Gathering Recap - 07/27/2025 - Acts 9:1-31 - How Grace Works

Call to worship:

8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares rain for the earth;
    he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
    and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Psalm 147:8-11

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What surprises you in this section of scripture?

How does God use people in this account of Saul’s transformation?

Who seems to far off that you’re praying for?

Where do you see the grace of God at work in your life?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 9:1-31 - Larry/Jorgen

Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth. A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.” There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too. - Frederick Buechner

Gradually, and without violence, Jesus pricked Saul's mind and conscience with his goads. Then he revealed Himself to him by the light and the voice, not in order to overwhelm him, but in such a way as to enable him to make a free response. Divine grace does not trample on human personality. Rather the reverse, for it enables human beings to be truly human. It is sin which imprisons; it is grace which liberates. The grace of God so frees us from the bondage of our pride, prejudice and self-centeredness, as to enable us to repent and believe. One can but magnify the grace of God that he should have had mercy on such a rabid bigot as Saul of Tarsus, and indeed on such proud, rebellious and wayward creatures as ourselves. - John Stott

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.

But with unhurrying chase,

And unperturbèd pace,

Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,

They beat—and a Voice beat

More instant than the Feet—

‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me

Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

Romans 10:14

“Put all this together, and what do we have, as the central, shaping marker of the new worldview, taking the place and bearing the weight that the Jewish symbols had borne within the worldview of Saul of Tarsus? We have precisely the gospel, the euangelion, the ‘good news’, rooted in the ‘good news’ spoken of in the Great Prophet, confronting the ‘good news’ carved in stone around Caesar’s empire. We have the symbol by which Paul declared that he was himself defined, the anchor of his own vocational mindset: Paul, an apostle, set apart for the good news of God; I am not ashamed of the good news, because it is God’s power for salvation to all who believe; the Messiah did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel; woe to me if I do not announce the good news; I do it all for the sake of the good news; let me remind you of the gospel which I announced to you, which you received, in which you stand firm, through which you are saved; the gospel of the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of God. The gospel, the gospel, the gospel. It defined Paul. It defined his work. It defined his communities. It was the shorthand summary of the theology which, in turn, was the foundation for the central pillar for the new worldview. It carried God’s power. That was just as well: the worldview, and those who lived by it, were going to need it.” NT Wright

“Grace is God acting in our life to bring about, and to enable us to do, what we cannot do on our own. Grace is for all of life and not just for forgiveness. Grace is not opposed to effort (action)-though it is opposed to earning (attitude). Grace is inextricably bound up with discipline in the life of the disciple or apprentice of Jesus. “Grace,” of course, as an active agency in the psychological and biological reality of the disciple.” - Dallas Willard

Eph 1:7-10

What you need to drive out an old passion, is a new passion, a greater passion. What you need is an over-mastering positive passion. To the degree, that you see Jesus on the cross, loosing absolutely everything for you, He will become a beauty to you, He will become so beautiful in your eyes that you'll be able to change these things that control you now, they'll loose their power. Do you know how to work on your heart like that? It's only by rejoicing in and resting in what Jesus Christ has done for you. Then you can replace your idols. And if you really want to change and want to pound the Gospel more deeply into your heart - Jesus Christ must become your over-mastering positive passion. Tim Keller

All which I took from thee I did but take,

Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.

All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:

Rise, clasp My hand, and come!'

Francis Thompson, Hound of Heaven

Gathering Recap - 07/20/2025 - Acts 8:26-40 - God of the Desert

Call to worship:

4 He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;[b]
    he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre!

Psalm 147:4-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does the desert motif work throughout scripture?

What barriers are broken in Acts 8? What modern day barriers do you feel exist?

What does simple obedience to the clear commands of scripture look like today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 8:26-40

1 Thess 4:1-8 - 1 Peter 2:13-17— 1 Thess 5:16-18

Deut 23:1

”He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:25-27

Romans 10:10-17

We do not go into the desert to escape people but to learn how to find them; we do not leave them in order to have nothing more to do with them, but to find out the way to do them the most good. But this is only a secondary end. The one that includes all others is the love of God. - Thomas Merton

"Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.” Augustine

Gathering Recap - 07/06/2025 - Acts 7:1-60 - The First Martyr

Call to worship:

8 he Lord sets the prisoners free;
8     the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 146:8-10

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What are the accusations against Stephen and how does he respond?

How does being saturated in the story of God influence our witness?

What is the significance of Stephen seeing Jesus standing?

In what ways does the gospel transform our witness and the ethics of forgiveness?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 7:1-60

1 Pet 3:8-17

“God is everywhere present. The holy place is there wherever God may be.” - Chrysostom

“No harm can be done to the temple and the law, when Christ is openly established as the end and truth of both.” - John Calvin

“Stephen has been confessing Christ before men, and now he sees Christ confessing his servant before God.” FF Bruce

“The Jesus who was right then interceding for Stephen had taught him that intercession, rather than cursing, was the way of the new, fulfilled, law and Temple.” - NT Wright

Gathering Recap - 06/29/2025 - Acts 6:1-15 - Growing Pains

Call to worship:

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7     who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

Psalm 146:1-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does success create problems? In the early church, what’s the nature of it and what do they do about it?

What does the idealized church look like to you? Does it line up with scripture?

What is Christ’s criteria for community?

What does it mean to be both redeemed and on the mend?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 6:1-15 - Sawyer

Title: Growing Pains

“Success, while desirable, can paradoxically create new challenges. This can manifest as increased pressure, difficulty managing growth, and strained relationships with those who haven't achieved the same level of success. Understanding these potential downsides is crucial for navigating the complexities of success and maintaining long-term well-being.” 

- Google AI

“The devil’s next attack was the cleverest of the three. Having failed to overcome the church by either persecution or corruption, he now tried distraction. If he could preoccupy the apostles with social administration, which though essential was not their calling, they would neglect their God-given responsibilities to pray and to preach, and so leave the church without any defense against false doctrine.”

- John Stott

“Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“One of the apologetics against the church is that the rhetoric often doesn’t live up to the reality.”

- Leo Schuester

1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

(Philippians 2:1-8 The Message)

Questions:

1. Do I love the community or my dream of the community?

2. Have I experienced hurt in the community?

3. Who actually is the architect of my dream community?

Gathering Recap - 06/22/2025 - Acts 5:17-42 - The Name

Call to worship:

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Psalm 145:18-21

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is the path out of jealousy?

What is the significance of “the name” throughout the story of Scripture?

How does faith drive obedience and vice/versa?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 5:17-42 - Karen

Acts 5:17-42

Proverbs 14:30

“Envy is one of the most miserable vices. Most other vices tend to produce some kind of pleasure, however momentary. But envy is nothing but unpleasant, through and through. It is the constant thief of joy. - Gavin Ortlund

We can glimpse it in the book of Acts: the method of the kingdom will match the message of the kingdom. The kingdom…goes out into the world vulnerable, suffering, praising, praying, misunderstood, misjudged, vindicated, celebrating: always – as Paul puts it in one of his letters – bearing in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed. - NT Wright

Ex 34:4-7

“When God describes himself, He doesn’t start with how powerful He is or how He knows everything there is to know or how He’s been around since before time and space and there’s no one else like Him in the universe. That’s all true, but apparently, to God, it’s not the most important thing. When God describes himself, He starts with His name. Then He talks about what we call character. He’s compassionate and gracious; he’s slow to anger; he’s abounding in love and faithfulness” - John Mark Comer

Gathering Recap - 06/08/2025 - Acts 4:23-37 - How to Church

Call to worship:

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your[b] mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

Psalm 145:10-13

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How do the apostles respond to the threats against them?

What do we see about how they pray? How is that instructive for today?

Why do you think the resurrection leads to generosity?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 4:23-37

“If we allow the Bible to become fragmented, it is in danger of being absorbed into whatever other story is shaping our culture, and it will thus cease to shape our lives as it should. Idolatry has twisted the dominant cultural story of the secular Western world. If as believers we allow this story (rather than the Bible) to become the foundation of our thought and action, then our lives will manifest not the truths of Scripture, but the lies of an idolatrous culture. Hence, the unity of Scripture is no minor matter: a fragmented Bible may actually produce theologically orthodox, morally upright, warmly pious idol worshippers! - Mike Goheen

John 17:20-23

”We must have hearts that are harder than iron if we are not moved by the reading of this narrative. In those days the believers gave abundantly of what was their own; we in our day are content not just jealously to retain what we possess, but callously to rob others.... They sold their own possessions in those days; in our day it is the lust to purchase that reigns supreme. At that time love made each man's own possessions common property for those in need; in our day such is the inhumanity of many, that they begrudge to the poor a common dwelling upon earth, the common use of water, air and sky.” John Calvin

1 Cor 6:19-20

Gathering Recap - 06/01/2025 - Acts 4:1-22 - The Stone

Call to worship:

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Psalm 145:8-9

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Are you able to articulate the hope you have?

Do you have a tendency to be mouthy or “mousey” about the faith?

In what ways do you tend to acquiesce to culture?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 4:1-22 - Scott

They rejected the oral traditions of the Pharisees and considered only the written Torah of the Pentateuch as valid. They considered the concepts of demons and angels, immortality and resurrection as innovations, believing in no life beyond this life.

More important than their theology, however, was their political orientation. Coming largely from the landed aristocracy, they were accommodationists with regard to the Roman occupation of Israel. Possessing considerable economic interests, their concern was to make peace with the Romans, preserve the status quo, and thus protect their own holdings. In return the Romans accorded the Sadducees considerable power, invariably appointing the high priest from their ranks, who was the most powerful political figure among the Jews in that day. The prime concern of the Sadducean aristocracy, of whom the high priest was the chief spokesman, was the preservation of order, the avoidance at all costs of any confrontation with the Roman authorities.

- New American Commentary

The church's one foundation

is Jesus Christ her Lord;

she is his new creation

by water and the Word.

From heaven he came and sought her

to be his holy bride;

with his own blood he bought her,

and for her life he died.

- Samuel J. Stone (1839-1900)

”Grace is the free favor of God, the undeserved bounty of the ever-gracious Creator against whom we have offended, the generous pardon, the infinite, spontaneous lovingkindness of the God who has been provoked and angered by our sin."God's grace proceeds exclusively through Jesus Christ, the Mediator. "All things come to us through Christ Jesus: he is the golden pipe of the conduit of eternal love, the window through which grace shines, the door by which it enters." — Charles Spurgeon (The Cross and Salvation, Bruce Demarest)

…It does not say, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are objectionable.’ It does not say, ‘Blessed are those who are having a hard time in their Christian life because they are being difficult.’ It does not say, ‘Blessed are those who are being persecuted as Christians because they are seriously lacking in wisdom and are really foolish and unwise in what they regard as being their testimony.’ It is not that. There is no need for one to elaborate this, but so often one has known Christian people who are suffering mild persecution entirely because of their own folly, because of something either in themselves or in what they are doing. But the promise does not apply to such people. It is for righteousness’ sake. Let us be very clear about that. We can bring endless suffering upon ourselves, and we can create difficulties for ourselves that are quite unnecessary because we have some rather foolish notion of witnessing and testifying or because, in a spirit of self-righteousness, we really do call it down on our own heads. We are often so foolish in these matters. We are slow to realize the difference between prejudice and principle and we are so slow to understand the difference between being offensive, in a natural sense, because of our particular makeup and temperament, and causing offense because we are righteous.

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

10 For “Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;

11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-17)

Gathering Recap - 05/25/2025 - Acts 3:1-26 - Repentance, Removal, Refreshment, Restoration

Call to worship:

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Psalm 145:4-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What does waiting well look like?

We see the theme of repentance again in Acts, what does it look like in the book? In your life?

In what areas of your life are you longing for refreshing? How is Jesus leading you toward it?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Slide 1

Title of the Message:

Repentance, Removal, Refreshment, and Restoration

Slide 2

Big idea

As we wait for Jesus to restore all things, refreshment is now available in

His presence.

Slide 3

“The healing story itself is similar to those related in the gospels, but it is related with a fair amount of detail. Peter is able to do the kind of things that Jesus did by acting in the name of Jesus: thus, the continuity between the ministry of Jesus and the witness of the church is expressed…the main point of the story is the continuing power of the name of Jesus to perform the same gracious and healing acts which were signs in the gospels of the coming of the kingdom or rule of God.”

I.Howard Marshall

Slide 4

“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.”

Acts 3:13-15

Slide 5

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”

Acts 3:19-21

Slide 6

True Christian repentance involves a heartfelt conviction of sin, a contrition over the offense to God, a turning away from the sinful way of life, and a turning towards a God-honoring way of life.

Sam Storms

Slide 7

“The word wipe away is a really precious and beautiful word in the New Testament. It’s used, for example, in Revelation 21:4, where it says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” God is in the business of wiping away sin to prepare people for the wiping away of tears in the age to come.

John Piper

Slide 8 – Selah logo (sending by email)

Slide 9 – Verse on wall (sending by email)

Slide 10

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

2 Peter 3:11-13

Slide 11

Big idea

As we wait for Jesus to restore all things, refreshment is now available in

His presence.

Gathering Recap - 05/18/2025 - Acts 2:42-47 - What a Spirit Filled Church Looks Like

Call to worship:

1 I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

Psalm 145:1-3

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is discipleship?

How does the Spirit grow and empower the early church?

What are the 4 “core strands” of the early church and how can they be lived today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 2:42-47

Haiku - Following Jesus, learning from Him, joining in His mission on earth

“The idea of salvation cannot be reduced to a personal relationship with Jesus. God's plan is much more encompassing. God intends for salvation to be a community-creating event.” Joseph Hellerman

“Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay also grow. People who leave do not grow. We all know people who are consumed with spiritual wanderlust. But we never get to know them very well because they cannot seem to stay put. They move along from church to church, ever searching for a congregation that will better satisfy their felt needs. Like trees repeatedly transplanted from soil to soil, these spiritual nomads fail to put down roots and seldom experience lasting and fruitful growth in their Christian lives.” - Joseph Hellerman

”These four go together. You can't separate them, or leave one out, without damage to the whole thing. Where no attention is given to teaching, and to constant, lifelong Christian learning, people quickly refer to the worldview or mindset of the surrounding culture, and end up with their minds shaped by whichever social pressures are most persuasive, with Jesus somewhere around as a pale influence or memory. Where people ignore the common life of the Christian family (the technical term often used is "fellowship", which is more than friendship but not less), they become isolated, and often find it difficult to sustain a living faith. Where people no longer share regularly in 'the breaking of bread' (the early Christian term for the simple meal that took them back to the Upper Room 'in remembrance of Jesus'), they are failing to raise the flag which says 'Jesus' death and resurrection are the centre of everything. And whenever people do all these things but neglect prayer, they are quite simply forgetting that Christians are supposed to be heaven-and earth people. Prayer makes no sense whatever - unless heaven and earth are designed to be joined together, and we can share in that already.”NT Wright

Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. The doctrine of grace creates a culture of grace. When the doctrine is clear and the culture is beautiful, that church will be powerful. But there are no shortcuts to getting there. Without the doctrine, the culture will be weak. Without the culture, the doctrine will seem pointless. Ray Ortlund

“Money flows effortlessly to that which is its god.” Tim Keller

“If the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, then perhaps the love of generosity is the root of all kinds of good.” CS Lewis

“Prayer, in the sense of union with God, is the most crucifying thing there is. One must do it for God’s sake; but one will not get any satisfaction out of it, in the sense of feeling “I am good at prayer. I have an infallible method.” That would be disastrous, since what we want to learn is precisely our own weakness, powerlessness, unworthiness. Nor ought one to expect “a sense of the reality of the supernatural” of which I speak. And one should wish for no prayer, except precisely the prayer that God gives us—probably very distracted and unsatisfactory in every way.” Henri Nouwen

Gathering Recap - 05/11/2025 - Acts 2:1-41 - Pentecost, Preaching, Repentance

Call to worship:

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.[d]
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being[e] rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption.[f]

11 You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:7-11

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does Pentecost connect with the story of scripture?

What patterns do we find in Peter’s preaching?

How can we grow in mission and evangelism?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 2:1-41

Revelation 7:9-10

"We formerly rejoiced in uncleanness of life, but now love only chastity; before we used the magic arts, but now dedicate ourselves to the true and unbegotten God; before we loved money and possessions more than anything, but now we share what we have and to everyone who is in need; before we hated one another and killed one another and would not eat with those of another race, but now since the manifestation of Christ, we have come to a common life and pray for our enemies and try to win over those who hate us without just cause.” Justin Martyr

Is our evangelism a joyful proclamation of what God has done for us or a frantic “workaholic” search for as many scalps for our evangelical belt as we can find? Biblical evangelizing is a twofold commission: to preach and to pray, to talk to people about God and to talk to God about people.” Harvey Conn

2 Cor 5:17-21

Gathering Recap - 05/04/2025 - Acts 1:12-26 - The Space Between

Call to worship:

5 I cry to you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
    for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me!
7 Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.

Psalm 142:5-7

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Why do we tend to long for the destination and resist the journey?

What do you tend to do in the waiting? What are the distinctions between consuming and communing?

What patterns does the first chapter of Acts show us about prayer?

How do our ancient siblings deal with scandal?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 1:12-26 - Scott Reading

Title: The Space Between

“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”

- Karl Barth

“One reason why the experiential reality of perceiving God is unfamiliar country today is that the pace and preoccupations of urbanized, mechanized, collectivized, secularized modern life are such that any sort of inner life... is very hard to maintain. To make prayer your life priority, as countless Christians of former days did outside as well as inside the monastery, is stupendously difficult in a world that runs you off your feet and will not let you slow down. And if you attempt it, you will certainly seem eccentric to your peers, for nowadays involvement in a stream of programmed activities is decidedly ‘in,’ and the older ideal of a quiet, contemplative life is just as decidedly ‘out.’ That there is widespread hunger today for more intimacy, warmth, and affection in our fellowship with God is clear... but the concept of Christian life as sanctified rush and bustle still dominates, and as a result the experiential side of Christian holiness remains very much a closed book.”

- J.I. Packer

“There are no more lots after the coming of the Holy Spirit. It’s a shame isn’t it? I mean life would be a lot easier if we just had to draw lots to know God’s will, but evidently that’s not how he wants it. The Spirit is who is in our hearts helps makes these things clear. One of my favorite prayers is, God will you make it so clear that there’s no choice? I hate choice. Of the eighteen possible variations, just make seventeen go away will you, because I’m not real bright and I don’t always get these things. I’m still hoping for casting lots to come back into use, but I’m not going to hold my breath.”

- William Mounce

“As much as modern Christians love to talk about successes, sometimes the failures of the church need airing.”

- Holman Commentary

{Verse 1}

Free fall, feet off the ground

A clean, white page, fresh snow, no sound

Here as we wait, from dark to dawn

New paths before us, the old is gone

{Chorus 1}

Unplug the lights, take down the tree

The less we have, the less we need

From Christmas night to New Year's Eve

We bless the space that’s in between

We bless the space that’s in between

{Verse 2}

December ends, make way for dreams

Wait for the light to raise the spring

Embrace it all from hope to doubt

Like ocean waves washin' in and out

{Chorus 2}

Two roads apart, come close again

Where do you stop? Where do I begin?

Each year we learn more what it means

We bless the space that’s in between

We bless the space that’s in between

{Bridge}

We bless the seeds under the snow

We bless the patience take it slow

We bless the limits, bless the tears

We bless the failures that brought us here

{Verse 3}

I wipe the frost the glass is cold

Our dreams beneath the falling snow

Be Thou my vision until I see

And bless the space that’s in between

- Sandra McCracken & Josh Garrels

O Almighty God, you pour out your spirit of grace and of supplication on all who desire it. Deliver us, when we draw near to you, from cold hearts and wandering minds, that with steady thoughts and kindled passion we may worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Gathering Recap - 04/27/2025 - Acts 1:1-11 - How Jesus Starts His Church

Call to worship:

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
    and will execute justice for the needy.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
    the upright shall dwell in your presence.

Psalm 140:12-13

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How is Acts connected to Luke?

How does Jesus interact with our waiting? What questions are you living now?

The power of the Spirit is for witness. Who is around you? What resources have been entrusted to you? What opportunities are available to share the love and truth of Jesus?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for your story that centers on Your Son. Would You empower us by Your Spirit to live as witnesses to Your kingdom in every sphere of life. May we trust and serve you as we look to show your love this week.

In the name of Christ we pray, amen.If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Acts 1:1-11 - Faith

"How Jesus Starts His Church"

”Customary descriptions of Acts as the story of the church's growth or the story of the spread of the gospel neglect the larger context within which this journey takes place. Although it begins in Israel's leading city, Jerusalem, and ends in the Empire's leading city, Rome, the context of Acts reaches well beyond the cities of the Mediterranean world. Readers who set aside the expectation that Acts is an institutional history, shaped and reshaped by human leaders, will instead see God at work from the beginning until well past the end. God is the one who glorifies Jesus and raises him from the dead, who rescues the apostles from prison, who directs Ananias to baptize Saul, and who insists upon the inclusion of the Gentiles. As Acts unfolds, the audience comes to know God through the activity ascribed to God as well as through the speeches and their claims about God. And the first thing the audience learns is that God is the God of Israel.” Beverly Gaventa

“The central problem of our age is not liberalism or modernism, nor the old Roman Catholicism or the new Roman Catholicism.The real problem is this: the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, individually corporately, tending to do the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than of the Spirit. The central problem is always in the midst of the people of God, not in the circumstances surrounding them Is it not amazing: though we know the power of the Holy Spirit can be ours, we still ape the world’s wisdom, trust its forms of publicity and its noise, and imitate its ways of manipulating men! If we try to influence the world by using its methods, we are doing the Lord’s work in the flesh. If we put activity, even good activity, at the center rather than trusting God, then there may be the power of the world, but we will lack the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Francis Schaeffer

“Travelers who desire the predictability of an interstate highway system where all roads look alike and every interchange features three gas stations and two fast-food stores will find this journey more closely resembles A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.” Beverly Gaventa

Joel 2:28-29

“For the verb restore shows that the were expecting a political and territorial kingdom; the noun Israel that they were expecting a national kingdom; and the adverbial clause at this time that they were expecting its immediate establishment.” John Stott

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer - Rainer Rilke

“Some have seen Jesus’s answer as a gentle rebuke to their curiosity: they are to mind their own business and not worry about the end. Others have seen a challenge to the disciple’ narrowly nationalistic view of the kingdom. But these interpretations miss the legitimate eschatological expectation that all Jews, including Jesus and the apostles, held in common. If the last days had come indeed—as all the signs seemed to indicate—then Israel must be restored: this was the first order of business on the prophets’ kingdom agenda! Jesus’s response precisely answers this question: this is how the kingdom is to be restored to Israel so that (in keeping with prophetic promise) the gentiles might soon stream in. Jesus shifts his disciples expectation from when to how.” - Mike Goheen

“When the Spirit comes to them and gives them the gift of power, their very identity will be transformed into that of witnesses.” - Darrell Guder

“The key question is this: As we work for God in this fallen world, what are we trusting in? To trust in particular methods is to copy the world and to remove ourselves from the tremendous promise that we have something different—the power of the Holy Spirit rather than the power of human technique.” - Francis Schaeffer

Gathering Recap - 04/20/2025 - Exodus 33:12-23 - Exodus and Easter

Call to worship:

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Mark 16:1-8

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does Exodus connect to Easter?

In what ways does Moses and Jesus provide the presence of God and intercession?

How does the presence and intercession of Christ transform life today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you that you are the God who makes a way. You are the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. You keep steadfast love for thousands, forgive iniquity, transgression and sin; but will by no means clear the guilty. As we follow Your Son and our savior Jesus, please empower us with your Spirit to work and wait well, where you have placed us.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Exodus 33:12-33

“For a while” is a phrase whose length can't be measured. At least by the person who's waiting. - Haruki Murakami

“We don't believe something by merely saying we believe it, or even when we believe that we believe it. We believe something when we act as if it were true. Actions are not impostions on who we are, but are expressions of who we are. They come out of our heart and the inner realities it supervises and interacts with.” Dallas Willard

34:6-7

Romans 8:34-39

1 Peter 1:3-7

2 Cor 3:16-18

Gathering Recap - 04/06/2025 - Exodus 19:1-6 - Sinai Pt. 2

Call to worship:

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
    for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
    but the haughty he knows from afar.

Psalm 138:4-6

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What is the significance of Sinai?

The Hebrew word “segulla” means “treasured possession” - What does it mean that God says that about His people?

How does the Exodus connect to the church, specifically 1 Peter 2:9?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you that you are the God who makes a way. You are the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. You keep steadfast love for thousands, forgive iniquity, transgression and sin; but will by no means clear the guilty. As we follow Your Son and our savior Jesus, please empower us with your Spirit to work and wait well, where you have placed us.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Text for reading: Exodus 19:1-6 - Scott

Title: Sinai pt. 2

“We can imagine our octogenarian mountaineer in joyful fellowship with the God whose patience he had exhausted at this spot some months earlier.”

- Christopher Wright

10  “He found him in a desert land,

and in the howling waste of the wilderness;

he encircled him, he cared for him,

he kept him as the apple of his eye.

11  Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,

that flutters over its young,

spreading out its wings, catching them,

bearing them on its pinions,

12  the LORD alone guided him,

no foreign god was with him.”

—Deut. 32:10-12 ESV

“Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” - Exodus 16:3 NKJV

“It’s three months since they've left Egypt. They started a new calendar the moment they stepped foot out of Egypt. So now time is being reckoned in relation to his work of deliverance. And he tells them, we're entering into covenant. If you obey me and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations, you're going to be my treasured possession.”

- Carmen Imes

“9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

- 1 Peter 2:9&10 ESV

Gathering Recap - 03/30/2025 - Exodus 14:5-31 - Deliverance and Doubt

Call to worship:

1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
    before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
    for you have exalted above all things
    your name and your word.[a]
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
    my strength of soul you increased.

Psalm 138:1-3

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What points of view are there in this story?

In the face of fear, what are the clear commands of God?

If growing in trust means patience, perseverance, and obedience, what is God calling you to today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you that you are the God who makes a way. You are the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. You keep steadfast love for thousands, forgive iniquity, transgression and sin; but will by no means clear the guilty. As we follow Your Son and our savior Jesus, please empower us with your Spirit to work and wait well, where you have placed us.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Exodus 14:5-31

“The story of God is the story of salvation, centered on the One whose name means “Yahweh is salvation,” and here is what that looks like: deliverance from slavery and certain death, announced by faith, and received as a gift through trust and obedience.” - Chris Wright

“With our modern curiosity, we tend either to explain the phenomenon (and deny the miracle) or to think of it solely in miraculous terms (and resist any natural causation). Our text, however, sees the event from both perspectives as equally valid. On the one hand, the Bible itself provides a perfectly natural explanation. A combination of wind and movement of the sea caused a dry corridor for a temporary period, long enough for Israel to get to the other side. On the other hand, who rules the wind and the waves? We have just read the whole narrative of the natural disasters inflicted on Egypt by Yahweh using the forces of creation for his own purposes. This event, no matter what the natural causes, was Yahweh’s doing (he caused the wind to drive back the sea) through Moses’s agency (he stretched his hand and raised his staff). Two other points turn this natural event into a miracle of salvation: first, that it should happen at precisely the time when the Israelites needed it to; and second, that the danger surrounding them was only too evident—the sea was still there in the threatening darkness (the walls of water on either side) but was held back long enough for all to cross in safety.” Chris Wright

Ezk 18:23

Prov 3:6-7

“The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future. The next step discloses itself only out of a discernment of God acting in the desert of the present moment. The reality of naked trust is the life of the pilgrim who leaves what is nailed down, obvious, and secure, and walks into the unknown without any rational explanation to justify the decision or guarantee the future. Why? Because God has signaled the movement and offered it his presence and his promise.” Brennan Manning

“Almost anything in life that truly matters will require you to do small, mostly overlooked things, over a long period of time with him.” Zach Eswine

Gathering Recap - 03/23/2025 - Exodus 12:1-13 - Passover

Call to worship:

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 136:23-26

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Why the pause in the narrative for the passover?

What is the significance of the passover and intentionality with the symbols?

How does the passover point us to Christ?

What liturgies today can help us regularly remember our redemption?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you that you are the God who makes a way. You are the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. You keep steadfast love for thousands, forgive iniquity, transgression and sin; but will by no means clear the guilty. As we follow Your Son and our savior Jesus, please empower us with your Spirit to work and wait well, where you have placed us.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Exodus 12:1-13 - Jon

Exodus 12:1-13

“Liturgies aim our love to different ends precisely by training our hearts through our bodies.”. - James K.A. Smith

Exodus 12:29-32

13:17-22

Whenever Israel returned to God in such times of national repentance, covenant renewal, or restoration, they returned to the foundational historic event of their national existence—the event on which their identity and faith was founded: God’s great demonstration of compassion, justice, and redemption, the exodus. They needed to be shaped again by the story that had first shaped them and respond to its promise and its demand in renewed worship and obedience. They needed to tell and hear again the story they were in, the story of God and God’s people, and then live in the light of it.For us, individually or as Christian communities, times of revival and renewal will always include going back to the cross and resurrection of Christ, back to the redemption story that defines the good news for us and the world, the story that shapes our identity, our mission, and our future. As it was for Israel, the road to renewal and restoration for us has to be the road of remembrance. For even as Christians, we so easily forget the story we are in. We need, just as much as the Israelites, to hear and tell again and again the story of God, the foundational biblical narrative of our redemption, and then live in the light of it. Chris Wright

Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into your mind; he is after nothing less than your wants, your loves, your longings - James KA Smith

Gathering Recap - 03/16/2025 - Exodus 7:1-13 - There Will Be Frogs

Call to worship:

13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew[a] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalm 136:13-16

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

What’s your approach to the judgement and justice of God? How is it good news?

What are the main things being shown through the plagues?

How does Jesus connect us to the justice of God?

In what ways does the coming final judgement bring about hope?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you that you are the God who makes a way. You are the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. You keep steadfast love for thousands, forgive iniquity, transgression and sin; but will by no means clear the guilty. As we follow Your Son and our savior Jesus, please empower us with your Spirit to work and wait well, where you have placed us.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Exodus 7:1-13 - Chris

Exodus 7:1-13

2 Tim 3:16-17

“One could object that it is not worthy of God to wield the sword. Is God not love, long-suffering and all-powerful love? A counter-question could go something like this: Is it not a bit too arrogant to presume that our contemporary sensibilities about what is compatible with God’s love are so much healthier than those of the people of God throughout the whole history of Judaism and Christianity? If God were not angry at injustice and deception and did not make the final end to violence God would not be worthy of our worship.” - Mirolsav Volf

6:6-8

“How are we to interpret all this? With humility, would be a good place to start. There is (and always will be) a mystery in holding together the sovereignty of God and human moral responsibility for our own willed choices and actions. Yet we must, without hesitation, insist that the Bible affirms both, frequently and unequivocally, however difficult it is for us to reconcile them in our human logic” - Chris Wright

“The entire created order is caught up in this struggle, either as cause or victim. Pharaoh’s antilife measures have unleashed chaotic powers that threaten the very creation that God intended.… Water is no longer water; light and darkness are no longer separated; diseases of people and animals run amok; insects and amphibians swarm out of control. And the signs come to a climax in the darkness, which in effect returns the creation to the first day of Genesis 1, a precreation state of affairs. While everything is unnatural in the sense of being beyond the bounds of the order created by God, the word hypernatural (nature in excess) may better capture the sense. The plagues are hypernatural at various levels—timing, scope, intensity. Some sense of this is also seen in the recurrent phrases to the effect that such “had never been seen before, nor ever shall be again” (10:14 cf. 10:6; 9:18, 24; 11:6). Terence Fretheim

“It cannot be accidental that God used ten plagues to teach the Egyptians that he is sovereign and that their gods were of no account. At the time of the exodus, both the Israelites and the Egyptians used a decimal counting system, which meant that the number ten tended to connote a full, complete, sufficient quantity of anything being explicitly enumerated. A run-through of the whole decimal list from one to ten provided more than enough demonstration of God’s power over Egypt for anyone to get the message.” Doug Stuart

“after six occasions of pharaoh hardening his own heart, we at last read that God hardens his heart, it is not so much that God is causing him to make those choices but that God gives him up to the choices he has shown himself determined to make and allows the consequences to take their course” Chris Wright

Romans 12:14-21

Gathering Recap - 03/09/2025 - Exodus 5:1-9, 6:1-8 - Battle of the Gods

Call to worship:

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalm 136:10-12

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Moses shows us a pathway for our disappointment and discouragement. What is it?

How does God stand by His covenant?

What word(s) does the cross say to our waiting?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you that you are the God who makes a way. You are the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. You keep steadfast love for thousands, forgive iniquity, transgression and sin; but will by no means clear the guilty. As we follow Your Son and our savior Jesus, please empower us with your Spirit to work and wait well, where you have placed us.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

If you are able to support the church financially, we invite you to give securely by clicking the button below:

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Exodus 5:1-9, 6:1-8 - Scott Reading

Title: Battle Of The Gods

“The exodus is a battle of the gods, in which only one can emerge from the ring victorious…The conflict between the deities: Egypt's against Israel's, the false against the true, the serpent against the seed, Pharaoh against the Lord. It is a mismatch. Battles against the Lord always are.”

—Alistair J. Roberts & Andrew Wilson, Echos Of Exodus, (pg. 41)

“Their words in 5:1 have all the hallmarks of a bold prophetic word, beginning with the classic “Thus says Yahweh” (author’s translation) and framed as a simple imperative, “let my people go.” At first reading it sounds impressively courageous as a direct word from God. Except that it was not. That speech in verse 1 was not actually what God had told Moses to say to pharaoh, and the narrator knows this, since he records Moses and Aaron reverting in verse 3 to the words God had actually given Moses in 3:18. — Christopher Wright

“That “long tradition” includes not only Job and the writers of many a psalm of lament, not only the poet who produced the prolonged and searingly poignant protest called Lamentations, but also the prophet Elijah (1 Kgs 19) and, especially, Jeremiah, whose depression and desperation lead to outbursts of astonishing honesty, some of which employ Moses’s imploring “Why …?” (e.g., Jer 12:1–4; 15:10–21; 20:7–17). That “Why …?”—echoing through the pain of so many in the Old Testament—is heard from the cross at the moment of that greater exodus that Christ accomplished there. And indeed, it was a “Why …?” taken straight from the Scriptures that shaped Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34; Ps 22:1). We know why. And Jesus, too, knew why. He was doing what he had come to do, bearing in his own divine-human self the full and terrible weight and cost and consequences of the sin of the world. But the agony of doing so draws forth this cry of dereliction. Even in the silence of heaven at that moment, we may hear the echo of exactly what God said in answer to the “Why?” that Moses asked.”

- Christopher Wright

"Standing on business" means to firmly prioritize your responsibilities, commitments, and personal values in a professional or serious manner, essentially indicating a dedication to taking care of your business and following through on your words with actions; it implies a sense of duty, assertiveness, and a no-nonsense attitude towards achieving goals.” 

- Google Ai

“God just gets on with business. This is really good news for you and me because sometimes we lack faith in God, we lack enthusiasm, and we're not sure if God is going to make good on his promises. God's promises however, do not depend on us, they depend on him. And so, even if we're in a period of discouragement, we're not in danger of derailing God's plan. God will carry out the promises that he made with or without our participation. And here, God isn't just going to save the ones who are on his side and who are excited, he is going to save all of the Hebrews. He's giving them time to come around and by the time they leave Egypt, they will be on board and he will be able to rescue them.”

- Dr. Carmen Imes

Gathering Recap - 03/02/2025 - Exodus 3:1-6 - God With Us

Call to worship:

7 to him who made the great lights,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalm 136:7-9

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Exodus gives us a picture of waiting and watching? What do you think that was like for Moses, how has that been for you?

In knowing God, how do we better understand ourselves?

How can only looking in become a danger that prevents us from looking up and out?

What significance does God bring to “small hours?”

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you that you are the God who makes a way. You are the Lord who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty. As we follow Your Son and our savior Jesus, please empower us with your Spirit to work and wait well, where you have placed us.

In the name of Christ we pray,

Amen

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Text: Exodus 3:1-6

Title: God With Us

“What Moses does mean by this? Did he mean that he became a foreigner to those who no longer accepted him? To the Egyptians, the Hebrews, or that now he's in Midian and he doesn't belong here either? Moses is a misfit and he has this hybrid identity that doesn't really belong.”

— Dr. Carmen Imes

“What is the significance of the fire’s being in the bush but not of the bush? It indicates that the fire Moses saw was independent of the bush—it was not using the bush for its fuel. That’s why the bush wasn’t consumed. It was burning from its own power. It was self-generated. This is a biblical example of what we call theophany, meaning “God made manifest.” The God whom we worship is a spirit. He is invisible, and His invisible substance cannot be seen by the human eye. But there are occasions in redemptive history where the invisible God makes Himself visible by some kind of manifestation. That is called a theophany, and it’s what we see with the burning bush.” — R.C. Sproul

“God is not only identifying himself as Yahweh, the God who made a covenant with Abraham to bless him and multiply him and bring him into the land and make him be a blessing to all nations. Not only is He that God, but at the same time He’s defining who Moses is. He belongs in that covenant people and the God of his father is that God, the God Yahweh. So he's grown up in an Egyptian context where there are lots of deities, lots of temples, lots of priests worshiping these different deities, and in his first encounter with God he finds out simultaneously who God is, and who he is, and that settles things for him. Going forward, his hybrid identity gets resolved and I think this is how it works actually for all of us. When we come to fully encounter the God of the Bible (Yahweh who revealed himself in Jesus)…as we come to know Yahweh we come to know ourselves. There's no real way to know who we are outside of knowing who God is, who God has created us to be, and who He's called us to be.” — Dr. Carmen Imes

“Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone. In the second place, those blessings which unceasingly distill to us from heaven, are like streams conducting us to the fountain. Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility.” — John Calvin

“Yahweh is and always will be “God with”—God with those who faithfully obey his sending; God with his people in good times and bad; God with the poor and needy in their affliction; and eventually, Immanuel, “God with us.” —Christopher Wright

Questions:

1. Can I celebrate the slow nature of character building?

2. Am I attempting to know myself apart from looking outward and upward?

3. Have I truly encountered the God who is with me?

Gathering Recap - 02/23/2025 - Exodus 1:1-25 - Subversive Sovereignty

Call to worship:

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

Psalm 136:4-6

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

Exodus 2 gives detail, but not all filled in. How do you imagine the narrative unfolding?

How is God’s sovereignty often subversive?

In what ways does seeing the story of scripture and character of God steady our lives today?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

We thank you for the gift of salvation found in Your Son Jesus. We're grateful that your plan includes a Helper in the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. Would you graciously grant us that power promised, to filled and sent with your truth and love to the world around us.

In the name of Jesus we pray,

Amen

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Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Exodus 2:1-25

“The one universal balm for the trauma of war was tea. It was the thing that helped people cope. People made tea during air raids and after air raids, and on breaks between retrieving bodies from shattered buildings. Tea bolstered the network of thirty thousand observers who watched for German aircraft over England, operating from one thousand observation posts, all stocked with tea and kettles. Mobile canteens dispensed gallons of it, steaming, from spigots. In propaganda films, the making of tea became a visual metaphor for carrying on. “Tea acquired almost a magical importance in London life,” according to one study of London during the war. “And the reassuring cup of tea actually did seem to help cheer people up in a crisis.” Tea ran through Mass-Observation diaries like a river. “That’s one trouble about the raids,” a female diarist complained. “People do nothing but make tea and expect you to drink it.” - Erik Larson

Heb 11:23

God’s story is not one in which individuals or whole nations are simplistically portrayed as immutably good or bad. People change, times change—and the only constant is that God works in and through the see-saw and reversals of history to accomplish his purpose. - Chris Wright

“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.” - D.A. Carson

Waiting requires living by what I know to be true about God when I don’t know what’s true about my life. - Mark Vroegop

2 Peter 3:8-13