Today we continue our series on Liturgical Theology, again asking: "Why do we do what we do—and what happens when we do it?" Music and singing have been central to Christian worship throughout history. But because it's so familiar, we rarely pause to consider: What is actually happening when we sing? And what does singing do to us? Let’s reflect on the formational power of music in our worship.Today we continue our series on Liturgical Theology, again asking: "Why do we do what we do—and what happens when we do it?" Music and singing have been central to Christian worship throughout history. But because it's so familiar, we rarely pause to consider: What is actually happening when we sing? And what does singing do to us? Let’s reflect on the formational power of music in our worship.

Today we begin a new summer series exploring the question: "Why do we do what we do in worship—and what happens when we do it?" For over two thousand years, the Church has practiced things like giving, preaching, singing, and confession every week. Yet it's easy to go through the motions without asking why. Our hope is that this series helps us breathe fresh intention into these practices—so they become more than habits, but acts of formation.

This week we stand with Jesus, Mary, and Martha at the tomb of Lazarus and we do so from Dostoevsky's perspective. The power in the story of Lazarus, is not, for me, at the resurrection of the dead man, but when Jesus, who knows what will happen, still stands with the sisters and mourns with them.  This is the Jesus we serve, the man of sorrows who stands in the place of sorrow with us, and calls us to do the same with the world. 

This week we pick up where we left off last week.  Last week we focused on three ideas that seem so important, but often lead to blindness.  This week, we talk about what the place of sent delivers.  When we are willing to go to the place of sent, we receive, vision, healing, and formation. 

Mission or being sent was never meant to be a department of the church, being sent is what the church does - we are a sent people.  Went sentness becomes an optional program everything else that is good about the church becomes a blinding agent for the people that are supposed to see clearly.  In today's sermon we talk about the importance and centrality of being sent. 

For 2,000 years the church has selectively thrown stones.  Our stone-throwings has been camouflaged with words like purity, holiness, and righteousness; but in reality, it has been guided by the sins that make us feel most uncomfortable.  Jesus has an alternative to this, rather than throwing stones, letting them fall at our sides so we are free to fully embrace the other.  In today's message we talk about the importance of embrace. 

For the past several weeks we have been following John, as he continually introduces us to stories about people who are unable to see or truly hear what Jesus is saying due to the reality they submit to.  In today's text, we are invited into a different logic, and a reality that plays by a different set of rules.

This week we take a look at the man healed by the pools outside the temple.  We take a dive into Israel's history in order to empathize with the pharisees, which helps us take a look at what is actually happening in this story.

This week we jump back into the Gospel of John and pick up with the famous story of the Woman at the Well.  In this sermon, we do three things: Dig into some history about who the origins of the samaritans, rescue the woman at the well from our projections, and get to the heart of the text, of the hospitality of the unlikely messenger. 

I'm not really into models when it comes to following Jesus or being the church, but if there is one, I believe it could be inferred from the Emmaus story in Luke 24.  So, this week we delve into Jesus' post-resurrection walk to the village of Emmaus as he enters into relationship with two disciples.