Sermon Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-18, Isaiah 2:2-5, Romans 8:18-26, Psalm 37:3-5

Celebrating the life of Christ through the Christian Calendar and intentionally celebrating the season of Advent with hope and expectation allows us to rearrange the sacred back to the center of our lives.

What Advent does is it point the unresolved hopes that we have in our hearts toward Jesus. It invites us into a beautiful dance of hope fulfilled and hope yet to come.

May we continue to hope and chase after the desires that God has placed on our hearts by being God’s faithful people and enacting our hope through daily moments of prayer, love, and sacrifice.

Sermon Scripture: Colossians 1:11-20 (NLT)

In honoring Christ or King and his good Kingdom we consider what Jesus is looking for in his followers.

He is looking for people like you and me who may not have it all figured out, but who recognize that their source of hope in this world comes from the love and mercy of Jesus who met us in our darkest of hours and saw us through the long watches of the night.

May we live out the questions that we carry, not feeling less worthy for their existence, but emboldened that modeling the life of Jesus, even with questions in hand, is the best way to honor the rule and reign of Christ Jesus in our world.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17, 34-35

Jesus seems to be dividing those who hear about the hopeful, redemptive Kingdom of God into two categories: those who receive and those who reject. How can we protect ourselves from falling into the folly of the rejectors?

We must be diligent at keeping our eyes and ears open to the simple truth of God which the Holy Spirit reveals to us, while working hard to identify and reject our blindspots in thinking. We must continually be course correcting to ensure we are not becoming misaligned from the teaching of Jesus.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 13: 44-46

Join us as we  delve into the layers of meaning found in the parables of the Treasure and Pearl.  Each layer reveals a new understanding of God’s truths and issues a call to action.

Sermon Scripture: Matt. 13:31-33

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a seed, or a measure of yeast, it is imperceptible and much of its growth is unseen, then seemingly overnight you see the tree or the risen dough.

We have all heard of the compound effect, or the butterfly effect. This idea says that small, seemingly insignificant forces can have dramatic effects when compounded over and over again. Jesus implies this is one way the Kingdom works.

As we embrace the Kingdom of Heaven in and around us, may we be faithful small beginnings and diligent in nurturing its growth.

Sermon Scripture: Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43 NRSV

Sermon Scripture: Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (The Message)

Following the Way of Jesus is not about behavioral control, rather, it is about diving head first into renewed purpose and perspective of God’s work through us through life lived in partnership with the Holy Spirit.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 9:18-34

Learning about who Jesus healed can tell us more about the Kingdom of God than can speculating about how or what Jesus did. Jesus’ miracles are surrounded by many myths and meanings, and it’s important to distinguish between the two if we wish to be among the community of faith that follows Jesus through these difficult days.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 9:9-17

If we are to be followers of the Way of Jesus, then we must be willing to do as Jesus did. This means seeking out the stigmatized and abrasive among us in order to share love and mercy. We must also be quick to leave behind our own sin and boldly invite others to the table of grace that we have found.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus heals a paralyzed man, overturning the Jewish notion of sin and forgiveness.  We are challenged to accept the authority of Jesus and to model our lives and ministry as agents of forgiveness.