Church of the City New York

This week Pastor Jon taught from John 10:11-21, where Jesus declares "I am the good shepherd" and asked a question that cuts straight to the heart of modern life: who is actually forming you? From global trust collapsing in institutions to Jesus exposing the Pharisees in John 9, the cycle of bad shepherding is always the same, they scatter when the cost gets real. Jesus differentiates Himself from these poor leaders, and proves to be the ultimate Good Shepherd. He is the shepherd who laid His life down by choice His sheep. Pastor Jon encouraged us to choose wisely who shepherds us, and invited us to Christ's abundant path.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon taught from John 10:1–10, where Jesus declares "I am the door," and meets us in one of our most quietly carried human aches -- our desire to belong. When the world offers an exclusive inclusivity, "you're welcome in, as long as you conform," mentality, Jesus offers the inverse. His door is open to anyone, and through His door isn't merely entry, but protection, freedom, and abundance.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon taught from John 15 and offered a different diagnosis for burnout. While our instinct is often to assume we've simply given too much, he challenged us with another possibility: the problem isn't output but source. We haven't been drawing from the right one. When Jesus calls himself the True Vine, it's one of the most sweeping claims He ever makes. From that foundation, Pastor Jon walked through what abiding actually looks like. It's not about a longer quiet time or more spiritual disciplines, it's about a relationship. Using his own early days dating his now-wife, Christy, as an illustration, he reminded us that abiding is less about effort and more about the security and overflow of a relationship you're already in. That's the kind of intimacy Jesus is inviting us into, and for those who remain in His love and rely on the Spirit's power, the promise is fruit that lasts.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon taught from John 15 and offered a different diagnosis for burnout. While our instinct is often to assume we've simply given too much, he challenged us with another possibility: the problem isn't output but source. We haven't been drawing from the right one.

When Jesus calls himself the True Vine, it's one of the most sweeping claims He ever makes. From that foundation, Pastor Jon walked through what abiding actually looks like. It's not about a longer quiet time or more spiritual disciplines, it's about a relationship. Using his own early days dating his now-wife, Christy, as an illustration, he reminded us that abiding is less about effort and more about the security and overflow of a relationship you're already in. That's the kind of intimacy Jesus is inviting us into, and for those who remain in His love and rely on the Spirit's power, the promise is fruit that lasts.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Come to Me series with a teaching on Jesus' declaration in John 8:12: "I am the light of the world." Jesus' radical claim has both personal and universal implications for us today. Our human tendency may be to impute goodness to ourselves and attribute darkness to others, but the reality is that each of us have darkness in our own hearts that must be dealt with. Jesus leaves all of us with the compelling invitation is to join Him in the light.

This week, Pastor Suzy continued our "Come to Me" series exploring Jesus as the bread of life. She challenged us to consider what's really satisfying us, recognizing things that often comes to mind (kids, relationships, work) often fade, leaving a deeper longing only God can fill. In John 6, Jesus declares "I am the Bread of life," positioning himself as the true bread from heaven who meets our deepest hungers. Pastor Suzy outlined four movements to receive Jesus as the bread of life: invitation, dependence, communion, and feasting. Like the Israelites collecting manna daily, we need to keep coming back to Jesus. The invitation is to see our longings not as problems to solve, but as hunger pointing us toward God. Jesus doesn't just want to sustain us, He wants to be with us. Our unfulfilled desires aren't a sign that something is wrong; rather they're meant to create hunger for the one who made us. Jesus invites us to come to Him daily.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon kicked off our new series on the "I Am" statements in the Gospel of John with three words that help us make sense of history and our own lives: Messiah, Church, and Kingdom. Jesus is the Messiah, the relationship we were made for. In the midst of our shame, weariness, and brokenness, He invites us to find true rest in Him. Jesus forms the Church, a counter-cultural community that embodies humility, gentleness, and love. And Jesus invites us into the Kingdom, a cause worth giving our lives to, restoring what is broken and giving dignity to the overlooked. Like the woman at the well, our response is to invite others: "Come and see." Over the next eight weeks, this series will equip us to share this hope with the people around us and our city.

A special podcast episode featuring a conversation between Pastor Jon and his dad on multigenerational faithfulness and prayer.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our God Comes Where He's Wanted series with a teaching on the altar of the church, teaching from Acts 6:1–7. He reminded us that the church is meant to be the place where God dwells, yet we often miss His presence not through rejection, but through neglect. When we fill our lives, hunger for God can quietly fade. Drawing from Scripture, Pastor Jon highlighted prayer and the Word as the foundations that sustain God's presence among His people. Prayer restores our identity, sharpens discernment, and releases freedom, while the Word is living and active, releasing promises and shaping the future God has prepared for us. This teaching calls us back to devotion, inviting us to open our hearts again and allow God to rekindle what may have grown cold.