Evergreen Podcast

 Message: Exodus 3:13-15 "Names of God"  God revealed his sacred, divine Name to Moses and the Israelites as He called them to follow Him into the wilderness. This is the Name everyone was careful not to speak in vain. God is known by many other Names as well, which reveal His nature and Who is is for us in so many different circumstances. What is God's Name for you in this season of your life?   

 Message: 2 Peter 3:8-9 “Sayings of Saints: Mary of Egypt” “Blessed is God who cares for the salvation of all Souls” In this message we'll look at God's heart for all humanity. God does not like how our sin destroys one another, but He love us endlessly. We can cultivate our attitudes to be the same as God's, who does not desire that any should perish, but truly desires the healing and restoration of even our enemies. There is great freedom in overcoming love with hate.  

 Message: Psalm 42:1-8 “Sayings of Saints: Augustine of Hippo”  “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You” We are often unsatisfied in life because we are looking for life in all the wrong places, or we are needing life to be some certain way. The cure for finding fullness of life is to find ourselves in God. In God we already have everything we need, including unconditional love and meaning.  

Message: Romans 8:12-17 “Sayings of Saints: St. Benedict” St. Benedict encourages us to “Listen and attend with the ear of your Heart” We are often searching outside ourselves for God's wisdom and direction. But God is often speaking to us in a more personal, inner way. He shows up in many ways throughout any given day. He usually speaks to us more about ourselves and our own inner thoughts than He does about other people or external situations. He is always calling us toward Christlikeness. He is often showing us who we truly are and helping us to shed our False selves and judgments. How is God speaking to and shaping your heart these days? 

 Message: Psalm 139:1-12 “Sayings of Saints: Amma Theodora” Amma Theodora tells the story of a monk who thought if he left his monastery he would leave all his troubles and struggles behind, but he discovers this is not the case. There was something he was not considering. Amma Theodora's word to us is “Wherever you go, there you are.” In this message we discover that we cannot run from our own issues and there is usually more to be learned by ‘staying' than ‘leaving.' Not only can we not outrun ourselves, but thankfully, God gladly finds us wherever we find ourselves.

 Message: Luke 5:15-16 “Sayings of Saints: Abba Moses”   As we begin this new series, “Sayings of Saints”, we start off with the Desert Father Abba Moses, who lived in Egypt between 330AD – 405AD. Abba Moses instructs followers of Jesus saying, “Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” The “cell” was the monks place of silence and solitude, where he or she would be confronted by the inner life, which would direct their conversation with God. For the Christian who desires to grow in Christlikeness, silence and solitude are essential. Only there are we able to pay attention to our inner thoughts and feelings. Only there are we able to reflect on our actions and motivations. And it is there that we are able to connect most intentionally with God in prayer. The Gospels tell us that “Jesus often withdrew to deserted places to pray.” It was in silence and solitude with the Father that Jesus found his center and guidance for his life.  

 Message: Genesis 50:15-21 “God's Hidden Hand” In this final message from our Genesis series we're encouraged to let God be God. Since we don't have to play God, we don't need to teach anyone any lessons or put anyone in their place. We can also trust that God's Hidden Hand is at work redeeming even the broken actions and places of this world. We can trust our lives to Him, especially when our lives aren't going as we had hoped or planned.  

 Message: Genesis 48:12-20 “Less is More”  Time and again in Scripture we see God lift up and even favor the unlikely and those who otherwise would have no position or status in society. There is little he can do for those who only seek their own benefit and advancement. But those who were at a disadvantage are more ready to realize their dependence on God. Even more, if they don't become conceited, they will seek to lift up the underdog themselves. In this way God has always meant for humanity to be keepers of one another. How has God uniquely gifted you to serve others?  

 Message:  Genesis 47:1-12 “Seasons of Life"  After discovering that Joseph is alive and ruling under Pharoah in Egypt, Jacob moves the whole family to this foreign land to survive the famine. Little do they know this move will last 400yrs for his descendants.  But like other seasons of his life, this season also serves a purpose. We each have different seasons of life to go through, and each season serves a purpose. What are some of the seasons you've been through and how have they shaped you? What is the season you are in right now and how is God inviting you to grow in this time and place you find yourself?  

 Message:  Genesis 37:1-11 “Dreams and Where they Lead Us” Joseph has his dream of his brothers and parents bowing down to him and they resent him. The fact that Joseph had a special coat given to him by his father means Jacob had big dreams for him. When Joseph receives the dream telling him that his disgruntled brothers will one day bow down to him, he is excited for the change. But the fulfillment of God's vision for Joseph will not come easily or as expected. The path to ascension will begin with a descent. The process will transform Joseph. In the same way, God has a vision for our lives, and it is a plan to prosper us, not to harm us. But the path toward the fulfillment of that plan will be challenging and uncomfortable. Like Christ's ascension through the Cross, we too will be humbled before we become all that God dreams for us.  

Message: Genesis 35:1-15 “Looking Back, Moving Forward” After Jacob returns home, he makes it a point to return to Bethel, where he first encountered God. There he looks back over his life journey and remembers how God has faithfully brought him through. This gives him the courage to move forward in the direction God is currently calling him.   

 Scripture passage:  Luke 15 (the ProdigalSon)  This Independence Day weekend, we will look at the story of two brothers… both of whom were more interested in the inheritance of the father more than a relationship with him.  Maybe you identify with the prodigal… the one who wandered off, the one who made bad choices, the one who knows he screwed up, the one who is filled with regret.  Or maybe you identify with the older brother… the one who always stayed home, always tried to keep your nose clean, the one who always took care of the family obligations, and yet somehow feel like you're getting the short end of the stick. The interesting thing is that whichever brother we identify with, the problem is the same… both are far away from the heart of the father.  Both are lacking an intimate, loving relationship with him.  And both are invited home.      

 Message: Genesis 32:22-31 “Wrestles with God” In this passage, Jacob wrestles with a stranger through the darkness of the night. The struggle ends up being a blessing, though he'll always walk with a limp. Our lives too can be characterized as a struggle through a dark night, but also a wrestling with God. To wrestle with God is to be forever changed.  

 Message: Genesis 28:10-22 “The House of God” While Jacob is on a long journey, he makes a startling discovery. He has an encounter with God and believes himself to have found The House of God, the place where Heaven and Earth overlap. But the real revelation is much deeper than that. The House of God is never far from any one of us.  

 Message: Matthew 4:18-22  “Called” This Father's Day we are also celebrating the completion and graduating Discipleship/Confirmation Class. In this message we will look at Jesus' calling of his first disciples and how He calls each of us to leave behind something else and follow Him.  

Message: John 16:5-16 “Intertwined”  On this Trinity Sunday we'll talk about how God exists in eternal relationship. God is not some distant, detached being, but is eternally personal and engaged. From the Love of the Trinity overflows the outpouring of humanity. Human beings are by nature relational beings. Our greatest wounds and greatest joys are experienced within the context of relationships. In this way, we are like the God who Created us.   

 Message: Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7“Birthing and Co-Creation” In this message, we will talk about how each of us is called to birth the divine vision in and through our lives. In this way, we are ‘co-creators' with God. This birthing includes our own spiritual formation and the personal ministry God does through us.

 Message: Duet 5:15, Luke 5:15 “Remembering Rightly” In this message, we take a look at what it means to Remember Rightly. There is a Redemptive way of Remembering, that looks not only at the hurt we've suffered, but at the Restoration God brought and brings about for us.  

 Message: Luke 1:39-56 “Birthing the Holy: Incubation” After the Annunciation came the Incubation period, where God's Call on Mary's life began to form within her. In the same way, so much of our life is actually the development of God's Call on our lives maturing within and through us.

Message: “Birthing the Holy” (Part 1) Luke 1:26-38  This Mother's Day we begin a two part series, learning from Mary's relationship with God. In this first part, we'll be looking at Mary's acceptance of God's call and the work God was doing inside of her. Her life is a pattern for the life we're called to have with God.   

 Message: Mark 16:1-8 “Becoming Human Again” On this third Sunday of Easter we reflect on the significance of Christ becoming human and what Jesus' fully human experience means for our fully human experience.  

Message: Luke 24:13-35 “Tombs to Talks” On this second Sunday of Easter, we look at the place of the Empty Tomb in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the Talk on the Road to Emmaus. The tomb is found empty and soon after Jesus appears to two disciples on a road going toward the village of Emmaus. Jesus continues to appear to us on the many roads of our lives, speaking life and hope.   

Message: John 12: 12-19 “Palms” On this Palm Sunday, Jesus makes a grand entrance as he comes riding into Jerusalem. His entrance is filled with meaning and understood properly, it is at odds with what the crowd wanted and expected. Even the disciples didn't understand the implications until after Jesus' resurrection. In the same way, our understanding and image of God continues to grow and be redefined as we grow in our relationship with Him. What are the old images of God that weren't accurate and perhaps continue to hinder you? How is your understanding of who God really is continuing to develop as you continue to get to know Him more?  

More Than aStory: Esther Text:  The Book of Esther  Main idea:  God is always writing a story in this world… often in unseen and unlikely ways.  We join His greater story as we courageously live into the role he has written for us with integrity and grace.       

More Than a Story: Ruth    Text:  The Book of Ruth  Main idea:  The story of Ruth is the story of ALL of God's people.  It speaks to an extravagant and beautiful redemption that invites those who are far away to join the story of God's family.   

Message: Genesis 25:19-34 “The Gift” Esau was given a divine gift in being the firstborn of the family. Unfortunately, his lesser pursuits gained his total devotion. In this way, Esau despised his birthright. Jacob, on the other, desperately wanted this gift for himself. What he didn't realize is that even his desire for it was because God has already called him to it. In the end, the birthright isn't what mattered most. Instead, it was the desire of one's heart and what one pursues that matters most. Jacob had always been chosen by God. Esau too was blessed by God. It would take a long time for both of them to realize this. The question is, what are we doing with this “Gift” of life that God has given us? What is it we are pursuing? In what do we find our identity?

 Message: Genesis 22:1-14 “Giving Up, Holding On” During lent people often choose to ‘give up' something for time. In our passage this week, Abraham is asked to give up the ‘Son of Promise.' It doesn't make sense, since through Isaac Abraham was to have descendants as numerous as the stars. God never intended to sacrifice Isaac, but He did intend for Abraham to decide what was most central to his life, The Promise or his life with God? What does relationship with God mean to us? Do we love God for the sake of the relationship or love the relationship for the sake of something else? Is there anything we need to give up so that we can embrace our relationship with God?

 Message: Genesis 21:1-21 “Tears and Laughter” In Genesis 21, the long-awaited Promise of a son is fulfilled, “at the very time God had promised him.” At the same time Sarah's tears are being turned into laughter, Hagar's laughter is turned into tears. But she too is given a Promise, though it too will take an extended time to come about. In this chapter we experience the reality of life's tears and hardships, but also the hope of God's Promise, that will one day turn our tears into laughter

 Message: Genesis 20 "Faith of the Faithless" Today's passage challenges our assumptions. Abraham, a man of faith, lacks it, while a faithless man follows God's lead. God is at work in the lives of unbelievers, while sometimes we might miss his work in our own lives. Today's reading invites us to remember that we may not be as faith filled as we think we are and others may not be as faithless. Our Faith is not 'us vs them' but 'One God for one and all.' John Calvin calls this 'Prevenient Grace.'   

Message: Genesis 45 "It's Time to Get Real"Pastor Stan Hagemeyer

 Message: Genesis 18 & 19 “Don't Look Back” When the cries of the oppressed in Sodom and Gomorrah go unheard and unheeded, God steps in to deal with the injustice. The innocent are sought out to liberate, but some find it difficult to leave the old ways behind. This is a story about the justice of God and the self-destructiveness of sin. It is a call to consider what we are ultimately living for and seeking in this life.

Message: Genesis 18 “The Visitor” While Abraham is at home in Hebron, near the Oaks of Mamre, three visitors make an appearance. Abraham is quick to offer middle eastern hospitality. He seems to realize that these visitors are more than mere strangers. He finds himself playing host to God. Paul tells us to offer hospitality to the stranger, because we may be entertaining angels unaware. Jesus takes the call to care even further.   

 Message: Genesis 16 ‘The God Who Sees Me”   In this message we will discover that our working out of what we think is God's calling on our lives involves some guess work. We don't always get it right, but maybe that's part of the plan. We don't always see God clearly, but God always sees us. This is a good thing, because God knows us better than we know ourselves and his plan is to prosper us and not to harm us. -Themes: Journey, Trust, Learning/Growing

 Message: Genesis 15:7-21 “The Struggle is Part of the Promise” We want God to part of our lives because we want better lives. With God, life is better. But better does not necessarily mean free of struggles or even ‘easier.' As revealed in God's Promise to Abraham, his descendants would go through great struggles as part of the Promise. Struggles will be part of our life journey. God promises to be with us and ultimately bring us successfully through these struggles. The success includes a bigger picture than this present world offers. -continued theme of trust, especially through times of struggle.

Message: Genesis 14:17-24 When Lot was captured, Abram set out to rescue him from his enemies. In so doing, he happened to help out some of the local kings. When Melchizedek, king and high priest of Salem, offers him his due reward of the land he liberated, Abram declines it. Abram could have owned a large portion of the Promised Land after conquering the foreign enemy kings. But he chooses to trust in God's Time and Way and apparently this isn't it. In the same way, we are called to place our trust in God's promises and provisions and not in the grabbing, overpowering ways of the world. Theme: Trust   

Message: Mark 1:35-39 "Take the First Step"New Years Message: Where do I want to go? What is something that I want to begin or pick up again?

 Message: Philippians 2:5-11 “Like Us” God loves humanity so much that He becomes like us. This is the amazing gift God offers to the world, revealed through Christ and the Christian faith. When we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating how God demonstrated His amazing love and became human in order to save humanity from itself. The other side of this truth is captured well by St. Athanasius in the 4th century AD when he declared that “God became like us so that we might become like Him.” Christmas is the celebration of Christ coming into the world as one of us. The name “Christian” means ‘little Christs.' Our goal as followers of Jesus is to become more like Jesus, not in power, but in character.  

Message: Luke 2:41-52 “Living & Learning” This life had something to teach the Son of God. Jesus spent his first 30 years mainly in a small town, growing and learning about life. Life is about living and learning. We get to take part in deciding how the lessons will shape us.

 Message: John 1:1-5, 10-14; Luke 2:4-7 “In the World” -In the beginning, God created the world, making order out of chaos. In Christ, God came into the world, entering our chaos as a human being and living among us. In the same way, Christ enters into each of our lives. He enters into our chaos with us.

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 Message: Romans 12:17-19 “Leave Room for God” We're called to live at peace with others, in as much as it is possible on our part. Sometimes, it just doesn't seem possible and the healthiest thing we can do is create a safe distance between us and another person. What God doesn't want you to do is repay evil for evil. There may come a point when it is best to leave a relationship and entrust the other person to God. Even in doing this, you can want God's very best for them. You can continue to be thankful for the good that once was and continue to hope for the good that will still be in both your futures, even if it is not together.  

Message: James 1:19-20 “Those People” Due to the growing divisiveness of our society, we are all coming into contact with increasingly opinionated and aggressive people. They may be neighbors, co-workers, social media contacts, or even family members. In this message we will explore how we let go of bitterness and act in kindness and compassion. It is an intentional move toward building others up in place of tearing down. It is the practice of encountering others with the same Grace with which God encounters us. 

 Message: Deuteronomy 2 & Joshua 4 “Remembering the Wilderness”  What, in the Western mindset, should have taken Israel only a couple of weeks, took forty years. The goal of Israel's sojourn in the wilderness wasn't reaching the Promised Land so much as it was the transformation that took place on the journey. This was the Function of the Wilderness. Rebekah Joy writes, “God does not seem overly concerned with us reaching our desired destination as quickly as possible. The roundabout way, including its delays and detours, is often the transformational path.”  

 Message: Matthew 4:1-11 "The Rhythms of Becoming" Many of the wilderness experiences mentioned in the bible are drawn out of 40 year or 40 day experiences. The idea is that our change and transformation takes a drawn out period of time. Jesus not only underwent 40 days in the wilderness, but he also made it a habit to withdraw to 'wilderness/deserted places' to spend time with God. This means that as a human being, Jesus developed healthy spiritual life rhythms as he grew in his life with God. We too are invited to create healthy spiritual rhythms in our lives so that we might develop into the fullness of who God is inviting us to become. 

Message: Genesis 21:14-21 & 1 Kings 19:11-15  Sometimes, who God has made us and what pursue is at odds with what others want from us. As we grow into the people God has called us to be, we'll face opposition and even loss. The good news is, we can always be real with God, who always meets us where we are but never abandons us there. Our encounters with God will enable us to encounter the world in authentic ways. In today's message, as we continue the series “Wealth of the Wilderness,” we'll look at how Elijah was authentic with God and how Hagar encountered God even as others sent her away. We'll talk about our own encounters with God and how our authenticity with Him enables us to be authentic with others. Hagar is called to leave those who have rejected her, while Elijah is called to return and engage. 

 Message: Exodus 3:1-3; 1 Kings 19:1-9 “Eyes to See, Ears to Hear”  Both Moses & Elijah spent time in the wilderness. Though hundreds of years apart, they had a shared experience at Mt. Horeb. Moses' wilderness experience gave him eyes to see God showing up unexpectedly. Elijah's time in the wilderness gave him ears to hear God's still, small voice. Our wilderness experiences help us to develop eyes to see and ears to hear God as well.   

 Message: Exodus 16:1-3 “Engage the Process” When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances we often only focus on the way out those difficulties. It took the Hebrews forty years of wilderness journey to get from Egypt to the Promised Land. The only thing they wished for was to either begin their new and better life in the Land of milk and honey, or just return to Egypt. The wilderness is not where they wanted to be, but it is where they needed to be. Perhaps what took so long is that they resisted the one thing God wanted them to do: Engage the Process. In this message we'll begin shifting our thinking from simply wanting a way out toward meeting God within our difficult circumstances.

John 15:1-17 "Nurturing the Life We CraveThe relationship with God we crave can't be manufactured, it must be nurtured.  Growing fruit is the job of the Holy Spirit (not me); we need only to stay connected to the source of life and allow the fruit to grow.  The fruit of the Spirit is not evidenced by what I DO, it is evidenced by who I AM.  There is a mutuality of God in me and me in God - an intertwining of life -  which yields a sweetness that fills a craving that can't be satisfied by any other source.

1 Corinthians 2:7-12 "Secret Wisdom"Through the Holy Spirit, God invites us to share the secrets of intimacy with him.  These secrets are relational, a deep knowing of another.  God wants to know us, as much as he wants us to know him.  Our connection to this deeper wisdom, this intimacy, is the Holy Spirit.  

 Message: 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 “Creating Communion”  Many of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem rejected the inclusion of gentile believers who were uncircumcised and didn't observe Jewish Law and traditions. Paul leads the gentile churches in a response of love, taking up a gentile collection for the poor in the Jerusalem Church. This demonstration of love revealed the gentile Christian's acceptance of Jewish believers and sincere desire to be in unity with them. Yet, it also maintained the conviction that gentiles were indeed God's children without having to become Jewish. As followers of Christ, we too can practice tangibly loving those who reject us and seek genuine unity without compromising our convictions.

Message: 2 Samuel 24:1-17 “In God We Trust” Why does God punish Israel for taking a census to determine how large and strong their military could be? It is because Israel's future depended on their placing trust in God not men. In the same way, those who live by faith must continually choose live by faith and not schemes of men. We often place our trust in convention rather than Covenant Relationship with God. We must continually return God as our center and hope. The future depends on it.