June 1, 2025 - Jesus Equips the Called

Epic fantasy series like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia are a collection of books that each tell their own story but when read as a collection, they tell one overarching story. The book we call the Holy Bible, while not fantasy but the most real words you will ever read, is not unlike these epic fantasy series in that it too is a collection of individual works that when read together tell one overarching story, God's Story.

 Jesus said that His disciples would be known by their love.  His disciples would share the same sort of love that Jesus Himself has shown the world.  How did Jesus love?  This week Pastor Josh meditates on the stories of Jesus' life to extract how He loves. 

Jesus was approached by several Jews on Solomon's porch where they asked Him to tell them plainly if He was the Messiah or not.  Jesus, however, may have had something else on His mind as He remembered the Maccabean revolt from two centuries earlier. Watch and learn as Pastor Josh makes a connection between Mother's Day and Hannukah (hint: it's Jesus and Mary). 

Who will be the most important in the Kingdom of God? How do we deal with our own failures and when we let ourselves and others down?  Jesus told St. Peter that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat. What does that mean, to be sifted?   Sifting is a part of the process of turning wheat into flour where the undesirable parts, the chaff, are separated from the wheat berries.  Jesus told St. Peter that Satan was asking to test him, to identify if there was any fruit in him or if it was all chaff.

 Easter and Passover are intimately intertwined.  Watch and learn as Pastor Josh explains some of the connections.

This is our very first Easter Service as new community!  Christ is Risen!  Sabbath or a period of rest is very important to God. He designed us and all of creation with a period of rest in mind. 

Good Friday is the day we observe the death of Jesus, the culmination of His passion and beginning of His three days in the tomb.

 Christ the King has come to reclaim all of creation in the name of the LORD!  If we don't shout His praises then the very stones, mountains, and trees of the field will.  Make a joyful noise to the LORD! 

 As Jesus prepared for His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He stopped to have dinner with some friends.  It takes many different kinds of people to make up the body of Christ, the Church.  We see examples of some of those in His followers at that supper.  Which kind do you most identify with? 

This playlist has all current and past sermons.