Luke 24:1-32 - The Nicene Creed reminds us that the resurrection of the Son of God is the centerpoint of both the Biblical story and God's plan for salvation. The whole Old Testament looks forward to it in anticipation. The whole New Testament looks back on it with exposition. In Luke 24 we are reminded of the challenge of the empty tomb, the surprising evidence from ancient doubts, and what ultimately gives us the eyes to see Jesus for who He really is as risen Lord and Savior. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 10 of our series "The Nicene Creed: The Ancient Theology of the Triune God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) Many characters in Luke 24 had been told by Jesus that He would die and rise again, but they all struggled to believe it after it happened. Why do you think that is? 2) How is the fact that a group of women were the first witnesses to the empty tomb an evidence for the truthfulness of the accounts of Jesus's resurrection? 3) What do we make of the fact that the Apostles are made to look foolish and faithless so much across the 4 gospels? 4) Jesus taught the two disciples on the road to Emmaus about the things concerning himself across the Old Testament. What stories, images, or prophecies in the Old Testament come to mind for you that concern Jesus? 5) How is the resurrection of Jesus evidence of both God's love AND God's power?

Luke 23:1-56 - We continue unpacking the creed's statement about the humanity of Jesus, this week turning to His passion (or suffering). The creed explains that Jesus "was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried," scaffolding our belief in the legal subjugation, multifaceted suffering, and genuine death that Jesus experienced "for us human beings and for our salvation." In this sermon we consider Luke's telling of these events and what they reveal about Jesus and His mission. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 9 of our series "The Nicene Creed: The Ancient Theology of the Triune God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) Why is the Nicene Creed so significant for Christians? What is its relationship to Scripture? 2) Jesus is questioned about His kingship or HIs reign. What does his elusive answer suggest? 3) How is the story of Jesus and Barabbas a picture of the kind of theological "substitution" that is part of the gospel? 4) What kinds of suffering did Jesus endure after his arrest? What kinds of suffering did He endure across His whole human life? 5) What is the relationship between the torn curtain in Luke 23:45 and Jesus's offer to the trusting thief on the cross? 6) Why do you think the authors of the creed wanted to emphasize the burial of Jesus? Why is it important to acknowledge?

Luke 12:35-48 - Here Jesus tells two short parables about what faithfulness looks like for those who wait on Him. We don't know when He will return, but we know we are called to be ready and faithful in the meantime. All disciples are called to ready, watchful waiting, and leaders have a special burden to serve at Jesus’s pleasure, under Jesus’s vision, by Jesus’s methods, with Jesus’s tone, for Jesus’s purposes. In these two parables we learn about the grace and justice at the heart of God, both flowing out of His love, and both reaching their culmination on the last day. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 7 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) Can you think of an example of how certainty of a future event shaped your behavior in the waiting? What was that like? 2) What does it look like for us today to be "dressed for action" with "lamps burning?" What is spiritual readiness in light of Jesus's return? 3) What is surprising about the master's behavior in Luke 12:37? How did Jesus himself embody this? 4) The second parable (vv. 42-48) focuses on those entrusted with leadership responsibility. What does the manager's abusive behavior look like when we see it today? 5) How does the master's (Jesus's) severity toward the abusive manager reveal God's love? 6) This passage points to the fact that the return of Christ will be a day of both grace and justice. How do these two values come together in the cross of Jesus?

Luke 18:9-14 - Jesus told a simple parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector "to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt." The parable is about how righteousness and justification work in God's Kingdom and the surprising centrality of humility, mercy, and grace. The parable puts this question to its hearers: will we choose the way of the legalist, the libertine, or the disciple? A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 6 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) What is notable about Pharisees and tax collectors for understanding this parable? 2) Cameron said that most commentators agree that it is hard for modern readers to hear this parable with Jesus's intended shock. He suggested we consider subbing in a career 3rd grade teacher and a pornography producer to try to capture it. How does this change the dynamic for you? 3) What does each man pray in the parable? 4) How do the legalist and the libertine miss the mercy of God? 5) How can God be both just AND merciful in response to sin? How does Jesus fit in? 6) Do you ever find yourself "trusting in yourself that you are righteous?" What does that look like in your own life?

Luke 15:11-32 - This parable of Jesus's is often known as "the parable of the prodigal son," but it could just as easily be thought of as "the parable of the gracious father" or even as "the parable of the religious older brother." Each of these three main characters unlocks a world of meaning within this parable. In this sermon, we focus especially closely on the older brother and what Jesus has to teach us through him about the dangers of legalism, entitlement, resentment, and bitterness toward God's grace for others. A sermon by Naseem Khalili. [Part 5 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) When you read this parable, which character do you most relate to? 2) What motivates the older brother's frustration after seeing how the father treats the younger brother's return? Have you ever felt similarly? When? 3) Tim Keller coined the term "older brother lostness" to describe the sense of frustration and bitterness that comes from keeping the rules but not being rewarded how you want. How does the grace of God upend our expectations around these things? 4) What does this parable have to say about the character of our God as revealed in Jesus? 5) Naseem gave us a powerful question: Why do you love God? Or why do you follow Jesus? How does the story of the older brother press us for an answer?

Matthew 13:31-33 - As the disciples would have likely begun to feel fear, insecurity, and doubt about Jesus's message and methods, Jesus told these two short, simple parables to help set their expectations. No, the kingdom of God would not advance according to the world's expectations and standards. But yes, the kingdom would advance--slowly, but surely--and become a place of belonging, safety, nourishment, and celebration to all who would receive the gospel. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) Have you ever felt discouraged about the place of Jesus's kingdom or church in the world? What brought about that feeling? 2) How do you imagine the disciples would have felt in the midst of all the opposition Jesus received during his earthly ministry? 3) Compare and contrast the main points made by these two parables. 4) Discuss God's pattern of using humble things to bring about His purposes. 5) How have Jesus's promises in these parables been proven true over time and geography? 6) How does the cross of Christ embody the ideas of these two parables?

Luke 10:25-37 - Jesus's parable of the good Samaritan is one of his most iconic stories, but our overfamiliarity can make its shocking points harder to see. When asked by an expert in Israel's law, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus tells a story that turns the concept of neighbor from object to subject, challenging us all with what it truly looks like to love others as ourselves. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 3 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) What is the lawyer's answer to his own question about how to inherit eternal law? How does Jesus respond to it? 2) What do you think motivated the lawyer's follow-up question, "And who is my neighbor?" 3) It is important to know something about the relationship between Israelites and Samaritans in their day. What was the source of their tension? 4) To understand the parable, we have to recognize Jews and Samaritans as enemies. How does imagining your own "enemies" in the Samaritan role change the force of what Jesus is saying? 5) How did Jesus embody this radical neighbor- and enemy-love ethic? How does He embody it toward us, specifically? 6) What might it look like for you to "go and do likewise?"

Matthew 13:44-46 - This week we consider two short related parables from Jesus: the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. Both deal with questions around the cost and value of the kingdom. Just what is the Kingdom of God worth? A sermon by Tsion Reid. [Part 2 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"]

Questions for reflection: 1) Have you ever felt misunderstood by others about why you valued something? What was that experience like? How did you help them see? 2) In both parables, how does the man respond who finds the valuable object? 3) What is the does it look like for us to "sell all that we have" in order to become part of the Kingdom of God? 4) Tsion connected this parable to story of Jesus's encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22). In what ways did the rich young ruler value the kingdom? In what ways did he not? 5) How does your own life reflect the degree to which you, personally, value the Kingdom of God?

Matthew 13:1-23 - Jesus was a deeply creative teacher and a cornerstone of his teaching ministry was imaginative stories called parables. His parables were both short and complex, invitational and alienating. In them, Jesus announced the Kingdom He was bringing and sought to paint a picture of and develop an appetite for His Kingdom. In this teaching, we consider His first parable and the one that helps us understand the others: the parable of the sower. May we heed Jesus’s call to be those with ears to hear. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 1 of our series “Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus’s stories of about the already and not yet reign of God”]

Questions for reflection: 1) How do you imagine Jesus would have struck you as a teacher of parables in the 1st century? How does he strike you today? 2) How do the parables both reveal and conceal the good news of the Kingdom? 3) What role does imagination play in the Christian life? How do the parables help us cultivate our imaginations? 4) What do we learn about the character of the sower in this parable? 5) How can we be sure we are really “hearing” the teachings of Jesus (and the word of God in general)?

Acts 17:22-31 - We conclude our series with an exploration of what it might look like to treat art appreciation as a spiritual discipline, or, to practice art appreciation in the name of the Lord. We look to Paul’s example at the Areopagus (or Mars Hill) and his engagement with Greek poetry for a few basic principles related to receiving art, wisely discerning art, and encountering God through art. May we recognize the unique power beauty has to help people see the goodness and truth of God. May we learn to look the world to His grace, both common and saving. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 6 of our series "Looking the World to Grace: Art, Makers and the Christian Life"]

Questions for reflection: 1) Have you ever considered art appreciation as a spiritual discipline? What might the potential value be? 2) Describe Paul’s missionary strategy in his speech in Acts 17:22-31. 3) How do we see Paul expressing receptivity, discernment, or God-encounter through the Greek poetry he quotes? 4) What experience do you have discerning which works of art you should or shouldn’t view through the lens of temptation and sin? 5) Have you ever encountered God through art in any of the ways Terry Glaspey described (or another)? 6) What connection is there between beauty where we encounter it and the grace of God in Christ?