“So therefore, none of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions” Luke 14:33 

Go ahead and read that verse again. Think about it. Jesus said it. Are you ready to be a disciple? Did he mean it literally? It certainly seems that way. Remember the story of the Rich young ruler who couldn’t part with his possessions and so turned away from becoming a disciple of Jesus? But what does it mean for us? Does Jesus want us to become poor? Does Jesus want us to sell everything and live on the streets? I don’t think so. Peter had a house and probably a boat too, that he returned to after three years on the road with Jesus. I think it’s probably as much about our attachment to our wealth and all things material that Jesus wants to loosen. The more attached we are to the stuff we’ve acquired the less nimble and agile we become to follow the call of Jesus. I think that’s true for individuals as well as the whole church. We may be asked to give something valuable away and we should be ready to do so. We’ll talk more about this on Sunday. 

-Pastor Travis Norton

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“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” -Hebrews 13: 8

When I opened the bible to read this text it begins with the title “Concluding Exhortations”.  It made me laugh a little, like Paul is really going to bring it home in this final portion, more than he had in the earlier in this sermon to the Hebrews.  Paul is nothing if not clear about how it is that we are to live among God’s faithful people, what our response to God’s faithfulness should be, and that we should offer praise to God in the community of faith that gathers.  So I wonder, where do you find yourself living into this sermon and where can we strive to do better?  Verse 8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”, what does that mean to you, knowing that you have a Savior who is unwavering in love and grace for you, and in turn how does that manifest itself in your relationships today (with God, self and others)?

-Pastor Carrie

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.” -Hebrews 12:28-29 

A kingdom that cannot be shaken, doesn’t that sound like good news? I’m tired of all the shaking going on in our world right now. It seems just when I think things have settled down another event troubles the water and we have to wait through the shaking until things achieve some semblance of calm again. I’m not just talking about world events-covid, war, politics, new diseases, inflation etc. But also those things in our personal lives that throw us off balance. I am glad for this promise that we are receiving a kingdom that doesn’t shake, that doesn’t get off kilter, that is stable and strong and enduring. That sounds like good news that we need right now. We’ll talk more about it this Sunday. 

-Pastor Travis Norton

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“…who for the sake of the joy that was set before him, endured the cross…” Hebrews 12:2 

As we continue this look at the famous “Faith” chapter in Hebrews 11 one has to wonder why anyone would be a person of faith. The people lifted up faced great opposition and hardship. Yet they endured and were obedient to God’s call even when they didn’t get to reap the reward of their faith. They followed the example of Jesus, who endured the cross for the sake of the joy set before him. This Sunday we’ll talk about the perspective needed to be a person of faith. Perspective changes everything. 

-Pastor Travis Norton

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Hebrews 11:1-10

What is it that makes life worth living?  Is it the big things that we see or is it the ongoing day to day activities that go by unnoticed?  Hebrews asks the question of faith; a faith that carries through all generations.  Hebrews invited us to examine a faith that we cannot see yet gives us a firm foundation in all that we do.  As we begin this sermon series it’s a chance to explore where our faith holds us up and carries us in ways unseen yet surely held in God’s promises and faithfulness.

-Pastor Carrie