This Sunday our Parables from the Gospel of Luke series continued with a challenging and even frightening parable: "The Rich Man and Lazarus." It includes fire and torment and a "great chasm." We considered what it all means, and how it should help shape the way we live.

This week we took a break from our parables series as we were joined by our missionary partners, Evan and Chelsey Burgess. Evan brought a message on the meaning and significance of the word "Gospel" - a word that we use frequently but might not fully understand.

Jesus told three parables in a row about lost things being found. A lost sheep. A lost coin. A lost son. We considered what these parables reveal about what God is like, and how they call us to live.

Jesus told a parable about some people who were invited to a party, RSVP'd yes, but then gave lame excuses for not coming at the last minute. This week we considered how this parable is a warning, and what it reveals about the grace of God.

People call someone a "Good Samaritan" if they do a good deed for a stranger. But is there more to being a "Good Samaritan" than that? If we look at Jesus's parable, we find that the common definition of a Good Samaritan leaves out an important aspect of what the Samaritan represents.

Last week when we concluded the Galatians series, we paid special attention to Paul's exhortation: "Do not grow weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up." Similarly, Jesus also used the analogy of a harvest to describe the results of God's teaching working in our lives. In his "Parable of the Four Soils," he warns us that there are things that can harm or prevent that "harvest." This Sunday we identified what those things are, and how to avoid them.

Today we finished our Galatians series by looking at Paul's concluding commands. These commands, given to help a messed up church develop a healthier community, are just as relevant for churches today as they were then.

Mike Distefano, the Director of Faith and Justice Initiatives at Amirah, joined us this week. Using Jesus' words in John 15, he encouraged us to seek the true source of well-being.

This week, guest speaker John Vampatella showed us how one detail in Scripture (the disciple Simon's identity as a "zealot") can give us wisdom in divisive times.

Paul described three modes of life: (1) Life under the Law, (2) Life in the flesh, and (3) Life in the Spirit. Our minds can shift from one mode to another, sometimes multiple times in a day. This week we identified the signs of each mode, and how we can live more in the Spirit.