In the first week of our series we discuss the realities of family feuds, the difficulties of family relationships, and the good news in the midst of the most troubling family stories.



In the gospels we hear about a supernatural encounter that the disciples had where Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah, two of the great figures in ancient Israel. This encounter has Jesus being "transfigured," changed in appearance in a way that points to a deeper reality about who he is and who we are to be. What if we were transfigured? What would we change into? Who would we look like? Join Rev. Juan Carlos Huertas this weekend in worship!

There is a catch phrase, or maybe it could be called a spiritual mantra, that First-Plymouth has used for decades: Life is Good, Let it Go and Be happy Now. On the digital service and at the 8:15am service, Dr. Keck will explore the possibility that it has been the key to the growth of First-Plymouth because it is a key to growth for each person.



Using the Super Bowl and 1st Timothy 4, Dr. Jim Keck will describe how both religion and football tap into the human need for striving and intensity. While Jim was a remarkably lousy football player, he will explore how the popularity of football and religion lie in their ability to create a “collective effervescence” and make things seem more alive. So even if you have no interest in football, the sermon will be speaking about life itself.

We know that humans grow, mature, develop, over time. We are not born ready, instead we require nurture, teaching, and modeling over time. Our journey of development lasts a lifetime. Though we know this in our physical, intellectual, and emotional lives we tend to take a different approach in our spiritual lives. The reality is that our lives in, with, and through divine life also require development, nurture, a process of maturation over a lifetime. What might this look like? How might we go on the journey and companion other in it? Join Pastor Juan Carlos Huertas in worship at 8:15am or online!

Dr. Jim Keck and Pastor Juan Carlos Huertas this weekend in worship, as each will share two things that they believe our key to their understanding of who Jesus is.

Jesus calls his disciples to be salt and light. All of us called to invest in our world, in our neighborhoods, and in our families. What does it look like for us to be a people who season and preserve, who reveal and make known? Join Pastor Juan Carlos Huertas for worship this weekend online!

Dr. Keck explores the calming tone of the beatitudes in Matthew 5. Although there is always a call to action in Jesus’ words for us to create a more just world, there is also a more pastoral and spiritual nature to his words. That is, he does not merely issuer prophetic challenges but also seeks to calm our inner turmoil and give us peace.

It is natural to get frustrated when we sense that expectations are not clear. Whether in work, relationships with others, in civic life, and in our lives with God it is normal to wonder - what is required of us? This week a prophet answers this ancient question and yet the answer has become so quotable that it might be losing its edge. What does it mean to DO justice, LOVE mercy, and WALK humbly?

The late Pope Benedict was called “God’s Rottweiler” when he headed the office that promoted strict adherence to doctrine. But in fact this man possessed a sweeping intellect that was tempered by a humility and kindness. Early in his ministry he wrote an “Introduction to Christianity” and in this weeks sermon Dr. Keck will detail how Benedict saw believers and doubters as as far more united in common cause than we imagine - we are all seeking to understand the infinite.