Month: January 2023

“Let your word be ‘yes, Yes’ or “No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one” Matthew 5:37

Have you ever haggled over the price of a car? The salesman becomes your best friend, but has to “check with the manager” in the back who apparently is really stern and doesn’t want to come down on price, but takes forever to tell the salesman which leaves you waiting uncomfortably in a cubical? OK, that was a big run-on sentence, but you get what I’m saying. Our culture is full of these kinds of games which leave us wondering what the true price really is, or the truth in general. When I read Jesus’ words about not swearing or making oaths but just telling the truth I can’t help but wonder how different our world would be if we adopted His way. What is it that makes us use gimmicks to try to convince people? What does that say about us? How do we become people of integrity worthy of trust? See you Sunday!

-Pastor Travis

Looking for last weeks worship? You can find it here!

• WordPress

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28

Oh man, I don’t want to talk about this! Jesus talks about some stuff in this week’s lesson that makes me squeamish and uncomfortable. Not only does he talk about what’s going on in a man’s mind when he looks at a woman but then Jesus talks about divorce and remarriage, another very sensitive subject that often leaves people feeling judged and excluded. And I have to preach on it! Well, that’s not true, I’m making the choice because I think these things are still relevant. Our sexual lives, our marriages, how we deal with our attractions all come under the purview of our faith. Too often we compartmentalize and try to keep faith and that other part of our lives separate. Jesus will have none of it, so if we take Him seriously, then we must let him speak to that part of our life that is most private and close to our identity.

-Pastor Travis

Looking for last weeks worship? You can find it here!

• WordPress

• WordPress

“The simple moral fact is that words kill.”
-Translation from The Message

This week the focus text for preaching is on murder.  When I first thought about that it seemed pretty simple, don’t do it.  Of course like most things that Jesus tells us the command has a deeper context than what the words simply say. 

When Jesus talks about what it means to murder, he’s talking about more than just our physical selves.  What are the other ways that one can be murdered?  It is often through words, through actions that leave others defeated or on the outside, it’s holding a grudge not being right with others.

While all of this seems pretty clear, that we should not kill and that includes being kind in our language and interactions with others, it’s the solutions he offers that might be our biggest obstacle.  God will not withhold judgement for things that might seem small to us, skirmishes that are never corrected, slandering another who you simply disagree, offering gifts at the altar before practicing reconciliation.  Words hold a lot of power and so does God.  Let’s look carefully at how we choose our words and how we come before God when seeking mercy and grace.

-Pastor Carrie

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets;” Matthew 5:17 

Jesus says this because it’s exactly what we think. I can’t tell you how many times people try to dismiss the Old Testament as if God were different in the Old Testament than the new. Even more often people want to dismiss the Old Testament laws as if Jesus came to toss them out as outdated and irrelevant. Don’t think that! The God of the Old Testament and the New Testament are the same. The God who handed out the 10 commandments is the same God who sent Jesus to give us the new commandment to love one another. Jesus upholds the Old Testament laws and interprets them so we can obey not just the letter of those laws but the spirit too. This Sunday we start a new series “But I say to you…” to look at all the ways Jesus helps us understand and obey the laws of God. 

-Pastor Travis

Looking for last weeks worship? You can find it here!

• WordPress

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  -Matthew 3:16

Our baptism marks our union with the community of saints. The Word and the water join us as God’s beloved children and begins our commitment to serve God. This is also true for Jesus in his baptism. Heaven opens at this holy moment and God descends to meet Jesus with a blessing. I like to imagine the heavenly gate being opened at every baptism with the Spirit swooping down to meet us and name us as its own. Our old lives are washed away, and a new light shines forever. The fatherly nature of God holds us under his wing with peace, belonging, and love. The Spirit shines in all of our lives, through us and through others in our community. What moments in our lives reflect the holiness of baptism? Where does heaven open and the Spirit shine? 

-Macy Kennedy

Looking for last weeks worship? You can find it here!

• WordPress