Prince Of Peace

Jesus talks about images of a seed representing the Kingdom of God and the 1st reading contains images from ancient texts the disciples were sure to recall at this parable. And then Jesus does NOT go where they think he’ll go. What might the tree of life that God plants look like? And how do we find it? Scripture: Ezekiel 17:22-24; Mark 4:26-34 Song: "Never Once" written by J. Ingram, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

We have been hearing this story since we were little kids. It’s an ancient story. So old that it should sound like a relic from a time long past with no relevance to our modern lives. But as you enter this old story again, you may learn that it is like reading an entry from your own diary, written last Tuesday. Scripture: Genesis 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35 Song: "One Thing Remains" written by B. Johnson, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

It's a wonderful thing, when young people, graduating high school seniors stand up and share the good news in such a remarkable and powerful way. But we shouldn't be too surprised, this is what God does. God breaks into our world through all kinds of unexpected ways... Scriputure: 1 Samuel 3:1-10; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6  Song: "Broken Vessels (amazing grace)" written by Joel Houston; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Nicodemus comes under the cover of darkness to sit with Jesus and ask him some questions of faith. Why? What has he heard about this Jesus that brings him to this moment? What was it about Jesus that brought Nicodemus out, that caused his curiosity to be greater than his fear? What do we need in order for our curiosity to be greater than OUR fear?  Scripture: Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17 Song: "Let God Arise" written by C. Tomlin, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the church. Is it possible that we may have domesticated this whole thing a bit? Sure, we change the liturgical color to red and all, but are we sure we even want what the Spirit pours out in this passage? What if you came to church to hear a story and it turned out to be about you? Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 Song: "Holy Spirit" written by B. Torwalt & K. Torwalt; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

There’s a phrase that is sometimes used in Christian circles, that we should be “in the world but not of the world.” It comes from today’s Gospel, but Jesus doesn’t quite mean it the same way. Scripture: 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 Song: "Make Us One" written by Stefan Van Voorst; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Jesus uses the word ‘love’ nine times in this nine verse reading from the gospel of John. We use the word love a lot too. Let’s see if we mean the same thing. Scripture: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; John 15:9-17 Song: "Love Came Down" written by Brian Johnson, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band [Click HERE for the piece Chad read as part of his closing: "For Joy"]

The greatest blessing is watching what happens when we all respond together as a community of faith. There is just nothing like the church when people offer their energy, gifts and resources to build up the ministry we share here at POP. Click to read Chad’s letter Set up Simply Giving Song: "Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way" written by U2; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Both of our readings today make it clear what it looks like to be a part of the community of God. Jesus uses a metaphor, but John’s letter is a little less ambiguous. In this day and age, in the world the way it is, where hate and mistrust seems like the norm, how can we be love and fruit? Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Song: "We Are Called (let us not forget)" written by Nate Bergengren; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

When all feels lost, when darkness closes in and you feel alone, there is an ancient word of hope that will never lose sight of you. Scripture: Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; John 10:11-18 Song: "Son Was Lifted Up" written by B. Johnson, et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Jesus appears to the disciples in today’s Gospel. Just shows up. They don’t invite him, they don’t ask him to be there, he just appears. And in their confusion and doubt they witness the very real, very human moments of what a resurrected life looks like. Scripture: 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48 Song: "Praise The King" written by C. Voss et al.; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

A few times a year, we depart from our usual preaching schedule and hand over the mic to… you… so you can ask any and all questions pertaining to faith, community, theology… And we see what happens. We adjust the usual format of our worship service in order to leave as much time as possible for our pastors to respond to our questions—and we are always left wanting more! Scripture: John 20:19-31 Song: "Hurricane" written by Lisa & Michael Gungor; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

A few times a year, we depart from our usual preaching schedule and hand over the mic to… you… so you can ask any and all questions pertaining to faith, community, theology… And we see what happens. We adjust the usual format of our worship service in order to leave as much time as possible for our pastors to respond to our questions—and we are always left wanting more! Scripture: John 20:19-31 Song: "Hurricane" written by Lisa & Michael Gungor; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

…and then everyone was so terrified they ran away screaming and never said a thing about what had happened to anyone. The end. That’s pretty much the way Mark ends his account of the resurrection. That is also why Mark is my favorite gospel. It takes more than guts to set the pen down after writing an ending like that. It takes faith. Scripture: Isaiah 25:6-9; Acts 10:34-43; Mark 16:1-8 Song: "Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way" written by U2; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

The Passion of our Lord. This one speaks for itself... Scripture: Mark 14 & 15 Song: "Sins Are Stones" written by John Mark McMillan; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

Cups, plates and bowls—all types of vessels—show up a lot in the Bible. In fact, the writers of the Bible even use these every-day, useful objects to talk about our relationship with God. So what does it mean that we are also vessels of faith? In this podcast, we talk about heart.

Cups, plates and bowls—all types of vessels—show up a lot in the Bible. In fact, the writers of the Bible even use these every-day, useful objects to talk about our relationship with God. So what does it mean that we are also vessels of faith? In this podcast, we talk about jug.

Cups, plates and bowls—all types of vessels—show up a lot in the Bible. In fact, the writers of the Bible even use these every-day, useful objects to talk about our relationship with God. So what does it mean that we are also vessels of faith? In this podcast, we talk about cup.

It feels like Jesus is talking in some kind of secret code in this Gospel lesson. Everyone is confused. His disciples are having a hard time interpreting him, so are the people gathering around him, and if we’re honest, so are we! Let’s try to unlock exactly what Jesus is talking about here, and how this confusing passage is really good news. Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31-34; John 12:20-33 Song: "Majesty" written by M. Smith & S. Garrard; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band

The gospel is always under assault. From cheap grace, to meeting God half way, to prosperity preaching, our efforts to remake the good news in our own image are relentless. Today God hits us with a combination for which there is no defense. Today God leaves a mark. Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 Song: "Broken Vessels (amazing grace)" written by J. Houston & J. Myrin; performed by the Prince of Peace worship band