Speaker: Lorissa Medrano
This Sunday we kick off our series in the book of John. To start our series Pastor Lorissa discussed the transformation of John’s life as a result of his life-long relationship with Jesus.
Today’s Scriptures: John 20-21, 1 John 1
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Speaker: Vince Medrano
As a community of faith we aspire to follow, love and serve. It’s a vision grounded in the Gospel narratives. In all four Gospel accounts Jesus invites people to follow Him, to love God and people, and to live as servants of all. It’s Family Sunday and we’ll be focusing on Serving Well.
Today’s Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 4:5-7
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Speakers: Lorissa and Vince Medrano
As a community of faith we aspire to follow, love and serve. It’s a vision grounded in the Gospel narratives. In all four Gospel accounts Jesus invites people to follow Him, to love God and people, and to live as servants of all. This Sunday we take time to visit our pursuit of this vision.
Today’s Scriptures: Matthew 16:23-24, Mark 12:28-31, Mark 10:42-45
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Speaker: Vince Medrano
Why did Jonah run? The bewildering statement from Jonah to the Lord is that he fled from the Lord because he knew how God would respond to the repentance of Nineveh. Jonah is a prophet and is not ignorant to the ways of the Lord. We would think that this would cause him to run at the opportunity to be a part of the scene that takes place in Nineveh but it’s the opposite for Jonah. His knowledge of God causes him to run from God. The good news is that God doesn’t stop pursuing his wayward prophet.
Today’s Scriptures: Jonah 4
Psalm 139: Who Do We Get to Hate?
Throughout our stay in the book of Jonah we have also been reading Psalm 139 as a community. The end of Psalm 139 can feel problematic for us. Check out this article that offers observations that might help us navigate this tough portion of Scripture.
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Speaker: Lorissa Medrano
The sea was a scary and dangerous place in the minds of the original readers. Humans and even the gods of the ancient near east saw the ocean and it’s depths as a threat.
But the second chapter of Jonah shows a God who has complete power of the sea yet is in an epic battle over the heart of His prophet. Will this disobedient prophet make a change as he faces the depths of the oceans and his own death?
Today’s Scriptures: Jonah 2
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Speaker: Vince Medrano
The Book of Jonah is bigger than a story about a big fish. Its an expertly crafted book that as we navigate we’ll find our destination is our own reflection and examination.
Will we follow the way of this merciful and compassionate God who is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love? If we will then we must accept that this may lead us into spaces that we may initially want to run away from.
Today’s Scriptures: Jonah 1
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Speaker: Mark Slomka
Once you encounter Jesus you can’t travel back the same way you came.
Today’s Scriptures: Matthew 2:1-12
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Speaker: Lorissa Medrano
Living in the light means we love for our family. If we say we are in the light but hate our brothers and sisters then we are really living in darkness.
Today’s Scriptures: 1 John 2:8-11
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Speakers: Mark Slomka, Lorissa & Vince Medrano
Our Pastors each shared a reflection focusing on our Advent Theme: Light of the World.
Today’s Scriptures: John 1:1-5, Matthew 4:16, Revelation 21:22-27
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Speaker: Serene Neddenriep
Today’s Scripture: Luke 1:76-79
“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
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Speaker: Vince Medrano
Jesus is the Light of the World. In contrast to walking in darkness, in Him we have hope for where we are being led. Even when tragedy strikes, or when life is uncertain, we know that by following the Light of the world we are being led to life. But we don’t treat Jesus as a means to an end. He’s not merely One that gets us from point A to point B, by following Him we learn to move like Him as we journey.
Today’s Scripture: John 8:12
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Listen to David Crowder Band’s Illuminate album: YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify
If you would like to join us in worshiping the Lord through financial giving to the ministries of Faith Community please click here.
Speaker: Lorissa and Vince Medrano
On this Family Sunday at Faith and week 1 of the Advent calendar we celebrate the Light of the World. When we look at the world around us and wherever we see darkness, pain and turmoil we know that God’s light is breaking into that darkness.
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Speaker: Mark Slomka
As we finish our reflections on Esther we look at some takeaways from this book that will help us navigate our lives today…
Spiritual Practices:
Today we studied Sabbath. For more info on Sabbath, listen to a interview with Pastor AJ Swoboda, author of Subversive Sabbath here.
7th Day Rest. Listen to a 5 part series from the Bible Project on Sabbath.
If you would like to join us in worshiping the Lord through financial giving to the ministries of Faith Community please click here.
Speaker: Rose Males
What we take note of about Esther is how true she stayed to God’s leading in her life. In the face of overwhelming obstacles and her own life being in danger Esther didn’t waiver from her purpose.
Spiritual Practices:
Today we studied Sabbath. For more info on Sabbath, listen to a interview with Pastor AJ Swoboda, author of Subversive Sabbath here.
7th Day Rest. Listen to a 5 part series from the Bible Project on Sabbath.
If you would like to join us in worshiping the Lord through financial giving to the ministries of Faith Community please click here.
Speaker: Lorissa Medrano
There is One who sees what we can’t see and knows what we can’t know. So, when we fear the unknown of the future we can be assured that God works in our deepest places of darkness.
If you would like to join us in worshiping the Lord through financial giving to the ministries of Faith Community please click here.
Speaker: Vince Medrano
There is significance in lament. We lament because our hearts are not callous to tragedy. We’re aware of tragedy and feel the weight of it. This is what Jesus shows us in the incarnation. He is intimately aware of the tragedy we face. So as followers of Jesus, we won’t rush past tragedy but we’ll cry out in it. Our spirit will cry out to God’s Spirit: things are broken, Your people are overwhelmed, the world is not how it should be.
The movement of peace needs to embrace mourning. Mourning causes an awareness of a world of suffering that is beyond our own experience. We’re mindful of how others are walking through suffering.
Speaker: Lorissa Medrano
We continue our series in the book of Esther. In chapter 3 we reach the point of the story when all hope seems lost, and evil seems sure to win. What do we do in these moments when God seems absent, and darkness seems all around us?
Speaker: Mark Slomka
In a book where God’s name is never mentioned, no miracle recorded, no prophecy given, or no prayer recited what are we to discover? In a book where Jews have names after the national gods and marry pagans while in morally compromising situations, what are we meant to think?! In fact there is nothing in chapter 2 and that is precisely why we need to learn the lessons God has for us from this chapter…
Speaker: Vince Medrano
The unique thing observed about the book of Esther is that God’s name is never mentioned yet we see God’s providence in the big picture of the story. We notice that the sum of all actions show a God who is active.
But we’ll notice that it’s a little harder to see God in the moments He’s not explicitly mentioned. It’s the same in our lives… we can look back over the course of 10 years and see the goodness of God, it’s harder to stop in the middle of a Thursday afternoon and discern God’s presence in that moment.
In this morning’s moment we’ll observe how man’s power, plans and perspective when used for self seeking pleasure will be shown as absurd.
Speaker: Vince Medrano
We conclude our stay in the Book of Ruth with a look at the theme of Redemption. The Bible introduces us to Kinsman-Redeemers: “The relative who restores or preserves the full community rights of disadvantaged family members.” And, the Book of Ruth provides one of the most unique and detailed pictures of the Kinsman-Redeemer in the every day life of God’s people. As we close out our series today, we’ll discuss: the role of the redeemer, the need for a redeemer, our pursuit of the redeemer and our participation in redemption.
