Open Worship - Sermon Audio

There are four kinds of love found in the Bible: storge, eros, philia, and agape, but in the church, we often find a fifth kind of love—tough love. Let’s look together at the kinds of love we see in God’s character and shine that love back into our world.

When life is really difficult, questions begin to arise: "God, where are you? How long? Help us!" The good news is that our faith tradition holds space for lament, but do we? In our time together this week, we intentionally hold space to pray through some of the Psalms, talk about how it's okay to not be okay, and look forward together to a God who hears us.

Shipwrecks happen. Sometimes life is really tough, and in the midst of that, where is God? Join us as we begin this journey together: How to Survive a Shipwreck.

What goes God think about you? The answer is clear: God SO loves you. You are a beloved child of God, with whom God is well pleased — before and beyond any accomplishment or earning. In this message, learn from Jesus how this reality can transform your identity and sustain you in the desert season.

Jonathan is joined by friends, Demi Prentiss and Krystal Stroud, as we explore together how to determine our vocation. We discuss questions like, “How do you know if your in the right career field?” and “How do you begin to determine your purpose?” Check out this sermon to hear what we found together.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King inspires us to be a part of creating the beloved community — God's dream for humanity. This requires us to be people of courage, compassion, creativity, and love. Join us in contemplating this work in our time and in our lives.

Recently, a team from the Open community traveled to the Texas–Mexico border to learn more about the situation, bear witness to the love of God, and listen for ways our community can help. Along the way, our hearts and eyes were opened, as we saw God's faith and hope and love working transformation even amidst difficult circumstances. Check out this sermon to learn more through stories from the border.

Forgiveness is a transformative relationship dynamic, but not because it avoids justice, but because it promotes justice through restoration, reparation, and reconciliation. Join Haley Feuerbacher, campus minister at the Denton Wesley Foundation for an empowering look at forgiveness in a different light.

What is up with all the monsters and beasts in the Bible? For the people who brought us the Bible, these creatures represented the evils of oppressive empires. Sometimes we forget that much of the Bible was written by vulnerable populations who suffered under the thumb of powerful, violent systems. But prophets and apocalyptic texts attempted to pull back the curtain of pomp and power to show reality beneath the surface. In these texts and the prophetic call to resist by loving greatly, we can find light for our lives today.

Origin stories help us remember the past, interpret the present, and communicate what is essential about who we are and where we are headed. But our relationship with origins is complex; often maturity involves unentangling ourselves from the stories we’ve been told. Join us as we look back at the origin story of our faith community, Genesis 1, and try to find a different light in our origins.