Hope As followers of Jesus, we are invited to place our hope not in our circumstances, but in our savior. In this Family Sunday sermon, Abby tells the story of the ancient Israelites' hope for the awaited Messiah, offers three things to keep in mind when we think about hope, and shares a story about hope from her childhood.
In the book of Ruth, God weaves together the boldness of Ruth, the faithfulness of Naomi, and the above-and-beyond care of Boaz into a story of redemption that points to Jesus. This week, Jordan wraps up our time in the book of Ruth with a look at the big picture and some good news from Ruth 4 to bring with us into our week.
God's love for us is a costly brand of love that we see reflected in the story of Ruth. In this sermon, Kayla helps us recognize this "hesed" love in surprising places, invites us to consider the puzzle pieces of scripture in light of the big picture, and shares a story from her own life of being taken under the wings of others' care.
Lead Us Not Into Testing When God tests us, it is for our good, revealing where we are placing our trust and giving us an opportunity to experience God's faithfulness. In this sermon, Abby explores the difference between testing and temptation, shares about a wilderness experience in her life, and offers three pieces of good news for those being tested.
This week, we continue our journey through the Lord's Prayer with a closer look at Jesus' invitation to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."
Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread In a consumer society, we’re groomed to “grab it before it’s gone,” but in the Kingdom of God, we receive what God has for us as a gift. In this sermon, Abby unpacks three words from this line and shares a story about how God has been teaching her the difference between grabbing and receiving. ----more---- Discussion Questions 1. To pray, "Give" us this day our daily bread" is to refuse to grab but rather, to receive with open hands what God has for us as a gift. When are you most tempted to grab, and how do you know you are in "grab" mode? 2. To pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" is to be willing to share, acknowledging that God meets your needs through his provision for others and that he meets others' needs through his provision for you. How has God answered a prayer of yours through another person? 3. To pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread" is to ask God for what we need and trust him for it. What need(s) do you find it hard to trust him for? 4. Jesus said, "People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) What is true about bread that is also true about God's word? Prayer Prompt When we pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread," we are never praying for bread just for ourselves, but for others too. Take a moment to pray for what you need and for what others around you need, thanking God for meeting your needs and answering your prayer through others and inviting God to meet others' needs and answer their prayers through you.
This week, we continue our journey through the Lord's Prayer with a closer look at the petition, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
This week, Jordan continues our journey through The Lord's Prayer with a deeper look at what we're really praying and hoping for when we pray, "Your Kingdom Come." ----more---- Discussion Questions What line or phrase from the Lord’s Prayer stands out to you today? Why do you think that line or phrase stands out? “We are not referring to a place where we are going but rather a reality that has come to us… the kingdom of God isn’t so much a place as it is a new order in which… the will of God is done.” (Justo Gonzalez) What surprises you or intrigues you about this definition of the Kingdom of God? Reading Isaiah 11:6-9, what are some things that will be true when the Kingdom of God has fully come? Where God’s rule and reign is, there is freedom, healing, justice, humility, and generosity. Can you think of a time this week when you saw one of these values (or another kingdom value) on display, either in your life or in your community? When Jesus invites his followers to pray, “Your Kingdom come,” he makes space for them to recognize before God that things aren’t the way they ought to be. Where are you experiencing or noticing that things aren’t as they ought to be?
God’s name: what is it, and how do we “hallow” it? In this sermon, Abby explores the mystery and gift of God’s name as first revealed to Moses and then, more fully, through Jesus. She offers practical ways we can be hallowing his name in our lives and points us to a time when his name will be more fully revealed. ----more---- Discussion Questions Read Matthew 6:9 – 13 Is there a line, phrase, or request that stands out to you as you read and engage with the Lord’s Prayer today? If so, which one is it? And why do you think that particular line is standing out? God revealed his name to Moses, and with it, more of Godself, when he said to Moses, “I am who I am” (Yahweh) in Exodus 3:13 - 14. In your own words, what are some things this name reveals about God? Are there any names for God in the Scriptures that you feel particularly drawn to, and why do you think that particular name stands out? How might your picture of God be different if this name weren’t in the Scriptures? Using your imagination, what might it have been like for the disciples, who grew up in a world where God was not frequently referred to as Father, to have Jesus invite them to pray, “Our Father…”? What is it like for you to address God and/or think of him as Father? Think of a time when you witnessed God being honored, whether in word or deed, whether by an individual or a group? How does this example of God being honored help you think about or understand the words, “Hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9)? Prayer Prompt: Pray aloud the Lord’s Prayer. Then, in your own words, thank God for revealing himself as Father and pray that his name would be hallowed in various areas of your life and the world as you feel led.
This week, Jordan shares three things we can learn about God from the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6. ----more---- Discussion Questions: Read Matthew 6:7-13 Have you ever heard or prayed the Lord’s prayer before? If so, what was that like for you? Does it seem familiar or foreign to you? Jesus shares The Lord’s Prayer in the middle (of the middle, of the middle!) of the Sermon on the Mount. What do you make of that? What are a few reasons why Jesus might have made the Lord’s prayer central to this sermon? Is there a line, phrase, or request that sticks out to you as you read and engage with the Lord’s Prayer today? If so, which one is it? Jesus tells his audience, “When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words, they’ll be heard.” (Matthew 6:7) Have you ever felt like you prayed a prayer with a lot of words? What was that like? Have you ever prayed a simple prayer, or a prayer with just a few words? What was that like for you? Jesus tells his audience that God knows what we need before we ask. Is there something you’ve been waiting or hoping to talk to Jesus about lately, but haven’t gotten to it yet? What do you make of the truth that Jesus is already there in your place of need, waiting to meet with you? The Lord’s prayer teaches us that God’s not interested in how nicely we can pray, how loudly we can pray… it seems he’s more interested in how honestly we pray. Can you think of one or two things you might want to bring to God in prayer this week? If you have the space and time, try writing out an honest, one or two sentence prayer in relation to those one or two things.
As we mark Adam’s last Sunday as Church at the Well’s lead pastor and welcome Jordan and Abby into their new roles as co-lead pastors, Adam explores an instructive picture from the Book of Numbers: Aaron’s budding staff, a reminder that leadership in God’s kingdom is not grasped for but received, and that flourishing and new life ultimately come from God.
What does prayer have to do with creation? In this sermon, Abby explores three ways we can pray in light of creation, drawing from examples in Scripture and sharing stories of how God has met and ministered to her in and through nature.
This week, we explore how God invites us to both community and solitude as part of Sabbath.
Finding Rest in Jesus In between commands against stealing, idolatry, and others, the Sabbath command might seem oddly out of place in the Ten Commandments. But what if it's there for a reason? This week, Adam continues our Summer Sabbath series by considering God's invitation to something deeper than a "day off" - an invitation to the true rest of Sabbath that we find in Jesus.
Three Obstacles to Practicing Sabbath Rest just doesn’t just happen; we have to choose to take it. In this sermon, Abby considers three common obstacles that hinder us from practicing Sabbath and invites us to see Sabbath not as something to master or accomplish, but as a gift to receive and enjoy as we are able. ------------------------- Discussion Questions: Preparing for Sabbath isn’t just about guarding time, but, if helpful, planning it. Take two minutes to write a list of life-giving things you might enjoy doing as part of your Sabbath practice, then go around the circle, each sharing a few items from your “Sabbath Menu.” Is there someone in the group who knows someone who practices the art of rest well? If so, please share. If not, how does it feel not to know anyone who rests well? Building on Exodus 20:10, come up with a list as a group of who Sabbath is for besides you. (In other words, come up with a modern paraphrase of this verse). Do any items on your list stand out? What are a few ways our practice of Sabbath might be a blessing to others?
Keeping sabbath is an act of resistance. In this sermon, Jordan explores three lies of identity (we are what we do, we are what we have, and we are what others say about us) and how practicing sabbath helps us to resist these lies and lean into the truth that we are God's beloved. -------------------- Discussion Questions: Have you ever had a really busy week or season that left you feeling exhausted or burned out? What was it like to finally stop and rest after such a hard time? What did rest look like? The Israelites were forced into harsh labor, day in and day out. How do you think they might have reacted to God’s command to stop and rest? Would it have been easy for them? Difficult? Bruggemann writes that God is a “Sabbath-keeping God… a Sabbath-giving God, and a Sabbath-commanding God.” Which one of these sticks out to you the most? Why? Nouwen describes three lies of identity: I am what I do, I am what I have, and I am what others say about me. Do you see any evidence of these lies of identity at work in the world around you or in your own story? How might keeping the Sabbath help us resist those lies of identity?
When we practice Sabbath, we’re not just taking a break from work, we’re returning to the heart of God’s design for relationships and renewal. This week, Adam kicks off our Summer Sabbath series by offering three ways to look at Sabbath and reminding us that when we Sabbath, we’re rehearsing for the Kingdom of God.
How does the popular mantra, “God helps those who help themselves,” square with Scripture? And since it’s not actually found in the Bible, where does this mantra come from? In the sermon, Abby gives a brief history of this saying, shares a story from her own life, and offers three things we can learn from Daniel about God’s will when it comes to our need for help.
Many of us have heard the advice (or the song) that we ought to let "Jesus Take The Wheel." This week, Jordan continues our series, "You've Heard It Said," with a closer look at this common phrase. Together, we explore how faith and personal responsibility can work together, and what it really means to trust God with our lives.
Follow Your Heart In movies, songs, and well-meaning conversations, we hear the phrase, “Follow your heart.” Is this advice in line with the Bible? In this sermon, Adam offers five helpful “runway lights” to keep us on track with God’s will as we discern the path forward in our lives. Hint—one of them involves our hearts.