What does God have to say to his Kingdom citizens living as sojourners and strangers in a foreign land? What should our posture be to the culture around us? The Scripture Readings (00:00) Old Testament – Jeremiah 29:1,4-10 (including bonus “Dada!”s at the end. Happy Father’s Day.) (01:58) Psalm 63 (03:43) New Testament – 1 […]

Why do we spend a whole Sunday focusing on how God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons in one being? Well, the fact that God is Three-In-One tells us a good bit about the universe he created, tells us a lot about how he wired us, and how he would have us live. […]

Why did Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit? What can the Pentecost story tell us about God’s promises in our past, our present, and our future? The Scripture Readings (00:00) Old Testament – Genesis 11:1-9 (01:17) Psalm 104:24-35, in English, Mandarin, and Swahili (apologies for the poor audio quality) (04:38) New Testament – Acts […]

How do Jesus’ final days on earth, and his bodily ascension into heaven, affect us today? What can we learn about ourselves, and our place in His kingdom, by these events? The Scripture Readings (00:00) Old Testament – 1 Samuel 12:19-24 (01:17) Psalm 68:1-20 (04:38) New Testament – Acts 1:1-11 (06:28) Gospel – John 20:19-23 […]

(Say THAT five times fast.) Jesus tells a parable that, on first look, might indicate his approval of a lying, self-dealing, deceitful employee. Is that REALLY how he thinks we should live? And, if not, what is Jesus saying about the citizens of the Kingdom of God with this parable? The Scripture Readings (00:00) Old Testament – […]

What can Psalm 23 and the Parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15 tell us about the kind of love that God has for us, and how he views us? The Scripture Readings (00:00) Old Testament – Ezekiel 34:1-16 (03:53) Psalm 23 (05:06) New Testament – Revelation 7:9-17 (07:17) Gospel – Luke 15 (11:54) […]

Our mindset of scarcity gets us caught in a cycle of chasing money to get more money, of chasing stuff to get security in order to find joy and rest. Jesus’ theology of abundance overturns everything we inherently believe about what our possessions are for, and why. The Scripture Readings (00:00) Old Testament – Ecclesiastes […]

The resurrected Jesus met two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, and made himself known to them in two distinct ways, the same ways he makes himself known to us today. The Scripture Readings (00:00) Old Testament – 2 Samuel 7:12-17 (01:22) Psalm 132 (03:46) New Testament – Acts 13:26-23 (05:08) Gospel – […]

Today we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, the pivotal event in human history, the “day the revolution began,” as N.T. Wright put it. We ring bells, we shout for joy, we baptize people into Christ’s church. The Easter sermon is a reading the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom. The Scripture Readings (00:00) OT – Isaiah 25:6-9 […]

We consider the final seven “words,” or seven utterances of Jesus on the cross. In most cases there is a short meditation on each word. The service ends with a bell being rung 33 times, one for each year of Jesus’ earthly life before his crucifixion. (00:00) The First Word – Luke 23:32-34 + Meditation […]