This morning we ask, “Does God’s judgment mean God is cruel?” As we’ve seen throughout Amos, God’s judgment is not cruelty; it is actually a form of his mercy. As CS Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce, “There are two types of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’ ” Which will you choose?
Seek the Lord and Live
“Seek me and live,” God tells his people in Amos 5. This morning we continue learning from the Old Testament prophet Amos, as we see that God’s deepest longing is that we would find life in following God, and that paradoxically, we gain the most when we give the most away.
A Severe Mercy
Sometimes God’s mercy takes an unexpected, even sharp, form. As we begin a four-week study of the Old Testament prophet Amos, we see this that God is not a doom-and-gloom masochist who delights in the groveling of his people, but a tender God who wants his people to live the most fully human and joyful lives possible.
Faith Like a Child
Jesus didn’t only tolerate children; he welcomed them and sought them out. And to those who thought they were too busy for children, he had some sharp words: “The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
What does Jesus call us to, when he calls us to receive the kingdom of God like a child?
A Holy Priesthood
How do we understand the church in a post-pandemic world? The Bible offers a series of metaphors to describe the church’s role in the world. This morning we explore Peter’s reminder that we are a “holy and royal priesthood.”
Christianity is not a spectator sport, in which the churchgoers watch the priest or pastor “do” ministry. Instead, it is a family of priests, and God calls each of us to minister to and serve the world around us. Yes, you are a priest!
Strangers and Aliens
How do we understand the church in a post-pandemic world? The Bible offers a series of metaphors to describe the church’s role in the world. This morning we explore Peter’s reminder that we are strangers and aliens in this world.
To be a stranger—an exile—is profoundly disorienting. Why would God call us to be spiritually homeless, so to speak? And could it be that we can be more effective when we are less comfortable?
What is that in your hand?
When God calls Moses to be his emissary to Egypt, Moses knows how completely unqualified he is for the job. God responds and asks Moses, “What is that in your hand?”
God doesn’t call us to serve him after we’ve got everything perfectly in place; he calls us and gives us the tools we need, which are usually right in front of us. The secret lies in receiving God’s call with open hands instead of with clenched fists.
Built to Last
How do we know whether a building will last or not? Most of it has to do with the building’s foundation. A home’s foundation won’t draw “oohs” and “aahs" on HGTV, but when a foundation crumbles, the building will crumble.
How can we ensure that our church is built to last? This morning Rev. Ryan Tankersley shows that only one foundation will truly support the church.
Many Is One
How do we understand the church in a post-pandemic world? The Bible offers a series of metaphors to describe the church’s role in the world. This morning we explore Paul’s claim that the church is the body of Christ.
When a body is missing a part, it is deformed and loses function. God has a place and a purpose for each of us. Join us as Doran Morford helps us to examine the rich metaphor of the church as Christ’s body.
This Is God's House
How do we understand the church in a post-pandemic world? The Bible offers a series of metaphors to describe the church’s role in the world. This morning we explore Paul’s claim that, “you are God’s temple, and God’s spirit lives in you.”
If we are God’s temple, how does that affect who God calls us to be and where God calls us to go?
One Flock Following One Shepherd
How do we understand the church in a post-pandemic world? The Bible offers a series of metaphors to describe the church’s role in the world. This morning we examine Jesus’ description of a shepherd and his flock. “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus claims. “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” How does the description of a shepherd and his sheep color our role and calling in our world?
How Not to Build a Kingdom
When you examine how Jesus begins to build his kingdom after he is raised from the dead, you quickly notice that he does not follow the expected paths or best practices. In fact, he seems to stack the deck against himself. Why would he assign himself such a competitive disadvantage? As we celebrate the resurrection, we see just how unexpectedly perfect God’s plans are.
Feasting as an Act of War
This morning we continue to reflect on Psalm 23, this time exploring the image of God, the host of a great dinner party, who invites us, his prized friends, to a feast. How does it change your life to know that God not only provides for you and protects you, but he prizes you?
A Song for Dark Days
The most famous Psalm begins, The Lord is my shepherd. This morning we reflect on the image of a shepherd and his sheep. When the days are dark and we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death, lasting hope can only be found with a good shepherd.
A Song for When Sin Seems Good
Each of us looks to various desires to prove our significance in life. We may find our worth in providing for family, finding a spouse to fulfill us, achievement at work or school, establishing a good reputation, or even in physical beauty.
The Psalms teach us that those things will inevitably fall short, and that the Christian response is not renounce those desires, but to find a better desire—one that can actually deliver on its promises. Hear this morning how Jesus is our better desire.
Hope is Not Wishful Thinking
When we talk about hope, we often mean something too anemic. Hope is not man-made, wishful thinking. Hope is not a sense of denial or passivity. Christian hope is something deeper—stronger—far more durable that we understand. This morning Doran Morford helps us explore a more resilient hope.
A Song for When We are Afraid
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
It feels like we have had lots to fear over the past year. How can we find freedom from those fears and anxieties? This morning our region minister, Dale Edwards, shows us how our fears make poor counselors.
A Song for Sleepless Nights
What keeps you up at night? In David’s case, it was his own son trying to kill him, and possibly widespread crop failures, and his opponents ridiculing his reputation. Yet he writes, “I will lie down and sleep in peace.” (Psalm 4:8)
Where does such confidence come from? How can we likewise sleep well when we face worry, stress, and anxiety?
The Lord Will Provide
It’s one of the most chilling stories in the Bible: God tests Abraham and asks him to sacrifice his own son. How does Abraham respond, and what does it demonstrate about Abraham’s relationship with God?
Grace Changes You
In Luke 5 Jesus causes Simon, a fisherman, to haul in the catch of a lifetime. So many fish that his boat begins to sink. Then Simon leaves the catch of fish on the shore to follow Jesus.
If you had just landed the catch of a lifetime, what would motivate you to leave it behind?
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