Ekklesia

10/09/2022 – Frogs Don't Eat Edamame

IHow does Israel – whose defining story is God setting them free from slavery in Egypt – build God’s Temple using slaves, and produce priests and kings who commit injustice and abuse power? Today with help from a children's song, we look at the cause and cure of our inclination to abuse power (including our modern "more-acceptable" abuses of power: refusing forgiveness, holding on to grievances, withholding generosity, and more).

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt_H-5Rvx54&t=1687s

10/02/2022 – Unworthy Servants

In our lectionary gospel text today, Jesus tells us we should think of ourselves as just unworthy servants when we fulfill our calling. This can feel uncomfortable to modern ears. What can CJ's life as a competitive athlete teach us about this difficult text?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to http://ekklesiaraleigh.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ekklesia20221002.mp3

09/25/2022 – Buy the Field

With the Babylonian army about to take control over Jerusalem and all of Judah, God tells Jeremiah to buy a field. Why buy a field that is about to be unusable? How might this story be an encouragement for us today in 2022?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRk6vewq6kM&t=203s

09/18/2022 – The Parable of the Unjust Steward

What can we learn from a shady steward who steals from his master twice ... and gets commended for it?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qry1uUjE4w&t=1448s

09/11/2022 – Demoting 'The Greatest of These'

A tragic reversal has taken place in our political and religous lives. Where policy/positions used to be flexible and civility/virtue nonnegotiable, we now embrace the opposite. Virtue has been demoted ... and we don't even seem to mind.

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://youtu.be/SL4P37DsQFA

09/04/2022 – Time is Offensive

With kids heading off to new schools, I have been thinking a lot about time and what it means to live a life of substance. What does the image of chaff and Jesus teaching on the cost of discipleship reveal about the subject?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Sc7eSQd5A&t=1812s

08/28/2022 – Broken Cisterns

What does a news story about traffic accidents, a news story about economic mobility, and a prophecy from Jeremiah teach us about how we live faithfully in a changing world?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8I65aPaYF8  

08/21/2022 – When One Thing Is Two Things

Our lectionary texts today include two texts about the sabbath, but they couldn’t be more different. The heart behind what we do is as important as what we do.

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. To watch the archived live-streamed version of this message, go to https://youtu.be/yqbrkxnIYaY?t=1578 

08/14/2022 – Peace or Division

What did Jesus mean when he said, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division," what did he mean? Is it as simple as it sounds, or are there layers to the text that shed different light on this difficult saying? (Hint: it's the second one!)

08/07/2022 – Snickers, Milk, and Hope

Our lectionary texts this morning are all about faith, but they are also about where faith is lived out... in an Already and Not Yet Kingdom. What can Snickers bars, communion, and NT Wright teach us about how to live this faith in a world full of both Beauty and Brokenness?

Watch this message on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/LqUlYc7d1no?t=1533