Citylight South

Just as the sun that melts wax can harden clay, everyone responds to Jesus differently. This week in Mark, Ricky walked us through the parable of the sower, where the seed—God’s Word—falls on different types of soil. Some hearts are hard, some distracted, some receptive and fruitful. And yet, Jesus sows the seed generously for all to hear. The question is: are we truly listening, and are we receiv...

As we continue in Mark chapter 3, we take a look at various groups of people and their different responses to Jesus. Some are curious, others are critical, and some completely closed off. The committed few sit at His feet just to be close to Him. One thing is clear—none of them are neutral. How are you responding to Jesus, lately?

As we continued our series in the gospel of Mark, Matt reminds us that seeking true fellowship with Jesus is more important than keeping up tradition or checking off a spiritual to-do list. We are not here to earn God's love—we already have it! Enjoy Him; He is so good!

Does your faith move you to tear through roofs? Do you carry the same urgency for your friends to meet Jesus? This week in Mark, Ricky reminded us that we’re all like the paralytic on the mat—needing more than a miracle. While we may come to Jesus hoping for circumstantial change, He offers something far deeper: the healing of our souls through forgiveness.

This week, Trent Marshall continued our series in Mark by taking a closer look at Jesus’ gospel ministry in Galilee. Jesus is the King who pursues people, proves His power, and proclaims the good news. And we’re invited to participate in His Kingdom—one that pushes back darkness then and now.

This week, Pastor Ricky kicked off our new series in Mark by diving into chapter 1, where we’re introduced to Jesus—the Good News… the best news!

As we finish our series in Zechariah, Matt reminded us that our King is coming in triumphant victory to restore all that is broken. The question is: are you ready for His return?

This Sunday, Pastor Alex Leyva continued our series in Zechariah with a message from chapter 13, reminding us that God’s judgment doesn’t just punish—it purifies. On the day of His cleansing, evil is exposed, idols are cast down, and God begins the refining work of making us holy. Our trials draw us nearer to Jesus and restore us to who we were created to be. In His kindness, God is not just remov...

As we continued in Zechariah this week, Kids Ministry Director Doug Johnston reminded us of a hope that holds. The same God who formed the earth and breathed life into us  is still stretching the sky and sustaining our every breath. He is not passive Creator—He's a warrior that steps into battle with us and fights for us, even to the point of death on the cross. May His goodness move us to mo...

We’re all being shepherded by something—so the question is, who or what are we following? As Pastor Ricky continued in Zechariah, we saw a vivid illustration: though God is the Good Shepherd, His people continued to reject Him. Like the Israelites, we often resist His leadership. And yet, in His mercy, we don’t receive what we deserve. Instead, we’re given blessing and the gift of new life in Jesu...

This Sunday, co-lead pastor Alex Leyva continued our series in Zechariah with a message from chapters 9–11, reminding us of God's faithfulness to His word. In chapter 9, we see that God promised to judge the proud—and He did. He stands against what is evil and calls us to worship Him alone as our true King. But God also promised to send His King—and He did. Jesus entered not with force, but i...

This Easter Sunday, co-lead pastor Ricky Kennedy reminded us just how powerful the resurrection is for our lives today. Walking through the first part of Romans 6, we were reminded that through Jesus’ death and burial, our sin has been forgiven. As Christ was buried, so was our old self—and through His resurrection, we’ve been raised to new life in Him. Because His righteousness is gifted to us th...

On Good Friday, Kids Ministry Director Doug Johnston led us through Genesis 3—the journey from the garden to the cross. We were created for perfect union with the Father, but the birth of sin in Genesis 3 left humanity searching for the kind of fulfillment only Jesus can satisfy. Yet even in that moment of brokenness, God began making a way. In verse 15, we see the first promise of redemption—a fo...

Co-lead pastor Alex Leyva continued our series in Zechariah with a look at the condition of the Israelites’ hearts—and God’s response. We began in chapter 7, where the Israelites were going through the motions of religion with hollow rituals that left them far from the Lord and unable to hear His voice. But God’s response to their hardened hearts wasn’t rejection—it was a promise. A promise to reb...

This week, co-lead pastor Alex Leyva continues our series through Zechariah looking at the prophetic vision of the Branch. In this passage, God promises a coming leader who will unite the roles of Priest and King—something no one else in Israel’s history could do. This Branch is Jesus, who brings us to God through His perfect sacrifice and will one day reign in glory over all creation. God is buil...

This week, co-lead pastor Ricky Kennedy walked us through Zechariah 4:1-14—the Vision of a Golden Lampstand. In this passage, God promises Zerubbabel that He will equip him to rebuild the temple, even after 17 years of stalled progress. What seemed like an impossible task would be accomplished—not by human strength, but by God’s power. Like Zerubbabel, we each have a God-given purpose that cannot...

Throughout Zechariah's visions, we've seen how God continues to pursue the Israelites with a heart of restoration motivated by a deep, abiding love for his people. This week, co-lead pastor Ricky Kennedy, walked us through Zechariah's sixth and seventh visions about how God will ultimately deal with our sin. In order to restore the people back to Himself, God—being perfectly holy an...

This week we continued on in Zechariah 3 with his fourth vision. In this vision, the high priest, Joshua, stands before the Angel of the Lord and Satan in what is depicted as a heavenly courtroom. Joshua is standing before the Lord in filthy clothing as Satan stands ready to accuse him. We know that for a high priest at this point in history to stand before God and this holy counsel would have bee...

This week, we continued our sermon series in Zechariah by diving into his first three visions. College Ministry Resident Trent Marshall helped us unlock the meaning behind these visions and what they reveal about God's character. As the Israelites returned from exile, the nations had acted wickedly toward them. Yet, out of His great love and jealousy for His people, God returned to Jerusalem...

This week, we began our new sermon series in the book of Zechariah. Co-lead pastor, Alex Leyva, walked through Zechariah 1:1-6, setting the historical context of Israel's return from exile. God reminds the Israelites not to repeat the sins of their ancestors who had ignored the prophets' warnings. Through Zechariah, God issues both a warning about the consequences of continued disobedien...

This week, we wrapped up our series on prayer by studying 1 Kings 18:17-46. In this passage, we saw the incredible power of God as Elijah called on Him to reveal His might and defeat the prophets of Baal. Because of Elijah’s bold faith in God’s power, many came to know and proclaim that the Lord is God. This challenged us to pray with conviction, asking God to break our hearts for what breaks His....

This week, Brett Monge from Citylight North Lincoln led us through Psalms 42 and 43. Many of us go through seasons when God feels distant—so how should we respond? We were encouraged to bring our emotions to Him honestly, pouring out our hearts when our souls are weary and longing for Him. He is a God who hears us and cares about our hurt. We are also called to remember His past faithfulness, assu...

This week, Ricky preached from David's Prayer in the Assembly. When we Praise God for who He is and what He has done, and we set our lives on enjoying Him, that's what brings ultimate fulfillment. Our praise of who God is completes our joy and moves us toward a richer understanding of His holiness, our need and repentance. We are reminded and encouraged that God alone deeply satisfies th...

This Sunday, Ricky preached about our need for prayer and walked through three perspectives of our need. In looking at the Pharisee and the tax collector, we discovered that we can, like the Pharisee, often be blind to our own need for God. We overestimate what we bring to the table and underestimate our deep need for Him. Even in our desperate need of God, He longs to answer us—even when we'...

Pastor Ricky continued our series on Praying in Light of God this Sunday teaching from Luke 11:5-13. Ricky taught us that prayer deeply matters to God, that He delights in answering our prayers, and that, just as a father delights in giving good gifts to his children, so God truly delights in giving to us as a response to prayer.