Getting it Right Where it Counts / 2 Samuel
Getting it Right Where it Counts - 2 Samuel
David's life is a mess. He is violent, unfaithful, and deceitful. Yet, according to the scriptures there is something about him which makes him a man after God's heart. What in the world are we supposed to learn from a guy like this?
Whose side is God on? // Joshua 5:13-15
Whose side is God on? // Joshua 5:13-15
It's easy to assume that God being for us makes God against 'them.' But the reality of God's redemptive plan reaches far beyond our tribalism.
A Law of Love? Deuteronomy
A Law of Love? Deuteronomy
Reading the Hebrew Law as modern followers of Jesus often leaves us perplexed and possibly offended. We are ultimately left with the question of what in the world these ancient law codes have to do with us. We're tackling some of these questions together this week.
Liberation from... Exodus Part II
Liberation from... Exodus Part II // Exodus 40:33–38
We often think of liberation in terms of freedom from rather than liberation into. Yet the God of liberation is a God of love, always liberating into divine communion.
Liberation from... Exodus Part I
Liberation from... Exodus Part I // Exodus 12:21–36
The story of the Exodus is well known. And if we will allow it, this monumental moment in the life of the Hebrew people can shape our imagination in a way that leads us into the subversive way of a liberating God.
God Chooses our Mess
God Chooses our Mess // Genesis 12–50
The story of the Old Testament is often told as one of faithful heroes. In reality, the story is one of God's persistent faithfulness to be for us, using our messes to bring blessing and flourishing to the world.
God's Hope as a Response to Violence
God's Hope as a Response to Violence // Genesis 6:1-13 & 9:1-17
From the beginning of creation, God has been intervening in human ruin to provide a hope for the world through relationship with Him. the Bible’s flood narrative reveals this truth. God saw violence and responded with hope. And it was all through relationship with Him.
After Death Q&A
After Death Q&A // Mark 1:9-14
Join us as we answer your questions about life after death.
A God Who Bears Our Suffering for Love
Isaiah 54:10
God is an infinite and diverse being that we are unable to capture in a single description. So Christian scriptures and tradition have employed a variety of metaphors to help us understand God and God's relationship with us. This morning we look at one of the oft ignored metaphors revealing a God who bears suffering because of deep love for us.
Judgement, condemnation, and a God of Love
John 3:16–31
Taking the scriptures seriously means wrestling with the reality of God's wrath. But if we will, we will often find something shockingly hopeful and redemptive.
Would a God of Love send anyone to Hell?
Luke 16:19-31
What do the scriptures really say about hell if we take them seriously? And more importantly, what sort of picture does this paint of the God we serve and worship? And what sort of damage has this done to those outside the church, but also to those within?
Is Heaven for Real?
Luke 24:36-53
What happens when we die but before the resurrection? Does Jesus talk about this at all and how might this change the way we live now?
After Death: Rethinking “Good News”
Mark 1:1-15
I think our misunderstanding of heaven, hell and the afterlife has hijacked what it means to follow Jesus. The Good News of Jesus seems to have shockingly little to death with heaven, or hell. And that makes a huge difference.
The Best News Ever
John 20:1-18
We could all use some good news, but the good news of Easter isn't just good news for the future, it is good news for right here and now.
Renewed in Embodiment: Embodied Life with God
Matthew 21:1–11
Many of us have come to believe our bodies are bad, or at least neutral containers of the real us. But Jesus shows us something radically different, inviting us into a far richer and more holistic understanding of our selves as bodies.
Renewed in Listening: Scripture & Prayer
Matthew 4:1–11
The Scriptures played a key role in the life of Jesus and in the life of God's people for centuries. Is there a way for us to move beyond some of the abusive, simplistic, and cynical ways we relate to the Scriptures in order to recover something redemptive? I think so.
Renewed in Life Together
Matthew 12:46-50
If we are made for love then our relationships are vital to our spiritual life. But what does redemptive, Jesus centered community look like?
Renewed in Fasting…and Feasting
Luke 11:13-19
Spiritual disciplines help us navigate the strong currents of the world. Feasting and fasting give us tools to stand within but in protest of the evil world, in an embodied way, a way that longs for and celebrates the Kingdom of God here and now.