On this first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Sean Palmer shows us how Matthew, beginning with the lineage of Jesus, reveals much that we could easily miss in our day and age. He particularly focuses on the story of Judah and Tamar to highlight why Jesus teaches the way he does, and why he responds in many situations to show grace to people who are typically excluded.

Pastor Chris Seay offers an important update on our partnership with Iglesia Cristiana para la Frontera along the Venezuelan and Colombian border in helping to meet many needs related to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, and our continued call to our family in the region. Please watch the video if you missed it, and hear Chris’ follow-up at 26:05 of the audio. To access the most up-to-date impact report of our involvement, click here.

Pastor Sean Palmer continues our series exploring the lives and wisdom of important figures in Christian history, sharing what he has learned from the example of Henri Nouwen as he examines our relationship to power. Power sought or abused will never satisfy. It is in giving up our love of power, and taking on the power of love, that we become people that humbly give and receive rather than those who tirelessly grasp.

Pastor Chris shares wisdom and insight from missiologist, theologian, and pastor Leslie Newbigin which changed his understanding of the church and have been invaluable in shaping the ethos of Ecclesia. The Gospel is good news for everyone, calling us into the culture to share it; not to cling to the supposed “safety” of our own religious circles. God’s mission is everywhere, and you are called to be a part of it.

Sarah Seabrook shared vulnerably from her own story of battling intense anxiety, and asked us to consider the areas of our lives that may be similarly affected by living in an age of ever-increasing commotion and confusion. When we are reminded of the truth of our identity, as beloved children invited to lay our worries in the care of God, we begin to regain our solid footing.

Pastor Sean offers up the redemptive works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and shares insight into the power of our own stories. When we know and share our stories with others, it changes the way we engage with those around us.

Pastor Chris Seay uses many of the teachings of John Calvin to help us understand our role in this world. He reminds us that we are all priests and have the privilege to embody and display the love of Jesus to everyone we encounter in our work, neighborhood, family and beyond.

Pastor Sean Palmer shares a critical word from the Book of Acts and the teachings of Jean Vanier. Community is messy, and it is vital. We need one another.

This week, our sister Ericka Graham shares insights from from the Book of Jonah. The tiny book in the Hebrew Scriptures has the potential to change the way we engage the world around us, giving us the capacity to see God in everything and everyone we encounter.

Pastor Wayne Brown continues our series considering the lives of important figures throughout Christian history. The faithfulness and sacrifice modeled by Dietrich Bonhoeffer show us who the Church is called to be in the face of bigotry and injustice; a call to embody a faith of courage and empathy.