Livin' the Life - Galatians 5:16-25: Before you read any more of this I want you to read Galatians 5:16-25 right now…it's okay I'll wait while you read it. Have you read it? Okay good! I can't wait to talk about the Holy Spirit with you this weekend, it's going to be “lit”...like the tongues of fire from the Holy Spirit! We're celebrating Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit to the believers. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Are we living life by the Spirit or in sin? What does walking in the Spirit mean? You'll have to come out to find out! All for the glory of God! Bless you!

Livin' the Life - 1 Timothy 6:11-19: I’m moving my father into an extended care home today. While I’m grateful he’s finally leaving hospital, I’m more than a little sad he’s not coming home. Life is filled with events that confuse and astound us. The attack in Manchester this week – the killing of 26 Coptic Christians in Egypt - how do we even begin to try to make sense of such things? How do we live? I’d suggest that part of the response needs to include kindness and generosity. To become cold, bitter, harsh, fearful, judgmental will help no one in the long run. We need to learn to live life generously which means being generous in our prayers, our serving, our giving, our loving … even our forgiving. We’ll talk about living an extravagantly generous life and the weekend service will be so much richer if you are with us! Much grace to us all as we extend it to those God brings across our paths. Pastor Ian - Lead Pastor

Livin' the Life - Col 2:6-7; Matt 7:24-29: The good life. We probably all have both a desire for it and definition to describe it. We probably often feel we’re coming up a little short in experiencing it too! What does God have to say about “the good life?” We’re going to have a great time considering God’s plan and purpose for our lives. This will be a profoundly encouraging weekend as we consider the amazing life – the best life – that God is calling us to. I’m so excited to be sharing such transforming truth and if life appears to be somewhat less than great right now – I think you’ll be especially blessed! We have an amazing God who longs to bless us deeply. If you’re away this weekend, have a great and safe holiday and hopefully you can join in on Livestream. Looking forward to being together!! Pastor Ian - Lead Pastor

The Story - Revelation 1-5; 19-22: We live in a world where all good things eventually come to an end. The sermon series we started back in September is no exception. This weekend we come to the final chapter of The Story, but like any great author God saves the best for last. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is given a peek at what's waiting for us on the other side of human history. Down through the centuries, his vision of a new heaven and new earth has given Christians unshakeable hope even in the darkest circumstances. Join us this weekend as we come full circle, ending up in a place much like where we started: a stunning environment marked by harmony and health, justice and joy, pleasure and peace, righteousness and relationship, laughter and love. It will be a world where all good things won't come to an end. Pastor Scott

The Story - Acts 20-23; 27-28; Ephesians 1-6; 2 Tim 1-4;: The Raid Gauloises is held every year in some obscure part of the world. Five person teams navigate the equivalent of 24 marathons back to back over two weeks and over the most unforgiving terrain on the planet. It is the world's toughest race, period. In the New Testament, the Christian life is described as a marathon to be run with patience and endurance. It is a commitment to be all in; to run every day, for the rest of your life knowing there is an imperishable crown waiting for you at the finishing line. It isn't easy to be a Christian, but it's carrying the thing through from start to finish with consistency that brings ultimate joy and victory. The race of your present life will be difficult to be sure, but the ultimate reward is awesome! When you run the race of faith--you will finish well! Pastor Jerry

The Story - Acts 13-14; 16-20; Romans 1; 3-6; 8-12; 15; 1 Cor 1; 3; 5-6; 10; 12-13; 15-16; Gal 1; 3; 5-6; 1 Thess 1-5;: Churches (the people, not the building!) have walls. Walls can be a gift of protection and security: we saw this earlier in the story when the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. But walls can also keep things contained that should be let out. Acts 1:8 reminds us that we are to be witnesses of Jesus in ever expanding circles. Walls can also shut out those who should be let in! The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:14 that Jesus destroyed barriers and brought down the dividing wall (between Jews and Gentiles) and created a whole new humanity where all are equal and welcome! It's possible that we have walls in our lives. Let's get out our sledge hammers and deconstruct as the Spirit directs so that we can be a church without walls! Pastor Clint

The Story - Acts 1-10; 12: At the heart of The Story is a simple truth: God is at work. We've seen this reality displayed over and over again over the past 7 months. He works by His Spirit…through His people… through divinely ordained circumstances…through Jesus of course! Another thing we've been learning is that this work God is about is always a good work. Not a work free of complexities or uncertainties - but a good work nevertheless. This weekend we move from the Gospels into the book of Acts and we will consider how this work is accomplished through His church. Jesus is the hope of the world and the church is his chosen vehicle to express that hope to the world. It will be a great weekend of celebrating and embracing this mission God has called us to and praying for those who need God's hope most in this world. See you on the weekend! Pastor Ian

The Story - Matthew 27-28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 19-21;19-21;: There are very few events or moments in life that we would consider game-changers. Marriage. The birth of a child. Graduation. The loss of a parent. A bankruptcy or personal failure. But even those events impact only a small group of people in our lives. The life and death of Jesus certainly impacted the land of Israel deeply… but religious and Roman leaders woke up Saturday morning, basking in self-confidence that they had squashed this little uprising that threatened their positions of power. Then Sunday happened … and everything changed … and everything keeps changing! This truly changes everything!!! Have a blessed Easter weekend and I’m so grateful I get to share it with you! Pastor Ian - Lead Pastor

The Story - Luke 19:28-42; Isaiah 53:1-6: The Passion Week begins this weekend with Palm Sunday—a day where a whole city threw a parade for Jesus, throwing palm branches in honor of him, the King of the Jews. The air is carbonated with anticipation and excitement. So why is Jesus crying (Luke 19:41) as he surveys what should be an all-out gala celebration? Clearly Jesus was a different kind of king. I believe at that moment Jesus had a stark moment of clarity, realizing the cross was days away and that many of the same people in the Palm Sunday crowd who were shouting Hosanna would later shout Crucify him! And this King, riding a donkey, not a white stallion; wearing a simple cloak, not full body armor, cries real tears for me and for you. Join us this Sunday as we try to make sense of those tears and, in so doing, make sense of our own. The good news of Easter is that because Jesus was rejected, we can be accepted!

The Story - Matthew 17; Mark 8-12; 14; Luke 9; 22; John 7-8; 11-12;: Over lunch with a friend this week, we talked about how the story of our lives is always being written. Not until heaven will we ever have a sense of having arrived! Each story is shaped by family and friends and community and circumstance … all under the gracious hand of our gracious God. Some chapters are beautiful and meaningful and others are darker and more complicated, but every chapter is sacred in intent and filled with transforming potential. Of all the people or things that shape our stories, nothing even begins to compare with the wonder of Jesus in our lives. Come prepared to be reminded that our future is determined best by how we answer life’s most important question; it will be an inspiring weekend service! Bless you all! Pastor Ian - Lead Pastor