Join us as we explore Jesus as a prophet.

Jesus understood himself as a prophet, and as the fulfillment of the prophets of the Old Testament.

The prophets were known for calling God's people to come back to God. In this sermon we explore the temptations Jesus faced (Matthew 3:13-4:11) to take his attention/affection/trust/service away from God.

How do those same temptations impact us?

May God continue to form all of us as we continue to make God's love the core of our identity & motivation to serve.

Join us as we explore Jesus as a prophet.

In Luke 4 we read that Jesus understood himself as a prophet - "I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his hometown" - and the fulfillment of what the prophet Isaiah had written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord's favor has come."

The prophets of the Old Testament called people back to God from living lives of idolatry and injustice. In the scripture we read today, Jesus calls his hometown to let go of thinking of themselves as insiders and others as outsiders.

May God continue to form all of us as we meditate on God's love and faithfulness to all people.

Join us as we explore the prophets of the Old Testament.

Today we look at Hosea. Many of the prophets were asked by God to do things that would appear foolish to the crowd that observed their behavior. Hosea is at the top of that list.

Through his words and his own life, Hosea paints God as the abandoned one. While God keeps trying to love his people, they keep running to other things/gods with their interest/affection/trust.

"I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings." This was God's call to his people. Not just to know information about God. But to be intimate. Connected.

May God continue to form all of us as we meditate on God's love and faithfulness to his people.

Join us as we explore the prophets of the Old Testament.

Today we look at Ezekiel. At the same time Jeremiah was back in Jerusalem being a prophet to the remnant, God came to Ezekiel while he was in captivity in Babylon and called him to be a prophet to his fellow Judean exiles.

Our focus will be Ezekiel 36:26, "I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."

God's grace shines through in this scripture/prophet as God chooses to have mercy - not for anything that those in exile did - but simply because God is merciful (Ezekiel 20:44).

May God continue to form all of us as we become more aware of God's mercy.

Join us as we explore the prophets of the Old Testament.

Today we look at how Isaiah called the whole community to come back to God. Specifically we will look at chapter 58 where Isaiah calls out the people for worshipping God for the purpose of getting what they wanted.

True worship is listening to God and acting on it.

At the heart of this teaching is listening to God's desire that his people would act on caring for the oppressed, the imprisoned, the hungry, and the homeless. Mother Teresa, and Father Greg Boyle are examples of people who listened and acted - they remind us that we belong to one another.

There is no following of Jesus that will not lead you to connecting with the oppressed. And if somehow we do fail to connect with the oppressed, scriptures throughout the Bible teach us... we are the ones who are missing out.

May God continue to form all of us as we listen and act.

Join us as we explore the prophets of the Old Testament.

Today we look at how Jeremiah called the whole community to come back to God. As we follow Jeremiah's life we learn how difficult it was to be a prophet, and how God formed Jeremiah through the ups and downs.

Through Jeremiah's example, we explore, "How do we keep hope today?"

In an increasingly polarized culture, we also look at the importance of God speaking through the prophets to the collective - the whole community - the whole culture. This challenges all of us to stop thinking of ourselves in splits of "us" and "them", but as part of the whole, and how we will act together for the good of the whole.

May God continue to form all of us as we seek.

Gary Walter takes us through Jesus' teaching about prayer in Luke 11:1-13.

These are some of the questions that Jesus answers for us in this scripture:
What can we pray about?
What is important about our heart when we pray?
What does Jesus teach us about God's heart?

If you want more intimacy with God or some encouragement in your prayer life - take the time to listen to this!

How do you get the Holy Spirit into your life?

As we celebrate & remember Pentecost... that's the question Pastor Daron focuses on as he shares a sermon with our graduating seniors.