Spark Cast

During a period when “all the people did what was right in their own eyes,” a story about loving kindness and redemption is told that points to a coming King. Through the book of Ruth, we can understand God’s love, even in seasons of famine. He sees us. He cares for us. He works through us.

If you've only heard snippets of stories from the book of Judges or if this is the first time you've read the book, sit tight, friends. This is going to be a bumpy ride. The book of Judges is filled with repetitive cycles of disobedience, violence, oppression, deliverance, back to disobedience again. Joshua has died and the people are living amongst the Canaanites in the Land and things are gettin...

Joshua is a story of conquest, the Promised Land, and ... violence!? How shall we understand these portions of the Bible?

The word "Deuteronomy" means a "second law." One of the features of this book is the repeating of stories, teachings, commandments, and exhortations from the previous four books. In addition, over fifteen times in Deuteronomy, we are told to remember. This repetition is by design, and has a profound purpose and meaning. The God of Israel is advancing his covenantal love and connection with God's p...

Leviticus shaped the community of ancient Israel as they sought to draw near to God and longed for God to draw near to them.

For 2000 years, a miraculous, unanticipated story of resurrection after death has been passed down, from generation to generation. This story of Jesus' victory over death changes us into resurrection people, a people who can look at the darkest moments and believe in hope and life.

Each time we come to a festival, there are themes, terms, symbols, and feelings that are deeply familiar. The revolution of Jesus is that while some elements resonate, the past interpretations and understandings are dissonant with what Jesus was advancing. Our challenge is to ensure we're in the same "key" as Jesus, to listen carefully to how our lives resonate, not with our own understandings, bu...

Fleeing the tyrannical dictatorship of Egypt, the Israelites voluntarily enter into a covenant with God to create a new nation, different from everything the world had ever known. In Egypt, like in many nations, power was concentrated into the hands of the few while the many were enslaved. But God calls us to embody a wholly different world, shaped by philosophical, political, theological and lega...

We continue our journey through the book of Exodus as the Israelites have passed through the Reed Sea and traveled through the wilderness to reach Sinai. God calls Moses up on to the mountain, the people of Israel gather at the base, and God speaks. The giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai defines the people of Israel from this point forward and these instructions are still with us today. How did the...

Pharaoh finally relents and allows the Israelites to leave Egypt ... but regrets his choice immediately. Caught between the pursuing Egyptian army and a sea before them, the Israelites experience God as King and ruler over all.

Exodus presents us with the first head-to-head showdown between an oppressive empire and God’s people. Stopping Pharaoh and the evil forces behind him is hard, hardening, and costly. “There was blood everywhere.” This brutal confrontation culminates in Israel’s birth, which also gives birth to “redemption,” “salvation,” and “Passover” – themes that find their fulfillment in Jesus.

As we continue our exploration of the Hebrew Scriptures in Exodus, we will be challenged to set aside the cultural programming of the images, movies, and assumptions about Moses, Pharaoh, the parting waters, and the 10 commandments. An often overlooked major theme found in the minor characters and elements of the story reveal a revolutionary strategy of how the way of establishing justice is often...

We conclude our journey through the book of Genesis with the story of Josep, a story of family, forgiveness and survival.

If you grew up attending church, there is a good chance that you might have sung the song “Father Abraham” and learned that he had many sons. Yet, as we continue through Genesis, we see God’s faithfulness to and work through women who are the mothers of Israel: Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. Rebekah, a woman who was called by God from her mother’s house (Beit Im), and loved, teaches us to consid...

This event was a book release event for Dr. Jemar Tisby's new picture book for kids, I Am the Spirit of Justice, and chapter book for tweens and teens, Stories of the Spirit of Justice! For more information, please visit https://www.spark.church/jemar-tisby-spirit-of-justice-youth

This event was a book release event for Dr. Jemar Tisby's new picture book for kids, I Am the Spirit of Justice, and chapter book for tweens and teens, Stories of the Spirit of Justice! For more information, please visit https://www.spark.church/jemar-tisby-spirit-of-justice-youth

This event was a book release event for Dr. Jemar Tisby's new picture book for kids, I Am the Spirit of Justice, and chapter book for tweens and teens, Stories of the Spirit of Justice! For more information, please visit https://www.spark.church/jemar-tisby-spirit-of-justice-youth

As we continue our Grand Narrative, we will take a look at the world as we know it today, far away from the Edenic garden God created, in a world with murder, evil, floods and yet, still hope. If you're feeling a bit unmoored and anxious these days, there is beauty and hope in community together.

As we continue our study of the creation narrative in Genesis, we hear of a garden, of a human formed from the earth, of some animals in search of a name, and of something that is "not good." In this message we discover anew how this beautiful story speaks life and meaning to us today.

Spark Church is diving into the Bible in 2025! From Garden to Garden, we are launching into a chronological journey through our Grand Narrative for the entire year, from Genesis to Revelation! This talk lays the foundation for our year-long study together!