David Walley fills in for Preston.

All throughout scripture, God’s people marked times and places where God had proven himself faithful to them; and that’s what we will do this Sunday. We will be looking at the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 11. Resurrection changes the rules and all are invited in!

Easter means a New World.

This Sunday is historically called “Good Shepherd Sunday” as we read from John 10 where Jesus is described as the Shepherd whose sheep hear his voice.

It is also Mothers Day! We will celebrate all the ladies in the ⛪️ with flowers!

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This Sunday, we continue in the season of Easter, exploring this New World in which we live because of the resurrection.

This week, we look at two stories of radical reversals, dramatic changes that result in this New World: The story of Saul/Paul and the story of Simon Peter. Both awaken us to the ways that God works outside of our boxes, and the redemptive nature of grace.

We will look at the story of Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus who needed tangible proof in order to believe.

We often disparage Thomas, even giving him the nickname “Doubting Thomas,” But that’s not quite fair. This sermon gives us the opportunity to explore the interchange between doubt and faith.

Easter Sunday marks the pivotal event in the life of the Church: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead!

It has been a special Holy Week in our church: Maundy Thursday; Good Friday Tenebrae; Holy Saturday. Tomorrow, we celebrate the fact that Christ has conquered sin and death.

N.T. Wright says of Easter,

[Easter] ought to be an eight-day festival, with champagne served after Morning Prayer or even before, with lots of alleluias and extra hymns and spectacular anthems. Is it any wonder people find it hard to believe in the resurrection of Jesus if we don’t throw our hats in the air? Is it any wonder we find it hard to live the resurrection if we don’t do it exuberantly in our liturgies? Is it any wonder the world doesn’t take much notice if Easter is celebrated as simple the one-day happy ending tacked onto forty days of fasting and gloom? It’s long overdue that we took a hard look at how we keep Easter in the Church, at home, in our personal lives, right through the system. And if it means rethinking some cherished habits, well, maybe it’s time to wake up. That always comes as a surprise.

Let's all be surprised together!

we step into Holy Week, the most important week in the life of the Church. This Sunday, we will celebrate Palm Sunday, recognizing that the kingship of Jesus is drastically different from all the kingdoms of our world.

Message by guest speaker, Father Chad Jarnagin.

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday in Lent.

This Sunday, we are exploring the idea of Giving Up. How's that for a pep talk?

Jesus calls us to give up the old ways, give up the times that we’ve trusted in ourselves, give up thinking that we have all the answers.

In giving up, we surrender to God and we allow Him to invite us to think about and live our lives differently.

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Lent. This Sunday, our story leads us to look at God's provision and for us in the desert, and the times when we feel like we need more.

Like the children of Israel who were provided manna in the desert, our God knows our needs and cares for us. And yet, we think that we know better.

In Luke 15, the Prodigal Son turns away from the provision of his father's home and squanders his inheritance on reckless living. The first part of this story leads us to the acknowledgement that WE ALL DO THAT. We all run away from God's best for our lives.

And yet...God's heart towards us is always love. He is the God who welcomes us, and desires reconciliation.

We are living into this season of repentance, of recognizing our dependence on God.

While somber, Lent is not a season of hopelessness or despair. There is great joy in remembering that we need God. It is in the place of dependence where healing begins. Knowing that our identity is wrapped up in Christ, we live in anticipation of Easter!

In Exodus 3, Moses was a man without a country. He felt this in his bones, so much so that he named his child "stranger in a foreign land." Born an Israelite, raised an Egyptian, and living as a Midianite shepherd, Moses heard the call of God from a burning bush.

God was taking Moses' despair, confusion, and broken past, and inviting Him into God's grand rescue operation--for Israel and for the world.

This week, may we learn to embrace our dependence, our weakness, our struggle, and to find God's invitation on holy ground.