The Law, Part 3: Blessings and Curses
August 4, 2020
Pastor Brian completes our study of the Mosaic Law by considering Moses' final words in Deuteronomy and the association of blessings and curses with the adherence to the law.
This is Us
July 27, 2020
Sabrina reflects on the time that the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness according to book of Numbers.
The Law, Part 2
July 27, 2020
Pastor Brian studies the worship system that is established in the Mosaic law with its tabernacle, priests, and sacrificial system, and considers why it is so important for us to participate in particular religious rituals even to this day.
The Law, Part 1: Holiness and Justice
July 12, 2020
Pastor Brian takes our first extended look at the commandments and legal guidelines of the Bible, beginning with passages in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that focus on justice and purity.
Enslaved in Egypt
June 25, 2020
Pastor Brian finishes looking at Job and spends time dwelling on the beginning of Exodus – specifically on the period of time when the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians and consider how this painful part of Israel's history played a tremendous role in shaping both their identity and their ethics.
The Scope of God’s Sovereignty
June 14, 2020
Pastor Brian finishes the book of Genesis and considers how the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was much bigger than any of them could imagine. He also examines how God uses dreams, pagan kings, and even evil plans to bring forth good purposes.
Wandering and Wrestling in Canaan
June 8, 2020
Pastor Brian closely examines the covenant God established with Israel, and how it set the parameters for a special relationship between God and the people of Israel, which sometimes involved God's comforting presence, sometimes involved God's silence, and sometimes involved wrestling with God.
God’s New Nation
June 2, 2020
Pastor Brian preaches from the stories of Abraham and Sarah. Although Abram and Sarai appear to wander aimlessly through the land, one can think of the characters in this story as representative of their "nations." Abram's movements around Canaan function as an introductory tour to the nations of the world to how God's nation operates differently. For example, rather than engaging in land grabbing or mercenary profiteering, the chosen people put their faith in God as protector and provider.
The Fall
May 17, 2020
Pastor Brian reflects on the tragic divide between God and Creation narrated in Genesis 3-11, which has become known as "the Fall" by Christian theologians.
Seeing the World as Good
May 12, 2020
The opening chapter of the Bible is so familiar to us in the modern era that we can easily overlook the profound claims that it makes. In this sermon, Pastor Brian explains how counter-intuitive it was and is for Genesis to proclaim that the world is orderly, purposeful, and good.
