Ecclesia Houston | Weekend Podcast and Liturgy

What if resurrection wasn't a one-time event, but a continual journey—messy, real, and full of grace? In this final sermon on the Nicene Creed, Ericka Graham reflects on interdependence, the Holy Spirit, and the kind of strength that only comes through struggle.

This week's message digs into the heart of the Nicene Creed, the incarnation of Jesus, and the call for every believer to live out a hands-on, mission-driven faith. Pastor Chris shares stories from a recent medical mission in Guatemala, including the powerful healing of a 12-year-old girl named Sara and reminds us that true Christianity isn't about staying clean and comfortable, but about stepping into the mess and loving radically.

He is Risen!

As we continue from our Lenten series, Pastor Chris explores the spiritual discipline of silence and its power to reconnect us with God, ourselves, and one another. Drawing from voices like Blaise Pascal, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and even a Buddhist monk, this sermon invites us to turn down the volume of our lives—externally and internally—and rediscover the presence of God in the quiet.

Pastor Sean reflects on our deep desire to be heroes in our own stories—whether through success, beauty, influence, or achievement. But what if true purpose is found not in grand gestures, but in the small, everyday moments of faith? Through scripture, personal stories, and a prayer for daily surrender, Pastor Sean invites us to step away from self-centered striving and rest in the reality that we are already fully loved by God.

Are you tired of constantly striving for more, only to feel like it's never enough? In this inspiring sermon, we explore what it means to end the hustle for worthiness and embrace God's grace. Through relatable stories, biblical wisdom, and the powerful contrast between Mary and Martha in Luke 10, we uncover the truth that our value isn't in what we do—but in who we are in Christ. Join us as Pastor Chris shares how the freeing reality that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less. Be encouraged, find rest, and rediscover the joy of simply being in His presence.

Pastor Chris explores our repeated mistakes and the invitation Lent offers to break free from those cycles. Drawing from Genesis and the story of Abraham and Isaac, we confront the fear-driven choices that keep us stuck and discover how to be reshaped by joy instead.

Pastor Chris explores our repeated mistakes and the invitation Lent offers to break free from those cycles. Drawing from Genesis and the story of Abraham and Isaac, we confront the fear-driven choices that keep us stuck and discover how to be reshaped by joy instead.

Pastor Chris explores the story of Jacob and Esau, uncovering how envy can keep us from fully living into our God-given identity. When we focus on what others have, we miss the beauty of what God has already placed within us. Join us as we dive into the Genesis narrative and discover how naming our beauty leads to freedom, purpose, and a life rooted in gratitude.

Pastor Sean explores the story of Abraham's final days in Genesis 25 and uncovers key insights on how to live well so that we can die well. From owning our wrongs and responsibilities to being a force for reconciliation, we must consider the legacy we leave behind.

What does it mean to truly serve others in a world that often prioritizes self-interest? Pastor Chris explore Genesis 24 and the story of Rebekah's radical hospitality—offering water not just to a stranger, but to his ten camels, an act of selfless generosity.

Pastor Chris explores the story of Hagar in Genesis 16, highlighting God's care for the broken and unseen. Through Hagar's story, we are invited to reflect on where we are from and where we are going in our own stories.

Through the story of Abram, Ericka Graham invites us to consider how we trust God, take risks, and deal with fear.

Pastor Chris discusses a healthy outlook on reading the beginning of Genesis. The beauty of this text can often get lost in the arguments, and the discourse, but Pastor Chris invites us to engage with the beauty of Genesis 1 & 2.

What is God's blessing for you? Through the story of Jacob, Pastor Sean invites us to reflect on this question and challenges us to be curious about who God is shaping us to be.

As we look ahead to a new year, Pastor Wayne shares a message about the ways we must live and love in order to become the best version of ourselves that includes being humble, staying curious, and practicing gratitude.

Love is a word that is used loosely in our Western culture, so what do it really mean to love someone, much less to love all? In today's mesage Pastor Sean challenges us to a deeper love by being willing to sacrifice for those around us.

How do you give gifts that matter? In a season where gift-giving is front of mind, it can be easy to be swept away into a consumer mindset. Pastor Chris invites us to give better gifts to the people we love.

Pastor Sean teaches on what and how we spend with and through ourselves in the Advent season.

When was the last time you did anything fully? On this first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Sean challenges us to consider our presence as an act of worship. In an age of distraction, what would it mean to be fully present with the people in the room with us?

Pastor Chris shares a message that bridges our series in Acts with Advent that emphasizes our role in the Kingdom of God and that together we are the Priesthood of Believers able to make a tangible impact in our community and around the world.

Today Ericka Graham concludes the series on the Book of Acts with a message about the ways that the Holy Spirit is a force for unity and love.

How do Christians view their role in advocating for and holding positions of power? In the wake of the election, Pastor Chris recenters our focus on continuing to be the people of faith that God has called us to be and to not be distracted by the allure of power.

Who are you becoming? God calls us into transformation and renewal and urges us to leave behind the "old self" and embrace the new identity offered in Christ. Pastor Sean challenges us to examine areas in our lives where we might be clinging to a past belief or bias.

Pastor Sean continues our series in Acts with stories from Scripture and his own life. We get to hear how Peter learns that God builds no walls or barriers and that the Kingdom of God is an abundant, ever expanding movement of inclusivity and love.

Ericka Graham leads us through one of the most important biblical stories of our faith with the transformation of Saul to Paul. Ericka reminds us that through Jesus we have experienced this transformation alongside people in our lives.

What masks do you wear with God, others, or yourself? Ericka Graham closes out the series on the Rhythms of Ecclesia, with Be Real. In being real, we acknowledge our weaknesses and openly share with others during our times of celebration, mourning, and the things that lie in between.

Today we celebrated 25 years of loving and serving our community in Houston and across the globe. Hospitality is at the core of Ecclesia's ethos, and Pastor Chris celebrated stories of hospitality in and around our community of faith.

At Ecclesia, we believe that we are created to be open to sharing time, talents, and resources with others in love. Pastor Chris encourages us to see serving not as an obligation but rather as a life-giving joy.

What does it mean to truly be kind? It's more than being nice or polite. Kindness is something we give without expecting anything in return. This week Pastor Sean offers insights and stories into what true kindness looks like and how you can offer it to those around you.

How do we orient our lives around beauty? Pastor Chris encourages us to take the time to reflect on the beauty in the world around us.

Pastor Sean shares how Jesus invites us to seek the kingdom of God and what that looks like in our daily lives.

Pastor Chris sets up our fall series by reminding our community of a few postures we hold as a community that is committed to unity, diversity, and rhythms of life.

Pastor Chris talks about the roots of Ecclesia, telling stories and sharing scripture that motivated him to start Ecclesia Houston 25 years ago.

Today our dear friend, Dave Gibbons, visited us as a guest speaker to share about his experiences growing up as an Asian-American, how the events of his life lead him to grow in God's love and grace, and his journey to discover forgiveness. These stories and many more are a part of his memoir, The Shape of My Eyes.

Why do we care when things are broken? Pastor Sean concludes our series on the Fruit of the Spirit by speaking on Peace. We are invited to see the fragmentation in our lives as opportunities to seek repair and peace.

Is knowledge alone enough for spiritual growth? Ericka Graham invites us to explore experiential knowledge that transcends our minds and engages our hearts.

Pastor Sean invites us to examine how we embody the fruit of the Spirit by beginning with Love; it all begins with Love.

Kicking off our new series, Pastor Chris invites us to view our spiritual growth and maturity through the lens of a vineyard. He offers a few ways of living that help cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Pastor Sean continues the friendship sermon series by telling stories from his life as well as from Scripture. He talks about the different types of healthy friendships and what they look like in action.

Pastor Chris launches our new series around Friendship with a look at what the Scriptures and C.S Lewis say about the value of true friends.

If you look around, it feels like the world is going crazy, and the decisions we make are incredibly important to be the type of church and be the type of people that Jesus has called us to be. That means we tune out the noise, remember THE story, never give in to fear, and no matter what, be a blessing. Today Pastor Chris wraps up our series on Acts with a profound and timely message on what it looks like to follow Jesus when the crowds are stirred up and the world feels chaotic.

Pastor Ericka shares a message about how we, as people of God, are empowered by the Holy Spirit by love and to love every 'other' on our journey, even our enemies.

This week Pastor Sean preaches on Acts 8:26- 40 and discusses topics of inclusion and our ability to see ourselves in scripture, and most importantly, that Jesus is for everyone.

Pastor Sean Palmer challenges us to rethink how we view power. Through the book of Acts and the story of the Civil Rights movement, we are invited to see the way that real lasting change is made through everyday actions.