Matthew 14v1-21

This week Adam begins with the question - Have you ever noticed you are typically only as good, or as bad, as your heroes? With that in mind, he explores how Matthew contrasts Herod and Jesus as rulers.

Question for reflection:
What’s one place, one relationship, prompting you to be a different kind of human?

Luke 1v39-56 

In the final week of Advent, Adam looks at the tension between accommodation and resistance.

Question for reflection:

• In what ways is God talking to you about accommodation and resistance?

Luke 3v1-20

For week 3 in the Advent series, Adam asks, In what ways is God talking to you about obedience? What might "waiting by way of obedience" look like? 

Luke 2v22-38

This week, Adam continues the Advent series and discusses a "Penultimate Perspective" by looking deeper at Simeon and Anna: How do their stories help us remember to wait? What if Simeon and Anna can help us find a way forward? What if Simeon and Anna don’t tell us everything we should do politically, but they do tell us the first things we should do?

Questions for reflection:

• What if followers of Jesus prayed about any political comment or idea before saying it to anyone or posting anything anywhere?
• What if we spent as much time and energy talking to God about our local, state, and national political concerns as we do talking to people and social media followers about them?
• What if we all agreed to pray everyday for God to call people of high character to run for public office?

Luke 1v5-25

What if Advent is an opportune time to get hyper-intentional about our framing narrative?



What might these questions tell you about your own narrative?

• How do you spend your money?
• What do you laugh at?
• What makes you angry?
• Who are your heroes?
• How do you spend your free time?

Matthew 13v54-58

This week we have the privilege to hear from Hannah as she looks at how why Jesus' hometown may have taken offense and how we can apply that to our own families. 

Question for reflection:

• What if our assumptions about God, who God is, or how God shows up, prevent us from seeing him at work in our everyday lives?

Matthew chapter 1 through chapter 13  read by Nathan, Ashley, Steve, Anna, Roxanne, Nick, Shari, Troy, Abbie, Derek, Jill, Bob, Alex, JoLin, Karen, Bill, Alex, Tiffany, Jenn, Andy, Darrel, Justine, Linnea, Carol, Karin, Tiffany, Donnie, David, Jheri, Chris, Elsie, Amy, Christian,  Susie, Jeff, Dave, Sheila, Leslee, Tristan, Sean, Angie, Travis, Connie, Mark, Coty, Roy, Matt, and Rex.

Matthew chapter 1 through chapter 13v23  read by Nathan, Ashley, Steve, Anna, Roxanne, Nick, Shari, Troy, Abbie, Derek, Jill, Bob, Alex, JoLin, Karen, Bill, Alex, Tiffany, Jenn, Andy, Darrel, Justine, Linnea, Carol, Karin, Tiffany, Donnie, David, Jheri, Chris, Elsie, Amy, Christian,  Susie, Jeff, Dave, Sheila, Leslee, Tristan, Sean, Angie, Travis, Connie, Mark, Coty, Roy, and Matt.

Matthew 13v24-53

Where is the world headed? What if this was a question in Jesus' day as well as our own? What if these parables are Jesus' way of speaking to these issues? Listen in as Adam explores these questions and more. 

How will you prepare for Christmas?  In keeping with our changing times, this year we’d like to invite you to try something new.  Not that our idea is new, more honestly, it’s an old idea we’re dusting off and putting back to use.

The idea is this, what if you and some others (immediate family, friends, roommates, some combination of friends and family) committed to have dinner once per week for the four weeks leading up to Christmas in order to share intentional conversation around the original Christmas stories?  And what if those conversations were framed by some ancient themes that suddenly make lots of sense?  Said differently, what if we don’t have to reinvent the wheel as we strive to make sense of these times. What if the Christmas stories provide many waypoints that coincide with this present moment?

What are the themes?  Disorientation.  Waiting.  Maintaining a unique vocational identity in a world with very different priorities for your life and identity.  Putting one’s hope in God and His Kingdom, and thus avoiding being polarized by competing political ideologies.  And finally, discerning when wisdom calls you to accommodate and when it asks that you resist.

To make it all the more special, we’ve created Advent Wreaths.  Each week you'll leave your phones away from the table and enjoy an analogue candle dinner. As we move toward Christmas each dinner will have more light as you light the number of candles that correspond to the week of your journey.  If you’re able to help cover the costs for a wreath ($10) that would be helpful. If not, we’re glad for you to take one for free.

Interested? If so, there's several ways to group up. First, you can form your own group by asking your household or a group of friends to share a meal and a specific conversation once per week. You can also repurpose an existing group for the four weeks of Advent.  Another option is you can let us put you in a group. If that's your desire, simply use the sign-up sheet on the heat registers to indicate which day(s) of the week you're available or send Hannah ([email protected]) an email and we will put you in a group of six(ish).