We'll start out here by talking about the false narrative around prophets. They were not fortune tellers or predictors of the future. They were primarily truth tellers. We are jumping into the first of a four part sermon series that Isaiah gives on The Servant of the Lord. First, the context. The Israelites were in Babylonian captivity - living in a foreign and dangerous land. And Isaiah says that God is sending a servant who will bring justice and God's teaching to the world. But who the heck i...
Jan 08, 2025•30 min
The way God came into the world was not what the people wanted or yearned for or prayed for. The way God showed up to rescue was unexpected. God often shows up unexpectedly. This is a paradox, God showing up unexpectedly. The all-powerful one shows up as an infant, the very essence of weakness and vulnerability. But it's also the one human reality that calls out of everyone who witnesses it a love that hadn't been there before. That's what this story is about, love. Then Jesus grew up and became...
Dec 26, 2024•29 min
This is the story where Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. It starts with Gabriel meeting Mary and goes through Mary's stay with Elizabeth. Traditionally it's called The Visitation. This story gives us three gifts to think about during the season of Christmas. First, the gift of community. Mary goes to see Elizabeth. Why? She needs someone. She needs safety. She needs affirmation. She needs someone to recognize, deepen, and celebrate the work of God in her life. She needs love, not judgment. And in E...
Dec 18, 2024•28 min
This story about John the Baptist centers on the question from the religious authorities: Who are you? J the B answers it by talking about who he is NOT. He is NOT the Messiah. I wonder if we should start where he starts. We are not the Messiah. One of the worst mistakes the church has made throughout history is claiming an identity and power that just isn't ours. When we have messianic ambition, people get hurt - the Crusades, the Inquisition, the many times native lands have been stolen and na...
Dec 10, 2024•26 min
"Come, thou long expected Jesus," the old Christmas carol says. We anticipate the story of a vulnerable family, an ordinary family of no consequence, in a stable. We talk of the arrival of a king, *the* king, so that we might celebrate God becoming flesh and bone in the form of a baby. Commonly the kingdom of God is talked about in future tense. Many of us were raised to think of heaven as the kingdom of God. But the words of Jesus are clear: the kingdom of God is right here, right now. It isn't...
Dec 04, 2024•34 min
There's a Rob Bell quote that talks about how Scripture is like a gem - you keep turning it and new and different things come out of it. It's a good quote and a good way to think about scripture. There are sooooo many ways that people have interpreted this story for like 2000 years. It's a frustrating story for me. So today we're turning the gem and looking at the different ways people have interpreted this story in the past. It all hinges on what Jesus means when he says, "You are worried about...
Nov 27, 2024•27 min
Last week was the most important commandment - this week we go waaay back to the basics and talk about the ten commandments. We're starting by talking about the story of God saving the Israelites from Egypt. Basically a summary of the first 19 chapters of the book of Exodus. God parks them at the base of a mountain and says, "Okay, after I saved you, here's our arrangement. Here's how you live in relationship with me and with each other." A few thoughts about the commandments as a whole. The fir...
Nov 20, 2024•28 min
There are a range of feelings in the room after last week's events. To ignore that would be unfair and dishonest. Let's talk about this story, though. We're near the end of Jesus' life on earth, for context. He's asked a question: What's the most important commandment? If you truly want to live life to the fullest - what's the most important thing? Jesus responds, love God - love people. That's it. Simple. Basic. We should also think about the environment in which Jesus lived and loved and taugh...
Nov 13, 2024•28 min
Paul says to Timothy in this letter that he's the worst sinner ever. Yeah, ever. So, this is when we talk about his story back when he was Saul and how maybe he was right. Saul was a really bad dude. He was a religious extremist who sought out followers of Jesus so he could get them arrested or kill them. But then Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus (where he was going to go find more followers of Jesus) and Jesus made him Paul - their two stories become one story. Turns out, God was looking ...
Nov 05, 2024•29 min
Yay, Zacchaeus! Okay, did this one about five years ago - now we're taking a totally different angle. Zacchaeus wanted desperately to see Jesus. Questions it raises: when was the last time we felt that kind of desperation to see Jesus? When was the last time we wanted more? More meaning, purpose, significance - more life? He couldn't see because of the crowd. When was the last time we pondered the things that are getting in the way of us seeing the divine? He ran ahead and climbed the tree. He r...
Oct 30, 2024•28 min
Short little parable: two people go into the Temple and pray. A Pharisee and a tax collector. The tax collector goes home justified. Let's walk through this parable slowly and talk about how easy it is to think that we're "not like the Pharisee." Now there are also two words we should talk about: sin and sinner. Yeah, we have an aversion to those words for various reasons. BUT, Jesus insists on using that word, "Sinner." So then we should talk a bit about what the Bible says about sin. There are...
Oct 23, 2024•29 min
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Such a good story. I used to think I knew what this story was about - that I had it all figured out. But this story has depth, and layers, and we can learn so much more from it than we maybe expect. The basic read is that we should all be like Philip and courageously tell people about the good news of Jesus so that unacceptable outsiders might be changed and become insiders. Hmm...does that interpretation sound familiar? Yeah, there's so much more going on in the...
Oct 16, 2024•32 min
Mark skips any kind of birth narrative in his story about Jesus. He starts with John the Baptist. And J the B is all about preparation. If you want to meet this messiah, you've got to be prepared! John was probably a member of the Jewish sect known as the Essenes. Too much to write in here - suffice it to say they were kinda like the Jewish version of the Amish - only super extreme! They focused on a strictly ordered life of spirituality off in the desert. They wanted to be ready when the messia...
Oct 09, 2024•27 min
Today we're talking about the story of the workers in the vineyard. We human beings have this sense of fairness deeply rooted within the human psyche. Which is why when we read this story it immediately doesn't seem fair. Why did Jesus tell such a story? Probably because he wants us to stop and think - maybe see the world differently. It's always what he wants when he tells a story. It's why he tells so many of them. First, this story is about God's generosity - not about fairness. And God's gen...
Oct 02, 2024•31 min
I'm gonna talk about who the best people in church are. No spoilers, you'll have to wait. There's a story where Jesus says that whoever welcomes a little child welcomes God. Whaaaat? What did he mean by that? I have three suggestions: 1) Maybe Jesus said it because kids teach us that our imaginations can help us understand the things of God. Jesus tells his followers that he will suffer and die and rise after three days. Jesus invites them to imagine a world where death doesn't have the last wor...
Sep 25, 2024•31 min
Speaker: Tony Vis Scripture: Philippians 1:18-26 http://bible.com/events/49315663
Sep 11, 2024•36 min
Speaker: Holly Thompson Scripture: John 13:18-30 http://bible.com/events/49305374
Aug 21, 2024•27 min
Speaker: Marlin Vis Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-9 http://bible.com/events/49302038
Aug 14, 2024•31 min
One of our current focus team members, Brian Gelder, brings us perspective on the history of soil in the lands of the early Old Testament stories, and what questions some of those stories raise for us when we examine the full context of the culture and history surrounding them. There is benefit in taking a bird's eye view of these lands and stories, rather than just the Sunday School answers or the Hollywood portrayals of their characters. Just like the soil changes over time and needs adjustmen...
Aug 07, 2024•37 min
Paul responds with joy and in faith when in a tight circumstance. While imprisoned in Rome, awaiting judgment from Nero, he writes this letter to the church in Philippi. In the same fashion, we are meant to reflect before a watching world what God's intentions and character are. Speaker: Tony Vis Scripture: Philippians 1:12-19 http://bible.com/events/49295510
Jul 31, 2024•34 min
We're talking about what forgiveness actually is, and what it ISN'T. Forgiving others who have hurt us isn't easy, and a lot of us were taught that it means forgetting the fault and harm done to us in favor of being in relationship with that person again. In reality, forgiveness often is not a once and done deal, and it will have to happen over and over. Like every spiritual practice, repetition is good and healthy. But we don't always have to be back in relationship with someone when they have ...
Jul 24, 2024•38 min
Here's a weird one to tackle before sabbatical! It's an odd little story about the Sadducees confronting Jesus with a question about marriage after the resurrection. Here are some things that I notice about the story that might be helpful. First, I notice that just like the Sadducees had questions, we also have questions. The thrust of this part is this: it's okay to question spiritual things. It's okay to question your beliefs - to interrogate what's been handed down to you. In fact, I think Je...
Jul 10, 2024•27 min
"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD." He's asking for mercy - you only ask for mercy if you've done something wrong. So I ask the question: why do we even care about something written by some king over 2000 years ago? There are all kinds of things in this world that indicate it isn't what God intended it to be. The Psalm starts as a personal lament - then it turns into a national lament. What he's recognizing is that his heart is just a microcosm of what's happening in the rest of the world....
Jul 03, 2024•26 min
Jesus is sending out the disciples to do what they've seen him doing for some time now. But there's a danger here in taking his words too casually. When we put them within the context of the whole of chapter 10, they begin to carry a bit more weight. So if we read these words a little more deeply - and NOT a simply casual reading - here are some things I think we'll notice: 1) Jesus people are meant to do their Jesus thing from the margins. Now, I'm certain that this would come as a surprise to ...
Jun 26, 2024•32 min
Without joy, there is little fulfillment in belief. Speaker: Tony Vis Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 https://www.bible.com/events/49275906
Jun 19, 2024•31 min
It's pretty clearly established that Jesus is a terrible salesman when he tells people to follow him. He has 4 conversations that challenge people with what he's selling. But what is he selling? 1) He's selling rejection and extreme patience. Jesus gets rejected by Samaritans - a bunch of people who believe different things about all the things. James and John want to call down fire from heaven to burn the village (WTF, right?). Jesus rebukes them. Just like the disciples we have the capacity to...
Jun 12, 2024•32 min
In several different places in the gospels, Jesus shares what his purpose is. Here's one from John 10 - he says, "I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly." Then a little later on - in John 15 - he tells his followers that if we want to have abundant life, we need to stay connected to the vine. Problem is, that's not always that easy. That picture of abundance isn't the only one offered to us. Our world gives us plenty of ideas for living an abundant life. Most of it has to d...
Jun 05, 2024•32 min
Pentecost - birthday of the church - the day the Spirit came. All of that. Wind is unpredictable. I think one of the best ways to describe wind is that it's powerful. We've been harnessing the power of wind for a really long time. Windmills - sails - etc. As we enter the story of Pentecost, here are three things to think about: 1) This wind power - spirit power is creative power - it can bring something out of nothing. I'll connect it to the creation story. The Spirit can still do that for us to...
May 22, 2024•29 min
If you knew you were about to die, what would you say to those in this world you love the most? What hope or dream would you share? What advice would you give? That's essentially what we get in Jesus' words. He knows the end is near. So what dream does he give them? A command and a promise. The command - love each other. Jesus doesn't say, act as if you love each other. He doesn't let us off the hook. He means really love each other - as he has loved us. Man, it seems like he's asking the imposs...
May 15, 2024•28 min
The image of the good shepherd brings up complicated feelings for me. I'll explain why - hoping everyone else sort of feels the same way. I don't have answers in this message. All I come with is a bunch of questions. I'll ask them and I'll try to answer them. 1) Why does Jesus use this metaphor for himself in this particular setting? A lot to explain here in the email so I'll boil it down. Given he's in the temple and the people are celebrating the Feast of the Dedication, it seems as though Jes...
May 08, 2024•30 min
