The world ought to make sense. Right?!

Some things just seem to matter.  To everyone.  Things like beauty.  Or community.  Or justice.

We long for these things.  We crave them.  We have this intuition that they’re important and good and right.  Yet all too often they seem to lay beyond our reach.

What do we make of this?  Is it all a cruel joke?  Mere fantasy?  Or are these things actually signs — signs pointing to a greater meaning in the world?

In this week's sermon, we dive into the question as to how the church plays a role in God's renewing work in us and around us. Our life together is meant to be a sign pointing to the reality of God’s healing and renewing work in Christ. 

“The question which has to be put to every local congregation is the question whether it is a credible sign of God’s reign in justice and mercy over the whole of life, whether it is an open fellowship whose concerns are as wide as the concerns of humanity, whether it cares for its neighbors in a way which reflect and springs out of God’s care for them, whether its common life is recognizable as a foretaste of the blessing which God intends for the whole human family.”- Leslie Newbigin

This week's spiritual practice is implementing the "welcoming prayer." 
"We are open to the love and presence of God’s healing action within.  Amen."

“Signposts name a reality and point us in a direction.  Likewise, these … signposts name realities that all human cultures value as well as pointing beyond themselves to the meaning of life, to the meaning of the world.  They indicate, in fact, how we ought to ‘make sense’ of the world — how we ought to understand the way the world is and the challenge of being human within it.  The fact that we care about them and are puzzled by them is itself telling us something about the deep ‘sense’ of the world.” — Tom Wright

The world ought to make sense. Right?!

Some things just seem to matter.  To everyone.  Things like beauty.  Or community.  Or justice.

We long for these things.  We crave them.  We have this intuition that they’re important and good and right.  Yet all too often they seem to lay beyond our reach.

What do we make of this?  Is it all a cruel joke?  Mere fantasy?  Or are these things actually signs — signs pointing to a greater meaning in the world?

In this week's sermon, we kick off an 8-week teaching series, “Looking For A Sign."  We’ll unpack these themes, through the lens of the Christian scriptures, and look at how each points us to the reality that Jesus is making all things new.  We’ll also discuss how these themes connect directly to the vision and DNA of Nova Church.

This week's spiritual practice is noticing. We will dive into the question "Where have I seen Jesus at work in my life, around me, or in our world?"

“Signposts name a reality and point us in a direction.  Likewise, these … signposts name realities that all human cultures value as well as pointing beyond themselves to the meaning of life, to the meaning of the world.  They indicate, in fact, how we ought to ‘make sense’ of the world — how we ought to understand the way the world is and the challenge of being human within it.  The fact that we care about them and are puzzled by them is itself telling us something about the deep ‘sense’ of the world.” — Tom Wright

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!”

Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice?

This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the most countercultural — and the most desperately needed!

Discover with us the richness and abundance of the Sabbath — more than a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.

This week's worship gathering featured a panel discussion about the “how-to’s” of sabbath-ing. The panel includes Franklin Sarker, Kelsey Warren and Kimberly Kronwell, who are members of the Nova community, along with David Swenson, a pastor with Coram Doe Denver. 

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!”

Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice?

This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the most countercultural — and the most desperately needed!

Discover with us the richness and abundance of the Sabbath — more than a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!”

Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice?

This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the most countercultural — and the most desperately needed!

Discover with us the richness and abundance of the Sabbath — more than a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!”

Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice?

This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the most countercultural — and the most desperately needed!

Discover with us the richness and abundance of the Sabbath — more than a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!”

Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice?

This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the most countercultural — and the most desperately needed!

Discover with us the richness and abundance of the Sabbath — more than a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!”

Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice?

This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the most countercultural — and the most desperately needed!

Discover with us the richness and abundance of the Sabbath — more than a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!”

Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice?

This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the most countercultural — and the most desperately needed!

Discover with us the richness and abundance of the Sabbath — more than a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.

In a restless, exhausted age, what does it mean to be a Sabbath people belonging to the Lord of Sabbath? 

“Sabbath served as a regular reminder that God has given himself to his people, a regular call to trust him and rest in him, and with this, a regular means to enter his presence and experience the realities of life lived under him as King and Father." -Lord of Time: Living in the Rest and Reign of God (an ECO theological document) 

This summer, may we discover the richness and abundance of the Sabbath- more than simply a command, but a sign of God’s new creation and an invitation into the very life of God.