St. Paul's Leaskdale Audio Podcast: Recent Episodes
St Paul's Leaskdale
Welcome to the St. Paul's Leaskdale Church audio podcast. These 25-30 minute messages are intended to help you grow in your relationship with God and others. Whether church is new to you or not, our hope is that you will experience a life that is fully alive! Check us out at www.stpaulsleaskdale.com
Colossians 2:20-3:4 - The believers in Colosse were struggling. We can't avoid it; we bring religious baggage with us when we come to trust Jesus. In our day it's more likely that people go to church and think God should be chill and adjust to their thinking and preferences. 2000 years ago it was the opposite; people brought rules and restrictions, believing that God (or the gods) needed to be placated with displays of earnestness. They basically guessed what God wanted. Paul wanted those believers to guess no more! Get back and stay with the core of Christianity, which is, I hope, obvious: Jesus!
Colossians 2:13-19 - Humans have a problem that we can't save ourselves from—not through secular programs or religious systems. The good news of Jesus is that on the cross, Jesus dealt with it all. In him we are alive, forgiven, and free!
Colossians 2:8-12 - The Colossian Christians were in danger of losing their freedom in Jesus because of teaching that told them they needed to supplement faith in Jesus with religion or spiritual experiences. Paul warns them not to get tricked by this, because Jesus is more than enough.
Colossians 2:1-7 - The way forward for the first Christians had its bumps and tumbles. Not everyone who claimed to be a teacher had their story straight, and some were downright deceptive and wrong. One of the reasons Paul wrote this letter was to speak directly to the false teaching that was being introduced. They say that the best way to learn what a counterfeit bill is to handle a genuine bill over and over. Turns out, Jesus is the genuine article!
Colossians 1:24-29 - Suffering is the hardest thing for human beings. Why do we have to go through so much pain? One might think that getting on God's 'team' would mean you wouldn't suffer anymore or at least you'd suffer less. That's not the case. Jesus suffered, and he was very clear that his followers would suffer too. What is more important is the second truth, which is that Christians' suffering is never lost on God and is never in vain.
Colossians 1:21-23 - Last week, Paul went into great detail about Jesus, how sovereign and supreme he is and all that he did in pursuit of us. This week, we, Christians, enter the story. Paul only uses 2 words to describe our side of the story: alienated and reconciled. Again, Jesus did all the heavy lifting on the reconciliation side! And that, Paul explains, is the Good News, the Gospel.
Colossians 1:15-20 - In his letter to the Colossians, Paul quickly gets down to 'majoring on the majors'. Not surprisingly, the Major of all majors is Jesus. Instead of talking about Jesus' powerful miracles or profound teachings, Paul backs the story all the way to the beginning, Creation. Jesus is the One through whom and for whom creation came into being. He holds it together, and he pulls out all the stops to redeem it when it goes off the rails. This is what love looks like.
Colossians 1:9-14 - Paul continues his message of hope by telling the Colossians what he's praying for them. He doesn't pray that they'll be healthy or wealthy or have an easier go of it. What he wants most for them, and so what he asks God for them, is that they would know God's will, that they would live a life worthy of Jesus and that they would have God's strength for staying in the game for the rest of their lives. It makes one think about what we want most for ourselves and for those in our lives.
Colossians 1:1-8 - The church in Colossae faced cultural pressures that challenged their hope in Jesus. When Paul heard about this from prison, he wrote this hope-filled letter to encourage these new believers that Jesus is all they need. Gospel hope is true, certain, life-changing, and unstoppable.
Acts 28:30-31-At various points in the Church's history, Christians realized they were at a crossroads. Decisions had to be made, new opportunities considered and familiar surroundings left to meet fresh challenges. St. Paul's Leaskdale has its own stories of crossroads, none bigger than leaving the site it had enjoyed for 144 years, buying 100 acres and building a new structure in which to worship Jesus and invite neighbours. Today, with growing numbers and people streaming in from the North and the East, we believe we're at another crossroads.
Revelation 22:12-21 - The Bible ends with an exchange between lovers: the Groom, Jesus, saying that he's coming soon, and the Spirit and the Bride - believers worldwide- saying "We can hardly wait!". The whole Story of the Bible has been a romance! The longing of God's heart brought to fulfillment. The longing of our hearts finally satisfied. The 'special sauce' that makes all this come together is the Holy Spirit! He's the setup guy, matchmaker, bride-protector, best man and much more.
1 Corinthians 13 - In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul writes a lot about the Holy Spirit and his gifts to the church. The main thing he wants to talk about is love. Love, not gifting, is the benchmark for spiritual maturity. Love is a way of life, not an emotional experience. And love is our future. It's permanent!
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - Paul wrote to the church in Corinth so they could understand some basic stuff like leadership, sex, married life and self-discipline. As part of 'basic training', he also taught about spiritual things. How does the Holy Spirit help us sort out the spiritual realities of life? Not surprisingly, Jesus is at the very centre of the conversation. There's more!
Galatians 5:16-26 - The Holy Spirit caught everyone off guard, both the convinced and the curious. The early Church was thrilled by stories of healings and rescues. Over time, as they paid attention to what was going on in each other's lives, they realized that they were each becoming more like Jesus! They attributed that to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was on them for powerful deeds and words, and the Spirit was in them, making them more like Jesus.
Acts 2:1-21 - The long-awaited gift of God's Spirit given to ordinary women and men finally touched down! A few unlikely believers huddled together in an upstairs room were the first recipients. This story unlocks the plan that the Spirit of Jesus has for us all.
Luke 4:14-21 - Jesus announced that the Spirit of the Lord was on him to proclaim the good news. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus for his mission. And Jesus gives us the same Spirit for the same mission.
Joel 2:28-32 - This week, we begin a seven-week study on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit shows up in the first verses of the Bible, "hovering over the waters," in the last verses of the Bible: "The Spirit and the Bride say 'Come'". The Spirit shows up in many of the verses in between as well. And yet the Holy Spirit feels elusive, unpredictable and mysterious. Today, we enter that mystery by looking through the Old Testament and how the Holy Spirit showed up in those early days of faith.
Mark 16:1-8 - The story of Jesus' Resurrection means the rest of the Bible makes sense. That morning, Jesus redeemed every story from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden forward. You might be surprised how understated the event is, particularly in Mark's biography. But even in Mark, the hope, the grace and our future face-to-face with Jesus is strong and secure.
Mark 11:1-11 - We're just touching down as Mark's biography of Jesus moves towards the Cross. The Triumphal entry seems anticlimactic and insignificant to us, but for those in the know, those who had waited for hundreds of years, there was electricity in the air. A perpetual bone of contention in Israel has always been about finding and following the rightful king. Turns out, that's still the main issue for our whole planet.
Mark 9:1-13 - We've hit fast-forward in the Jesus Story! In one week, we've shuttled from the mountain where the 10 commandments were given, over to the mountain where Jesus shows his true colours. This story is a shout-out to everything that has happened to this point in the Bible, and at the same time, a shout-forward, to the most important stuff that was and still is happening for planet Earth.
Exodus 40:34-38 - The Book of Exodus ends with God's tent, the Tabernacle, furnished and fully operational. The job of exiting, leaving Egypt, is done. Now it's time to change focus from getting out of slavery to getting into the Promised Land. This is the ultimate road trip because God is on it, and that brings complications too.
Exodus 33:12-23 - The book of Exodus unfolds the growing friendship between God and Moses, one conversation at a time. Moses' honest exchange with God is a picture of how we can talk with God, too.
Exodus 19:3-8 - God is seeking a community to join Him in His mission to bless and save the world. Israel was out of Egypt, where their purpose had been clear: make bricks! What was their purpose now? At the foot of Mount Sinai, before they take another step, God has a proposal.
Exodus 16:2-16 | The story of our roots continues. As in all relationships, things have shifted from near daily drama of the epic and spectacular to settling into daily routines. What will God do about their need for food every day? How much can we trust God? How much control do we have? So many questions to answer as we learn to walk with God.
Exodus 14:5-31 - The story of God's rescue is not without drama! God's people left Egypt only to come against a new opponent, the Red Sea! They were trapped between an angry Pharaoh and, at least as bad, an angry Sea. They cried out, expressed their terror, and God made a way. Of course, it did involve them moving their feet! Participation is always required when God rescues.
Exodus 12:1-14 - The story of Exodus is the story of Jesus. The God we get to know in Exodus is the God who comes to us in the person of Jesus: a God who judges, who saves, and who renews.
Exodus 3:1-14 - The Rescue begins! And as God always does, he goes looking for a person to lead the charge, a fallible, often unwilling person. God chose Moses and picked up on a relationship that God started years ago, when Moses may not have been paying attention. He started paying attention the day that he came across a burning bush that talked!
Exodus 1:6-14 - This Sunday we begin a new teaching series called "Roots" based on the book of Exodus. You can't fully understand the life, death and resurrection of Jesus without studying Exodus. Chapter 1 lays the foundation of a people in desperate need of rescue.
Exodus 36:1-7 -God gave Moses a huge project. Moses already had a huge assignment in guiding the Israelites through the wilderness, but now God wanted an ornate Tabernacle built. It would require great skill and a pile of gold, silver and precious gems. Providentially, these very recently freed slaves had been showered with gold, silver and precious gems as they left Egypt. The question was whether they would cling to their wealth or give it away to what God was doing.
Luke 12:13-21 - Jesus tells us to watch out for all kinds of greed. The challenge is, greed is sneaky—it hides in our hearts. So Jesus tells a story illustrating three attitudes towards money that are symptoms of greed: I deserve it. It's all for me. I'm better off with more.
Luke 2:22-40 - This week, we continue our Advent series, Go, by reflecting on the quiet faithfulness of Joseph and Mary as they bring Jesus to the temple. In this moment of ordinary obedience, God meets them with extraordinary hope through Simeon and Anna.
Matthew 1:18-25 - This week's story is God's call to Joseph. Joseph would have hoped to lead an ordinary life, work a job, have a family, and contribute in some small way to the community. God had bigger plans.
Luke 1:39-45: Unexpectedly pregnant before she was married, Mary's life was in upheaval. God sent her to Elizabeth, who would encourage her with a blessing.
Luke 1:26-38 - It's Christmas, and everyone is GOING! For starters, it's Gabriel who goes first to Zechariah (last week) and now to Mary in Nazareth. Christmas has God on the move, and God chose to include humans as key players in the best story ever. Mary's involvement in this story will prove very costly. Such is the Christian life.
Luke 1:5-17 - The first Christmas was hopping! God was fulfilling promises made centuries earlier and now he needed the right people to be in place and ready to go. His first stop was Jerusalem to talk to an old priest about he and his wife having a baby. There was excitement in the air! And so it begins.
Mark 3:32-35 - The most important practice of all is Community, because, in part, we can learn every other practice as we walk with other Jesus people. In this week's passage, Jesus clarifies the kind of community we need to be surrounded by: those who do the will of God.
John 15:5-17 - Jesus describes himself as the vine whose source and power produce fruit in the branches. When we remain in Jesus the way a branch does in a vine, he grows the fruit of true life in us.
A Rule of Life is a set of practices that help us remain in Jesus. These practices include prayer, solitude, Scripture, sabbath, community, fasting, service, witness, and generosity.
Mark 2:17 - Jesus came to call sinners. Sinners, those who miss the mark, are on God's invite list! Jesus also adds that he didn't come to call the righteous, so everyone who believes, or at least wants others to believe, that they've got it all together, need not apply. There's a fundamental self-awareness required to follow Jesus.
Matthew 26:36-39 - A number of the Christian practices that Jesus gave us (like solitude, Sabbath, prayer and Scripture reading) turn down the noise of the world so we can turn up the volume of His voice. Other voices surface as well! Buried emotions and wounding memories can also rise to the surface. This is one of God's ways of telling us it's time to enter those harder bits of our lives with him and learn how to name them, express them and regulate them as followers of Jesus.
Mark 1:35 - One of the many remarkable things about Jesus' life is his restraint and rhythm. Knowing he had only three years in ministry might have made him frantic and sleepless, but it wasn't the case. Thankfully, he gave us practices so that our own lives can also be marked by restraint and rhythm.
Luke 6:39-49 - Jesus has much to say about how life is intended to be lived. We're always learning; that means, consciously or otherwise, we have teachers. Jesus warns that some teachers are dangerous! They are like the blind leading the blind. In the end, you will become like your teacher. Choose wisely.
Romans 12:1-2 - Jesus' invitation is to follow him: to be with him, become like him, and do what he did. We surrender control to Jesus, resist the pattern of the world that shapes us, and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit for transformation.
Mark 1:16-18 - This Sunday, we begin a message series on Practicing the Way. When Jesus lived bodily among us, he taught and modelled many things, including practices like praying, fasting, solitude and Sabbath. These weren’t harsh measures to separate the strong from the weak; they were gifts to grow intimacy with God and develop a deep well of character and grace. In this week’s passage, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, two ordinary run-of-the-mill fishermen, to be his apprentices. It turns out Jesus can work with anyone.
Acts 17:16-34 - Acts 17 tells the story of a Christian who spoke in a public setting about the hope Jesus brings. It was a moment to put aside churchy language and use ‘street speak’. Paul encouraged his audience in their search for God and carefully took the time to show where that search had lost it’s way. And then he gave them Jesus, who is the Truth.
Acts 13:1-5 - The first Christians had small groups! They knew, because Jesus modelled it, that we’re much better in groups than we are as individuals. The group that gathered in Antioch was diverse, zoned in on Jesus and figuring out how to be outward-facing. Your own group will want all that and more!
Acts 8:9-25 - Simon put on a good show (literally!), but his heart was full of bitterness. He wasn’t healthy and wasn’t taking the steps to be healthy. What about us today?
Acts 2:40-47 - As a church, we’re taking some time to talk about our vision and strategy. We’re hoping to add clarity to why and how we do what we do in this season. We’ve found ourselves pondering the story of the earliest church in the book of Acts. In one day, uncertainty turned to full-out joy, and church membership blew up 2500%! Jesus was alive, they experienced God’s promised Spirit alive in them, so they locked into being together, learning, sharing and praying. It's hard to improve on that!
Psalm 129 is a bit of a nasty Psalm! The writer has been oppressed and doesn’t hold back in expressing what that feels like. You might think being a believer means your troubles disappear, but that has never been the case. The good news is that God is neither blind nor indifferent to our struggles. In time (often not as fast as we want), God always intervenes. There’s even hope for the oppressor in this Psalm! Good news travels.
Psalm 131 - The Psalms of Ascent have it all: anguish, anger, encouragement, and wild joy.
Psalm 131 is all about contentment. Where does contentment come from? What ruins it? What does it feel like? How can I be content in an age where marketing, social media and mirrors breed discontent?
Psalm 133 - The Psalms of Ascent were songs for the journey—worshippers sang them as they traveled together toward Jerusalem and the Temple. These Psalms give voice to the sorts of things that go through worshippers' hearts as they prepare to worship. Today’s Psalm (133) is about relationships, people getting along and how God blesses us as we choose to live in harmony.
Psalm 104 is a song of praise that marvels at the beauty and order of God’s creation. From mountains to seas, seasons to creatures great and small, it reveals a world sustained by His power and care. This psalm invites us to stand in awe, give thanks, and consider our role as stewards of His handiwork. As we reflect, we’ll explore how creation points us to God’s character, draws us closer to Him, and shapes the way we live in His world.
We humans need help! The question is, where will we turn for it? Psalm 121 invites us to look to God for true help.
Psalm 127 reminds us that unless the Lord builds the house, our efforts are in vain. It's a call to trust—learning to rest in God's provision while recognizing that every good gift, including our work, our homes, and our children, ultimately rests in His hands.
A life of faith is a life of prayer. It’s also a life lived with others. When we follow Jesus, we belong to Him and to one another as brothers and sisters. As a family, we care for one another in weakness, confess our sins to each other, and gently confront one another.
James 4:6-10 - James knows that the heart of the Christian message is grace. God gives us good that we couldn’t ever deserve. The truth is that we earn and deserve justice and punishment. Thankfully, Jesus took both of those for us and gave us the good he deserved. As powerful as grace is, there is one thing that can resist it. Listen in to find the one thing that repels grace.
James 3:1-18 - James is at it again! He has a real concern for the words that Christians use on themselves, with each other and with the world. Our tongues (James' favourite image for our words) can cause such destruction, and they are nearly impossible to control. What’s the solution? Fortunately, Jesus gets to the root of the problem and to the fix that works.
James 2:14-26 - James continues to press deep into the muscles and tissues of our faith. Is your faith doing what it was designed to do? Just like you might go to the doctor for a physical check-up, James offers a self-administered faith check-up in this passage. Where do you see signs of life in your faith?
James 1:19-27 - James is direct: angry words, thoughtless words, and religious words don’t have a place in a life of faith. Our words don’t work … but God’s word does! Our job is simply to cooperate with his word.
James 1:1-18 - James gets right down to business! For everyone not currently soaking in a hot tub, suffering is a first order of business. In just a few verses, James explains how trials can grow maturity, how wisdom helps the journey, and how to avoid wasting a suffering experience.
Acts 1:1-11 - Baptism is recognized throughout the Church as the beginning of a ‘God thing.’ John’s baptism was a visible demonstration of the start of a new life — clearing out the junk to prepare for what God was about to do. Jesus’ baptism reveals the true heart of baptism: God’s desire to bless and express His delight. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the start of the Kingdom. Ordinary women and men were now filled with the Spirit of Jesus to continue on the ministry Jesus started.
Luke 3:21-22 - At Jesus’ baptism, the Father said, “You’re my son. I love you. I’m proud of you.” As Christians, our baptism is a sign that we are in Christ, that what is true about him is true about us, and that the Father’s blessing now defines us.
Luke 3:1-20 - The first mention of baptism in the Bible begins with John. John was the cousin of Jesus and also His opening act. John called the people of his day to "Get Ready." The public sign of a life getting ready for God was, and still is, baptism. Get washed so God can do what God wants to do.
Revelation 21:1-8 - Jesus wins; Jesus has already won; stay faithful to Jesus! This is the message of John’s sometimes confusing book of Revelation. It is full of encouragement and hope for disciples. Jesus, the Lamb, is on the throne. And he is preparing a future for us that includes heaven and so much more!
Acts 21:37-22:22- Acts 21 finds Paul in Jerusalem, at the Temple, getting beaten for his faith in Jesus. In a wild turn of events, Paul had the opportunity to talk to those who wanted to kill him. What do you say to people who want you dead? Paul told his story—a story of his own self-righteous zeal, of Jesus meeting him in an unmistakable way, and of a kind believer who stood with him. What a great testimony!
Acts 13:16-44 - Paul and Barnabas made their way through the known world, telling everyone they met about Jesus and the Resurrection. In one synagogue, Paul told the Jews their history, but he told it differently than they’d heard it before. He showed how God had often given Israel a second chance. He went on to explain that Jesus was their second, and final, chance. Some of their listeners believed; others hated the message. Nobody likes being told they’re wrong.
Now what? The story of Acts is what happens after the death and resurrection of Jesus. God takes ordinary people, fills them with His Spirit, and sends them out into the world. It's a crazy idea! Peter and John transform an everyday visit to the Temple into a medical miracle and preach a compelling message to boot. Hundreds of people come to trust Jesus. Just another day of walking in the Spirit.
John 20:20-29 - All through his ministry Jesus took time to speak with individuals. Even after the resurrection, he never changed course. John records an interaction with Thomas that speaks to doubt and the struggle it is for each of us to believe.
John 12:9-19 - When Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the shouts and cheers of the crowd, there was no mistaking what was happening: the King was back in his rightful place. There were several responses to this long-awaited event: some celebrated, some grumbled, and then… everyone went home. It may have looked anticlimactic, but Jesus wasn’t going anywhere. He had come to do what only the true King of Israel could do.
John’s biography of Jesus slows as he chronicles the week leading up to Jesus’ death. Jesus has a long, careful conversation with the disciples, and today, we listen to the beginning of that conversation. He begins with a strong command: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He then reinforces it with three unshakable assurances: He is going ahead of them, He has cleared the way to the Father, and He will send supernatural power so they can continue His work.
Jesus’ friend John was very careful to record the things that Jesus said about Himself. As an observant Jew, John knew that there is only one God. From time to time, God sent prophets, ordained priests, and crowned kings so that the people of God had someone to lead them to Him. Everyone knew that these leaders only ever pointed to God; they never claimed any status beyond being messengers. But when Jesus came, He was different. He claimed to be “the Light of the World,” “the Truth that sets you free,” and “the Resurrection and the Life”—all of them ridiculous claims for anyone but God to make. That was exactly His point.
Jesus tells a story about a father with two lost sons. The rule-breaking younger son was lost in self-indulgence, and the rule-keeping older son was lost in self-righteousness. The father loved both generously and even recklessly. Both needed to be found. Were they?
esus announced that the Kingdom of God had arrived and everyone wondered what that would look like. Would it mean swords and fighting or a political takeover? John records a couple of one-on-one conversations that Jesus had. What an interesting Kingdom! It turns out that each person matters in the Kingdom of God, each woman and each man matter eternally.
The story of the Bible is the Story of Jesus, God’s plan all along was to come as one of us to rescue us from sin and death and to reset us to live radically different lives. Today’s passage offers a different (still true!) beginning to the story of Jesus' life on earth.
The story of Esther is surprising—not once is God mentioned. Yet God’s silence is not the same as his absence. He works for good, even through ordinary events and with flawed people.
Ezra 3:10-13 - The book of Ezra tells the story of the return of God’s people from exile. The account details the extra care that was taken by the returnees in doing their best to reproduce what they once had. Very quickly they got the old altar operational and began to rebuild the temple. Our story is about what they chose to do on the day the foundation of the new temple was in place. There was a party that didn’t feel like a party for everyone and that’s just honest!
The book of Daniel is all about the Sovereignty of God. The God of Israel proves himself sovereign even in faraway Babylon: boys receive foreign favour and are released from having to eat rich and potentially unkosher food. Young men are saved from a fiery furnace, and old man Daniel doesn’t get eaten by a den of hungry lions. God proves he’s not limited by international borders, arrogant kings or wild beasts. All of this points forward to Jesus, who demonstrated his sovereignty (he is God, after all!) in different ways.
Ezekiel 36:22-28 - The people of God deserved to be in exile in Babylon. They had betrayed their relationship with God by worshipping idols and committing horrible acts of violence. But instead of giving up on his people, God goes with them into exile. He shows up with a message of hope: he will bring them back, clean them up, and make them new. It was good news for the Israelites, and it’s good news for us today.
Chapter 16: Isaiah 6:1-10 - Most of Isaiah’s writings don’t have a timestamp on them, but one event does. The day that he had his most profound encounter with God was shortly after King Uzziah died. King Uzziah would have been on the throne long before Isaiah was born and would have been the only king that Isaiah knew. That’s a big loss. Sometimes, God is able to meet us best when we’re tender from loss or grief.
1 Kings 18:16-39 - Elijah lived at odds with his culture. An evil king (and queen!) wanted him dead, so he went into hiding. After 3 years, God prompted him to set up a showdown: Yahweh vs. Ba’al, good vs. evil, and a battle to the death. Sadly, good’s triumph barely left a mark on the life of his country. Thankfully, there was another good vs evil showdown years later, and its impact is still being felt around the world.
Chapter 14: 1 Kings 12:1-16 - King Rehoboam continues the descent that has been the story of the kings since the throne was established. No one seems to be able to get it right. Leadership is tough. It requires listening to God and keen self-awareness. Rehoboam’s legacy is that he divided the people of God. May that never happen again.
Luke 1:26-38 - Mary was approached by the angel Gabriel and told she was the one to carry the “Son of the Most High”. She was curious and submissive, but she didn’t ‘feel the love’ until she walked 150 km to visit her relative Elizabeth. Together, they processed what was going on in their lives. That was the beginning of Christianity! Two believers getting honest and committing themselves to God and each other, no matter what.
Micah 5:1-5a - When the Wisemen arrived in Jerusalem looking for the ‘King of the Jews’, the scholars read our Micah passage and told them to go to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the place of the king's birth. That prophecy had been given 700 years before Mary and Joseph trundled into sleepy Bethlehem. All of this: Micah’s prophecy, the difficulty of his time in history, translates into joy for us and potential joy for all the generations of the earth.
The Israelites want peace without God as king. They have their own solution for national success: a new system of government. But there’s a flaw in their solution that will ultimately see them trapped by it … until the true king comes to rescue them.
Genesis 1:31-2:3 This is the beginning of the Beginning! The Creation story lays out many bedrock truths, including our purpose and God's purpose. The 7th day of Creation reveals that God is the rightful King and we are part of a good Kingdom. These two truths alone are the foundation for life-giving hope.
“David and Bathsheba” is synonymous with leadership failure. It’s heartbreaking to hear of a person who walks with God, “a man after God’s heart,” ruining lives through an impulsive act. The passage is clear that “God was not pleased with what David had done” and, amazingly, God didn’t throw the towel in on David. Even at his worst, perhaps especially at his worst, David experienced God’s redemption.
The Israelites were afraid of the Philistine champion, Goliath. They needed a champion to rescue them, and at just the right time, God sent them a shepherd king who risked his life to defeat the enemy. The God who sent David to rescue the Israelites is the same God who came to us as the humble shepherd-king Jesus and gave his life to save us all.
The first human king of Israel was a flop. Saul had loads of promise, but he never learned to keep his eyes on God. God was a duty to Saul, not a friend, which meant Saul was always thinking of himself, what people thought of him, and what he needed to look good.
Expert fire inspectors can tell what started a fire even after it has been put out. They do the forensic work to prevent future fires. As we sort through the ashes of Saul’s life, stay alert to God’s cautions about your life and leadership.
The tiny book of Ruth in your Bible is all about friendship. The name Ruth actually means friendship. Two women lash themselves to each other, wondering what God might do for them during a bleak time in their lives. It’s the story of hard work, courage, and God coordinating the needed pieces behind the scenes.
It doesn’t take too long in the Promised Land for the people of God to begin to behave very badly. All the dreams of being a model nation with God as their king went out the window in a hurry. There’s no greater evidence for this than the last story in the book of Judges. Sometimes the Bible has PG-13 content. Judges 19-21 is rated R.
A Canaanite sex worker, Rahab seemed as far from God as a person could be. But Rahab trusted that God would save her, and he did. God rescued Rahab from shame and into a whole new life with a whole new family. That’s what he does for us, too.
This was Israel’s big day! Everything had been pointing towards this. Everyone was excited and when the moment came, they blew it! Totally dropped the ball. Trusted leaders turtled and turned the people of God against God’s good (and challenging) plan. God still got done what needed to be done—it just took 40 extra years and made for one long camping trip for an entire generation.
The people of God were rescued from slavery - now what? God doesn't just free us from darkness, He frees us for a new life. In today's passage, we see the kind of people and nation God wants Israel to be!
As we continue journeying through the Story of God, you may find yourself encountering things you didn't expect. Bible ‘heroes’ who eat the forbidden fruit, get drunk, betray their brothers, and this week, one who does everything he can to avoid joining God in rescuing His people. There aren’t many Bible heroes, just a bunch of failing humans. God is not deterred. He has and will do everything He can to rescue people, even if it’s just by the skin of their teeth. It’s all quite marvellous and mysterious.
Joseph was Jacob’s favourite son with God-given dreams for the future. And then life went horribly wrong for him: his brothers betrayed him, he became a slave in Egypt, and ended up in prison. Where was God when all of this was going on? God was working everything together to save lives, save a family, and save Joseph himself.
The second chapter of The Story introduces us to Abram and Sarah, God's choice for the parents of His chosen people. Not only do we meet Abram and Sarah, but we also begin to see what God is truly like. He chooses a very old, childless couple to start a nation. What is God after? Is He a cruelbeing who delights in rubbing people's noses in their failures or taunting themwith the unattainable? Or is there something in this story that reveals God's heart for all of us?
This is where it all begins! In Genesis 1, there's hovering, waiting, and anticipation—then God speaks order into the chaos, and the world bursts to life. Every detail is intentionally crafted: places to live and creatures to inhabit them. And then, the nearly unthinkable, God creates humanity, a species charged with the sacred task of tending to His creation. The angels must have gasped at this scene.
After the most successful speaking event in the history of the world -where the entire city repented - Jonah was still despondent. He had hoped for God to punish his enemies, not forgive them. In response, God provided a comforting plant and then a tiny worm to challenge Jonah’s hard heart. We really don’t know how Jonah ultimately responded.
John 21 finds the disciples back at their old tricks! Back home and fishing. After witnessing the greatest event in history, the resurrection of Jesus, they were unsure of what to do next. So, they returned home and resumed fishing, their old profession. But surprisingly, despite being experienced fishermen, they got skunked—zero fish in the boat. Then Jesus appeared, and the beginnings of the early church began to take shape.
Jonah, the reluctant evangelist, gets a second chance! He heads to Nineveh, the wicked city, to proclaim God’s judgment: “Forty days and Nineveh will be overturned!” To everyone’s amazement, the people of Nineveh didn’t harm Jonah but instead humbled themselves and repented. And God, in His mercy, turned away from His fierce anger. What an incredible story of grace!
Jonah, the reluctant evangelist, gets a second chance! He heads to Nineveh, the wicked city, to proclaim God’s judgment: “Forty days, and Nineveh will be overturned!” To everyone’s amazement, the people of Nineveh didn’t harm Jonah but instead humbled themselves and repented. And God, in His mercy, turned away from His fierce anger. What an incredible story of grace!
What do you do when you’re between a rock and a hard place? Jonah the prophet, did what most of us do—he prayed. Even though he was running from God and was prepared to die rather than obey what God had called him to do, when push came to shove, Jonah prayed. Prayer is a powerful thing to do when you want and need your life to change.
Jonah is an example of how not to take the good news of Jesus to people. His actions, heart, and focus were all wrong. But God won’t give up on this failed prophet—he goes after him in love.
How can we share the wonderful news of Jesus and all He has done for us? What power, perspective and pattern should we follow? Evangelism isn't about following a strict formula; it's about following Jesus. Let's stop viewing evangelism as that scary thing that we relegate to our "outgoing" Christian friends and recognize it as our opportunity to join Jesus in His mission of seeking and saving the lost!
Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness happened at the hands of an enemy who wanted to derail him … and who now wants to destroy us. We need to be aware of this enemy’s presence, stay alert to his methods, and learn how to avoid them.
We’re halfway through our study of Jesus’ three temptations. One aspect that often goes unnoticed about this event is His incredible restraint. Such humility! In a situation that might suggest a dramatic "clash of the Titans" with lightning bolts and grandiose speeches, Jesus' response to Satan’s second temptation is remarkably succinct—just one line. Talk about understated! How might humility influence the way you resist temptation?
Temptation is unavoidable. To be human is to be tempted. Jesus was tempted, which is reassuring. For the next three weeks, we’re looking at the story of Jesus's temptation. It is always interesting to notice which temptations the devil uses to try to hook different people. This Sunday, we look at the devil’s attempt to get Jesus to turn stones into bread.
Worship means more than singing but never less. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, reveals scenes in heaven filled with lots of singing! While Revelation isn’t all about singing and dancing, the creatures of heaven and earth sing because Jesus is King, and everything will be made well. It's clear that we are meant to worship and sing even when life is tough.
Acts 2 reminds us that while we can and do worship alone, the best worship happens when we’re together! The Bible offers no picture of the day when heaven comes to earth when we’ll be off on our own as individuals! We’ll stand, kneel, and bow with the millions who have called Jesus LORD.
The church got off to such a start; 3,000 people were stirred to trust Jesus, worship together, and then opened their homes to each other! Watch what God does when people worship!
The Bible is often the story of how humans get things wrong. Thankfully, there are exceptions! David dancing before the ark of God is the story of the day—humans (mostly) got it right. This is a bright picture of worship. Worship is when God is honoured, and people come alive.
The world misses out on so much worship! God does amazing things daily, yet we often shrug our shoulders, thank our ‘lucky stars,’ and keep our foot on the pedal. Not Miriam!
Miriam understands that worship happens when people notice what God has done, find words (and tambourines), and get up and dance in celebration of God’s good gifts.
Is worship an optional activity for religious people? Why does worship matter? The truth is that we all worship—it’s just a question of who or what we worship. The story of Cain and Abel shows us that who we worship forms our hearts, guides our actions, and determines our lives. Worship really matters!
Paul's letter to the Ephesian church reminds them of how we are made alive in Christ, transformed by His grace into a new creation. We are able to live life with a new purpose and identity as a masterpiece of God's design.
Outdoor Christian Educator and guest speaker Ryan Lamoureux will use the monarch butterfly from God's creation to illustrate this transformational process.
Paul finishes his letter to the church in Rome with a list, not exactly best-seller material. His aim wasn't literary acclaim, although his work became influential; instead, he was interested in fostering and fortifying connections.
Reflecting on Paul's list may have you thinking about your own list: the people God has used in your life to bring you closer to Him.
Paul never recovered from God including the Gentiles in the salvation invitation.
Like some of us, perhaps, he felt like some people should be excluded by virtue of where they were born or how badly they have behaved.
More than included, Paul instructs that former ‘outsiders’ should be treated as precious insiders, treated even better than we would treat ourselves. What would it look like if love came to town?
Human beings need reminders about how to get along, and Christians are no exception. We especially need reminders about how to love each other while we disagree. Paul draws the believers' hearts and minds back to what Jesus has done, and that paves the way for loving each other well through conflict.
How do we live with Jesus in a society that opposes him? Paul tells us to wake up to our resurrection hope. When we do that, loving others and rejecting sin in our own lives makes sense.
Romans 12 is the description of what happens when God’s mercy overflows in a church’s life. Lifelong attitudes change, love becomes genuine, mocking enemies are not met with equal and opposite force but, quite the opposite, with peace and gentleness. Be praying even now for how God will speak uniquely to your small group.
All along, we’ve been saying that God’s heart is to see us INCLUDED. That’s why Jesus came, and that’s the subject of Paul’s letter to the Romans. At times, Christians forget God’s radical inclusion of them and go back to the old patterns of competing and comparing. Sadly, that was happening in the Roman Church. Paul has one powerful dose for that sickness.
The resurrection changed everything! The story includes an invitation, a blessing, and a commission for the first witnesses … and for us today.
I love it when people have the gift of communicating clearly. Paul, following Moses in the second half of Deuteronomy 30, does exactly that: communicates clearly. Here’s what it means to become and be a Christian: it means believing the Resurrection and not keeping that good news to yourself! Clear, but not easy! This is something you’ll do for the rest of your life!
The word “predestination” tends to get the hair on the back of people’s necks standing on end! Nobody likes the idea of God choosing who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. Paul doesn’t really mean to tackle that question in this passage but he does intend to talk about what God’s plan is for humanity and how we are included in carrying that plan.
The world is broken and in pain, and so are we. All of us suffer, including (maybe especially) followers of Jesus. But Jesus gives us resources for walking through suffering: a perspective shaped by hope, prayer to process pain and grief, and the promise of his forever, unlimited love.
One of the struggles with Christianity is knowing how it really works. We can feel shame because we do something wrong or we're not doing enough. We re-dedicate ourselves hoping the next time is a charm. Or we think the point of life is to ‘go to heaven and take as many people with us as possible’. Is that what Jesus intended? How can we know what Jesus intends? Romans 8 is a power-packed, super-condensed explanation of how Christianity works.
Paul is really getting to the heart of the matter! Many of us who read the Old Testament come away scratching our heads. Why didn’t these people, God’s Chosen People, do what they were told? Why are the early Scriptures so full of failure and frustration? They had everything going for them. God was on their side, yet they experienced failure after failure. Perhaps you identify! Paul looks into the reasons why this happened and the only solution for rescue.
One of the modern struggles for those who trust Jesus is what to do with suffering? How can a loving God allow suffering? That question did not trouble Paul in the least. He knew that suffering, at least for now, is a universal human experience. The real question for Paul was: How does the cross of Christ redeem suffering? He dives into that, and, not surprisingly, it gives him one more reason to talk about the fantastic love of God expressed in the death of Jesus.
What does it mean, and what does it look like to ’trust God’? It’s one thing to talk about theories or doctrine; it’s another to actually do it! Enter Abraham and Sarah, two people staring down the barrel of a hopeless situation. Faith may not look like what you think.
We have a problem: sin. It has us trapped. But God has an amazing solution! By grace, he justifies us, giving us what we could never earn. The good news of Jesus is that by faith, we are included in God’s rescue.
Paul explains the Christian faith by pointing out our sin and God’s wrath, not your typical pitch for someone trying to make a sale! Thankfully, Paul isn’t trying to make a sale; he’s playing for keeps and knows there’s only one right way to do that: “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” With much restraint, Paul gives a summary of how wrong things have gone with humans and how God has responded as a horrified parent. How are you supposed to respond when someone you love tells you to drop dead?
Paul wrote to the small church in Rome even though he’d never met them. They were one church he hadn’t planted. In some ways the letter is him making friends. Good friends make us feel included; they let us know that we belong. It wasn’t something that Paul did that included the believers in Rome; it was what Jesus had done and was doing in them through his Spirit that allowed them to belong. The letter begins with Paul telling them just how ‘included’ they were!
The Christmas Story ends with a downer. Dead babies. Few of us know the story, and fewer of us talk about Herod’s killing of the innocents. The message is clear, though: Jesus is on a mission in a world that really knows how to hurt each other. There’s no candy-coated church person experience; we face all the same rotten stuff along with the world. Anyone who tells you differently hasn’t read their Bible. But there is hope. This Baby has something up his sleeve.
The staggering Christian claim is that God became one of us, stooping so low as to be born and, more, born to a poor young woman. It all seems so “un-glorious”. How else could he fully enter our troubles and struggles? He gets us; better than that, he came to set everything right. Merry Christmas, indeed.
Magi, or "the Wisemen” as they’ve come to be known, were invited to the first Christmas. They didn’t get an angel invitation like Mary and Joseph. They were studying and thinking and God was stirring their hearts as they studied. Scholars from far away sounds very mystical to us but the people of Israel weren’t that excited about ‘people from far away’. Foreigners were just more Gentiles. Amazing! Even at his birth God was showing his cards, showing us that the whole world was going to be invited into the Kingdom where Jesus is King.
Matthew introduces Jesus with a genealogy. At first glance, the long list of names seems unrelated to the good news of Jesus. But the people highlighted in this family tree show us that Jesus loves everyone. And that everyone needs Jesus.
The Bible doesn’t make a huge deal about Jesus’ birth. Mark skips the story all together, John goes poetic and Luke and Matthew tell very different (though not conflicting) stories. One of the interesting pieces is who got invited to the birth of Jesus. It’s a curious short list. This week we begin with Joseph, the man who played the role of Jesus’ earthly father. It was not a job he was looking for but he was God’s choice.
Throughout the Bible, God has consistently called his people to be wholehearted and single-minded. At St. Paul’s, we talk about being all-in. The image is of pushing all the poker chips to the middle of the table as if to say, “We’ve found something in Jesus, and we’re betting our whole lives on him!” All in! From time to time, we have to ask ourselves: Is it true? Are we all in? Or are we holding something back? Is something hindering us?
Paul is in chains, but he is still sharing his faith. He creates opportunities to share his faith, takes time for conversations, and is clear about a person's choice for or against Jesus. Then, the story ends abruptly with a single word of hope: unhindered.
The book of Acts tells us Paul’s testimony three times, which seems a little overcooked! As you read each one, you’ll see that while Paul doesn’t change facts, he does choose to emphasize certain parts of his story depending on who is in the audience. All Christians have a testimony; hearing Paul tell his helps us find words to explain what our LORD has done in our lives.
A fish out of water is a term we use to describe someone in unfamiliar and uncomfortable surroundings. That’s Paul in Athens. Paul was a Jewish scholar proficient in the Bible and monotheism. Athens was an idol and temple smorgasbord! In this passage, Paul has to figure out how to explain Jesus to a group of people who have never heard of Him before.
Beaten and thrown in prison, Paul and Silas share their faith. They stay close to Jesus, love like Jesus, and are ready to talk about Jesus when the opportunity comes.
We’ve heard great stories of the Holy Spirit at work in exceptional ways. The church in Antioch felt the Spirit prompt them to do something intentional and put a plan together. The plan was to send out two of their number to let the wider world know of the good news of Jesus. Planning is important but executing the plan is at least as important. Having the strength and capacity to carry on with the plan, through thick and thin, is the story we now find ourselves in. Barnabas and Paul show us what it looks like when Christians begin to intentionally share their faith.
God was blowing Peter’s mind! Not only was lobster, shrimp, and bacon now ‘on the table’ for Jewish Christians, but Gentiles (non-Jewish persons) were also welcome to become Christians. Until this point, there had only been Jewish believers. The Holy Spirit made Peter re-process the message of Jesus and how He is for all people, every tribe, and every tongue - anyone who will trust Him. It turns out that this has been God’s plan all along.
Paul is Enemy Number One for the early church. One translation reads: “Saul was a wild man, going everywhere to devastate the believers, even entering private homes and dragging out men and women alike…” On his way to Damascus to wreak more devastation, Jesus met him. Jesus has a unique way of dealing with enemies. In our story, Jesus invites one of his followers to risk his own life and try His "Enemy Management 101”.
As more and more people trusted Jesus, the religious authorities grew increasingly uncomfortable. They had been the ones who forced the Romans to crucify Jesus. The Christians didn’t want to punish the religious authorities but rather called them to repent. They weren’t keen to oblige. A young man named Stephen caught their attention, and when he also challenged them to repent and change their minds, they chose to throw rocks at his head.
You would think that people with good news would only be celebrated and loved! “The ice cream truck is coming down the street!” “The burgers are ready!” “The Jays won!”. Christians have the best news to share, but it isn’t always celebrated, and we aren’t always loved. In today’s passage, Peter and John have to face the authorities who are pretty keen for this ‘Christian problem’ to go away. Peter and John have to figure out whom they will obey. Will it be threatened leaders or the God who died on the cross for them?
Every person has a story. Humanity has a story, too, and it is best and most accurately recorded in the Bible. When Peter got the chance to share the good news, he used his people’s story to point to Jesus and call them into a healed and life-giving relationship with the God they thought they knew.
Wrongly, some people believe that sharing your faith (evangelism) is what only gifted (or interested) Christians do. Not true. It’s basic to being a Christian. Along with ‘loving one another’, ‘go and make disciples’ is a one-two punch of being a Christian. We’re all still learning how to share our faith. Today, we start a series that tells stories about the time in the Church’s history when everyone was just learning to tell the world about Jesus.
Friends and family have always been powerful forces for a person who wants to grow wiser. Sadly, friends and family can also be powerful in the disintegration of a life too. How do you know who to lean into and who to lean away from? What kind of friends have you put around yourself? What kind of friend are you?
Our words are powerful! Our words can heal or wound, build up or tear down, bring life or carry death. That’s why Proverbs takes so much time to teach us how to use our words well. Good, life-giving words are honest, kind, fitting … and few.
We need good relationships to thrive. The problem is that relationships tend to break down—they need regular maintenance and repair! In the book of Proverbs, we find some basic principles for keeping our relationships strong.
Solomon didn’t want his kids to be slugs! He told them to look really closely at God’s created world and see the way that the world is designed. Among the tiniest of creatures, the ants were a great picture of work without coercion. Without a boss, these littlest creatures get things done! Jesus picked up on that. If there were ever a person who could have been justified with being served and taking it easy, it would have been Jesus, God in a bod. But he lived differently than anyone expected.
Solomon wants to talk to his boys about sex and how to enjoy it and avoid lifelong hurt and regret. Sex isn't the easiest thing to talk with your kids about! But Solomon steps up and talks to them as adults and counsels adult behaviour from them. The Bible isn’t shy about sex, nor is it flippant; instead, it's joyful and careful. Let’s do our best to follow suit.
Proverbs teaches us that the wisdom we need for life is found in a relationship with God. We give him our whole hearts, and he blesses us with his love. It’s amazing!
Today’s sermon offers a warning against the external and internal voices that we listen to and act upon. We need to be cautious of what voices we listen to and recognize the dangers of ‘following the crowd.’ We also need to pay attention to the internal voices acting against God’s will, such as greed and self-fulfillment.
What is the secret to living life well? The book of Proverbs gives us God’s answer to that question: wisdom. But what is wisdom? And how do we get it? The introduction to Proverbs shows us that wisdom needs humility, takes effort, and it begins with Jesus.
The letter to the Ephesians ends with a surprise assignment - warfare! Part of God’s extravagance with us is to invite us into His epic battle against the powers of evil and the evil one’s ’schemes.’ Jesus talks about these things and our ‘surprise’ role in it. He sends us out like sheep among wolves! That’s rather shocking. You may also be underwhelmed by the weapons you’ve been given. Don’t second guess God; His armour has real firepower!
The extravagant love God showed us in Jesus has to show up in our everyday lives. In today’s passage, Paul explains how love plays out in our closest and most ordinary relationships: kids and parents, bosses and workers, husbands and wives. For Christians, love means submission. Submission means choosing the other over ourselves. We submit to each other because Jesus did it for us, and the power we have to do it is His Spirit alive in us.
Paul continues to help the Ephesian believers understand how God’s extravagance pours into their lives and through their lives. Last week it was about leaving old habits (lying, stealing, and potty mouth language) and learning new habits (telling the truth, sharing their stuff, and using words to build up). There’s more of that this week as Paul unpacks the beauty of living a life of love (spoiler alert, he has some things to say about sex, debauchery, and getting drunk!).
All of us are shaped by the family stories we heard growing up. My dad stole a comic book from a convenience store that slid down his pant leg and onto the floor before he could get out of the store. My dad told the store owner he had no idea how it got there. My grandmother was called and came to the store. She listened to my dad’s pathetic lie, and she BELIEVED HIM! When my father became a Christian at 16, he told my grandmother the truth. Needless to say, I never tried the comic book down my pants stunt. The Ephesians grew up in the ‘shadow of the Temple of Artemis.’ How would you describe where you grew up? What pagan (or otherwise) lies did you and your family believe and live from?
Paul has been soaring through the first three chapters of Ephesians. He has been so excited, so thrilled, so wordy(!) about what God has done. Now it’s time for the Ephesian believers to strap on their lifejackets and get ready for the ride of their lives! Doing life together has never been easy for humans. Now more than ever we’re prone to retreat to our solitary caves and keep all the annoying people at a distance. Our God has such a different plan for us!
Power and love and two ‘biggies’ for human beings. We crave both. This week, I read that power or love (or both) is the main subject in two-thirds of all songs and movies. Jesus has a few things to say about power and love, and you may be surprised that he wants more of both for us, much more. Except he doesn’t want the false versions that the world is selling; not all that calls itself ‘power’ is true power, and not all that calls itself ‘love’ is the genuine article. Give us the good stuff, LORD!
Paul knows that the suffering he is experiencing in jail could be discouraging to his friends in Ephesus. He writes to help them see reality through eyes transformed by wonder. It’s a view of life that is amazed by Jesus, amazed by grace, and amazed by the church.
I received an email recently informing me that the US Surgeon General has identified an epidemic of loneliness and the health implications of loneliness compare to heavy cigarette use. We are strangers to each other. We set up walls between us. One of the powerful things that Jesus did in his earthly life and on the cross was to destroy the walls that divide us. Very interesting! 2000 years ago God knew all about our loneliness and did everything in his power to include us. Strangers, even enemies, became friends.
Paul describes our situation in a few ways: as being dead, as being under the influence of evil (the world, the flesh, and the devil), and as courting God’s wrath. What’s your reaction to each of these characterizations? Do they seem true?
Sometimes Christians say to each other: “I’ll pray for you!” What do you pray? Some of you are leaders, what do you pray for the group of people you lead? In today’s passage, we get a look and a listen into the prayer closet of the apostle Paul. He’s not praying for sunny skies and ease of life, he’s got bigger dreams for the people of God.
What is wrong with the world and what can be done about it? If you’re even partially conscientious, you think about these things. The letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians answers both questions and Paul is so excited about what God is doing that he has a run-on sentence of 204 words! Do your best not to get overwhelmed by the ideas piling up on top of each other! Each phrase is describing another part of the extravagant love of God, make sure you hear that loud and clear.
Peter failed to live up to his good intentions and messed up—badly. In love, Jesus heals Peter’s shame and gives him a job to do. It all comes down to this question that Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me?” It’s the same question Jesus has for us today.
The stories of Jesus often have him in conversation with just one other person. Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the guy at the pool of Bethesda, and now Mary. Something about Jesus wanted to (wants!) to deal with us one person at a time. God’s heart is fascinating!
This is it! Jesus' last words to the 11 disciples before he goes to the cross and dies. What will he say? What will he say on his ‘deathbed’? What do you plan on saying on your deathbed? Seems like what you might say on your deathbed would be something you would be living out right now. Jesus did that in his life.
Jesus intends to win the world with love. It makes so little sense on a planet that has always celebrated the strongest and the smartest and the most self-interested. Kindness never won an Olympic medal or a military battle. Our God has chosen his ‘weapon of choice’ and its love. How counterintuitive! Send people out like sheep among wolves, bless your enemies, forgive the undeserving, and love people like crazy. Sounds like a plan that could get a person killed.
Sometimes life feels like it's falling apart. What do you do when you’re in that place? The disciples were there and Jesus watched as their pupils dilated and their palms began to moisten. He began: “No matter what, remember these things…”. It’s good to have a plan when the world is falling apart. It’s good to have a plan before the world starts to fall apart. Thankfully, we have God who loves us and gave us exactly that plan!
The first Christians knew that Jesus loved them. Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and the disciples all knew he loved them. They felt it. That was the basis for the way they did life together: rooted in his love, reminding each other of his love by the way they talked and treated each other. Many things have changed in 2000 years, but loving each other like he loves us has not changed. Never will.
"Washing one another’s feet" ranks right up there with the other crazy ideas Jesus has for his Kingdom: “Go the extra mile.” “Turn the other cheek,” and “Love your enemies.” Inconceivable. Who would ever think that these ideas would gain traction, especially in a group of young men? The only way it makes sense is if these first disciples experienced love like they’d never known before and they were ready to die for it.
John 12:1-11 Mary sees Jesus for who he is and pours out everything she has for him in worship. Judas doesn’t think Jesus is worth it and condemns both Mary and Jesus. And Jesus loves them both extravagantly. What’s your response to the question, “Who is Jesus … to me?”
The two guarantees in life are death and taxes and this story is not about taxes! Death brings everything out of us: sadness, anger, disappointment, confusion, blaming, resentment, gratitude, and when Jesus is around, even, in time - joy.
Our world has certain strategies when it comes to dealing with threats: flight, fight, or freeze are the usual options. Our world views intimacy largely as a sexual thing and most often operates on the principle of “birds of a feather flock together.” Fascinatingly, Jesus has a completely different view on all three of these important matters: how to respond to intimidation, how to be intimate, and how to be inclusive. He laid down his life for the sheep to save us and show us his heart and his plan.
What’s it like to be loved by Jesus and to love him back? Or put another way, what’s it like to believe Jesus? John tells the story of the blind man healed by Jesus to help us imagine this. He wants this story to be our story: one where in love Jesus transforms us, sends us, and includes us.
Do you remember your worst day ever? Perhaps you accidentally sent a scathing email TO the person you were complaining about! Maybe it was the day you got your diagnosis. Or the day someone you love deeply died. You’ll never forget that day. This week’s story is about one person's worst day ever and, of all people, Jesus showed up right in the middle of it. God was there, in person, to see all of it. How embarrassing. Sort of fascinating the way it turned out.
Some people seem to have a hard go while others seem to make their own life hard. It’s not always easy to know how to respond, especially when you’re close to the person and want their life to improve.
Jesus, as always, handles that situation brilliantly: affirming but not enabling; healing but not over-involved; calling forth new life and calling out sin. What a privilege it is to be the community known by his Name and empowered by his Spirit.
All of us want people to see us at our best. That’s why we shower, shave or put on makeup, and don’t eat tuna just before a big meeting. We assume (probably accurately) that people like us better that way. We also hope God sees us on our good days and foolishly hope he’s looking the other way when we’re at our worst. We are silly, aren’t we?
God doesn’t “love us as we are"—that’s a lazy distortion. He doesn’t love us for what we will become—that dangles love in front of us like a carrot on a string. He loves us, period. And that love insists on making us new creations.
The Gospel of John was written by an author who only ever self-identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Such was John’s experience, he knew and felt what it is to be loved by Jesus. Many of the stories in his biography of Jesus are accounts of people who experienced the very same thing: what it means, even what it feels like, to be loved by Jesus.
We are going to enter their stories.
When we human beings are at our best, we're curious, and asking questions. God made us this way. Nicodemus showed up on Jesus’ doorstep with lots of questions, and Jesus was able to bring out of him the best questions: ones whose answers challenged the reaches of Nicodemus’ mind and peered into the depths of his heart. What are you curious about these days?
The Gospel of John was written by an author who only ever self-identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Such was John’s experience, he knew and felt what it is to be loved by Jesus. Many of the stories in his biography of Jesus are accounts of people who experienced the very same thing: what it means, even what it feels like, to be loved by Jesus.
We are going to enter their stories. Today, you can follow along in John 2:1-11.
We all know the excitement of having house guests. We fluff the pillows, put on clean sheets, vacuum the hard-to-reach places and dispose of the clutter. We get ready! Advent is us getting ready. It turns out that the One who came that first Christmas, who is coming again, is the House owner. Welcome home!
We all know the excitement of having house guests. We fluff the pillows, put on clean sheets, vacuum the hard-to-reach places and dispose of the clutter. We get ready! Advent is us getting ready. It turns out that the One who came that first Christmas, who is coming again, is the House owner. Welcome home!
We all know the excitement of having house guests. We fluff the pillows, put on clean sheets, vacuum the hard-to-reach places and dispose of the clutter. We get ready! Advent is us getting ready. It turns out that the One who came that first Christmas, who is coming again, is the House owner. Welcome home!
We all know the excitement of having house guests. We fluff the pillows, put on clean sheets, vacuum the hard-to-reach places and dispose of the clutter. We get ready! Advent is us getting ready. It turns out that the One who came that first Christmas, who is coming again, is the House owner. Welcome home!
Today is the last message in our series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 16.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 15:1-28.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 14:1-25.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 13.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 12:27-31.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 12:21-27.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 12: 12-20.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 12:1-3.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 11.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 11.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 10.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 9.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 8.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 7:24-40.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 7:1-24.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 6.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 5.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 4.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 3.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 2:3-16.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:2.
We continue in our message series, Church 101 which takes us through the book of 1 Corinthians. Today, you can follow along in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.
The church at Corinth gives us a glimpse into how the Kingdom landed and found shape in a rather typical First Century Roman city. There was nothing exceptional about the Corinthian church: just believers trying to learn how to walk out of familiar kingdoms of darkness and walk into the Kingdom of Light.
The final sermon in our series The Conspiracy of God which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 7:24-29.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 7:21-23.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 7:15-20.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 7:13-14.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 7:7-12.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 7:1-6.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 6:24-34.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 6:19-24.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 6:16-18.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 6:5-14.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 6:1-4.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 5:43-48.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 5:28-42.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 5:33-37.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 5:31-32.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through The Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 5:27-30.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 5:21-26.
We continue in our message series The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 5:17-20.
We continue in our message series The Conspiracy of God, which takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Follow along today in Matthew 5:13-16.
We continue in our message series, The Conspiracy of God. Today we look at the Beatitudes and you can follow along in Matthew 5:12.
We continue in our first sermon series of 2022, The Conspiracy of God. This series takes us through the Sermon on The Mount. Follow along today in Matthew 13:44-46.
Our first sermon series of 2022, The Conspiracy of God, will take us through the Sermon on The Mount. Today, you can follow along in Matthew 19:16-22 and Genesis 25:27-34.
Today, we wrap up our Advent series, Body Language. You can follow along in Luke 2:21-35.
We continue in our Advent series, Body Language. Today, you can follow along in 1 Samuel 1:1-20.
We continue in our Advent series Body Language. You can follow along today in Ruth 4:13-22.
Today we continue in our Advent series, Body Language. You can follow along in 1 Samuel 4.
With Advent, we are starting a message series Body Language. Today, you can follow along in Genesis 18:1-15.
We continue in our message series, Jailhouse Joy. Today you can follow along in Philippians 4:14-23.
We continue in our Philippians series called Jailhouse Joy. This week you can follow along in Philippians 4:10-13.
We continue in our Philippians series, Jailhouse Joy. Today you can follow along in Philippians 4:8,9.
Today, we continue in our Philippians series entitled Jailhouse Joy. You can follow along in Philippians 4:1-7.
We continue in our series through Philippians entitled Jailhouse Joy. Today you can follow along in Philippians 3:12-21.
We continue in our series Jailhouse Joy. Today you can follow along in Philippians 3:1-11.
We continue in our message series Jailhouse Joy. Today, you can follow along Philippians 2:19-30.
We continue with our series in Philippians called Jailhouse Joy. Today, you can follow along in Philippians 2:12-18.
We continue in our series in Philippians entitled Jailhouse Joy.You can follow along today in Philippians 2:1-11.
We continue in our series Jailhouse Joy. Today you can follow along in Philippians 1:27-29.
We continue in our new message series Jailhouse Joy. Today, you can follow along in Philippians 1:12-26.
A new series in Philippians called Jailhouse Joy. Philippians is Paul’s most joyful letter even though he’s in jail, he’s old, people are behaving poorly and it’s not clear if things will get any better. Can there be real joy when circumstances are awful? Today, you can follow along in Philippians 1:1-11.
We continue in our series, Change. Today we are looking at Luke 13:18-21 and the title of this message is Good Things Come in Small Packages.
We continue in our message series called Change: Stories that change the World and your heart.Today you can follow along in Luke 13:6-9.
Today we continue in our series, Change: Stories that change the world and your heart.You can follow along in Luke 12:35-40.
We continue in our series, 'Change: Stories that change the world and your heart'. You can follow along today in Luke 12:13-21.
We continue in our message series, 'Change: Stories that change the World and your heart'. Today you can follow along in Luke 11:14-26.
We continue in our series, 'Change: Stories that change the World and your heart'. You can follow along today in Luke 10:30-37.
Join us as we continue in our series, 'Change: Stories that change the World and your heart.' Today our message title is 'Light It up'. You can follow along in Luke 8:16-18.
We continue in our series 'Change: Stories that change the world and your heart'. Today our message title is 'Getting Unstuck'. You can follow along in Luke 8:4-15.
We begin a new message series called "Change: Stories that change the world and your heart." The message title for today is Going All In. You can follow along in Luke 5:33-39.
Today we are in the last week of our series, Unfinished Business. You can follow along in Luke 24:26-49.
We continue in our series, Unfinished Business. Today you can follow along in Luke 24:13-35.
We continue in our series, 'Unfinished Business'. Today you can follow along in Luke 24:1-12.
This week we start a new series entitled, Unfinished Business. Today, you can follow along in Luke 22:47-53.
We continue in our series, 'Together'. This week you can follow along in 1 Peter 4:1-11.
We continue in our series entitled 'Together'. Today you can follow along in 1 Peter 3:8-12 as we look at 'Blessing The World Together'.
This week we continue in our series, 'Together'. You can follow along in 1 Peter 2:11-25.
We continue in our series 'Together.' In today's message, you can follow along in 1 Peter 2:1-10.
We continue in our series 'Together'. This week you can follow along in 1 Peter 1:3-12.
Join us as we begin a new Message Series in 1 Peter. This week you can follow along in 1 Peter1:1-2.
Join us as we finish up our Advent Series, 'Behind the Seen'. Today you can follow along in Luke 1:57-79.
Join us as we continue in our message series, 'Behind The Seen'. In this message, we take look at Luke 1:39-45.
During our second week of Advent, we continue in our series, 'Behind the Seen'. This week we take a look at Mary in Luke 1:26-38.
During Advent, we take a look 'Behind the Seen'. You can follow along in Luke 1:5-25 as we hear about Zechariah.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series, 'Contact Tracing' through the book of Luke. This week you can follow along in Luke 18:35-43.
We continue in our series, 'Contact Tracing' in the book of Luke. Today you can follow along in Luke 19:1-10.
We continue in our sermon series, 'Contact Tracing'. This week you can follow along in Luke 18:15-17.
This week we take a look at Luke 13:31-35 as we continue in our series, 'Contact Tracing'.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series, 'Contact Tracing'. Today you can follow along in Luke 10:38-42.
Join us as we continue in the book of Luke. This week you can follow along in Luke 8:40-56.
Join us as we continue in the Book of Luke in our series, 'Contact Tracing'. Today you can follow along in Luke 7:36-50.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series, 'Contact Tracing'. Today you can follow along in Luke 5:18-23.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series, Contact Tracing. Today you can follow along in Luke 5:27-31.
We continue in our new sermon series, 'Contact Tracing'. You can follow along in Luke 5:17-26.
This week we take a look at Luke 5:12-16 where Jesus reaches out his hand to heal a man with leprosy.
Join us as we start a new series in the gospel of Luke. You can follow along in Luke 5:1-11.
Join us as we wrap up our series, 'Honest With God'. Today we look at Psalm 150, Talking With God When You Don't Know What's Coming Next.
Join us as we continue through Psalms in our series, 'Honest With God'. Today we look at Psalm 121.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series, 'Honest With God'. Follow along in Psalm 51.
We continue in our Sermon Series, Honest With God. Today, you can follow along in Psalm 27 as we look at Talking To God When You're Afraid.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series, 'Talking With God'. Today you can follow along in Psalm 90.
Join us as we continue in our Series, Honest With God. Today you can follow along in Psalm 46.
Join us as we continue in our series, Honest With God. This week we are looking at Psalm 12.
We continue in our Sermon Series, 'Honest With God'. This week you can follow along in Psalm 16, 'Talking With God When You're Afraid'.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series, 'Honest With God'. Today you can follow along in Psalm 23.
We've begun a new sermon series on Sundays, focusing on Psalms. Track along with us this week in Psalm 2.
Join us as we begin our series looking at the book of Psalms. Today we look at Psalm 1.
Join us as we finish our Sermon Series learning about the Lord's Prayer. You can follow along in Matthew 6:9-13.
We continue in our Sermon Series on the Lord's Prayer. You can follow along in Matthew 6:9-13
Join us as we continue in our series in The Lord's Prayer. This week we learn about forgiveness and you can follow along in Matthew 6:9-15.
Join us as we continue in our Sermon Series about The Lord's Prayer. You can follow along this week in Luke 11:1-13.
Join us as we look at the Lord's Prayer. You can follow along in Matthew 6:9-13. This week explore 'Hallowed Be Your Name'.
Join us as we start a new Sermon Series walking through the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.
We've come to the last week of our 20/20 Vision series. This week we take a look at the book of Revelation. You can follow along in Revelation 22:1-5.
Join us as we continue to read through the Bible....we are almost done! This week we are in the book of Jude. You can follow along in Jude 20-25.
Join us as we continue to work our way through the Bible. This week we look at 1 John. You can follow along in 1 John 4:13-21.
Join us as we continue to work through The Bible. This week we take a look at 1 Peter. You can follow along in 1 Peter 1:1-6.