Church of the Desert

Moses tells the people that the wisdom and way of God is accessible to them, it is right in their midst. Then he warns them that giving their hearts to false gods is what will lead them away from life and into misery.

Paul continues his contrast of world, human wisdom and the wisdom of God revealed in Jesus and given through the Spirit. He points to how he didn't come to Corinth with impressive traits by worldly standards, only with the message of Jesus and the power of the Spirit.

We start with a discussion about our recent change to using the lectionary as a guide for worship. We then discuss how the revelation of Jesus (Epiphany) as the true messiah leads to the call to leave everything else behind and follow him.

Understanding the Spirit's role in the life and ministry of Jesus is critical to understanding what it means to be followers of Jesus. We discuss what it means that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead has been given to us.

We are prone to be self-protective, hoarding good things for ourselves, suspicious of people who are different than us. But the way of Jesus is inclusive, open to all who want to follow him. And his body is strengthened when it has a diversity of members.

God became flesh and dwelt among us in Jesus. But people didn't recognize him or receive him. We like to think we wouldn't make the same mistake. But it's worth considering whether we recognize or want the REAL Jesus. Because all who do become children of God.

The author of Hebrews points to the profound reality of Jesus being fully human, our brother, and sympathetic high priest. As we continue the Christmas season we meditate on the beautiful implications of Jesus's humanness.

King Ahaz faces a threat in which he is encouraged to trust that God is with him and for him. God gives him a sign: a child with a miraculous birth whose name means “God with us”. Later, Matthew shows how Jesus's birth is the ultimate fulfillment of God's presence with us.

Isaiah encourages the people of God to “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.””. For his part, he paints a hopeful picture of our approach to Zion as the desert bursts to life.

Isaiah writes as Israel experiences a season of desolation, like a forest that has been cut down. But there is hope as a branch emerges from one of the stumps. The branch represents a child that will become king and establish his peaceful kingdom forever.

We enter the Advent season of longing by looking at the promise of God in Isaiah that God will bring about a day when the nations come to worship him and beat their swords into plowshares. For unto us a child is born and he is the Prince of Peace.

The world we live in prizes autonomy and personal freedom above all else. But we were created to live in relationship with others. We would do well to rediscover a sense of communal identity and a commitment to live for one another.

When we have an us vs. them mentality we miss out on so much of what God would have for us. As we pursue Jesus we are meant to prioritize love, unity, and hospitality over exclusion.

We see the emergence of shame in the first moments of the fall in Genesis 3. It is the feeling that there is something so wrong with us that we deserve to be rejected. As a result, we hide - from God, from one another, and from ourselves.

When we succumb to prideful arrogance we start to believe the lie that we are self-sufficient, that we don't need anyone, even God. And when we live to defend our image and status it undermines our ability to receive God with humility and joy.

Through life's disappointments we can become skeptics, assuming the worst, apathetic, developing a self-protective armor of mocking and sarcasm. But this undermines our ability to experience the power and presence of God. How do we reclaim a joyful hope?

What better picture of the trials of life than a storm at sea? The disciples show us that following Jesus doesn't mean we are sheltered from the storms. But we are reminded that Jesus is with us in the midst of them.

If we place a caveat on our commitment to Jesus, or tell him that we'll follow once we take care of something else, he will want to address whatever it is we are more committed to than him.

After the Sermon on the Mount we may be prone to think of the way of Jesus as some lofty philosophy and the kingdom as some imaginary idea. But Jesus descends the mount to ground it all in reality and show us what it looks like when the kingdom breaks in.

Jesus uses imagery of a home being battered by a storm. Storms in life will come, will the foundation of our lives be strong enough to withstand? We're told the only way to be sure is to build our lives on Jesus.

The world judges based on accomplishments. We might think Jesus operates the same way. But he makes it clear that the mark of a disciple is not an impressive ministry resume, it's being known by God and submitting our (often hidden) lives to him.

Guest preacher Michel Duarte speaks of God's beautiful plan to build a family out of diverse people and what that means for how we pursue unity across cultural boundaries in the present.

Prophets are those who help us discern what God is saying to us in our time and place. Many will claim we should listen to them. Jesus tells us to observe the “fruit” of their lives to know whether they are connected to him or not.

Jesus speaks in heightened terms: there are two gates and we need to decide which to enter. The world attempts to sell us keys to unlock various gates, promising that they lead to life. But Jesus tells us that only one does.

Jesus tells us that treating others as we want to be treated is the heart of the law and the prophets. This is about more than just being nice, it's about sacrificial love reflecting the heart of God and his purposes in the world.

Lest we think that our prayers are a nuisance to God, Jesus emphasizes the goodness of our heavenly father who wants to hear our desires, our questions, and our worries. We're reminded that he gives us good gifts, namely himself.

We cannot control people's response to Jesus and we are not their ultimate judge. So as a church we are called to pursue holiness and share the good news of the kingdom without being critical, coercive, or manipulative. We can let God be God.

Anxiety is a natural human response to the challenges of living in a fallen world. Though we will continue to deal with anxiety-provoking situations, we find that they become opportunities to draw close to God, who trustworthy, good, and with us in the midst of it all.

We are constantly tempted to place our hope in the false god of money, possessions, and status (Mammon) - even in the church. But Jesus speaks bluntly to tell us it is impossible to serve God and Mammon. Therefore, we must choose which we trust to bring us peace.

In the most famous prayer ever uttered, Jesus invites us how to approach the Father and sit with him, teaching us to de-center ourselves, recognize our need, and consider his grace.

We have endless opportunity to put our good works on display, competing for status and praise. But this produces anxiety, not peace. The discipline of secrecy helps us break our addiction to the approval of the crowds and rest in our connection to God.

In yet another extension of the call for disciples to be peacemakers, Jesus tells us that our love for others ought to extend even to our enemies. Why? Because it reflects the character of God himself, who made us sons and daughters while we were his enemies (Rom 5:10).

It can seem at times like the fallen world we live in is fueled be grievances and forever caught in cycles of violence. Jesus tells us that (just as He modeled) the only way to break the cycle is to not return fire. We don't become doormats, but we confront injustice with non-violent strategies instead.

Jesus calls disciples to let their “yes” be “yes”. It's a seemingly simple command. But in a world of spin, half-truths, and broken commitments, simply telling the truth can be a revolutionary act. And in striving to be truth-tellers we discover just how prone we are to engage in self-serving manipulation.

Many are not quite sure what to do with the Holy Spirit, often functionally demoting Him to something less than the third person of the Trinity. We look at the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2) and discuss who He is and what His presence in our lives means.

Sexual desire and it's consummation is part of God's good creation. But Jesus warns that indulging our lusts without bounds leads to broken covenants and people using one another, both of which are counter to the way of love.

Anger is a natural, physiological response. But when we fail to process it well and instead indulge it, store it away, and cultivate it, it blossoms into something destructive to ourselves and everyone around us.

With possible assumptions that Jesus would either get rid of the law or reinforce a strict adherence to it, Jesus explains who he will ultimately do neither. He will fulfill it - bring it to fullness - through a deeper obedience and deeper interpretation.

Those who model the way of the kingdom act as salt in the world, preserving it from decaying into the worst of its potential. And as disciples reflect Jesus they serve collectively as a light in our dark world, illuminating the way that leads back to God.

In nine blessings, Jesus communicates God's favor for those in need, those who love others out of the grace they've received, and those who are beat up by the world in their attempts to love others.

Matthew sets the context by describing Jesus ascending a mountain and His disciples drawing close to hear what He has to say. Jesus assumes the posture of teacher, a new Moses of sorts, bringing the fulfillment of the law for the new people of God.

The call to follow and become Jesus's disciples demands a willingness to cash out of competing loyalties and put oneself in a position where everything rests on Jesus. Peter, Andrew, James, and John show us how.

With John the Baptist in prison, Jesus takes over preaching the message of repentance. His call is to make a conscious turn from the ways of the fallen world to the ways of the kingdom of heaven. And we have to make a choice.

Jesus came to establish his kingdom over every power, and he knows the path he must walk to get there. In the desert Satan tempts him with a shortcut, a power grab and a kingdom without a cross. But that is not the kind of king Jesus.

Fresh off his baptism Jesus enters the desert equipped with the Spirit and the word of the Father, which affirmed that he is the beloved Son. That power proves to be sufficient to resist the devil's attempt to get Jesus to distrust the Father and satisfy himself.

For 40 days in the desert Jesus experienced His human vulnerability full force. Fasting during Lent is about stripping away the things we typically use to shield us from reality in order to find a renewed sense of dependance upon the Lord.

Despite having no need for repentance and forgiveness of sins, Jesus chose to be baptized by John to “fulfill all righteousness”. “God with us”, standing in a river with sinners as the Spirit descended upon Him.

John speaks of God's wrath, which is a good thing once we understand it to be an outworking of His love and justice. John challenges leaders to not rest on externals, but rather turn (repent) so that the substance of their lives reflects the kingdom.

John is a walking intervention, shaking people (and us) from avoidance and denial. He reminds us that the kingdom is coming and it's our pride that will keep us from it. So REPENT! (i.e. turn from sin) and receive forgiveness, liberation, and healing in Jesus.

Matthew makes a connection between Jesus and a prophecy from Hosea in which Israel is called out of Egypt during the Exodus. This gives us insight into what Jesus came to do: lead the final liberation (from sin and death) into the ultimate promised land.

Herod represents the anxious, self-serving nature in all of us, consumed with our own kingdoms and viewing everyone as a threat. Jesus invites us to lay that down and enter the rest of His kingdom.