Prince Of Peace

Our lives are shaped by the places we have called home along the way. But those places tend to change over time and we certainly change as well. Today we will explore how our Christian faith might affect the ways we think about home, and whether or not we can go there again. Scripture: Psalm 32, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Song: "You've Set Me Free" written by Nate Bergengren; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

The world is a broken place. We are broken people. You feel it. We struggle to make sense of it, and when things get really bad it’s old habit to think that hardship and tragedy are God’s way of punishment. Frankly, it’s easier to think that sin causes suffering, and if we just make good choices, follow the right path, we can avoid it altogether. But it’s Lent, and Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to do away with this whole idea--make a new way and give us something better. Now, the question is: what are we going to do about it? Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9 Song: "Reckless Love" written by C. Culver, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Jesus uses two animal metaphors (my favorite!) today in his word of judgment on the people of Jerusalem. There is a lot of backstory packed into this short Gospel message, so let’s dig in and see what Jesus means here as he “sets his face towards Jerusalem” and in our second week in Lent - so too do we. Scripture: Psalm 27:1-6; Luke 13:31-35 Song: "Unwavering" written by Matt Maher; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band WATCH THE VIDEO: The Narcissist's Footnote

Have you ever been stranded in the wilderness or had your car break down in the middle of nowhere? They say the vast majority of survival situations are resolved in the first 72 hours. Jesus once spent 40 days out in the wilderness and found himself in some dangerous situations. Today we will equip ourselves with the kind of survival system Jesus recommends. Scripture: Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16; Luke 4:1-14 Song: "You Say" written by J. Ingram, et al; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band WATCH THE VIDEOS... The Wall Doctor Rx The Seventy2 Survival System

We are dust. We will be dust again. But God breathed life into dust once, and God will do it again. On this day, we look death in the face and defiantly declare that it will not win. Scripture: Romans 6:1-9; Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

We’ve all had them, these mountaintop experiences. Moments where God has felt so close and so bright and so real. And when you’ve had that experience, it’s easy to want to stay there. To build tents and “dwell” as the disciples say in today’s Gospel. It’s easy to think of this transfiguration as a thing that can only happen on the mountaintop. But we have to come back down, to the valley, where life is. I once heard the phrase, “we don’t have to stay on the mountain, the mountain gives us gifts so that the mountain stays with us.” What does the mountain gift you today that you can bring with you? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36 Song: "Transfiguration" written by Aodhan King, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band    

Joseph’s story is much more than a popular Broadway musical. The story involves deep family dysfunction, identity politics, human exploitation, and all kinds of treachery. And just when it looks like everyone is going to get what they have coming, redemption. Scripture: Genesis 45:1-15; Luke 6:27-38 Song: "Come As You Are" written by B. Glover et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace band  

We have a series of blessings in front of us, ones that don’t quite match what we think of when we hear people say they are so blessed. I mean, it’s a hashtag for crying out loud. What happens when we compare this #blessed trend to this list of blessings from Jesus? Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 6:17-26 Song: "Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)" written by J. Houston & J. Myrin; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band Video: Blessed Are the Unemployed, Unimpressive, and Underrepresented (Nadia Bolz-Weber)

Popeye the Sailor Man loved to declare that “I am what I am and that’s all that I am!” (He also ate a lot of canned spinach which was sorta gross and weird). Long before Popeye, St. Paul ran around saying the same thing. After being saved by grace, Paul devoted his life to building faithful, reckless communities of faith willing to risk it all in order to reach others with the gospel. Scripture: Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 Song: "Here We Are" written by Nate Bergengren; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Not too long after his notoriety begins to rise, Jesus visits his hometown and is met with skepticism and bewilderment. “Didn’t we grow up with this guy?” Jesus reminds the gathered hometown crowd that he isn’t going to give them any kind of advantage just because he is “one of them." Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Luke 4:21-30 Song: "Good Good Father" written by A. Brown & P. Barrett; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Jesus returns home and is invited to speak at the worship service that weekend. He did a great job reading the scriptures and everyone was so pleased with this hometown boy. If only someone would have given the benediction at that moment so everyone could enjoy the coffee and cookies like they did after every other service. You won’t believe what happens next! Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Luke 4:14-30 Song: "What A Beautiful Name" written by B. Fielding & B. Ligertwood; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

There's no cliché for this one. In honor and recognition of MLK, Jr. weekend, Chad and Natalia preach back and forth from selections from “The Drum Major Instinct” by Martin Luther King Jr. and we experience the power and relevance of these words in a new way... Scripture: Amos 5:18-24; Mark 10:35-40 Song: "God of Justice" written by Tim Hughes; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

When we made promises to these students long ago, we were serious about seeing it through. Back then, they were unable to speak for themselves and yet they heard the promise of being "sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ, forever." Today, a piece of that promise has been honored. Now, we get to hear their words as they respond to that promise, and we take the next step in faith together... Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Song: "We Are Called (let us not forget)" written by Nate Bergengren; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

What would it take you to leave all logic behind and follow? That’s the story we have in front of us for this Epiphany Sunday. Epiphany, which means reveal, is a season in the church that begins today, and teaches us to look for the many ways in which God is revealed to us through the world and those around us. It’s also handy that this season begins at a time of year where resolutions and intentions are abundant. So what star will you follow? And how will God be revealed to you this year? Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12 Song: "What A Beautiful Name" written by B. Fielding & B. Ligertwood; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band