A Theology of Joy
July ~ August 2023
During the months of July and August, we will explore a theology of joy. Throughout the Bible people experience joy in varying circumstances, sometimes celebratory and sometimes excruciatingly hard. When he was teaching his disciples not long before his arrest and execution, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Jesus desired to share his joy with his disciples. For this sermon series on joy, we will read select Psalms together. We hope this sermon series encourages you as we seek to share in joy together as a church family.
August 6, 2023
“Celebrating the Gifts of Children
The children preaching
Today we celebrate our children and our Summer Music and Arts Camp.
Previous Sermon Series
A Greener Faith
Slow-Paced Practices of Gratitude
Searching for Wholeness
A Series in the Gospel of Mark
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus announces the good news that the reign of God has arrived (1:14-15). Is this announcement still good and timely news for us today? The reign of God means liberation, healing, and wholeness for individuals and communities. Jesus invites anyone who will listen to join him in witnessing the reign of God. Ched Myers has observed, “Mark’s Gospel…is a story by, about, and for those committed to God’s work of justice, compassion, and liberation in the world.” The Gospel of Mark is the oldest and shortest of the four gospels in the New Testament. In this sermon series, we will explore Jesus as the physician and the church as a field hospital.
From Generation to Generation
Advent and Christmas
Our world and our lives often leave us feeling discouraged, fearful, lonely, and even hopeless. The season of Advent anticipates the arrival of hope, peace, joy, and love in our lives. Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” Each week, as we will reflect on what and who bring us hope, peace, joy, and love, we will orient our hearts to the ways in which God enters our world and our lives.
Humble Beginnings
During the fall months, we will follow David’s life in the Old Testament. David’s story is a story of humble beginnings, and his story holds a central place in the imagination of the Old Testament. The Bible scholar Walter Brueggemann has asserted, “More than any other person [in the Old Testament], Israel is fascinated by David, deeply attracted to him, bewildered by him, occasionally embarrassed by him, but never disowning him.” As we follow glimpses of David’s life, we will discover a person “after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). David got a lot of things wrong, to put it mildly, but he also acted with humility and courage.
Made for Peace
The New Testament letter of Ephesians narrates the drama of God’s salvation of the world, God’s making peace with the world in Christ. Michael Gorman asserts, “Perhaps the world might actually sit up and take notice of the Christian faith if Christians really did embody the gospel of peace,” and Gorman says, “Ephesians is a letter about the gospel of peace.” While the church in Ephesus is a missional body clothed in the essentials for a real-life struggle in the world, the church in Ephesus is also culturally situated in the first century. Our reading together of the letter of Ephesians will seek to be faithful to the spirit of the letter while also engaging our contemporary life experience.