Texts: John 15:9-17; Luke 15:11-32
Returning home from a lustful escapade seems so much easier than returning home from a frozen anger that has rooted itself in the deepest corners of my being. My resentment is not something that can be easily distinguished and dealt with rationally. It has attached itself to the underside of my virtue. I am the elder brother, but just as or even more lost than his younger brother. Lost – lost in resentment, caught in jealousy, imprisoned in obedience lived out as slavery. Can the elder son come home?
- Henri Nouwen
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]]>Nelson Boschman (June 20, 2010)
Text: Matthew 7:24-29
We live in a culture obsessed with making good impressions on people that our actual lives don't measure up to. We often like the idea of something rather than its reality. In this story from the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that those who listen to his teaching but fail to live it out are building houses on sand that will not stand up to the storms of life. Instead, he invites us to be wise -- to build lives on the solid foundation of both listening to his words and putting them into practice.
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]]>Text: Matthew 7:7-12
At first glance, Jesus' command to keep on 'asking, seeking and knocking' can make prayer seem like a heavy burden. A closer look, though, shows us that the generosity and goodness of God are what draw us into a life of prayer.
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]]>Text: Luke 12:13-34
In this story, Jesus confronts our culture's tendency toward greed and consumerism. He invites us to pay attention to ravens and lilies in order to do away with worry and anxiety. Jesus calls us to trust in God the Father, who made and sustains all things, and is characterized by generous provision, not stinginess and scarcity. Andrea, Kyle and Aimee share how this text has come alive in their own stories.
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]]>Tonight we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, focusing on the story in Acts 2 and the Spirit who came to form a new people -- as both Gift and Giver. Mike and Shay share what it's like to use their creative gifts collaboratively within the acting community, and Rebecca reads a wonderful paraphrase of 1 Cor 12:14-13:2 written by Ron Reed.
Texts: Acts 2:1-18; Rom 8:22-23; Eph 1:14; 1 Cor 12:4-7, 14-13:2
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]]>For some scholars, this story is what got Jesus crucified. In this parable, Jesus challenges what nearly everyone has thought about God, sin and salvation.
Texts: Luke 15:11-32; 1 Cor. 1:18-19, 25
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]]>In this challenging text, Jesus takes on the Pharisees after they accuse him of getting his power from Satan. We hear in this passage a Call to Repentance, a Challenge and an Invitation. The song we listened to near the end was My Way performed by Frank Sinatra.
Texts: Matthew 12:22-37; Proverbs 4:23; James 3; John 15
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]]>The story of Easter:
- is a journey of trust
- should move us to be storytellers
- is about a Love so strong that even our fiercest denials of that Love can't stop it
Texts: Luke 24:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 8:38-39
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]]>Hearing one of Jesus' most often re-told stories with fresh ears.
Texts: Luke 10:25-37; Romans 7:14-17; 21-25a
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]]>An introduction to our new series, Stories Jesus Told. We look at three questions: In what sense is our universe storied? Why do we need story? How do stories do their work on us?
Texts: Mark 4:30-34; Matthew 13:33-34; Psalm 19:1-4; 2 Samuel 11-12:1-7a; Philippians 2:6-11
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]]>