Everything that has a beginning has an end. Especially on days like All Saints Day, when we remember the brevity and fragility of life, we examine the value of using every breath, including our last one, for the love of God and neighbor.

If the church is an organism that has been made alive with Christ, then it needs Christ to sustain it, too. As we've learned that grace is what keeps us alive, we must remember that the word of God is the source for our understanding of that grace, meaning that being in the word regularly will not only teach us about God but empower us to live well.

While we acknowledge that it is because of the death of Christ that we find life in him, it can often be difficult to accept the grace necessary for us to receive that life. It is only in letting go of our ability to save ourselves that we can truly experience the fullness of the salvation and life of Jesus.

Everything that lives also grows. When we are born again, alive in Christ both as individuals and as gathered believers, we also begin to grow, but into what? Scripture says that we are growing into Christ and into maturity that makes us more unified as people of faith.

In our modern form of the church, we often place emphasis on church "membership" as our relationship to the church. However, in scripture, we are described as members not of a lifeless organization but of the living body of Christ. When we are a part of something living, that's what makes "membership" meaningful.

Part of remembering that the church is a living, breathing organism is remembering the reason why we gather. Instead of getting lost in the programming, we need to remember that everything we do needs to be rooted in active love, and only living things can love.

For centuries, the church has been understood as an institution like many others in our society. While this is true, the church is more than that. The routines and practices we maintain, noble though they may be, can distract us from the reality that we are the living, breathing body of Christ.

The story of our faith ends with us overcoming the opposition and oppression of the world and Christ himself reigning in justice over all. The final book of scripture says that we overcome by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony. We'll conclude our series by taking a hard look at what it means to embrace the two most powerful forces in our lives to overcome every trial and declare the victory of Jesus in every circumstance.

When the gospel was spreading in the early days of Christianity, people were invited into faith and fellowship with one another. Yet in our time, it is far more common to invite people to attend church or an event. This difference, which may appear subtle, makes all the difference in how we share our stories in the world.

Much of the emphasis of ministry is on opening the doors for those in the lowest positions to enter the kingdom and experience the greatness of God's love. However, much of how we attempt to do this, especially regarding young people, actually pushes them further way. Today, we'll explore the intentional and unintentional ways the church alienates youth, and how we can treat them with the same dignity with which we treat adults.