David Armstrong begins our exploration of the Book of Esther, a captivating narrative from the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. We journey into the Persian Empire under King Xerxes and delve into themes of fear, identity, and resilience looking at how the hidden parts of ourselves can provide strength in times of limitation and hardship. We also reflect on God’s unseen presence in Esther’s story, reminding us that even when life feels chaotic or uncertain, His hand is always at work behind the scenes.

What Makes Us: 02 Living the Story

In this second part of the What Makes Us series, we explore what it means to live out the Jesus Story in our daily lives. David Armstrong reflects on the incarnation—God becoming flesh in Christ and dwelling among us—and how it serves as a model for us to embody God’s active presence.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be His hands, feet, and eyes, continuing His mission of compassion, healing, and blessing in our communities. The early Christian practice of radical hospitality—welcoming everyone, whether sinner or saint, rich or poor — and the powerful metaphors of Tables & Gardens, illustrate ways to follow Jesus’ example by gathering in inclusive community and nurturing spaces of growth, life, and transformation.

What Makes Us: 01 Embracing the Story

We explore the power of stories and how they shape our lives, from the narrative of everyday life to the deeper stories that give us meaning, we’re wired for storytelling.

David Armstrong challenges us to reflect on the story we’re living in—is it one of grace and purpose, or have we unknowingly embraced a fiction that holds us back? When we look closely at the Book of Genesis we see that our true story begins with God's blessing, not with shame or failure. We are all sacred, created in God’s image, and invited to live authentically in the story of His grace.

Stephanie Wilson speaks on ‘the antidote of enough’ that counters our cultures message that we should ‘be more, want more and have more’.

In the Lords Prayer recorded in Matthew 6 — a prayer that Jesus taught his disciples — we find an invitation to a deep and daily trust in God’s provision and abundance.

The Trinity is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Jesus ultimate agenda was coming to humanity to reveal what God is actually like. We have come to understand God as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—yet one God. We use metaphors and language to describe God, but our theology can never fully contain God. Various metaphors have been used to explain God as ‘Trinity’ but they often miss the mark, failing to grasp the mystery of divine love.

In this sermon David Armstrong uses two images that help us grasp the mystery of God’s nature as seamless, dynamic, interwoven community of love that sits at the centre of all things — the triune in their fellowship of divine love — and the invitation to us to participate in that love and allow it to shape who we are.

Note: Episode Artwork is one of the most famous icons in history written by Andrei Rublev, a Russian monk and iconographer it 1425. It is entitled ‘The Hospitality of Abraham’, but more commonly known as ‘Troitsa’ - Russian for Triune or Trinity.

Solitude 05 - Q&A

David, Armstrong, John Herron & Scott Witherick discuss the series on solitude and share some of their learning along the way.

This took place on Pentecost Sunday and includes Prayers & Liturgies to celebrate and mark this day and the end of the season of Eastertide.

Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Solitude 04 - Encounter with Our God

Solitude is the place of encounter and ultimately, we go into the quiet to encounter God. We go because we ache for God in the deepest place in our being. We go because there is nothing like God’s presence. We go to listen for his voice, to hear him speak over us our identity and calling.

In this fourth and final teaching we learn that this back and forth of speaking and listening to God is the heart not only of communication, but of communion with God. As important as it is to receive our identity and calling as a gift from God’s hand, ultimately, the most important thing that happens in solitude is that we love and are loved by God.

Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

***Note: Due to a faulty recording we were unable to share the teaching by Scott Witherick. In it’s place for the podcast we are sharing the teaching from Practicing the Way, delivered by John Mark Comer.***

Solitude 03 - Encounter with Our Self

Solitude can be deeply refreshing, but just as often, it can feel like painful emotional surgery. We can get away from people, but we can’t get away from our self. And often what we carry into solitude is our pain.

In the third teaching Stephanie Wilson encourages us to follow the example of Jesus by finding a quiet place and going to the place of pain because it is there we meet God. Through this simple but difficult practice of noticing and naming our emotions before God in prayer, and offering them up to God in raw honesty, we can be deeply formed into the people God has always desired for us to become.

Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Solitude 02 - Encounter with Our Enemy

In the second teaching John Herron looks at the goal of being alone with God in the silence: ultimately to hear God’s voice over all the other voices in our head, Jesus and his early followers fought battles in solitude. As we face resistance from three enemies of our soul — the world, the flesh, and the devil — in solitude, we learn to fight lies by listening carefully for God’s voice and using scripture to anchor ourselves in God’s truth.

Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Solitude 01 - The Quiet Place

Distraction is one of the greatest threats to spiritual health in the modern world. We all feel it — we’re bombarded by noise like never before. Jesus has an invitation for us: Step away from it all to be alone with him, for the sake of our souls and the sake of others. 

In this first teaching David Armstrong looks at how Solitude is not a place but a practice, one that follows Jesus’ pattern of retreating from distractions to be fully present with the Father and returning to serve in community.

Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Note: Sermon begins at 8mins