We compare an odd story (the feeding of the 5000) about Jesus with an odd story (beheading of John the Baptist) about Herod. We have two different rulers, two different kinds of strangeness. One desperately insecure, and one doesn’t need security at all.
We look at the parables of the mustard seed, the yeast, the buried treasure, the pearl of great worth, and the dragnet. We focus on the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast, noticing their scrappiness and their need for “death” or “emptying” in order for growth.
We look at the parable of the wheat and the weeds and talk about perseverance and patience as the children of God.
We look at this beautiful passage from the Apostle Paul and discuss what it means to be truly set free from sin with a little help from the California Condor.
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.
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.