Redeemer Weekend Sermons

EPHESIANS – WEEK 1 Sermon Notes Summary: Ephesians 1:1–14” Pastor: Dave BrownSeries: Ephesians   Series context: Beginning a 14-week journey through Ephesians. This opening message sets the stage for the letter's big themes and asks what kind of people—and what kind of church—God is forming us to be. Why Ephesians matters: Ephesians gives a sweeping vision of the gospel, the church, and God's purpose from creation to new creation. It helps answer: Why did God call this church into existence? Why bring different people into one body? Why does our community need a church like this? Why does God care not only about what we believe, but who we are becoming? Genre: A letter (epistle), so context matters for interpretation. Author: Traditionally Paul. Though scholars debate this because of vocabulary and church language, the sermon argues Paul likely wrote it late in life, possibly from prison, as a final pastoral vision for multiple churches. Audience: Not just Ephesus, but likely a wider circle of churches. About Ephesians 1:3–14: In Greek, this is one long sentence overflowing with praise. Paul packs it with major themes and echoes from Israel's story to show continuity between God's work in the Old Testament and God's work in Christ now. Adoption/sonship: Echoes Israel as God's firstborn son. Chosen/predestined: Echoes God's choosing of Abraham and Israel to form a people for His purposes. Redemption/freedom: Echoes the Exodus—God delivering His people from slavery. Blood of the Lamb: Echoes Passover and God's saving power. Forgiveness: Echoes God's mercy after Israel's failure. Wisdom, understanding, mystery: Echoes God giving His people instruction for covenant life. Unity: Echoes the hope of God reuniting His people under the Messiah. Main idea: The opening of Ephesians is about identity. Paul confronts the identities the world tries to give us and reminds us who we are in Christ. We are a people of praise — our lives are centered on God's glory, not ourselves. We are blessed — in Christ, heaven has broken into our story. We are loved — God pursued us before we pursued Him. We are chosen — our identity begins with God's initiative. We are adopted — wanted, welcomed, and claimed as God's own. We are holy — set apart for God's purposes, not perfect but called. We are saved by grace — forgiven through the blood of Christ. We are free — released from sin, shame, and old masters to belong to Christ. We are one — a new humanity under Jesus, beyond all lesser divisions and allegiances. We are sealed — marked and empowered by the Holy Spirit as God's possession. Application: Before asking, “What should we do?” Ephesians first asks, “Who are we becoming?” A church that knows its identity stops chasing relevance, fearing the future, and imitating culture, and instead lives as the people of God. Prayer focus: Lord, teach us to live as Your holy, forgiven, loved, unified, Spirit-filled people, and empower us to help others experience the freedom and life found in Christ.  

HOLY SPIRIT – WEEK 4 Sermon Notes Summary: The Holy Spirit & Our “Why” Pastor: Dave BrownSeries: Holy Spirit (Final Week)Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 (with references to ch. 13–14, Acts 1:8) Main Theme The Holy Spirit empowers believers with power (dunamis)—not for personal gain or spiritual moments, but to advance God's kingdom on earth. To rightly use this power, we must align with God's “why”—His purpose of bringing heaven to earth through love and truth. Key Ideas 1. Don't “Box Up” the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is not just for a series or moment. He is meant to continually shape and empower our daily lives. We are called to stay attuned to His presence all year long. 2. The Importance of “Why” A compelling why gives meaning to our actions (the what and how). Many people lose their sense of purpose and end up living someone else's “why.” Not all “whys” are equal—some lead to emptiness (e.g., money or comfort). Key Quote: “Power is only as good as the story it supports.” 3. The Power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) “Power” (dunamis) = strength, ability, force (like dynamite). God gives power so we can be witnesses. But power can build or destroy—it depends on the purpose behind it. 4. A Bigger Gospel The gospel is not just about going to heaven. It is about God bringing His kingdom to earth now. Key Truth: Not escape → but restoration Not evacuation → but invasion of heaven into earth Anchor Prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 5. Why We Need the Spirit's Power Advancing God's kingdom requires real power because it: Challenges comfort and convenience Breaks consumer Christianity Confronts control, fear, and reputation Tears down idols (bitterness, pride, sin, tribalism) “Some things need to be blown up.” 6. Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12) Different gifts, same Spirit. Given to each believer. Purpose: the common good, not personal glory. Examples of gifts: Wisdom, knowledge, faith Healing, miracles Prophecy, discernment Tongues and interpretation 7. Alignment Matters The Holy Spirit won't empower misaligned motives. Gifts must serve God's purpose, not ours. Our hearts must match His “why.” 8. The Greater Gifts: Love & Prophecy (Ch. 13–14) Love = The Heartbeat Foundation of all spiritual gifts. Without love, nothing has life. Prophecy = The Breath Speaking truth from God. Giving voice to love. Key Insight: Love gives truth beauty. Truth gives love a voice. 9. Truth + Love = Spiritual Maturity Love without truth = enabling/self-centeredness Truth without love = harsh and destructive Maturity = living both together 10. Our Calling: Witness & Prophet Witness (Luke's emphasis): Living testimony of Jesus Prophet (Paul's emphasis): Speaking truth after encountering God Both require: Encounter with God Transformation Spirit-enabled boldness Reflection Questions What story am I serving? What is driving my life—comfort or calling? Am I living by fear or faith? Am I seeking approval from people or obedience to God? Application Desire spiritual gifts—but prioritize love. Align your life with God's kingdom purpose. Live as a witness: embody truth and love. Allow the Spirit to transform your motivations. Closing Challenge Don't settle for a small gospel. Don't settle for comfortable Christianity. Be a Spirit-filled people through whom heaven breaks into earth. Closing Prayer Focus Tune our hearts to the Spirit Align our “why” with God's purpose Empower us to live as witnesses Help us reflect God's love and truth to the world  

HOLY SPIRIT – WEEK 3 Sermon Notes — “You Will Receive Power, You Will Be My Witnesses” Pastor Daniel Bunn — May 3, 2026 Text: Acts 2:1–21 1. Scripture Reading — Acts 2:1–21 Pastor Daniel begins by reading the Pentecost narrative: Acts 2:1 — “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” Acts 2:2–4 — Violent wind, tongues of fire, filling of the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues. Acts 2:5–12 — Jews from every nation hear the wonders of God in their own languages. Acts 2:13 — Some mock: “They've had too much wine.” Acts 2:14–21 — Peter explains this fulfills Joel 2:28–32: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people…” “Your sons and daughters will prophesy…” “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 2. A Disorienting Reality Pastor Daniel uses the viral “dress” phenomenon to illustrate how disorienting it is when what you see doesn't match what is true. Quote: “What you think is real may not be real after all.” This sets up the disciples' own disorientation after the resurrection. 3. The Disciples' Reality Is Overturned (Luke → Acts) A. Their old reality Power wins. Empires rule. Death is final. Jesus' crucifixion seemed to confirm this: “Rome wins, Jesus loses, end of story.” B. The resurrection shatters that reality Jesus appears alive in a locked room (Luke 24). This reveals two truths: True power is found on the cross, not in Roman might. Death does not get the last word — God does. The disciples now know the truth, but they are disoriented—just like the dress analogy. 4. Jesus' Final Instruction — Acts 1 Before ascending, Jesus tells them: Acts 1:4 — “Wait in Jerusalem until the gift of the Spirit comes.” Acts 1:8 — “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” This taps into centuries of Jewish expectation for the promised Spirit (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel). 5. Pentecost — Acts 2 A. The disciples obey They “waited and prayed for 10 days.” B. The Spirit arrives Violent wind Fire Languages Galileans speaking global languages — the most shocking part to the crowd. Quote: “This should not be possible… These people probably barely know their own language.” (Acts 2:7) C. The crowd's confusion Their best explanation: “They must be drunk.” Pastor Daniel notes humorously that drunkenness does not improve language skills. D. Peter's explanation Peter quotes Joel 2:28–32 to show this is God's promised outpouring. 6. The Spirit Empowers Witnesses (Acts 2–7) Pastor Daniel traces several scenes in Acts showing the Spirit fulfilling Jesus' words: A. Peter's bold sermon — Acts 2 The same Peter who denied Jesus now preaches boldly. Result: “Some 3,000 people embraced this reality.” (Acts 2:41) B. The Spirit-formed community — Acts 2:42–47 They: Devoted themselves to teaching, prayer, fellowship Sold possessions Ensured no one lacked anything This contradicts the world's reality of scarcity, competition, and accumulation. Quote: “What I have is God's, not mine… With God there is plenty, not scarcity.” C. Healing the lame man — Acts 3 Peter: “What I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus, stand up and walk.” The man walks; the crowd is amazed. D. Peter and John before the authorities — Acts 4 Religious leaders demand they stop speaking in Jesus' name. Peter replies (Acts 4:19–20): “Which is right in God's eyes, to listen to you or to him? … We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” E. Stephen — Acts 6–7 Stephen, “empowered by the Holy Spirit,” gives the longest speech in Acts. He becomes the first martyr. Pastor Daniel notes: “The Greek word martyr means witness.” 7. What the Spirit Empowers Us For Not to become: Saviors Judges But to become: Witnesses A witness simply says: “This is what I've seen and heard.” 8. The Invitation to Us Acts extends a question to modern believers: Will we receive the Spirit's power? Will we bear witness to God's alternative reality? Will we allow this reality to take root in our homes, marriages, friendships, neighborhoods, and church? 9. The Proper Order of Operations (Acts Pattern) Pastor Daniel emphasizes: Wait and pray Receive the Holy Spirit Witness Quote: “The Holy Spirit must be received. The Holy Spirit is not grasped.” Rushing into witnessing without empowerment leads to failure. 10. A Final Warning and Call Receiving the Spirit is beautiful—but dangerous: It overturns false realities. It reveals that peace, not might, wins. It reveals that God, not death, is eternal. Once you see this reality, “you can't unsee it.” The call: Be bold enough to receive the Spirit. Be bold enough to witness. Proclaim the kingdom of God. Love neighbors as ourselves. This is a powerful and beautiful witness. Amen.  

HOLY SPIRIT – WEEK 2 April 26, 2026 Pastor Dave Brown Moving from simply understanding the Holy Spirit to actively living in relationship with Him daily. KEY IDEA The Holy Spirit is meant to be experienced, not just studied. 1. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT JUST A CONCEPT The Spirit lives in us and is active in our lives We are meant to understand and experience what God has given Scripture: John 14:16–17; 1 Corinthians 2:12–14 2. FROM KNOWLEDGE TO RELATIONSHIP The Holy Spirit guides, speaks, and leads Christianity is not just belief—it's relationship Scripture: John 16:13; Romans 8:14; 2 Corinthians 13:14 3. LEARNING TO LISTEN God often speaks in subtle ways We must slow down and pay attention Scripture: 1 Kings 19:11–12; John 10:27 4. OBEDIENCE BRINGS CLARITY Spiritual sensitivity grows through action Obedience strengthens our ability to hear Scripture: James 1:22; Acts 5:32; Galatians 5:25 5. EMBRACING DISCOMFORT The Spirit often leads beyond comfort zones Growth happens when we trust God's leading Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:16; Isaiah 55:8–9 6. DAILY DEPENDENCE The Holy Spirit is for everyday life—not just church We are called to live continually filled and led Scripture: Luke 11:13; Romans 8:5–6; Ephesians 5:18 APPLICATION (THIS WEEK) Ask the Holy Spirit to speak (Luke 11:13) Pause and listen (Psalm 46:10) Act on one prompting (James 1:22) Reflect on what happens (Psalm 119:15) CLOSING “This isn't about being perfect—it's about being available.”Philippians 2:13

Holy Spirit April 12 2026 Teacher: Pastor Doug McHenry The Holy Spirit is the life-giving presence of God. “Now the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:7 The Trinity is One Being, Three Persons; one essence, three personalities; Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the life-giving presence of God and breathes into our lives, makes us new and we're born again. It's not something we achieve; it's something we receive. We are not self-generated. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” “That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm…” – Eph. 1:18-20 “Then he said to me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'” “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘My people, I am going to bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.” “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it,' declares the Lord.” – Ezekiel 37:11-14 The Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, alone can bring dead things back to life. The Holy Spirit is the life-giving presence of God from the first breath in Eden to the new life of resurrection.

Confirmation Sunday April 12 2026 In this episode Middle School Director Jordan Black and High School Director Andrew Randoll host a Q&A discussion with 5 guests 'I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when peaople wil not tolerate sound doctrin, but according to their own desires, will mulitiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn aside to myths. But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. ' 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Easter Service April 05, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Sin is when we live contrary to God's intention for creation.   Our relationship with God Our relationship with others Our relationship with ourselves Our relationship with creation Our relationship with truth At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” — Matthew 27:51-54 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. —Hebrews 6:19-20 His consecrating life-blood grants believers access to God in the holy of holies, indexing them as co-high priests, and enables them to participate with Jesus… — Andrew Rillera Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Maundy Thursday April 02, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown “Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' ‘I am,' said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' The high priest tore his clothes. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?' he asked. ‘You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?' They all condemned him as worthy of death.” —Mark 14:61–64 “The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!' Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.” —Mark 15:16–19 “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.” —Mark 15:33 “At three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?').” —Mark 15:34 “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!'” —Mark 15:39

Palm Sunday March 29, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel.” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” — John 12:12-19 Hosanna = please save us! Jesus didn't come to bring the kingdom in the way people expected. He came to redefine what God's kingdom actually meant. — N.T. Wright When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. — John 19:13-16a Picture of Jesus Picture of Galilean Man When we get the story of God wrong, we get our own story wrong as well. — N.T. Wright

Lamentations March 22, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton Summary of “Your Kingdom Come: From Lament to Participation” (Based on “Lamentations March 22 2026 Final.docx” by Leanne Benton) The sermon reflects on Lamentations 5 as the closing message in a series on lament, showing how honest grief becomes a pathway to restoration and renewed participation in God's kingdom. 1. Context of Lamentations Jeremiah writes after Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC. The temple is burned, leaders killed, families exiled, and the monarchy ended. The chapter outlines a progression of losses—inheritance, leadership, dignity, joy, and spiritual strength. 2. Honest Grief Is the Beginning of Restoration Israel begins their prayer with raw honesty: “Remember, Lord, what has happened to us.” They recount their losses: land, family security, dignity, joy, and the desolation of Mount Zion. Lament is described as an act of faith—standing between painful reality and God's promises. 3. God Still Reigns In the center of the complaint rises a theological anchor:“You, Lord, reign forever.” Empires fall and temples crumble, but God's throne is immovable. This echoes Psalm 48 and shifts the focus from devastation to divine sovereignty—lament begins turning into hope when we move our eyes from what we see to who God is. 4. Participating in God's Restoration The people pray:“Restore us to yourself… renew our days as of old.” The sermon emphasizes that restoration starts with returning to God—not rebuilding walls. Lament leads to acknowledgment of sin, repentance, and a desire for renewal. A proverb captures the shift from lament to participation: “Pray… and move your feet.” Believers become agents of justice, hope, and worship as they join God's restoring work. 5. Surrendered Suffering Softens the Heart Suffering can either harden or soften a heart. When surrendered to God, suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5), and matures faith (James 1). Jesus reminds His followers that trouble is inevitable, but peace is found in Him (John 16). The sermon underscores that how a person responds to pain determines whether they become bitter or grow deeper in faith. 6. Hope Grows in the Soil of Lament The sermon highlights the spiritual mystery that when someone grieves without becoming cynical or closed-hearted, hope takes root. A heart that stays open in seasons of loss becomes softer, more compassionate, and more spacious. This becomes the very place where hope grows and where a transformative “pivot” in one's story often occurs. 7. The Larger Biblical Arc Lamentations ends without closure, offering instead a plea for restoration. But Israel's story continues—decades later, the exiles return under Cyrus, the temple is rebuilt, and hope rises again. The sermon emphasizes that lament is not the end but a doorway through which God's kingdom enters. 8. Final Invitation The message ends with a reflective invitation: Some listeners are in seasons of loss and are reminded that God welcomes their lament. Others have come through seasons of pain and now carry softer, more compassionate hearts; they are encouraged to move toward others in need. A closing prayer asks God to meet His people “on the pile of rubble,” helping them grieve honestly, surrender fully, trust deeply, and step into renewed hope and participation in His kingdom.

Lamentations March 15, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown To ask questions of God is not a lack of faith, but an expression of trust. Healing begins when hidden pain is brought from darkness into the light of God's presence and the care of a trustworthy community. Discovering hope in hardship by intentionally remembering who God truly is. An essential part of healing involves honest reflection and a return to God. Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? Why should the living complain when punished for their sins? Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven. “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain without pity. You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. You have made us scum and refuse among the nations. — Lamentations 3:37-45 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord. — Jeremiah 7:3-11 Repentance is part of lamenting: “We have confessed to being followers of Jesus without becoming truly shaped by the values he lived and died for.  We have, in fact, applied our religion in ways that benefit ourselves but bring harm to millions. — Soong Chan Rah The sad truth about modern spirituality is that we often avoid feeling our own pain and in the process avoid feeling the pain of others.  When this happens, it's impossible to do the work of reconciliation…Lament requires us to take seriously the pain we see and feel and to open ourselves to how God might have us respond. — Rich Villodas I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. — Lamentations 3:55-58

Lamentations March 08, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown The message explains that many people look forward to Lamentations 3 because it finally introduces hope, but that hope has to be understood within the structure and emotional movement of the entire book. Lamentations doesn't offer quick fixes or simplistic spiritual answers; instead, it honestly portrays how real grief works. The book follows a chiastic structure — a literary “mountain” that rises toward a central point and then descends in reverse order. In Lamentations, the structure looks like this: A: Devastation B: Accusation C: Remembrance (the central peak) B': Reflection A': Petition This structure mirrors how sorrow actually feels: pain → hope struggle → pain again — but the second pain is different because it has been reshaped by remembrance. To illustrate, the speaker tells a story of a brutal bike climb up Smugglers Notch in Vermont. Reaching the summit felt like it should be the end, but instead the road immediately plunged downward into danger, rain, cold, and exhaustion. The lesson: reaching the “summit” didn't end the struggle, but it changed everything. That experience parallels the emotional journey of Lamentations 3. In the chapter, we hear an exhausted “strongman” voice say, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…” This moment is the theological summit — but the book doesn't end there. Pain returns in chapters 4–5. The city is still ruined. Exile is still real. But the heart posture has changed. Before remembrance, God felt like an enemy; after remembrance, the people can say, “Restore us, O Lord.” Hope doesn't erase hardship — it reorients the heart within it. Lamentations 3 shows that hope is not automatic. The strongman speaks hope to himself: “This I call to mind…” “I say to myself…” Hope is fought for, practiced, and rehearsed, not simply felt. The passage reveals three essential truths about biblical hope: Hope is intentional remembrance. He chooses to recall God's covenant love. Hope doesn't replace lament — it deepens it. Even after declaring God's faithfulness, he continues to speak honestly about affliction and waiting. Hope provides endurance, not instant relief. Waiting “quietly” for God is active, anchored perseverance. By the end, the writer's circumstances remain unchanged — Jerusalem is still in ruins — but something inside him has stabilized. That inner steadying is itself an act of grace. The message concludes by reminding us that many of us are somewhere on that mountain: climbing, descending, exhausted, or caught in unexpected weather. Lamentations gives permission to tell the truth about pain. Hope is not pretending everything is fine but speaking covenant truths into unfinished stories. The lament tree in the lobby symbolizes this: a communal place to name sorrow and reach for hope together. Finally, the message points to Christ, who personally entered lament and suffering. So when we rehearse hope through clenched teeth, we are not failing— we are walking the same honest path God Himself walked. The storm may persist, but God's mercies remain new every morning, and that is enough.

Lamentations March 01, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality. Healing begins when hidden pain is brought from darkness into the light of God's presence and the care of a trustworthy community. My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within; my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. — Lamentations 2:11 What can I say for you? With what can I compare you, Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? — Lamentations 2:13 A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality. The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner “Look, Lord, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? “Young and old lie together in the dust of the streets; my young men and young women have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of your anger; you have slaughtered them without pity. — Lamentations 2:18-21 Pray as you can.  Not as you can't. — John Chapman A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality. Laments are prayers that erupt from wounds, burst out of unbearable pain, and bring it to language.  Laments complain, shout, and protest.  They take anger and despair before God and the community.  They grieve.  They argue.  They find fault…Although laments appear disruptive to God's world, they are acts of fidelity.  In vulnerability and honesty, the cling obstinately to God and demand for God to see, hear, and act. — Kathleen O' Conner God's silence in Lamentations leaves wounds festering, open to the air and possibly to healing.  The benefit of exposed wounds is that they become visible and unavoidable.  Left exposed, they require us to see, acknowledge, and attend to them, and then perhaps there can be energy to attend to the wounds of the world. — Kathleen O' Conner A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality. For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. — Ephesians 5:8-12 It is easier to let God heal my sinfulness than it is to let him heal my woundedness. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 A healthy spirituality is always an honest spirituality. Healing begins when hidden pain is brought from darkness into the light of God's presence and the care of a trustworthy community.

Lamentations February 22, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Daniel Bunn LAMENTATIONS 1:1-7 Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (587 B.C.) Tisha B'Av Lamentations is meant to be felt. "How?" Lamentations names the pain and looks it in the face. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long (Psalm 32:3) What is hidden cannot be healed. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:1) Lamentations invites us to name our pain before God. Truthfulness is not the absence of faith. Truthfulness requires deep faith. Where are you pretending everything is fine? What would it look like to be a little more honest? REVELATION 21:1-4

Teach Us To PrayFebruary 15, 2026Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.— Matthew 7:7-12The aim is not to get God in on what I think he should be doing. Rather, the aim of prayer is to get us in on what God is doing, become aware of it, join it, and enjoy the fruit of participation.—Tyler StatonA few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”— Mark 2:1-5A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses.— Dietrich BonhoefferThen the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.— Exodus 32:14God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.— Numbers 23:19Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.Romans 8:33-34

Teach Us To PrayFebruary 08, 2026Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownAsk and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!— Matthew 7:7-11 (Luke 11:9-13)3 Reasons for Unanswered Prayers:Not “no” but “not yet”Complex GoodsEvil ExistsGod does not delay to give what he has promised; rather, by delaying he stretches desire. By stretching desire he enlarges the soul. By enlarging the soul he makes it capable of receiving what he is preparing to give.— AugustineGod always gives us just what we need, himself.  He even works to stretch our hearts so that we are able to receive what he gives.Safety and security are two idols we let go unchecked in the American church.“Safe? ... Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you”— C.S. LewisGracious Father,you are the God of peace,the sovereign King who gathers one Kingdom from many nationsand calls us to belong wholly to you and to one another;Teach us to be with you before we strive to do for you.Quiet our anxious hearts,loosen our grip on lesser allegiances,and form in us the mind of Christ.Where opinions differ, give us charity.Where fears rise, give us trust.Where we are tempted to divide, make us one.As we seek the future of Redeemer Church,guide us by your Spirit.Grant us wisdom in discernment,patience with one another,and courage to follow wherever you lead. Make us a praying people before we are a decisive people,that our life together may reflect the peace and unity of your Kingdom.Through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

Teach Us To PrayFebruary 01, 2026Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownSince I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.— Luke 1:3As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”— Luke 10:38-42The Good Samaritan shows us what love does.Mary reminds us where love begins.Prayer teaches us how to stay there.“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”— Luke 11:1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”— Luke 11:1“When you pray, say: Father…”— Luke 11:2Prayer is about presence before it's about anything else.  Prayer doesn't begin with outcomes.  Prayer is the free choice to be with the Father, to prefer his company.  In our desire for certain outcomes or our confusion over not getting certain outcomes, we are tempted to begin there.  But we cannot brush past simply being with the Father and arrive at anything close to the sort of prayer Jesus won back for us.  Prayer starts with presence.— Tyler StatonGracious Father,you are the God of peace,the sovereign King who gathers one Kingdom from many nationsand calls us to belong wholly to you and to one another;Teach us to be with you before we strive to do for you.Quiet our anxious hearts,loosen our grip on lesser allegiances,and form in us the mind of Christ.Where opinions differ, give us charity.Where fears rise, give us trust.Where we are tempted to divide, make us one.As we seek the future of Redeemer Church,guide us by your Spirit.Grant us wisdom in discernment,patience with one another,and courage to follow wherever you lead. Make us a praying people before we are a decisive people,that our life together may reflect the peace and unity of your Kingdom.Through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

My WitnessesJanuary 18, 2026Teacher: Pastor Michael WhiteThe golden ruleMatthew 7:12 Intro:“We are an underwear family”I need you to get on board with this.It's the done thing in our familyI would assume that we are all underwear people, if not, please don't tell me. Families have characteristics. Ways that they do things, things they don't do, values they have.  When you think about your family, now or in the past, what things characterized your family?Maybe you're a camping familyOr maybe you're a “we watch a movie on Friday night family”Maybe you're a “we say grace even in restaurants family” There are things that you do, that show what your family values.“Remember who you are!”You've been given an identity.A set of valuesYou're not just you, you represent a group of people. Super familiar verseBut I want to put it into its context and that's going to add a layer to its meaning. ScriptureMatthew 7:1212 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Context is kingThis comes at the end of the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7That's importantWhat's the sermon on the mount?RiffJesus greatest concentrated teachingImportant because he starts out with this.He is defining what his purpose isShowing what is important to himFor the next 3 years he lives this out When we get down to our verse…7:12  Doesn't really feel related to vv. 7-11.  7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Then the golden rule comes and it doesn't seem to follow.It goes back to 5:17 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. That's the overall rubric, What does it look like to fulfill the law and prophets?  Jesus takes 2 chapters to illustrate how you do that.then it culminates in the Golden ruleThe law and the prophets are fulfilled in how we treat other people.That's what the 2 chapters of the sermon on the mount are all about, how Jesus' disciples should relate to other people.The proof of a relationship with Jesus is a changed heart that results in changed behavior toward other peopleNeed to understand This is a verse about Christian community, the churchIt's not about being an individual.  It does affect individual behavior, but in the sense of how we as individuals fit into the group.This is about how the family behaves.Just like your family of origin has certain characteristics,The Golden rule characterizes the family of GodThis is how the family behaves as God fulfills his plan and purpose for the world.The movement of God from the moment sin entered into the worldUntil the point where evil is finally defeated once and for allStory arc that God is making a new creation.  The church.  We are living into God's plan and purpose and we do that by acting like the family of God.It's fundamentally about redemption.As people come to know the good news of Jesus, God is gathering them/us together, creating a new people, a new community of people who are living into the reality of God's new creation.  It's like this taste of heaven.Here's where the Golden Rule comes inThose people are pointing to a world where only good is done to each other.  Can you Imagine what that would be like?People wouldn't hurt each otherNo one would say terrible things to each otherThere wouldn't be any warNo one would need to be afraidIt sounds like heaven…This is the profound point.This is the answer to the line of the Lord's PrayerThy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heavenA world where only good is done to each otherThat's the kingdom of God. That's what we point to.That's how disciples of Jesus liveDo to others what you would have them do to you.This is the done thing.  This is how the family behaves.  This is how the new community reflects the character of God.This is how we live into the day when God's rule is complete.That's what the Golden rule is all aboutThe Golden Rule in historyNobody really knows how it became known as the “Golden Rule”  But the story I like best is that the Roman Emperor Severus Alexander 222-35, was so impressed by the saying that he had it inscribed in gold on the wall of his chamber.  Severus Alexander  You've probably never heard of him, but he has a very famous descendentSeverus SnapeThe Golden Rule isn't original to Jesus.It exists in Judaism, particularly in Rabbi Hillel, I'd show you a photo of him, but he doesn't have any famous relativesand many other places, Here's the thing: it is almost always in the negative.  Don't do to other people what you don't want them to do to you.That's a great rule. Would you like it if someone did that to you?No?  Then don't do that to them.Cutting people off on the freeway.Jesus takes that rule and does something interesting with it.Jesus puts it in the positiveTakes it away from being passiveAs long as your not doing anything bad, you're doing fine.By putting it in the positive makes it more demanding.Therefore everything you would like others to do to you, your yourselves be doing to them.It's proactive“Hey, here's this person in this situation.”  If I was in that situation, I would want someone to do this for me.You can't meet everyone's need.  It's impossible.  But don't use that as an out.There will be people God places in your field of visionMe in the supermarketYou look lost can I help you.In the negative way of understanding the rule, he didn't have to do that.  In the positive sense that Jesus introduces, this was a great way.It has little implications and it has huge implications.Maybe it means you open the door for someone who is caring an armful of packages.Maybe you stop and help someone who looks like they need help.Maybe you grant charitable assumptions instead of assuming the worst.Maybe you put yourself into the position of people who are affected by policies and procedures that don't affect you and ask yourself, what would I want someone to do for me if I was in that situation?Water at ChautauquaWe take the initiative to love people.It doesn't say treat others as they treat you.We are called to live by a higher standard, a greater righteousness, a deeper ethic than “pay each other back in kind”quid pro quoFeels like there could be this complex morality.But Jesus boils down to something super simple.There are 622 laws in the Old TestamentAll the teaching of the sermon on the mount is caught up in this summary.  This one thing…Whatever you would like other people to do to you be doing that to other people. Raises issues of identityWhose family do you belong to?Maybe the more revealing question is: Whose family do you look like?  What are the things that characterize your life?Some of us, need to decide which family we want to belong to.Others of us, need to decide that we are going to be more serious about reflecting the family priorities.You can't just dabble with JesusIn the public square there are people saying Jesusy things but whose lives don't reflect anything of the Jesus that I know.What family are you reflecting?Whose family do you look like?Just because you show up at church, doesn't mean that you are reflecting God's family.The biggest problem to be overcome?  Our angerInside and outside the church.We are all Jesusy until something happens that makes us mad or that we don't like.Sajan and the capital fund.We grow.  We get mentored.  We watch other people liveThe longer you hang out with the family, the more you figure out what the done thing is.Which means that some us need to make sure that we are setting a good example and all of us need to continue to grow into the image and likeness of JesusThis happened in our family.Brian  3 criteriaI'm a girl dadHe's a guy.  He contacts his parents 3 times a year.I have heard from Rachel and AllieOur family is not like that.Brian has learnedThat's the done thing in our familyI'm sure his parents don't know he was deployedThey'll have three kidsBut he has learned what our family looks likeWe sink our roots in deeply into the family and we participate with the Holy Spirit in the creation of the new communityI am a part of a group.  I am not just me.  I am an extension of us.All about relationships.  How we treat each other.How we love God, by loving othersHow does this help you make decisions?The Golden Rule is like a compass.  It doesn't address every single situation.  But, it points you in the right direction.It might not tell you how long you need to do something or what the exact process should be, but it helps you find the right path.Friend is dealing with a difficult employee.  They do just the bare minimum to get by.  They are passive aggressive.  They are not actively undermining things.They seem to know just where the line is and they push it but don't cross it.Before you put your management hat on.  It's complicated.  And I haven't told you the whole story.The Golden Rule doesn't tell you when to involve HR, or when to start a performance improvement plan. But it does tell you what your posture should be as you approach the situation. An application point would be to look at your relationships and ask “Who am I not treating like I would like to be treated?”Context of the series on missions.  Uniquely positioned to affect peoplePlace of hospitality and warmthKeeping the main thing the main thing.All sorts of churches who have become characterized by all sorts of things that are not the gospel.God is inviting everyone into a new community.  That's the evangelistic opportunity.We have this to offer people.  Showing people a different way, a better way.  A way that leads to peace and joy and fulfillment.We do this by living differentlylives are Characterized by the things that characterized Jesus' life.Holding as important what Jesus held iimportantI want to go back to something I said early about two very important teachings of Jesus.The Golden Rule and the Lord's prayerDesire is in the golden rule Do the thing that you would desire other people to do for you.It's also key to the Lord's PrayerI desire that Your kingdom come, your will be done.In my life and on earth in the same way it is done in heaven.Our hearts is a not good judge of what is best.  But our hearts can be changed to desire the things that God desires.Encourage us as a group to think about that.  What are our hearts desiring?Who or what is forming our heart?  The gospel or our preferred news outlet?What would your friends, your children or your grandchildren say forms you more, your commitment to Jesus or your party affiliation?We have this amazing gift which we have been given that we can offer people.  Changed lives, changed hearts, a community where we are striving to honor God by faithfully working in our relationships to bring about a kingdom where only good is done.Sermon question:Who or what is forming your heart?Who do you need to treat differently?How can the golden rule help you make decisions this week? 

My WitnessesJanuary 11, 2026Teacher: Pastor Peter Mutabazi 

My WitnessesJanuary 04, 2026Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownBut you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.—Acts 1:8Witnesses = MartyrsOur proclamation of the Good News must flow out of a life transformed by that Good News.The church is the bearer to all the nations of a gospel that announces the kingdom, the reign, and the sovereignty of God.  It calls men and women to repent of their false loyalty to other powers, to become believers in the one true sovereignty, and so to become corporately a sign, instrument, and foretaste of that sovereignty of the one true and living God over all nature, all nations, and all human lives.  It is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God's kingship.— Leslie Newbigin“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'— Matthew 25:34-40The translation of dikaiosyne poses problems, however, at least in English.  It can refer to justification, or to righteousness, or to justice.  Most English New Testament translations reveal a bias toward the second meaning…To find a correct translation is, therefore, crucial.  A wrong translation may in fact prove the aptness of the Italian saying…”The translation is a traitor!”  Perhaps, however, we should not allow ourselves to choose between “righteousness” and “justice” when seeking for the meaning of dikaiosyne.  Our problem may, rather, lie in the fact that the English language is unable to embrace the wide scope of dikaiosyne in one word.  Maybe, then, we should translate it with “justice-righteousness,” in an attempt to hold on to both dimensions.— David BoschInstead of “righteousness,” we should think in terms of “acting-rightly” for us and our neighbors.2 Parts to “acting-rightly”Spirituality — Loving GodMissions — Loving our neighborThe goal of mission is to ensure that every person, regardless of ethnic or social-economic status, experiences the fullness of the Kingdom of God here and now.When I think of words to describe deeply formed mission, I have in mind such words as patience, empathy, curiosity, discernment, incarnation, non coercive, invitational, justice, and service.  We need these words to combat a way of doing mission that is is often impatient, transactional, coercive, obtrusive, judgmental, disembodied, and anxious.— Rich Villodas

The IntermissionDecember 28, 2025Teacher: Pastor Leanne BentonGuest: Amanda MathesThe IntermissionBe still and know that I am God.(Psalm 46:10)BIBLICAL INTERMISSION #1:Israel Between Egypt and the Promised LandRemember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.(Deuteronomy 8:2)He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna…to teach you that man does not live on bread along but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.(Deuteronomy 8:2)The wilderness was not punishment.It was preparation!BIBLICAL INTERMISSION #2:Elijah After the MountaintopThe Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.(I Kings 19:11-12)BIBLICAL INTERMISSION #3:Jesus Between Birth and MinistryFor to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(Isaiah 9:6)And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.(Luke 2:52)In their hearts humans plan their course,But the Lord establishes their steps.(Proverbs 16:9)He who began a good work in youWill carry it on to completion.(Philippians 1:6)INTERMISSION #4: Redeemer Church

The Thrill of Hope - Christmas EveDecember 24, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownJoy turns into rejoicing.Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. — Lucy van Pelt In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. — Luke 2:1-20 I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. — Luke 2:10 The good news is that the one true God has now taken charge of the world…The ancient sickness that had crippled the whole world, and humans with it, has been cured at last, so that new life can rise up in its place. Life has come to life and is pouring out like a mighty river into the world, in the form of a new power, the power of love. The good news was, and is, that all this has happened in and through Jesus; that one day it will happen, completely and utterly, to all creation; and that we humans, every single one of us, whoever we are, can be caught up in that transformation here and now. — N.T. Wright Joy turns into rejoicing. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. — Luke 2:20 Feelings are great liars. If Christians worshipped only when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship. We think that if we don't feel something there can be no authenticity in doing it. But the wisdom of God says something different: that we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves into a new way of acting. Worship is an act that develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God that is expressed in an act of worship. — Eugene Peterson

The Thrill of Hope - Week 4December 21, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownWe all long to be known and to be loved.You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.— St. AugustineI pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.— Ephesians 3:17-19“Wide” illustrates his accepting love.“Long” reveals his lasting love.“High” proclaims his exalting love.“Deep” displays his sacrificial love.You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.— St. AugustineGod wasn't hiding from us.  We were hiding from God, so God came to find us.This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).— Matthew 1:18-23Immanuel — God with us.GodThe Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.— Luke 1:35WithUsFor I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.— Romans 8:38-39

The Thrill of Hope - Week 3December 14, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownJoyAnd there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.—Luke 2:8-1What's the difference between happiness and joy?Happiness is an emotional response to our external circumstances. Joy is a deeper reality that flows from the core of our being.I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.— John 15:11Joy cannot by bought, nor can we just flip a switch will ourselves to be joyous. Joy must be cultivated.Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship; it is a consequence.  It is not what we have to acquire in order to experience life in Christ; it is what comes to us when we are walking in the way of faith and obedience.— Eugene Peterson

The Thrill of Hope - Week 2December 07, 2025Introduction: Pastor Dave BrownTeacher: Glen PetersonThe Story we live in..... is the Story we live out. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…” Isaiah 9:2-6 (niv)The Kingdom of God-Life in God's presence and God's power-has now become available to ordinary people like you and me.Its right here, right now.“Son of man, can these dry bones live?” “Sovereign Lord, you alone know."“Non-discipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God's overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10).” Dallas Willard

The Thrill of Hope - Week 1November 30, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownThe season of advent is marked by hope filled waiting.Christ has died.Christ is risen.Christ will come again.For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.— Isaiah 9:6-7Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”— Revelation 21:1-5aChrist has died.Christ is risen.Christ will come again.A waiting person is a patient person.  The word “patience” means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.  Impatient people are always expecting the real thing to happen somewhere else and therefore want to go elsewhere. The moment is empty.  But patient people dare to stay where they are.  Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there.  Waiting, then, is not passive.  It involves nurturing the moment, as a mother nurtures the child that is growing in her womb.— Henri NouwenWhat God does in us as we wait is just as important as what we're waiting for.Christ has died.Christ is risen.Christ will come againJesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven.— N.T. WrightIn this season, we might not wait well.  We might become impatient and disgruntled and lose hope.  But, dear friend, the good news of Advent is not that we are faithful in our waiting; it's that God is faithful in his coming.— Rich VillodasChrist has died.Christ is risen.Christ will come again

Kingdom Culture- Week 4November 23, 2025Introduction: Pastor Dave BrownTeacher: Pastor Hess HesterKingdom Culture: Shake and Shine!Matthew 5: 13-17 (NIV)       “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.    14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  Salt only has an impact when it is in contact with the object of need. Who in the circles of influence of your life needs Jesus Christ?Live and speak in such a way as to create spiritual thirst in the hearts and souls of others.1 Peter 3:15, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.  Matthew 5: 13b, c (NIV) “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.”Even the smallest of lights can make a huge impact.  There is no darkness so thick that the light of Christ cannot penetrate it. Matthew 5:14b-15, A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Don't hide your light! Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”   John 17: 20-23 (NLT); “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.   22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.  One of the greatest ways we shine the light of Christ is by the unity we display.

Kingdom Culture- Week 3November 16, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownKingdom Culture: FormationThe goal of discipleship is not information transfer.  The goal of discipleship is to develop the type of relationship with Jesus that forms our character.Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?— Luke 9:23-25Whoever wants to save their life will lose it.I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.  My heart took delight in all my labor; and this was the reward for all my toil.  Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.— Ecclesiastes 2:10-11The work God wants to do in us requires us to look within: to look deeper and be deeply formed.  Why? Because we are covertly and consistently being formed by a culture fashioned by shallowness.  In short, we are being shallowly formed.—Rich VillodasEnter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.— Matthew 7:13-14…but whoever loses their life for me will save it.The way of following Jesus requires a steadfast refusal to get caught up in the pace, power, and priorities of the world around us.  We are called to have our lives shaped by a different kind of power, pace, and priorities offered to us by God.— Rich VillodasThe 3 Steps to Breaking a Bad HabitTruthPracticeCommunityAlthough obeying rules does not lead to salvation, it can lead to formation. 3 Essential Practices for Re-formationSabbathExaminationServiceWhoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?— Luke 9:23-25 

Kingdom Culture- Week 2November 09, 2025Teacher: Pastor David NunnKingdom Culture: Bringing Heaven to EarthHow the Kingdom Shapes CommunityText: John 13:34–35; Acts 2:42–47Welcome to week two of “Kingdom Culture: Bringing Heaven to Earth.”Last week Pastor Dave Brown spoke about the way Jesus kind of “flips the script” on what we tend to believe a blessed life looks like. A blessed life according to Matthew 5, is one of humility, mercy, gentleness, sorrow, and dependance on the LORD. It involves persecution, rather than accomplishment, fame, or wealth. I would suggest to you that bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth will never be accomplished through powerful political movements, or even through great spiritual awakenings. That is not to say that the Spirit of God doesn't miraculously move through great populations of people. There have been several such movements in Christian history, beginning with Pentecost which we'll discuss in a moment. However, these great spiritual awakenings are the exception, not the norm.The norm for bringing the Kingdom of God in earth as it is in heaven is for groups of committed disciples of Christ to live and witness to their faith in a way that touches the community around them. When the world sees disciples loving each other and loving their neighbors in the same way that Christ loves them, then unbelieving hearts and minds are refocused with a desire to understand the source of that love.That is a process that is not built on great preaching, exciting worship, or big evangelical events that draw huge crowds. It happens as believers build humble, loving relationships in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces and communities, and through those relationships we witness to the life-changing presence of Christ in our lives. The key to growing a kingdom culture is welcoming and joining the presence of our King within our community.At its core, Christianity is not a religion based on rules of conduct, or commitment to a list of tenets of faith. Jesus never taught His disciples to go and establish a correct moral standard for rest of the world to follow. We are not called to be moral police for the world. We have enough trouble policing our individual, personal morality.Again, as Pastor Dave reminded us a few weeks ago we shouldn't be wasting time trying to manage sin; not our own, and certainly not someone else's sin. That's like trying to hide the darkness. It's not possible. Instead, we should just turn on the light. How do we do that?Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.When we give ourselves wholly to God, we invite Him to bless us with His presence, His power, and His holiness. When you invite the presence of God into your life, it flips on the light that overcomes darkness. Again, to cite the teaching of Pastor Dave Brown, repentance is not just a change of behavior, it's a change of direction. It's a moment-by-moment choice to follow Jesus, which is all He ever asks any of His disciples to do. When we do that, Jesus doesn't change our behavior. He changes our nature.2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!This new creation is the result of “abiding in Christ.” Does that sound familiar? It should. We spent the months of September and October talking about abiding in Christ. It is only through the presence of Christ that any of us can experience this life-changing outcome.So, if this newly created nature comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ, what other relationships are formed as a result?The model prayer is “Your kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.” So, we're talking about establishing God's Kingdom culture in a way that impacts the culture of the rest of the world.One person can't do that. It requires community. Even Jesus didn't try to change the world's culture by Himself. Many believed that He would. They expected Him to miraculously overthrow the Roman's, declare Himself King, and establish His reign on Earth. Instead, He recruited and taught a small community of believers who were committed to following Him. In the book of Acts, Luke shares the history of this group of 120 believers who, over the course of the first century, made a fundamental cultural impact on the entire Roman world, and beyond. In fact, the impact of that tiny congregation is still being felt 2000 years later, on the other side of the world in Redeemer Church in Tulsa, OK. That's the power of a community of people who are committed to following Christ wherever and however He leads.I would submit to you today that the power to alter a culture through the establishment of God's Kingdom happens only through a community of faith. It is never the result of a single individual, no matter how gifted he/she may be.Let's see how God moved through that first Christian community. After the ascension of Jesus, we are told in Acts 1:15 that about 120 followers of Christ were constantly gathering to pray as they followed Jesus' final instruction to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit to arrive. As they gathered on the Day of Pentecost the promise was fulfilled.Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.Note, they gathered as a community. They had been meeting and praying together for the last ten days. When the Holy Spirit came, they were together as a community, and how many of them were filled with the Holy Spirit? ALL of them. And together they began to speak to the people outside their gathering place. They raised such a ruckus that a crowd gathered to see what was happening. At this point Peter stood up and addressed the crowd. Now you may say, “Look! Peter's just one man, acting on his own.”Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:Peter wasn't alone. He stood with His fellow apostles, and they stood with the support of the other 108 believers who were witnessing to the crowd.People often note the courage of Peter on that day. This was the man who denied that he even knew Christ on the eve of the crucifixion. Now he's standing up and telling this massive crowd not only was Jesus the prophesied Messiah, but he accused the crowd of crucifying their Messiah. In fact, He ended his message with these words.Acts 2:36 “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”We wonder what happened? What changed in Peter to give him the courage that was lacking just a few weeks earlier, and of course we point out that He was filled with power of the Holy Spirit. I don't want to, in any way, lessen the importance of the Holy Spirit in Peter's courageous preaching, but I would suggest that there is at least one other important factor: Peter was NOT alone. In the garden outside the house of the high priest none of Peter's fellow disciples were present. When he preached at Pentecost he stood as one of twelve apostles who were supported by a community of 120, who had spent the last 10 days in constant prayer together. Can you see the strength and power of a community, even a small one, when they stand together to preach the gospel to the masses who gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost that day? Had Peter been alone, he would not have been able to even get the attention of that crowd. The Holy Spirit worked through the empowerment of the entire group. Not just one or an impowered few. ALL were empowered, and ALL went into the streets to preach the gospel.So, what happened next? At the end of the day around 3000 people were added to their number. That was an extraordinary day. A powerful movement of the Spirit that brought thousands into the fellowship of the church. We recognize that as an extraordinary day. As I said earlier, that is NOT the normal flow of Kingdom growth. It was an exceptional outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the entire community of faith. Again, it was a community movement. It wasn't Peter acting alone. God chose to work through a community. That's what He always does. Look what happened next.Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.In this passage, I believe we see what the norm for the growth of Kingdom culture in the world should be. Note the verbs that describe how this brand-new church acted:They met together in the temple courts. This was the only place large enough for 3000 people to meet, but they weren't just meeting. The Greek word used here actually means they continued together in one accord: as one mind. What do you think they were doing together in the temple? I think they were learning how to follow Christ.They devoted themselves:  Again, the literal translation is “steadfastly continued.” What were they continuing in doing?  They spent time and effort, listening to, learning, so that they could follow the teaching of the Apostles. This is most likely why they met together in the temple. Like Jesus, the apostles were using this common gathering place to teach the people. These new converts were devoted to gathering daily and continuously learning and following the apostles teaching.They were also devoted (steadfastly continued) to fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Where do you think that took place?They broke bread: In their homes. Breaking bread refers to sharing communion together as Jesus had taught the apostles. They met together in homes, ate together, and shared communion together with glad and sincere hearts.So, they met together in the temple, not every Sunday, but every day, and they also gathered in homes sharing meals and fellowship and praying together in smaller groups throughout the week. This was not a “see you next Sunday” kind of congregational event. These people actually spent time together during the week. They were not just devoted to learning and following the teaching of the apostles, they were devoted to each other. They were devoted to being together with one another.We in the ECC pride ourselves on our devotion to God's Word. Some like to refer to us as people of the book. That's good. The church in Jerusalem shows that devotion to knowing and following the teaching of Christ is fundamental to our spiritual formation, but that's not enough. They also devoted themselves to one another. What was the evidence of that devotion?In verse 44 we are told that the believers were together and had everything in common. The Greek word for believers is actually a verb meaning “having believed.” So Young's literal translation says,“all those believing were at the same place, and had all things common.”Because they shared a common, foundational belief in Jesus Christ as their LORD, they saw each other as a family, holding everything in common. They didn't use the pronouns my/mine, but our/ours. One of the hallmarks of a functional family is that they share. Even from a legal point of view family property is held jointly. So, these 3000 new converts didn't just accept Jesus as LORD, they were adopted and assimilated into a brand-new family; a family built upon their shared commitment to Jesus as LORD.So, they were devoted to learning and following the teachings of Jesus from the apostles, and they were devoted to each other; sharing with one another, caring for one another, finding opportunities to simply be together, share a meal, share communion with other members of the family. What was the result of this two-fold devotion?v. 47 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.That's how kingdom culture spreads through a lost world. God works through His family. God has given us three fundamental tools to guide us through our spiritual formation. He has given us His Spirit, His Word, and His Church. What we see in the example of this first church is that all three are essential to both personal spiritual formation and kingdom growth. Too many of us who profess Christ as our LORD tend to neglect the importance of personal devotion to our community of faith. Let me just put it to you as simply and plainly as I can. If you aren't devoted to this family that we call church, it's because you aren't fully devoted to Christ.Jesus, Himself said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

Kingdom Culture- Week 1November 02, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownCulture eats strategy for breakfast.— Peter DruckerFrom that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near…People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.— Matthew 3:1-2, 5-9Repentance was what Israel must do if her exile is to come to an end.— N.T. WrightIf repentance carries the tone of ‘what Israel must do if her fortunes are to be returned', it can also have a much more down-to-earth ring: to abandon revolutionary zeal.— N.T. WrightThe repentance for which Jesus called, then, was not at all like the regular repentance of individual sinners when they recognized their sin and underwent the normal Jewish practices for restitution.  That could take place, in principle, at any time in Israel's history…Jesus' summons was more radical by far…Jesus was urging his compatriots to abandon a whole way of life, and to trust him for a different one.— N.T. WrightHe is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.— Leviticus 16:21-22At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,' and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”— Ezekiel 3:17-21From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17The good news is about the living God overcoming all the powers of the world to establish his rule of justice and peace, on earth as in heaven, Not in heaven later on.  And that victory is won not by superior power of the same kind but by a different sort of power altogether…The kingdoms of the world run on violence.  The kingdom of God, Jesus declared, runs on love.— N.T. WrightStop trying to bring about the promises of God through your own effort and worldly means.“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.— Matthew 5:3-12

Life in the Vine - Week 8October 26, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownYou are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.— John 15:14-17I call you friends…but this is my command?Perhaps we may now hazard a guess why Scripture uses Friendship so rarely as an image of the highest love.  It is already, in actual fact, too spiritual to be a good symbol of Spiritual things.— C.S. LewisAppreciative love gazes and holds its breath and is silent, rejoices that such a wonder should exist even if not for him, will not be wholly dejected by losing her, would rather have it so than never to have seen her at all.— C.S. LewisNow and forever more, we are friends of God.  We just don't always act like it.A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.— Proverbs 17:17Savior AND LordWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— Declaration of IndependenceIt is impossible for any created good to constitute man's happiness.  For happiness is the perfect good, which lulls the appetite altogether…This is to be found, not in any creature, but in God alone…God alone constitutes man's happiness.— AquinasIt would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.— C.S. LewisThis is my command: Love each other.— John 15:17When spiritual vitality is measured by sin-avoidance, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are following Jesus faithfully. But following Jesus is to be measured by love—love for God expressed in love for neighbor. This is the good, beautiful, and kind life. It took me some years to realize this. In fact, I need to be reminded of it often.— Rich VIllodasLife has no better gift to give.— C.S. Lewis

Life in the Vine - Week 7October 19, 2025Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton LOVE Each OtherNOTESJohn 15:12–13My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. “To love someone is to will their good, to promote their flourishing – and sometimes that means laying something down.” ~ Dallas Willard1. The model of love Jesus gives.2. The meaning of laying down our life.3. The mission of love.——————————————————————————1. The model of love Jesus gives.“Jesus didn't love in general. He loved in particular.” ~John OrtbergA new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.(John 13:34-35)——————————————————————————2. The meaning of laying down our life.In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God…humbled himself, becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross.(Philippians 2:5-8)I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.(John 15:11)——————————————————————————3. The mission of love.You are my friends if you do what I command.(John 15:14)This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.(I John 3:16)

Life in the Vine - Week 6October 12, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my  commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain  in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be  complete.— John 15:9-11As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.— John 15:9My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their  message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they  also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory  that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they  may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved  them even as you have loved me.—John 17:20-23One with the Father, Son, and Holy SpiritHe became what we are so that we might become what He is.—IrenaeusIn all of Jesus' teaching, what we call God is, in a mysterious but beautiful way, a flow of love  between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is a community of self-giving love;  each member of the Trinity is distinct yet somehow still one. To be with the Spirit is to be with  Jesus, and to be with Jesus is to be with the Father. It's to enter the flow of love within the  inner life of God himself.— John Mark ComerAgape  God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  — 1 John 4:16bIn God there is no hunger that needs to be filled, only plenteousness that desires to give…God,  who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love  and perfect them. He creates the universe, already foreseeing the buzzing cloud of flies about  the cross, the flayed back pressed against the uneven stake, the nails driven through the  medial nerves, the repeated incipient suffocation as the body droops, the repeated torture of  back and arms as it is time after time, for breathes sake, hitched up. If I may dare the  biological image, God is a “host” who deliberately created His own parasites; causes us to be  that we may exploit and take advantage of Him. Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love  Himself, the inventor of all loves.— C.S. LewisThe Four Loves  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's  commands and remain in his love.— John 15:10Jesus' Commands Are All About LoveHear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart  and with all your soul and with all your strength.— Deuteronomy 6:4Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your  neighbor as yourself.— Leviticus 19:18The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself,  for you were foreigners in Egypt.— Leviticus 19:34Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of  love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.— Deuteronomy 7:9“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your  God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and  greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law  and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”— Matthew 36-40I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.— John 15:1

Life in the Vine - Week 5October 5, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownPrayerThis week, Pastor Dave Brown continues our Life in the Vine series with a message titled “Prayer,” from John 15:7–8.Jesus says: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:7–8 NIV)PrayerPrayer is about love, and that means it cannot be sustained on fluttery feelings, good intentions, and spontaneous moments alone. It needs a container…a set of practices or rituals within which that love can grow, mature, and blossom. — Tyler Staton Jesus prayed spontaneously and routinely, alone and with others, pouring out his emotions in his own words and guided by the psalms at fixed hours in the temple. Jesus prayed like a wild, unruly monk. — Tyler StatonPrayers about presence… One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. —Psalms 27:1“Begin where you are.” — C.S. Lewis In reality, the church has led the way in the art of enjoyment and pleasure. New Testament scholar Ben Witherington points out that it was the church, not Starbucks, that created coffee culture. Coffee was first invented by Ethiopian monks—the term cappuccino refers to the shade of brown used for the habits of Capuchin monks of Italy. Coffee is born of extravagance, an extravagant God who formed extravagant people, who formed a craft out of the pleasures of roasted beans and frothed milk. — Tish Harrison WarrenPrayers about fruit… A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. —Isaiah 11:1-4But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23Most of the “fruit of the Spirit” are explicitly outward facing: love, obviously, then greatheartedness, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness. Not only do these require other people if they are to be practiced, they are specifically looking out into the wider world and community…They orient the person towards others. — N.T. WrightPrayers for Redeemer ChurchUnity, Peace, and Wisdom

Life in the Vine - Week 4September 28, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownRemainThis week, Pastor Dave Brown continues our Life in the Vine series with a message titled “Remain,” from John 15:4–6.Jesus says: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you… I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5 NIV)What Does It Mean to Remain?The word “remain” means to dwell or make your home in. Pastor Dave reminded us that we're all abiding in something—whether it's comfort, worry, work, or distraction. The question is: what are you abiding in? Jesus calls us to make Him our true home. Abiding in Christ doesn't mean retreating from life but living every moment with Him—whether cooking dinner, commuting to work, or caring for your family. It's turning your life into a dwelling place for God.The Fruit of RemainingBranches can't bear fruit apart from the vine. In the same way, we wither without Jesus. But when we remain in Him, His life flows through us, producing fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Remaining in Jesus means letting His life and love flow through us, transforming us and blessing those around us.Reflection Questions* Where do you naturally “abide” when you're not paying attention?* How can you invite Jesus into your daily routines this week?* What fruit is growing in your life right now?

Life in the VineSeptember 21, 2025Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown

Life in the VineSeptember 14, 2025Teacher: Pastor Adam BarnettJohn 15:1-17 – Remain in Christ, the true Vine, the source of purposeful fruit and true joy, and the means by which the love of God is embodied in the church and declared to the world. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. – John 15:2 (NIV)He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. – John 15:2 (MSG)Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]. – Jn. 15:2 (AMP) God removes fruitless branches. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. – John 6:37-3928 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. - John 10:28-29“… there are some of you who do not believe.” – John 6:64Abiding in the vine does not make you a true disciple. It proves you are one.When Jesus says, “in me,” He is describing a close, personal relationship and revealing that mere association without genuine faith and obedience is insufficient.God prunes fruitful branches. A. Trials and hardship. B. Loss or change. C. Discipline. D. Conviction of sin. E. Scripture.F. Focus. G. Delays. God's aim is more fruitfulness. Leader: Father, You are the Gardener, and we are the branches.People: Lord, teach us to abide in you. Leader: At times Your pruning feels painful, but we know it comes from Your love.People: Lord, we trust Your hand, even when it cuts.Leader: You prune away what is dead, what distracts, and what hinders growth.People: Lord, remove what does not belong, and make us more like Jesus. Leader: In seasons of loss, waiting, or discipline, remind us that You are near.People: Lord, help us remain in You, knowing You are faithful.Leader: Prune us so that our lives may bear fruit that brings glory to Your name.People: Lord, make us fruitful for Your kingdom—more love, more joy, more peace. Amen.

Life in the VineSeptember 7, 2025Teacher: Pastor Adam BarnettJohn 15:1-17 – Remain in Christ, the true Vine, the source of purposeful fruit and true joy, and the means by which the love of God is embodied in the church and declared to the world. John 15:1-17… 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. - John 15:16 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! - Philippians 2:6-8“With the words, ‘I Am,' Jesus presents himself as the object of the world's desires and longing… that he is the ‘true vine' means that the true life that man seeks and longs for can only be found in association with Jesus.” – R. Bultmann Remaining in Christ begins with acknowledging and remembering that He – and no other person or thing - is our true source of life and spiritual growth. “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” – St. AugustineLeader: Lord Jesus, You are the true vine, and we are the branches.People: Keep us rooted in You, for apart from You we can do nothing.Leader: Father, You are the gardener who prunes us with care.People: Cut away what is fruitless, and shape us for Your glory.Leader: Spirit of God, nourish us with Your life and power.People: Teach us to remain, to rest, and to trust in Christ.Leader: May our joy be found not in striving, but in staying with You.People: In abiding love, we remain in Christ. Amen.

Here to WorshipAugust 31, 2025Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton

Here to BelongAugust 24, 2025Teacher: Dave Brown & Amy Cenea

Here to BelongAugust 17, 2025 Teacher: Adam Barnett“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” — Proverbs 29:18Redeemer exists to see Christ exalted in our church, community, and world.Philippians 2:1–11Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.1 - Christ Exalted in Our Church2 - Christ Exalted in Our Community3 - Christ Exalted in Our World

The God of King DavidAugust 10, 2025A Life To Learn FromTeacher: Dave BrownThe Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people.— 1 Samuel 13:14Why is David called a man after God's own heart?“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided forbuilding you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”— 1 Chronicles 29:14-19Our choices become our habits, our habits become our character, and our character is our destiny.— Charles DuhiggWe make our decisions, and then our decisions make us. In the beginning we have a choice, but eventually, we have a character.— John Mark ComerEvery time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life longyou are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature.— C.S. Lewis1 HUMILITYEverything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.— 1 Chronicles 29:14b Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.— Rick Warren2 INTEGRITYI know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.— 1 Chronicles 29:17 Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.— Albert Einstein3 LOYALTYI have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you… keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.— 1 Chronicles 29:17b-184 LEGACYGive my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees.— 1 Chronicles 29:19