Jesus' Parable: Images of the New World
The Story That Matters
June 20, 2021 • Dave Romoser
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables in response to the accusations of the religious leaders regarding how the fact that he enjoys being with and giving worth and value to the wrong kinds of people - "those" people. The parables are meant to make each of us wrestle with just how significantly different God feels and acts towards those who are "lost" - whether they recognize it or not. In the third parable, Jesus squarely frames the father as the tangible and prodigal display of love and grace that we so easily miss or ignore
Parables: Posture of Prayer
June 13, 2021 • Lindsey Apple
Whether prayers of persistence, belonging or humility, Jesus teaches us to ‘pray always and to not lose heart’. The Kingdom of God that is revealed in Luke 18 through the Parable of the Persistent Widow and The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is real and reliable, and therefore, we can have faith: the confidence to act as though the goodness anticipated in hope is trustworthy, reliable and persistent. NOTE: There were some audio issues at the beginning of the sermon, but those were resolved a few minutes in. We apologize for the inconvenience!
The Problem With Pearl Pushing
May 30, 2021 • Dave Romoser
In the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus strikes to the core of our human nature and the tendency to make judgements about who's in and who's out - to judge those who believe or behave differently convincing ourselves that they're the weeds and we're the wheat. Once again, Jesus flips the story and reveals just how dangerous and destructive that practice truly is.
Where Does My Trust Lie?
May 23, 2021 • Grant Romoser-Claunch
In Luke 16 Jesus gives two related parables: The Parable of the Shrewd Manager and the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. Both of these stories revolve around money, but are ultimately getting at something deeper: where we place our trust. Jesus is comparing and contrasting two different attitudes towards money because he understands the pull it has, and he uses this to invite us to examine and orient our lives around what should be the sole object of our trust: God and God's Kingdom.
In The Kingdom But Not Of The Kingdom
May 16, 2021 • Dave Romoser
Jesus continues in Matthew 13 with the theme of seeds and sowing as the most repeated and significant metaphors for understanding the nature of the Kingdom. Once again, in the simplicity of a parable, Jesus reveals deep and critical truths that, for many, pull the rug out from under the common perceptions of who's "in" and who's "out".
The Humility of Hearing
April 18, 2021 • Dave Romoser
Jesus, the master teacher, changes his approach to how he communicates his message about the kingdom of God without warning and begins to teach in parables. What is it that causes the shift and what's the first point he drives home as he tells a story about soil and seeds? The answer is very revealing about the nature of the kingdom.
The Faith Of Jesus & The Nature of the Kingdom
April 11, 2021 • Dave Romoser
Pastor Dave begins the series laying some ground work that reconciles the difference between having faith IN Jesus and having the faith OF Jesus, why both are necessary and why it matters in regards to the nature of the Kingdom of God