Spark Cast

We continue in our conversational format, discussing the parable of the Fig Tree, Mustard Seed, and Yeast. Rather than blaming "sin" for the bad things that happen, the teachings of Jesus look to a hopeful imagination of what could be, and nurtures and nourishes that growth in each of us.

What are the threads that are pulled through the "sign of Jonah," the "good eye" and the exhortation of the Pharisees? In this conversation we tease out several possibilities and options.

Pastors Kevin, Danielle, and Omair discuss various elements of Luke, chapter 11. Through various perspectives, we see once again the radical and revolutionary message of Jesus, and discuss the various difficulties and challenges that emerge when faced with his teachings.

This week we discuss chapter 10 of Luke, the sending of the seventy, and the Good Samaritan. We discover yet again, the amazing commission of love, as an extension of God's story and work throughout history, and a radical revolution for how to even think about the command to love in the first place.

We are struck, yet again, with a difficult, but profound teaching of Jesus to "take up your cross." Set in the original historical context of crucifixion, this command of Jesus is as powerfully transformative as it is convicting.

John the Baptist back from the dead? Elijah returned? Another prophet from long ago? Jesus’ followers, critics, and everyone in between tried to connect (or disconnect) who Jesus was with who they expected the Messiah to be. People had all kinds of hopes in the triumphal––sometimes literal––return of some of these famous figures of Israel’s past to usher in the unending era of God’s reign. Where d...

Apart from the miracle of the resurrection, the feeding of the 5,000 is the only other miracle told in all four Gospel accounts. What made this miracle so significant in the minds of the Gospel writers that everyone made certain it would be told and retold for generations? And what does this miracle teach us today about Jesus and ourselves?

The last words spoken on the cross, "It is finished," holds an ironic poetry, in that this is exactly what everyone thought. The movement of Jesus, the hopes and expectations of the people, they were all done. Crucifixion spoke the last word, and the burial was the end of the movement. Except, in Jesus, there is always another Word that comes after the last word.

In Luke 9, Jesus' commission to his disciples to "take nothing with you," has significant implications for the ministry they were to accomplish and is a model for us to consider today.

While we conclude this series, we persist in our commitment to question asking as a means of pursuing the deepest wisdom of God's world.

Spark teachers converse on the personal, biblical, and spiritual aspects of "mission" "evangelism" and "the good news" of Jesus.

With testimony and passion, we discover how church encompasses both personal, public, private, and communal meaning as we together gather to advance the goodness of God here on earth as it is in heaven.

In addition considering the logical pathways of science and theology, we will embrace the story of the biblical narrative and the answers it provides.

[Our apologies for the poor audio quality.] This week, Pastor Kevin, Pastor Omair, and Siddhi Sundar were live for an interactive, personal, and insightful conversation on pluralism, conversions, evangelism, and Jesus.

More than just curiosity, this question invites us to personal compassion, dignified care, and systemic evaluation in accordance with the Way and ethics of Jesus.

This question invites us to seriously consider the place of gender in our faith tradition in referring God. This question speaks, not just to the nature of God, but to ourselves as well, and we would do well to consider carefully our language, our metaphors, and our concepts of the divine.

In this talk, we are guided through this question taking into consideration the roll this question plays in our spiritual lives, and the faith to which we adhere.

Underlying this big question are additional questions that address how we frame, think about, view, and read this sacred text. Through this talk, we get a refreshed understanding of scripture's brilliance, beauty, and power for our life and faith.

In this talk, five members of Spark's teaching team share their reflections, thoughts, and encouragements to this the question of why life is so hard.

This week, Pastors Danielle and Kevin were live with the Spark community to introduce this teaching series that will encourage us to embrace every question and every curiosity so as to achieve a meaningful and powerful faith.

This week, Pastors Danielle and Kevin were live with the Spark community to share some reflections on the past year as well as some perspectives for the future.

We begin at the beginning, and tease out the motif of darkness in the Bible. Through understanding the metaphor and meaning of darkness in the scriptures, we will see how Jesus, once again, upends the story to bring salvation, light, and hope to all parts of this world.

The birth of Jesus is a "solution" to a "problem." That problem is called in the story, "sin," can be best understood through carefully considering the solution of a baby born to be King.

The spiritual practice of waiting is a frequently unwanted discipline of hope. Yet, it is in the waiting that we discover the depths of our faith.

During this season, our Christmas story reminds us that dark times have come before, and the light of hope continues to shine brighter still.