City of Light Church Aurora

Father Trevor talks about the protocols we will be practicing so that we can gather together in person to worship the Lord and encourage one another while also caring for the physical health of our church and city, including those more vulnerable to illness. Father Trevor also talks about how our Disciple-making Groups are connected to Sunday Gatherings and how our Sunday Gatherings will be more b...

Acts 16:11-15 Our lives are shaped most not by momentous events or life-changing decisions, but by the daily rhythms that help us see that God is here or that obscure his presence in our lives. A 400 year old monk and cook named Brother Lawrence and Lydia the seller of purple from Acts 16 will help us practice the presence of the Lord in the ordinary moments of our lives. http://www.cityoflightang...

Practicing the Presence of God Through Prayer in the Morning Lamentations 3:17-27 God is here to bring a new day in Jesus. No matter what we are going through, where we are from, or what we have done, he promises his saving presence. His mercies are new every morning. http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/dios-esta-aqui-1

AUGUST 16: Rescuing the Prophet from the Pit (37:11-38:13) “They pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern.” SUMMARY: Fulfilling God’s call on our life includes setbacks and rejection. Sometimes good leaders are punished for their integrity. Yet because of God’s faithful character, working through his courageous people, he will vindicate his leaders and his message. DISCUSSION...

The Return of the Shepherd-King (33:12-26) “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.” SUMMARY: Jesus is a Shepherd-King after God’s heart, who has returned to fulfill all of the promises in Jeremiah. Under his rule, we can flourish and learn to lead in his way. DISCUSSION: What importance did the arrival...

God calls us to seek the long-term shalom of the people and places where we’d rather not be. Our exile is an opportunity to reject the short cuts promised by false prophets and contend for God’s purposes.

Our future in God is so good that we can anticipate it with joyful song and dance. Because of Jesus, our weeping will give way to joy.

Invest in God’s future! Even when things seem bleak, bank on his promises. At God’s command, buy the field and plant a garden in it. God’s judgment and promises will reward your faith in the end.

JULY 5: A Fruitful Tree in the Desert (17:1-13) “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” SUMMARY: Even in spiritually arid conditions, the people of God can bear fruit by sending their roots down into the underground streams of God’s vitalizing presence. We can thrive in exile, whe...

When you plant your feet When you take your seat Heed not the counsel of the wicked The way is blessed He knows your steps You are not lost within the thicket For your delight is in the law of the Lord Day and night it is the meditation of your heart Abide in me; revive your withered leaves Come weary one, rest under shade A thriving tree by the side of the living stream In the cool of the day I w...

Suffering and upheaval provide us with a remarkable opportunity: to be reshaped by the Lord himself into the people he originally called us to become.

JUNE 28: Scarecrows in a Cucumber Patch (10:1-18) “But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.” SUMMARY: The “way of the nations” which seem secure and powerful are actually pathetic. That’s the truth behind Jeremiah’s image of a scarecrow in a cucumber patch. These ungodly ways are not to be feared or imitated. In com...

JUNE 21: A Broken Cistern (2:1-13) “They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” SUMMARY: Our spiritual adultery with God is more serious than we care to admit. From God’s perspective, we are attempting to drink water out of a broken cistern which can never satisfy. Meanwhile, we are neglecting the True Fountain of Liv...

June 14 — “A Small Kid Gets a Big Job” (1:1-12) God’s calling on our life exceeds our human capacities. He gives us assignments that are more difficult, adventurous & tedious than we expect at first. Living faithfully and courageously through this crisis is one calling we all share. The power to fulfill his calling on us comes directly from him.

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 John 14:15-21 "We were made for loving union because the Father, Son, and Spirit are loving union and we are made in God's image We can take the light of Christ, and shine it like a beacon into our history and unearth the darkness of division and cast it out so we can be reformed in loving union. We have been deformed in division; now we are being reformed into reunion by the hol...

Genesis 11:1-9 Psalm 104:24-30 Acts 2:1-21 John 14:8-17

Prayer's of Lament and Repentance for our divisions from the Pentecost service yesterday. A Letter Concerning the Death of George Floyd and So Many Others https://www.churchrez.org/a-letter-concerning-the-death-of-george-floyd-and-so-many-others A PRAYER OF LAMENT FOR DIVISION O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, Have mercy upon us. Oh Dios el Hijo, Redentor del mundo/God the Son, Redeem...

Acts 1 Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Ephesians 1:15-23 Psalm 47 Luke 24:44-53 Almighty God, whose only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven: May our hearts and minds also there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

"The sufferings we experience in this life are not unique to us. Jesus endured them. They don't have to dominate our life and rule how we react. Look to Jesus; he responded in love. They aren't pointless. Jesus himself was refined by them and they were a place where God revealed his glory in the midst of them. And they aren't the last word. God raised Jesus, and he will raise us as well."

John 15 "Our God is a master gardener, and he does not call it quits when there's a garden in disarray! He rolls up his sleeves and gets his hands dirty. He prunes and he weeds and waters and he sweats and he stays. He stays until the garden is healthy and begins producing the fruit that it was made to produce. He simply asks that we stay close. He will nurture and heal." "Yes, there may be days w...

John 10:1-18 Good Shepherd Sunday We can embrace our identity as sheep when we embrace our Good Shepherd. As sheep we are vulnerable, but our shepherd cares for us!

I was so encouraged by the story last Sunday from Luke 24 of Jesus joining us on our weary walk. He spent his Easter Sunday, his first day back, teaching us how to recognize and abide in his resurrection presence in our daily lives. I want to invite you to intentionally arrange your day to abide in Jesus using a Rule of Life. It's not a rule like, “You’re in trouble you broke a rule." The idea of...

Luke 24:13-35 Jesus spends his Easter day, his first day back to life, showing us where to find the resurrection in our lives. He shows us what will sustain us. He shows us where our food for the journey is. He shows us how to see him and recognize that he is with us on the weary walk, in our grief, fear, and uncertainty, in our homes, and at our tables.

One week later, the Resurrection is still real! And because Jesus has risen, there is power and authority for those who believe. John 20:19-31 1 Peter 1:3-9