There are many times during my preparation process for a Sunday morning teaching that I will find myself thinking, "This is going to be a fun study." This is not one of those weeks. Sunday we will dive into the story in Exodus 32 and it is a rough one.

As we prepare for Sunday, take a minute to read through this chapter. As you read, don't fall prey to the moralistic interpretation which concludes "Don't be like them." The bad news is, we are all like them. And God alone can save us.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

In this message, we will be in Exodus 19–20, but primarily Exodus 20, looking at one of the most important moments in Scripture: God giving the Ten Commandments to Israel. At Mount Sinai, the people saw the mountain covered in smoke, felt it tremble, heard the trumpet grow louder, and then heard the audible voice of God declare His commands. This was not merely a private conversation between God and Moses; the entire nation heard the words of the Lord.

We will see that God did not give Israel the law so they could earn their redemption. He had already rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Grace came before command. The law taught God’s redeemed people how to live in a way that reflected His holiness and their covenant relationship with Him.

We will also consider the purposes of God’s law. It reveals the character of God, exposes the sin within our hearts, shows us our need for a Savior, and guides those who have been redeemed. Jesus summarized the heart of the law as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Finally, we will look at how the new covenant transforms obedience. Through Christ, God does more than place commandments before us: He gives us new hearts, writes His law within us, and gives us His Spirit. We do not obey to earn salvation; because we have been saved by grace, we desire to love and obey the God who rescued us.

Pastor Joseph Collier

I recently attended a wedding at the Homestead. It was a beautiful Alaskan wedding, which means it's a little damp, a little rainy, but everyone is full of joy watching a man and woman come together in holy matrimony! Every time I witness a couple say their vows I am taken back to the moment I stood in front of my bride and made my covenant with her. Every wedding is a sobering moment to remember the promises I made as I say to myself, "Oh, right, I am supposed to love my wife like that!"

We have reached the moment in the Exodus narrative where God's bride, His chosen people, say "I do!" He invites them into relationship, and the shocking thing is that they have no idea what is ahead of them. It will be impossible for Israel to perfectly navigate their promise to God, and the beautiful thing about it is that God already knows His people's shortcomings, but He says "I do" anyway!

In this message, we take a look at Exodus 19 and marvel over a covenant-keeping God who never fails us!

Pastor Matthew McCarter

During the school year, Tuesday is pancake day. I make them from scratch every week, cuz I’m hardcore like that. But I don’t just make pancakes, I make CHOCOLATE CHIP pancakes! That wasn’t supposed to be the thing but I did it as a treat one time and now that’s the way we role every week. It is amazing what a few droplets of chocolate does to elevate a regular old skillet flat cake.

One such morning, some time ago, I was serving these gorgeous round chocolatey breakfast breads and a child of mine noticed something amiss. I was respectfully asked “Dad, did you mean for the center to be doughy?” The wording of the question was superb, especially for a kid. It wasn’t accusatory or even overtly derogatory. It was a question of curiosity. “Dad, was this part of an intentional plan or was this new development the result of oversite?” Even the tone was polite.

I still didn’t like it. If felt like complaining. I think I said something like “Is it a problem?” Yeah, I know. Way too snarky coming from pastor Dad. “HOW DARE YOU lodge a complaint against my perfect pancakes! How dare you indicate dissatisfaction! Do you know how many children would be grateful to have chocolate for breakfast? You will eat that wet interior and YOU WILL LIKE IT.” I didn’t say those things, but I was a bit alarmed by how quickly I thought them.

In this message, we look at Exodus 15 & 16. In this story, God is the chef and His people are His unhappy customers. There is an important truth in this story that you and I need to hear.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

Technology has significantly changed the world we live in. One of the areas it’s changed is sporting events. Back in the day, we watched teams battle it out on weary-looking grass under incandescent flimsy filament bulbs on pixelated screens with clunky rotary knobs. Overweight and out of shape, umpires and referees were forced to make split-second decisions with no backup, inevitably leading to the cheers of fans positively impacted and the boos of fans who felt ill-treated!

Today, we have instant replay scrubbing every angle of every play, reviewed on LED screens by officials stopping the game to review the action and make the absolutely correct call. Guess what, even with the latest and greatest tech, we sit back and question every call made in light of which team we prefer. He was out! That goal counted! Foul! NO FOUL!

In this message, we continue our journey through the Exodus account, looking at the Red Sea. God’s victory over the enemy is decisive, final, and resolute! No questions should remain, but somehow they persist! This weekend, we will be reminded of the powerful Savior, JESUS CHRIST, who is more than able to set us free from bondage and lead us into new life, with no room to question the result.

Pastor Matt McCarter

I've been painting for several years now, and I like to think I'm aware enough of the dangers in the workspace. And yet, despite being aware of the dangers around me, I am THE GUY who inevitably hurts myself on something I shouldn't have.

Something I've warned everyone else about a handful of times. Something where honestly, I could have done differently to ensure my safety. There's something about familiarity that makes you feel exempt. Seeing the danger or knowing the danger should be enough.

In this message, we're looking at Exodus 11-12, the Passover. Nine plagues have fallen on Egypt, while plague after plague, God's made a distinction between His people and the Egyptians. And Israel witnessed that. This last plague is different. And what's different is how God makes that distinction. This time the line is drawn not by boundaries or family lines, but by the blood of a spotless lamb on a door frame. Looking forward to walking through this central passage with you all on Sunday.

Pastor Tylar Webster

My first year of college was a wild ride. Move-in day was interesting, deciding on what belongings to bring, setting a bed that wasn’t mine, meeting my roommate, and then meeting the guys on my hall. It was an excitingly odd experience. During orientation, the administration says to all the freshmen, “Look to your left and look to your right, one of you will not graduate college.”

Fast forward a couple of years, and I was attending my roommate's funeral. Another year or so, and I’d gotten news that my hallmate had died. Both men passed away in drunk driving accidents. Its not often that we consider our mortality when meeting someone for the first time, especially at such young ages. Both of these men made decisions that led to their demise, and it's easy in the moments after to blame, ask questions, and judge, particularly of God’s involvement in loss like this.

In this message, we examine the narrative of the Plagues God uses to set His people free, addressing the hard heart of Pharaoh, who refuses God’s plan Israel. I hope that we will walk away with a better understanding of how God invites, loves, and executes His will even when we don’t like His plan.

If you want to read ahead, we’ll be in Exodus 5-10.

Pastor Matt McCarter

I recently posed this question to several members of our staff, “When did you first imagine your life to be what it is today?” The answer that made me chuckle was, “Yesterday!” Maybe you feel the same, many unexpected twists and turns along the way. But either way, here you are. And what bends my mind is to think back on the thousands of details that conspired perfectly to lead me to what is my life today.

In this message, we are going to build a bridge between the story of Genesis and the incredible drama of Exodus. If you want to prep, take some time and read from Genesis 45 into Exodus chapter 1. What I find fascinating is that all of the good and bad in the story of Joseph and his family proves to be the precisely refined components setting up the epic of Exodus.

This story has been greatly expanding my concept of the power and sovereignty of God which has immediate bearing upon the way I see my world.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser

“Hello darkness my old friend I’ve come to talk with you again”. How many of you remember "The Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel? We are showing our age on this one!

Art Garfunkel (yes, that’s his real name) said, “the song is fundamentally about the inability to communicate and, consequently, the inability to genuinely love one another.”

Joseph experienced his own “Sounds of Silence” and darkness, his old friend. Nearly killed, thrown in the pit, sold into slavery, tossed into prison, and then the “sound of silence” waiting 2 years for a former prisoner to remember him before Pharaoh. Can you imagine the level of frustration? I mean we get frustrated when someone doesn’t respond to our text right away. The nerve of some people!

What was Joseph’s response to the “sound of silence” he endured? Hmmmm. It’s amazing how God had a plan and a purpose through it all to raise up one man, to save his own family and ultimately God’s people. Read Joseph’s story again in Genesis. I dare you!

Bill Wilkinson

Have you ever run into a kid who needed some sense knocked into them? I’ll never forget the first time I realized that my child’s hubris was out of control. It's that moment when your infantile child looks at you and what you’re doing and tells you that they know how to do it better. That statement was so utterly preposterous that words could not be formed in my mouth. I looked at my child, smiled, and thought that in time, the pressures of this life will mellow you out, and then went back to chopping wood.

When I read Joseph’s story, I think that boy needed a good slap upside the head. Sure, you had a dream, a prophetic dream, but you didn’t need to tell all your siblings how they were going to bow down to you. So God directed a plan to set Joseph up in power from a position of humility, and that plan looks like death, misery, and slavery, all options we would not choose, yet Joseph kept his eye on the prize, knowing and walking with God.

This Sunday, we examine the life of Joseph as an exile in Egypt and how suffering bears fruit in our lives that is impossible to receive otherwise. If you would like to read ahead, refer to Genesis 39-41.

Pastor Matt McCarter