WestGate Church Teaching

It’s OFFICIALLY CHRISTMAS SEASON, EVERYBODY! Jay Kim stops by to talk about the first week of our Adorning the Darkness series. We discuss how the story of Jesus’ birth is both huge and cosmic AND deeply intimate and personal. We also examine the idea darkness, explore how sin is like Cherynobyl and discover what Jay’s kid’s favorite Christmas song is (hint: It’s sung by WHAM! and is not a Christmas song at all, really).

Light versus Dark. No other metaphor, no other imagery more accurately and profoundly captures the story of human experience quite like it. And no other image is used more frequently in the Bible to describe what God was doing on that first Christmas. God was - and is - bringing light into a dark world, through the birth of a baby boy. The word “adorn” means “to make beautiful” and that’s what God did on that first Christmas - sent beautiful light into a dark world. This week, we explore the genealogy of Jesus, which Matthew uses as a sort of “roll call that echoed the promises of God.” We see that since the very beginning, through all the ups and downs of Israel’s story—from God’s promise to Abraham to the rise of Israel to exile, through kings and prostitutes and everyone in between—God has been adorning the darkness since the very beginning, which gives us immense hope for today.

This past weekend, it was announced that Jay Kim was affirmed unanimously by the elders to be presented to the congregation for a vote to be the next lead pastor at WestGate Church. Jay will be succeeding Steve Clifford, who has served in that role for more than 20 years. I sat down with Steve and Jay to talk through what that process was like for both of them, and in the process get some behind-the-scenes insight into leadership transitions - both what to do and what NOT to do to ensure health.

Steve Clifford, who has served as the lead pastor at WestGate Church for more than 20 years, announces that after several years od conversation, that the executive leadership team and the elders have unanimously voted to present Jay Kim to the congregation (for a vote in January) to be the next lead pastor. Steve, Dana Clifford and Jay share the stage to talk about this unique process, and why they’re so excited about not only this move, but also the future of WestGate Church.

All the way back on Labor Day Weekend in September, we started our church-wide journey through the life of Abraham. But now, in the immortal words of Boyz II Men, we have come to the “end of the road.” David takes the mic around to folks on the staff (Ruth Nazanin, David Kim, Jay Kim and Steve Clifford) who preached a lot of the content during the multi-week series to ask them what their main takeaways were from the life of Abraham. And then he and the book’s editor Sarah Lee give some final reflections and share some of the ways this content has shaped them, too.

As we come to a close on the life of Abraham, we examine the totality of Abraham’s varied experiences with God. And we see an incredible pattern: time after time after time, God moves first to Abraham with incredible gifts. And then Abraham responds. Because some gifts are so good, they demand a response. And some gifts are so good, so charged with love, so overwhelming they change you. Just ask Abraham.

Throughout history, no single moment in the story of Abraham has captured the hearts and minds of poets, writers and visual artists than the sacrifice of Isaac. No story in the life of Abraham has captivated (and baffled) the hearts and minds of humans more than this one. Dave calls up two of his friends to talk through this story. Liz Ditty examines the various caricatures of this story, and how portraits of God as a “bad father” fall away quickly upon closer inspection. And then Sarah Lee joins me to talk through the hint we are given by the author of Hebrews about the mental state of Abraham through this ordeal - and how it pushes us to “think well” about God.

In Genesis 22, we are met with the emotional apex of of the entire story of Abraham. This story is so potent, it’s referred to in the Jewish tradition as simply “the Akedah” - which means, “the binding.” It’s the story of the moment where Abraham is asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. The raw emotion of a father walking up a hill, being asked by God Himself to kill his only son is overwhelming. And puzzling. Let’s be honest - this story upon first reading doesn’t make God look too good. But, if we read carefully, we see something else going - a dramatic reveal that shows us that God is not a cruel, whimsical or cruel deity - or a God who takes and takes and takes - but rather a God who gives and gives and gives

So what exactly did the people of Sodom and Gomorrah do that was *so* bad that God decided to hail down fire and sulphur? It must have been pretty bad, right? David Tieche does a deep dive into this topic, looking into the story, examines the other places in the Bible where Sodom is referenced and looks to the tradition of historical Christianity. He then makes his best case - which he presents to Jay Kim and Sarah Lee for their feedback.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a tragic story in so many ways. An outcry of injustice reaches the ears of God, who comes down to investigate. And the story ends with the complete and utter destruction of the city by God, who rains down fire. Throughout the rest of the Bible, even the name “Sodom” is used to represent a place of utter wickedness. But there’s more to the story, too. In the story, we see Abraham delicately arguing with God to save the city - and God (incredibly) agreeing to it - under one condition. And as we look at this complex story, we learn something about God, about His heart, and about what he’s hoping for His people.