This week, we jump back into the middle of Matthew and find Jesus sending his disciples out to depend upon the hospitality of a people he expects to be inhospitable. We find our mission in this same calling at Living Water.
A new work of God in San Diego's East Village
A new work of God in San Diego's East Village
Sermons by Chris Nafis
We jump back into Matthew this week, looking at the very last passage in the book. The disciples encounter the risen Christ, responding with both worship and doubt, and Jesus leaves them (and us) with what is often called “the great commission.”
In John 17 we find Jesus praying for the disciples right before he is arrested en route to crucifixion. We look at this prayer, the way that Jesus prays that the disciples (and future disciples like us) would be one with God as God is one. We look at the contagious nature of grace that creates…
We continue to look at what life in the Spirit might look like for a congregation like ours as we hear the promise that Jesus gives to his disciples that he will send another Paraclete (comforter, advocate, helper) to come alongside them – the Holy Spirit .
We take a look at the stoning of Stephen and find that he, too, was living an abundant life in the Spirit even as he was en route to death.
We look at the challenging and inspiring account of life together among the first followers of Jesus. We find that it is not quite as out of reach as we tend to think.
On this day, we were officially “organized” as a Church of the Nazarene! In an abbreviated sermon, we look at the next section in Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, challenging our newly recognized congregation to hear the Spirit with enough openness to be “cut to the heart” on a regular basis.
In this second Sunday of the Easter season, we look at part of Peter’s sermon on pentecost, proclaiming the gospel to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem.
When Mary and Mary find the tomb empty, they hear and spread the good news that Jesus is risen and everything has changed! Warning – we had this year’s Easter service at Fault Line Park, and it was quite windy, which you can hear in our low-budget recording. Apologies! But wind doesn’t change the good news…
After walking through the Passion Narrative in Matthew as a congregation, we look at Psalm 31, which the lectionary pairs with this story. What is the significance of hearing such a hopeful Psalm in the context of crucifixion?