Ekklesia

In this reflection on the story of the Magi, we explore the beautiful complexity of human hearts – how we, like the Wise Men, both give and withhold, longing for God’s Kingdom while clinging to our own. How might this ancient story speak to our modern struggle between surrender and self-preservation?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/live/V7X3SF-Ve6c?t=1571s

On this fourth Sunday of advent, our theme is love. Love is one of the most important words in the life of faith, but (in English at least) its meaning can be elusive. When we say God is Love, what is it we actually mean?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/live/7wK-albkmEY?t=1662s

Through an unlikely pair of stories – a Christmas airline surprise and an ancient couple’s unexpected news – we explore what it means to participate in God’s joy. Together they reveal how God delights in bringing life to barren places, and invites us to do the same.

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/live/YsbQvm4GPQo?t=1706s

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. But when Jesus was born, the title of Savior / Bringer of Peace was already taken. What does Luke’s Gospel and his Christmas story teach us about Peace?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/live/ZZwe8SCDqss?t=1547s

During World War II, Japanese Americans in internment camps launched a quiet rebellion – not with weapons, but with vegetable gardens, poetry, and baseball leagues. Through their story of creating beauty behind barbed wire, this Advent sermon explores what it means to practice hope as an act of holy defiance, both then and now.

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzB4UJCo4UY&t=1916s

As we prepare for Advent, the lectionary wants us to be thinking about the nature of kingship. The Jewish people had a long, checkered history with kings. In Jesus, they would find a King whose Kingdom was not from this world.

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBRwxeKK8Pc&t=1612s

Through the parallel stories of Hannah’s prayer at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:4-20) and Jesus’ prophecy about the temple’s destruction (Mark 13:1-8), this message explores how God’s kingdom emerges not through political power or force, but through the patient “birth pains” of love and faithful presence.

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkFdrVWPBfI&t=1476s

TThis Sunday we discussed two stories in Mark chapter 12: the greatest commandment, and the widows offering. These stories represent light, joy, and hope in the midst of a dark chapter. What can we learn from these stories and characters to help light our way in the season ahead?

Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at 10:45am. Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/live/mB7fuaz1ePg?t=1548s

Today’s “All Saints Sunday” message reminds us that we belong to something far greater than our current political moment – the communion of saints, a wild and beautiful tapestry of believers stretching across time and culture. Drawing from Revelation 7 and the Beatitudes, we explore how to engage in civic life with both principled conviction and Christ-like humility.

This Sunday we dove into the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter ten. Sometimes this seems like a simple story of a healing, but it turns out there’s more Bartimaeus than we first realized. He is physically blind, but he sees more than others do.

Watch the archived recording of this message here: https://www.youtube.com/live/be0lihAEmxY?t=1771s