As we start our summer series exploring the 7 letters in the book of Revelation, we begin with John’s letter to the Church in Smyrna. A body of believers suffering persecution and poverty, a church pushed to the margins of society and seeking to hold on. The topic of persecution is not always a fun one to discuss, but one that is important for anyone seeking to remain faithful to following Jesus in a post-christian environment. What does God teach us about persecution and how can live into moments and seasons of persecution with faithfulness and joy.

Throughout 1 & 2 Kings, we've consistently seen that the king, no matter how strong, wise, rich or powerful, was never enough to cover the cost Israel traded to have a king - in fact, most often, besides a few good ones (we pause to highlight King Josiah), it was the kings that led them further away from God. In this series finale, Pastor Holly takes us through the end of 2 Kings and we're reminded of how often we want the benefits of the kingdom, just without The King. Too often we try to build kingdoms on our own that turn out to be prisons in the shape of graves. Only King Jesus can set us free from our kingdom and bring us into the Kingdom of God.

On Pentecost we remember two pivotal moments of the Christian faith. The giving of the Holy Spirit and the birthing of the church. The truth is, neither could operate in their fullest without the other. We exist to be a spirit filled, spirit led, spirit empowered church and in this message Pastor Chris unpacks some of how see that revelation unfold in the book of Acts.

In 2 Kings 18 we read about how King Hezekiah destroyed the Bronze Snake that Israel had turned into an idol. The Bronze Snake had represented an important move of God the nation had experienced, but rather them letting it propel them into the future, it had kept them stuck in the past. It is so easy for us to do the same. So rather then finding ourselves looking backwards out of fear, how do we allow a season to move us into God’s future and all that he has for us? This is a message for anyone who has ever found themselves wishing things could be like they once were!

In this message Pastor Chris teaches from 2 Kings 17 where we encounter a community of people who repeat the worshipping practices of their fathers and mothers. The decisions of these parents to blend their worship of God with worship of idols has descendants that impact generations to come. How do we steward our responsibility to reach and disciple the next generation? How does this get lived out in each of our lives and in our churches?

In the 2 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 26 we read the story of King Uzziah, a King of Judah who had incredible success, power and fame, but ultimately experienced a significant downfall. The success of his reign was a trigger for his fall, just like success can so often be for us. In this message Pastor Chris explores how we navigate the pitfalls of pride, and teaches us on how to cultivate and live into true Kingdom Humility.

In this message out of 2 Kings 13, we read about a king going to the prophet Elisha for wisdom in an upcoming battle. Elisha directs him to shoot the arrows available, and the king shoots three but leaves some arrows left unused. Freddy Washington discusses the arrows available to us (it's at least seven!) and encourages us not to leave any unused.

In 2 Kings Chapter 8, we see the woman from Shunem coming back to the king, after being gone for seven years, to request her home and land be restored to. Pastor Holly walks us through this woman's story and we see how, on the way to restoration, important listening and letting go are and how what we think maybe the end, may actually not be in the Kingdom.

In this message from our very own Jenny Browne, she not only leads us through the different seasons she has experienced while living here in DC (times we can all relate to), but acknowledges the lies we can so easily pick up in these seasons and encourages us with the truths we need to replace them with.

In John 20 as we read about the dawn of the resurrection of Jesus but we also read the story of two different Tombs. The obvious tomb is the tomb of the resurrection, the tomb where the stone is removed and Jesus steps out into glorious new life. The other tomb is less talked about, but in someways even more familiar, a tomb the disciples make for themselves and a tomb we so often also create for ourselves. In this message Pastor Chris teaches us the story of these two tombs and how the Spirit will lead us through them as we follow Him.