Shepherd's Gate Church

God designed family as a sacred calling, with mothers playing a unique role as instruments of God’s grace. On Mother’s Day, we honor all moms and their impact on shaping faith, love and service to others. Discover how family is not just for personal fulfillment, but a place where God’s love brings healing and restores broken relationships.

God places us in specific communities to love and serve our neighbors. Our faith shapes how we interact in neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and public life. In today’s message, we’ll see how, despite sin leading to selfishness and disengagement, Christ teaches us to live with self-giving love in all areas of life.

God works through ordinary people—not just in what we do, but in how others serve us. Every meal, home, and act of care is a reminder of the gifts God gives us. Discover how God invites us to see our roles—and the people around us—as part of His purpose and care for the world.

The sun rises. Do you see it? The ground shakes. Do you hear it? The empty tomb stands before us. On the third day, everything changed—death defeated and life redefined. Easter isn't the end of the story, but the re-beginning of ours. Our lives are raised from death to life with Jesus, forever changed by the empty tomb.

In a simple meal with His disciples, and through His miraculous body and blood, Jesus shared a part of Himself before He went to the cross. This Maundy Thursday, we come to the table of Jesus and experience His presence together. Can you see the visible elements? Dou you see others in the body of Christ gathered together to share in this experience? Can you taste in the bread and wine, the body and blood, that the Lord is good?

The Messiah that had been prophesied throughout the Old Testament, the Savior that they had waited for, the One they had only heard about is now here. This Palm Sunday, we celebrate the King who came to earth for you and me. Can you hear the celebration from the crowd? Can you you hear the palm branches? Can you see King Jesus riding on the colt of a donkey? 

It's time to close the book on the story of Joseph and on Genesis. As Joseph takes stock of his life and all that has happened to him, he comes to the conclusion that God has used his suffering for the good of himself, his family and for all of Eygpt. Does God truly use the bad times, even evil times in our lives to bring about positive growth and change? How is this possible?

As Jacob nears the end of his life, he blesses each of his sons with unique words, some good and some bad. Jacob certainly doesn't pull any punches. What was the purpose of these blessings? What about when we are the recipient of bold...but true...words from others? Is there a way we can benefit from times when people speak the stark truth about us, even if it hurts to hear it?

As the story of Joseph begins to wrap up, he finds that he cannot control the future for his own two sons. How many times do our plans get distorted and changed? Why is it that life doesn't go the way we want? While this may be inevitable, what if there were a deeper truth...that God uses the unexpected and the weak things of this world to show us His power and give us His blessing?

Joseph's stewardship of the resources of Eygpt saves everyone from starvation and death, including his own family. It's so important to steward the resources we have, whether they are many or few. How do we do this today for ourselves, our family and for our church community?