Have you ever thought about what happens and where you go after you die? If you've buried a loved one you probably have. Older people do; youngsters often don't bother. The popular belief includes: death is a wrap, done, end of you; or a kind of ethereal disembodied eternity in a faraway heaven up there. Stephen Colbert quipped he was planning on "a harp, a mint Julep, and asking Ronald Reagan questions." The Bible tells a different story, and it is beautiful. This Sunday, we will attempt to disentangle ourselves from popular assumptions and let the apostle Paul's letter to the muddled Corinthians, included in our sacred Scriptures, provide signposts in the mist toward our glorious future. Take some time to read 1 Corinthians 15 and let your imagination soar a bit.

Bill

"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die"

Do you know this quote?

George and I were in Las Vegas this weekend for a wedding and that was the messaging all around us. "LIVE IT UP! Don't give any thought to tomorrow-what do you want RIGHT NOW? What do you feel like IN THIS MOMENT? Let's eat and drink for tomorrow we DIE!"

Believe it or not, this is a quote from the passage we're going to be studying this weekend, and no, it's not Ecclesiastes! It's straight out of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. So why would Paul say this? It doesn't sound much like what we are told the Christian life is supposed to be.

That's because it's NOT! Paul gives so much weight to ONE event that took place in history that he says, if this event did NOT HAPPEN then...

1) Our faith is WORTHLESS and in vain

2) We are testifying AGAINST God

3) We are to be pitied

And.......4) We should eat and drink for tomorrow we die!

So what is this one event? Why does it matter SO MUCH? And most importantly, if this one, critical event is true how should it inform the way we live our lives? Let's talk about it!

Brooke

Go for broke! Terrible advice in personal finance, exactly the point of 1 Corinthians 11-14. Denise (one of my ministry and life heroes) absolutely nailed it two weeks ago in her sermon on love in 1 Cor. 13. In it, she reminded us of a C.S. Lewis quote that I can't stop thinking about: "Nothing you have not given away will ever really be yours." It sounds so contradictory, so paradoxical, and for any of us who have tried the tight-fisted, self-interested route to happiness, so true! This Sunday let's gather around this inspired and inspiring portion of Paul's ancient letter to a beautifully broken community in Roman Corinth. Let's reflect together on the who, what, why, and how of going for broke!

-James

It's wedding season and this weekend I get to attend the wedding of a dear couple from our River community! Weddings bring out all the "feels" for me. The beautiful couple standing up in front, surrounded by people they love, dreaming about a life full of love and happiness.

This Sunday we are going to look at I Corinthians 13, traditionally known as the LOVE chapter, often read at weddings describing perfect love. Love is kind, patient, does not boast, love does not envy, etc.

Paul describes love and how it involves all of us. It's way beyond just a wedding. He says if we don't have love for one another, we have nothing. What does he mean? How hard can it be to love one another? He defines love and the necessity for it to be the foundation for everything else to flourish. It means everything.

Loving each other doesn't always bring "the feels" and sometimes can be very challenging. How do we do it? What happens when we don't "feel" like loving one another? Jesus is our example.

Denise

I was hanging with a group of guys that meet on Friday mornings for a little connection time and a short reflection on God's word. We have several of these kinds of groups and need more to be started. Back to my point. We were talking about accountability for men. My first thought was about my message this weekend from I Cor. 12 - Spiritual Gifts. I thought, oh my, how many things are we missing out on like accountability, like the use of spiritual gifts if we don't have a church home? I wondered, what if you are not connected to a local gathering of believers. How does any of this stuff work? Accountability? Sure you can develop that outside the church. Gifts? Sure you can use those outside the church. However, Paul seems to be saying, the primary purpose of Spiritual Gifts is for building up the local church body. If you are not a part of one, you are missing out. You miss out. We miss out. So many these days, due to a radical individualism that has swept America ever since John Kourac wrote On the Road and James Dean's movie came out, have opted for independence. An on the road kind of lifestyle rather than a biblical interdependence. As one commentator said, apart from salvation, the next most important component of church life is the use of our spiritual gifts. Wow. We better get on it.

Todd

If only we could go back and redo some things.... key words- "some things". Yeah, some times I cringe at the poor choices of my past. However, I also could have avoided some of them had I simply learned from the mistakes of others before me. Now, the best thing I can do is grow from my mistakes and others and ask the lord to help me respond differently when faced with the situation in the future. Come hear Sunday how the church at Corrinth loaked up (was destroying fellowship) as a result of their selfishness but now permit us to learn from their mistakes.

Jazz

During his sermon on 1 Corinthians 8 a few weeks ago, Todd mentioned 'planned obsolescence'. What is this, you ask? According to a 2009 article in The Economist, "Planned obsolescence is a business strategy in which the obsolescence (the process of becoming obsolete-that is, unfashionable or no longer usable) of a product is planned and built into it from its conception. This is done so that in the future the consumer feels a need to purchase new products and services that the manufacturer brings out as replacements for the old ones." Pope Francis calls this the "throwaway culture." Todd named this an idol of our materialistic age. In 1 Corinthians 10 we are again warned about idolatry of this kind.

How many cell phones have you had in the past ten years (since this article was written)? Isn't it about time for a new car? Did you know that car seats have expiration dates? It's about safety right? Or security - the iPhone did not even have biometric authentication ten years ago...

Technology is not bad - without it you would not be reading this. But are we tempted to treat these temporary things as idols (false gods)? A simpler question: are you using the device, or is it using you? Trust this: God is faithful and supplies a way out of any temptation (1 Cor. 10:13).

We are invited this Sunday to share in the one God who is truly worthy of worship, the true Lord of Heaven and Earth and everything in it, the glorious King who took our brokenness upon himself and made something truly beautiful.

Tommy

During his sermon on 1 Corinthians 8 a few weeks ago, Todd mentioned 'planned obsolescence'. What is this, you ask? According to a 2009 article in The Economist, "Planned obsolescence is a business strategy in which the obsolescence (the process of becoming obsolete-that is, unfashionable or no longer usable) of a product is planned and built into it from its conception. This is done so that in the future the consumer feels a need to purchase new products and services that the manufacturer brings out as replacements for the old ones." Pope Francis calls this the "throwaway culture." Todd named this an idol of our materialistic age. In 1 Corinthians 10 we are again warned about idolatry of this kind.

How many cell phones have you had in the past ten years (since this article was written)? Isn't it about time for a new car? Did you know that car seats have expiration dates? It's about safety right? Or security - the iPhone did not even have biometric authentication ten years ago...

Technology is not bad - without it you would not be reading this. But are we tempted to treat these temporary things as idols (false gods)? A simpler question: are you using the device, or is it using you? Trust this: God is faithful and supplies a way out of any temptation (1 Cor. 10:13).

We are invited this Sunday to share in the one God who is truly worthy of worship, the true Lord of Heaven and Earth and everything in it, the glorious King who took our brokenness upon himself and made something truly beautiful.

Tommy

This has been a horrific week for our church family and community. So much pain and hardship. Life altering events. How do we, as the church family in the South Bay, respond? What can we do for those who have and are suffering greatly? How far should we go to help those suffering greatly? Paul says in I Cor. 9:19-27 that he was willing to go all the way. All the way. Care without limits. This message this week is time sensitive and instructive in learning how we enter in to another's pain for the sake of the gospel.

Todd

One of my favorite movie scenes is from Rudy, the story that documents the dream of a boy to play football for Notre Dame. The scene comes right after Rudy, the main character, did not make the dress roster for the final game of the season thus failing to achieve his dream of getting to play for the Fighting Irish. The scene unfolds as the team captain walks into the head coach's office and lays his jersey on the coach's desk so Rudy can play in his place. The coach resists the offer and tells his team captain to "act like a captain." To which the team captain says, "I believe I am" and walks out of the office with his jersey on the coach's desk.

I cry every time I see this scene. I am moved by the courage of the team captain to allow love to compel him in his action of giving up his spot on the field for Rudy. He model's Christ-like leadership and lives into something so much greater than his own success on the field or a win for his team.

As we will see this Sunday in 1 Corinthians 9:1-18, the Apostle Paul makes a similar move. He chooses to not take payment from the wealthy Corinthians for his work as an apostle, choosing instead to work as a laborer. This move agitates the Corinthians and they respond by questioning Paul's very apostleship. But Paul saw something the Corinthians did not see. His eyes were on the integrity of the gospel and he was willing to do anything to keep the gospel front and center. This Sunday we will be encouraged and inspired by the Apostle Paul to live full lives, fully for the gospel.

Matt