Bridges Community Church Los Altos

When Jesus came to earth, it marked the beginning of a new kingdom. A kingdom where evil would be conquered, suffering would be eliminated, and people could live in unity with one another. This week, we’ll study the first advances of this new kingdom and the differences it made in the lives of those who experienced it.

Every journey has a beginning—a moment when we leave what was and step toward what’s next. Those moments are often filled with anticipation of where the path will lead us. This week, we will study the beginning of Jesus’ journey, where He is heading, and what we need in order to follow.

Many of us have heard the phrase, “speak the truth in love,” but what does it mean? And why does Paul in his letter to the Ephesians emphasize it as what we must do to grow spiritually? This week, we’ll study the critical role of speaking into one another’s lives, and the wondrous blessing that it is.

Whenever there is some type of national or global tragedy, where there is shock and grief, we want to point fingers, assign blame, and offer solutions. And some of this is, of course, appropriate. However, Scripture reveals that one of our first responsibilities to each other is to carry each other’s burdens. Carrying one another’s burdens is one of the greatest privileges we have as Jesus-followe...

When you think about a weekly gathering of the church, your image of a service will no doubt include music, most of which involves congregational singing. But why do we sing in church? Is it simply a long-standing tradition, or does Scripture give us direction on what our gathering time should look like (or better yet, sound like)? This week we will take a look at why singing together as a church...

Often, to get where we are going in life, we need some help. We need some counsel. And we definitely need correction. As it turns out, our spiritual development isn't that much different from any other type of progress. We need some help. We need some counsel. And we definitely need correction. One of the blessings of church is that God has built into the very structure of the organization the mea...

Have you ever noticed how uniquely adapted each animal seems to be to its particular environment and way of life? On land, a duck waddles along ungainly on its webbed feet, while in the water, it glides along smooth as glass. Or a rabbit can run with ease, using great bursts of speed, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one swimming laps. What's true of animals is also true of Christians. God has no...

There are certain advantages of in-person relationships that just cannot be attained any other way. While many of us only became acutely aware of the advantages we were missing during the pandemic, humans have been built to be physically present with one another from the beginning. This week we will study the need we have to be together and the blessing that comes when we are.

It’s common at this time of year to think about a fresh start – a new beginning or a restart in the new year. Yet because of past unkept resolutions, some might think, “Why bother?” This Sunday’s New Year’s Day message will focus on a fresh start that seemed unlikely, but played out 2,500 years ago, and the learning is still relevant today.

Christmas is when we celebrate the miracle of God coming to be with us--of God coming to be with humanity who has run away from Him and broken His world. But Christmas tells us more than God wants to be with us, it tells us that God wants to restore and redeem. This week, we will see God's desire to save even the most unlikely of places and amongst the most unlikely of people.

Many of us know how it feels not only to wait on God, but to wait on God for a long time to move in our lives. Believe it or not, this type of expectant waiting is a common experience among God’s people throughout the Scriptures. In fact, it is so common that the ancient scribes who arranged the order of the Old Testament books did so in a way that heightened the reader's expectation and longing f...

Throughout Scripture, we see God's heart to provide a wonderful home for humanity, and even though we often break the goodness that He creates, God is not deterred in His mission. He will provide a wonderful home for His children. This week, we will see how Jesus brings that home to us, and what it means for our future.

We don’t often think about it, but the theme of “exile” is one of the biggest themes in all of the Bible. And the reason why it is so helpful to consider the various Old Testament stories of Israel when they were in exile, taken from their homes and immersed into a new culture that was hostile to God and to their faith, is because it helps us to think about the question: How do I live out my Chris...

When the Israelites asked for a king, they were asking for more than a political leader. They were asking for peace and security from some source other than God. This week, we’ll look at the disappointments we will always encounter when searching for peace and security outside of God, and God’s surprising response to our rejection of Him. Unknown: Ephesians 5:15 through 21 look carefully. Then how...

This Thursday is Thanksgiving here in America. And while Thanksgiving is a day specifically dedicated to gratitude, the fact is that giving thanks each and every day ought to be a way of life for the people of God, not just a once-a-year occurrence. So, whether you’re in a season where giving thanks to God has been easy and consistent, or whether you’ve been finding that your “gratitude tank” has...

For many of us, reading about God’s wrath in the Old Testament is more than a little unsettling. It seems strange to us that a God of love could cause so much destruction, and we certainly don’t turn to those passages when we need to be comforted. But what if God intended those passages for our comfort? What if we have missed something important? What if those passages are meant to tell us about J...

The word justice is often heard in the wider culture today, but what does justice actually mean? The Bible consistently shows us that our God is a God of justice. And moreover, Scripture tells us that, at its core, justice means caring for and meeting the deepest needs of the vulnerable in our communities -- the poor, the widow, the fatherless, and the foreigner. And sadly, there may be no more vu...

If you are going to be able to avoid making an absolute mess of your life, the Bible repeatedly tells us that there is something absolutely essential you must have: Wisdom. Why does Scripture insist that possessing wisdom is more valuable than having intelligence, charisma, relationships, wealth, credentials, favorable life circumstances, or anything else we could desire (Prov. 3:13-15)? Where doe...

Many of us seek to connect with God, and some of us have even gone to great lengths to search for Him. Perhaps a pilgrimage. Perhaps a retreat or conference. Perhaps simply going to church. Counter to what we may believe, however, God is not elusive. He has, in fact, come to us. And in time, we will fully be with Him once again.

Many of us could remember (or guess) at least a few of the 10 Commandments. And many of us are often surprised by some of the other laws that God gave to Israel when we read the Old Testament. But as followers of Christ, how many of these laws apply to us? And why do we follow some and not others? This week, we study the reasons God gave the law to Israel, how they find their fulfillment in Christ...

The Passover. The Exodus. One of the most famous stories in the history of the world. God liberates His people from slavery and 400 years of oppression through a series of miraculous events. For some, it’s a story of God’s faithfulness. For others, it can be offensive or even egregious. But perhaps, more than anything else, it’s supposed to teach about the heart of God displayed through Jesus Chri...

You’re definitely not alone if you have ever read or heard an Old Testament passage taught, and then wondered something like, “Why is this crazy story even in the Bible?” or, “Why should we even bother with the Old Testament? What does it have to do with our lives today?” This week, we will begin a new sermon series entitled “Jesus in Every Genre,” and the point of the series is to search the Scri...

In this three part series, we define the mission and vision of Bridges Community Church. With everything we do, we strive to show: people matter, truth matters, and the Gospel is our only hope. Each of the three weeks will unpack more of how we will fulfill this vision, and Lord willing, change the world.

In this three part series, we define the mission and vision of Bridges Community Church. With everything we do, we strive to show: people matter, truth matters, and the Gospel is our only hope. Each of the three weeks will unpack more of how we will fulfill this vision, and Lord willing, change the world.

In this three-part series, we define the mission and vision of Bridges Community Church. In everything we do, we strive to show: people matter, truth matters, and the Gospel is our only hope. Each of the three weeks will unpack more of how we will fulfill this vision and, Lord willing, change the world.