God gives us the most unbreakable, precious gift: His love. And we know the depth of his love because of the depth of his sacrifice: He gave us his one and only Son, even when we did not love him. We don’t deserve his love, nor can we earn his love; God gives us his love simply out of his grace. All we have to do is receive his love.

Just as Israel was full of worry and anxiety under the oppression of Rome, we experience the oppression of worry and anxiety in our world today. It’s no wonder that one of the greatest gifts God has given us is peace. Jesus is not just the Prince of Peace, nor does He keep peace to Himself as a possession. Rather, in His grace, Jesus has given us HIS PEACE by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can have His peace as a gift right now by just receiving it.

Practical steps to make room for Jesus in Advent

In trials, we can choose hope because of God

God calls us to a politics of love rather than fear.

God calls us to a politics of love rather than fear.

What is Jesus' definition of leadership vs. the World's definition?

Christians sadly, embody the same partisan and political divisions of the world. But we have something the world doesn’t: God.

What if God is in our political disagreements? What if there is something he is trying to teach us, form us, sanctify us in our conflicts? What if he is can make something new if we discern his presence in our radically opposing passions and beliefs? 

This draws heavily on Tim Otto’s “Oriented to Faith” and David Fitch’s “Church of Us v Them”

Money, Family, Education, Comfort, Security, Health, etc - life in the burbs can be oriented around so many things. But what if God has an even bigger purpose for us? What if God is bringing his kingdom – and inviting us to join him? What would it look like to join him in his work of compassion, justice, and sharing about his good news? What would sharing the good news look like here in our pluralistic, post-Christian circles? C.f. Redemptive Presence

Where we live tends to be about proximity to schools, safety, home values, or consumer preferences. But what if it is true that “the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood”? What if God has you where you are for a reason, to join him in his mission? This message delves into a Theology of place and the call to the practice of “neighboring”. C.f. Value of Redemptive Presence