Tierra Nueva

Danielle leads an examination in submission for growth and transformation.

John 15:1-5 (ESV): I Am the True Vine

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

How do we deal with the anxiety of this season or any season? Get honest with God in prayer, and be thankful. It's hard to be anxious and thankful at the same time.

Philippians 4:4, 6-7 (ESV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice… the Lord is at hand.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Alvin also examines a song of rich and poor, and finds a call to repentance in the end of the story.

Psalm 49:18-19 (NIV)

Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper—they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.

We gather in worship for help and direction from our loving God.

Welcome: Mike Neelley

Worship: Alvin and Kelsey Shim

Prayers of the People: Kevin Riley

Message: Gracie Ekblad

Call to Action: Bob Ekblad

Blessing: Andrew Lewis

Ephesians 1:15-19 (NASB): The Blessings of Redemption

15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

Alvin basically sums up the whole Bible and the whole story of God and his people.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV)

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Though it is dry and uncomfortable, the wilderness isn't just a place to get through as quickly as possible. It is a place where God reveals Himself in ways that we wouldn't otherwise know Him. Who does God want to be for you in this wilderness? What does He want to show you about Himself that you wouldn't otherwise see?

Luke 4:1-13 (ESV): The Temptation of Jesus

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,    and him only shall you serve.’”

9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,    to guard you,’

11 and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Danielle reflects on justice and mercy, celebrating in God’s love.

Matthew 5:7 (NIV)

Blessed are the merciful,    

for they will be shown mercy.

Kevin and Quinn re-calibrate in a sick world.

Matthew 5:8 (ESV)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Alvin basks in our loving God’s coming in and saving us from death.

Our World Belongs to God

39. The church is a gathering

of forgiven sinners called to be holy.

Saved by the patient grace of God,

we deal patiently with others

and together confess our need

for grace and forgiveness.

Restored in Christ’s presence,

shaped by his life,

this new community lives out

the ongoing story of God’s reconciling love,

announces the new creation,

and works for a world of justice and peace.

Sunday! We gather in worship together, celebrating our brought-back-to-life status as God’s beloved.

Welcome and Worship: Lucy Capron

Prayers and Call to Action: Bob Ekblad

Message: Mike Neelley

Closing Blessing: Andrew Lewis

Ephesians 2:1-7 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.