Our next sermon series begins April 16. Join us for Pastor David’s new series, “The Resurrected Life: Community, Friendship and the Work of the Holy Spirit.”

April 16 – The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

We were created to live in community with one another and with God. In Acts 2, we hear the story of people becoming Christians. What followed for those who became Christians? They did not go their separate ways. They were gathered together by the Holy Spirit into a community, and it is within Christian community that the resurrected life is lived. We are created for community. We can see this truth lived out in the Garden of Eden until Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Immediately, community was broken. What followed was like a tree that grew quickly. The roots of the tree were idolatry. The trunk of the tree was pride. Limbs shot off the trunk that include hyper-individualism, fear of the other and fear of rejection (fear can be broken down into rational, primal, and irrational fear). Christian life is different from this—a different tree so to speak.

April 23 – The Tree of Life

We were created to live in community.  But we have a choice, as we see in Genesis.  Adam and Eve made their choice—to do it their way.  While idolatry broke community, Christ overcame the power of sin.  We don’t have to live a broken life anymore.  We can live a resurrected life.  Notice that the tree of life in the Revelation passage speaks of 12 fruits—the fullness of the people of God, and the leaves are for the healing of the nations—community.  Using the analogy of a tree, the roots of Christian community are love.  The trunk is humility, and the branches include mutuality, embracing diversity, mercy and forgiveness.

April 30 – Guest Preacher – Julie Hart, Director of Connectional Ministries

May 7 – Deep Roots

Today we take look at the roots of the tree that is the resurrected life and what is necessary for Christian community.  Shallow roots will not support a healthy tree.  Deep roots are important.  The roots of Christian community are love.  A close look at the roots and we see vulnerability, faith in others, hope for relationships and the commitment to do the messy work of love.  In this sermon we will offer some practical advice to going deeper in our relationships.

May 14 – Nourishment for the Roots

In this sermon we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit in building Christian community—it is the Holy Spirit that nourishes our life together. Thinking of the analogy of a tree, the Holy Spirit is the sun that nourishes us, the soil from which we drink. In the resurrected life, the Holy Spirit works to unify us in Christian community as one body—the body of Christ. As we do the work of relationships, it is the Holy Spirit that is at work among us. In I Corinthians, we hear about the work of the Holy Spirit unifying the body of Christ. It begins with the sacrament of baptism—we are all born of the same water, adopted into the same family, becoming one body made up of all of us, held together by the spirit. Where is the Spirit in community? In our baptism into the resurrected life, in our love for one another, in our unity as a body.

May 21 – Friends with God

We don’t typically describe our relationship with God as one of friendship. More often, we describe our relationship as parent/child as we emphasis the providence of God. Yet, in the Bible we hear that the resurrected life is one of friendship with God. Friends? Really? Is God who we go out with to have a few beers or a glass of wine? What does it mean for us to be friends with God? First, it is important to remember that the friendship is initiated by God. From God’s perspective, we are already friends. And friendship is a 2-way street. God is a good friend to us—God is trustworthy and steadfast, God will tell it like it is, and is always concerned for our wellbeing. Are we good friends with God? Are we loving, reliable, cooperative, and willing to make sacrifices?