Grace City Eugene

In week 8 of our Summer on the Mount series, Pastor Chris Zauner delivers a powerful and practical message on Jesus’ words from Matthew 6:25-34: “Do not be anxious.” Building on last week’s call to choose our true Master, this sermon explores what it means to actually trust God with our tomorrow—beyond just words of allegiance.

Pastor Chris shares relatable personal stories, biblical insights, and four practical steps to combat anxiety:

1️⃣ Name your worry – identify the source of your anxiety and bring it before God.

2️⃣ Release control – surrender the outcomes you can’t manage.

3️⃣ Reorder your life – seek first the Kingdom in every area.

4️⃣ Trust God with the next 24 hours – receive His daily bread without letting tomorrow’s “what-ifs” rob today’s grace.

Through Jesus’ illustrations of birds and lilies, we’re reminded of God’s perfect care as our Heavenly Father—a love greater than our fears, and a provision deeper than our need for control.

If you’ve ever felt the gap between Sunday faith and Monday worry, this message is for you. Learn how to break free from anxiety’s grip and experience the peace of the King that surpasses understanding.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34

🎙 Speaker: Pastor Chris Zauner

📅 Series: Summer on the Mount: Jesus’ Upside-Down Kingdom – Week 8

#DoNotBeAnxious #SermonOnTheMount #TrustGod #OvercomingAnxiety #PastorChrisZauner #Matthew6 #SeekFirstTheKingdom #ChristianEncouragement #FaithOverFear

What if rest isn’t something you earn—but something you receive?

This week in our Summer at Grace devotional, Jordan Gerding shares how true rest isn’t about checking out or crashing on the couch… it’s about trusting God.

Whether you’re in a season of hustle or holding a newborn at 3am (he gets it 👶), this 3-minute devo will help you pause and ask:

💭 Am I resting with God—or just recovering from life?

In Week 7 of our Summer on the Mount series, Pastor Casey Olsen unpacks Matthew 6:19–24, a powerful portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that challenges our hearts, our habits, and our loyalties. Are we chasing fleeting treasures or investing in what truly lasts?

Key themes:

- What we pursue shapes who we become

- Our vision determines our inner light

- The master we serve defines our direction

With clarity and conviction, Pastor Casey calls us to examine our priorities, perceptions, and spiritual investments. Through stories, Scripture, and practical application, we’re reminded that Jesus is the only treasure who won't rot, rust, or run—the only master who gave Himself fully for us.

Main Points:

1. Pursuit shapes the person – What we chase is forming our soul

2. Perception fuels perspective – What we focus on fills us with light or darkness

3. Priority reveals the master – You can't serve God and money

This sermon will help you:

- Identify idols and misplaced trust

- Reorient your life around eternal purpose

- Learn to live with spiritual clarity and kingdom vision

- Experience the freedom of wholehearted devotion to Christ

Have you ever chased something that promised satisfaction but left you restless? This message speaks directly to that ache and invites you into a better way—a life centered on Jesus.

This week in Summer at Grace, Pastor Chris Zauner invites us to confront two common summer pitfalls—busyness and escape—and the false identities they create.

🛠️ “Rest starts to feel like weakness… or escape starts to feel like salvation.”

But Psalm 46 calls us to something deeper:

👉 Stillness, not as escape—but surrender.

👉 Rest, not in doing or disappearing—but in knowing He is God.

🕊️ This week’s challenge:

Set aside 10 minutes a day.

No phone. No tasks. Just stillness.

Read Psalm 46.

Pray slowly.

Remember who you belong to.

🎧 Find more by searching Grace City Eugene wherever you listen to podcasts.

#GraceCityEugene #SummerAtGrace #Devotional #Psalm46 #SpiritualRest #BeStill #JesusIsEnough #FaithInTheChaos #WeeklyRhythms #StillnessNotEscape

In Week 6 of our "Summer on the Mount" series, Pastor Casey Olsen dives into Matthew 6:1–18, where Jesus contrasts kingdom righteousness with religious performance. What does it mean to give, pray, and fast in secret? How do we resist the temptation to perform our faith for the applause of others?

This powerful message challenges us to examine our heart posture—are we seeking the reward of recognition, or the reward of intimacy with the Father?

💬 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others to be seen by them…” – Matthew 6:1

Whether you've struggled with motivation in your spiritual disciplines, or are longing for deeper communion with God, this sermon offers clarity, conviction, and a path back to authentic relationship with the Father.

In this message, you'll learn:

- Why Jesus addresses giving, prayer, and fasting as core spiritual rhythms

- How performance-driven faith distorts our spiritual life

- What it means to live for the Father’s eyes and not the crowd’s applause

- How Jesus invites us back to hidden rhythms of grace and intimacy

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As we transition from Matthew 5 to Matthew 6 in our Summer on the Mount series, Pastor Casey offers a special bonus episode to help us pause, reflect, and prepare. In this short teaching update, Casey recaps the heart of Jesus' upside-down kingdom in Matthew 5—where blessing looks like weakness, influence comes through obscurity, and righteousness begins with grace.

But the journey doesn’t stop there. Matthew 6 invites us deeper, into the quiet places of kingdom life—the unseen practices of giving, praying, and fasting that cultivate intimacy with the Father. In this episode, we explore how Jesus moves from public witness to private devotion, from performance to presence, and from external appearances to wholehearted love.

Whether you’ve been following Jesus for years or are just exploring what His kingdom is all about, this reflection will help you engage Matthew 6 with fresh eyes and a receptive heart.

Lean in with us as we seek not just to hear Jesus’ words, but to be shaped by them.

In this week’s Summer at Grace devotional, we’re tackling a subtle lie many of us fall into: that summer is a season to pause our purpose. ☀️

But here’s the truth—God doesn’t take a summer vacation. The Gospel is still good news in July, and the fields are still ripe for harvest.

📖 In John 4:35, Jesus calls us to open our eyes and see the people around us—not someday, not later, but now. That neighbor. That cookout. That coffee hang. These aren’t random—they’re divine opportunities.

So this week’s challenge: Ask the Holy Spirit to turn your everyday summer rhythms into Gospel moments. Because God’s not off the clock—and neither is His mission.

➡️ Like, share, and subscribe for more weekly devotionals as we follow Jesus with purpose this summer.

#SummerAtGrace #GraceCityChurch #OnMission #John435 #GospelEveryday #KingdomMoments #JesusInEugene

In this powerful and convicting message, Pastor Chris invites us into the heart of Jesus’ teaching on the deeper issues beneath our behavior—what he calls the “symptoms” of sin. Through six penetrating statements from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus diagnoses the internal condition of our hearts and offers a healing cure that goes far beyond behavior management. This is not a call to try harder but an invitation to surrender deeper.

In a world obsessed with power, revenge, and appearances, Jesus offers a radically different way—the way of transformation from the inside out. As Pastor Chris unpacks topics like anger, lust, broken relationships, retaliation, and integrity, we’re reminded that Jesus doesn't just want to polish our outer lives—He wants to make us whole.

Whether you’re walking through pain, stuck in cycles of sin, or hungry for freedom, this message will meet you right where you are and lift your eyes to the grace-filled, upside-down kingdom of God.

Key themes:

- Sin’s symptoms vs. sin’s root

- Reconciliation over being right

- Purity as freedom, not restriction

- Integrity in a truth-twisting culture

- Loving enemies in a fractured world

- How Jesus empowers what He commands

Jesus doesn’t leave us in our brokenness. He gives us a new heart, a new spirit, and a new way to live. The kingdom of God isn’t about managing behavior—it’s about becoming whole.

“In Jesus’ kingdom, righteousness is not about looking good. It’s about becoming whole in Him.”

Listen now and be transformed by the Word.

#SermonOnTheMount #GraceCityChurch #UpsideDownKingdom #JesusTransforms #Matthew5 #KingdomLiving #ChristianTeaching #SinAndGrace #SummerOnTheMount

In the slower rhythm of summer, what if fun isn't a distraction from spiritual growth—but part of the design?

This week in our Summer at Grace devotional series, we explore the spiritual value of fun, joy, laughter, and rest. From weddings to walks, Jesus modeled a life filled with delight and presence—and invited us to do the same.

We’ll look at Scriptures like Ecclesiastes 3 and Psalm 104, and ask:

👉 Can joy be sacred?

👉 Can rest actually deepen our faith?

👉 How does fun help form us spiritually?

So before you head out to a bonfire, hike, or game night—pause and invite God into the moment. Because fun can be formation, and joy can renew your walk with Christ.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more weekly devotionals.

📖 Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 3:4, Psalm 104:15, John 2

#SummerAtGrace #Devotional #SpiritualFormation #ChristianJoy #GraceCityChurch #FunAndFaith #JesusAndJoy

Welcome back to Summer at Grace, our weekly devotional series helping you follow Jesus with purpose during a season that often feels unstructured.

In Week 4, we’re asking a simple but searching question: What story is your summer schedule telling? Or more pointedly—do your priorities preach the gospel you believe?

Our time isn’t neutral. Every “yes” we give reflects what we value. Our daily rhythms, recurring habits, and even what’s missing from our calendars all reveal the story we’re living. Jesus reminds us in Mark 12:30–31 that the greatest commandments are to love God fully and to love our neighbors as ourselves. What if that became the lens for how we structured our days?

In this week’s devotional, you’ll be invited to:

- Examine what your current schedule says about what you love most

- Consider how your habits align (or misalign) with your faith

- Take a grace-filled step toward realigning your priorities with God’s purpose

This isn’t about doing more—it’s about centering what matters most. Because the way we use our time is one of the clearest expressions of what we truly believe.

Take a few moments today to reflect and respond. Let your calendar become a quiet but powerful witness to your love for God and others.

We’ll be back next week with Week 5 of Summer at Grace. Until then, may your time reflect His love, and your priorities proclaim His worth.