Church is Messy: Recent Episodes
Rick Henderson and Svea Merry
Pastor Paul McDonald joins Rick and Svea as their discussion closes out the Masterpiece series.
About the Masterpiece series
- Theme Verse: For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
- Series Thesis: We are good works of art created to do the art of good works.
Resources for this episode
Watch the message at: https://youtu.be/Fv_sGUSjkXg
Listen to the message at: https://arcsermons.transistor.fm/episodes/masterpiece-the-art-of-peace
Watch all of the Masterpiece messages: https://autumnridge.church/video-tag/masterpiece/
Topics Discussed in this episode
00:00 Intro
01:02 Wrapping up Masterpiece series and introducing Pastor Paul.
06:07 What we want our church to be like for curious, skeptical, and hurting people.
08:33 "Everyone is looking for peace, yet it is so elusive."
09:45 Discussion of Paul's message thesis: "the heart of all conflict is a heart in conflict with God."
11:54 What did Jesus show us about peace?
15:17 Pastor Paul's personal experience with peace and his message.
16:57 Don't want to provide pat answers for those in the middle of the storm right now.
18:18 During times of turmoil experience peace by remaining in Christian community.
18:49 Knowing principles vs. enacting principles.
20:22 Traditional practice of Sabbath rest and how it relates to peace and unity.
21:52 How Autumn Ridge Church small groups can support peace and unity.
24:58 What stands in the way of our peace? How do we engage with such roadblocks?
27:17 Recap of the series and how it has impacted Autumn Ridge's congregation.
30:07 Close in prayer.
Caleb Smith joins Svea Merry on the podcast today.
About the Masterpiece series
- Theme Verse: For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
- Series Thesis: We are good works of art created to do the art of good works.
Resources for this episode
Watch the message at: https://youtu.be/opZLI4KlLD4
Listen to the message at: https://arcsermons.transistor.fm/episodes/masterpiece-the-art-of-unity
Topics Discussed in this episode
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:39 Recap of the sermon on Unity and the Masterpiece Series.
- 06:36 The story of Barnabas and Paul and what it teaches us about Unity--as an example of apparent disunity.
- 07:40 How can we learn from Biblical examples that seem contrary to what we expect?
- 08:47 Paul and Barnabas show us how one can maintain unity despite disagreements and differing directions.
- 17:00 Unity is not that everything is the same, that everyone’s truth is true, that we have to abandon our faith, or that we have to ignore hard conversations.
- 20:43 Not every church is the same, but we can still be united in pointing people to Jesus Christ.
- 21:19 Cultures can each resonate differently with topics in Scripture, but there can still be unity.
- 23:45 "God uses the diverse to bring together the picture of the whole."
- 25:14 What does it mean that we are a kingdom of priests?
- 27:10 Applying unity to the current context of Autumn Ridge Church through good listening and understanding.
- 32:03 Example of a congregant disagreeing with a local church but still believing God has called them to be at that church.
- 36:17 When does disagreeing move from unity into sin?
- 37:23 Leaning into trusting God and His word in the face of ambiguous faith application.
Bob Ross, air conditioning, adversity, and pruning. What do all of these have in common? Rick and Svea have a very practical conversation about the latest installment in our Masterpiece series, The Art of Love.
About the Masterpiece series
- Theme Verse: For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
- Series Thesis: We are good works of art created to do the art of good works.
Resources for this episode
Watch the message at: https://youtu.be/5b_uhDsZO7E
Listen to the message at: https://churchismessy.transistor.fm/episodes/masterpiece-the-art-of-love
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2-3
Topics Discussed in this episode
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:38 Recap of our Outdoor Baptism Service
- 03:23 Overview of Rick's sermon on love yesterday and Bob Ross analogy
- 04:00 Being in Christ and "Bearing with each other in love" or "putting up with" (Ephesians 4:2)
- 07:25 Loving and bearing with others while still having boundaries and accountability
- 10:18 Boundaries for abiding in Jesus and the air conditioning analogy
- 12:32 Explanation of how sin and moral wrong is always a violation love
- 15:11 How does God prune us to make us bear more fruit, be more loving, and find significance, security, and satisfaction in Jesus?
- 19:33 Adversity can show us we have been leaning on the wrong thing
- 22:42 What can we do when we recognize we are placing our significance, security, and satisfaction in the wrong things?
- 24:31 Rick's experience with personal challenges and how they helped him create strategies to better follow Christ and yield to his ways
- 28:51 If we truly believe that we are loved by Jesus and that others are loved by Jesus, what would it really look like?
- 29:45 Are pruning and correction the same, or is pruning for a different purpose?
- 33:13 The Gospel is deep and transforms so much of our lives.
This week Rick and Svea give us a two-for-one. In the first half of the episode, Rick and Svea delve into the area of women in (church) leadership. In the second half, they have a heart-felt talk on Svea's sermon about patience. In her message, Svea showed how Jesus modeled patience even when he knew his remaining time on Earth could be measured in hours.
About the Masterpiece series
- Theme Verse: For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
- Series Thesis: We are good works of art created to do the art of good works.
Resources for this episode
Watch the message at: https://youtu.be/JrwZdlcArl0
Listen to the message at: https://arcsermons.transistor.fm/episodes/masterpiece-the-art-of-patience
Topics Discussed in this episode
- 00:00 Intro
- 02:02 Women in Leadership
- 02:11 What does the Bible say about women in leadership?
- 09:25 What is the history of women in leadership at ARC?
- 14:08 Rick and Svea's recommendations on studying both perspectives on what the Bible says about women in leadership.
- 16:48 The Art of Patience
- 17:05 Svea's experience with losing her patience with her son and realizing that patience is a gift.
- 20:18 Is our world OK when people lack patience? It seems acceptable to be impatient.
- 21:30 "Patience is what you want to see in the driver behind you, but not in the driver in front of you."
- 22:25 Want to want to
- 23:13 How did Jesus model patience even when he was facing an extreme challenge?
- 28:42 God's patience for us, especially patience in salvation
- 30:46 How are we patient with God? What we need to remember when God seems slow to act.
- 32:04 Patience is not just our willingness to wait; it's "whom am I trusting?"
- 33:29 A plan for growing in patience
In this episode, Rick and Svea discuss unity in the church and the challenges that come cultural or stylistic preferences, particularly in regard to styles of worship music.
This episode is an extension of a message preached at Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, MN on July 2, 2023. Watch the original message.
See Romans chapter 11 to read the primary Bible passage discussed in this episode.
About the Masterpiece series
- Theme Verse: For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
- Series Thesis: We are good works of art created to do the art of good works.
Resources for this episode
- Listen to the message at: https://churchismessy.transistor.fm/episodes/masterpiece-the-art-of-gentleness
- Watch the message at: https://youtu.be/HJwA2i30s-0
Topics Discussed in this episode
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:55 Recap of Rick's sermon on Gentleness, part of Autumn Ridge Church's Masterpiece Series
- 03:55 Is gentleness a feminine quality?
- 07:01 How did Jesus display strength and gentleness in John 8?
- 11:30 Judging sin and practicing gentleness
- 15:10 Moral codes, relationships, and gentleness
- 20:43 Commandments as an expression of love
- 23:15 Ultimate reality is ultimately about relationships
- 28:43 What is the real intention when addressing sin?
- 31:50 Confronting sin based on the Gospel & appealing to others' dignity
- 35:15 Pastors and the Church as God's plan for His kingdom
About the Masterpiece series
- Theme Verse: For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
- Series Thesis: We are good works of art created to do the art of good works.
Resources for this episode
- Listen to the message at: https://churchismessy.transistor.fm/episodes/masterpiece-the-art-of-fathering
- Watch the message at: https://youtu.be/fod8fgjKuRE
- Info on Opal Lee starting Juneteenth: https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/opal-lee-fort-worths-grandmother-of-juneteenth-is-still-marching-at-96/
- Senora Dodd starting Father's Day: https://www.fairmountmemorial.com/post/sonora-dodd
Topics Discussed in this episode
00:00 Intro
01:10 Recap of Otis's sermon on Juneteenth, Father's Day
03:50 What is the meaning and goal of "Family on Mission"?
06:10 How did Jesus model "Family on Mission" as a single person?
07:55 We are designed for community, not autonomy
13:07 What is the difference between "Family or Mission", "Family and Mission", "Family on Mission"?
16:40 The Apostle Paul's commendation to follow him as he follows Jesus
20:25 Is a Masterpiece perfect? If we are God's Masterpieces, why aren't we perfect?
21:33 How do we change our perspective on our collaborative mission?
In this special episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea follow up an email that was sent to the Autumn Ridge congregation on June 20, 2023 about the plan for the worship services. Rick gives greater detail to many of the topics introduced in the email.
Here are a list of topics and the times in today's podcast:
00:00 Intro
01:20: What is going on with weekend services and worship styles at our church?
02:05: What was our church's approach to making this decision?
11:00: Our worship service survey and what it revealed
13:15: Our church's history with worship service types
19:04: What criteria and requirements did our advisory and elder teams have for this decision?
24:03: Other churches have gone through this before
28:33: What is unified worship?
38:24: The road ahead
39:22: Watch the July 1-2 message online if you can't attend a service (video will be available after July 3)
39:56: What can guests expect at Autumn Ridge Church in the near future?
What is God’s purpose in using humility to make us his masterpiece?
Pastors Caleb Smith and Svea Merry discuss different aspects of humility. This is a practical topic for every person - not just church people.
About the Masterpiece series
- Theme Verse: For we are God’s handiwork [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
- Series Thesis: We are good works of art created to do the art of good works.
Resources for this episode
- Listen to the message at: https://media.transistor.fm/c93033f3/9138d154.mp3
- Watch the message at: https://youtu.be/0qdlf0Y_gY4
- Passages discussed in this message/episode: Philippians 2:1-8, Luke 18:9-14, John 13:1-5
Moments in this episode
- 00:00 - Intro
- 01:03 - Recap of Caleb’s message on humility and his experience as a “Hot Dog.”
- 07:19 - Being confident, self-assured, and proud in a healthy and God-glorying way
- 09:28 - How to humbly use our abilities and gifts for others, rather than for our own purposes.
- 10:35 - How did Jesus show humility in becoming like us?
- 13:00 - Is humility the same as being a doormat? Was Jesus a doormat?
- 17:45 - Did Jesus show humility in always saying “yes” to people and always doing what they want?
- 18:55 - How did Jesus reach humility by using the Pharisee’s own example against them?
- 23:00 - What foundational thoughts can help anyone to live in humility?
- 26:30 - How does God’s forgiveness of our past, present and future mistakes help us be humble?
- 28:40 - We may be surprised by who is and who is not in heaven
- 35:40 - Jesus washed his followers’ feet, knowing they would betray him.
- 38:38 - Read through the gospels with the lens of Jesus demonstrating humility
We kick off the Masterpiece series with a discussion between Pastors Svea Merry and Caleb Smith about what a masterpiece is and isn't and get a hint about where the series will be going over the next several weeks.
In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea discuss listener questions from the Regifting series.
This week on Church Is Messy, we look at the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well and how Jesus challenges us to move toward the messes and evaluate how we engage with people different from us.
Rick and Svea discuss grief and the interplay of emotional maturity and spiritual health.
Rick and Svea answer questions they've received about some of the theology of the Nicene Creed.
Doubt and deconstruction are often thought of as bad words. Are they better thought of as powerful tools God can use to strengthen our foundation of trust and faith in him?
Today we're exploring orthodoxy and unity in the church, some controversial theological topics, tools for maintaining unity, and why Rick is the way he is.
Based on our recent message called "Uncensored" this episode takes a further look at the nuances of acceptance vs approval.
Listen in on a discussion between pastors Otis Hall, Rick Henderson, and Svea Merry as they discuss what it means to be a church of all cultures.
From Pastor Rick's Independence Weekend message: Is the USA a Christian nation? Was it ever a Christian nation?
Rick and Svea discuss the story of Rahab and how when the city of Jericho was "melting with fear" she chose to trust God and look up.
Looking at the story of Elijah in 1 Kings, Rick and Svea discuss how God brings refreshment to a man utterly spent.
Rick Henderson and Svea Merry have a very candid conversation about the real messiness of scandal rocking our own church and the scandals rocking churches as a whole.
Executive Pastor Otis Hall joins Rick and Svea as we continue our conversation on Neighboring.
Was Jesus' resurrection a real, historical event? Pastor Rick dives deep into the Easter message.
In our most recent message, Rick asked, "Can we be moral and do good without God?" On today's episode, we dive deeper into that debate.
SHOW NOTES
Rick's recommendation on where to start reading the Bible: John or Luke
Is God a Moral Monster by Paul Copan
Ehrman Project
The Holy Post Podcast
Psalm 51
Daniel 2
Pastor Svea Merry joins us to share her own story of loss and suffering.
3 Ways to Work Through Suffering
1. We need to trust the truth of God.
2. Be able to talk about what you're experiencing with someone you trust.
3. Be willing to engage in your emotional health.
SHOW NOTES
Matthew 11 - Jesus and John the Baptist
Cross Examined
Reasonable Faith
The Bible Project
Autumn Ridge Church
Church is Messy with Rick Henderson is a brand new podcast launching on March 30. Each week, we will bring the message of the Gospel into the everyday messes of life.