Is it possible for Jesus' power and presence to show up and perform miracles in everyday places for everyday people? We begin our Lent series with the first "Sign" in John's Gospel pointing to who Jesus is as God's King.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- John 2.1-12

// BIG IDEA -- Recognizing the little, everyday miracles helps us recognize our big, sustaining God.

// What are the "little miracles" you've recognized this week?

// Resolve to involve Jesus in the big things and the little things.

// QUOTE -- "Our openness may become the penultimate material for miracles to take place." (Jose Humphreys, Seeing Jesus in East Harlem)

This is a story about trusting God one hard step at a time in a season of desperate need. We encounter a prophet (who is in need) who is guided to a widow (who is in need) so that God (who knows what we need) can meet their needs. Can this story inspire us to trust God this week?

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- 1 Kings 17.8-16

// BIG IDEA -- The ground between what God asks and what God promises is where trust grows.

// QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION --

What's the "Handful of flour" that you've got left?

What's the "Hard step" you're invited to take?

What's the promise from God you're holding onto this week?

Isaac Hernandez closes out our 2021 series in TNC's Core Practices with "Bring Peace." We commit to partner with God in his mission to bring his Shalom (holistic peace and well-being) to our neighborhood and world. How can we offer peace to a hurting world?

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Isaiah 32.17 and Romans 12.18

// QUOTE -- "The world is full of enough hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them." J.R.R. TOLKIEN

// How do we as Christians initiate peace in our circles of influence?

// Peace is the result of following in the footsteps of God.

// QUOTE -- "Peace is the fruit of service." MOTHER TERESA

// QUOTE -- "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself because it is not there. There is no such thing." C.S. LEWIS

// Have we done everything we could have done so that our relationships can thrive?

Our 4th Core Practice is "Create Space." We commit to make time for God and others for transformational relationships to grow. Some "Space" hasn't just been created -- it has been imposed on us during the pandemic. How might we more fully abide in the space (created or imposed) for God and others? How can we be more intentional and present this day, week, month, and year? We look at Jesus' example for inspiration and transformation.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Luke 4.40-44

// BIG QUESTION -- When was the last time you really experienced STILLNESS?

// BIG IDEA -- Jesus is able to

pour out to others because he regularly creates space to be filled up by God's presence and power.

// Jesus creates space not in the absence of work, relationships, pressure, & to-do lists...Jesus creates space precisely within the midst of a full life.

// Jesus gave himself fully to his work & relationships because Jesus remained fully connected to the Source.

// CREATE SPACE WITH US FOR 2 MINUTES. Breathe, let go of distractions, become present to God's presence...

"Disciple" is another word for "Apprentice." Apprentices learn what to do and how to do it from their teacher. How do we grow as Jesus' apprentices? In this message we explore a word and an image to remind us how we grow together in the way of Jesus as the community of Jesus.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Matthew 28.16-20

// CORE PRACTICE 3 (GROW DISCIPLES) -- We commit to invite people into a relationship with Jesus by baptizing, teaching, and sending them on mission.

// “A disciple is an apprentice of Jesus, in the community of Jesus, who relies on the life of Jesus through the Holy Spirit’s presence and power to reproduce Jesus’ life, ministry, and mission.” (DERWIN L. GRAY)

// PART 1 (THE WORD) -- "WITH-NESS"

// Disciples are sent to bear WITNESS to Jesus deeply rooted in the reality of the WITH-NESS of Jesus.

// “WITH-NESS” is not only about Jesus WITH you, but it’s about you learning & living the Jesus Way WITH others.

// PART 2 (THE IMAGE) -- GREENHOUSE. The Jesus community is the greenhouse in which Jesus followers grow.

// QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION --

1. WHO in our circles needs INVITING?

2. WHAT is IMPEDING OUR GROWTH?

3. WHO are we GROWING WITH?

4. WHERE do you as a disciple need to hear the words “I AM WITH YOU.”

In this message we dig in to TNC's 2nd Core Practice, "Love Neighbor." We'll explore what we mean and then we'll examine what it looks like in one of Jesus' most famous encounters. Our hope is that we would follow Jesus' example to love others without qualification.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- John 4.4-26

// The Christian life is meant to be lived, not just believed. Our 5 Core Practices summarize our humble intention to live our faith.

// 2. LOVE NEIGHBOR -- We commit to love others as ourselves regardless of race, background, ethnicity, orientation, or status.

// WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY, "We commit to love others as ourselves regardless of race, background, ethnicity, orientation, or status" is that we're to LOVE OTHERS WITHOUT QUALIFICATIONS.

// 2 PASSAGES TO CHECK OUT -- 1 John 4.7-16 and Matthew 5.43-47

// TNC "MANTRA" -- The love of God is working in you when the love of neighbor is flowing out of you.

// TNC "MANTRA" -- Jesus has rezoned our neighborhood, now everyone we encounter is a neighbor to be loved, not an enemy to be hated or an “other” to be ignored.”

// BIG QUESTION -- What are the conclusions I’ve drawn about others that are preventing me from my call to love them?

// Jesus crossed RELIGIOUS, ETHNIC, and SOCIAL barriers so that God’s life will extend to excluded.

// When you are ATTENTIVE to others, you begin to understand others.

When you begin to UNDERSTAND others, you begin to identify with others.

When you IDENTIFY with others as neighbor, you can LOVE others as yourself.

// QUOTE (Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr. from his final "Mountaintop" speech) -- “Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness…that’s the question before you tonight…the question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ The question is, ‘If I do not stop to help…what will happen to them?...“I don’t know what will happen now; we’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life—longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

The Christian life is meant to be lived, not just believed. TNC's 5 Core Practices summarize our humble intention to live our faith. Our first Core Practice is to follow Jesus. This paraphrase from Dallas Willard explains what we mean, "We commit to be with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus in our everyday life." In the Gospels, Jesus never asks people to worship him…Jesus invites the people he encounters to follow him (there's something crucial to learn there). In this message we explore the example Jesus gives us to follow.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Philippians 2.1-11

// 1. FOLLOW JESUS -- We commit to be with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus in our everyday life.

// American Christian Culture has shown us time and again that we think we can “WORSHIP” (or "Honor" or "Vote for" or "Fight for"...) Jesus & not “FOLLOW” Jesus.

// We’re going to see THE EXAMPLE of Jesus in the BIGGEST way so that we can live like Jesus in the SMALLEST ways.

// Would we rather worship Jesus in a manger than follow him to the cross?

// QUOTE -- "No one can truly know Jesus unless he follows him in his life...for whoever thinks he belongs to Christ must walk the way that Christ walked." (HANS DENCK, 1526)

// PHILIPPIANS 2.1-4 (THE MESSAGE) -- "If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand."

// It's as if Paul is saying, "If you're really being with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus, do me a favor and LOVE like it." A Jesus-looking, self-giving love.

// QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION --

Who and How will you love this week?

How will you "Be" with Jesus?

How will you learn from Jesus?

How will you live like Jesus?

Take some time to reflect on your intentions for 2021. We'll ask 3 big questions and pause after each one to breathe and respond. We were made to live fully alive but this kind of life is not lived by accident, it requires our intention. If Jesus were to ask you, "Do you want to get well" (John 5), what would you say?

// STORY FROM SCRIPTURE -- John 5.1-9

// I want to step out with the end in mind...to live like Jesus (which is to live fully).

// "The glory of God is the human person fully alive." (IRANAEUS, ca. 115-202 A.D.)

// Jesus asked 307 questions. Jesus was asked 183 questions. Jesus answered 8 (!) questions.

// QUESTION 1 -- What do I need to leave behind?

(Pause and reflect)

// QUESTION 2 -- What does "well" look like for you in 2021?

(Pause and reflect)

// QUESTION 3 -- How do you need to "Get up and walk" in 2021?

// QUOTE -- "The access point to deeper spiritual wisdom is consciously, trustfully, and lovingly remaining on "the vine," which means remaining connected to your Ultimate Source." (RICHARD ROHR, Just This, 88)

(Pause and reflect)

We start with a couple stories and shout-outs from Amy Wood after a very special party at the ROC Community Center (rocgarland.org). Thank you for your coat, jacket, and toy donations for the kids in our neighborhood this Christmas. It really is worth celebrating!

In this message we hear Jesus' challenge to host his kind of dinner parties -- not because we get something in return but because we've been sent into the streets with an invitation to God's table.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Luke 14.12-24

// QUOTE -- "What is infectiously appealing about Jesus is that he likes to celebrate. He is consistently meeting people not at the altar but at table, whether as host, guest, or the body and blood to be consumed." (AMY-JILL LEVINE in Short Stories by Jesus, 14)

// You cannot love your neighbor if you ignore them.

// Check out ruralstudio.org

// REFLECT -- What would it look like in your life if you allowed the Spirit to expand your inner circle to include "God's inner circle" (the poor, crippled, lame, and blind)?

// QUOTE -- "Party guests are then invited to become party hosts in their turn." (N.T. WRIGHT in Advent for Everyone: Luke)

We're living in a world that's out of tune with God's heart. Where there are people that are lost, lonely, hurting, and needy, God calls, empowers, and works with his people to bring into balance what is out of balance. The Biblical word for this is "Justice." What does a life lived in tune with God and his desire for justice look like?

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Luke 3.7-18

// God has always empowered, called, and worked with his people to bring earth in tune with heaven.

// PART 1 -- WHAT IS JOHN DOING?

// John is a "voice crying out" that the time has come to get your life in tune with God's kingdom so that when the King arrives you can hear his call and follow.

// PART 2 -- TWO MARKS OF BEING "IN TUNE" WITH THE KINGDOM

// First mark -- God calls us to live an authentically fruitful life, not a cheap religious substitute.

// Second mark -- God calls us to live generously, not selfishly (if you've got it,

give it).

// HEART (NOT JUST STUFF) QUESTIONS -- How much is enough (really)? How much can I give?

// REFLECTION QUESTIONS -- What habits or hang-ups are getting me out of tune with God's kingdom? What lifestyle changes are needed for me to live more authentically & generously?