This Sunday C.J. taught from Luke 11:1-4 on The Lord’s Prayer. He walked through 5 petitions we are instructed to use when we pray (God’s glory, rule, provision, forgiveness, and protection). This prayer from Jesus, like so many of His teachings, shattered the categories and expectations of the disciples as to how they (and we) are being invited to converse with God, as a loving Father who welcomes His beloved kids.

In the story of Mary and Martha, Luke contrasts the discipleship of two sisters. Mary follows Jesus by being a humble learner; Martha follows Jesus by being an anxious servant. Listen as C.J. teaches how the humble learner receives more of Jesus than an anxious servant.

2020 will be remembered for many things, one of which will be protests over injustice. What we see in these riots is how there is no justice without judgment. This helps us understand Jesus' woes to the cities that rejected him. But, unlike the protests of 2020, Jesus did not come to condemn cities but to extend grace. Dave explains how this difference should shape our protest.

As Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, he sends his disciples out in pairs to tell people about the kingdom of God. To follow Jesus is to simultaneously be his heralds. Luke 10 is Jesus' advice on how to go about our mission. C.J. breaks down that advice for us, and also encourages us to find the "mission within the mission."

Have you ever made a decision that you later regretted? It required more of you than you expected. In Luke 9, Jesus warns three wannabe disciples about the cost of discipleship. But Jesus isn't wanting to discourage us. He's wanting to free us. Freedom is found in the cost of discipleship.

In today's hyper-connected, post-truth, fake-news, politically-divided world, we can't be wise unless we know how to discern our sources. There are so many voices vying for influence. Who do we trust? From James 3, Dave asks us to consider both the quantity and quality of voices in our days and weeks.

It's the apocalypse. Not really, but it definitely feels like it. What does the word apocalypse actually mean? And for what purpose did John write the book of Revelation? In Sunday’s sermon, C.J. reminds us that Jesus' political strategy involves winning by losing. The question is, will we join the slain Lamb in His campaign?

As the church, we are living in a dual reality of the already, but not yet experience of Christ's Kingdom. This week, we continue our series "One Kingdom", reflecting how we as Christians are called to faithfully engage the political landscape of our culture. Dave invites us to wrestle with either an over-realized or an under-realized eschatalogy and what that means for how we engage in our culture.

Navigating politics and power with love and faith is like walking a tightrope. It feels impossible to do it well. But then, in the gospels, Jesus speaks and acts flawlessly. If we want to learn how to love God and others in our politics, Jesus is our premier example, but how do we begin? In Sunday’s sermon, Dave identifies the necessary first step on the tightrope.

The New Testament teaches that the church has much in common with Israel in exile. God sent the people of Zion into exile in Babylon so that they might be voices of wisdom in the midst of confusion and chaos. Israel had a choice: become like Babylon, or make Babylon more like Zion.