Own Your Faith

God anticipates your cry for mercy. In this message we take a look at the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8. This woman needed justice executed on her behalf by the unrighteous judge and she kept going to him and begging him to give her justice. What's implied in this exchange is that she was asking for mercy so that she can see justice prevail for her. God does not get tired when we keep coming in prayer.

When we think about God often times we think about the masculine traits about God like Father or warrior who fights our battles (although there have been fierce women warriors throughout history). Many are threatened at the notion of appreciating God's maternal instincts. God cares for us as a fetus in the womb (according to one definition of the Hebrew word for mercy). Jesus says speaks of watching over Jerusalem like a mother hen. Let's see how God's maternal instincts are apparent in how God compassionately loves us through the Joseph narrative in Genesis. Genesis 37-45

Pastor Mario takes us through a journey through the book of Ruth to teach us about leaving a mark of compassion. It's a powerful message that shows how analogous this narrative is to our current climate in the U.S., particularly when it comes to the rhetoric around immigration. Listen in and glean from the the wisdom found in Ruth. | Ruth 4

Jonah Ch. 3-4 is about God's compassion and our response to that compassion. It is told through the story of Jonah, a prophet God used to speak to Israel's enemy, the Nineties. As we work through the text we begin to understand that we an relate to Jonah more than we care to (not in a good way!) in the form of thinking it is all about me! and that we have a right to be angry about people/issues/our comfort when really it is God's people, no matter who they are, and God's compassion for these people that should be our true focus. We learn that it is REALLY not about us at all - it is about our response to God's compassion.

Our witness as Christians, individually and collectively, must reflect a God who restores. We must be willing to live in the tension of maintaining order, yet showing compassion and mercy to restore people who are wounded. This sermon illustrates this point: Compassion restores to wholeness. Luke 13:10-17

This message is intended to encourage us to have the mind of Christ and to display the heart of God to extend mercy to others. Regardless of the how we feel we are to measure the mercy we extend to others by the mercy God has extended to us. God's compassion is the gauge. Extending mercy does not mean we must keep subjecting ourselves to abuse, toxicity, or unhealthy situations. It does mean that extending mercy and forgiveness is for the benefit of our own health and wholeness. Matt 18:21-35

Teesha Hadra unpacks the idea of freedom from Pauline theology. We are not set free in Christ to indulge in selfish desires, but we are set free for others. In other words, our freedom is so that we impact the loves of others as Jesus, through the Spirit continues to impact our lives. This idea of freedom in contrary to what many of us understand the purpose of freedom is for. Galatians 5:1,13

Built into the idea of God being a compassionate and merciful God is covenant. God honors covenant relationships with Israel, the Church, humanity, and all of creation. Moses, in his dialogue with God interceding on behalf of the Israelites, convinced God to relent and show mercy to them even though they committed idolatry. He merely reminded God of his word, the covenant he made, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do we see others as sharing in the covenant of humanity?

Exodus 32

God is not only a God who feels, but also a God who sees. Jesus SAW the crowd and had compassion for them. To extend compassion to others as individuals and as a nation who acknowledges God every time some politician says, "God bless America" we must have a collective heart of compassion for the vulnerable among us.

God makes it simple for Israel to live a life of worship and obedience in Micah 6:1-8. When Israel seeks to offer countless sacrifices the instructions to them were to cause justice, love mercy (loving-kindness), and to live according to God's directions. God is a God who feels and suffers with us and God desires that we extend to others the mercy we've received. Just as God's mercy are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) Micah 6:1-8 | Matt 23:23