God with us in the Desert Wilderness. Worship: February 26, 2023

Photo by Aimee Munson, 2022. Dinosaur Provincial Park. Alberta, Canada

Over the next forty days we journey in the Holy Spirt. Like the ancient ones we pray for the renewal that only God can bring. Psalm 103 says, “The Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Rising from the dust we see our Salvation, Jesus, the Son of the Living God stands in the desert wilderness with us.   Into this wilderness, God sends His Son who is faithful to us ---even to death on the cross.  This great news can be cherished even as we pass through the desert wilderness. Christ Jesus fought victoriously for us, and now there is glory before us, as Christ leads us home to the promise of the Father.

Clothed in Glory, Wrapped in a Robe of Light. Worship: February 19, 2023

“He is clothed in majesty and glory, he is wrapped in a robe of light.” These are beautiful images that begin Psalm 104. On the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus showed his disciples that these words are more than good poetry. They are who God is in eternity. Jesus showed them a glimpse of this reality. As we follow the life of Jesus, we have come to a mountaintop. Like his first disciples we have followed this amazing man as he began to reveal himself to those who were increasingly curious about where all this was leading. Here Jesus shows us His glory in all its splendor and light. As we look out at where God will now lead us we must hold onto this vision of light and goodness. As we descend, the valley below our faith must actively remember who God is, and what He has done. Jesus has shown us God can lead us and assure us that he is pure, holy and good, now and forever.

The Light of God’s Love Grows. Worship: February 12, 2023

God’s love makes us grow in spirit and faith. As with light itself, when we are in God’s love we grow. As the day light grows longer we are encouraged about what will come. In his parable about a man planting seed Jesus teaches his disciples about the dramatic difference even just a ray of God’s love can make.

This Audio Service is a Repost from 2/14/2022.

When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery they could never have imagined what God was going to create by their misdeed. God is consistently creative. His goodness and love is a powerful recipe for surprise. God sees our circumstance differently then we do. Jesus teaches, “Love your enemies.” He is confident that love is creative. His love has even created a way for our life to be eternal. We celebrate our Creative God.

Salt and Light, February 5 Worship

image: istock photo

Jesus speaks of salt and light. He wants to inspire us to honor the Almighty Creator in ways that are like these elegant and essential things. Jesus draws close to us and guides us with the insight of his own spirit and character.

Blessed are You. Worship: January 29, 2023

The Beatitudes by Jen Norton

Jesus said a lot of amazing things, but in the speaking of what we call the Beatitudes he almost seems deliberate in wanting to surprise us. He is trying to tell us that God’s love and compassion for us is so deep that he will bless us even in the most unexpected situations. May God so bless us with discerning hearts of wisdom to be able to see that we are truly blessed in infinite and eternal ways by God above all else.

The Light Enters In. Worship: January 22, 2023

Jesus walked north to Galilee and did many things. There he wanted to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, that light would shine on those living in darkness. Jesus called four fishermen to be His first disciples. Jesus healed “every disease and sickness among the people.”  Jesus was beginning what God is doing now today, caring for us, in the infinite and eternal ways of God.

The Light Revealed. Worship: January 15, 2023

The light of Christ expands throughout the Epiphany season as God reveals the many ways in which His joyous light of glory has come among us. His light illuminates even the darkest of days and ultimately guides the way to eternal light. As we gather for worship, we celebrate that we are children of the light in eternal and infinite ways.

Repost from January 16, 2022

Jesus was invited to a wedding and there he turned water into wine. It was the first of his many miracles. Through that moment we see that God has this incredible ability to turn one thing into another. He can turn bread and wine into His body and blood. He can turn a bad day into a good day. He can turn a hopeless situation into one in which we are blessed. It is our privilege to invite Him into our moments. As Psalm 65 says, “Your miracles and wonders inspire songs of joy.”

The Light of Life. Epiphany Worship: January 8, 2023

Our celebration of Christmas now turns into Epiphany when the Magi followed a star that led them to Bethlehem. There they found the Christ Child, Jesus, and worshiped Him as King.

As we consider the mystery of just how that guiding light might have worked, we can celebrate that God has arrived in our midst to guide us. He is a real guiding light. Wise men and women still seek Him because the True Light that enlightens all things has come!

This weeks audio service is a repost from January 9, 2022

God Sweeps into History. Worship: January 1, 2023

Jesus was born into the real world that we live in. The new born Prince of Peace was already changing the course of history. As King Herod was determined to destroy this new threat, Joseph and Mary were warned to escape to the safety of Egypt. This is what we celebrate: that God has come to prove his righteousness and love in the reality of the world we live in. He is why we are forever confident that goodness and truth win out.

This Audio service is a rebroadcast from 1/2/2022

Young King Solomon prayed for the gift of wisdom and God gave him a wise and discerning heart. When Jesus was twelve he wandered into the great temple in Jerusalem and astonished the smartest teachers with his wisdom and understanding. We pray that God bless us with His eternal and practical wisdom in this New Year.

Christmas Day Worship: December 25, 2022

Christmas might bring new gifts and new strength to relationships with family and friends. Christmas creates a point of connection to all the gifts Almighty God has for us. Today in our Christmas worship we connect the manger at Bethlehem to the empty tomb at Jerusalem as we ponder the meaning of this miracle child being the eternal Savior King. The whole story of our salvation in Jesus is packed into this one day. It is as if someone gave you a gift in a great big box and every time you pull something out of the box you see that there is even more down there in the bottom. There is such great reason for joy in Jesus. Christmas reminds us that we have an eternity of gifts and blessings to look forward to because of the Christ Child born this sacred day.

repost from DecemBer 26, 2021

After waiting and waiting Simeon and Anna were blessed beyond measure.  There in the great temple their eyes beheld the salvation of God, the baby Jesus brought right to them. Seeing Jesus inspired in them a heartfelt song of thanks and praise to God.  One day we will see Jesus face to face, and even now we are in the presence of the sacred mystery: God is with us, our Emmanuel. God bless you with joy, thanks and peace.