Jesus is born. Wonder, peace and joy accompany. Mom and dad present their first born son as a servant to the Lord, a dedication of sorts at the temple. A sacrifice.

What we see is generosity is a sacrifice. Then we meet some seekers. Simeon and Ana, and they see with their own eyes what they had been searching for their whole lives. A lifetime of seeking. What we also see is what you seek sets the course of your life.

Generosity takes a miracle. You don’t just become a generous person unless you have been moved by the hand of God. In Philippians 4:10-23, Paul comes to a crescendo finish to his epic letter to the Philippian church on the source of scandalous joy. A joy that is produced not by man made efforts, but the act of a supreme God working in the life of an ordinary believer. Through trials, through humility, through parroting the Lord Jesus as a humble state of a bond servant, and through a generous heart. Do you believe in miracles? Because that’s what it takes to become a generous person.

Watch the end of the Cal vs. Stanford game, “the Play”, as it is called, played in 1982, at the Cal Memorial Stadium. What a moment. What a place. I used to play rugby for Cal in that stadium. Cal was down by 2, two seconds left, a kick off and a run to the end zone. How did they do it? The announcer says, “It’ll take a miracle.” And it happened. Cal beats Stanford. The announcer goes wild! The Cal students are out of their minds.

Well, what does this have to do with generosity? It will take a miracle to change the heart of the average American church goer to become as the Philippian church became, generous in their giving to the point where Paul says he "mega rejoices” over it. How did that happen and what do we learn from this history lesson?

Joy, true joy, is a miracle of generous giving of one's life and resources. Remember Billy Crystal’s line in Princess Bride? His wife asks him, Max the miracle worker, "will it work?” He says, “I don’t know. Bye bye boys, it’ll take a miracle.”

The normal stressors of adult life, ever increasing cultural and political division, a rapidly increasing pace of life for families and working people, increasing costs of living, pressures to keep up with the lifestyles of our neighbors or favorite influencers--all of these and more combine to form the potent cocktail of our cultural moment and one word could be used to describe the experience: anxious. Many of us feel it, others of us live in it without even realizing it. Yet, those who follow Jesus have this radical, hopeful promise: "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). But what does the peace of God mean? And how do we come to experience it in the day to day trenches of life? Join us as we learn together from Philippians 4:1-9 to live in the way of peace.

We’re exploring what it really means to know Christ from Philippians 3:10–21. Isn’t it incredible that we are invited into a deep friendship with Jesus? I am shocked by this and encouraged by Paul’s words for what it looks like to press on, to shape our lives around Christ’s story of humility and self-emptying love. In a world full of competing stories and endless distractions, we’ll be reminded that our true citizenship is in heaven and that our lives here can reflect that truth. Join us as we learn together what it means to keep pressing on, knowing Christ more each day.

One of the most beautiful things about the gospel is the way God levels the playing field. It does not matter how much money you have, how many bad choices you have made in the past, where you go to school, or what your reputation is like. Jesus came that each of us might know and be found in him. You probably know this already.

But shoot. It is soooo easy for us to slip back into believing that God loves us because we’re “mostly good.” Even when we know the truth.

Did you know that “being found” in Jesus means we actually have to give up our reputation and resume in order that we may stand in and live out of HIS righteousness? For those of us who are proud of where we’re from or what we’ve done with our lives, that’s a big idea to wrap our minds around. And an even bigger idea to actually live by.

What if I told you that the measure of your life is not what you accomplish, but what you give away to others? How would that reshape your life? How would you reprioritize your life? We are one of the most misguided cultures in all the world. We think little about legacy and focus most of our energy on accomplishment and consumption. Let’s take Jesus for example. Jesus gave His life away. Literally. What would you say was His greatest contribution other than going to the cross on our behalf? His teaching? Miracles? Condemnation of the religious hypocrites? Compassion? Love? Not as I see it. You may see it differently but there on Mt. Arbel, outside Galilee after his resurrection and before his ascension, he’s says these words to His disciples… "Go, that is, you go, I am sending you, go into all the world and make disciples. Oh, and baptize and teach them all I taught you. You teach them, don’t hand them a book, you teach them personally." Notice the emphasis is on YOU GO. YOU TEACH.

I would argue Jesus' second greatest contribution was, as Robert Coleman said in my most read book ever, Master Plan of Evangelism, “It all started by Jesus calling a few other men to follow Him.” And what followed is a handful of men who carried on after his ascension. The reason why the gospel spread was not because it was written down for all to read, but because he raised up others to take it into all the world. John Maxwell once said, "he who thinks he leads, but has no followers is only taking a walk." Who’s following you is another way to phrase the initial question? This is precisely what Philippians 2:19-30 is all about. Paul replaces himself with Timothy. He will hand the baton to Timothy before he says, “I have finished the race.” Relevant for today?

I’d hate to spend my whole life and look back and have not influenced one person in the way I spent my life. Let’s talk about legacy building. Let’s talk Paul and Timothy.

Our cultural moment is one of political tension, algorithm-driven echo chambers, ideological violence, and rapid cultural and technological change. Yet against this backdrop, there is evidence of surging interest in Christian faith—Bible sales and online searches have increased dramatically and church attendance among Gen Z has increased every year since 2022. In our own church we’ve seen people come to saving faith for the first time, people re-engage in life with Jesus for the first time in a long time, and young people take bold steps as leaders. All of this raises a critical question for followers of Jesus: what does it look like to be a faithful witness to the good news of Jesus in our time? Or, to put it in the language of Philippians 2:15, what does it look like to shine as lights in the world? Join us as we learn together from Philippians 2:12-18 to turn on the light.

Churches today (including the River Church) are facing the greatest possible threat. This Sunday we are going to talk about it. As it turns out, the antidote to this pervasive and corrosive epidemic shows up right smack in the middle of our Philippians passage this week. Join us on Sunday to take an honest look at both the nature of this threat, as well as our only protection against it. (This sounds heavy, but I promise I’ll tell a few jokes at some point to lighten the mood.)

In this cultural moment, we sense a growing clarity about what God is doing. He continues His unchanging mission — seeking and saving the lost — but now, His people are becoming aware and ready to join Him.

Let’s lean in with open hands and willing hearts, praying for where He might lead us next. When we say yes to the Great Commission, we step into the greatest adventure — following the greatest God making disciples of all nations.

We’re honored to welcome our ministry partners, Alex and Millie Ojera, as they bring a message on the mission of Christ. We're excited for their voice and perspective to help illuminate where God might be calling us to go next.

Jesus shares the gospel, good news of a new king who saved not politically, but spiritually in a time of great diversity and divide. I personally like his approach. He is willing to, as they say, “mix it up” with this woman. He draws her in to the real issue and goes after what’s holding her back. Her response is astounding. She’s all in. This is the River Church. Mix it up, listen, talk, show respect, be concerned for others. And, that’s a big and, lead people to Jesus through a life changing encounter with the truth of God’s word. WOW. Bolder and equally truth filled.