April 26- Sent Out 
Speaker: Pastor Vic Neufeld 

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

With the announcement of resurrection ringing in their ears, the disciples make their

way to Galilee and “to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.”(28.16) This is

no accidental location. In the Gospel of Matthew, mountains are associated with

revelation as a symbolic place where heaven meets earth. Jesus is tested on a

mountain (4:8), teaches a sermon on a mountain (5:1), is transfigured on a mountain

(17:1), and now meets his bewildered disciples on a mountain. The final mountain is in

Galilee, symbolically on the border of the wild “sea” of the nations. It is on this

mountain that the disciples will discover that resurrection means nothing will ever be

the same again. New creation has burst out of the tomb. Jesus has received all

authority and will commission his disciples to “go make disciples of all nations” (28:19).

In this great commission, we learn that we are united with Jesus in his death and

resurrection—- that we are risen. And if we are risen— people of new creation— then

we have work to do. We are set out!

April 19- A Fire of Burning Coals
Speaker: Rev. Paul Walker
Scripture: John 21

The disciples found themselves going back to their old occupations even after they

had interacted with the Risen One. In fact, right after a kind of ghostly upper room

encounter, Simon, who had been given a new identity as Peter, declared “I’m going

fishing…” to which a good number of them said, “We’ll go with you.” This was their

old job. They were Fishermen before they became disciples. This is what they knew

how to do, which must have felt so comforting in light of the falling apart of their entire

understanding of what they were following. And yet they found themselves fishing all

night and catching nothing, which must have been so disheartening. Perhaps even

more disheartening is the mixed emotions that Peter carried after the resurrection. Of

course Peter was glad that Jesus was alive, but don’t forget that on the night of Jesus’

betrayal, Peter had failed miserably. Peter denied Christ, not once, not twice, but three

times. Now in the morning there’s a man on the shore asking if they have any fish. No.

He gives some advise and they catch 153 big ones! John says, “It’s the Lord!” And

Peter swims to Jesus. When they had hauled the catch ashore, Jesus called them to

breakfast and when they came they found a fire of coals. (ἀνθρακιά) In that bed of

coals Jesus had recreated the scene of the crime of Peter’s denial. After breakfast,

Jesus has a heart to heart conversation with Peter. Three times Jesus asks Peter, “do

you love me?”. And this was enough. Peter’s threefold denial of Christ is now matched

by his threefold announcement of love. Jesus restored Peter and than repeated His

original call: “Follow Me.” The call remains the same…even when we fail.

April 12- We’re All Thomas Now
Speaker: Rev. Paul Walker

Scripture: John 20:24-31

Thomas was absent when Jesus first appeared to the disciples in the upper room.

Whereas the other disciples exclaimed that Jesus was risen from the dead, Thomas is

not so sure. Instead Thomas says, ““Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my

finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”(v25) A

week passes by where Thomas remains skeptical about the resurrection. And who

could blame Thomas? Nobody thought the Messiah would die, let alone be risen from

the dead. In a secular age we’ve all encountered the same roadblock to belief as

Thomas. As sons of the Enlightenment and daughters of Modernity, we’re all Thomas

now. But Jesus is not discouraged or upset by Thomas. Jesus appears to Thomas and

allows him to touch the wounds of crucifixion. “Place your finger here”(Jn 20:27)

Thomas then exclaims, “My Lord, and My God.” Jesus does not scold Thomas for

doubting. If Thomas goes from belief, doubt, and re-belief—- perhaps we are allowed

to as well? What if doubt is not the enemy of faith but the evidence that we have a faith

that is seeking understanding? (Fides quaerens intellectum) What if doubt is a

companion on the journey of understanding as we pursue Endless Mystery? What if

doubt is the doorway to each new way of knowing, each new perspective?

RESURRECTION SUNDAY: 

Stations of the Resurrection

Scripture: Isaiah 25:6-9 + Luke 24:1-12  + Luke 24:13-35 + Luke 24:36-49
Speaker: Pastor Paul Walker

The opening verses of Luke’s account of Resurrection Sunday are full of surprise, astonishment, fear, and confusion. There is the shock of the empty tomb. There is  astonishment of the announcement from the angels who proclaim to the women, “He is not here. He is risen.” There is the woman running to tell the others of this good news that Christ is risen. All of this reaches a climax when the Risen King stands among the disciples and proclaims over them, "‘Peace be with you.’(Lk 24:36) That the first word the disciples hear from the Risen King is “peace”is no accident. Yes, the first word of “peace” calms the disciples fear and confusion but it also says so much more. It says to us that peace and deep shalom of the new creation is now in-breaking within this present broken age because our Risen King has triumphed over sin, death, and the grave. His wounds on his hands, feet, and side bear witness to his victory. The prophet Isaiah glimpsed the in-breaking of shalom in the resurrection. Isaiah tells us that our Risen King has “swallowed up death for ever”(Is 25:8) Our Risen King will “create a new heavens and a new earth”(Is 65:17) where “no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.”(Is 65:19). This is the announcement of peace & shalom by our Risen King Jesus. And this is the announcement that we bear witness to this day. 

Desired Outcome: To share the good news that resurrection announces the victory of King Jesus — who calls us to participate in his new creation of shalom. 

Stations of the Cross. 

The Journey to the Cross is the retracing of the Passion of the Christ— or Jesus’ last 12 hours before his death. To facilitate the journey of the Cross we are using the 12 images from Scott Erickson to move our people through the 12 Stations of the Cross. Each station will have a scripture reading with a reflection, poem, or song to support the scripture and images. 

March 31: The King Who Cancels Debt

Scripture: Matthew 18:21–35
Speaker: Pastor Tobia Veith 

Forgiveness is a deeply challenging and weighty subject—often harder than we expect.

Peter’s question to Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister

who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (v.21), reveals a common human desire: to

set limits on mercy and to take pride in our own generosity. But Jesus refuses to let

forgiveness be a finite, transactional thing. Instead, through the parable of the

unmerciful servant, Jesus reveals something much bigger: forgiveness is rooted in a

debt so enormous it can never be repaid. This parable points us toward the Cross,

where God cancels the un-payable debt of our sin—not by demanding repayment but

by absorbing it fully. The servant’s forgiven debt is so vast that it should transform his

heart, yet he fails to extend mercy to others. Jesus shows us that refusing to forgive is

like denying our own desperate need for grace—a scandalous refusal to live in the

mercy we have received. On the Cross, God cancels the debt that enslaves us all and

invites us into a new economy of mercy. Our response, then, is not to hold grudges or

calculate limits, but to forgive because we have been forgiven.

Desired Outcome: To embrace the call to forgive others freely and fully, grounded in

the unmerited forgiveness we have received through Christ’s forgiveness on the Cross.

A Note to Listeners from Tobia Veith:

Although reputable medical institutions and pyschological associations have found that forgiveness has many health benefits, PLEASE:

- Understand that forgiveness does NOT mean to stay with one's abuser or to reconcile with someone who will continue to harm you. 

- Forgiveness can happen even if reconciliation doesn't and the process of justice can proceed even as one forgives. 

- Be advised to seek safety and professional help with the process of healing and forgiveness if you are dealing with a situation of abuse and harm.

March 15: The Father Who Runs
Scripture: Luke 15:11–32
Speaker: Paul Walker

Jesus tells a striking parable about two sons and a father whose love refuses to be
bound by human expectations. The younger son demands his inheritance early—a
shocking and disrespectful act, as it’s akin to saying, “I wish you were dead.” He cashes
out, ignoring his responsibilities, and squanders everything in a far country. When
famine hits, he finds himself destitute and desperate, the consequences of his rebellion
clear. Meanwhile, the elder son stays home, dutifully working and following the rules—
but his heart is hardened. When the younger son returns, broken and repentant, the
father runs eagerly to welcome him back, bearing the shame and loss that the son’s
failure brought upon the family. Yet the elder brother refuses to join the celebration,
unable to forgive or understand that his worth is not earned by success but given freely
by the father’s love. This parable reveals the heart of the Cross: God’s relentless, costly
love that pursues us even when we turn away. The Father’s running toward the prodigal
son is not a casual gesture but a radical act of grace, absorbing shame and loss rather
than demanding payment or condemnation. God revealed in Jesus is a God whose
love runs to us on the Cross, bearing the full cost of our sin and brokenness.

Desired Outcome: To recognize the Cross as the ultimate expression of God’s loving
pursuit, inspiring us to embrace grace with open hearts rather than fear judgment or try
to earn our place.

So often people think the important thing is to have the right ideas about Jesus. Jesus
flips the script on this sort of thinking when he closes his Sermon on the Mount with the
parable of the wise and foolish builders. Jesus says, “Anyone who hears these words of
mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
(v24)” The central question of this parable is this; what kind of foundation are we
building our lives on? Is it shifting sand? Is it the rock of Jesus’ teaching? The answer to
this question determines if our house stands when the storm comes. One thing is sure,
Jesus’ own brother challenges those who thought they could have the right beliefs
without the right actions when he writes, “faith without works is dead”.
Desired Outcome: To evaluate the foundation on which we’ve built our ‘houses’, and
take next steps to make necessary changes.

March 1 — It’s More Than Words
Scripture: Matthew 7:15-23, Galatians 5
Speaker: Pastor Joe Welty

In our day, we sometimes conflate appearance and reality. If someone tweets the right
things, or has the right appearance on Instagram— we might assume a reality that is
true of that person. But curiously Jesus says, ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven.”(v20) Jesus is saying that faithfulness is about more than
words or mere appearances. Instead we will recognized falseness by the fruit it
produces. True followers must not be like those who give lip service to God (saying
“Lord, Lord” v. 21). Even doing great deeds of power guarantees nothing (vv. 22–23).
What matters is hearing and acting upon the message Jesus proclaims (“these words of
mine”); anything less is foolish—building a house on shifting sand. In an age of
disinformation, we need to understand that Jesus warned of false prophets, but also
gave us some tools to discern the truth.

Desired Outcome: To understand the difference between appearance and reality—
and to challenge folks to be discerning about false messages and messengers.

February 22— The Two Paths
Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14 (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

Jesus is nearing the end of his Sermon on the Mount. And as all good preachers do— Jesus
begins to describe what is at stake if we choose to not to put into practice his teaching. There
are two paths, one that is wide and easy and the other difficult. The narrow way is the way of
walking with the person of Jesus. Jesus is the only way, truth and life. However, if all other
roads lead to destruction, then this sounds profoundly unfair and unloving. What is important
to note is that Jesus is primarily talking about how we live in the here and now to emphasize
the gravity of our consequences. Jesus is saying the way to find eternal life, here and now, is
narrow and hard because it involves following Jesus and striving to develop a Christ-like
character. The golden rule is the narrow way.5 But most people, would rather live life with the
goal of having their best and most convenient life, rather than arduously striving to develop a
loving character. This road leads to destruction because whatever about us that is inconsistent
with God’s love and truth has got to be destroyed so that we can live for Christ and reflect his
love in the eternal Kingdom.