Sermons – New Ground Church: Recent Episodes
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Mike walks through the word "might or strength" in the Shema, whose original definition is "muchness." How do we get might or strength from that and what does that mean? Find out!
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Mike continues our series on Shema by talking about the word soul (nephesh), which also is much different than we might think!
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Mike walks through the word "heart" in the Shema, which is much different than we might think!
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Mike continues our series on the Shema walking through the word "heart" (lev), and how it means something much more to Israel than it does to us!
Mike starts a new series on the Shema, the famous Ancient Jewish blessing. Mike walks through what the word "Shema" means and what that looks like in our daily lives.
Mike walks through the meaning of our mission, "Living the Good News of Jesus 7-Days-A-Week." We focus specifically on the meaning of the "Good News of Jesus" and how that meaning in some American churches has been limited compared to what Scripture testifies.
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Mike walks through our final core value of being "Prayer-Filled." He addresses how we can heed Paul's command to "pray continually."
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Guest Eric English walks through what Authentic Community means at New Ground.
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Mike continues walking through New Ground's Core Values in discussing "Curious Together."
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Mike starts a series walking through the rest of New Ground's Core Values. This week we walk through "Scripture-Focused."
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Mike talks about the seemingly contradictory idea of Radical Welcome with the phrase "grace and truth," and how the phrase "grace and truth" really doesn't say what it means. Jesus shows us a different definition.
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Rev. Rachel Reinink joins us to walk through the story of Hagar and how it informs on the breadth of what Radical Welcome encompasses.
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Guest Rev. Andrea Deward joins us as she walks through how we need to truly "see" others where they're at.
Mike continues our series on radical welcome talking about how the disciples of Jesus must lay down their privileges in the feeding of the 5000, and how that translates to how we live out generous hospitality now.
Mike continues our series on generous hospitality walking through how it strives to treat those on the outside like family.
Mike walks through why the wilderness is necessary to get to the Promised Land, and how Jesus' journey to the cross shows this truth.
Mike walks through how many times we go back to Egypt by settling for less than the flourishing life God desires for us.
Mike walks through the critical difference between complaining and lamenting and why it's more important now than ever.
Guest Pastor Dan Vanderweide walks through the golden calf narrative and how easy it is to revisit our idols instead of casting them down.
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We continue our Lenten series as Mike walks through the event at Sinai, which is always in between our Egypt and Promised Land.
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The Passover was a sobering event for the Jewish people. Yet God told them to celebrate it forever. Why? What is so significant about Passover that helps us in our darkest times? Mike will share as we continue our Lenten series.
e continues our Lenten series talking about the "Moses" in our lives. Do you have a Moses? Will you be a Moses?
Mike ends our series in Ezekiel talking about the "New Temple," and how much it points to the way we are to live now.
Our testimony time is back! See how God has been speaking in our community lately with our God Stories!
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Mike walks through the popular text of the "Valley of Dry Bones" in Ezekiel and talks about what God does when you walk away from him, think you're beyond saving or don't deserve forgiveness.
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The word "freedom" taught in our culture is much different than the freedom of the Bible. Mike walks through Ezekiel 33 explaining how this definition of freedom has also seeped into the church and is not a new story for us as Americans.
"Watchmen" were integral parts of the Ancient Near East. However, the church today has gone too far with watchmen. How do we strike a balance between being watchmen, while also considering that WE might be the people the watchmen are talking to? Connect with us at https://www.newgroundchurch.org
Idolatry. Usually it's not something we think we have issue with. However, walking through this week's passage of Ezekiel might reveal that those in the Ancient Near East and those of us in the 21st century might be closer than you think in understanding how we bow down to idols, and all the ways we try to hide it.
"Watchmen" were integral parts of the Ancient Near East. However, the church today has gone too far with being the watchmen. How do we strike a balance between being watchmen, while also considering that WE might be the people the watchmen are talking to?
Mike returns starting a new series on the book of Ezekiel. Today he walks through suspending our boxes when we are going through wilderness experiences if we want to hear God.
Guest Rev. Emmett Brown returns to talk about how to start the new year after the tumultuous 2021 we've experienced.
Mike walks through how peace is not just the absence of conflict, but much more, especially during difficult times when things don't ever seem peaceful.
Mike walks through the difference between joy and happiness, and how joy is the much better posture, especially during times of suffering.
In this day and age, one of the best gifts that we can receive is hope. When we seem to be in a long season where we don't get any breaks, where it seems the darkness will never go away, a tiny light always shines. Mike walks through "The Best Gifts: Hope."
We start our new Advent series, "The Best Gifts," with a praise celebration, walking through each of the themes of Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love in the midst of suffering.
Mike concludes our series reflecting on the good news always extending grace as a first posture.
When situations and relationships seem so broken there can be no return, how does God enter into that? Join us as Mike walks through one of the most fundamental and essential pieces of the Good News, that the Gospel redeems what is broken.
Jesus consistently went to others and invited them to the Table. What does this look like in our daily lives? Join us as Mike walks through how the Good News always invites others to a table.
As a follower of Jesus, we are bearers of good news. Part of that good news is helping others know their identity as image bearers of God, regardless of their beliefs. It also empowers others to live into the salvation life. Mike walks through how treating other humans with dignity and empowering them is part of the good news of Jesus!
Guest Emmett Brown join us as he walks through how one of the foundations of our life should be prayer.
Many churches and Christians organization talk about sharing the gospel as presenting a set of propositions, usually that can be highlighted on a napkin or book. Mike walks through how the good news necessitates long-term relationships to reflect the good news of Jesus.
Mike starts a new series on "Reflecting the Gospel" as we talk about our posture on mission. To talk about reflecting the gospel, we have to talk about what it is! Mike walks through the holistic view of the gospel, which is way beyond a ticket to a better afterlife.
Mike concludes our systematic look through the book of Revelation with the end of the Biblical Story and how this informs the way we live our daily lives. Join us this Sunday at 10am as Mike gives us the picture John sees in “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”
Mike continues Revelation ttalking through Rev. 20 on the "1000 Year" Reign and the Lake of Fire.
Mike continues in the book of the Revelation talking through the great “Marriage Supper of the Lamb,” with insight on what the first listeners would have heard regarding Babylon, The Beast, and Jesus. Who is invited? How do we know? How do we celebrate?
Mike walks through Rev. 17-18 describing "Babylon the Great." John walks through all the ways Empire asserts itself in our world and God's judgment of it. Empire is much closer to our experience than we think.
While it may be hard to admit, many of us have went through a lot more trauma than we realize the last year and half. Rachel asks some honest questions on how we love ourselves and others well in the midst of ours and others trauma.
Mike walks through the seven bowls of the wrath of God's divine judgment, and why it's necessary. It is a much different picture than what we think of as "wrath," and to the first century listeners, a clear message on something we need to hear in our current situation.
Mike approaches the next interlude as John shows the pictures of the army of the Lamb singing a new song that is the song of Moses. Wait, that's 2 songs becoming one song? Mike walks through why that's significant and timely to today's current situation.
Rachel Reinink joins us as she walks through the call of Moses in Exodus 3 and why God asked Moses to take off his sandals at the burning bush.
Mike walks through what the first centuries listeners immediately thought about when they heard the "mark of the beast." It was an extremely clear image of their current experience. Mike connects that to what that might look like now, how it doesn't look like all the doomsday prophecies, but begs a more important and basic question.
Guest Emmett Brown is back as he walks through Revelation 12 addressing the continual war for our souls. Will we live in a posture of fear or hope?
Mike walks through the 2nd Interlude of Revelation between the 6th and 7th trumpets where he addresses what "witnessing" looks like then, and now.
Mike walks through John's eating of the scroll in Rev. 10, as we consider how God's Words shape us. Are they like honey or bad hot sauce?
Mike walks through the seventh seal and most of the seven trumpets, talking about how silence acts a mirror to the deepest parts of who we are, revealing both ugly and good things.
Mike walks through the pause before the 7th seal is opened, describing the 144,000 and the Great Tribulation, asking if we live our lives in such a way today that is compelling enough to be persecuted by Empire.
Mike walks through the first 6 seals of Revelation, why divine judgment is something all of us actually want to happen, and how Jesus redefines what conquering looks like.
We are back to the book of Revelation where we left off last summer as we talk about the great Throne Room scene in chapters 4-5. Mike Lamson walks through how familiar the first listeners were to this imagery, but not in the way the apostle John explains it. How does this identity John describes about who is on the throne shape the way we are supposed to live now? You don't want to miss this one!
A special prayer and praise gathering! Regrettably, we cannot put this on the podcast due to copyright issues, but you can watch the whole gathering on our YouTube or Facebook page. Youtube: https://youtu.be/YV_35FTuFf8 | Facebook: https://bit.ly/3iClnaK
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me..." Most people with a church memory remember the rest of this text that says "you will find rest for your souls." But what was a rabbi's yoke? Mike walks through how significant this word is, and how it changes how we view following Jesus.
Pastor Rachel Reinink returns to talk to us about the importance of food and the Table as part of our journey with Jesus.
The Reverend Emmett Michael Brown joins us again to show us how the story of the Prodigal Father teaches about discipleship, being a follower of Jesus.
The Great Commission is a popular text for churches. But much of how it's applied is more like the "Great Conversion" than what "making disciples" means. Mike walks through the 1st century understanding of disciple making and Jesus' "authority," and how this mission gave his disciples is MUCH larger than one decision.
To connect with us join us at https://www.newgroundchurch.org Teaching resources at: https://www.newgroundchurch.org/teaching-resources
Peter walks on the water. Whether you've heard the story or not, most are familiar with it. Most interpret this story on how we need to "keep on our eyes on Jesus and never doubt." But this is not how the 1st-century Jewish person understood it at all. Mike Lamson walks through how the understanding of disciples believed about following their rabbi and vice-versa has a much more surprising and inspiring meaning.
Guest Eric English walks through some challenging words on thinking differently on what the phrase "the kingdom of God" is referring to.
Understanding the schooling of Jewish children gives us tremendous insight on the types of people Jesus chose as his followers. It was as shocking then as it would be today. Mike walks through the invitation of who Jesus invites to the Table each and every day, and why it was so shocking to to the people of his day, and should be to us.
What was the 1st Century world of Jesus really like? What did disciples of Jesus actually look like and how did they live? You might be surprised how different that picture is then today.
How does the resurrection even matter today? We end our Lenten series by talking about how Jesus rose from the ashes with miraculous power that we still see all around us each day. Join us as we conclude our "Rising from the Ashes" series on Easter Sunday!
Caterpillars and the Book of Revelation? What do these two have in common? Pastor Mike walks through the process of caterpillars as a hint to the transformation God is doing within us.
Grace. It's a "churchy" word. And many times, those in church think it's only found in the New Testament. Mike walks through God's grace in Exodus, and also talks about how many of Jesus' closest followers were thugs. Grace's demand is not a burden, but a blessing.
Guest Pastor Jack Doorlag walks us through the biblical understanding of repentance. While it has been misused, repentance is a major teaching in the Scriptures, and Pastor Jack walks through the posture of repentance and how it's significant to living the flourishing life.
Does God listen to us when we're struggling? Sometimes it feels like His ears are plugged up. Mike walks through a text that reminds us that even when we feel God isn't listening, He is closer than we think.
As much as we love to talk about Sin (The "S" word) and the Fall, Genesis 2 paints a picture of humanity's fundamental longings, that for the Garden of Eden. Pastor Mike walks through how this intersects with our everyday lives, and how we can let go of the hopelessness of this world's ways by connecting with our basic longings for Eden.
Mike starts our Lenten sermon series talking through a word that has been abused by the church, yet also is important in the story of Scripture, the "S" word. Mike reflects on the story of the first humans and what they did when they chose to go against the way humans were designed, and it is a familiar story to us even now.
Pastor Mike concludes our Meaning(less)? series in Ecclesiastes as the author reflects on the Teacher's words to his own son, talking about how the words of Scripture matter, and how we tend to domesticate the Bible from some of the harder words that seem painful.
Mike continues our series in Ecclesiastes as the Teacher talks about the benefits of not knowing everything and how wise living is not based on success, nor taking our lives too seriously.
Mike talks about the pendulum of wisdom and escapism, and talks through how the Teacher in Ecclesiastes shows way we like to escape wisdom, including the dangerous posture of nostalgia in our everyday lives.
Mike continues in Ecclesiastes as we look at chapters 3-4, with 2 passages well known from a 60's song and and a statement on friendship, but have much different meanings when engaging the biblical text on the Teacher's understanding on what we strive for may be the wrong focus.
Mike opens up a new series on Ecclesiastes challenging the typical assumptions that this book is "meaningless." Instead, he offers challenges and encouragement of why this book is considered wisdom literature, with the first two chapters providing an alternate perspective on living life.
Join us for a special gathering about the season of Epiphany, which means, "revelation." Join Rev. Sayuri Kist-Okazaki, the first ordained female minister in Japan for the RCA as she walks through its meaning. Make sure you check out the entire service by the RCA Global Board on Missions at our YouTube or Facebook page.
Guest Jon Sherrill joins us as he walks through the murky waters of understanding how to approach sin in our lives. He navigates the difficult tension of the extremes of legalism and license and the heart of what the Apostle Paul is communicating during his time...and ours.
Pastor Mike reflects on the past year, and shares some stories of others in community on how God has been present during a difficult 2020, in addition to what we're looking forward to in 2021 at New Ground.
Pastor Mike wraps up our Hope Sings series on Christmas Eve talking about the when hope decided to show up in the Christmas Story. It may be more relevant to our current situation in 2020 than anyone ever thought.
Mike continues our Advent 2020 series talking about the deeper revolution of hope in Zechariah's song, one of the heart.
Mike walks through the events before, during, and after Mary's "Magnificat," the first song of our "Hope Sings" series. While it may seem odd, hope has many demands on the way we live now, as displayed by both Mary and Elizabeth.
Pastor Mike walks through the archangel's Gabriel's appearance to Mary, the mother of Jesus, showing how God chose all the wrong ways for the Messiah to show up, and that hope is in places where might not have expected or even desired to look.
Pastor Mike walks through the importance of a posture of gratitude during this moment, and shares stories from several people in our community on how they are journeying from hateful to grateful during this pandemic.
Mike ends our YOUnited series talking about how the church is called to the way of the cross, which runs contrary to much of the American church experience steeped in consumerism.
Mike talks through the Jewish tradition of the "the powers and authorities" in addition to spiritual warfare. It may not be what you are familiar with, but does place a priority to the church as a body of cultural discernment. Which is shaped by the cross.
Mike talks about experiences and seasons as part of the church's calling. He challenges how we usually look to only one season, but miss all of the others as part of connecting to our divine purpose.
Mike walks through the words justice and righteousness in the Hebrew Bible, leading up to the church's call to care about the most vulnerable.
Mike walks through how people different than us are necessary in embracing our calling as the church and how the communion table is the ultimate picture of this reality.
Pastor Rachel Reinink returns continuing our YOUnited series, where she walks through how integrating with others is part of the solution for the reintegration of our own souls.
Mike starts a new series helping the church connect to its divine purpose, which he argues the American church has turned upside down from what the Scriptures teach.
Guest Pastor Tom Elenbaas talks about all of things that form us and fill us up. Do we realize what we're filling our cups with?
Pastor Mike is back and walks through the final of 7 letters to the churches of Revelation. Mike walks through Jesus' strongest rebuke toward a church and that it might be more applicable to us today than we want to think.
Pastor Rachel Reinink walks through the inspirational story of Lydia and how her decision and posture changed the narrative of Christianity, and how every person's small decisions have an everlasting impact.
Pastor Emmett Brown challenges the unbiblical teaching of, "God will not give you more than you can handle," and provides solace about how God uses the "tests" in our lives.
Pastor Jon Sherrill walks through Romans 5 on the significance of how Christ's forgiveness shapes us to live in the world today.
Emmett Brown reflects on the most memorized verse in the Bible, an whether we have thought through what is says about God, his posture toward us, and how we should be toward others.
Pastor Mike walks through the letter to Philadelphia, where he addresses two different responses when fires come in our lives.
Pastor Mike is back as he continues walking through the letters to the churches in Revelation. This week we talk through Thyatira and what the phrase "hold fast" means to them and how true it is still for us, especially during this season.
Guest Eric English gives insights on what the gospel looks like in an age of a global pandemic.
Emmett Michael Brown walks through how the ancient message to the church of Sardis is a message still prevalent right now.
Guest Pastor Jon Sherrill talks about what it means to be a disciple, and that this is our primary call.
Pastor Mike walks through the situation in Pergamum, which has significant relevance on a Christ followers' response to culture.
Mike continues our series through the book of Revelation talking about Jesus' letter to Smyrna, who were faced with life or death decisions identifying as Jesus-followers. Mike walks through the context of this story, where Jesus issues a response from all people...allegiance.
Pastor Mike details the intense worship cult in Ephesus as Jesus addresses his first of 7 churches. Jesus praises the church for the effort in weeding out false teachers, but gives a stern warning to the church on "losing its first love."
Pastor Mike starts a new series on the book of Revelation as we examine why the doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus is important, and how it is especially encouraging in the times we find ourselves in.
Mike gives an honest reflection as a bi-racial person who grew up with all the benefits of white privilege. We pray this can be the start of listening, learning, lamenting, and confessing. Find a resource page to get started recommended by black, indigenous, and other people of color at newgroundchurch.org/live.
While we cannot air this on our audio podcast (due to copyrights), you can watch the whole gathering on our YouTube channel! Visit https://youtu.be/N3ntaUtPIHo to watch this special, and well-placed gathering bathed in Scripture, prayer, and music.
Jason Radmacher, one of our elders, walks through 1 Peter and recognizing patterns between then and now, and the importance of engaging the Scripture in community.
Mike walks through the last two idols of outrage: identity and personality, and offers some next steps on how we can lead dialogue well, and it might surprise you that much of isn’t about our words and conversations. Stay connected with us at www.newgroundchurch.org/live.
Mike walks through what has been argued as our culture’s foremost idol, outrage. We take a deep dive into what this looks like in our political discussions and actions. Don’t miss this challenging and encouraging teaching on an area of divisiveness in our country and also churches.
Mike continues our series on dialogue examining righteous anger, as we examine Jesus’ shocking episode in the Temple driving out the merchants and moneychangers, and how we all too often justify our anger as righteous that might not be rooted in God’s goodness.
Mike shows how Jesus shocked his audience by showing respect to one of the least likely people of his time, and in turn, how this helps us understand and live out the heart of dialogue.
Mike starts a new series on dialogue walking through Acts 17 and how most of us don’t know how to talk well with each other. That dialogue starts with our hearts and a posture of humility.
Pastor Mike walks through the parable of the Prodigal Son, which he believes is misnamed and offers the ultimate picture of hope especially during the pandemic and celebration of Easter.
An interactive and experiential of Jesus’ journey to the cross, best viewed in video. Interactive guide at: https://bit.ly/2VnoYvM
Pastor Mike starts our journey into Holy Week discussing God’s view of justice, and how God’s grace doesn’t have a grading scale. Keep up with us at www.newgroundchurch.org/live!
Pastor Mike walks through a story where Jesus challenges his listeners to not channel anger into retaliation, but mercy and grace.