Spark Cast

In the earliest years of our lives, we learn that part of being human means possessing deep longings. One of the deepest longings anyone can ever know is this longing for healing. The story of Jesus healing a bleeding woman is a story of healing and a restoring of her dignity as a daughter of Israel.

Throughout the Gospels, the prophet Elijah is a constant in the background. Who was this prophet? Why did he hold such a prominent place in the memory and culture in first-century Israel? And why did people compare Jesus to him?

The depth of meaning behind the term "logos" used to describe Jesus is vast. Philosophers used this term to describe a host of ideas from "order" to "divine force." The Hebrews had a similar concept in their literature to describe "wisdom" and the creative activity of their God. In Jesus, these two ideas come together and uplifts both our senses and our soul.

The gospel writers draw direct parallels between Jesus and Moses. These allusions lead us to consider the character, life, and legacy of Moses as part of what we are to think of and believe about Jesus. So, when we think of Moses, what do we think of? What is the storyline do we tell? Ancient sources give us clues as to the meaning and lessons the first-century believers understood in this compari...

At the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River the heavens open up and we hear declared, "This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased."

Each Gospel writer takes great strides to share who Jesus is. Luke traces Jesus' roots back to Adam, the son of God.

First, sparkers participate in a powerful demonstration of how the Spirit spoke to and through the first disciples, and disciples from all over the world ever since. Second, about fifty days after the first disciples witnessed the empty tomb, they gathered together for the Jewish Feast of Weeks. The Spirit of God empowered the disciples to share the good news with those who had traveled from many...

The New Testament tells of a world constantly in the shadow of Rome. The life and teachings of Jesus and the early church were a rigid dichotomy to a world defined by allegiance to the emperor, the empire, the power and supremacy of Rome. There are those today attempting to hijack Christianity as a prop in their pursuit of nationalism, supremacy and power. But the teachings of Jesus have already m...

Reading ancient texts to inform our present spirituality is a somewhat strange activity, at least according to modern sensibilities. As with many of our practices, there are excellent reasons to do this, but there are also many bad examples of misuse. How do we flourish in this tradition in powerful and transformative ways without misuse, misapplication, exploitation, or even abuse at the hands of...

Paul concludes his letter with a bold appeal to his Jewish and Gentile readers that belonging to Jesus means belonging to each other, which means sacrificing ourselves for the good of the other, with our money, time, and effort.

The Roman Empire believed it was living in a time of peace, something they called Pax Romana. But Paul and the followers of Jesus knew differently. They knew the Roman sword was not idle. And yet, Paul encouraged the Jews and the Gentiles to be a people of love and demonstrate to Rome a peace that passes all understanding.

In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul instructs the community of believers on how to offer up themselves as living sacrifices, and these instructions are not for the faint of heart. Loving our enemies is a very difficult command, to say the least.

Paul's beautiful exhortation in Romans 12 is to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices, set apart for God's perfect will.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Palm Sunday is also Lamb Selection Day. Matthew 21 is full of symbolism and the crowds are missing it and we are missing it too. Jesus is the Lamb, the once and for all lamb, the rejected and lovesick lamb who comes to wash away, not just some people's sin, not just some people's wrongdoing, but is here for all of us.

Romans 8 brings the stakes of Jewish and Gentile harmony to a head. Paul reveals that the destiny of humanity and its habitat have always been intertwined. God has made a covenant with us that includes promises to the earth, and God’s Spirit has enlisted us as one united humanity to fulfill those promises. God will be faithful to the covenant. Will we?

Our annual "State of Spark" update for our congregation including program, vision, and financial updates.

Twice in chapter six Paul exhorts the Romans to no longer continue sinning. He even uses an exasperated expression, "Heaven Forbid!" In addition to the spiritual teaching that we should do the right thing, there appears to be another layer, a deeper undercurrent in the teaching. Some appear to be arguing for a kind of "theological calculus." If sinning increases grace, then sinning must therefore...

Paul paints a sharp contrast between two paradigmatic humans: Adam - with whom the story of humanity begins, and Jesus - with whom it ends. To be human, whether Jew or Gentile, is to share in Adam’s fate, consequences, and actions. And now, to be in Jesus is to share in his.

Religious identity markers (a.k.a. "tribal" identifiers) are not what is credited as righteousness. What matters is faithfulness to core behavioral values. Abraham is the primal example of this principle, why he is the father of our faith.

In Romans 1 and 2, Paul illustrates in great detail that the entire world is woefully short of God's design. All of us are in desperate need of rescue. So, Paul launches into the Good News. God has a covenantal answer to this problem. Jesus.

Paul exhorts the Gentile and Jewish believers in Rome as to how they should live, arguing that even the Gentiles who lack the Torah, have God's law written on their hearts. What does it mean to follow God and does it matter how we live?

In this second and "final" teaching of the Letter to the Romans we explore what Paul was arguing throughout the beginning and middle by understanding the end game. As we progress through the series we hope that some of the key verses, themes, and even "hard" passages become better understood in light of the "end," the grand vision of "peace."