into his presence.)
Pray the scriptures - (Slowly read a passage and talk to God about each idea as you go. Make it personal.)
Pray big prayers - (What do you need God to do that you can't do for yourself?)

Big Idea- This week we are looking at Mark 10:13-16
- The only way into the Kingdom of God is to be carried.
- God's glory IS his perfect love.
- The secret of the Kingdom is: You are loved. The God of the universe just wants to love you.

Questions1. What do you think God thinks about when he thinks about you?
2. Who does the Kingdom of God belong to?
3. How do you get there?
4. What is your emotional reaction to the idea that the only thing the God of the universe wants from you is for you to experience his love for you?
5. If you feel an objection to that, what is it? Why?
6. If your chief purpose in life is to experience God's love for you, what would look different? How would you handle your calendar? Your relationships? Your money?

God’s a divorcé? What the what? Join us this week as we hear a healing message about Jesus and divorce.

God is love. So everything God does is loving. What about hell? Is hell God’s love?

Maybe you haven’t noticed, but Jesus is all about humility.

This week we're looking at a confusing passage. It becomes less confusing when we remember humility.

Why is the church so broken? Here's an idea.

As often as I struggle with doubt, I come back to this story of Jesus over and over.

Maybe it can help you too.

When Jesus goes to the top of a mountain and glows, you'd expect some good spiritual advice to follow. And you'd be right.

As we try to understand God and follow him, it’s easy to feel so confident that we act like Peter, telling God that our way is actually right. We can simply tack Jesus onto our plans and efforts instead of becoming more like him.

Jesus tells us that his plan to save the world IS by suffering and giving himself up for it. We can follow him by taking on hurt so that others don’t have to.

What will we do?

How we’re going to build a community that reveals Divine Love--that's this week's simple discussion. 😳

For doubters like us, Easter is exactly what we need.

Repentance may sound like a harsh thing. But after you come to know the affection and joy of Jesus—you realize that repentance is a fantastic privilege. Let’s repent some more!

Grace isn't just a good idea. It's a powerful tool that could change your world and your neighbor's too.

This week we’re taking an honest look at reasons we wouldn’t want to be “all in” at a church.

What’s it going to take to rebuild our church? Not just reopen—there’s plenty of complexity there—but rebuild? Here’s an idea.

Around here we repeat that we have “radically inclusive hope for absolutely everyone” over and over. But if we settle for mere inclusivity, never really accepting the invitation to holy intimacy, we’ve missed the whole point of God’s kingdom.

God’s kingdom of radically inclusive love is an invitation to holy intimacy. Why don’t we enter it together?

They could have looked after their own needs first, but Jesus’ disciples trusted Him—so they shared what they had and found miraculous life, love, and joyful togetherness. Maybe we can do the same.

Jesus’ infinite love sounds great—but what about God's vengeance? After wrestling with the immensity of Jesus’ grace last week, this week we ask whether it's too good to be true.

This is the weirdest conversation Jesus ever had. Trying to mind his own business. Bombarded by a woman saying her daughter has a demon. Comparing her to a dog. She agrees. And somehow all of us learn one of the best lessons about grace we could.

Want help fixing your relationships? Jesus has some ideas.

Jesus cares deeply about injustice in our world—but bringing about justice isn’t all that easy. In fact, making headway is often painful and isolating, even when we’re being directly obedient to Jesus. But here’s the thing…

So, should we really just “preach the gospel”? If hope is real & change is possible, we don’t have to just preach the gospel. We can live it too.

After the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday, it’s clearer than ever that the theology that excused, justified, or encouraged that mob is bankrupt. But what else can we see with our newfound clarity? Many of our nation’s pastors and churches are complicit. What about us?

It was the slowest holidays ever. Who’s still exhausted anyway? Maybe we're not getting the kind of rest we're made for.

God coming to visit His people is a radically inclusive event—because God’s in the process of bringing in all the outcasts and healing everything that’s broken.

During this pre-Christmas season, we’re getting into the habit of waiting on God to show up, for our world and also for our inner beings. But what if we’re all actually the bad guys—what will God’s showing up look like then?

Regularly encountering God—this isn’t a treat reserved only for the unusually mystical people among us. It’s what all of us can expect. Because Jesus.

What if this last month of 2020 could become the month that redefined your entire year?

“Oh yeah, 2020? That was the year of the pandemic. But then God’s Spirit was poured out, and my heart was permanently changed.”

Maybe this sounds far-fetched to you. But this is the expectation of the scriptures. This is the possibility of Jesus.

You’re not alone. You’re going to be ok. Because Jesus is here. Jesus has entered into this life, into your life, with you.

Everything Jesus offers us is love. Even the call to repentance is a call to warm embrace. Here’s how we know for sure.

The politics of Jesus are radically hopeful. They’re also realistic—if we’ll walk faithfully in his self-giving way. In a week where some of us have felt triumph and others despair, here’s some hope for us all.

When things are out of our control, what do we do? We can try to do more or know more, but if they’re actually out of our control, what then? The fantastic news is that Jesus is in town. And just a brush of his touch can change our lives, from our deep inner worlds that no one else quite knows to our future physical lives that everyone will see.

This week’s story is one we might call touching and powerful. Our prayer for you and us all is that we might encounter the direct, powerful touch of Jesus this very morning.

Who do you think God hates?

Some of us would say no one. Some of us would select some subset of supposedly filthy or irredeemable people.

But almost all of us fear, somewhere deep down, that God in fact hates us. That’s why this interaction of Jesus can be life changing.

Even when we don’t consider ourselves to be fearful people, many of our actions are attempts to cope with our deep fears and anxieties—especially as we all swim in this current epoch of turmoil. These fear-driven actions, knowingly or not, create disconnection. They lead to isolation, relational damage, suspicion, and cynicism. They keep us from connecting with others in the healthy and life-giving ways we need. So our fear and pain lead us to act out which then results in even more pain and fear.

But when our souls begin to experience the God who is relentlessly present and fiercely loving, our fears will melt away. Instead of over-reactivity, suspicion, and hardness, we find ourselves to have suppleness and steadfastness in every situation, even the worst ones of life. And we find ourselves with space and energy to connect with people from a place of deep wholeness. This is the kind of life we’re meant to live. And it starts with experiencing a deep connection with God. Even if you never have before—we can help you with that today and this week.

God wants you to be holy like God is holy. In other words, God wants you to be merciful like God is merciful. Join us to hear what Jesus says.

Not all forgiveness is equal. The forgiveness Jesus brings also brings reconciliation and transformation, holistically changing our beings and this world. Yes please, I’ll take some of that. How about you?

Jesus says you can tell a tree by its fruit. So what do we do when we realize the fruit is absent? This week we’re hearing from Jesus on exactly that.

But in this time of rampant powerless anxiety, we’re convinced convinced that the ways of Jesus can still change our world, our relationships, and our hearts. They’re utterly different than what’s been tried before. And they’re gloriously beautiful.

When you realize that Jesus desires you, you'll also realize that the primary calling in your life is to be with Jesus, which in turn empowers you to bring about the shalom He longs for you to help Him build.

Jesus is what God is really like. And without the cross, it'll be hard for us to ever understand the extent of God's love, even for the ones who killed Him.

Jesus’ invitation is not just for us to be saved but to be healed. Even more shocking than that: He’s also invited us into helping Him heal the world around us. He wants us to be partners in His grand enterprise of restoration.

The weight of God’s demands can crush us. But if Jesus has come to free us, how do we reconcile the crushing weight of God’s expectations with His grace and love? Let’s look to Jesus.

New wine, new wineskins, new everything. Let's join Him.

Even if you’ve been around church for a long time, there’s a significant chance you’ve never understood the shocking nature of God’s grace. Here’s another place Jesus tries to teach us. Let’s learn from Him together.

A familiar story told in an unfamiliar way offers us a refreshing way to life for ourselves, and for those around us.

If God prays, then we probably should to. But what does it look like for us to pray the way God prays? This week we look to Jesus' prayer life and the wonderful truth that Jesus actively intercedes on our behalf.

Jesus runs to the unholy, the polluted, the sinful, the outcast, and the broken. He draws us near. His health and purity are somehow contagious—unholy things are made holy, whole, and alive by the presence of this Holy One.

Jesus expects that His absolute love for us will make us people of absolute love for everyone around us. Let’s go.

Jesus' Revolutionary Way: "You want a revolution? I want a revelation!" How about both? Mark's opening chapter ushers in the new creation as the heavens are irreparably torn as the Son of God is revealed.

As we find ourselves in a new wave of lockdown, it’s time to reconsider how we’re living spiritual life. We’re making some changes at Redemption, and we hope we’re all making some changes in our personal lives too.

Ever wonder why Jesus seems so far off? Or why His people seem to make so little progress in pursuing Him? Let's return to the simple foundational teaching of Jesus.

Spiritual life struggling? We all know that the Church is so much more than a building. But why is it that after months of not being able to gather together and worship, our spiritual lives are suffering? Maybe more importantly, is there anything we can do about it?

The way of the people of God is a way of fellowship. A way of sharing and caring about people among and around us. How do we do that and why? Where should we start and how can we begin to make that happen in the midst of a pandemic?