August 16 | Luke 10:25-37 | Belonging to the World | Christian is Preaching Our belonging is never meant to stop with us. Jesus turns the lawyer's question upside down. Instead of asking, "Who belongs in my circle?" Jesus asks, "How can you become a neighbor?" Belonging grows whenever compassion crosses boundaries.

August 9 | Genesis 1:26-31 & | You Belong Before You Believe Our deepest belonging begins not with what we do but with who God says we are. Before there were commandments, covenants, or churches, there was creation. Humanity is created in the image of God and declared "very good." Before there was performance, there was blessing. Before there was belief, there was belonging. Our lives begin not with God's expectations but with God's delight.

August 2 | Luke 14:15-24 | Belonging at the Table God's table is wider than we imagine. Jesus shows this by consistently creating belonging where others create boundaries. His meals become signs of the Kingdom where outsiders become insiders and strangers become friends. This sermon introduces the four dimensions of belonging and invites us to imagine God's Kingdom as a table where every dimension of belonging begins.

July 26 | John 4:34 | When Spaces Become Places: Field “Look around you and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” Fields represent mission, abundance, and participation in God’s work. The field is where faith leaves comfort and becomes embodied action. It’s where what has grown in us is finally given away.

July 19 | Acts 9:1-19 | When Spaces Become Places: Road The Damascus Road is not a sanctuary—it’s a pathway. Yet it becomes the place of Paul’s transformation. Roads represent transition, movement, and interruption. God often meets us not where we’ve settled, but while we are still in motion.

July 12 | Deuteronomy 8:2-5 | When Spaces Become Places: Wilderness The wilderness feels empty, but it becomes the place of testing, dependence, and identity. Israel finds itself there. Jesus clarifies his mission there. Wilderness spaces strip us of illusions and teach us trust. Sometimes the most barren seasons become the most formative places of encounter.

July 5 | Luke 24:30-35 | When Spaces Become Places: Table From Passover to Emmaus, the table becomes a revelation space. At tables, strangers become friends, forgiveness is offered, and Christ is recognized in the breaking of bread. The table reminds us that ordinary furniture can become holy ground.

June 28 | Luke 6:12 | When Spaces Become Places: Mountains In Luke 6, Jesus retreats to a mountain to pray prior to calling the disciples. Mountains have a way of connecting us to God. Think about the mountains in the Bible: Mount Sinai. Mount Zion. Mount Ararat. Mount Nebo. Mount Tabor. Mount of Olives. Mount of Transfiguration. Mount of Beatitudes. All these mountaintop places shape the story of scripture. All of them point to God’s presence, God’s stability, God’s permanence, and a meeting place between heaven and earth. Mountains are important, for they bring us to God.

June 21 | Isaiah 43.16-21 | When Spaces Become Places: River (Jayne Preaching) It’s at the river Jesus is baptized. It’s at the river where we go after we die. It’s at the river that God springs up something new . . . even in the wastelands. Rivers are important, for they bring us to God. This is true in Isaiah 43, and it’s still true today.

June 7 | Revelation 22:1-5 | When Spaces Become Places: Garden The Bible begins and ends in a garden. This symmetry matters, for it reminds us that where we are . . . our location . . . says something about our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Nature is one good way that the Holy Spirit uses to speak to us. If we have ears to hear and eyes to see, then we will experience the grace of God in places like gardens.