Psalm 137 - In this challenging trauma poem, the writer ends his red-hot lament by crying out that the Lord bless one who would smash his oppressors babies against the rocks. In a time where many are inclined to personal vengeance to fight oppression, how do we read this Psalm? What does it mean for 2020, after 100 days of protests in Portland in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and while pressures and oppressors are emerging from the crowd and the state? Pastor Jon teaches on Psalm 137 in light of the prophecies of Jeremiah to "seek the welfare of the city", helping us understand the songs of the Psalms as responses to God–and powerful companions in times of struggle.

Matthew 13:1-23 - Concluding our series on discipleship, Jon teaches on the Parable of the Sower–emphasizing how Jesus asks us to "learn on the job". Matthew writes this story, but in the middle–he puts a strange phrase followed by a terrifying warning. "He who has ears, let him hear". What follows is a spiritual gut-check that Jesus gives to challenge our assumptions and remind us that when we do not follow him, our ears and hearts will grow dull–and it will be harder and harder to hear.

Scripture: Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12 paints a picture of the Christian life as a race. Like all races, to finish well–you need to train, and drop weight. But if you don't understand what you're after, it won't be long before all of the other grueling tasks of training will lose their appeal. We are creatures of desire, and the Christian faith is fueled by a desire for Jesus himself. This passage of scripture paints a clear picture of the centrality of Jesus, who wins the race and runs ahead of us–and in this, he becomes not only the motivator for our training, but our advocate and protector in the final days of God's justice on all things.

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11

Well known as the "By Faith" chapter–Hebrews 11 takes the reader on a divinely-inspired tour through Old Testament heroes. Men and women, honored and chosen because of their faith. They share lives driven by hope in a God who exists, who speaks, and will reward those who seek him our in a life-long pilgrimage of walking with God. But their righteous was not gained by their heroic works. Instead, called and redeemed by God, they, like us, were made perfect the only way anyone can be–through Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, saving not just those who believed before him, but perfecting all who believed after–throughout all time.

Colossians 3:1-17 - When we profess belief in Christ, we give our life into his hands, admitting he will do better with it than we will. Unfortunately, in our sin, we regularly want our life back. Paul says don't worry, our life is now secure. He calls this "hidden" with Christ. A curious choice of words. Safe–but also only visible through him. And day by day, as we strive after Jesus, the nature of that life will be slowly revealed as he wills.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 - Paul had been kicked out of Corinth when his Gospel made people uncomfortable. There was a much easier message to hear from prettier, more engaging speakers. One where the Church in Corinth understood this Christian faith was cheap, good, and wouldn't put them too far off track. But Paul rebukes them, emphasizing that Jesus's way has always been about finding power through service, trial, and weakness. Making less of yourself, so Jesus can take up a larger and larger share.

Scripture: Luke 9:23-25, 57-62. Throughout the ages, the church has overplayed grace to the tune of "once-saved-always-saved", removing the need for effort and enjoying the glories of grace. This "cheap grace" as Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls it, removes the Cost of Discipleship. Jesus, however, is very clear of the cost in Luke 9–saying that we will need to 'carry our cross daily' and warned us to not remove our hands from the plow and look back, instead looking forward to the most costly grace–the cross itself.

Jon reads a selection of texts from Philippians where Paul is writing to his church with the incredible joy he has for them, even while imprisoned facing potential imminent death. Michael Miller preaches using stories of personal discipleship experiences to challenge us: What is keeping you from discipleship? Is it fear of failure, experiences of failure by others, not knowing enough, or a lack of hope?

Matthew 10:1-15. Jesus calls his 12 disciples and sends them out to the nation of Israel to reclaim the lost sheep to the himself. In this story, we can mine his instructions and find four roles he assigns to his newly anointed and called helpers: Student, Traveller, Herald and Healer. Investigating these helps us get practical with our discipleship, beginning with the reason for our search, and continuing with the methods and encouragement to stay the course.

Matthew 28:11-20