Surprise Endings

Luke 19:1-10

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells stories that have surprise, even shocking endings. In our passage for today, Jesus orchestrates a conclusion that generates mumbling, grumbling, anger – and great joy. Join us and hear the radical, paradoxical  message Jesus conveys, and how that lesson impacts our lives.

Matthew 16:24-25

Learning to follow Jesus changes lives. It can turn the world upside down, or right-side up, depending upon your perspective. Jesus’ teaching can also can be very intimidating. The outline of our verses for today’s lesson demonstrate this difficulty well. 

Deny yourself; take up your cross; follow me.

How might these imperatives translate into today’s complicated world? And what might be some tangible ways to better understand his calling to us? Join us as we explore the power of these words from the Gospel of Matthew.  

Matthew 9:9

Learning to follow Jesus doesn’t just happen. The Gospel of Matthew challenges us in creative, educational and highly relevant ways. Join us as Dr. Jordan takes on a deep dive into and through this vital part of the New Testament story of Jesus, and of how to follow him. 

Matthew 2:1-15

Inspiration happens. Life gets interrupted, sometimes with insights that change us for good. The tradition we share on Epiphany Sunday reminds us of this reality. Magi from a faraway place in the East represent this kind of holy interruption in our biblical tradition. The story is told in Matthew 2 as part of our Christmas story. But it is so much more. Our focus on this passage today will provide you with inspired wisdom for 2023. Join us as we learn and grow together!

Matthew 1:18-25

Have you ever faced a time in your life when you had few, if any, good options? In our Gospel passage today, Joseph faces hard choices and real world difficulties. Join us as we acknowledge similar dilemmas; and we recognize, even in our most frustrating times, the mystery of God’s love. 

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in the wilderness? Whether literally without a map or cell phone, or figuratively with a sense of loneliness, of being left out or looked over or left behind, these times in life are frightening. In our passages for today, good news breaks through. Whatever your circumstance, today’s message is for you. Join us, and may this Sunday awaken the reality of good news in you.

Romans 15:5-7

Peace. It is elusive. It is vital. We long for it in our personal lives, just as we wish for it in our broader society. And yet, just as for those who’ve gone before us, peace often seems tantalizingly out of reach. Our sermon today covers a significant amount of territory. We explore times through our biblical history rarely covered in our church life, yet highly relevant to the coming of Jesus and to the bringing of peace. How does this relate to you and to me? Join us for this inspiring, thought-provoking journey through our history and into our lives.

Songs of the Heart

Psalm 139

The very middle part of our Bible is where we find the Psalms. Here we experience some of the most brutally honest and deeply spiritual words in scripture. Our passage for this sermon, Psalm 139, gives us the entire range of emotions: loss, sadness, despair, even hatred. Yet each of these is punctuated by assurances, hope, and an abiding faith in a vastly compassionate, ever-present all-encompassing God. Join us as we explore together the depth and breadth of this extraordinary scripture.

Jeremiah 8:18-22

We need to hear the truth. The prophetic role in our biblical tradition attempts to confront us with just that. The scripture for this Sunday combines both transparent sadness (giving us permission to be honest with our feelings!) as well as hard truths that the people then and we today need to hear.

Join us as we continue our Journey through the Bible with the words of Jeremiah and our need to hear the truth!