Is ambition a good thing? For some, ambition is to be avoided, a temptation to worldly endeavors. Others embrace it as the only path to finding purpose and flourishing. The Apostle Paul does not denigrate ambition but helps us separate worthy, Kingdom ambition from worldly, selfish ambition. With his one goal to draw himself and others closer to Christ, Paul was liberated from a life of chasing purpose, worth, and results. Everything he needed was present in Christ. In the freedom that comes with trusting him, even the hardest circumstances can offer a chance to receive and share the hope of the Gospel. Paul encourages us not to set our lives after what a broken, hyper-competitive world calls success, but instead to unite together in the the work Christ is doing in all the places the world doubts to see him. Witnessing God glorified in ways few expect and none can dismiss is an ambition worthy of our sacrifice, service, and surrender.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Philippians 1:12-30⁠⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

For more resources and ways to connect, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We kick off a new year and a new series with a look at Paul's letter to the Philippians. At the start of his message to this beloved congregation, Paul takes time to discuss the work God does in us. Called out of darkness and rescued from alienation, we are gathered and formed together as the body of Christ. Paul's encouragement for the church in Philippi and all believers is to rejoice in this good work of redemption, to reconcile ourselves to that work within us and among us, and to reflect regularly on the faithfulness of Christ to carry us to the end. With a clean slate and a blank calendar before us, Paul's words provide a great opportunity to reassess the character and trajectory of our relationships, goals, and hopes for a new year.

⁠⁠⁠Philippians 1:1-11⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

For more resources and ways to connect, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In the conclusion of our 2025 series Good News: The Life of Christ in the Gospel of Mark, Pastor Caleb looks at the book's sudden and seemingly unresolved conclusion. What appears to be an abrupt and even underwhelming closing note becomes in the context of the whole book of Mark a bold testament to the faithfulness of God and a provocative invitation to meet Jesus where he lives and works today. In the end, Mark reminds us that the only way to prove Jesus' life, death, and resurrection was real is to show that it is real – in us.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Mark 16:1-8⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

For more resources and ways to connect, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠⁠.

As we draw closer to the end of our year-long sermon series through the book of Mark, Good News, we come now to Jesus' death. Pastor Caleb looks at what the cross represents and what it's meant to emphasize for believers. As we consider what the cross is and isn't, we see through the stories of three characters Mark singles out in his account – a Jewish passerby, a Roman centurion, and a member of the council that put Jesus to death – the power of the Gospel to change the course of lives bound by darkness. Jesus dies, and from the breaking of his heart and the tearing of the temple veil, true light begins to break through. And everything is changed.

⁠⁠⁠Mark 15:20b-47 (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

For more resources and ways to connect, visit ⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠.

Continuing our series, Good News: The Life of Christ in the Gospel of Mark, Pastor Caleb looks at Jesus' response and demeanor before Pontius Pilate and a crowd calling for his crucifixion. When Jesus does not meet the expectations of a King or a victorious warrior or the Son of God, he is quickly rejected. The religious leaders, the Roman authorities, and the crowd all choose the familiar and the expedient. Do we do the same when Jesus does not meet our expectations? Mark ends this passage with a look at false worship worth considering.

⁠⁠Mark 15:1-20 (NRSV)⁠⁠

For more resources and ways to connect, visit ⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠.

For Partner Sunday, our friend Whit Anderson from First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio joins us to teach on Praise, one of the four core values of The Garden. Looking through the lens of Psalm 27, Whit shows us how true praise is built on confidence in Christ, and how daily practices of devotion can remind us of our sure foundation in him.

For more info, visit ⁠thegardensa.org.

Our year-long series, Good News: The Life of Christ in the Gospel of Mark, continues with a look at Jesus' arrest and the way fear can drive us from God and the fellowship of His people. All of Jesus' friends abandon him, but it is Peter in particular who offers a close look at the way denial forms in us. As Pastor Caleb discusses, while the darkness of the world and the darkness within can threaten to consume us, there is ahead of us a light that never goes out.

⁠Mark 14:42-72 (NRSV)⁠

For more resources and ways to connect, visit ⁠thegardensa.org⁠.

Jordan continues Good News, our series walking through the gospel of Mark. Looking at Mark 14:32-42, we see a surprising story of Jesus' distress. The Messiah brings his friends and prays fervently into the messiness of sorrow, offering us a new path forward in our own moments of pressing.

Mark 14:32-42 (NIV)

For more resources and ways to connect, visit thegardensa.org.

Pastor Caleb continues Good News, our year-long series through the Gospel of Mark, with a look at what is known as the Lord’s Supper. Jesus, on his way to the cross, facing impending rejection by those closest to him, gathers his friends for a moment of grace, breaking bread with them and giving them a place to turn to in the days after his death and resurrection. The theology and expression of communion are discussed, but most importantly, we’re encouraged to look to what the table represents and invites – deepening fellowship with God and one another. 

⁠⁠⁠Mark 14:12-31 (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

For more info, visit ⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org

Continuing our series Good News: The Life of Christ in the Gospel of Mark, Pastor Caleb looks at the beginning of Jesus' Passion Narrative in Mark Chapter 14. While the enemies of Jesus find a way to end his life and ministry through the betrayal of Judas, a woman comes to Jesus with a gift of immense value to honor him. As a room full of critics descend upon her, berating her wastefulness and expressing their own supposed piety, Jesus reminds everyone that there is no true compassion without true devotion. Just as the Father gave what was most precious for those He loves, we are invited to count everything else as loss in drawing nearer to the heart of our Savior.

⁠⁠Mark 14:1-11 (NRSV)⁠⁠

For more info, visit ⁠⁠thegardensa.org