Awaken Community

Pastor Weylin looks at the importance of self-care through change and transition by assessing three different areas of application - embodied care, psychological care, and soul care.

Awaken begins a new sermon series on Psalm 23 and Pastor Weylin Lee begins by pointing us to the ways that God is a shepherd, protective, guiding, and sustaining. How does this image of God help us in the moment we are in as a community?

Pastor Jenna discusses Genesis 26:17-25 where God tells Isaac to stay in the land. Isaac chooses to re-dig the wells that Abraham had dug, which sheds light on what it means for the Awaken Community to continue the work that has already been laid before us.

Pastor Jenna points us to Exodus 15:22-27 when the people of Israel find themselves on the heels of the exodus out of Egypt only to find bitter water on the other side. How do we keep our feet planted as a community in the midst of uncertainties about the future?

In what is likely the last church service to be held at First Covenant Minneapolis, Pastor Micah gives his last sermon to Awaken.

Pastor Micah discusses 2 Tim 4:1-5, a moment where the apostle Paul is nearing the end of his life. As Paul gave his last will and testament to Timothy, Micah shares what he hopes Awaken will remember as we make this pastoral transition.

In Pastor Micah's final three weeks as our lead pastor, he shares what is dearest to his heart as we make our transition into this next season of Awaken.

Cathy Solomon leads an embodiment practice and discusses how God uses creation and its history to speak to us.

Halle Groves and Vanessa Lucius discuss the ways in which God meets us through the beauty of creation and everyday moments.

Pastor Micah discusses how service and action are pathways by which God can speak to us and to those we are proximate to.

Pastor Micah closes out the series by looking at Joshua 1:1-9. After the death of Moses there is a promise that the Lord will be with the people as they go forward into a new land with new leadership.

Pastor Micah explores the transition from King David to King Solomon in 1 Chronicles. In this moment, David offers a blessing to the people, a reminder of the past and all that God has walked through with them, and a call for eyes to see the sacred future still ahead.

Pastor Micah looks at the final moments of Elijah's life in 2 Kings, and a pivotal moment of transition for God's people. In this moment, Elisha is invited to step over the threshold, to engage with what the Spirit of God is doing, and to be an active participant in the work to come and in the role they have to play.

Pastor Micah explores the story of Naomi in the book of Ruth as Naomi laments all that she has lost and grieves the life she returns to Bethlehem with. Yet, in the midst of her grief, a sacred story is being played out through Ruth's life, Naomi just can't see it. Similarly, as we approach various transitions as a community, do we have eyes to see the sacred story of the Divine all around us? What...

This week we begin a new series focussing on moments throughout scripture of significant transition. Pastor Micah start our series by looking at the instructions and encouragements that Jesus gives to his disciples in the final chapters of Mark's gospel: Love one another, remain in me, and take heart.

Pastor Micah finishes our series going Beyond the Map by looking at Acts 10 and the story of Peter and Cornelius. In this encounter, Peter is directly confronted with the definition he has been given of what it means to follow God, and called to walk beyond it into a new, more inclusive, definition.

We welcome Benny Roberts, Executive Director of Halle Q. Brown Community Center, to share with us today. Benny speaks on Romans 12 and Paul's comments that, in light of all that God has given to be in relationship with us, giving all that we are in-kind is simply the most reasonable course of action.

Guest Speaker Tom Albinson joins Awaken to discuss Acts 18:1-3, when the Apostle Paul visits one of the Jewish people that were forced to leave Rome. Tom shares stories from his work assisting refugees and invites us to consider how the greatest commandment can help us stay rooted in the work of seeing those displaced persons around us and abroad as our beloved neighbors.

Pastor Micah observes Acts 4:32-5:11 when Ananias and Sapphira drop dead for withholding resources from the community. He explores some of the reasons we might hold ourselves back from participating fully and vulnerably in sacred community.

Pastor Micah continues an exploration of Acts by looking at a moment where Peter and John face imprisonment for healing a man at the temple. How might our perception of power and authority shift when we consider how Jesus and his followers interact with the leaders in the temple?

Awaken begins a new series called "Beyond the Map" where we will explore places in scripture where the Spirit seems to be leading the followers of Jesus outside their categories for understanding God into a more expansive way of thinking and behaving. Pastor Micah starts with Pentecost Sunday and Luke's reworking of old stories in a new context.

Pastor Micah discusses the another aspect of faith that can be helpful along the journey; the practice of being WITH Jesus. In Mark 3:7-14, Jesus calls his disciples to “be with him” and THEN he sends them out. How do each of us uniquely experience the divine? Micah invites us into a practice of being present with God in whatever ways are most accessible to us.

Pastor Micah explores Luke 24:13-35 and the moment the disciples become aware of Jesus presence in their midst. They are made aware because of their lived experiences with an embodied Jesus, not because they had all the right answers about God. This is the life of faith - taking one next right step, in community, leaning on our past experiences, in the hope that healing and incarnation will draw c...

Guest speaker Stephanie Spencer visits Awaken again to discuss the concept of justice by looking at a plumb line and how it is used in tandem with a measuring line and a cornerstone to build structures in the ancient world. How do these simple building tools help us understand what it looks like to reconstruct our spiritual lives?

Pastor Micah discusses the parable of the mustard seed and the fact that this particular plant was considered a weed. How might this context change the way we view the journey of faith...and weeds.