The Gathering - Sermons

Today we continue our series on gratitude. Last week we talked about giving thanks in good times, but today I want to move to a different challenge, giving thanks in seasons of struggle and when the circumstances in your life aren't great.When Paul tells us to be glad in the Lord always, or to give thanks in every situation, he isn't trying to deny difficulty. does not want us to pretend that tough times are anything other than hard. But what Paul does offer us is a pathway through seasons of struggle. And the pathway is defined by gratitude. Paul writes that he has figured out the secret of being content in all circumstances, and the secret is gratitude.

We're starting Three Weeks of Thanks. We're in this season that's centered around thankfulness and gratitude yet we often as humans struggle with what it means to be thankful, to show gratitude.. This isn't something folks have a hard time only in challenging times in life, we often can struggle to show thanks even when things are going well in our lives. In this series, we're going to chat about gratitude, how we're built to be people who give thanks, and how to practice gratitude in every season.

Faith requires risk, moments when God asks us to trust and step out in faith. When Peter sees Jesus in the storm, Jesus doesn't come to meet him in the safety of the boat, rather Jesus calls Peter out on the water into the storm. Peter had a choice to make, a risk to meet Jesus somewhere new. He took the step, and even though he faltered, he got to experience walking on water! For many of us, the move towards generosity feels like a risky step of faith, but it is one that can lead to incredible experiences of Jesus.

Have you ever received a really great gift? What made it good? How about a really bad gift? What made it bad? When Jesus and the disciples were in Jerusalem, they observed people making an offering. Jesus does something surprising, he deems certain gifts as better than others. Why? In part 4, we will talk about what makes a gift generous and allow God to challenge us to think about the nature of the gifts we make.

Jesus doesn't teach generosity to subtract from our life. He doesn't talk about it in terms of sacrifice, or the giving up of something. Instead, Jesus says that giving is a pathway to a fuller way of life. So why do we give? What does generosity do in us and for us? Jesus put it really simply. A life of generosity is better. In part 3, we will look at biblical teachings around what a life of generosity can do for us and what it looks like to grow in this practice. We will also unpack the vision again in this message as well as the pathway to giving.

If we want God to do more through our church, we have to allow God to do more in our lives. Generosity is one of the ways that we make more of our lives available to God – to shape, mold, use. The young ruler wanted God to do more with his life, but he was unwilling to allow God to do more in his life. Jesus challenged him to follow, and he couldn't do it. We too have an opportunity to allow God to do more with us by allowing God to do more in us. Will we follow?

From everyone who has much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected. (Luke 12.48 CSB)Much Given, Much Expected.Jesus doesn't mince words. From the parable and then this closing line, he is making something really clear. There are two ways that we can respond to all that God has given us, entrusted to us, blessed us with. We can work to use what we have been given for the sake of God's purposes, or we can sit back, coast, and use all that has been given to us for ourselves. Jesus implicitly is asking the disciples and all of us a very basic question. What will you do with what you have been given?

Today we finish our series on the most familiar and famous prayer in the history of the church. We call it the Lord's Prayer.Here at The Gathering, we say these words every single week. Many of us grew up learning, repeating and reciting these words. But sometimes it is precisely the most familiar parts of our faith, that we don't spend time thinking about. And yet they are so powerful, shaping not only how we understand God, but how we understand prayer!Today, we are going to focus on the final section of the prayer:And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation;but deliver us from evil.

Today we are beginning a short series on the most familiar and famous prayer in the history of the church. We call it the Lord's Prayer.Here at The Gathering, we say these words every single week. Many of us grew up learning, repeating and reciting these words. But sometimes it is precisely the most familiar parts of our faith, that we don't spend time thinking about. And yet they are so powerful, shaping not only how we understand God, but how we understand prayer!So beginning today we are going to actually talk about these words that we so regularly speak, but do not always think about, beginning with "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name."

Today we are beginning a short series on the most familiar and famous prayer in the history of the church. We call it the Lord's Prayer.Here at The Gathering, we say these words every single week. Many of us grew up learning, repeating and reciting these words. But sometimes it is precisely the most familiar parts of our faith, that we don't spend time thinking about. And yet they are so powerful, shaping not only how we understand God, but how we understand prayer!So beginning today we are going to actually talk about these words that we so regularly speak, but do not always think about, beginning with "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name."

In the New Testament, before there was a name for ‘church', they just called it ekklesia — which is Greek for the gathering. A place for people to find one another, to build one another up, and to connect with Jesus.To stand in this church today, in this beautiful space, surrounded by this vibrant community, is to see that dream not just realized, but flourishing and multiplying in ways we could have only prayed for.But we are not just spectators. We are participants. We are the builders. We are the body. Each of us has a part to play. We get to invite, to serve, to give, and to celebrate all the good that is being done here, so that together, we might become a mature body, filled with the fullness of Christ.

We are one church united in our desire to follow Jesus and grow in our faith. But we are different from one another, most notably, we span 7 generations. We have an incredible opportunity to listen and learn about our faith FROM each other instead of talking PAST each other.In our final week of Boomers to Zoomers, we're focused on Boomers. A couple of weeks ago, several boomers from our church gathered together to share what they would want others at church to know about their generation. So what do Boomers have to teach the rest of us about faith or what it means to be the church?

We are one church united in our desire to follow Jesus and grow in our faith. But we are different from one another, most notably, we span 7 generations. We have an incredible opportunity to listen and learn about our faith FROM each other instead of talking PAST each other. Today is all about Millennials.We didn't forget you, Gen X! This week is all about you. Grunge. Latchkey. Gen-X's unique role as bridge-builders are not merely characteristics but profound gifts that enrich our collective faith journey. So, to all of us here today, let's embrace and learn from these strengths.

We are one church united in our desire to follow Jesus and grow in our faith. But we are different from one another, most notably, we span 7 generations. We have an incredible opportunity to listen and learn about our faith FROM each other instead of talking PAST each other. Today is all about Millennials.This past week, we sat down with some of the Millennials in our congregation to hear what they are going through and what they wish others in the church knew about their generation. If there is a through line to our conversations, the survey results, and the research, I would say the through line is Authenticity. Let's talk about it.

The church is a community of people following Jesus. We are united together in our common faith in Jesus and desire to grow closer to God. But while we are united in this, we are not uniform. We are not uniform in what we look like, what we are thinking, where we've come from and what we are going through. We are also multigenerational – having people from 7 generations. So we have different perspectives on life and faith. We could learn so much from each other, but it is also easy to talk past each other. We're starting off this series with our kids and teens. What can they teach us about mental health and it's relation to our faith? What can they show us about the church being a place of belonging? How do the relationships we have in our church impact us?

God is referred to as He, Father, King so much in scripture that many people just assume that is the proper way to talk about God. But people are often surprised that God is also consistently talked about in feminine ways in the Bible as well, especially as a Mother. All of us have images and metaphors for God that are comfortable to us. We need images and metaphors to understand God, but God is always greater than these images. To say God is Father or Mother is a way of getting at God's character. Like a parent God watches over, protects, disciplines, encourages, and loves us. But this language describes God's character, not God's essence. So no matter what words you use to describe God, don't ever think that those words capture all of who God is.

God is referred to as He, Father, King so much in scripture that many people just assume that is the proper way to talk about God. But people are often surprised that God is also consistently talked about in feminine ways in the Bible as well, especially as a Mother. All of us have images and metaphors for God that are comfortable to us. We need images and metaphors to understand God, but God is always greater than these images. To say God is Father or Mother is a way of getting at God's character. Like a parent God watches over, protects, disciplines, encourages, and loves us. But this language describes God's character, not God's essence. So no matter what words you use to describe God, don't ever think that those words capture all of who God is.

Does God have a plan. Is God in control? Yes. Do you get to make choices and shape your life? Yes. When you hold these both together, it offers a lot of hope. God is in control and scripture promises that God goes before us, walks with us, and has determined to save us. But in this journey, we have choices about how to live and move through life. And you don't have to be worried about “missing” God's plan for your life, because there are so many ways to be faithful to it.

We have four different stories of Jesus' life contained in these four books to offer different, holy & sacred perspectives of that same story. We and yet we each need Jesus and strive to follow him. Throughout this series we will be encountering these stories in these four gospels by thinking through who this particular book was written to reach; what we might learn; and how we might be transformed into action by becoming more Jesus-like in our lives.John's gospel is over here vibing, taking turns and stops we hadn't experienced in the other gospels. And John brings in the imagination, the mysticism, or that is to say where the veil is thin, where we encounter the divine, go beyond what makes sense, we enter into territory where we need a story to imagine it, to grasp it. the storytelling that is so crucial to survival and hope.

We have four different stories of Jesus' life contained in these four books to offer different, holy & sacred perspectives of that same story. We and yet we each need Jesus and strive to follow him. Throughout this series we will be encountering these stories in these four gospels by thinking through who this particular book was written to reach; what we might learn; and how we might be transformed into action by becoming more Jesus-like in our lives.In Luke we see Jesus as he cares for the whole person as he heals minds and bodies. Maybe it's because Luke is attributed as being a physician. Luke has connection to the book of Acts, which is the Holy Spirit book of the Bible. Acts is seen as part 2 of Luke when the people put into action through the spirit the Good News that Jesus preached.

We have four different stories of Jesus' life contained in these four books to offer different, holy & sacred perspectives of that same story. We and yet we each need Jesus and strive to follow him. Throughout this series we will be encountering these stories in these four gospels by thinking through who this particular book was written to reach; what we might learn; and how we might be transformed into action by becoming more Jesus-like in our lives.The Gospel of Mark is centered on the figure of Jesus who has an urgent message of good news: one that is available to the audience (and us!) right now! As the gospel for people in a hurry, we are met with a relentless pace for accomplishing good things based on love and grace and healing and hope for all people. While this does not offer us an opportunity to slow down, but it does provide us with opportunities to focus on the way of Christ and to reprioritze our own lives accordingly.

We have four different stories of Jesus' life contained in these four books to offer different, holy & sacred perspectives of that same story. We and yet we each need Jesus and strive to follow him. Throughout this series we will be encountering these stories in these four gospels by thinking through who this particular book was written to reach; what we might learn; and how we might be transformed into action by becoming more Jesus-like in our lives.In Matthew's narrative, Jesus is presented with undeniable authority as the promised Messiah—the Son of God—and the ultimate teacher and King. He is depicted as profoundly compassionate toward those who suffer, yet also fiercely challenging towards religious hypocrisy. Matthew's original audience consisted mostly of Jewish Christians. And we might label this part of Matthew's audience as ‘insiders'.

For three years Jesus teaches and asks us to follow, to live like he does. And not only that, but he gives us all sorts of help. Manure if you will – gifts, abilities, relationships, resources – he gives us so much that we could use for the sake of God's Kingdom. But it is up to us to do something with what we have been given, to bear fruit.

At some point your faith stops being an intellectual activity and starts to be something that you act out. Faith is not something you (just) believe but something you do. Reading, worshiping, studying, thinking will only take you so far. At some point, to grow you must go.

We are all here (literally and spiritually) because of others who came before us. They saw themselves less as consumers of faith and more as producers of faith. We too need to recover a sense that God calls us not to simply consume the faith given to us by others, but help produce that faith in new generations of people. Remembering our roots reminds us of our mission.

In a time where modern technology and social media promises to connect us and draw us closer and make us more friends, then why are we facing an epidemic of loneliness? People are lacking connectedness, closeness, and friendship more than ever. The disciples and their interactions with Jesus offer us some insight into how friends can show up, and how we sometimes show up as friends.

Singleness takes all forms. Some choose it, some don't. Some want to find someone else, others enjoy being single. Whether you are young and still single, widowed, gone through a divorce, or just haven't found a person you want to date – you are not less than or incomplete simply because you haven't found that person. For those of you who choose to be single, you are honored. To those of you looking and frustrated, you are not alone. And God is doing work in you even now, that will prepare you for whatever relationship lays ahead.

It is true really of all relationships, but especially with marriage, you don't just find the right person and live happily ever after. Strong marriages aren't found they are built.Like so many topics, there isn't one scripture or section that is about marriage. Instead, to arrive at these principles, let's look at the various passages of scripture that talk about marriage and jump into 5 biblical principles to build a healthy marriages.

Today we are beginning a new series called We Just Click: God's Design for Meaningful Relationships. This whole series could be summed up in a single verse, that comes at the beginning of the Bible. God says it at the end of creation “It's not good that the human is alone.” – God (Gen. 2.18). In other words, we need others, we need relationships. So let's start by understanding why relationships are so important - and what often gets in the way.

The resurrection is a declaration that hope is real and worth it. Jesus is doing something new in your life even, and especially, when you can't see it. Hope is working its way through your life, but on its own schedule. Let's look at what the resurrection story teaches us about the character of hope.

The peace and calm of Jesus didn't make sense. On a base level, human beings are self-preservationists; most creatures naturally are. We avoid suffering or pain, and we don't like feeling threatened. When our safety is threatened, our brains and bodies prepare to fight or run away, and nobody would have blamed Jesus, human as he was, for choosing either of those options. But, Jesus was also the Son of God, and after tears and fear in the garden, he chose to trust his father in a new way.

The gospel writers seem to wrestle with how to describe an emotional Jesus, especially in this story in the garden. It is told three different times by Matthew, Mark and Luke. When they describe how Jesus felt, they all use different words. They say he felt sorrowful, troubled, anxious, and anguish.This fear/anxiety is something that we all deal with, and so did Jesus. Learning to deal with this kind of anxious fear is important for our ability to try new things, take risks, and deal with the struggles that life throws our way.

Disappointment happens when our expectations and reality do not align. So what can Jesus teach us about dealing with, preventing, and moving forward in moments where we are disappointed?

Anger is often telling us about something going on beneath the surface. God gave us the emotion of anger for a reason. Anger is good, helpful, informative, and helps us to have deeper insight into what we're feeling about given situations.As imperfect people we will never express violence in a just and honorable manner. It's important we feel the anger as it comes, express the anger, and then work to move beyond the anger, all at your pace.

The Palm Sunday story marks the beginning of Jesus' last week. And while the week would be an emotionally hard one for him and the disciples, today's scripture is a story of joy! While we often focus on everything that was hard about this time in Jesus' life, it is worth noticing that in the middle of the darkest season, his followers were able to experience this moment of great joy.

The shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus Wept". As we begin our new series "Emotional Roller Coaster: The Ups and Downs of Jesus' Last Days" we will look at how human Jesus was and how he felt real emotions. What can we learn from these real-human emotions Jesus expressed?

Now that we have learned about what racism is, how it's a sin, and how we can unify, how do we pursue racial justice? Today we hear from Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker, as we continue our series The Beloved Community.

Implicit or unconscious bias is attitudes or perceptions we have about people without our conscious knowledge. It is when we make a snap judgment based on stereotypes, cultural attitudes, and assumptions. And because of racism, white people do this all the time when it comes to the ways that they view, treat, or talk to people of color.

Because racism is still active and growing in our society, we are not yet the Beloved Community that King and indeed God calls us to be. Racism threatens our faith in God. Why? Because racism is a sin. Sin gets in the way of our relationship with God. If we don't address it, sin keeps us from God.

There are a lot of voices competing for our attention, for the chance to tell us who we are. Rather than listening to the foolish, the critic, or the narcissist, tune in to the voice of God. They have a lot to say about who you are, and what you were made for.

The Narcissist navigates the world through a transactional, non-empathetic, and arrogant lens. Jesus reminds us that we're called to be the opposite. To seek love, humility and empathy in our relationships.