Throughout the book of John, Jesus just can’t stop talking about the Holy Spirit. In fact, when you get to John 16, Jesus says something that is jaw-dropping.

“Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7, CSB)

Jesus, what did you just say? Imagine for a minute that you’re in their place. You’ve left everything to follow Him and be with Him -- family, career, friends, and now you tell us you’re leaving?

Then he has the audacity to add, "And it’s a good thing for you that I’m going." Uh hu. What do parents always say to kids before they spank them? It’s going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you," and every kid thinks, "Well, spank yourself, then, if that’s the way you feel about it."

I used to think, “I’d give anything to have lived back when Jesus lived, to hear His voice, to see His face, to touch Him.” But Jesus says it is better to live in the era of the Spirit than it is to walk with Him on this earth.

Jesus is saying that you and I are more fortunate than His disciples were. We have the advantage over those that lived with Him. Said another way:

“The Holy Spirit inside of you is greater than Jesus beside you.”

As Jesus prepares his disciples for life without Him, He spends significant time emphasizing one important point. Before we are asked to do anything for God, He invites us to be with Him. Intimacy with Jesus is the goal.

But so often, sitting with God takes a backseat to performing for God. There is work to be done, accomplishments to be won… and we forget the truth of Psalm 46:10 — that we know God best when we are still before Him.

We will never stumble into godliness. To be transformed by Christ requires daily presence with Him. Make your home in Him, and He will make His home in you.

In John 15, Jesus teaches us the secrets of the vine. In verse 5, He says,

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5, CSB)

This passage is often taught as if there is only one condition for fruit bearing: remaining in Jesus. But notice that there are two conditions to growth and change here, not just one. There is remaining in Jesus, and then there is Jesus remaining in us. Said another way, Christian growth is is a combination of doing two things at once. We grow and bear fruit by resting in Jesus (Christ in me) while also chasing after Jesus (Remaining in Christ).

Join us this weekend as we discuss the secret to growth and change, and notice it has everything to do with remaining or abiding in Jesus as He abides in us.

Every good thing you have in the Christian Life comes through the Holy Spirit. Throughout Scripture and history, the Spirit of God has been actively at work.

In the second verse of the Bible, we read these words: “The earth was formless and void and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) It was out of that hovering of the Spirit that Creation burst forth.

The rabbis in Jesus’ day loved this picture of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. They used to reflect on it and write about it. They would compare the Spirit to a bird because of that word “hovering.” One ancient rabbi wrote, “And the Spirit of God was brooding over the water like a dove which broods over her young.” Another wrote, “The throne of divine glory was hovering over the face of the waters even as a dove hovers over its nest.”

There is a long period in the history of Israel when the Spirit of God seems to be quiet and the voices of the prophets cease. They wonder: “Will the Spirit ever hover again?

Then this man, Jesus, comes. He goes to be baptized by John the Baptist in Luke 3, and God is once again creating something new. “And the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”” (Luke 3:21–22, CSB)

The writers of the New Testament wanted to be clear. Once more, the Spirit of God—in the person of Jesus—is hovering over the waters. God is once again creating something new, creating something the world has never known before, and it has everything to do with Jesus. He is creating a new opportunity for life with God with complete access to the resources of God, just like that original couple in the garden. Join us this Sunday as Jesus will teach us about the role of the Holy Spirit in our own lives.

Baptism is a picture of a new life! This weekend we have the amazing opportunity to celebrate what God is doing here at SCC through the ancient practice of baptism.

We’re used to thinking that baptism day is about us or the other people who made their declaration of faith alongside of us, but nothing could be further from the truth. Baptism is a celebration and picture of Christ’s loving work of salvation on the cross. It points us to His grace and power in our lives.

For this reason, baptism is a reminder to keep our spiritual appetites sharp. It reminds us to never stop pursuing Christ, seeking to know Him, and letting Him fill us with His grace and mercy. Scripture reminds us: “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time–to show us His grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9).

This Sunday, you don’t want to miss a powerful message about peace in troubling times—the kind of peace that doesn’t depend on what’s happening around you, but what’s happening within you. In a world filled with chaos, worry, and uncertainty, God offers a calm that defies all understanding—and we’re diving deep into how that actually works. If you’ve ever wondered how to hold on to peace when life feels heavy, this is your moment. Don’t sit this one out—come experience what could be the turning point your heart’s been waiting for. Your seat—and your peace—are waiting for you!

Why do 4 letter words have such power, and yet bring such confusion? I remember a time in my marriage that I believed I was “Help” my wife, only to realize what I meant by “Help” was not the same way she was defining “Help”. I had to learn what this 4-letter word meant for her and learn how to live in that with her.

Love is another 4-letter word that has the same impact. I can say I “Love” someone, and yet by my actions they may not believe it. In any given moment, how I define “Love” may change because of what I want or how I want it to look. Culture tries to define “Love” for us through movies, music, books, and other means. No wonder why so many people get confused and hurt.

The truth is, we always have to come back to the Bible to know what “Love” really is and what it looks like to live it out. The interesting part about this particular word is not only does Jesus define it, but He adds it is a command. By being a command, this isn’t about how I feel, or I get to choose if I do it or not. No, we are to love. We must love.

This Sunday we’ll learn more about what this means and looks like. We hope you’ll join us as we continue to do this life together and learn together what it means to truly love, why we love, and how we are to love.

We’re grateful for each and every one of you!

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the story of the football game between the large animals and the small animals. It was incredible. The large animals, as you might imagine, were just cleaning up on the smaller animals. It was no contest.

They would kick the ball off to the rhino, he would receive the ball in the end zone and just rumble down the field. Nothing could stop him. Squirrels were hanging on his legs for dear life, birds were pecking at his horn, but nothing could stand in his way. At the end of the half it was 40-0, large animals. To make matters worse, the small animals had to kick off to the large animals to start the next half.

So they kick off, and the elephant receives the ball in the end zone. He starts to rumble down the field, and BAM! He’s dropped dead in his tracks at the 5 yard line. The first play from scrimmage they hand off to the rhino, and BAM, he’s stopped immediately. The next play, they hand off to the lion, who runs off the tackle, and BAM, there is nowhere for him to go. Then they try the cheetah, cause, you know, they are the fastest runners in the world. But even the cheetah is brought down hard.

On fourth down, the gorilla takes the handoff. He scrambles into the end zone to throw, gets hit, and the ball comes loose. There’s a mad scramble in the end zone. There are animals all over the place. The referees start pulling animals off this pile, until the last animal is left. It’s a tiny little centipede. Touchdown, small animals!

The small animals can’t believe it! They say to the centipede, “Man, was that you that hit the elephant on the kick-off?” He goes, “Yeah, that was me.” Was that you that hit the lion in the backfield? “Yeah, that was me.” Was that you that hit the gorilla? Yeah, that was me.” They go, “Where were you in the first half?” And the centipede says, “I was getting my ankles taped!”

Here is why I tell that story. This weekend, Jesus will call us to serve one another and show us the way. And some of us have waited far too long to get in the serving game. If you wait until you feel capable or ready or qualified to serve, you will never get in the game. But the good news is, there is another half of the game left. It’s not too late to begin to serve as our master has asked us to serve. It’s not too late to serve Our King by serving others. Because that is what our King has done for each of us.

There's an old story. A Sunday school teacher is explaining to children how they cannot get to heaven through human effort. They can't earn their way.

So she begins by asking them some questions. "Can you get to heaven if you go to church often enough?" They said, "No!" "Can you get to heaven if you give enough money?" Again, they all say, "No!" "Can you get to heaven if you obey your parents and teachers enough?" For the third time, they all say, "No!" Then she asked them, "Well then how can you get to heaven?" One of them says, "You have to die first." That is certainly true. That is the way it works!

One day Jesus made an observation about the way the world works that is so powerful, it will literally change your life. Here it is:

“Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (John 12:24, CSB)

Notice this isn’t a command. It an observation based on the way of things. And this observation will reveal so much about Jesus and it will also reveal so much about each of us. Join us this weekend as we ask what you may need to die to so that you can begin to really live.

In John 12, Mary, having witnessed Jesus raise her brother Lazarus from the stench of grave, brings a very expensive perfume to dinner and pours it over Jesus’ feet. She then bows and begins to wipe His feet with her hair and her tears. What is Mary doing exactly? What is the point?

Well, it’s certainly an extravagant act of worship. That is clear. She loves Him. She believes He is the Christ, the Son of God, and in her worship, she is incredibly generous. We’re told in the story that this perfume was worth an entire year of wages. Think about a years-worth of your salary being poured out on someone’s feet in about 5 minutes. Who does that? And why?

What Mary was doing in this story wasn’t just an act of worship, or the offering of an extravagant gift, or even an act of devotion to Jesus. It was certainly all of those things, but it was also something else. Mary was anointing Jesus. But to what purpose? Join us this weekend as we discuss the purpose of this anointing and the implications for each of us and all of us.