A message from Philippians 2:1-11 (MSG)  by Nate Ledbetter on the joy of humble unity with audio excerpts from the Mennonite Mission Network's "Jesus Wasn't White". 

A sermon from Phil. 1:12-30 on the joy of making Christ known by Wes Vander Lugt.

Following Jesus is an invitation into a joyful life. Or as Jurgen Moltmann writes: “Christianity is a unique religion of joy.” But what does it actually mean to have a joyful life and to “rejoice always” (Phil 4:4)? If embracing joy is far more than warm fuzzies, how is it related to feeling happy and secure? How does joy persist amidst the brokenness of life and stay honest in the midst of injustice and loss?

Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is jam-packed with joy. For Paul, joy is the feeling, mindset, and way of life flowing from union with Christ and deep partnership with others. A joyful life does not ignore or avoid pain and suffering, but rather incorporates these experiences into the goal of living with and for Christ. As Jack Gilbert says in his poem “A Brief for the Defense,” “we must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world; to make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.” Joy is a matter of being seized by the Spirit and swept up into the gracious movement and restorative mission of God.

As we walk through this seven-week series in the book of Philippians, we are doing so through the lens of joy. Our prayer is that the Spirit will lead us into deeper joy as we contemplate and practice our life together with Christ. Our first message in this series is taught by Ron McClelland from Philippians 1:1-11 about how partnership for the sake of the gospel means sharing in joy and grief, leading to sincere friendship.

A message by Roxanne Morgan from Romans 8:22-25 on living in liminality is normal life for us as missional followers of Emmanuel.

A sermon by Wes Vander Lugt on Luke 2:22-39 (ESV)

A message from Nate Ledbetter on Isaiah 51:1-3 on how Christ in you is the ONE we’re waiting for. 

A message by Mike Lawrie on Lamentations 3 (“Yet this I call to mind...his mercies are new every morning...it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”)

Lament: Me & Mine (American Aquarium)   

For thousands of years, God’s people waited for the promised Messiah. Now for thousands of years, we  have been waiting for the Messiah’s return  and God’s promised renewal of all things. We are participating in the slow story of a slow God, and following Jesus today means learning how to wait well. Advent in particular is a season of waiting as we celebrate the long-awaited arrival of Jesus’ first coming and anticipate his second coming.

Real life happens in the waiting. Encounter with God happens in the waiting. We are not waiting for God to show up, because God is already here in the midst of our waiting. And yet we struggle with impatience in the waiting. It’s difficult to maintain our hope in the waiting. The story of God is slow, and we want it to go fast. Not only that, but there are plenty of life situations, seasons, and relationships that are an invitation to holy waiting, but in reality we would much rather get it over with and rush on to the next thing.

What does it look like, therefore, to wait well and with the virtues of faith, hope, and love? Is it possible to be a people of waiting and action at the same time? How does the practice of waiting connect to the way of discipleship as contemplative action? How might the waiting be an opportunity to grow in greater intimacy with Christ and others?

A message by Kurt Graves on  Genesis 25:1-8.

A message by Nate Ledbetter on Genesis 24:1-67.