Teaching
We gather around the scriptures to learn the unfolding story of God.
The Dry Season – Psalm 42
There are times in our walk with God that feel more like a desert than an oasis. These seasons are dry, desolate, and lonely and we feel more of God’s absence than his presence. In these moments we need to be reminded we are not alone, God has not abandoned us, and there might be something to learn from the dry season.
Joseph’s Grief – Genesis 49-50
When suffering crashes into our lives all humans are prone to ask some of the same questions. Is God just? Does God run the world by His justice? Why is there evil? These are the same questions posed by the Book of Job. A tragic story that invites us to reconsider our search for easy answers even as we wrestle with God.
The Tragedy of Job – Job 1:1, 6-12
When suffering crashes into our lives all humans are prone to ask some of the same questions. Is God just? Does God run the world by His justice? Why is there evil? These are the same questions posed by the Book of Job. A tragic story that invites us to reconsider our search for easy answers even as we wrestle with God.
Fighting – Luke 4:1-13
We live in a good world but also a world fractured by evil, both externally in the world and internally within oneself. Teachers of the Way of Jesus have long been warning of three enemies; the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. If we are to be disciples of Jesus committed to the healing of our world, then we must know the dangers; and that victory is possible in the power fo the Spirt.
Healing – John 11:32-44
Healing is often a profound and deeply perplexing topic. Unlike other gifts of the Spirit, healing is intertwined with the most tender and sensitive parts of our life; pain and suffering. But when we experience the healing of God, we are given a trail marker, a signpost: a compassionate beacon pointing us toward God's Kingdom and the world to come.
Prophecy – 1 Corinthians 14:1-5
Communication is messy. Within the communication act there is a sender, a message, and a receiver; and at any point in that process confusion, hurt, or misunderstanding can occur. Yet, spoken communication remains the primary conduit for connection, beauty, story, instruction, and love. In the biblical narrative, God’s love is communicated through the practice of prophecy; hearing and speaking God’s voice on behalf of an individual or group.
Unlearned Languages – 1 Corinthians 14:1-6
In the Post-enlightenment, Western society we tend to be compartmental in our thinking. We easily imagine human beings as segmented; mind, body, emotions, and soul. But the story of Christianity is that humans are deeply interconnected, and the practices of tongues, or unlearned languages, can help us become that integrated whole.
Receive the Spirit – John 20:19-23
As late-modern Jesus-followers we can often limit ‘knowledge’ to data, information, or facts; content that can fit well in a book or spreadsheet. However, the great danger to that perspective is believing that we can think our way to God. The story of the Bible testifies to a God that is known through experience and encounter. And Jesus’ invitation in John 20 is to know God through the reception of His Spirit.
Finding Hope Beyond Consumerism – Romans 15:1-13
Consumerism deceives us into believing we can achieve earthly immortality. We look outside of ourselves to find the solution to what is going on inside of us. And we begin to hope in the things we are consuming. But the invitation of Advent is to embrace a hope born on Christmas; a hope robust enough to carry us through all of life.
Joy Beyond Retail Therapy – John 15:1-11
I shop (and shop, and shop)... therefore I am. The goods and services the market provides becomes the source of our redemption. Oftentimes we can turn to consumption, to buying things as a coping mechanism a form of therapy. But Advent challenges that coping mechanism inviting us to find joy in the child from Bethlehem.
Faith in a Prosperity World – Mark 9:14-29
Everywhere we turn we are sold a story about prosperity. Prosperity is having the nicest house on the block. Prosperity is the two brand new cars. Prosperity is a certain type of Christmas complete with gifts under the tree. But the advent story challenges us to redefine the life of prosperity; as a life of trust in God with us.
Peace and Ethical Awareness – Isaiah 9:6 & Matthew 22:15-22
I shop, I don’t Ask, I don’t Tell. The liturgies of consumption ask us to learn and live in ignorance. Instead of asking where our goods come from, it invites us to believe in a sort of magic, that all of these garments arrive with no moral problems and disappear when they are disposed of. Through the birth, life, and death of our Lord, we have seen a vision of what our God wants for the world; that vision challenges how we consume.
The Spirit in New Creation – Revelation 20:1-6
The Story of Secularism is that humanity will eventually build a utopia, with our hands and in our image. The Story of Christianity is that our God is making all things new and dwelling with us.
Walk in the Spirit – Galatians 5:13-26
The Gospel of Jesus is an invitation to follow and join in the healing of the world. Those who accept His invitation are called disciples, and by learning to walk in the Spirit those disciples develop the character of Christ; what the Apostle Paul calls “the Fruit of the Spirit.”
The Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles – Acts 1:1-6, 2:1-6
In a world of supernatural skepticism, it can be easy to dismiss the events of the bible as improbable. However, the book of Acts, which details the activity of Jesus’ first followers, invites us to doubt our skepticism. Jesus’ ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit continued in the life of his disciples and promises to continue through us. Are we open to that?
The Empowering Spirit – Luke 4:14-21
Many of us may carry a bias or misunderstanding when it comes to the work of the Spirit. We can be excited, cautious, or curious, but regardless of our comfort level, the ministry of Jesus is energized the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus ministry, we are invited into a holy collaboration with the Holy Spirit for the sake of the world.
Friendship with the Spirit– John 14:15-21,15:13-15
It is easy to believe that “Things would be so much easier if I had been there when Jesus walked the Earth”. While that is an understandable sentiment, it misses what Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit.; through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, all who call upon the name of Jesus can develop a deep friendship with God.
The Water and the Wilderness – Mark 1:9-13
In this world, we are bombarded with voices that tell us we are unworthy or undeserving. These voices are energized by shame, fear, and insecurity; making us feel like impostures everywhere we go. Against these voices is the voice of the Spirit, declaring that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have become children of God.
The Spirit and the Incarnation – Matthew 1:18-25
In the introduction of his biography of Jesus, the author Matthew, summarizes the Hebrew scriptures and suggests that the Jewish messiah has come. God is answering the Israelites' desperation, their primal cry for a Savior. A man empowered by the Holy Spirit who would not just save them from physical captivity but would save them from their sins, from this never ending cycle of human failure. This is Jesus’ goal as outlined by Matthew. He will be the giver of God’s definitive salvation.
In Kansas City – Jeremiah 29:4-14
Globalization, economic disparities, and the digital revolution have developed a growing sense of rootlessness, dislocation, and displacement; we are a restless people. Throughout the biblical narrative, the People of God have had many exilic experiences, but as the Prophet Jeremiah advises, our God can be found even when we are far from home.