Spark Cast

Really, what makes things better is not a response, a reason, a theology to the chaos of our world. What makes things better is someone connecting with something inside of them that connects deeply with us. In other words, "empathy." This week, we discover how the incarnation is God's beautiful expression of empathy, and it is that empathic response that brings hope, redemption, and peace.

What is the incarnation? Why is it significant? What did it mean to the early followers of Jesus? And how is it important for our lives today? These, and other questions, will be addressed as we dig deep into the mysterious beauty that is, the Word becoming flesh.

At the end of our Exodus series, we come to the instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, a place of worship. It is as if we have bookended the story of Exodus, as it began with, "Let my people go so that they may worship me," and it ends with the people doing just that, working and serving God. And this, is the culmination of liberation.

This day we commemorate the feast of Sukkot. Known as the "Feast of Tabernacles" or the "Feast of Booths," this festival commissions us to build "shelters," to remind us of our time wandering in the desert. And as we look to the sky above and the ground below, we realize that God has been sheltering us in his love throughout all of life's transitions.

The giving of the second set of tablets at Mt. Sinai exemplifies God's amazing grace, even in the midst of Israel's adultery. Shall we become stewards of God's grace? And not only to others, but also to ourselves?

Join Spark in raising $10,000 to help in the Syrian refugee crisis. Visit www.sparkchurch.net/teachings for more information, links, and resources. This is love. This is Rescue. This is Spark Church!

The work of peacemaking is challenging and complex. It requires much of us, but it is worth our effort. Rabbi and author of "From Enemy To Friend," Amy Eilberg shares her journey towards the cause of peacemaking in this world, and encourages us to do the same.

In this message, Pastor Mark uses the story of the Golden Calf to illustrate how all of us use power, wealth, theology, and other "idols" to make sense of our world when there is none. For us, it is about taking control when there seeming is none. God's love, however, liberates us from shackling ourselves with the idols we have created.

What the tabernacle is to space, so the Sabbath is to time. And to enter into the construction of the Tabernacle, to embrace the beautiful symbology and resonance of the Tabernacle fashioned after the creation story is to be recreated ourselves.

As we get to the building of the tabernacle, we learn that while the focus is on the details and instructions of the tabernacle, the real building is in the people.