Open Worship - Sermon Audio

What is the center of our lives? Of our faith and spirituality? Though there are many ideas, Jesus says the center is simple and profound — love. Centering our life, our work, our families, our faith, our growth, and our goals around love — love of God and neighbor and ourselves — gives us a purpose and place and path in tune with the loving heart of God. Discover the life revolution when we let all we are and all we do revolve around love.

What is the center of our lives? Of our faith and spirituality? Though there are many ideas, Jesus says the center is simple and profound — love. Centering our life, our work, our families, our faith, our growth, and our goals around love — love of God and neighbor and ourselves — gives us a purpose and place and path in tune with the loving heart of God. Discover the life revolution when we let all we are and all we do revolve around love.

What is the center of our lives? Of our faith and spirituality? Though there are many ideas, Jesus says the center is simple and profound — love. Centering our life, our work, our families, our faith, our growth, and our goals around love — love of God and neighbor and ourselves — gives us a purpose and place and path in tune with the loving heart of God. Discover the life revolution when we let all we are and all we do revolve around love.

How do we center out public action around love? How do we advocate for love in the public square? To paraphrase Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we pursue love as a society by pursuing justice. Join us in this series as we discover the life revolution when we let all we are and all we do revolve around love.

What is the center of our lives? Of our faith and spirituality? Though there are many ideas, Jesus says the center is simple and profound — love. Centering our life, our work, our families, our faith, our growth, and our goals around love — love of God and neighbor and ourselves — gives us a purpose and place and path in tune with the loving heart of God. Discover the life revolution when we let all we are and all we do revolve around love.

As we enter a new decade in a world full of heartache, how can we cultivate a child-like spirit? Let's remember the important things in life and claim our belonging as a community.

In Jesus' time, shepherds were total outcasts, living on the outskirts of the communities among their flock. They didn't have basic rights and were not welcome into the rest of society. Yet, God sent a messenger to share the good news of Jesus' birth with them first. Let's take a look at the invitational heart of God shown in the story of Christmas.

The Magi were a royal, priestly class from Persia likely seeking God and science through astrology and astronomy. They followed the star and it led them to Jesus, guiding us to an epiphany—an unexpected finding. Have you found your star? Let's explore this incredible story together this week at Open.

What does it mean that God chose to intersect with humanity as a baby—the most vulnerable among us, into a vulnerable situation, in the middle of nowhere? Join us this week as we seek to learn from the story of baby Jesus.

There’s a reason Jesus didn’t say blessed are the peacekeepers. Making peace is an active, evolving call to create change, build others up, and seek justice in the world around us. So how can we be peacemakers this holiday season? Check out this sermon for some helpful tips.

Covenants define our relationships—they set expectations, help us find clarity and identity, and create a way of life. Before Jesus, the old covenant set an expectation that those who wanted to be in relationship with God would keep the commandments, and that they would obey and be blessed in return. But Jesus’ new covenant was somehow simple and even more difficult than keeping all 613 of the old commandments—to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

In our world, it’s the norm to look out for ourselves first—to make sure that we’re taken care of. We’re taught to climb the ladder of success, to seek out the corner office, and to provide first for our own. Yet, Jesus laid out a different way, the way of servanthood. Jesus shocked his followers when he proclaimed that greatness is really about serving others and that even though the world around us says to look out for ourselves, we find our own greatness when we look out for our neighbors. Check out this week’s message to unpack the way of servanthood!

We all have a lot to do—and there's so much more that we wish we could do! Most of us are doing so much, that we tire, feel depleted, or crash. But when we pause to remember to just be—that all of our doing flows from just being beloved—then we can go with renewed strength and remembering that self-care and rest are important along the way.

We are the light of the world and each of us glows with the love of God in the depth of who we are. Today, Pastor Kake helps us discover this truth through stories from the Bible, from the world, and from our community, highlighting a special new Open group—Glow by Open. May your light shine bright!

Discover how generosity opens our spirit, connects our lives, and opens ourselves to take us even deeper into who we are created to be!

Jonathan shares the story of Open’s origin—how our tagline “Radical Love, Uniquely Denton” came to be, where our logo came from, and how Open became so much more than anyone ever dreamed it would be.

Jesus was a wallbreaker—he tore down dividing lines and made sure to emphasize that all are equal and welcome in the kingdom of God! Join us this week as we look into the Openness of God.

Last week, we found that God’s invitation to us is to be for our city—to seek the holistic flourishing of our neighbors and communities. What does this really look like? Jesus once shared a parable—that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed was sowed and grew to become a tree offering shelter and life to the world. What kind of seeds are we sowing in our cities? Let’s sow seeds that give shelter, support our neighbors, and offer radical love to our world.

When the people of Israel were in exile, they didn't know what to do. The Babylonian empire conquered them and expected them to assimilate into Babylonian culture. Jeremiah brought the radical word of God that was so different than what they expected—to seek the wholistic, universal flourishing of the city they were in. God called them to be for their neighbors, not against them. Check out this sermon and see how this is still God's radical message for us today.

As Jesus was gathered with the disciples at the table, a woman unexpectedly anointed him with expensive oil. She did this from a place of deep generosity and appreciation of the person of Jesus because he brought good news to her life and her story. When the disciples responded angrily, Jesus radically lifted her story to be part of the good news. He elevated her story to be equal to his own and made it clear that the good news is for us all.

Jesus shared a story of wedding banquet where none of the invited guests show up, and then the host sends out his messanger to invite all of the outcasts who were not invited before to fill his home and enjoy the celebration. Where do you see yourself in this story where Jesus illustrates that there is room for ALL at God's banquet table?

When Jesus and the disciples retreated for some self-care, the crowds followed them and showed up hungry. The disciples were concerned that they didn't have enough to feed everyone, but Jesus instructed them—give them something to eat. Jesus didn't swoop in to do the work for them, but he invited the disciples to use what they had to make a difference and to trust that it was enough.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall...and that something is the Holy Spirit. In extremely tumultuous times, God sent an angel to the "enemy" and a vision to Peter to help tear down walls and break down barriers between the Jewish people and the Gentiles—this story shows us all that God's love has always Opening the doors wider so that all would be welcomed in to the kindom of God.

No matter your doubts or questions, you are loved by God. Even John the Baptist, who seemed to the the most sure about Jesus, had his doubts and questions when things got tough. Let’s look into the story of John the Baptist to find that God welcomes your doubts, your questions, and all of us who are seekers.

In the beautiful story of the Ethiopian Eunuch, we meet the very first gentile who was baptized into the beloved family. This person was in every way an outsider—a non-binary, Ethiopian gentile—but they were drawn to Jerusalem in pursuit of a God who loved all. However, once human beings get involved, exclusion usually takes place. And of course, even though they read in Isaiah that they were welcome, they weren’t fully welcome at the temple. On their way back home, they encountered Phillip, and in this story, we see the heart of God at work in a broken world—a heart for inclusion, justice, and love of all people.

In Zaccheus’ story, we find that when the heart of God and the heart of humanity intersects, goodness multiplies in ways we could have never imagined!

Jesus was constantly breaking down barriers and going to places and speaking to people that he “shouldn’t” have sought out. In one story, Jesus makes the radical decision to speak to a person who was 1. A Samaritan, 2. A Woman, and 3. An Outsider—all big no-no’s in his day. Jesus sees her—sees her story, her worth, and her truth and he invites her to drink of the living water that satisfies the soul and assures her that there’s not a set of behaviors or places that connect to you to God, but instead it’s being open to God from the depth of your spirit and the truth of who you are.

Have you ever totally missed the point of a story? Well, here’s one that you may have heard, but with fresh eyes we can see new truths. Esther was a queen, but powerless. She was caught up in the same system of oppression as everyone else under the rule of relentless, all-powerful king. But when the ultimate evil threatened the lives of all of her people, she made the choice to risk her life, reveal her identity, and save her people—for such a time as this.

Jonah ran in the exact opposite direction of where God asked him to go. He didn’t see God’s vision of love for all people, but God’s love is cross-cultural—for everyone—and always loving and kind, even when people aren’t. God seeks out to restore, not destroy—to unite, not divide. God cares about all of us.

Three friends made the choice to stand up, literally, and not bow to a golden statue of the king in power. When the king learned that they would not worship him, he had them bound and thrown into a fiery furnace. But, they didn’t burn and even more shocking, there was a fourth being in the fire with them! They only thing that burned away was their bindings. We have a future and a hope, no matter the trial. When we stand up against injustice, God is with us.

We’re beginning a new journey at Open called “Small Story, Big Story” where we will unpack some of the most common Bible stories and find glimpses of the greater story of God’s love in each of them. Today, we begin with the story of Moses and the great Exodus of the Israelite people out of Egypt. As we look a little closer, we begin to see how God hears, draws near, and sends us out to do justice work in our world today!

We’re celebrating 2 years of the Open community and all of the incredible people who call it home. So far, we’ve heard the inspiring stories of some of our Open friends, but today, we’ll remember and tell the story of Open as a community—how we came to be, how we’ve grown, and get a glimpse at who we’ll become.

Did you know that the secret to contentment is right here in our scripture library? Contentment is something that many of us have spent so much of our lives searching for, and God has something to share with us. Today, we also have the opportunity to listen to and learn from the story of Paige Dixon of our Open community, and perhaps we will continue to discover the sacred beauty of each of our own stories along the way.

On Mother’s Day, we gather to contemplate the Mother God and to affirm that God is neither created in the image of man or woman, but transcends it all and lifts us all up as equals. If we all are created in the image of an infinite God, then we need to hear each other’s stories in order to see a more complete vision of God. Today, we also have the opportunity to listen to and learn from the story of Courtney Banatoski of our Open community and perhaps we will each discover the sacred beauty of each of our own stories along the way.

We all have a story to share, an important story of our experience with God and life and lessons along the way. We don’t always think of our story as valued and needed, but your story is sacredly important. If we all are created in the image of an infinite God, then we need to hear each other’s stories in order to see a more complete vision of God. Today, we have the opportunity to listen to and learn from the story of Layton Hernandez of our Open community and perhaps we will each discover the sacred beauty of each of our own stories along the way.

The celebration of Easter at Open was so life-giving! (Just as Easter should be, of course). This Easter, experience Jonathan's message about Mary Magdalene's story and the ever-present power of resurrection invite us to live as people of a love that overcomes.

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter that begins the Holy Week. It is the day that we remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem as king, but as a different kind of king than everyone expected. Kings and kingdoms feel ancient and patriarchal, but there is life to be found when we learn what kind of King Jesus was claimed to be.

Sin is a difficult word that has caused a lot of harm in our world. But, when we take a deeper look at the heart of God, it seems that maybe sin isn't a list of don'ts, but something deeper and more true. Let's revisit and reclaim this word and find together that sin isn't our identity, but instead it's what disturbs the flourishing of God's creation.

What does it really mean to be #blessed? Journey with Rev. Don Lee, Senior Pastor of FUMC-Denton, as he walks us through the different meanings of the word "blessing" and helps us see that God is deeply happy with us all.

There are four kinds of love found in the Bible: storge, eros, philia, and agape, but in the church, we often find a fifth kind of love—tough love. Let’s look together at the kinds of love we see in God’s character and shine that love back into our world.

There are four kinds of love found in the Bible: storge, eros, philia, and agape, but in the church we often find a fifth kind of love—tough love. Let's look together at the kinds of love we see in God's character and shine that love back into our world.

When life is really difficult, questions begin to arise: "God, where are you? How long? Help us!" The good news is that our faith tradition holds space for lament, but do we? In our time together this week, we intentionally hold space to pray through some of the Psalms, talk about how it's okay to not be okay, and look forward together to a God who hears us.

Shipwrecks happen. Sometimes life is really tough, and in the midst of that, where is God? Join us as we begin this journey together: How to Survive a Shipwreck.

What goes God think about you? The answer is clear: God SO loves you. You are a beloved child of God, with whom God is well pleased — before and beyond any accomplishment or earning. In this message, learn from Jesus how this reality can transform your identity and sustain you in the desert season.

Jonathan is joined by friends, Demi Prentiss and Krystal Stroud, as we explore together how to determine our vocation. We discuss questions like, “How do you know if your in the right career field?” and “How do you begin to determine your purpose?” Check out this sermon to hear what we found together.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King inspires us to be a part of creating the beloved community — God's dream for humanity. This requires us to be people of courage, compassion, creativity, and love. Join us in contemplating this work in our time and in our lives.

Recently, a team from the Open community traveled to the Texas–Mexico border to learn more about the situation, bear witness to the love of God, and listen for ways our community can help. Along the way, our hearts and eyes were opened, as we saw God's faith and hope and love working transformation even amidst difficult circumstances. Check out this sermon to learn more through stories from the border.

Forgiveness is a transformative relationship dynamic, but not because it avoids justice, but because it promotes justice through restoration, reparation, and reconciliation. Join Haley Feuerbacher, campus minister at the Denton Wesley Foundation for an empowering look at forgiveness in a different light.

What is up with all the monsters and beasts in the Bible? For the people who brought us the Bible, these creatures represented the evils of oppressive empires. Sometimes we forget that much of the Bible was written by vulnerable populations who suffered under the thumb of powerful, violent systems. But prophets and apocalyptic texts attempted to pull back the curtain of pomp and power to show reality beneath the surface. In these texts and the prophetic call to resist by loving greatly, we can find light for our lives today.

Origin stories help us remember the past, interpret the present, and communicate what is essential about who we are and where we are headed. But our relationship with origins is complex; often maturity involves unentangling ourselves from the stories we’ve been told. Join us as we look back at the origin story of our faith community, Genesis 1, and try to find a different light in our origins.

Sometimes we’ve been taught to think of the Bible as one bright light that makes clear light and shadow in our world. But the Bible is something so much more brilliant and magical — it is the library of a community, the witness of thousands of lights and conversations among God and humanity since the beginning. And the most magic thing of all: we are invited into the conversation.