Oceanside Sanctuary

What if the simple act of breaking bread together could teach us how to build a world filled with love, peace, and joy?

In this sermon for World Communion Sunday, Jason Coker continues the Practices of Belonging series by exploring Acts 2:43–47 and the early Christian community’s practice of sharing food, resources, and life together. Looking beyond the miracles traditionally associated with this passage, Jason invites us to consider three often-overlooked miracles represented by bread: love, peace, and joy.

Sharing bread is a basic act of love. Working together to ensure everyone has what they need is how that love becomes peace on a larger scale. And embracing the incredible diversity of human experience is how we make room for joy. From Navajo fry bread and Mexican tortillas to croissants and cinnamon rolls, the beauty of bread reminds us that life is about more than simply surviving. It’s about celebrating the many ways we can flourish together.

With a powerful message about food insecurity, economic justice, human cooperation, and LGBTQ+ inclusion, Jason challenges us to imagine a faith that doesn't just talk about good news but makes it tangible, nourishing, and delightful for everyone.

Because the world is better when we share what we have, work together for the good of all, and celebrate the beautiful diversity that makes us human.

This sermon is a production of Oceanside Sanctuary Church in Oceanside, California.

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What does it actually mean to be a person “after God’s own heart”?

In this special dialogue episode of The Collective Table, co-lead pastors Jason and Jenell Coker reflect on the conclusion of the Oceanside Sanctuary’s teaching series After God’s Own Heart, a seven-week exploration of the stories, failures, power, and faith of King David.

Together, Jason and Jenell revisit some of the questions that shaped the series: What does it mean to wrestle honestly with difficult passages of Scripture? How should we respond when biblical characters behave in deeply harmful ways? And what does it look like to interpret the Bible as a sacred text while still taking responsibility for how we understand and apply it?

Their conversation explores the David and Bathsheba story, the role of power and privilege, the importance of historical and cultural context, and the ways biblical stories can challenge us rather than simply give us easy answers. They also reflect on some of the ideas that didn't make it into the original sermons, including the literary patterns in the story of David and Goliath and the idea of leaving behind our “flocks,” our baggage, and the identities others have placed on us.

The episode ultimately turns the question back toward the listener: What does it mean for you to be a person after God's own heart? And what spiritual practices help you live into that pursuit?

The Collective Table celebrates the intersections of Jesus, justice, and joy and is produced by the Oceanside Sanctuary Church.

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What does it really mean to be “after God’s own heart”?

In the final teaching of After God’s Own Heart, Jason Coker returns to the complicated story of King David, Bathsheba, Solomon, and the struggle for power in 1 Kings 1–2. Rather than treating these biblical stories as simple examples of how we should live, Jason invites us to read them with discernment—to ask what is good, what is harmful, where power is being abused, and where the heart of God might actually be found.

Through the stories of David and Bathsheba, Jason explores the corrupting nature of power, the ways people who are oppressed may have to navigate systems of power to survive, and the responsibility of those with privilege to stand alongside people who are suffering.

The episode ultimately returns to the question that has shaped this entire series: What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? Jason argues that we see God's heart when people resist the temptations of power, use their privilege to advocate for others, and pursue liberation from oppressive systems—even when those choices are complicated and uncomfortable.

As After God’s Own Heart comes to a close, this teaching offers an invitation to take responsibility for our own moral judgment, read Scripture with courage and discernment, and recognize what is good, right, and true for ourselves.

In this powerful continuation of our series on David, Pastor Jenell Coker examines 2 Samuel 11–12 and the story of David and Bathsheba with honesty and care. She challenges the familiar interpretations that have too often softened David’s abuse of power, portrayed Bathsheba as responsible, or called violence an “affair.”

Through the text, church history, and our present moment, this teaching asks what it means to tell the truth about our heroes, our institutions, and ourselves. How do we protect the vulnerable rather than reputations? How do we stop blaming survivors? And what does it look like to reclaim Christianity as a movement of love and liberation, grounded in the belief that every person bears the image of God?

Content note: This sermon includes discussion of sexual assault, abuse, murder, victim-blaming, and church harm.

Learn more about us and the work we do at oceansidesanctuary.org

What does it mean to be “after God’s own heart” when faith, life, and even our understanding of God can feel complicated?

In this sermon, C-lead Pastor Jason Coker explores the story of David dancing before God in 2 Samuel 6 alongside Psalm 63. Through David’s radical, undignified worship, we’re invited to consider what might happen when we let go of self-consciousness, judgment, and the need to appear dignified or in control.

Jason reflects on the connection between embodied worship, spiritual practice, and a deeper sense of peace and well-being. From music and meditation to prayer, movement, and moments of “flow,” this teaching asks what it means to get out of our heads and become more fully present to God.

What if worship isn’t about having all the answers? What if we could set aside our fear and self-judgment long enough to imagine that God is good—and then simply respond with our whole selves?

This episode is an invitation to loosen our grip on dignity, embrace embodied faith, and discover the possibility of experiencing God’s presence with greater freedom, joy, and peace.

Learn more about us and the work we do at oceansidesanctuary.org

In this episode of the sermon podcast from Oceanside Sanctuary, Pastor Jason Coker continues the series “After God’s Own Heart,” exploring the life of David and asking what it really means for someone to be called a person “after God’s own heart.”

The sermon centers on Psalm 131 and the story of David sparing King Saul when he had the opportunity to kill him. Rather than taking Saul's life and claiming the throne he had been promised, David chooses mercy. The question is: How did David learn to resist his immediate desires and choose a different path?

Psalm 131 offers a glimpse into David's inner life. David describes learning to calm and quiet his soul “like a weaned child with its mother.” Pastor Jason explores this powerful image as a picture of learning that we don't have to receive everything we want immediately in order to be okay.

The sermon explores the relationship between desire, ambition, self-awareness, emotional maturity, and spiritual formation. Through the imagery of the child, the mother, and the poet, David is able to observe his own desires from a distance. That distance gives him the ability to recognize, understand, and manage those desires rather than being controlled by them.

Jason then considers the role of contemplative practices—poetry, music, storytelling, gardening, building, painting, and other creative practices—as ways of creating space to better understand ourselves and our relationship with God. These practices, he suggests, can all become forms of prayer.

Ultimately, this sermon challenges us to consider that prayer isn't simply asking God for what we want. Prayer can also be the practice of creating space to understand who we are, who God is, and how we can become people who exercise power and influence responsibly.

Scripture: Psalm 131; 1 Samuel 24
Series: After God's Own Heart
Speaker: Jason Coker
Church: Oceanside Sanctuary

Reflection Questions:

What desires tend to control you?

How can you create enough distance from your desires to observe them rather than immediately act on them?

What contemplative or creative practices help you understand yourself and God?

Where might God be teaching you that you can experience discomfort and still be okay?

In this episode of The Collective Table, Jenell Coker continues Oceanside Sanctuary Church’s series on David with the familiar story of David and Goliath—but invites us to look beyond the simple “little guy defeats the giant” version of the story.

Jenell begins by reflecting on the way stories change depending on who tells them. Drawing from the story of her own family and Jason’s retelling of one of her childbirth experiences, she explores how stories aren't simply collections of historical facts. We emphasize different details, exaggerate to communicate how something felt, and tell stories in ways that help others experience what we experienced.

That leads into the story of David and Goliath and some of the inconsistencies found across the biblical texts. Rather than allowing those differences to undermine the story, Jenell invites us to consider why this story was told and retold so many times—and what truth it continues to offer us.

She recounts David’s encounter with Goliath: a young shepherd facing a powerful warrior, refusing Saul’s armor because it doesn't fit him, and instead relying on the skills and tools he already possesses. David faces Goliath as himself—a slinger, a shepherd, and someone who trusts that God is with him.

Jenell then places the David and Goliath story alongside Psalm 23, inviting us to see David not only as a warrior but also as an artist and psalmist. Together, these texts point toward a deeper truth: we need imagination to face the Goliaths in our lives.

Those Goliaths aren't only personal. Jenell challenges the church to imagine a world where food insecurity can be confronted, where people aren't harmed because of their gender, sex, or skin color, and where seemingly immovable injustices can actually be challenged.

The teaching closes with several questions for personal reflection:

What are the Goliaths in your life?

Is there armor you're trying to wear that isn't yours?

What skills and gifts do you already possess that can help you face the challenge?

What does it look like to experience God walking with you through the valley of the shadow of death?

Jenell is careful not to promise that every Goliath will be overcome in the way we expect. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of hope, imagination, endurance, and trusting that God is beside us—even when the outcome isn't what we hoped for.

1 Samuel 17 — David and Goliath
Psalm 23 — “The Lord is my shepherd”

What are the Goliaths you're facing right now?

Are you trying to put on someone else's armor instead of trusting the gifts and strengths already within you?

What might become possible if you allowed yourself to imagine that change is possible?

And where do you experience—or hope to experience—God's presence as you walk through difficult valleys?

You don't have to become someone else to face your Goliath. The gifts, skills, courage, and imagination you already carry may be exactly what you need—and God is beside you in the valley.

Learn more about us and the work we do at oceansidesanctuary.org

What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart?

In this episode of The Collective Table from Oceanside Sanctuary Church, Jason Coker explores the story of David through the lens of calling, destiny, authenticity, and the courage to be truly seen.

Looking at 1 Samuel 16 and Psalm 139, Jason challenges the idea that being “chosen by God” gives anyone a pass for harmful or destructive behavior. Instead, David’s story points us toward something deeper: God looks beyond outward appearance and status and sees the heart.

What if becoming the person God is calling us to be has less to do with controlling how others see us—and more to do with letting go of that control? What if an open heart, honest before God and others, is one of the ways we become people of greater compassion, integrity, and love?

Along the way, Jason connects David’s story with Homer’s Odyssey and the distinction between fate and destiny, asks what parts of our lives we can actually control, and reflects on how our carefully constructed public images can keep us from becoming who we are meant to be.

Join us for a conversation about faith, identity, calling, and what it means to live with an open heart.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16; Psalm 139
Speaker: Jason Coker
Church: OceansideSanctuary.org

In this Sunday teaching, Jason Coker concludes the “Spirit of Action” series with a powerful reflection on Ephesians 2:11–22 and the radical way Christ breaks down hostility to create one new humanity. Drawing connections between Jewish and Gentile believers, gendered hierarchies, and the challenge of living alongside people who are different from us, this message explores how God’s Spirit continually transforms, reconciles, and reshapes community.Through Scripture, cultural history, and candid storytelling, Jason invites listeners to consider what it means to be built together as a dwelling place for God—citizens, family, and members of one body. If you’ve ever wrestled with division, discomfort, or the call to grow beyond your own assumptions, this episode offers a thoughtful and challenging invitation into unity, humility, and change.Listen in as Oceanside Sanctuary Church closes the series with a message about peace, belonging, and the ongoing work of the Spirit in forming a new humanity.

Learn more at oceansidesanctuary.org