March 24, 2024 • Amanda Beggs • Ephesians 2:4–10, Matthew 26:19–29, 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, John 6:35
Rituals never fill us, but remembrance does. Remembrance brings our eyes back to Jesus. Sometimes we treat the table as ritual, yet it is remembrance that deepens our love for Jesus. Moments of remembrance are sacred moments. We walk away thankful, filled, and connected. At the table, we find grace for everything we need. We find the grace of nourishment, gratitude, and communion.
Spiritual Self-Control: Pushing Back The Enemy
March 17, 2024 • Dave D'Angelo • Psalm 23
Do you invite the enemy to your table? The devil looks for a seat at our table to distract us from God’s call on our lives and to turn us from God’s provision to our own provision. The devil feeds us lies, distracts, deceives, and devours us. With spiritual self-control, we can push the chair back so the devil can watch us eat the beautiful feast God provided for us. We must abandon all outcomes to God, giving Him our ultimate trust.
Interruption or Invitation?
March 10, 2024 • Scott Stevens • Luke 19:1–10, Deuteronomy 2:2–3
Are you knowingly or unknowingly wandering and or settled in a place that you were only meant to pass through? Are you willing to allow Jesus to interrupt your schedule? When we allow God to reset our schedule, what we think might be an interruption, might be an invitation for a breakthrough in our lives.
What Does Worship Cost You?
March 3, 2024 • John Reilly • Revelation 19:9, Luke 22:28–30, John 12:1–3, John 12:9–11, Psalm 23:5
Worship is more than just music. It’s a response to who God is. God calls us to worship with our time, relationships, attitudes, words, and resources. Our worship of God is determined by where we’re willing to sit and worship. God calls us to sit in the seat of gratitude, humility, and love so we can respond to His goodness. If our faith doesn’t cost us anything, it isn’t worth anything.
Resting in Him
February 25, 2024 • Dave D'Angelo • Mark 2:23–28, John 19:30, Matthew 11:28, Mark 3:6
What do you hold closely as part of your identity? Are you resting in your distinctiveness? Resting in the wrong place is actually no rest at all. When we rest in anything other than the gospel, we will always find ourselves weary, unsatisfied, and always on guard trying to protect our distinctiveness. Jesus wants us to put our striving aside, trust Him, and rest in Him alone.
Hungry for Mercy
February 18, 2024 • Dave D'Angelo • Matthew 9:9–13, Hebrews 12:1–2
As Americans, we are tempted to think of spiritual growth as progressing in familiarity. According to Jesus, spiritual growth is about progressing in humility. Jesus is calling us to humility and urges us to learn and grow in mercy. When our hearts stop giving mercy, we stop hearing His call. Giving and receiving mercy is found by fixing our eyes on Jesus. We must tend to our hearts, so we don’t miss His voice.
Fed and Filled
February 11, 2024 • Amanda Beggs • John 2:1–11, John 20:30–31, John 6:38–40, Mark 10:45, Matthew 26:26–29
What table do you love being around? Where do you look to be filled? Jesus offers us a seat at His table. It’s not a seat that we must earn, but one that is waiting for us. When we come to the table with Jesus, we are always fed and filled. When we allow Jesus to feed us specifically, we experience His provision in a whole new way. Jesus feeds with authority and invites us to exchange our performance for His provision. He fills us completely and abundantly. We are called to invite people in and give them a taste of the abundant life of Jesus.
Trading Expectations for Eternity
February 4, 2024 • John Reilly • Luke 8:14, Luke 1:1–4, Luke 10:38–42
Have you ever had an unmet expectation? This is usually caused by unrealistic or uncommunicated expectations. When we invite people over to our houses for a meal, we hope things will go a certain way. But an invitation to the table is not an invitation for others to be more like us. It’s an invitation to encounter Jesus. We can set the environment, but only prayer can set the atmosphere. Are we willing to be vulnerable and to shed our expectations so others can taste eternity by Jesus speaking through us?
Is it Worth the Risk?
January 28, 2024 • Dave D'Angelo • Romans 5:8, Luke 7:36–50
Throughout the series Around the Table: Jesus, Meals, and Ministry, we will be asking Jesus to challenge us to move more toward risk just as He did. Jesus describes His method of ministry as eating and drinking with people who needed to be reached. He ignored the risk and gathered with all sorts of people around the table to reach them. His church is called to do the same. Tables are places where healing happens and where anyone can belong. If we are going to allow God to cultivate a reaching heart, then we will be challenged to reset our tables and reset our hearts.
