thecrossing.church (Audio)

On the night before the cross, Jesus prayed for His first followers, and then He prayed for us. In this message from John 17, we explore Jesus’ prayer for unity and what it means to be one, just as the Father, Son, and Spirit are one. We take an honest look at how easily Christians can hurt and divide one another, and how that shapes what the world believes about Jesus. Jesus invites us into somet...

When trouble crashes into your life like a rogue wave out of nowhere, how do you hold on to faith? We explore John 16, as Jesus prepares His disciples for the cross with an honest promise: in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, because He has overcome the world. We explore how grief can turn to joy, why God’s joy becomes our strength, and what it looks like to bring raw, honest praye...

What does it look like to have a faith that lasts through every high and low of life? Join us as we walk through John 15 and Jesus’ surprising invitation to His followers: “I have called you friends.” Obedience to Jesus isn’t fear-based duty to a distant, demanding boss, but a loving response to a King who laid down His life for us and invites us into His inner circle. We’ll explore what it means...

On the night before going to the cross, Jesus makes a promise to His followers: “I will not leave you as orphans.” We are in John 14 and explore who the Holy Spirit is, not a vague force or a "thing", but a real Person Jesus calls “another advocate” just like Himself. We look at what it means that the Spirit comforts, teaches, defends, and makes His home in us, even when the mystery stretches our...

When Jesus told his worried disciples "I am the way and the truth and the life," He was offering the greatest hope in the middle of fear and confusion. As we open John 14, we look honestly at one of the most debated claims in the Bible, including questions about tolerance, other religions, and whether it is fair for Jesus to be the only way to the Father. Along the way, we explore first-century we...

Who else is worthy of our worship, our trust, and our lives? We continue in the Gospel of John, stepping into the upper room just after Judas leaves and we hear Jesus say, "Now the Son of Man is glorified." We explore what that powerful title means, from the prophet Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days to Jesus saying "I Am". At the cross, we see God's greatness and love on full display as Jesus...

We go behind the scenes of Jesus' final night with his disciples, where love and betrayal sit at the same table. We watch Jesus wash the feet of every person in the room, including Judas, a friend who has decided to betray Jesus. We wrestle with an honest question many of us carry: what makes betrayal hurt so deeply, and how did Jesus face it so directly? We also look at the quiet moments of decis...

Jesus. It's always Jesus. Join us for a big dose of vision as we trace the explosive growth of the early church through the book of Acts and see how the gospel spread like a chain reaction, one ordinary person inviting, loving, and pointing others toward Jesus. For thousands of years, the same Holy Spirit is still at work today. Wherever you are on your journey with Jesus, there is room here to ke...

What do you do when life gets so heavy that you run out of words to pray? In this message we explore Romans 8 and discover that the Holy Spirit steps into our weakness, carrying our groans and sighs when we cannot find the words ourselves. We unpack a simple, practical way to pray through the Spirit using the word PRAYER as a guide, so prayer becomes less about performance and more about presence....

Shame is part of the human experience, and it quietly keeps us from drawing closer to God. We look at the difference between guilt that says "I did something wrong" and shame that whispers "there is something wrong with me." Walking through the stories of David, Adam, and Eve, we see how hiding our sin only deepens our shame, and how God keeps calling out to us, "Where are you?" The good news is t...

What do you really believe God thinks about you when you're honest with yourself: distant, disappointed, or disgusted? We explore James 4 and unpack God's surprising invitation to "come near to God and He will come near to you." We'll see why closeness with God is less about a feeling and more about submitting to Him, standing firm, and drawing near with humility. Through honest talk about double-...

Have you ever longed for more? Has it felt like there are things in life that you're pursuing but they aren't fully satisfying? Join us as we explore the invitation Jesus gives to anyone whose soul is longing for more. Just like our bodies crave water when we're truly thirsty, our souls crave peace, purpose, and identity that temporary things can never fully satisfy. We look at the "broken wells"...

Acceptance can sound like weakness, but in God's Kingdom it is strength under surrender, the power to lay your life down instead of fighting for your own way. Jesus models what it looks like to say "not my will, but Yours be done" in the middle of overwhelming pain. We unpack three practical ways to practice radical acceptance this week: stop negotiating the non-negotiables, verbalize your surrend...

Exile. It's a biblical word that helps explain the feeling when things feel broken and all the headlines create anxiety. Join us as we open up Jeremiah 29 and we explore the story of God's people far from home and the surprising instructions God gave them: build houses, plant gardens, and seek the peace and prosperity of the very city that held them captive. We'll discover the rich meaning of the...

We're unpacking the surprising story of Jesus calling a hated tax collector named Matthew to follow Him. Along the way, we see how to read Scripture well, tracing Jesus's quote of Hosea 6:6 back to its Old Testament roots and uncovering a special Hebrew word that describes God's relentless, loving-kindness. We see a picture of a God who pursues us in our mess, even when we've been the ones who wal...

What does it really mean to call Jesus the Greatest of All Time? We look at John 13 and the night Jesus knelt down to wash his disciples' feet, revealing a God who is powerful and humble, personal and present. We explore how the one true God is nothing like the distant, demanding gods people have chased throughout history, because He kneels down and reaches out to us in grace. Join us as we examin...

We're in John 8, exploring the story of a woman caught in adultery, where Jesus refuses to join the angry mob and instead meets her brokenness with grace. If you have ever felt condemned by others, or piled shame on yourself over your past, this message is a reminder that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. We unpack what it means to "drop our stones" and live open-handed wit...

This special Fourth of July message explores the deeper meaning of freedom and how the words of Jesus offer a kind of freedom that goes far beyond politics or circumstances. Centered in John 8, we’re reminded that “when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed,” and that true freedom begins when we trust and surrender to Him. Through worship, stories of service, and moments of gratitude, we refl...

We live in a world filled with overwhelming headlines and personal struggles, so how do we hold on to hope when things feel hopeless? Jarrett Stevens is with us from Soul City Church in Chicago as we unpack Romans 15:13 and see that true hope doesn’t come from our circumstances, but from the unchanging character of God. As we learn to trust Him, He fills us with joy and peace so that our lives ove...

Baptism celebration weekend is one of our favorite times at The Crossing. Join us as we highlight hundreds of stories of life change through the ancient and meaningful act of baptism. From children to adults, each person stepping into the water is declaring their trust in Jesus and the freedom found in Him. Grounded in Scripture, we're reminded that salvation is a gift of grace, not something we e...

What if the most pivotal moment of your spiritual journey isn't about what you can do, but what has already been done for you? Join us as we look at how Jesus serves as the ultimate high priest, stepping behind the curtain to anchor our souls with a secure and steadfast hope. By comparing religious activity with the radical freedom of God's grace, we uncover the true meaning of the cross and the f...

Are you struggling with the hidden ache of isolation, feeling disconnected, or experiencing loneliness? Join us as we dive deep into the modern epidemic of loneliness and how tech-driven isolation impacts our mental and physical well-being. By looking at the raw, honest biblical accounts of figures like Moses, David, and Hagar, we see that feeling lonely does not mean you have been abandoned by Go...

How does the Christian faith engage wisely with artificial intelligence? Is technology a new idol or is it an advanced solution to humanity's greatest problems? Join us as we dive into the tension between fast-moving tech and our timeless faith, looking at the traps of "cognitive surrender" and modern-day tech solutionism. We'll see how the story of theTower of Babel relates to this conversation,...

Are you searching for certainty and stability in an increasingly uncertain world? Join us as we explore Jesus's famous sermon in Matthew 7 to uncover what it truly means to anchor our trust in God rather than ourselves. We discover that the battle of faith isn’t just about intellectual belief—it’s about daily surrender and putting Jesus's words into practice. Learn how shifting from independence t...

In a world filled with constant uncertainty and social media-fueled dread, many of us find ourselves struggling with anxiety and honest questions about faith. Today we explore how God provides a sure and steady anchor for the soul to keep us from drifting through life's storms. We unpack the ancient covenant ceremony in Genesis 15, we discover how God unconditionally bound Himself to His promises,...