Church of the Open Door

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30 What does it really mean when Jesus says, “Come to me…and I will give you rest”?In this sermon from Matthew 11:28 –30, we explore Jesus’ invitation to exchange the heavy yokes we already carry—achievement, anxiety, politics, consumerism—for his gentle and life-giving way. Jesus doesn’t offer escape from the world’s pain, but a different way to live within it: marked by...

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30; 26-43 In Matthew 13, Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds shows us the reality of living in a mixed world. God sows good seed, yet evil is present—not because God has failed, but because an enemy is at work. Jesus teaches that in this “already but not yet” season, wheat and weeds grow together, and we are not called to judge who is good and who is evil. Only God s...

Join us as Pastor Jacob explores Jesus’ transfiguration in Matthew 17, where the disciples see the true glory of who Jesus has always been. Rather than becoming something new, Jesus unveils his divine reality, challenging the disciples’ assumptions. The sermon reflects on attention—what happens when something truly has our focus—and how sustained attention to Jesus reshapes us from the inside out....

This 3 p.m. Christmas Eve candlelight sermon from Pastor Dave Brickey reflects on the quiet, personal way hope arrives through the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2. As candlelight spreads through the room, we’re reminded that hope doesn’t come loudly or through power and control, but through self-giving love, servanthood, and the steady work of God’s people. The message speaks to those who feel exh...

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 In this fourth week of Advent, centered on love, this sermon reflects on Joseph’s story in Matthew 1:18 –25. Through Joseph, we see a picture of God’s love as a love that draws near—before it is understood, explained, or even believed. In moments of confusion and uncertainty, God’s love remains steady and present, anchoring us when clarity feels out of reach. The message...

How does God's faithfulness spark joy in us? Like Mary, we are a part of God's big story. And what does it look like to see the expansiveness of God's faithfulness in the moments of our lives and in the whole of our lives? In Luke 1:31 –56, we explore how God’s faithfulness sparks deep, resilient joy.

God brings costly peace to ordinary people who are willing to say, “Here I am.” Mary’s life in Nazareth was humble and unremarkable, marked by simple dreams of marriage, family, and faithfulness. Yet God’s entrance into her ordinary story creates holy plot twists. Obscurity becomes holy—God delights in hidden places and chooses to begin redemption not in centers of power, but in forgotten spaces a...

Luke 1:5–25 tells of Zechariah and Elizabeth, a faithful but childless couple who have carried long-standing disappointment. While Zechariah is serving in the temple, the angel Gabriel announces that God has heard their prayers: Elizabeth will bear a son, John, who will be filled with the Spirit and prepare God’s people for the coming of the Lord. Zechariah struggles to believe such unexpected hop...

Christ the King Sunday is a bridge into Advent, emphasizing the surprising way Jesus enters history—not in royal power, but in humility and vulnerability. This contrast invites a posture shift: instead of adopting worldly ideas of strength and authority, disciples are called to embody the humble, servant-hearted posture of Jesus. The key question becomes: What is our posture within Jesus’ kingdom?...

Matthew 5:10 -12. These final beatitudes challenge the common expectation that following Jesus leads to an easier, trouble-free life. Jesus instead says that living His way may bring misunderstanding, insult, or persecution—and that this hardship is not a failure but a sign of faithfulness. The disciples likely expected blessing without suffering, just as many of us do. The sermon highlights how t...

In this beatitude, Mathew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers,” emphasizes that the Greek term for peacemaker combines eirēnē (peace) and poieō (to create). Peacemakers aren’t merely peacekeepers—they actively create peace as “little creators,” reflecting God’s image. Following Jesus means joining His core mission of reconciling all things, as described in Colossians 1:20 , where Jesus “makes p...

Our Novembering service is when we gather as a community to remember those who are no longer among us and, together, invite God into our places of loss and grief. The context for our remembering is the Communion Table: the flesh-and-blood God - who struggled, just like we do, as He faced into death and separation - who surrendered His will to the Father, became obedient unto death, and died in ord...

n his sermon on Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God,” Dave Brickey explains that Jesus’ words are not a call to moral perfection but an invitation to recover the original vision God intended for humanity. The heart of this beatitude is that purity begins not with striving but with beholding—seeing God clearly. When read “backwards,” starting with “seeing God,” the ve...

Scripture: Matthew 5:4 Join us for a discussion of Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy". When Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful,” He wasn’t talking about weakness—He was announcing a new kind of strength. In a world that cancels and condemns, Jesus invites us into a kingdom built on mercy—where compassion restores what judgment destroys. Mercy tells t...

This sermon explores Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” – through a deeply personal and spiritually reflective lens, integrating practices like Lectio Divina to engage the scripture more fully. Kati and Dave reframe the word "blessed", and how Jesus’s use of it flips expectations – blessing is not tied to worldly success or...

Blessed are the Meek - Matthew 5:5 In the October 5, 2025 message titled "The Calm Beyond the Chaos", Pastor Dave Brickey explores Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek”. He reflects on how meekness is misunderstood in today’s culture and redefines it through the lens of Jesus’ teaching—as strength under control, rooted in trust and humility before God. We're encouraged as believers to...

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-2 & 4 Join us as Dave Johnson delves into the Beatitudes again, referencing the last two times we as a Church went through them (1987 and 2007). Such a gift to hear Dave preach on Matt. 5:1-2, Jesus's introduction to the sermon on the mount, and Matt. 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted".

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-2 & 3 Join us as Dave Brickey preaches on Matthew 5:1-3, launching our new series on The Beatitudes — a key part of our church’s story and the journey God is leading us on today. We’re also kicking off Freedom ’27 — a new initiative to open our hearts wider and let God’s goodness impact our community and beyond. Join us as we step into this next season together with open...

Scripture: James 5:3-20 Join us as Dave Brickey and Kati Beasley end our walk through James (James 5:13 -20) with authentic prayer, faith, love, and God’s presence. A steady reminder that when the world feels scattered and noisy, Jesus gathers us and makes us whole. This is why we join in the ancient practice of gathering every week. It’s not out of habit or duty, but because we need a rhythm that...

Scripture: James 5:7-12 Join us as Dave teaches on James 5:7-12, calling believers to live in solidarity and patient perseverance as they await Christ’s return. Using the metaphor of a farmer waiting for rain, James encourages patience, standing firm, and avoiding grumbling or division. The sermon highlights examples from Scripture like Job, the prophets, and Hebrews 11’s heroes of faith, showing...

Scripture:James 4:13-17; 5:1-6 Join us as Tom discusses how James 4:13 -17 and 5:1-6 give a wake-up call to all who embrace views of time, future, wealth and power that ignore God’s design.

Scripture: James 3 and 4 Join us as Brittany dives into James 3:13 - 4:12 .

Scripture: James 3;1-12 Join us as Tom Johnson discusses James 3:1-12, and how how we live matters in three main ways: 1. Live in a way where our words match our deeds. 2. Be careful with words. 3. Discern what's true.

Scripture: James 2:14-26 Join us as Dave continues in the study of James, James 2:14 -16, discussing the tension between faith and works, grace through faith, and how this same struggle is alive today.

Scripture: James 2:1-13 Join us as Dave Brickey discusses James 2:1-13, and how James is calling us to freedom, freedom from vampire Christianity, Christianity that claims to have life in Jesus, but is still feeding of others to find value.