Prince Of Peace

(Natalia Terfa) This story is not very merry or bright. We would most often prefer to skip right past it. But there are some things to learn from the Holy Family in this story - and how they are forced to become guests instead of hosts.  Scripture: Matthew 2:13-23 Song: Los Domingos by Superintendent McCupcakes Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Chad Brekke) Christmas is more than a favorite fairy tale, more than magic. Beauty and truth will find us in the darkness of this holy night. Song: All is Well Cover by Lydia Brekke, Amy Courts, & Paul Koopman Support our podcast here Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Chad Brekke) I’m not sure if you have noticed, but there are a lot of snakes in the bible—a lot. My wife Lori does not approve! From the garden of Eden to Isaiah’s prophecy, to the thundering preaching of John the Baptist. Today is the second Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of peace. Be warned, there are snakes, but there is also a reason for hope and a vision of peace. Breathe. Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12 Song: Winter Blossom by Cora Zea Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) Today marks the beginning of Advent, the start of a new year in the church, and a reminder that no matter what is happening around us, in the world and in our homes, God is at work - renewing, redeeming, and being reborn in all of it. Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5 Song: Winter Blossom by Cora Zea Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Chad Brekke) Sometimes we don’t feel good about ourselves. Sometimes we even have trouble feeling worthy of love. There is something about the love of Christ that makes us precious, no matter how we may happen to feel at any given moment. Henry Picture Shown During Sermon Scripture: Colossians 1:11-20 Song: Golden Rules by Luwaks Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) This bit of scripture can often be seen as a roadmap for how to predict the end of the world. And let’s be honest, if it were, things would feel pretty bleak right now. But if we look a little closer, we see that it’s about something different, something better, something more. It’s about what is left when everything falls apart. Scripture: Luke 21:5-19 Song: 21st of May by Nickel Creek Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Chad Brekke) …this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people...  It is All Saints Sunday, a great day to dust off a copy of the estate plan and read through it again. Spoiler alert, it’s even better than you remember. Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14 Song: Tea Tree by Jobii Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) On this Reformation Sunday, it’s a good time to look at the foundation of our faith, and remind ourselves that our insecurities don’t change a thing about God and God’s love for us.  Thank goodness.  Scripture: Luke 19:1-10 Song: Tree Tops by Autohacker Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Chad Brekke) Bono sings in a U2 song: If Coke, is a mystery, Michael Jackson, history, if beauty is truth, and surgery, the fountain of youth… what am I to do, do I have the gifts to get me through, the gates of that mansion? song’s metaphor wrestles with some of the same issues raised by the story Jesus tells this Sunday about a respected religious leader and a despised traitor. How can we be sure we have what it takes to make it through the gates of heaven? Scripture: Luke 18:9-14 Song: In Heaven by A Month of Sleep Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) We all know the feeling. That middle of the night anxiety, worry, fear, or grief that wakes you up and keeps you up. 16th-century poet St John of the Cross called it the dark night of the soul. Jacob is having one of those nights. But God is there too, and the wrestling begins. Scripture: Genesis 32:22-31 Song: Why Did I by Hatamitsunami Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Chad Brekke) Naaman always got the best table at the restaurant and front-row tickets to the show. If he couldn’t buy the things he wanted, Naaman took them by force. He was both fearless and feared wherever he went. Until the home test kit showed he was positive for leprosy. What could his power and influence do for him now? Where does real hope come from when you are at the end of your rope? Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-15 Song: Rope Swing by Station Story Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) The disciples plead for Jesus to increase their faith in today’s Gospel. Boy haven’t we all been there? When things are hard and we feel overwhelmed, sometimes it feels like if we only had just a little more faith, we’d be ok. Jesus’ words today remind us that measurements of faith are not the point. So what is?   Scripture: Luke 17:5-10 Song: Kyoto by Dawn by Ooyy & Smartface Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Amy Courts) Today's scripture leaves us pondering many questions: Where did this chasm come from? what fixed it? Where/what is hades? Why and how is this rich man tormented there?  and finally, how does this apply to our lives today? Scripture: Luke 16:19-31 Song: Happy You're Gone by Zorro Support our podcast here Watch the Recording Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Chad Brekke) Jesus shares the Parable of the Dishonest Manager with us, and boy this scripture reading is not one most would want to preach on their first Sunday back from sabbatical! How can we exist in today's capitalistic society when Jesus says you cannot serve God and wealth? Scripture: Luke 16:1-13 Song: Colours By Torii Wolf Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) On this Great POP Get Together, it is such a delight that the text in front of us today are celebration texts of lost being found. Over and over and over again in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus reminds the disciples, and us, that no matter how lost we may feel, God will not give up until we are found.  Scripture: Luke 15:1-10 Song: Lost Cause by Jobii Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) Jesus has been attracting large crowds who are awed and amazed by his words and miraculous acts. Their enthusiasm to be a part of the cool crowd is palpable. Jesus lays down a hard truth for those who seek to follow him. What does it mean to give up everything? What does it look like to follow Jesus in this way?  Scripture: Luke 14:25-33 Song: Had Me at Hello by Aiyo Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa) After the loss of loved ones disrupts their lives, Ruth and Naomi create a new covenant with each other, choosing to be in a relationship across their religious, cultural, and generational divides. As women, they build power together in a system where they have little power. This final question is not meant to be the end of the journey; instead, it creates openness to explore together what is next. It is contextual, designed for individuals, families, churches, and communities to discern how to move forward into something new. While stepping into the next chapter, our hope is that we keep cultivating curiosity, asking questions, having conversations, and seeking connection in order to humanize and care for each other.  Scripture: Ruth 1:1-22 Song: Pomelo by Jobii Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Jenny Sung) In the midst of Job’s afflictions, three of his friends promptly leave their homes and come to him. They tear their garments, weep loudly, and sit with him for seven days, saying nothing. Their response is the ministry of presence, of true solidarity, of seeing his excruciating pain and joining him there. It reminds us that we each have unique needs; we can’t assume to know what is best for others. It also prompts us to reflect on our own needs, priorities, and desires, which can sometimes be difficult to discern from one situation to the next.  Scripture: Job 2:11-13 Song: Be Free With Me by Siine Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website

(Natalia Terfa & Jenny Sung) As we do from time to time, we put the usual preaching schedule on hold while we explore public theology together. We will again field questions from the congregation around the theme of things that cause us to doubt or question. Song: I've Found My Way by Hallman Support our podcast here Watch the Livestream Follow us on Instagram Visit our Website