The Sufficiency of Grace

The Rev. Patrick Schlabs | 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

The self-sufficient individual is the great American archetype, even a founding principle, yet our experience tends to contradict this aspiration, and we meet burnout and failure. As we read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, we find a similar story of credentials and experience meeting pain and disappointment. What do we make of this suffering? What about apparent prosperity? Join Patrick Schlabs as he unpacks this text and finds the beautiful sufficiency of Christ alone.

Independence from Dependence

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Deuteronomy 15:7-11

Generosity is not a natural trait, particularly in the rat-race drive of America, yet the story of Scripture is one of grace, unmerited generosity from God towards humanity. Deuteronomy gives an evocative and challenging picture of this generosity as God commands the people of Israel. Yet what does this mean for us today? How is generosity acted out in our own lives? Join Peet Dickinson as he explores this challenging command and sees our generosity stemming from our gracious God.

The Kingdom & the Stormy Sea

Pastor Ryan Thompson | Mark 4:35-41

The story of Jesus calming the storm is a familiar one, yet upon closer inspection it tells a deeply resonant story about the Kingdom of Heaven. In keeping with Jesus’ parables of the Kingdom, this incident acts as a real-life parable, revealing the Kingdom of God as an obvious, participatory, and deeply personal manifestation of God’s love. Join Ryan Thompson as he explores the tale of the boat, the sea, the men, and the Messiah, and discover the good news of Jesus Christ in the storm.

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.