Spark Cast

Today is remembered as Pentecost Sunday, a commemoration and celebration of the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the early church. In this special presentation, we witness what the experience may have looked, felt, and sounded like.

During a period when “all the people did what was right in their own eyes,” a story about loving kindness and redemption is told that points to a coming King. Through the book of Ruth, we can understand God's love, even in seasons of famine. He sees us. He cares for us. He works through us.

If you've only heard snippets of stories from the book of Judges or if this is the first time you've read the book, sit tight, friends. This is going to be a bumpy ride. The book of Judges is filled with repetitive cycles of disobedience, violence, oppression, deliverance, back to disobedience again. Joshua has died and the people are living amongst the Canaanites in the Land and things are getting difficult, to say the least.

Joshua is a story of conquest, the Promised Land, and ... violence!? How shall we understand these portions of the Bible?

The word "Deuteronomy" means a "second law." One of the features of this book is the repeating of stories, teachings, commandments, and exhortations from the previous four books. In addition, over fifteen times in Deuteronomy, we are told to remember. This repetition is by design, and has a profound purpose and meaning. The God of Israel is advancing his covenantal love and connection with God's people and reminders and repetition are the behaviors of covenantal love.

Leviticus shaped the community of ancient Israel as they sought to draw near to God and longed for God to draw near to them.

For 2000 years, a miraculous, unanticipated story of resurrection after death has been passed down, from generation to generation. This story of Jesus' victory over death changes us into resurrection people, a people who can look at the darkest moments and believe in hope and life.

Each time we come to a festival, there are themes, terms, symbols, and feelings that are deeply familiar. The revolution of Jesus is that while some elements resonate, the past interpretations and understandings are dissonant with what Jesus was advancing. Our challenge is to ensure we're in the same "key" as Jesus, to listen carefully to how our lives resonate, not with our own understandings, but with the Jesus Way.

Fleeing the tyrannical dictatorship of Egypt, the Israelites voluntarily enter into a covenant with God to create a new nation, different from everything the world had ever known. In Egypt, like in many nations, power was concentrated into the hands of the few while the many were enslaved. But God calls us to embody a wholly different world, shaped by philosophical, political, theological and legal guidelines that create a just, good, and merciful society. The covenant at Sinai shaped ancient Israel and everyone who passed through on the way. The Sinai covenant shaped Jesus and brought him into conflict with the tyrannical powers of his day. Sinai is the birthplace of the politics of freedom. Freedom from tyranny and freedom for a worldwide good.

We continue our journey through the book of Exodus as the Israelites have passed through the Reed Sea and traveled through the wilderness to reach Sinai. God calls Moses up on to the mountain, the people of Israel gather at the base, and God speaks. The giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai defines the people of Israel from this point forward and these instructions are still with us today. How did the ancient Israelites view this awe inspiring event and how does it still speak to us today?

Pharaoh finally relents and allows the Israelites to leave Egypt ... but regrets his choice immediately. Caught between the pursuing Egyptian army and a sea before them, the Israelites experience God as King and ruler over all.

Exodus presents us with the first head-to-head showdown between an oppressive empire and God's people. Stopping Pharaoh and the evil forces behind him is hard, hardening, and costly. “There was blood everywhere.” This brutal confrontation culminates in Israel's birth, which also gives birth to “redemption,” “salvation,” and “Passover” – themes that find their fulfillment in Jesus.

As we continue our exploration of the Hebrew Scriptures in Exodus, we will be challenged to set aside the cultural programming of the images, movies, and assumptions about Moses, Pharaoh, the parting waters, and the 10 commandments. An often overlooked major theme found in the minor characters and elements of the story reveal a revolutionary strategy of how the way of establishing justice is often much like giving birth. As such, we ought to learn from those experts who know all about giving birth in challenging and seemingly impossible times.

We conclude our journey through the book of Genesis with the story of Josep, a story of family, forgiveness and survival.

If you grew up attending church, there is a good chance that you might have sung the song “Father Abraham” and learned that he had many sons. Yet, as we continue through Genesis, we see God's faithfulness to and work through women who are the mothers of Israel: Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. Rebekah, a woman who was called by God from her mother's house (Beit Im), and loved, teaches us to consider the questions: What can we glean from her story? Was she devoted or a deceiver? Was she oppressed or an opportunist?

This event was a book release event for Dr. Jemar Tisby's new picture book for kids, I Am the Spirit of Justice, and chapter book for tweens and teens, Stories of the Spirit of Justice! For more information, please visit https://www.spark.church/jemar-tisby-spirit-of-justice-youth

This event was a book release event for Dr. Jemar Tisby's new picture book for kids, I Am the Spirit of Justice, and chapter book for tweens and teens, Stories of the Spirit of Justice! For more information, please visit https://www.spark.church/jemar-tisby-spirit-of-justice-youth

This event was a book release event for Dr. Jemar Tisby's new picture book for kids, I Am the Spirit of Justice, and chapter book for tweens and teens, Stories of the Spirit of Justice! For more information, please visit https://www.spark.church/jemar-tisby-spirit-of-justice-youth

As we continue our Grand Narrative, we will take a look at the world as we know it today, far away from the Edenic garden God created, in a world with murder, evil, floods and yet, still hope. If you're feeling a bit unmoored and anxious these days, there is beauty and hope in community together.

As we continue our study of the creation narrative in Genesis, we hear of a garden, of a human formed from the earth, of some animals in search of a name, and of something that is "not good." In this message we discover anew how this beautiful story speaks life and meaning to us today.

Spark Church is diving into the Bible in 2025! From Garden to Garden, we are launching into a chronological journey through our Grand Narrative for the entire year, from Genesis to Revelation! This talk lays the foundation for our year-long study together!

The passage of time is what makes the universe breathe. Humanity's marking of that time by numbers, events, and eras has been our attempt at ordering our existence by measuring years or even generations. As the clock ticks upward one more incremental step, we stop, reflect, and consider how we live with and through time, exploreing some meta themes—overarching motifs—of the lives we live, the time we keep (and waste), and how this moment truly is the most important in our lives.

The Bible calls Jesus “Prince of Peace” in ... well, it doesn't. That title comes from a message of hope and restoration from the prophet Isaiah centuries before Jesus' birth. While we can't not see Jesus in that passage, people in Jesus' day struggled to see how it could be about Jesus of Nazareth. This second Sunday of Advent we unpack this title we ascribe to Jesus and explore the ways in which Jesus' life seemed to bring anything but peace to his friends and enemies.

This Sunday we begin the Advent season talking about hope in a suffering world. The Christmas song, "O Come, O Come, Immanuel" was written over half a millennium ago and we continue to sing this hopeful song today because God is with us (Immanuel). We are not alone.

Featuring an epilogue to the sermon series "The Parables," the Parable of the Dishonest Manager leads us to consider how important family is, even when we don't see eye-to-eye.

Many teachings on following Jesus are inspirational. They're about love, connecting with God, and experiencing life in new and "abundant" ways. But a serious reading of Jesus' teachings suggests that discipleship is a very high calling, and costly. In fact, it may end up costing you your life. In the parable of the tower builder who runs out of money, and the king who goes to war with an insufficient army (from Luke 14), Jesus warns us, "Don't be that guy." Seriously consider what you're getting yourself into. Consider the very, very high bar that Jesus has set for those who wish to follow in his Way, and how high expectations are exactly what we need today.

This week has been difficult, to say the least. I'm not sure what words to put here. We can find comfort in knowing we are not alone. God is with us and we can be with one another as we worship together and provide space for lament, hope and love, pursuing the way of Jesus, seeking a peace that surpasses understanding.

We often think the parable of the persistent widow is primarily about being persistent in the face of suffering. When we examine Jesus' words, we find the true, just Judge who wants to hear our cares and concerns. Will He find us faithful when Jesus returns?

We all know the joy of being forgiven when we've wronged someone. We're also aware of our hypocrisy when we're stingy with offering that same forgiveness to others. Or are we even aware of it? The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant reveals the ways our senses of superiority blind us from being able to see the ways our lack of forgiveness brings death to those around us.

Jesus' parable of the landowner in Matthew 20 paints pictures of what God is like, what God's kingdom is like, and how we should treat one another when living in the Kingdom.

[We apologize for the low-quality recording this week due to technical difficulties.] We are so amazed, humbled and thrilled at all God has done these past twelve years at Spark. Jesus' Parable of the Lost Things from Luke 15 illustrates for us what kind of party we are throwing!

The depiction of the "after life" in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus has had an outsized influence in the consciousness of Christians for millennia. Visceral images of a chasm, flames, and the description of agony have so captivated the imagination that principal to many Christian theologies is the avoidance of such a place. But is hell the point? Is avoiding eternal punishment the principle?

Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like a seed, like yeast, a pearl ... a treasure. It is productive, it is rare, it is valuable. It must be pursued, found, and nurtured.

Parables are told so our ears and hearts are exposed to the teachings. The teachings are given so we understand deeper realities. And understanding deeper realities opens us to the possibility of life, and, in the words of Jesus, "life abundant!" But all of that depends upon the soil in which the teachings are planted.

Jesus' parables paint pictures of what the world is, what it should be and how we are to live in it. When the world tries to divide us, the way of Jesus is clear, we are to love ALL of our neighbors. Jesus' teaching on the Good Samaritan is one of the most brilliant of Jesus' parables and goes well beyond just helping someone along the road.

We launch our new series, discovering anew Jesus' parables and how they speak to us today.

We've been asking the question, "Who do the Gospel writers say Jesus is?" From Son of Adam, to Son of David, to a prophet like Moses and Elijah, to Friend & Savior, we've explored these themes in depth. We conclude our series and look closely at the Gospel's declaration that Jesus is LORD.

Watch Dr. Tisby's talk here: https://youtu.be/5wxU540vSvA Watch Dr. Tisby's Q&R Conversational Interview here: https://youtu.be/1PHhY89HMIM The Spirit of Justice uncovers the enduring power of faith and resistance in the fight for racial equality. Brave individuals throughout American history stood against racial injustice, and major movements were inspired and upheld by a deep and profound faith. As a result, significant changes were made manifest in society, and through discovering and retelling their stories we will be inspired to continue the ongoing journey towards justice. This Spark Learning Seminar took place at Spark Church in Palo Alto, CA (https://www.spark.church) and is co-sponsored by our friends at New Community Church, Menlo Park (https://www.anewcommunity.church).

Watch Dr. Tisby's talk here: https://youtu.be/5wxU540vSvA Watch Dr. Tisby's Q&R Conversational Interview here: https://youtu.be/1PHhY89HMIM The Spirit of Justice uncovers the enduring power of faith and resistance in the fight for racial equality. Brave individuals throughout American history stood against racial injustice, and major movements were inspired and upheld by a deep and profound faith. As a result, significant changes were made manifest in society, and through discovering and retelling their stories we will be inspired to continue the ongoing journey towards justice. This Spark Learning Seminar took place at Spark Church in Palo Alto, CA (https://www.spark.church) and is co-sponsored by our friends at New Community Church, Menlo Park (https://www.anewcommunity.church).

When John the Baptist announces the launch of his cousin Jesus' ministry, he introduces Jesus as, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” How does that work? In what way does Jesus being ‘God's lamb' translate into forgiveness of our sins? From the beginning, the Church has embraced the joys and pains that come from grappling with that question, the navigation of our “theories of atonement”, which often say more about our own sense of justice than God's.

Often we consider what Jesus taught without considering who he was teaching and why he taught that way. This Sunday Pastor Mark will help us delve into the brilliance of HOW Jesus taught, which may speak to how we are to interact with those around us.

Prophetic speaking is frequently a telling of hard truths.

Rulers, thrones, and authorities. These are the governance structures that have guided humanity for thousands of years. To be "king," to this day means to be "in charge" to "reign" and to exude power. As with other titles, the gospel writers indicate that Jesus is coronated as king. However, yet again Jesus upends the definition of that term and provokes a radical view, power exemplified in service.

Abraham is called a friend of God. Jesus calls us friends. He even calls his enemies friends. So, what does being a "friend" of God mean, that Jesus is our "friend?"