“The opening words of the gospel of John are quite possibly the most important words ever written. In this passage, there is new birth and new creation. God invites us to dwell here, with each reading expanding our wonder, our imaginations and our hearts. And what is most breathtaking? That we can get the front row experience of God’s love, a love so intense that he writes himself into our story. God becomes human and moves into the neighborhood."

Passage: John 1:1-14

Respond:

• One way we can lose sight of meaning is through familiarity, we can become so accustomed to the words that we fail to hear them. As you come to the text this week, read it slowly. What phrases and truths does the Spirit invite you to dwell on?

• The first words of John 1 echo the first words of Genesis, virtually all scholars agree that this is very intentional. John is writing a new creation story - what new reality is being birthed in this prologue?

• When God “made his dwelling” among us, it is no longer like the understanding of tabernacle or temple; God’s presence has no boundaries. What are the implications of a God who moves into our neighborhood? A God who shows up unannounced? Who is with us when we run errands? When we brace ourselves for hard news? Whose presence we should emulate?

Advent

This week, we read about Jesus’ birth according to Matthew. Unlike other accounts, this gospel has no manger scene, no angel song and no shepherds. It’s a portrait of how God is truly with us among all of the mess and complexities that we find ourselves in. That God is with us means that we can have hope in one that will bring an end to sin and injustice, that there is peace available to us, that the good news of the kingdom is among us. That God is love."

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Respond:

• Joseph walked in faith despite lacking the full picture of the hardships ahead. In what areas or uncertainties might God be calling you to a deeper surrender and trust in this season of your life?

• How do you react when we are confronted with highly unusual circumstances that disrupt our understanding of things? Has God called you to participate in something that seemed impossible or frightening? In retrospect, have you found that God was present and faithful in the midst of those strange and difficult times?

Advent

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” This honest question and doubt from John the Baptist echoes in the hearts of many of us. It reflects the difference between people’s expectations and the reality of the true character of Jesus - God with us. This time of year, we are saturated with manufactured cheerfulness; we can have joy in the promises of God and His kingdom despite our experiences of loneliness and despair.

Scripture passage: Matthew 11:1-11

Respond:

• The advent of Jesus Christ comes with good news. It’s an invitation to be transformed.  What is the Holy Spirit inviting to be transformed in you? Is it a relationship in your life? Is it how you steward your time, finances and abilities? Is it an invitation to slow down and listen to your gut, your soul? Is it a fundamental change of heart?

• Emmanuel, God with us, does not remove all our troubles but enters our suffering and accompanies us through them. Does this make a difference in your experience? How can God’s people faithfully accompany others through troubles?

• Jesus made a habit of bringing those who were excluded and marginalized (lepers, strangers and outsiders) into community and healing. As Jesus asks, what do you hear and see? In what ways do you see God’s kingdom at work and how can you participate in it?

Advent

For a Christmas story, the birth of Jesus, that brings so much joy and hope it is interesting that in its initial announcements to the main people in the story, the joyful news is preceded with the words “Do Not Be Afraid”. Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and finally the Shepherds all get the same words in their opening dialogues with the Angels. The Promise of Peace is there for us. But what is this Peace that is being offered? For one thing it is not always how we picture it!

Scripture Passage(s): Luke 2:8-14, Philippians 4:7, Romans 15:13

Respond:

• Re-read one of the narratives surrounding the birth of Jesus: Zechariah (Luke 1:11-25), Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25), Mary (Luke 1:26-38), and the Shepherds (Luke 2:8-14). Take notice of the scene, their reactions and the exhortation from the angels “do not be afraid”. What do you see? What details stick out?

• When we look at the biblical witness, we find stories of men and women that continually experience fear and anxiety within circumstances out of their control. Times of suffering and brokenness is a common thread for God’s people. “There are no exceptions even for Jesus”, notes Paul Racine. What has your experience of fear and anxiety look like in your life? How might you distinguish between trusting in a change of circumstance and trusting in God?

• When have you experienced God’s nearness in a particularly trying time. What happened? What scripture comes to mind? Or perhaps a biblical story. Take time sharing and giving praise.

• Jesus, prayed the lament of Psalm 22 on the cross. Choose a portion of the Psalm (verses 1-21 petition, verses 22-31 praise and thanksgiving) and put it into your own words.

• Read Psalm 22 as a closing prayer together (or pray Psalm 22 in your own words)

Advent

The certainty of hope is not what you are hoping for but it is in whom your hope is placed.

Passages: Psalm 119: 116, Romans 4:18, Romans 15:13

Christ the King Sunday

This Sunday we celebrate Christ the King. The theme of Christ’s Lordship is central to what it means to trust and follow Jesus. This week we engage Psalm 46. A honest psalm that names the constant threats we face but draws us to the One who is enthroned above the chaos of the wind and the waves.

No recording available for this week

Passage: Psalm 46

Respond:

• Thomas Merton says that the psalms are like the bread of heaven in the wilderness of our exodus. Does life currently feel like a wilderness season? Or do things feel overwhelming and chaotic? How do your heart respond toward these circumstances?

• In Psalm 46, the psalmist draws our attention to God being our refuge and strength and ever present help in times of trouble. Regarding God’s faithfulness in your story, what might the Spirit be calling to your memory in the midst of your present circumstances?

• Upon reflection of the promises in Psalm 46, in what way do you sense the Spirit of God inviting you to a new perspective and response to your circumstances?

Proper 28 (Trinitytide)

In Luke 17:11-19 we find the story of the one grateful leper who was healed and returned to thank Jesus while 9 others did not. How are can we sometimes be like the ungrateful 9? How can we become more like the grateful 1? How can we "train our brains" and our hearts and minds for gratitude to God?

Guest Preacher: Pastor Jeff Jantzi

Scripture passage: Luke 17:11-19

Proper 27 (Trinitytide)

When we feel paralyzed and burdened beyond what we can conceivably bear, we can know that God invites us to cry out with feelings that we’d rather not express. Not only that, but God hears and deeply cares. This week we will engage with Psalm 17. An honest, brutal and brooding psalm that reminds us to find our refuge and trust in God.

Scripture passage: Psalm 17

Respond:

• David opens his prayer with self-examination. James teaches that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective, Peter calls for respect and consideration of your spouse so your prayers would not be hindered. This Psalm is a challenge to live a life worthy of God’s call. Have you considered how our sin and habits relate to how we engage God in prayer?

• To remember is a key theme in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The act of remembering is still a key component of faith today. Regarding God’s faithfulness in your story, what might the Spirit be calling to your memory in the midst of your present circumstances?

Life Together

In the Scriptures and throughout the centuries, we see countless examples of God speaking to people from every tribe and nation. Regardless of geography or era, people call out and speak to God; sometimes from a stage, but most often in quiet isolation. What we see in the Bible and the life of Jesus is that listening and obedience to God is meant to be the natural outflow of what it is to be fully human.

Scripture passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and John 10:1-10

Respond:

• How many times has God spoken to you through the Scriptures? Times where you needed comfort, peace, guidance, correction etc. In what ways have you sensed God’s leading through thoughts, impressions or voices in community?

• Some (not all) principles to keep in mind to discern if you are hearing the voice of God:

  • Does it sound like Jesus as revealed in Scripture?

  • Does it push you to be more like Jesus?

  • Does it love your neighbor?

• Do you believe that God is speaking to you often? When you think of the times where God has spoken to you, what patterns emerge (ie. Scripture, lectio divina, prayer, impressions, thoughts, community etc.)

Life Together

Everyday we find ourselves in proximity to colleagues and friends whose faces and stories may bear little resemblance to our own. Jesus’ life displayed the heartbeat of God and broke down the dividing wall between people. He did this through coming near to us and caring deeply about people. In order to be incarnational, followers of Jesus ought to be present and committed in community.

Scripture passages: John 15:9-17 and Hebrews 10:19-25

Respond:

• Kosuke Koyama says that Love has a speed. God, who is love; walked at three miles per hour. There was a pace of Jesus’ life that made him available to others even when it could be considered an interruption. What changes might the Holy Spirit desire to make to your pace and schedule?

• How many times does an unexpected opportunity to bless or be God’s hands, feet and mouthpiece arise when you continue to ‘show up’ in relationship? In what ways can you exercise servanthood in the positions of authority that you carry? (ie. seniority at work, as a parent, older sibling etc)

• Sherry Turkle: “Friendships embody the power of the gospel in a unique way, because in friendship we live out the truth of the gospel to each other. What is the gospel besides that Jesus knows how broken we are and sticks around to love us anyway? What is a friend except someone who knows how broken we are yet sticks around to love us anyway?” Thank God for the friends in your life who exemplify this, pray that you might be this for others.

Thanksgiving re-connects us to a trust in God (even in times when our eyes see nothing but challenge ahead), a divine pathway out of being imprisoned by present circumstance. Pastor Mike Linnen will share a biography of a hymn writer named Martin Rinkart who had to lead a church (and in some ways his town) through times of exceptional war, disease and famine.

Scripture passages: Jeremiah 33:10-11, Psalm 100

Life Together

Humanity has a history of leveraging power in ways that abuse and dehumanize others. To his followers, Jesus says “Not so with you.” The people of God are called to be set apart, to be a slave of all. The life of Jesus, his character and his actions; demonstrated the heart of God, he tells us to "go and do likewise." This week we continue our series on ‘Life Together: Values of Renewal church’ focusing on participation in the kingdom of God.

(Recording unavailable)

Scripture Passages: Mark 10:35-45 and Philippians 2:1-11

Respond:

• Humanity has a history of leveraging power in ways that abuse and dehumanize others. To his followers, Jesus says “Not so with you.” In what ways can you exercise servanthood in the positions of authority that you carry? (ie. seniority at work, as a parent, older sibling etc)

• The character and mindset of Jesus was revealed through his choices, to take the nature of a servant, humble himself and to become obedient. Are you willing to look outside of your own interests and in humility value others over yourself? What are the habits of Jesus that help produce that same love in us?

• Jesus’ life and schedule was purposeful, but he was open for divine interruptions. There were unexpected opportunities to serve people that surfaced regardless of where he was.In what ways can you participate with what God wants to do in your existing workplace, with your existing gifts and abilities?

When we live in a land of fast-food outlets and enough drive-through snacks to feed a football team, maybe we've forgotten what it means to be hungry. Yet, how often are we satisfied? Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, "Those who follow Jesus grow hungry and thirsty on the way." Let's taste and see... Might Jesus satisfy, and make us hungry for more?

Scripture Passages: 1 Corinthians 10:1-10; Matthew 5:6

Life Together

The way we organize our life, and the practices we are devoted to determine the people we become. Jesus’ life and teachings interrogated the scripts that people tend to live into. He called his people to be set apart. This week we continue our series on ‘Life Together: Values of Renewal church.’ We will focus on communion: the table anchors us in the gospel, focusing on his death, resurrection and his return as our hope and joy.

(Retreat Weekend)

Scripture passages: Luke 22:14-20 and Galatians 2:11-21

Life Together

The way we organize our life, and the practices we are devoted to determine the people we become. Jesus’ life and teachings interrogated the scripts that people tend to live into. He called his people to be set apart. This week we begin a series on ‘Life Together: Values of Renewal church.’ We begin with Formation: our lifelong goal is to be learners of Jesus and to live like he did.

(Recording unavailable this week)

Scripture Passages: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 2 Peter 1:3-8

Respond:

• The way we organize our life, and the practices we are devoted to (learning, service, financial, prayer, physical etc.) determine the people we become. Take some time to interrogate the habits that you live into. Consider the habits of Jesus.

• Followers of Jesus adopted Jesus’ yoke, they were bound to his teaching and way of life. Out of Jesus’ habits and practices (prayer, Scripture, solitude, Sabbath, worship, obedience, surrender etc), which ones happen to be the most difficult to practice today why might that be?

• So we know that spiritual formation is a process through which we partner with the Spirit, to become more like Jesus. In what ways might a view that spiritual formation is only God’s work lead to an unhealthy life? On the other hand, how might a view that spiritual formation is only achieved through human effort harmful? What is the role of the community in spiritual formation.

We will be reading from Matthew 18:1-7 which highlights Jesus' answer to the question: who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus extends an invitation to become like little children, adopting their humility, dependence and becoming a welcoming people.

Respond:

• Jesus teaches “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Who are the ones like children in our midst? In our workplaces, our communities?

• If our entrance into the kingdom of heaven is predicated on our becoming like little children, shouldn’t that cause us to pay close attention to what it is to be a child?

• Do you often find yourself getting caught up in the race for greatness? If so, in what context(s)? What do you suppose lies behind that motivation?

• What practices have drawn you into greater dependence upon God? What helps you to be truly humble before God and people?

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." There are no shortage of ideas of what it means to live a ‘good life.’ In a series of teaching known as the Beatitudes, Jesus is inviting people into a way of living that will not only produce true flourishing in the here and now, but also in the age to come. This Sunday, we conclude a series in which we deeply explore each blessing of these endlessly rich statements of Jesus.

Respond:

• Those who are “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” are the people that long to see right happen in the world. Have you ever been treated unfairly for doing what was right? What happened? What did it cost? Would you do it again?

• Everything demands your allegiance. Jesus teaches that we cannot serve two masters. Following the Lordship of Jesus involves an individual’s finances, sexuality, relationship to power and the values that one orients their lives around.

• Take some time to evaluate each of these categories of your life in relation to following Jesus. In what ways does following Jesus challenge both the religious and cultural norms today?

“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Why does Jesus respond to this statement with a parable. This week we will explore how Jesus shows what God is like and what is God’s invitation in light of who He is.

Guest Speaker (No recording this week)

Respond:

• We learn about a God that is full of grace.

• We learn that God experiences anger, suffering and costly love.

• We see that God’s heart is full of generosity and invites people to join him in his mission

"What do we do when life falls apart because of our sin? This story of David and Bathsheba is such a powerful one of our need for forgiveness and the incredible depth of God's love and grace. It is a reminder of the need we have to forgive others."

Guest Speaker (no recording)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." There are no shortage of ideas of what it means to live a ‘good life.’ In a series of teaching known as the Beatitudes, Jesus is inviting people into a way of living that will not only produce true flourishing in the here and now, but also in the age to come.

Respond:

• As you reflect on the life of Jesus as peacemaker (ie. between ethnic, gender and socio-economic barriers). In what ways are you called to make peace in the different spheres you occupy?

• The apostle Paul teaches “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Where in your life right now are there conflicts that need to be stilled? Where are there relationships that need greater wholeness?