Joy!Cast

NextStep - Amazed: Amazing Love and Forgiveness

Easter Sunday: A Passion For Living

Sermon Text: Luke 24: 1-12 Easter means our faith isn't futile, our failures aren't fatal, and our death isn't final. Faith: Jesus is alive. Our faith isn't futile. If it's false, it's foolish. If it's true, it is the foundation for a life that is powerful and positive and productive forever. Failures: We are an Easter people. We follow a living Lord. We believe in the redeeming power of God. Our failures aren't fatal; they are opportunities to learn and grow into the likeness of Christ. Death: ...

The Road Less Traveled: The Road of Success

Sermon Text: Luke 19:28-40 What is success? It is the end for which we strive. It is the affirmation toward which we live that we believe once attained, will finally make it all worthwhile. The success of God is revealed as our Lord rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. It is the agenda of life and peace, the agenda of redeeming love. All the success of that first Palm Sunday, the power and acclaim given to Jesus, was held accountable to the cross which was to follow. Jesus willingly sets aside the ...

NextStep: Real Faith for Real Life - A New Worship Experience @ Joy!

Jane Jebsen, who leads Joy!'s adult discipleship ministry, discusses the NextStep worship experience that will launch at Joy! on Saturday, April 14. The opening message series is titled, "Amazed!" The word, "amazed," is used 39 times in the gospels and the Book of Acts. This message series will look at what is amazing about faith in Jesus, according to the Bible. Come and explore whether you find faith in God to be amazing, or unremarkable--and how the answer to that question impacts your life....

The Road Less Traveled: The Road of Generosity

Judas and Mary show us diverging roads. Judas travels the road of greed. Mary is on the road of generosity. We can only imagine the tension in that room with Mary, Judas and the others. There was a discomfort with the actions and extravagance of Mary, but Jesus was calm. He received her gift as an incredible act of love. Surely they knew Jesus life was threatened. She must have been overwhelmed by some certainty that Jesus would die, so her deep love spilled out as the nard was poured. When Juda...

The Road Less Traveled: The Road Home

The Prodigal Son: Luke 15:11-32 Guest Pastor Al Caldwell invites us to return home to: ...be reconciled with family ...become a whole person and “meet yourself" ...to find the great treasure buried in your own home & family

The Road Less Traveled: The Road of Judgment & Blame

Scripture Focus: Luke 13:1-9 Is your first reaction in tough times to blame? If it is you join a whole culture looking for someone on whom to hang all of the struggle and pain. When you see someone suffering, is your tendency to blame them for the suffering they face? Again, you will find yourself in the heart (or lack of heart) of the culture. This is the easy road. On this road we cut out people from our lives who do not produce what we want. On this road we can also cut ourselves from life wi...

The Road Less Traveled: The Dangerous Road

Scripture Focus: Luke 13:31-35 There is a lure in taking risk. Youth culture is focused on the X games and extreme sports where one's life and health is at stake in order to feel alive and receive the adulation of friends. Danger meets us as we travel on busy streets and yet we engage in the risk. We follow financial schemes that put our assets at risk. We take a chance that by accepting the new job or starting a new business we will have a better and more fulfilling life. Fear is met either by ...

The Road Less Traveled: The Wilderness Road

Scripture Focus: Luke 4:1-13 When we are moved from those places and passages that are comfortable we find ourselves in wilderness. We seldom travel this road of our own choosing. It comes when things in our life break down or unexpected forces take over. It comes when the road before us seems unclear and we diverge from the original path. There are two paths in the wilderness. One is a self reliant path. You look for strength within you and with all of your wisdom and cunning try to find a way ...

The Road Less Traveled: The Humility Road

Scripture Focus: Joel 2:12-13, 15-17 The road most traveled is the road of recognition and self-glory. We want to receive credit for a job well done. We feel like we must offer lavish praise upon people in order to receive their best. We know also that when recognition is not available we can avoid doing the right thing. We become discouraged when no one notices our good work and feel unappreciated to the point of giving up. The less traveled road is the road of humility that does what is right ...

Pursuing LIFE: Engage Authentically (Real Faith for Real Life)

Scripture Focus: Luke 9:28-36< The transfiguration of Jesus marks a turning point. We get to see the identity of Jesus in context with Moses and Elijah during a mystical moment, but when this event ends he walks with his disciples down the mountain and into life on the flatlands. They are now walking to Jerusalem and the cross. Jesus is committed to his purpose of redemption and through all of the days ahead will unfold that purpose before his disciples. He will teach, heal, send his apostles...

Pursuing LIFE: The Importance of Relationships

Scripture Focus: Mark 2:1-12 Imagine the scene...a huge crowd gathered around Jesus, making it impossible to get anywhere near him...the room and surrounding area completely full of people wanting either his healing touch, to hear him preach, or simply to be in his presence. You can almost feel the crush of the crowd. And then some men, determined to help their friend, get creative about how they are going to get him close to Jesus. Not only do they fight the crowd, carrying a cumbersome load, b...

Pursuing LIFE: Impact Others

Scripture Focus: Luke 5:1-11 Jesus is clear about the purpose of his disciples. They will fish for people. It is our calling. The net we cast is the Word of God that reaches the eyes and ears of people. It is important that we grow to maturity in our faith life so that we see beyond our needs (catching fish to simply sustain our own lives), to the needs of the other's body and soul. Jesus is also clear that we will not fish for people on the side of the boat that we think should be fished, but w...

Pursuing LIFE: Love God Enough to Know God

Scripture Focus: Luke 4:14-21 The first thing Jesus does after his trial in the wilderness was to go to the temple to worship and there he read the scripture. Jesus reveals himself as the one that the prophet spoke of in Isaiah 61. We learn that his words are powerful and that he teaches with authority, even for those who don't know him. First things for followers of Jesus are worship, scripture reading and prayer. Last week I focused on worship. On this day we will focus on the practice of read...

Pursuing LIFE: Signs of LIFE

Scripture Focus: John 2:1-11 John 2:1-11 is part of a larger section in the Gospel of John that has come to be known as "The Book of Signs." It runs from the middle of chapter 1 all the way through the end of chapter 12 and is full of interactions between Jesus and groups and individuals that all point to the bigger, wider, grander coming of the Kingdom of God. The last verse in this section--verse 11--adds even more intensity to the story as the wedding at Cana begins both Jesus' public ministr...

Pursuing LIFE: Life Identity

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 We begin a new year with expectation. We think about what has happened in our past and we hope for change. We wonder what will unfold before us. The people in the reading from Luke had the same feelings. What unfolded before them is God's love in the person of Jesus. Jesus' identity is revealed through John's prophetic words and then by a voice from heaven. He comes with power to judge (fire). It sounds threatening, and yet we discover that his...

Livin' on Leftovers

Leftovers - whether you love them or throw them away - they are a part of our daily lives! The same is true for Christmas. Our culture would have us believe everything is done and over with once December 25th passes and all the presents are opened. But after all the rush of December, there are Christmas leftovers... What are they? What remains after Christmas Day? As Christians we need to realize there are some significant gifts which remain with us and the most important one is the baby who wil...

Christmas Eve: The Indescribable Gift-Jesus

Christmas is Cookin: Jump for Joy!

Perhaps we need Santa at Christmas to help us be merry and joyous because we have a flawed understanding of Jesus. From today's gospel text we learn that the first reaction to Jesus' presence on earth, of God-in-our-midst, was joy. John the Baptist jumps for joy in the womb of Elizabeth as he first connects to the joy of Jesus' presence, still in Mary's womb. This is a joy so tremendous, joy so utterly overwhelming that it must somehow escape the bounds of earth itself and jump towards the heave...

Lessons and Carols Service

Go Tell It on the Mountain, Silent Night Hark the Herald Angels Sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel Lesson 1 Isaiah 9:2,6-7 Emmanuel/Come Thou Long Expected Jesus Lesson 2 Isaiah 11:1-9 "The Branch From Jesse" Lo How A Rose (JN) Lesson 3 Isaiah 40: 1-5 "Comfort for God's People" Prepare the Way of the Lord Lesson 4 Luke 1:26-38 "The Birth of Jesus Foretold" The King of Us All Lesson 5 Luke 2:1-7 "The Birth of Jesus" O Little Town of Bethlehem Infant Holy, Infant Lowly Lesson 6 Luke 2:8-16 "The Shepherd...

Christmas is Cookin: Holy Ingredients

Making Holiness is a part of everything Christians do. When making holiness is a part of every action, every thought, every plan, time is transformed into something magical and mysterious. Days cannot slide by as a sludgy sea of fast-food dinners, commuter traffic jams, endless loads of laundry, boring social studies papers, looming deadlines, and tedious meetings. When we make holiness an ingredient in every minute we live, our days take on the brilliance and color of the Christmas tree lights ...

Christmas is Cookin: What's Lacking?

At this time of year we all are looking out for what is somehow lacking in the lives of our loved ones so that we may run out to the local mega-mall and purchase it. But as we try and make up through shopping for the physical things we lack, let's never forget that the ultimate lackings in our life are not physical but spiritual.

Beginning an Adventure: Make an Impact

An impact is a forcible contact between two or more things. When God moves forward there is an impact. God meets darkness and evil with light and love. Jesus' impact on our lives comes as our sin, struggle, hurt and pain, meet his goodness, healing, mercy and hope. When those who accept the adventure into a life with God meet the world, we will meet the same things God meets. We feel the impact on our lives. The challenge is to move forward with God knowing that what lies ahead will be real life...

Beginning an Adventure: Get in Shape and Go!

On this Sunday we will be receiving stewardship commitments. We are offered an opportunity to focus on what the journey ahead requires of us. What do we need for the journey and what must we leave behind? Excess baggage will surely slow us down and having the right tools and getting in shape will bring unimagined joy to the journey. We get in shape by walking with God in worship, prayer and reading scripture. We find meaning in the walk as we look for opportunities to give and receive love and c...

Beginning an Adventure: Travel With Others

God does not intend us to go on our journey alone, rather with and among others. In relationships we are strengthened by the two way street of support and influence. It is the foundation for a journey in which we are able to move from comfort and safety to adventure, from risk to true reward. 3 of 5 part series

Beginning an Adventure: Choosing How You Will Live

Have you wondered what your faith would be like if you would have been moved earlier from neutral to drive or from passive to active. The secret to seizing divine moments in this adventure is that we must move, do something, even the wrong thing and trust God. We must recognize the uncertainty ahead of us as well, but not let uncertainty determine how we will live. Instead we can live in uncertainty and enjoy the surprises. There are many things over which we have no control, but we can control ...

Beginning an Adventure: Choose Life!

The potential of a moment is released by choices. God shows these people two paths to follow. One journey parts ways with God and the other lets God part the way. One leads to death and the other to life. God cannot be more clear in this declaration, "Choose Life...Walk in his ways...then you shall live." 1 of 5 part series