God’s Kingdom Grows

The Rev. Patrick Schlabs | Mark 4:26-34
As even the green-thumb-challenged are aware, good seeds grows. And seed of the Kingdom grows in all times and places. Yet we Jesus’ parables in Mark 4 help us know exactly how it grows. In the parable of the farmer and the seed and the parable of the mustard seed we see that God’s kingdom grows mysteriously, automatically, and exponentially. Join Patrick Schlabs we explore the ramifications of Kingdom growth.

Lord of the Sabbath

Pastor Ra’Shan Wilson | Mark 2:23-28

Each of us needs alignment to the Truth, and that alignment always entails an assignment. The alignment of Mark’s Gospel, it’s assignment, is revealing Jesus as God’s servant, a *working* Savior. Yet, Mark 2:23-28 contains an important clarification of humankind’s relationship with rest, or Sabbath. Join Pastor Ra’Shan Wilson as he examines Sabbath-rest, and finds that in Jesus it is God who is our Sabbath.

The Trinity and the Cross

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-16

The sign of the Cross is often made whenever the threefold persons of God are proclaimed, but why? The doctrines of the Trinity and of the Atonement are the two most important of the Christian faith, and they are deeply connected. How are we to understand this? How does it involve us? Join Peet Dickinson as he ponders the mysteries of faith, and so comes to witness the glory of the Trinity displayed upon the Cross.

God Come Near

The Rev. Patrick Schlabs | John 14:8-17

2000 years removed from Christ’s ascension, we can feel that God is absent from a world filled with suffering and brokenness. Yet Jesus has full revealed the Father’s love and commitment for the world through his incarnation, death, and resurrection. And Christ’s presence remains in the world through his Spirit and his people. Join Patrick Schlabs as he proclaims that God has come near in Jesus, in his Spirit, and in you. 

No Condemnation

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | 1 John 5:6-15

The condemnation of the human heart, to be slated for inevitable destruction, produces deep shame and accompanying morbid behaviors. For Christians there is now no condemnation, thanks to the finished work of Jesus, but how is this freedom revealed in our lives? Join Peet Dickinson as he bears witness to the ascended King Jesus, and sees in him freedom from selfishness, from fear, and from condemnation.

A Fearless Love

Mr. Jacob Graudin | 1 John 4:7-21

If “perfect love casts out fear,” then why are so many Christians bound by fear of conflict, rejection, or discomfort? While talking about love in general terms is common enough, it requires a deeper dive to understand the specific character of God’s love, and therefore to see how Christians possess lives free from fear. Join Jacob Graudin as he witnesses the fearless love of God made manifest through Jesus and, by his Spirit, in our lives.

Legendary Love

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | 1 John 3:11-24

A restaurant is only as good as the dish it’s known for. Likewise, the measure of the Christian church is what is supposed to be our defining mark: love. Yet love is so often lacking in our hearts and our communities; what do we make of this? Join Peet Dickinson as he looks at the death-conquering love of Jesus, and sees it reflected in our lives by the power of God.

Identity and Responsibility

The Rev. Patrick Schlabs | 1 John 2:28-3:10

Our families give us many of the traits that affect how we are, yet these do not define us. Our spiritual family, however, defines us to our core. As John writes, if we are children of God, we shall be like him. This identity entails a responsibility to act accordingly, but how is the transition made from title to lifestyle? Join Patrick Schlabs as he asks this question and encounters the God who makes us his own.

The Truer Story

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Luke 24:36-49, 1 John 1:1-2:2

Many of us feel like we’re characters in the wrong movie; life feels like it doesn’t align with our deepest instincts. We’re much like the disciples on Easter morning, grieving and scared, before Jesus appears. John, the beloved disciple, writes about the Easter shift from this wrong story to the truer story of the resurrection. Join Peet Dickinson as he follows the scriptural story from darkness to light, from death to life.

The Disillusioned Resurrection

Mr. Jacob Graudin | John 20:19-31

The joy of Easter is still fresh, yet disillusionment and doubt quickly follow. How do we deal with the realization that the world is not the way that it should be, even when we are reborn in Christ, even (and especially) in the midst of his Church? Join Jacob Graudin as he walks with Thomas and the other disciples through their doubt, and finds the resurrected Jesus meeting them with power and love.

Easter in the Here and Now

The Right Reverend Mark J. Lawrence | John 20:1-18

All around us the world is beset with decay and death, yet the fragrance of Easter flows from the empty tomb. Yet that transforming day can seem so far removed. What does it mean for Easter morning to be real in our present moments? Join Bishop Mark Lawrence as he unfolds the resurrection of Jesus in all its glory.

Overwhelmed For the Overwhelmed

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Matthew 28:1-10

To be overwhelmed is to be human, this is undeniable. Yet what do we do when we are overwhelmed? Where is God in our drowning? The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is pointed, very intimately, at our overwhelmed state. Join Peet Dickinson as takes us to the cross and empty tomb to see the Creator of all taking on the whelming flood for us.