Our second preview service at Walking Stick Brewing Co. Would you ever say that you have found peace? This week we explore just how powerful and freeing the love of Jesus can make us. We will see how an encounter with His love can finally bring about the peace our hearts desire.

We gathered for the first time together in over a year! We joined our friends at Walking Stick Brewing Co. for a beautiful celebration of the resurrection of Jesus!

John invites us to see that God is bringing about a new kind of kingdom through the crucifixion and resurrection of His son; only we won’t be able to see this new kingdom if we cling to the old power structures or our familiar self-preserving ways. In order to see the kingdom that Jesus is brining about we must be prepared to live the way He lived and to see Him as truth.

Text: John 18

On Good Friday we reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus. But resurrection is coming. The story is not over yet….

The love of Jesus was rather unspectacular. He washes His disciples feet. He serves them in a way only ascribed to someone of the lowest social order. Then He compares His crucifixion to the washing of the disciples feet. But maybe He does this not to define the crucifixion as unspectacular, but to get us to reimagine what we define as spectacular in the first place. Maybe love in its truest, most divine, most purest form, is love that serves in the unspectacular, thankless and unpleasant ways. And maybe, just maybe, that is the kind of love that changes the world.

Text: John 13

We all struggle to maintain a constant spiritual life. So much of the time it can feel as if we are failing God in almost every department. We are never as loving as we want to be, as gentle as we should be or as generous as we can be. Because of this, we often walk around with a profound sense of failure or inadequacy in our spiritual lives. But what if our walk with God was never about measuring up to HIs standards? What if He has provided everything we need to thrive and flourish? How would it free us up to know that God is cultivating His fruit in our lives and that we are not responsible for doing the work of His Spirit?

Text: Galatians 5:13​-6:1

Today we tackle the big one! How do you know God’s will for your life? Many of us try to understand God’s will the same way we try to make financial investments. We want to make sure we “get it right” so that we can enjoy the biggest returns while minimizing our loses. We pray about who to marry, what job to take, where to live, what church to join. All the while we are waiting for a “yes” or “no” from God. But when we don’t perceive a clear red flag or green flag, we can be racked with anxiety. Do we go or do we stay? What if God is saying “yes” but we hear “no”? What if we miss the “signs” God was trying to send us? We become afraid that somehow we will make the wrong decision, chose the wrong career, the wrong partner, the wrong church and end up regretting it all, simply because we didn’t perceive God’s will for our life correctly. But following God’s will was never about getting a “yes” or “no” from Him. It was about seeing the fruit of His Spirit materialize in your life through your presence in the lives of others!

Text: Galatians 5:13-6:1

Did you know that Christians don’t have any “rules” to follow anymore? That’s right! No rules! No rules around sex. No rules around paying your taxes. Or marriage. Or work. Or religious practices. None! We have total freedom in His Spirit to live out our lives in love towards our neighbor. Love is the guiding essence, the fruit of His Spirit that leads us in all things. God’s Spirit has brought us total freedom! But what does that mean exactly?

Text: Galatians 5:13-6:1

Is it difficult to know if something in your life is from God or not? What kinds of things are from God? And what kind of things aren’t? Understanding the difference between what is and isn’t from God can lead to spiritual freedom! But mixing the two up can have devastating consequences on our souls. Paul lays out a clear and certain way to know if if something in your life, past or present, is from God. And knowing the difference is more freeing than you could possibly imagine!

Text: Galatians 5:1-12

Why do we always run to things that end up being bad for us? Anything we let shape or define our identity will end up holding us captive. But God has adopted us as His own children. And we get to call Him, “Abba! Father!” This new family identity that we have means that the things that used to control us or hold us in bondage no longer have the power over us that they used to. We can now come to God knowing that He already knows us and has created a space for us in His family. 

Text: Galatians 4:1-11