Love Chapel Hill

Parables of Jesus --- Matthew 15:1-20

While this passage may seem like the beginnings of a debate on hygiene, Jesus’s rebuke of the Pharisees is at the crux of his continued frustration with them. They positioned that unclean hands on food, in the absence of ritual cleaning, could directly defile the soul. An otherwise healthy tradition then becomes a weapon of judgement honed by piety and loose interpretation. Jesus turns that upside down. What defiles you comes from INSIDE you. That which is in your heart. What you think, what you feel, what you do…They are the measure of who you are; what truly sanctifies and defiles you. Ritual can focus us, true. But it can’t save us. And that’s where Jesus comes in.

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Parables of Jesus --- Matthew 13:44-46

The Kingdom of God: Bad economics. Well, maybe as we see them today. The effortless charm exquisitely layering the keen mind of Pastor Allison (whose husband is getting close to admit these descriptions are getting out of hand, but not today) encourages us to see what has changed. Jesus’s parables of people who sell all they have for unknown wealth may begin like tales of the compulsive greed of the privileged. They could be precautions against unwise investments. Yet, turning it upside-down, here are people who discovered something so precious that their identity changed as a result. The rich became poor. The unsafe became the goal. Such is the call of Jesus. Would you cast away your nets? Or would you leave sad when you see the bill?

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Parables of Jesus — Matthew 13:31-32

The parable of the mustard seed has obvious appeal to even a non-Christian audience. That which is small can become enormous. But let’s take a look at the deeply personal message often missed about this familiar story. The mustard seed is not objectively the smallest seed in agriculture, nor is the resulting plant nearly the largest. But the mustard’s reputation for spreading is rightly deserved and Jesus’ audience would be very familiar. That which is small can change a whole biome. It can bring in species that would have normally found the environment hostile and offer new places to find refuge. One sacrifice. Explosive growth. New residents.

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Parables of Jesus --- Matthew 13:1-9

It's a new series! Join us as we dive deep into Jesus' parables; His go-to method for preaching on the the nature of God's kingdom. Where a story that begins like a slice of live to a typical ancient Jew suddenly illustrates radical notions of what a society should be and the distance that is from reality. We begin with the parable of the sower and learn that all soil is not created equal; both in the literal and the spiritual sense.

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Epiphany 2023 -- Matthew 2:1-12

Happy New Year! We're back to begin a new year of worship and service to the King! This week, we celebrate Epiphany! Jesus's birth did not go unnoticed outside the few shepherds who witnessed it. Eastern Gentile Magi looked to the heavens and knew that they weren't seeing the sign of just a new king for a conquered people in the west. This was something bigger and earth-shattering. God on Earth. Worthy of worship, even though he was outside their culture and faith. Have you had your own star-in-the-sky moment? What convinced you that this Jesus was the manifested Christ?

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The Coming of the King --- Matthew 1:18-25

Merry Christmas! It's the 4th Sunday of Advent, and the celebration of Jesus's birth is near! This is our last message of the year, so we hope you and your loved ones have a safe and blessed Christmas and New Year!

As we light the Advent candle of Love, we reflect that God is Love. And Christ came from love. Mary and Joseph's marriage hadn't even begun yet when Mary became pregnant. We see the strength of his love and character to Mary after the angel clued him in, but we also get to see what he does before he learns the truth. It's a story of tender dignity that is the perfect herald to the example that Jesus would become!

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The Coming of the King --- Matthew 1:1-17

Who was the child born in Bethlehem? How do you begin the the story of Jesus? Matthew begins it like many in his day would expect, even if we would not. It is a genealogy; a list of dependents that in their naming tells the twisting tale of Jesus' family. Part of Jesus' identity to the people was the account of where he came from. It's the same with us. We all come from something. But take joy in the power of God's grace and/or redemption that established you here, as a part of God's community! And that no matter wherever you come from, know that you are the pride and joy of his kingdom.

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The Coming of the King --- Psalm 2:1-12

Peace and monarchy. Perhaps that is the expectation in cultures with a sovereign, but history has shown that ideal failing time and again. So in this season of Advent, it may feel a bit ironic to light the candle of peace and long for a king. But remember that this is God, the one who has the power to bring the ideal to the world. Peace greater than even David could have dreamed. And, as with Hope, we are called to wait actively; working through our failures to help establish a kingdom of Peace in our community.

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The Coming of the King --- Micah 5:1-5

It's Advent! As we ease into the Christmas season again, it's time to remember what the hope of redemption feels like. Remember that we're between Advents now. The hope that Micah proclaimed hundreds of years before the birth of Christ came to pass in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. And we look forward to the further redemption of a very broken world. In the meantime, there is hope. There is peace, love, and joy, too. Even today.

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Matriarchs of the Faith --- Book of Esther

We end our series on the Matriarchs of the Faith with one of the more enduring (and uncomfortable) accounts of the Jewish people’s triumph over the oppression of the powerful. Esther’s shrewd use of her unexpected power especially resonates with us when we don’t always feel God’s guiding presence in the adversity of the world. In a book that famously has no mention of God, God’s people are still delivered. The story of the Hebrews continues. And, if you look closely, Esther points to Jesus in surprising parallels.

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