Nearly everything humanity has placed our hope in has failed, faded, or passed away. But there is a living hope that will never fail, and it is found in the resurrection.

God has incredible work ahead for His people, but who are we to do this work? There is only one answer to that question that will allow us to go forth...

Could you imagine going somewhere on vacation only to find yourself stuck there for the rest of your life? The vacation spot would turn into a prison. What if then the indigenous people who you once traveled to enjoy their culture begun to oppress you and your family, putting you to work for them, and replacing the once delicious culinary experience with bland food that serves only as sustenance for more work?

This is sort of what happens to Israel. They went to Egypt as a rescue from the famine. 400 years later their descendants still lived there as slaves. Who would come to rescue them? What about the promise God gave their ancestors of their own land in Canaan? In Exodus 1 & 2, we hear about a God who hears, sees, and knows. A God who has not given up on His people. A God of rescue.

If you read Genesis, and much of the Old Testament, you might come across this reoccurring theme: God calls a human to be His representative, that human fails or rebels against God, God disciplines but also makes a promise to continue. Then, He starts with another human.

Is God rebooting His plan over and over again until He finds the right human for the role? Or are we seeing a rerun episode of God doing what He has always done, continuing the plan He set forth from the very beginning?

As we look at the 12 brothers of Jacob (Israel), we find a great prospect for this lineage to continue through Joseph. However, Jesus one day would come through the tribe of Judah, the brother who betrayed Joseph for some silver. What is God up to?

Israel’s family history is one with a sketchy past. Deceit, manipulation, lack of trust, and outright rebellion are just a few characteristics - many of which can be seen in the man whom the entire nation would be named after. Jacob, is later renamed Israel, grasps for what was not his while his twin brother lets it all go for fleeting satisfaction. And yet, though these two brothers lived thousands of years before us, they not only tell the story of Israel but the story of humanity.

God just won’t give up on His plan to partner with humanity as His representatives to care for creation. He chose a man, Abram, to grow a family which would build a nation in order to bless the rest of the world. Abram didn’t always come through on his end of the partnership. Neither would his descendants. But there would be one who would come as a descendant of humanity and of God Himself, who would uphold both ends of the partnership, and take on the bloody consequence of those who broke it.

The story of the flood is not a cutesy children’s tale with animals and a boat. It’s a horrific, tragic, true story. Yet, on the other side of the chaotic waters, it is also a true story of hope and restoration. Join us as we look at this story and try to tackle some of the difficult questions it brings up.

Recorded on Zoom (please forgive the audio quality)

Chris Gonzalez from Missio Dei: Tempe joins us as we look at Genesis 3 and the rebellion of humanity against our Creator. Chris unpacks the biblical story and how we often minimize parts of the Story to fit our own narratives.

Recording from Zoom (please forgive the audio quality)

This week's gathering was a little different as the realities of Covid forced us to all meet via Zoom. Please excuse the recording quality and the tone which was much more teaching and discussion than sermon.

God created some great potential in small beginnings, and called humanity to partner with Him in making it all flourish. How has humanity done with this partnership?

*Including audio from a video we showed from the Bible Project. You can access all of their resources for free at bibleproject.org

We begin a 40 week series through the entire True Story of Scripture, starting at the very beginning. Back in the day, God made everything up there and down here. He made order in the midst of chaos and placed life in the space where it could flourish. Then He appointed a particular creature, humans, to care for all of it.