We want to “set our minds on things above” and consider the ascension as well as the whole of the gospel story. What images do we use to understand the Good News? Is it more like a courtroom or hospital (hospice)? Is God like a punitive Judge or the Great Physician? Are we criminals or patients? Is this more of a legal/judicial issue, or is this more of a healing/restorative process? Plan to be with us as we think about the gospel and Christ lifting our humanity into the realm of God. 

Note:  This service was visually oriented. The audio alone may, at times, not be enough to fully understand the message being communicated.

We continue to celebrate the Resurrection. This week we want to explore the gift of the present moment. How do we avoid being stuck in the past and fearful of the future, and instead learn to live in the moment and receive all the gifts it has for us? We will examine some practical steps we can all take during our busy days to hit the pause button and be aware of what is happening around us. Our study is called: Breathing Room for the Soul.

We are still basking in the light of the Resurrection. It is a momentous event that works itself out in our everyday lives and gives us joy. What do you enjoy about God? What do you do that brings God joy? Let’s come together and contemplate these questions.

This week we will be looking at the encounter of two disciples with the resurrected Jesus on the Road to Emmaus from several different angles. We will consider how Walking, Listening, Seeing, and Eating all impact our spiritual life. And we will continue to look at ways we can mindfully develop a lifestyle of spiritual awareness.

Series - Lent

Our Easter celebration!! We celebrate the risen Christ and all that this cataclysmic event means for us today!

Series: Lent

We have already explored the happenings of Palm Sunday. We now find ourselves at Holy Thursday with Jesus. On this day we find Christ (the Anointed One) under pressure in the garden of olive groves known as Gethsemane (which means “oil press”). Here we have a real window into the humanity of Jesus as he feels two different desires: to do the will of the Father and to have this cup removed from him. The drama of this dark hour ends with these words, “they all left him and fled.” Jesus is left alone to go it alone. Our study this week is called: Under Pressure.

Series: Lent

This is the fifth Sunday of Lent, and we are exploring Wednesday in the final week of Jesus life on earth. On Wednesday of Holy Week, Jesus finds himself in familiar territory -- at a dinner party spending time with friends around a table. An unnamed woman seems to interrupt the celebration of life by anointing Jesus on the head (as one would do for a king). Who is this woman? What is she doing? What just happened? The religious crowd seems to scold while Jesus commends. How does one perspective come to the conclusion of shame and waste while another angle sees beauty? Our study this week is called: Beauty in the Waste: Scandalous Worship.

Series: Lent

For Lent, we are exploring Jesus -- His final week. We have already seen what took place on Sunday and Monday of Holy Week, and now we move into Holy Tuesday. Tuesday is a busy day, a full day. Mark’s narrative account of the day’s events covers almost three chapters (115 verses). Most of Tuesday is filled with conflict with temple authorities and their minions. Jesus also warns of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. There is an unfiltered clarity here in Jesus’ words. We are reminded that there is a way to follow that leads to destruction. How can we as people of organized religion avoid the same fate as the temple? Jesus calls us to walk another way -- the way of neighborly love.

Series: Lent 

We will begin our new series for Lent that we are calling -- Jesus: the final week. Hopefully, we can bring to life the drama of the final days of Jesus’ life here on earth. The first day of this final week was Palm Sunday -- the arrival of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. Unlike the great kings and emperors of the past, Jesus does not approach the city on a powerful warhorse but on a peaceful, little donkey colt. The triumphal entry was somewhat of an anti-military parade -- a mockery of the power of Empires. So Mark chapter 11 gives us the tale of two parades. One is about power, hubris, and violence, and the other is about a counter-empire headed by the Prince of Peace. The sermon this week is called: HOSANNA -- Palm Sunday as Prophetic Parade.

Series: Lent 

This is the first Sunday of Lent, and we will be combining Ash Wednesday with this initial week's service. Many people have a very negative understanding of Lent; they see only guilt and giving things up. But Lent is a call to see the world as God sees it. It is a time to turn aside and recognize his presence and his plans, and to take the steps necessary to see and experience the fullness of his shalom. We will consider these things and also talk about some very practical ways that we can travel toward the fullness of the Resurrection in the context of our message: "Recovering the Art of Seeing."