For better or for worse, our perception of our heavenly Father is bound up in our perception of our own dads. Whether or not we were able to receive their blessing will either help or hinder us from receiving God's blessing...and whether or not we can receive God's blessing will shape and inform how we view every other human relationship.

For better or for worse, our perception of our heavenly Father is bound up in our perception of our own dads. Whether or not we were able to receive their blessing will either help or hinder us from receiving God's blessing...and whether or not we can receive God's blessing will shape and inform how we view every other human relationship.

We learn how to submit to God by learning how to submit to our fathers and mothers, biological and otherwise. Far from being independent, we are deeply dependent both on God and on healthy relationships with authority figures who bless us in the name of Jesus. This well known commandment provides the foundation for a whole culture of honor--all beginning with our parents.

We learn how to submit to God by learning how to submit to our fathers and mothers, biological and otherwise. Far from being independent, we are deeply dependent both on God and on healthy relationships with authority figures who bless us in the name of Jesus. This well known commandment provides the foundation for a whole culture of honor--all beginning with our parents.

In the Scriptures, marriage is the ultimate image and description of what a life with God looks like--which is why we unabashedly believe that these messages on husbands and wives are absolutely crucial for the entire body of Christ (married or not). The phenomenon of emasculated men in the church is real and pronounced. Husbands cannot love their wives as Christ loved the Church if they are needy, looking for her to fulfill in them what can only be found in the Father's heart. Over and against the culture that produces men who spend their lives in the aimless pursuit of trying to "find themselves," comes this powerful Word to men: stop searching and own up to your calling to be Christ for your wife.

In the Scriptures, marriage is the ultimate image and description of what a life with God looks like--which is why we unabashedly believe that these messages on husbands and wives are absolutely crucial for the entire body of Christ (married or not). The phenomenon of emasculated men in the church is real and pronounced. Husbands cannot love their wives as Christ loved the Church if they are needy, looking for her to fulfill in them what can only be found in the Father's heart. Over and against the culture that produces men who spend their lives in the aimless pursuit of trying to "find themselves," comes this powerful Word to men: stop searching and own up to your calling to be Christ for your wife.

According to Galatians 3, there is neither male nor female for those baptized in Christ. So now as free women, wives are able to respect and cherish their husbands not out of domination but out of worship, from a heart of reverence for Christ Himself. Giving up control and stepping into the untamed freedom of life with God, this is a call for women to find themselves again first in the presence of the Lover of their souls (the only place we can learn how to learn others well).

According to Galatians 3, there is neither male nor female for those baptized in Christ. So now as free women, wives are able to respect and cherish their husbands not out of domination but out of worship, from a heart of reverence for Christ Himself. Giving up control and stepping into the untamed freedom of life with God, this is a call for women to find themselves again first in the presence of the Lover of their souls (the only place we can learn how to learn others well).

The apostle Paul was unmarried and loving it, thank you very much! Rather than pushing singles into social conformity by "finding the right person," I Corinthians offers the kingdom alternative of unhindered devotion to Jesus. Despite the tendency in the Protestant church to downplay the gift of singleness, God affirms, values and cherishes His sons and daughters.

The apostle Paul was unmarried and loving it, thank you very much! Rather than pushing singles into social conformity by "finding the right person," I Corinthians offers the kingdom alternative of unhindered devotion to Jesus. Despite the tendency in the Protestant church to downplay the gift of singleness, God affirms, values and cherishes His sons and daughters.

Scripture is full of constructive teaching on human sexuality. Not only are there boundaries and parameters given, but also cause for frank, candid celebration of the human body in the context of covenant marriage. Drawing from both Paul's practical counsel to the believers at Corinth as well as the ancient erotic poetry known as Song of Solomon, this week is all about how to have holy sex. We are bringing sexy AND sacred back.

Scripture is full of constructive teaching on human sexuality. Not only are there boundaries and parameters given, but also cause for frank, candid celebration of the human body in the context of covenant marriage. Drawing from both Paul's practical counsel to the believers at Corinth as well as the ancient erotic poetry known as Song of Solomon, this week is all about how to have holy sex. We are bringing sexy AND sacred back.

Most of us won't walk into an environment as openly violent as the one Jesus was born into--where a homicidal king slaughtered infants to try and eliminate Him. But we will go into places of violence and darkness nonetheless--for many of us, around the dinner table! And in the same way the Prince of Peace was born into a world of hate, God wants the Prince of Peace to arrive into real-life, complex world of your family! And he wants to send you as His ambassador.

Most of us won't walk into an environment as openly violent as the one Jesus was born into--where a homicidal king slaughtered infants to try and eliminate Him. But we will go into places of violence and darkness nonetheless--for many of us, around the dinner table! And in the same way the Prince of Peace was born into a world of hate, God wants the Prince of Peace to arrive into real-life, complex world of your family! And he wants to send you as His ambassador.

It is just as complicated, messy and rewarding to love the church as it to love in any other relationship. Indeed to love God we must learn how to deeply cherish God's people, actively resisting the divisive obstacles of unrealistic expectations, accusation and superficiality. By contrast, loving the church well requires that we learn to cherish real persons in the church in their weakness and brokenness, speak the words of Christ over and into one another, and carry someone else to the table.

It is just as complicated, messy and rewarding to love the church as it to love in any other relationship. Indeed to love God we must learn how to deeply cherish God's people, actively resisting the divisive obstacles of unrealistic expectations, accusation and superficiality. By contrast, loving the church well requires that we learn to cherish real persons in the church in their weakness and brokenness, speak the words of Christ over and into one another, and carry someone else to the table.

Before the disciples are sent out to their own significantly larger "promised land" (which extends to the ends of the earth), they are given strict instructions to wait. The success of their mission hinges on a time of intentional, purposeful "in between" prayer, where they allow themselves to be filled with the Spirit. Cutting through the clutter of tired debates about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, this message comes as a clear charge to embrace the Spirit experientially. Whatever tradition you come from, the power of the Spirit is for you!

Before the disciples are sent out to their own significantly larger "promised land" (which extends to the ends of the earth), they are given strict instructions to wait. The success of their mission hinges on a time of intentional, purposeful "in between" prayer, where they allow themselves to be filled with the Spirit. Cutting through the clutter of tired debates about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, this message comes as a clear charge to embrace the Spirit experientially. Whatever tradition you come from, the power of the Spirit is for you!

When the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, Peter understood that this was a fulfillment of living in "the last days." In fact, the closer we get to the return of Christ, the more freely the gifts of the Spirit are given to the church to prepare us for God's mission in the world.

This is our final Sunday at Elizabeth Elementary School, and the finale of our 2-part series on wilderness life (In between and the waiting). The stories (and very lives) of Emily Zimmer, Dar Short and Sally Tolentino make the gospel incarnate, giving us the courage to find God between.

This is our final Sunday at Elizabeth Elementary School, and the finale of our 2-part series on wilderness life (In between and the waiting). The stories (and very lives) of Emily Zimmer, Dar Short and Sally Tolentino make the gospel incarnate, giving us the courage to find God between.

Straight from the ecstasy and euphoria of crossing the red sea comes days without water. Thirst gives way to something far worse, the rancid taste of false hope--the sense of being mocked by a mirage of provision. Yet the wilderness is not intended to be a place of judgment but of training. In part one of an achingly relevant new series on life between Egypt and the promised land, we find out what we do in the wilderness matters.

Straight from the ecstasy and euphoria of crossing the red sea comes days without water. Thirst gives way to something far worse, the rancid taste of false hope--the sense of being mocked by a mirage of provision. Yet the wilderness is not intended to be a place of judgment but of training. In part one of an achingly relevant new series on life between Egypt and the promised land, we find out what we do in the wilderness matters.

It's not tasty. There isn't a lot of variety right now. But there is provision. Not enough for next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow--but provision enough for TODAY. Hear God calling you out of the cruel, unrelenting consistency of Pharoah's bondage into the wild, following an unpredictable God in an undomesticated wilderness where security is out the window. There isn't a lot you can count on in the wilderness, but one thing you can be sure of--you will see the glory of God there.

It's not tasty. There isn't a lot of variety right now. But there is provision. Not enough for next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow--but provision enough for TODAY. Hear God calling you out of the cruel, unrelenting consistency of Pharoah's bondage into the wild, following an unpredictable God in an undomesticated wilderness where security is out the window. There isn't a lot you can count on in the wilderness, but one thing you can be sure of--you will see the glory of God there.

Surely the best way out of the wilderness is to work harder, faster and longer...right? On the contrary, this is the place to discover the beauty of the Sabbath, the gracious gift of divine rest that is given right in the middle of the wilderness. Arguing for the relevance of Sabbath keeping among those whom have been given many tools to resist it, hear the call of the ancient observance of Shabbat: "cease and desist."

Surely the best way out of the wilderness is to work harder, faster and longer...right? On the contrary, this is the place to discover the beauty of the Sabbath, the gracious gift of divine rest that is given right in the middle of the wilderness. Arguing for the relevance of Sabbath keeping among those whom have been given many tools to resist it, hear the call of the ancient observance of Shabbat: ''cease and desist.''

When you visit a place you don't want to forget, you pick up a souvenir. The wilderness is not such a place for most people. In fact it is often the place we most want to forget. Yet it is precisely in the wilderness that God instructs His people to pick up a little bit of extra manna as a memento--a tangible, visible marker of the faithfulness of God from the life in-between.

When you visit a place you don't want to forget, you pick up a souvenir. The wilderness is not such a place for most people. In fact it is often the place we most want to forget. Yet it is precisely in the wilderness that God instructs His people to pick up a little bit of extra manna as a memento--a tangible, visible marker of the faithfulness of God from the life in-between.

When you are in the wilderness, an experience fraught with its own unique set of challenges, is there anything worse than having your own people turn on you? Actually...there is. What if while you are trying to put out fires on the home front, you find yourself under attack from a foreign army that wants to wipe you off the map? While God's purpose in the wilderness is to train, test and develop his people, the enemy comes to seize a moment of vulnerability to steal, kill and destroy.

When you are in the wilderness, an experience fraught with its own unique set of challenges, is there anything worse than having your own people turn on you? Actually...there is. What if while you are trying to put out fires on the home front, you find yourself under attack from a foreign army that wants to wipe you off the map? While God's purpose in the wilderness is to train, test and develop his people, the enemy comes to seize a moment of vulnerability to steal, kill and destroy.

Wrapped up in the violent, difficult texts of Hosea, the wounded heart of the betrayed God gives way to an expression of remarkable tenderness. After His people have played the whore repeatedly by chasing after false gods, He pledges to start all over in His courtship with them. He picks an interesting location for their "first date"--the wilderness.

Wrapped up in the violent, difficult texts of Hosea, the wounded heart of the betrayed God gives way to an expression of remarkable tenderness. After His people have played the whore repeatedly by chasing after false gods, He pledges to start all over in His courtship with them. He picks an interesting location for their "first date"--the wilderness.

You can't handle life in the wilderness on your own. Like Moses, you need authentic, God-given counsel in order to make sense of wilderness time. Like Moses, you need a Jethro in your life. Jethro will bring familiar comfort to an unfamiliar place and listen to you describe what you perceive God to be up to. Jethro will worship with you, eat with you in God's presence, and help clarify your calling.

You can't handle life in the wilderness on your own. Like Moses, you need authentic, God-given counsel in order to make sense of wilderness time. Like Moses, you need a Jethro in your life. Jethro will bring familiar comfort to an unfamiliar place and listen to you describe what you perceive God to be up to. Jethro will worship with you, eat with you in God's presence, and help clarify your calling.

In the series finale of in between, we find that each stage of the wilderness has a different function. The wilderness of Sinai is the most important stage, a place of consecration--the place where God reveals Himself. Everything you have experienced in the wilderness thus far has led up to this, so the stakes are high. The call to draw near the presence of God at Sinai is the call to consecration--the place to wash your clothes and set apart holy ground.

In the series finale of in between, we find that each stage of the wilderness has a different function. The wilderness of Sinai is the most important stage, a place of consecration--the place where God reveals Himself. Everything you have experienced in the wilderness thus far has led up to this, so the stakes are high. The call to draw near the presence of God at Sinai is the call to consecration--the place to wash your clothes and set apart holy ground.

In part one, we find Paul as a man for whom the affirmation and applause of men are no longer relevant, a man who knows that his life is useful but not irreplaceable. Through the way of the cross, he challenges the Philippians towards that same kind of mature (and dare we even claim "happy?") life in Christ.

In part one, we find Paul as a man for whom the affirmation and applause of men are no longer relevant, a man who knows that his life is useful but not irreplaceable. Through the way of the cross, he challenges the Philippians towards that same kind of mature (and dare we even claim "happy?") life in Christ.

**PASTOR JONATHAN TELLS THE STORY OF RENOVATUS + EASTLAND** In a passage dense with allusions to the Old Testament, Paul gives the Philippians undeniably clear instructions on what the Christ-following, cross-embracing life of discipleship must look like for them. His prescription is strikingly straight forward: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... and quit your grumbling and complaining!

**PASTOR JONATHAN TELLS THE STORY OF RENOVATUS + EASTLAND** In a passage dense with allusions to the Old Testament, Paul gives the Philippians undeniably clear instructions on what the Christ-following, cross-embracing life of discipleship must look like for them. His prescription is strikingly straight forward: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling... and quit your grumbling and complaining!

In perhaps the most overlooked passage in Philippians, we get a glimpse of Paul's friendship and ministry partnership with two companions--Timothy and Epaphroditus. In this revealing section, we see the kind of relationships in community (built explicitly around the gospel) necessary to accomplish the church's mission.

In perhaps the most overlooked passage in Philippians, we get a glimpse of Paul's friendship and ministry partnership with two companions--Timothy and Epaphroditus. In this revealing section, we see the kind of relationships in community (built explicitly around the gospel) necessary to accomplish the church's mission.

In the most crucial (and best loved) portion of Philippians, we feel the ache of the apostle to know Jesus even more deeply. Framed again by the lyrical refrain of "rejoicing," Paul combats the threat of heresy not with a treatise but a testimony. Narrating his own story of redemption, he draws us into the "already/not-yet" of both enjoying the presence of Christ and yet longing for His return.

In the most crucial (and best loved) portion of Philippians, we feel the ache of the apostle to know Jesus even more deeply. Framed again by the lyrical refrain of "rejoicing," Paul combats the threat of heresy not with a treatise but a testimony. Narrating his own story of redemption, he draws us into the "already/not-yet" of both enjoying the presence of Christ and yet longing for His return.

Discipleship is imitation. It is the imitation of Christ to be certain, but there is no way to know what a Christ-like life would look like outside of real men and women who have walked with God. So right after telling the Philippians that he had not yet "arrived," the apostle Paul has no reservation about admonishing them to "imitate me." Imitation of the saints of God is valuable not because they are perfect, but because they have developed habits and practices that sustain friendship with God. It is through imitation and repetition that we gain the discipline that allows us to be truly free--freedom not to be original, but to be a unique expression of the body of Christ.

Discipleship is imitation. It is the imitation of Christ to be certain, but there is no way to know what a Christ-like life would look like outside of real men and women who have walked with God. So right after telling the Philippians that he had not yet "arrived," the apostle Paul has no reservation about admonishing them to "imitate me." Imitation of the saints of God is valuable not because they are perfect, but because they have developed habits and practices that sustain friendship with God. It is through imitation and repetition that we gain the discipline that allows us to be truly free--freedom not to be original, but to be a unique expression of the body of Christ.

Tucked in among some of the most quotable and best-loved texts in the New Testament comes an admonition for two prominent female leaders in Philippi to "be of the same mind" for the sake of the gospel. While we don't know the exact nature of the conflict between Euodia and Syntyche, we do know that even small personality conflicts or differences over how to "do church" can be lethal to local Christian communities if not handled with grace and maturity.

Tucked in among some of the most quotable and best-loved texts in the New Testament comes an admonition for two prominent female leaders in Philippi to "be of the same mind" for the sake of the gospel. While we don't know the exact nature of the conflict between Euodia and Syntyche, we do know that even small personality conflicts or differences over how to "do church" can be lethal to local Christian communities if not handled with grace and maturity.

Towards the end of his letter, Paul gives the Philippians a series of rapid fire exhortations that both reinforce and further the broader themes of his epistle.

Towards the end of his letter, Paul gives the Philippians a series of rapid fire exhortations that both reinforce and further the broader themes of his epistle.

In the final message from Philippians, we see a portrait of the apostle Paul as a man completely content--able to have a lot or to have a little, to go hungry or to be full. Grateful for the financial support of his friends at Philippi, Paul is most of all eager for the believing community to experience the God-given benefits of their generosity. He has discovered "the secret" of a life fully dependent on Christ, the one who has faithfully supplied all of his needs.

In the final message from Philippians, we see a portrait of the apostle Paul as a man completely content--able to have a lot or to have a little, to go hungry or to be full. Grateful for the financial support of his friends at Philippi, Paul is most of all eager for the believing community to experience the God-given benefits of their generosity. He has discovered "the secret" of a life fully dependent on Christ, the one who has faithfully supplied all of his needs.

It would be so much easier to take the New Testament and throw out all those references to angels and demons--it seems strange and offensive to modern ears. But there is no way to understand the power of God and the nature of good without taking seriously the threat of the enemy and the nature of evil. There is a reason Jesus devotes so much of his ministry to deliverance! In this message, we come toe-to-toe with the reality of the one Peter calls "the adversary," and learn the first step we must take in order to resist him.

It would be so much easier to take the New Testament and throw out all those references to angels and demons--it seems strange and offensive to modern ears. But there is no way to understand the power of God and the nature of good without taking seriously the threat of the enemy and the nature of evil. There is a reason Jesus devotes so much of his ministry to deliverance! In this message, we come toe-to-toe with the reality of the one Peter calls "the adversary," and learn the first step we must take in order to resist him.

According to the New Testament, the enemy of our souls attacks humanity with despair and self-hatred (as we see in the narrative of the demoniac in Mark 5). Still today, followers of Jesus are frequently attacked with depression and loneliness. Burning with pastoral passion, this message gives practical advice as to how to discern a spiritual attack, and how to respond.

According to the New Testament, the enemy of our souls attacks humanity with despair and self-hatred (as we see in the narrative of the demoniac in Mark 5). Still today, followers of Jesus are frequently attacked with depression and loneliness. Burning with pastoral passion, this message gives practical advice as to how to discern a spiritual attack, and how to respond.

Everybody has addictions--and Jesus is very serious about His agenda of liberation from them. Addictions serve as substitutes for God, thus they are never about "the thing." Rather, addictions always cover something deeper that God wants to heal. We will not live a life free from temptation, but the gospel absolutely does offer real power over compulsions and habits that bring bondage.

Everybody has addictions--and Jesus is very serious about His agenda of liberation from them. Addictions serve as substitutes for God, thus they are never about "the thing." Rather, addictions always cover something deeper that God wants to heal. We will not live a life free from temptation, but the gospel absolutely does offer real power over compulsions and habits that bring bondage.

Jesus tells Peter that "Satan had indeed desired to sift you as wheat...but I have prayed for you." Sometimes the intensity of spiritual attack is such that you don't feel like you can fight for yourself. That's when we need to hear the words of Jesus spoken over us, that He himself is interceding on our behalf. What force could be powerful enough to hinder the prayers of Jesus?

Jesus tells Peter that "Satan had indeed desired to sift you as wheat...but I have prayed for you." Sometimes the intensity of spiritual attack is such that you don't feel like you can fight for yourself. That's when we need to hear the words of Jesus spoken over us, that He himself is interceding on our behalf. What force could be powerful enough to hinder the prayers of Jesus?

Paul gives young Timothy the resources by which he can both personally avoid the snares of the enemy, as well as be able to help others who are ensnared. These instructions--to flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace in Christian community; avoid aimless arguments, and correct others with gentleness-- are crucial to our understanding of what it means to live free.

Paul gives young Timothy the resources by which he can both personally avoid the snares of the enemy, as well as be able to help others who are ensnared. These instructions--to flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace in Christian community; avoid aimless arguments, and correct others with gentleness-- are crucial to our understanding of what it means to live free.

It all goes back to just one lie. As we prepare the way for the liberating proclamation of the cross and resurrection of Christ, we take time to examine the nature of the lie that ushered in the bondage Jesus came to redeem us from. Since the gospel cannot be received as good news before we own up the bad news, it is crucial that the reality of evil in the world is addressed. The lie of the garden is ever present today in subtle forms, manifested in the belief that it is possible to overcome our creaturely dependence, have real wisdom apart from a relationship to God, or that anyone or anything can fulfill us outside of God.

It all goes back to just one lie. As we prepare the way for the liberating proclamation of the cross and resurrection of Christ, we take time to examine the nature of the lie that ushered in the bondage Jesus came to redeem us from. Since the gospel cannot be received as good news before we own up the bad news, it is crucial that the reality of evil in the world is addressed. The lie of the garden is ever present today in subtle forms, manifested in the belief that it is possible to overcome our creaturely dependence, have real wisdom apart from a relationship to God, or that anyone or anything can fulfill us outside of God.

Romans 5 gives the definitive statement of the Father's posture towards humanity: "But God demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The cross didn't change God's mind towards us, but rather changed our hearts toward Him. It is when we see the cross of Jesus that we see not only our own sin, but now we can rightly see God. When our lives are embedded into the suffering of Christ, we are bound with hope of resurrection, giving us the patience necessary to endure trials.

There are some things you can't really know until you experience for yourself. For the early Christians, there was no way you could fully know the drama of Jesus' death and resurrection until you participated in it through baptism. Baptism is more than an empty ritual or a ceremonial act--it is power-filled affair, embedded in the promise of Easter life. Baptism was and continues to be a decisive act. But what for those of us for whom such decisiveness doesn't come easy, especially with regards to something as far-fetched as the resurrection? This Easter, it's a doubter's guide to resurrection.

There are some things you can't really know until you experience for yourself. For the early Christians, there was no way you could fully know the drama of Jesus' death and resurrection until you participated in it through baptism. Baptism is more than an empty ritual or a ceremonial act--it is power-filled affair, embedded in the promise of Easter life. Baptism was and continues to be a decisive act. But what for those of us for whom such decisiveness doesn't come easy, especially with regards to something as far-fetched as the resurrection? This Easter, it's a doubter's guide to resurrection.

Chris Webb, the president of Renovaré, delivers a timely message on the urgency of following Jesus right here, right now. The call to kingdom living is not distant, but rather demands an immediate response--the life of God is made available to us where we are. This calls comes to us through Scripture not so much as a stale, clinical "instruction manual" as it is a burning bush--a space where we are addressed and confronted by a God who invites us into a life of grace.

Links

• Renovaré

Chris Webb, the president of Renovaré, delivers a timely message on the urgency of following Jesus right here, right now. The call to kingdom living is not distant, but rather demands an immediate response--the life of God is made available to us where we are. This calls comes to us through Scripture not so much as a stale, clinical "instruction manual" as it is a burning bush--a space where we are addressed and confronted by a God who invites us into a life of grace.

Links

• Renovaré

Moses is minding his own business, tending his flock as he would any other day, when he has a surprise encounter with God through a burning bush. That's what prayer is all about--God showing up in unexpected places, revealing Himself in surprising ways through (not despite of) your daily routine...turning the ground where you stand into something sacred. This simple message on prayer is an invitation to be surprised by the God who reveals Himself in ways that are supernatural enough, and yet in your own language.

Moses is minding his own business, tending his flock as he would any other day, when he has a surprise encounter with God through a burning bush. That's what prayer is all about--God showing up in unexpected places, revealing Himself in surprising ways through (not despite of) your daily routine...turning the ground where you stand into something sacred. This simple message on prayer is an invitation to be surprised by the God who reveals Himself in ways that are supernatural enough, and yet in your own language.

These disciplines/practices are all about helping us to hear God. The way we hear God is by the Holy Spirit, the one who guides us into all truth and reminds all that Jesus said. Over and against the temptation to make a life with God about "principles" or fit into a rationalistic system that works apart from God, we are called into a dynamic relationship of constant listening and absolute dependence. There is great risk involved with hearing God, because a world where God still speaks cannot be entirely ordered-for to hear a word from God is always to be altered. As we established last week, God is always speaking--He doesn't start when we decide we want to listen. So the message focuses on 3 resources God has given us that posture us to be able to hear from Him: solitude, silence, and the gift of each other.

These disciplines/practices are all about helping us to hear God. The way we hear God is by the Holy Spirit, the one who guides us into all truth and reminds all that Jesus said. Over and against the temptation to make a life with God about "principles" or fit into a rationalistic system that works apart from God, we are called into a dynamic relationship of constant listening and absolute dependence. There is great risk involved with hearing God, because a world where God still speaks cannot be entirely ordered-for to hear a word from God is always to be altered. As we established last week, God is always speaking--He doesn't start when we decide we want to listen. So the message focuses on 3 resources God has given us that posture us to be able to hear from Him: solitude, silence, and the gift of each other.

Scripture is the most elemental way God speaks to us and shapes us. Reading Scripture well is not a task for Bible scholars, the academically astute or the elite pious. In fact, the only resources you really need are an open, prayerful heart and a willingness to read slowly and deliberately. The disciplines corresponding to Scripture are meditation and study, and as you practice them you will discover a life where there is no divorce between head and heart or spirit and mind.

Scripture is the most elemental way God speaks to us and shapes us. Reading Scripture well is not a task for Bible scholars, the academically astute or the elite pious. In fact, the only resources you really need are an open, prayerful heart and a willingness to read slowly and deliberately. The disciplines corresponding to Scripture are meditation and study, and as you practice them you will discover a life where there is no divorce between head and heart or spirit and mind.

Rather than backing off from Scriptural teaching on giving, this discipline is more vital than ever in times of economic hardship. Surveying the concepts of firstfruit and tithes in the first testament to the unbridled generosity of the New Testament, tithes and offerings are not about law but about life! The discipline of giving is a means of grace both to deliver us from the tyranny of materialism and deliver us into the faithfulness of God.

Rather than backing off from Scriptural teaching on giving, this discipline is more vital than ever in times of economic hardship. Surveying the concepts of firstfruit and tithes in the first testament to the unbridled generosity of the New Testament, tithes and offerings are not about law but about life! The discipline of giving is a means of grace both to deliver us from the tyranny of materialism and deliver us into the faithfulness of God.

One of the most powerful but under utilized resources God has given us is the practice of fasting. Both Scripture and the experience of women and men of God over centuries of church tradition testify to what an incredible gift this discipline is both in confronting the forces of evil and addiction that hold sway in our lives, and causing us to grow more deeply and desperately in adoration of God. Far from a self-flagellating, punishing exercise or a tactic to earn God's favor, fasting is crucial to sustained victory in the life of the Spirit and is a means of feasting on the presence of God.

One of the most powerful but under utilized resources God has given us is the practice of fasting. Both Scripture and the experience of women and men of God over centuries of church tradition testify to what an incredible gift this discipline is both in confronting the forces of evil and addiction that hold sway in our lives, and causing us to grow more deeply and desperately in adoration of God. Far from a self-flagellating, punishing exercise or a tactic to earn God's favor, fasting is crucial to sustained victory in the life of the Spirit and is a means of feasting on the presence of God.

This talk unpacks both the personal and community side of confession. It takes a straightforward but also humorous look at the nuts and bolts of this spiritual discipline, and discusses why, though sometimes tough to do, it is an essential practice for the health of any spiritual community desiring to cast off the facades of perfection in lieu of true authenticity.

This talk unpacks both the personal and community side of confession. It takes a straightforward but also humorous look at the nuts and bolts of this spiritual discipline, and discusses why, though sometimes tough to do, it is an essential practice for the health of any spiritual community desiring to cast off the facades of perfection in lieu of true authenticity.

Submission is a frightful word to our ears, steeped as we are in the gospel of self. But there is perhaps no more crucial discipline to a life of real gospel liberation, learning to submit to God, leaders, and ultimately to be subject to one another. Rebel against your own individualism, and follow Jesus into a life of self-emptying, God-glorifying service.

Submission is a frightful word to our ears, steeped as we are in the gospel of self. But there is perhaps no more crucial discipline to a life of real gospel liberation, learning to submit to God, leaders, and ultimately to be subject to one another. Rebel against your own individualism, and follow Jesus into a life of self-emptying, God-glorifying service.

There are some places you cannot go and some gifts you won't receive until you let yourself go in worship. Worship is indeed emotional and appropriately physical, and calls for the sacrifice of the whole self. Moving past the paralysis of sin and even a crippling desire for so-called sincerity, worship is the space God gives us for repentance and transformation. Full bodied worship requires that we give of ourselves in ways that feel unnatural and at times even forced, but in the sacrifice of worship the Spirit of God is able to do His most profound work.

There are some places you cannot go and some gifts you won't receive until you let yourself go in worship. Worship is indeed emotional and appropriately physical, and calls for the sacrifice of the whole self. Moving past the paralysis of sin and even a crippling desire for so-called sincerity, worship is the space God gives us for repentance and transformation. Full bodied worship requires that we give of ourselves in ways that feel unnatural and at times even forced, but in the sacrifice of worship the Spirit of God is able to do His most profound work.

A raw and unrefined look inside the heart of a pastor, going to the ancient prophet of Jeremiah to learn how to carry a divine calling. Ultimately, every member of the body of Christ is called to something, and we all struggle to come to terms with how we fit into God's mission in the world. In the first message of the Blueprints series, we are challenged corporately and personally to accept the terrible, wonderful call of God.

The church must be built on the solid foundation of both "hearing" and "doing" the teachings of Jesus. In this new year, it is more important than ever that we clarify both our corporate and personal call, so we might be faithful to the assignment for which we are called. In this message, we explore 6 pillars (or foundational values) that explain the specific character and calling of Renovatus as a people--authenticity (honesty about where we are, but seriously pursuing Christlikeness in all things), process (responding to God's initiative through the practice of spiritual disciplines), substance (building on the strong foundation of God's Word), response (yielding to the voice and gifts of the Spirit), and community (walking closely with the people of God).

The church must be built on the solid foundation of both "hearing" and "doing" the teachings of Jesus. In this new year, it is more important than ever that we clarify both our corporate and personal call, so we might be faithful to the assignment for which we are called. In this message, we explore 6 pillars (or foundational values) that explain the specific character and calling of Renovatus as a people--authenticity (honesty about where we are, but seriously pursuing Christlikeness in all things), process (responding to God's initiative through the practice of spiritual disciplines), substance (building on the strong foundation of God's Word), response (yielding to the voice and gifts of the Spirit), and community (walking closely with the people of God).

Like the earliest New Testament believers, we are driven by the urgency that comes with knowing time is not on our side. Believing as we do that prayer and justice, worship and work cannot be separated, Pastor Lisa presents a comprehensive strategy for stepping into our calling like never before. Guided by the powerful example of Gideon and the words of Isaiah the prophet, this is a powerful mandate to set aside the "spiritual eating disorders" that stifle us from radical obedience.

The larger threat to the gospel from the first century forward is that the Christ-following movement becomes "spiritual" at the expense of losing its "bodily" shape. As the advent season begins, we reflect on what it means to be human--in light of our belief that God became human! From Star Trek to Battlestar Galactica, science fiction mirrors our culture's hopes and fears for humanity's future. So called technological "progress" (from ATMs to Facebook, cloning to robots, and machines that can keep us alive long after our brains stop working) has caused our confusion as to what makes us human to be even more pronounced. That's why it is more relevant than ever that the Church look to Jesus, the Word made flesh, to teach how to become human the way God intended.

The larger threat to the gospel from the first century forward is that the Christ-following movement becomes "spiritual" at the expense of losing its "bodily" shape. As the advent season begins, we reflect on what it means to be human--in light of our belief that God became human! From Star Trek to Battlestar Galactica, science fiction mirrors our culture's hopes and fears for humanity's future. So called technological "progress" (from ATMs to Facebook, cloning to robots, and machines that can keep us alive long after our brains stop working) has caused our confusion as to what makes us human to be even more pronounced. That's why it is more relevant than ever that the Church look to Jesus, the Word made flesh, to teach how to become human the way God intended.

On the second Sunday of Advent, we celebrate the angelic proclamation to the shepherds by regarding Christ as the Lamb of God. Pastor Amanda Martin explores Christ's identity as both Good Shepherd and Lamb of God. A call for us in this holiday season to embrace our createdness and to abide in Christ.

On the second Sunday of Advent, we celebrate the angelic proclamation to the shepherds by regarding Christ as the Lamb of God. Pastor Amanda Martin explores Christ's identity as both Good Shepherd and Lamb of God. A call for us in this holiday season to embrace our createdness and to abide in Christ.

As Jesus is the "word made flesh," following Him is appropriately physical--so what you believe about incarnation matters in daily life. He gave the church bodily practices--like baptism, communion, foot washing and anointing the sick with oil--that keep the relationship between body and spirit from being separate. It is in the sacraments of the church that we most fully touch God and touch one another.

As Jesus is the "word made flesh," following Him is appropriately physical--so what you believe about incarnation matters in daily life. He gave the church bodily practices--like baptism, communion, foot washing and anointing the sick with oil--that keep the relationship between body and spirit from being separate. It is in the sacraments of the church that we most fully touch God and touch one another.

For God to become flesh and bone is to take on the terrible beauty and fragility of the human body. Even as the Son of God, Jesus modeled a life of absolute dependence on His Father. The rest of us spend much of our lives trying to get around our frailty, reveling in the human weakness of others as a way of downplaying our own, and refusing to recognize our limits as created beings. In this year's Christmas message, we are challenged to let go of our need to expose others and embrace the love that "covers a multitude of sins."

From the drama of extravagant promises made to Mary and Joseph regarding Jesus' future comes a long season of relative obscurity. As we transition into 2009, we reflect on how to handle the in-between season from promise to fulfillment.

Politics and religion shouldn't mix, or so we are told. The truth is that they always mix, for good or for ill, because politics and religion attempt to address the same question: "who is really in charge of the world?" Jesus enters the scene as a radical alternative to the politics of Caesar (the so-called imperial "son of god" who was said to bring "peace and salvation" through the Roman empire). But we can't understand the relationship of Jesus to Caesar or any other "powers" until we come to understand the way He viewed Himself according to the prophetic tradition of the first Testament. As Christians we believe that Jesus was more than a prophet to be sure, but understanding something of the prophetic task (from Moses to Jesus) gives us the resources to recapture the kingdom of God as a stark alternative community to the kingdoms from the world.

The kingdom of God revealed in Jesus is peaceable, but it is hardly passive. In fact, the subversive nature of the gospel calls out principalities and powers both natural and supernatural, as we see in the loaded narrative of Jesus and the demoniac in Mark 5. Over and against the materialists who have no sense of evil beyond that which we can touch and see, as well as the spiritualists who believe the church should oppose spirits but have no concept of engaging the powers in their embodied forms--the gospel calls us to resist evil without physical violence. That may mean standing up for God's creation, upsetting the social order/business of those who profit off of other people's pain, or placing ourselves in harms way for a brother or sister who is being abused and oppressed. Ultimately we see that while Jesus uses the same imperial titles that belonged only to Caesar, the reign of Christ is unlike Caesar's in that it is not through domination or manipulation but love!

Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ would all express admiration for Jesus—but unfortunately don’t always believe that He is smart enough to teach us how to really live in the world. Christians all too often are convinced they have to choose between the options the world has always presented to them…that when evil comes you choose either “fight or flight,” just war or pacifism. Yet Jesus gives us a real alternative—what some have called a “third way” through his gospel of enemy-love. It’s not a call to “fight fire with fire” or to passively watch the world burn, but instead to transform our enemies with the creative, courageous, evil-exposing power of God.

We couldn't think of anybody who has better demonstrated the politics of Jesus in real life than Sister Margaret Gaines, who has given her life in service of the Arab people of Aboud village. Drawing from a life of humble yet radical confidence in the Lordship of Jesus in this Palestinian community, Sister Gaines speaks to Renovatus about the vocation of Christian peacemaking, the possibility of living out the teachings of Jesus in real-life, and and the political implications of calling Him King.

Is the church supposed to be saving souls or seeking justice in the earth? Are we supposed to be praying or working? Yes! Rather than accepting the false choices of being "spiritual" or working with God's kingdom rule in the world, those who have powerful experiences of the presence of Jesus are the most equipped for powerful work on the earth. So much for the whole "so spiritually minded they are no earthly good" thing.

Kingdoms of men are ruled by fear, the kingdom of God is ruled by love. In an especially turbulent time in our world, Psalm 37 demonstrates a very different kind of economy than the economics of the world based on chariots, horses, and worldly power--based entirely on the faithfulness of God to His people. The people of God have nothing to fear, from financial woes to terrorism, because they have already faced the "terrible" one whose glory fills the earth--and yet found Him to be altogether faithful and just. When the thin structures of wealth and power are stripped from us, we are able to see in whom and what we have truly been putting our trust.

Most who decide to fully follow after Christ do so in pursuit of something more than ok, something more than good; something great. But often God's plans to bring us into a life of greatness & fullness are thwarted by our unwillingness to live out this one crucial core value of Christ; Mercy. This talk is about practicing mercy on two specific fronts: among those 'not yet perfect' people we walk in community with, & among those most avoid community with, the marginalized & the poor.

The accusation of the early church was that the disciples "defied Caesar" by "having another king." To follow Jesus as King requires first allegiance towards the kingdom of God above any and all other kingdoms, refusing the temptation to achieve the kingdom through the means of the world, and finding God's freedom through submission to God and His people.

The accusation of the early church was that the disciples "defied Caesar" by "having another king." To follow Jesus as King requires first allegiance towards the kingdom of God above any and all other kingdoms, refusing the temptation to achieve the kingdom through the means of the world, and finding God's freedom through submission to God and His people.

In the most impassioned (and most important) message of the Politics of Jesus, we encounter Paul's scandalous letter to the Colossians, where the beautiful "Colossian hymn" reveals Christ (and not Caesar) to be the image of the invisible God. Drawing on the context of the Roman empire to illumine our own context, the cross is revealed as the one and only means by which God is able to reconcile "all things" (to use Paul's phrase). Tying together and furthering the themes explored thus far in the series, we see the real ways that Christians are called to be an alternative community to Caesar. Along the way we challenge the North American way Christians have of doing ethics (dubbed by Pastor Jonathan the "Bette Midler way" because it's "from a distance") and how the peace of Christ is differentiated from the peace of Rome.

In the most impassioned (and most important) message of the Politics of Jesus, we encounter Paul's scandalous letter to the Colossians, where the beautiful "Colossian hymn" reveals Christ (and not Caesar) to be the image of the invisible God. Drawing on the context of the Roman empire to illumine our own context, the cross is revealed as the one and only means by which God is able to reconcile "all things" (to use Paul's phrase). Tying together and furthering the themes explored thus far in the series, we see the real ways that Christians are called to be an alternative community to Caesar. Along the way we challenge the North American way Christians have of doing ethics (dubbed by Pastor Jonathan the "Bette Midler way" because it's "from a distance") and how the peace of Christ is differentiated from the peace of Rome.

The most important decisions we make are not the ones that come around once every 4 years. Every day we are presented with endless opportunities to vote (or in some cases deny) our allegiance to the peaceable kingdom of Jesus. Colossians 3 is the guide for everyday voting, teaching us to vote against the distorted sexuality and violence of Caesar's empire, and to put on the way of Christ. The "word of Christ" that "dwells in us richly" and the "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" of Paul's letter give us the language necessary to resist the dominant culture and embrace the kingdom of God.

The most important decisions we make are not the ones that come around once every 4 years. Every day we are presented with endless opportunities to vote (or in some cases deny) our allegiance to the peaceable kingdom of Jesus. Colossians 3 is the guide for everyday voting, teaching us to vote against the distorted sexuality and violence of Caesar's empire, and to put on the way of Christ. The "word of Christ" that "dwells in us richly" and the "psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" of Paul's letter give us the language necessary to resist the dominant culture and embrace the kingdom of God.

What you believe about the kingdom of God ultimately hinges on what you believe about the King. When Jesus washes his disciple's feet in John 13, we see the new politics of King Jesus--politics of serving and not being served, of humility and grimy feet. Nowhere has the difference between the politics of Jesus and the politics of the world been any more apparent. In the most personal message of the series, we are confronted with the truth that the Jesus revealed in John's gospel (as well as in the lives of his servants, people like Jean Vanier and Margaret Gaines) is often still all too distant from our own concept of God.

What you believe about the kingdom of God ultimately hinges on what you believe about the King. When Jesus washes his disciple's feet in John 13, we see the new politics of King Jesus--politics of serving and not being served, of humility and grimy feet. Nowhere has the difference between the politics of Jesus and the politics of the world been any more apparent. In the most personal message of the series, we are confronted with the truth that the Jesus revealed in John's gospel (as well as in the lives of his servants, people like Jean Vanier and Margaret Gaines) is often still all too distant from our own concept of God.

One of the most important singer/songwriters of our time, Derek Webb, comes to Renovatus for the grand finale of the series--both to talk about the Politics of Jesus and to share his music. After a poignant time of sharing ideas, Derek performs some of his most powerful kingdom songs live, including Savior on Capitol Hill, A King and a Kingdom, Rich Young Ruler, and Lover.

One of the most important singer/songwriters of our time, Derek Webb, comes to Renovatus for the grand finale of the series--both to talk about the Politics of Jesus and to share his music. After a poignant time of sharing ideas, Derek performs some of his most powerful kingdom songs live, including Savior on Capitol Hill, A King and a Kingdom, Rich Young Ruler, and Lover.

It is tempting to describe the Holy Spirit as added zeal or zest to the Christian life. But for the early church, the Spirit's arrival is much more catastrophic than that. Much like Mrs. Turpin in Flannery O'Connor's classic short story "Revelation," those early disciples find themselves assaulted (and even knocked upside the head) by grace. The Spirit of God coming to fill and empower human bodies brings chaos before it brings comfort. In the first entry of a new series on the Spirit, it is important to establish that when you start asking God to send the power of the Spirit, be careful-- you may actually get what you ask for.

Lisa Koons is the Director of 24-7, a local branch of a global organization called 24-7Prayer which focuses on instigating prayer, mission and justice around the globe through the venue of wildy creative 24-7prayer initiatives and relationally saturated social justice efforts in marginalized inner-city communities. She has pastored, house church planted, traditional church planted and now mentors church leaders and congregations regarding intimacy with God, effectiveness in prayer, and transformation through social justice. She lives with her husband Scott, their 6 year old son Jaxon, and a cat named Badkitty, Badkitty. In this beautiful message, she shares a very clear, very personal word from the Lord for the Renovatus community.

Baptism is not an empty symbol or ritual, but rather a powerful, mystical and yet ever-so-physical way of participating in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This ancient act of Christian initiation is parallel to the experience of being baptized in the Spirit, as the end goal of both is to be consumed, submerged, swallowed up... and ultimately embedded in the story of Jesus. Both the baptism in water and of the Spirit are explored here, as it is no less than the Spirit of God that enables both experiences.

The Holy Spirit is not a vague, impersonal force, but the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit gives us a dynamic picture of an interactive God who longs to draw us into the trinitarian dance that has always been between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this introduction to the REAL PERSON of the Spirit, we see the very high stakes of what we believe about Him to our walk with God.

When the Holy Spirit interrupts your time, He makes Himself known. There are many ways that the Spirit reveals Himself in the life of the church, including speaking in tongues, unction for bold proclamation of Christ, and being full of the love of God. This message explores the ways that the third person of the Trinity moved in the early church in Acts--and the ways He still wants to move in your life!

Coming off a week of non-stop, night and day seeking the Lord, we witnessed a powerful move of God's Spirit through the candid stories and struggles of our community and a dynamic time of prayer. This is an opportunity to overhear a very sacred conversation and prayer experience with Renovatus sons and daughters, including Meghan Murray, Aaron Yancey, Silje Graystone, Jason Goodnight, Eli Renner, and Vic Morrison.

There are certain characteristics that define the Church that has been saturated in the Spirit: devotion to the apostle's teaching, a perpetual state of awe--marveling at the work of God in the community; having all things in common, fellowship and breaking bread in each other's homes, constant prayer. This is not an idealistic pipe dream but a real possibility for those who are willing to make themselves available (and vulnerable) to be used by God in the church. Yet a fellowship of the Spirit will always be a fellowship of the broken, because it is still comprised of humans...a fact that doesn't deter the Spirit but only makes his work more rich.

We were created with a capacity and even a craving for God's presence, in all of His mystery. Many of us are thus compelled towards the power of the Spirit...and yet feel a little left out when the Spirit-talk begins. At times it seems the tangible presence of God is available to everybody else but us. It's not that you are a cynic--like Agent Mulder from the X-Files your mantra may even be "I want to believe" when it comes to the supernatural. You may feel like you aren't holy enough, or your motives aren't pure enough, to connect with God's Spirit. When we don't feel like we are connected to Him, we are driven to discouragement, or even to try to find spirituality in manipulative or even self-destructive ways. This is a simple plea for the spiritually constipated to come to God in simplicity and humility to learn again how to just be.

Rather than playing the church edition of "low expectation Scrabble," Jesus reaches the crowds by teaching His disciples. This provocative message challenges the church to move beyond words to action, as Renovatus begins a whole new season of forming the kind of community that can sustain a Christ-following life.

To follow Jesus is to be led by the spirit into the wilderness, the place of solitude and fasting--the place to face down God, the devil, and your own self. There is no detour to the power of the spirit past the wilderness, either for an individual or a faithful community.

The proclamation of God's kingdom breaking into earth has a lot to do with the obedience of a handful of ordinary fishermen who are caught off guard by Jesus. The crisis moment of having God show up one afternoon at the family business, challenging these men to drop their nets and follow, is not unlike the confrontation that Jesus wants to bring to us.

Welcome to the upside down, counter-intuitive reality of the kingdom of heaven, where you not only learn but have to un-learn. The beatitudes describe the community around the king, and call us away from all of our striving, competing and comparing and into the blessedness of kingdom life.

Having laid out a description of what his visibly revolutionary community will look like in Matthew 5:1-16, Jesus engages the foremost rabbis of his day with interpretive maneuvers that radicalized key Old Testament texts away from formality and externality, toward internal motive and character formation. On first glance, his format seems foreign to us, but it represents normative rabbinic discourse. Jesus "riffs" on key Torah texts to uncover their true meaning. As Charles Talbert observes, Jesus' interpretation of the Torah represents a "recovered” original...because the distortion of God's will has been so pervasive." For those who hold to a "gentle Jesus meek and mild" (as the old children's song says), Jesus the firebrand teacher taking on the best and brightest rabbis of his day shows us his truer colors.

This week we experience the latter half of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, in which he forms a new community of justice around the disciplines of invisibility and invitation. The revolution he lays out in chapter 5 will not be commenced in the conventional manner. Instead, our "acts of justice" will begin in secrecy, and our community will grow not through conquering, but through the simplicity of asking. Forget patrons, marketing, and miracles. Jesus' community will bring justice to earth through (egad!!!) following the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.

When Jesus talks about discipleship, he uses language that is offensive and seemingly unsympathetic. The uncompromising, direct summons to radical obedience is not just a command for us - it is modeled by Jesus himself. This message is a forward, no-frills call to the uprooted, unstable, dangerous life on the road that is knowing Jesus. Don't say we didn't warn you.

The resurrection is not a "spiritual" experience. It is an event that fundamentally altered the cosmos, it is the change in the world that swallows up all the others. Resurrection shatters the world as we know it, which is why in the original Easter story we've got earthquakes and dead bodies walking around. To believe it is to have your own world shattered.

Disciples don't just observe their master forever. They are apprentices who are being trained to replicate what they have seen Jesus do. In Matthew 10, Jesus gives his disciples practical instructions on how to pack for the long journey ahead, and along the way gives us provocative teaching on materialism, loving him more than our families, expecting persecution, and being both street smart and innocent all at once. It's kind of like a father giving his 16 year old keys to the family car for the first time--only it's not a car but the kingdom we are given keys to, and the stakes are a whole lot higher.

Jesus' parables alternately reveal and conceal the truth of the gospel of the kingdom--depending on how they are heard. The parable of the sower is an eternally relevant story that demands active listening--for everyone who hears the word becomes responsible for it. It is a story that teases our imagination, ultimately leaving us with a haunting question: what will you do with the words of Jesus?

The second half of Matthew 13 furthers the parables of Jesus, simple stories that call us to profound patience. Despite all of our inclinations to rush, the people of God cannot be hurried because the kingdom of heaven can't be hurried. Through the parable of the weeds among wheat and the parable of the sower, Jesus teaches us how to live faithfully while relying ultimately on God, the only true judge, to act in His own timing. The parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price teach us that the unspeakable joy of the kingdom of heaven comes through a life of abandonment.

Jesus draws his disciples away, not to answer their questions this time, but to ask them one of his own: who do you say that I am? This is a pivotal moment for the disciples--as it is for us, as so much hangs on how we answer.

Jesus clearly teaches us that following him can't happen without the kind of community described in Matthew 18. Taking Jesus seriously means we will have to humble ourselves to be the kinds of people who can be told what to do. This message tells us why the United States may in fact be one of the hardest places in the world to follow Jesus, and how the gospel speaks very prophetically that by no means do we know what is best for us.

You cannot receive forgiveness if you will not give it; the gospel is just that stark on this issue. In this urgent, immediately relevant message, we see the ways that hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness are the most serious threats to the spiritual life. This is not a "sermon about forgiveness" so much as a direct plea to those who need to forgive to be reconciled both to God and to each other. It will take nothing less than the supernatural grace of the Holy Spirit for the unnatural act of forgiveness.

In Matthew 19, Jesus addresses difficult topics of divorce, singleness, children and possessions. Jesus gives us the imagination to envision the kind of community that enables both married and single, children and the aged, rich and poor, the stable and the seemingly weak and insignificant to follow together, deriving their worth not from their social location but rather their place in the kingdom of God.

In the most raw, personal message of the follow series, we are drawn into the haunting question Jesus asks his disciples in Matthew 20: "Can you drink the cup I am about to drink?" Indeed it is difficult to drink the (sometimes bitter) Eucharistic cup all the way to the bottom, for we have few people to teach us how. Over and against our addictions to approval, affirmation, success, performance, entertainment, and even "spiritual" experiences, Jesus calls us to drink deeply from his cup.

Matthew 23 brings us into the fiercest (and harshest) of the 5 major discourses of Jesus in Matthew. Contrasted to the whole-hearted love of God and neighbor that Jesus says "sums up the law" in Matthew 22, this section is a direct inversion of the liberating spirituality of the Sermon on the Mount. Refusing to allow ourselves to simply cheer with Jesus to go get the Pharisees, we are forced to own up to the ways we like them play the hypocrite by not practicing what we preach. Along the way we explore the idea by contrast of sanctification as "being made perfect in love" as articulated by John Wesley, the pursuit of the holiness where both the "inside and outside" of the cup are made clean.

From the Left Behind series to John Hagee's relationship to John McCain, popular Christian ideas about the end of the world have made their way into mainstream American press. As we approach Matthew 24, the most complex passage we have dealt with in the Follow series, we attempt to hear freshly what Jesus really has to say about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the end of the age. There is a maze of interpretations around these apocalyptic sayings of Jesus, so what if anything can we learn conclusively from this text? The answers may surprise you--and may turn out to be more simple than you think.

In a vivid scene of judgment, Jesus envisions a day when he will ultimately judge the world based on how we treated him--through the real bodies of the hungry, sick, imprisoned, and naked. This message explores the ways that such works of compassion described in Matthew 25 always come through interruptions in our "important" schedules, and are guaranteed to be awkward.

When Jesus is betrayed and arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter goes for blood. The conflict ultimately is not between Peter and these guards, but between the way of the sword and the way of the cross, the way of violence and the way of self-denial, the human need to control and manipulate the situation vs. "Not my will but thy will be done." The words of Jesus ring as loud for us today, in our own desire to make things happen--and maybe even defend Jesus at times: put away the sword!

The final formal sermon of the follow series brings into focus the final words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, and they are among his most weighted. This message addresses the worshipping and doubting disciples, how it is Christians believe that Jesus is already the Lord over the world, what it is to make disciples of the nations, a warning to avoid the "great omission," and a vision for Renovatus as a missional community.

Duke University's Stanley Hauerwas was named America's best theologian by Time Magazine. His response was "best is not a theological category." Critics and admirers alike agree that he is one of the most provocative and important ethicists of our time. In this candid conversation with Pastor Martin, Dr. Hauerwas discusses some of the major themes of the Gospel of Matthew and what it means to be the church in America.

This week we go deeper into the pastoral implications of the distinction between public and private, community and individual, and how Christians struggle with the difficult issues of war and politics. Ultimately if we believe Jesus Christ is Lord at all, we must believe He is Lord of all. That means the church has a responsibility to wrestle with how we relate to the world around in real-life, complicated ways. What does it mean to live in such a way that we already believe that Jesus reigns as King?

The scandalous thing about the gospel is so physical, bodily, and particular. Over against all of our attempts to be "spiritual," the incarnation says there is no way to know God except in real lives, real bodies, specific places, and specific stories. This is the first of a series of messages where we enter into anticipation of advent.

Jesus came to save the world, not to judge it. This is made clear in the story of the adulterous woman in John 8: 1-11. While the Scribes and Pharisees point fingers and condemn (even today) Jesus gets his hands dirty and offers all of us forgiveness. Through this scandalous story, we see more proof of the Incarnation.

From the apocalyptic, catastrophic terror of God on Mt. Sinai to the sensuous Mary-born revelation of God in Jesus, we see the once untouchable God actively seeking human touch.

It turns out that pagan astrologers are the ones God chooses to surprise with the miracle of incarnation. What does it mean for God to reveal Himself to people who don't seem to be looking for him? Could it be that the ones most likely to see the incarnation even today could be those who have their heads in the clouds?

The kingdom of God is a feast. Retelling this parable of Jesus, we find the great feast to be much like a fairy tale--in that it seems too good to be true - and yet to believe the gospel is to believe this is exactly the way of things! Drawing from sources ranging from the film “Babbette's Feast” to Frederick Buechner's Leo Bebb novels to children's author Shel Silverstein ... we are called back to childhood to live into the reality of the kingdom love feast.

NOTE: PLEASE BE ADVISED, THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS SOME GRAPHIC LANGUAGE. You can't know the truth until you own up to the lies. Bound up in the Christian gospel (which is all about truth-telling ... about God, about ourselves, about the world) are stories about liars and the lies they tell (from Abraham, to Rahab, to Peter, to Annanias and Sapphira). The biggest lies we believe, however, are the ones we tell ourselves - lies that must be exposed before God before the truth can be told.

In his surprising dream encounter with God, Jacob the liar becomes the dreamer and the dreamer becomes a worshiper. From Jacob to the present, God has spoken (and continues to speak) through dreams and visions. This message explores the mystical nature of the Christian life, and the power of God's Spirit to give His people languages they have never heard and images they have never seen.

Jesus is able to identify with misfits so completely because He becomes one Himself. This message takes a fresh look at the servant song of Isaiah 53 in dialog with Toni Morrison's haunting first novel, The Bluest Eye; forcing us to raise hard questions about what it means to be complicit in the murder of God.