Citizens Church Portland

John 15:1-17 – This is the final sermon Jon gave at our final church service as Citizens Church. This sermon comes within a larger program celebrating the ministry and community of Citizens over 7 years in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood. In this message, Jon calls us to remain in Christ while he scatters us across the city to do his will in the larger body of the church across our city. To remain by loving God and loving others, and knowing we exist always within God's great and perfect love for us. We hope you have enjoyed hearing the word of God proclaimed through our services over the years, and wish you well into whatever season God has in store for you. Blessings.

Luke 14:1-24 – In our second of three final sermons to close out our seven year run as a church, Jon speaks on being "Invited and Inviting." Many of our members are going to be seeking a new church, some listeners may be exploring new things of their own. Here Jesus speaks to three basic Christian postures to hold as we are invited into new communities. 1) Be a humble serving guest, even as an outsider–even when you feel you deserve more. 2) Be a gracious and generous host, don't simply welcome those of your stripe and tribe, welcome the lame, the crippled, the blind–for you are one of them. 3) Be available. Don't miss the true invitation in life, to a feast that will not be fully spread until we dine with Christ himself.

Ephesians 4:4-16 – As we close down our church, I wanted to preach a few sermons that prepare us to practice our faith in new communities. These sermons are part reflection on the last 7 years, and part encouragement for the coming season for each of us.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-23 – This week we close out our series on Embodied Christianity with an encouragement to embark on a journey from loneliness to solitude. This is a profound shift, and requires a discovery of "the hidden life" of Christianity. In Matthew 6 Jesus tests his disciples to see whether they have answered his personal call to know Him, or used the relationship for their own gain. He says this: "Hide all of the good you do, hide your relationship and how close you are to God and just spend time with me alone. See what comes up, see where you struggle to keep going, see what your desires are-and ask the Father to affirm you in all of the ways you look for the world to affirm you." Then you will be inseparable from Christ. Your life will be hidden in his. You will find yourself secure, cared for, and formed into his image as a witness for the watching world as he leads you through loneliness into solitude, and empowers for holy meaning, purpose and usefulness.

Romans 12:1-2 – This week Jon revisits the text preached last week focusing on the last portion of the text where Paul writes about being able to "test and approve what God's will is." Our society teaches us to operate from head, heart, and gut–unfortunately, too often we make poor decisions because our moods or our logic overpower our faith. Paul teaches us not to dismiss any of these, but to bring them into conversation with the creator so that we can understand the true nature of all things and make faithful decisions that will allow God to transform us and the world we experience everyday.

Romans 12:1-2 – Our church held a joint service with Milwaukie Covenant Church this past Sunday. Jon taught on a biblical viewpoint of body image. Romans talks about offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This both an acceptance of our original set apartness and pleasingness to God introduced in Genesis 1, and a discipline to remain in this way in light of a broken and unjust world. Looking at the story of Jacob, Esau, Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29 Jon follows early biblical commentary on body image, projection, and manipulation that began with the fig leaves in the Garden of Eden, and continues as Jacob pretends to be Esau, and Leah pretends to be Rachel. As we are tempted to desire different bodies, and pretend to be that which we have not been given by God, we have a choice – we can relive the pain and heartache in this story – or be transformed by the renewal of our mind through God's incredible mercy to us, and seek wholeness through our beloved acceptance in Christ.

Romans 12:1-2 – Our church held a joint service with Milwaukie Covenant Church this past Sunday. Jon taught on a biblical viewpoint of body image. Romans talks about offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This both an acceptance of our original set apartness and pleasingness to God introduced in Genesis 1, and a discipline to remain in this way in light of a broken and unjust world. Looking at the story of Jacob, Esau, Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29 Jon follows early biblical commentary on body image, projection, and manipulation that began with the fig leaves in the Garden of Eden, and continues as Jacob pretends to be Esau, and Leah pretends to be Rachel. As we are tempted to desire different bodies, and pretend to be that which we have not been given by God, we have a choice – we can relive the pain and heartache in this story – or be transformed by the renewal of our mind through God's incredible mercy to us, and seek wholeness through our beloved acceptance in Christ.

Psalm 66 – This week's podcast is a bit different. Today, Megan Betz taught our community in a discussion format while we held our church service at a local park. Working from Psalm 66, she spurred our thinking about trauma and how it can affect our relationship with God as our safe space. We discuss God's role as a refiner, what happens when we "hold" part of our self away from God, and how re-storying our lives in light of God's sustaining presence may be helpful to see our life's pain in a new light.

Philippians 4:10-13 – We're continuing our series on Embodied Christianity and in it we are exploring the story of our bodies in relationship to God to answer the question, "What to do with my hands?"

Each of us lives in a bigger story. In this story, we find belonging, companionship, affirmation, meaning and significance. This story helps us set goals, make decisions, and know why we should live. Unfortunately, inevitably, often unwittingly, we live in a bigger story that is incomplete, broken, and fragile. Paul's implicit question is, "Will we consider a bigger story for our lives?"

Paul's audacity in Philippians 4 is to state that he holds the secret to contentment. It is living "through Him who gives me strength." This means the story that acknowledges true strength, power, purpose and contentment "In all circumstances" is the same story Israel and Jesus lived in. But here's the crazy thing, this story doesn't begin at creation. It begins well before. It is a story of cosmic conflict between the very first rebellious spiritual beings and God himself. A story that God choses to show his victory in by the only way Love can, in self-giving death for those it loves.

1 Samuel 3:1-21 – When we, like Samuel, say "Speak Lord, your servant is listening" it will require us to face new things. Samuel, by aligning himself with Yahweh, made himself available to God's will, partnered with Him, and became a "peacemaker" for Israel by confronting Eli with God's word. When we give ourselves to God, we will need to be willing not just to expect new things which are good for us, but also participate in the new things God is doing which will require standing in the gap and creating tension for the sake of change. To embody this power by sacrificing our will to Jesus's will in our day-to-day lives is the essence of Christianity. This faith allows Jesus to bring his power for good change into the world through our life–transforming the world, and transforming us.