Epiclesis

Remember the episode in the Bible about the "snake on a stake"? So many questions: Why snakes? What did the Children of Israel do to deserve that? And why did Jesus use that odd event in the desert to describe His coming into the world to the Pharisee Nicodemus?

Join Pastor Chris for this sermon, and spend some time with us as we consider our own wilderness journeys.

The image associated with this podcast is "Moses and the Brass Serpent." Oil on canvas, date unknown. Arthur Sussman.

As we continue our Lenten Season theme of "The Covenant and the Cross," we come to Mount Sinai. God had used Moses to deliver the people from Egypt. They were the descendants, for the most part, of one man, Jacob-- a kind of extended family. But they weren't a nation yet. That happened at the mountain. Join Pastor Chris as he took us through the Sinaitic Covenant, examined the Nation of Israel's faithfulness to it, and then He asked the question, "Has the Sinaitic Covenant been fulfilled?"

Grab your Bible and dig in with us!

The artwork attached to this podcast is Marc Chagall's "Moses Receiving the Tablets of Law" (1966).

In the Old Testament there are promises God made to Israel or to Abraham. But did you ever think about how they might be for you, too? The promises made to Abraham and his seed in the long ago have been fulfilled in a remarkable and wonderful way. Along the way we defined "Christian" and "The Church"-- and we also talked about the amazing inheritance that is ours in Christ.

The artwork associated with this podcast post is by the wonderful He Qi titled "Look Toward the Heavens," his interpretation of God showing Abraham the stars of the sky in describing the patriarch's descendants. Currently a California resident, He Qi Studied at Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing Art Institute in China and Hamburg Art Institute in Germany. Now He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at Fuller Theological Seminary.

On this first Sunday in Lent, 2024, Epiclesis embarked on a series for the season we titled "The Cross and the Covenant." Guest preacher Dr. Jay Dudley brought a message that treated the four lectionary passages appointed for the day as if they were discrete and unrelated. This resulted in four brief messages--one on each passage. In the process, it became apparent how the passages connect to the Lenten themes of our covenant-keeping God and His suffering Son, our Savior-- all while finally suggesting a way that atonement actually occurs-- allowing us to see the vast span of the Son's journey from eternal glory, to incarnation/atonement, and back to the Father's side.

Here's a little quiz: Where do new things, mountains, and thin places come together? Answer: The Mountain of Transfiguration. Join Pastor Chris as he takes us on a journey from Deuteronomy and Moses to the Gospel of Mark and Jesus as we discover why the Transfiguration of Christ is so critically important to our faith.

Art credit: The beautiful painting associated with this post is called "Transfiguration" by Lewis Bowman (one of our favorites at Epiclesis).

Once again, Jesus shows us something important: We can’t speak with authority, transform lives, bring healing, or find victory over sin in our own lives if we don’t build a rich, strong foundation of intentional prayer. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about finding a quiet place, a tameion in the Greek, to pray. And He did. Often. Near the Galilean town of Capernaum, there is a quiet place, a cave called the "Eremos Grotto," where tradition says Jesus would go to pray. What specific things can we learn from His example?

The image you see attached to this podcast is a view from the Capernaum grotto.

Jesus was barely into His ministry at Capernaum when an unlikely individual revealed who He really was. Jesus came into the world as the new and ultimate Moses, as well as the new and ultimate priest and king. But what might those things mean for our relationship with Him? Why should we listen to Him, and why should we come under His authority? There are some breathtaking reasons that stretch back all the way to Genesis and Deuteronomy. Join us!

In part two of a sermon series, Pastor Chris focused what he called the "weighty" and "consequential" parts of our calling. Along the way, we looked at key passages that talked about our being called to salvation, having our wisdom in Christ, the necessity of worship, and working with the Body of Christ in fulfilling Christ's purposes for the world.

Could it be that if we were more confident about the weighty and more consequential parts of our calling, then the less-than-Kingdom-sized decisions would be easier to make?'' Join us!

In the first of a two-part Epiphany sermon, Pastor Chris took up the topic of knowing God's will and hearing God's call. He examined God's call both in Samuel's encounter and Jesus' calling of the disciples. Along the way, he shared a quote from author Bruce Waltke that questions the common evangelical approach of trying to "find God's will" or "uncover" what he wants us to do, as if God is hiding his will from us.

How can you tell what God wants you to do? How do you go about hearing God's call? Join us as we examine two places in Scripture where God called.

On this Sunday, Pastor Rick explored Mark 1 and what it means to experience an "epiphany" through the lens of Jesus' baptism. He drew numerous connections between John the Baptist's wilderness ministry and symbolism throughout the Old Testament to paint a picture of John preparing the way and calling people to repentance and renewal.

Along the way, we were challenged to see that the Season of Epiphany calls us not to observe from the sidelines but to "join the battle" actively against sin, drawing spiritual battle lines as subjects of God's kingdom.