Community Church of West Garden Grove

This week we look at a beautiful closing benedicion from Paul in 2 Corinthians:  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Text: 2 Corinthians 13.14 Teacher: Eric Williams

How do we act as people of the Trinity?  Our singing, study, prayer, work etc... how do we do all of these things in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit? Text: Ephesians 3.14--20 Teacher: Eric Williams

How do we begin to think in terms of the Trinity--the background, the context, the foundation for our Christian spirituality.  This week we look at Salvation, Sin and Suffering via the lens of the Father, Son and Spirit Text: Various Teacher: Eric Williams

Week three of our series on the Trinity.  This week, using the metaphor of an iPhone's Portrait Mode, we examine the background and context of the Gospel as that of the Trinity. Then we apply this logic as we 'Trinitarianly' think through the Great Commission in Matthew 28.16--20 Text: Matthew 28.16--20 Teacher: Eric Williams

Week two of our Trinity Series - This week we look at Andrei Rublev's painting/Icon of 'The Three Visitors' based on the Genesis 18 account of the angelic beings visiting Abraham and Sarah. Text: Genesis 18.1--15 Teacher: Eric Williams

This week is a bit of a one off as we dive into our work and how it relates to the Scripture. Text: Various Teacher: Eric Williams

“Our pride creates a myopia/short-sightedness that makes us think we are asserting order into chaos, but in actuality, we often are the ones that create the chaos as we assert our worldview.”  Elliot Stone Text: James 4.10--12 Teacher: Elliot Stone

Explain Like I'm 5  This week we look at Demons by using a passage in Luke 13.10--17 via Lectio Divina--a divine, meditative reading.   Text: Luke 13.10--17 Teacher: Eric Williams

"How would you explain the Kingdom of God to someone?"   This week we look at the overwhelming dominant theme that Jesus continually points toward.  The Kingdom's History and the elements of the Kingdom:  Hulahoops, Show and Tell, Ordinary and Barbed wire free--encompass this teaching. Text: Various Teacher: Eric Williams

What were 'Signs and Wonders'?  How might they differ from miracles, and what did they indicate to Jesus and his followers in the ancient Near East?  Then there is that tricky passage where the religious leaders demand a sign from Jesus and he refuses them.  This week we 'Explain like I'm 5': Signs and Wonders Text: Matthew 16.1--4 Teacher: Eric Williams

"Who were the major religious groups in Jesus day, and what did they believe?" Looking at the 4 major religious groups--Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Zealots--we draw a parallel to CCWGG and observe three lessons to learn. Text: Various Teacher: Eric Williams

“How did they understand the vocation of Rabbi in Jesus’ time?” This week we look at the question of Jesus as our Rabbi and have some time to discuss how we can actively engage in being more like Jesus.   Text: Various Teacher: Eric Williams

What kind of healings did Jesus do? In the book of Matthew we get two pictures of Jesus: The Teaching Messiah (Matt. 5--7) and the Touching/Healing Messiah (Matt. 8--9).  This teaching focuses on the healings Jesus did, and what they signified about the reality of the Kingdom of God. Text: Matthew 8,9 Teacher: Eric Williams

This week we look at Jesus' sermon on the Mount and discuss the question, "How would you summarize Jesus' Sermon on the Mount." Brian Dishon starts our community answer session, which can only be seen on facebook.com/ccwgg, and Eric wraps up the dominant theme of Kingdom of Heaven that the sermon points to. Text: Matthew 5--7 Teacher: Brian Dishon and Eric Williams

This week we are beginning a new series called eli5/ or "explain like I'm 5." We will look at the life of Jesus as if we were "5 year olds" starting with friendly, and well sourced ideas and building on them for a deeper knowledge of Jesus' life. This first week we eli5/Incarnation and look at the question, "Why did Jesus come to earth?" in 7Dimensions. Text: Various Teacher: Eric Williams

This week Paul pulls imagery from the Exodus narrative to show us how Christ travels with us, providing us with water and warnings through our sojourn here and now.  We end the morning by writing and sharing some warnings of our own.   Text: 1 Corinthinas 10. 1--13 Teacher: Eric Williams

This week we look at Jesus as our Passover Lamb in 1 Corinthians 5.1--13.  We observe the Corinthian son/stepmom scandal, and then learn how the Passover Lamb and the Church serve to protect us.   Text: 1 Corinthians 5.1--13 Teacher: Eric Williams  

This week we began a new series observing where Paul uses the Old Testament to talk about Jesus.  It is the intersection of those three main sections of Biblical narrative.  Our text this week is 1 Corinthians 1.18--30 where Paul quotes Isaiah 29.14 and Jeremiah 29.4 in reference to Jesus and the divisions and strife that is facing the Corinthian Church. Text: 1 Corinthians 1.18--30 Teacher: Eric...

This week - a guest teacher Aaron Cook joins us and walks us through 2 Chronicles 20.1.  In this passage, he reminds us of three things: 1. Remember that God is Sovereign, Cling to the Word of God, Join the Frontline! Text: 2 Chronicles 20 Teacher: Aaron Cook

This week, we dive into our annual State of the Church sermon.  Loosely based on the State of the Union, this sounds especially depressing and awkward this year--so let's refer to it as our Stakeholders Meeting. Items Discussed - What is Sunday Morning all about?  2020 ABC Review. Three Numbers: 8 - 147 - 35,647. Text: Various Teacher: Eric Williams

This week we spend some time looking back at our previous series - Walking on Water.  The themes we covered: The Genesis Deep/Water, Noah, Re(e)d Sea, Jordan River, Psalm 137 - Rivers of Babylon, Jesus' Baptism, Water to Wine, Woman at the Well, and Living Water.  Eric highlighted one point/thought from each teaching as we spent the morning listening for what God might have for us during this seas...

Our final teaching in our Walking in Water series.  This one takes us to the Festival of Booths/Tabernacles to hear Jesus cry out - "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." We looked at John 7 and how this passage: Reorients our Priorities, Refocuses us on Christ and Requires our simp...

Jesus performs his first miracle at a wedding in Cana.   "Woman."  Is this disrespectful and rude? "Wine."  Wine flows from obedience to Jesus.   "Words." Trust through simple actions.     Text: John 2.1--12 Teacher: Eric Williams

This week we follow Jesus into the waters of Baptism and examine three aspects:  Community - the horizontal and vertical relationships found at Jesus' baptism Humility - Jesus' insistence that John be the one baptizing him Finality - Jesus' baptism as the consummation of the OT into Jesus.   Text: Matthew 3.13--17 Teacher: Eric Williams

Once Exiled, the Jewish nation finds themselves by the Euphrates River in Babylon.  There they record a Psalm of Lament that has some pretty explicit and difficult language.  In this teaching we explore the meaning behind "smashing babies heads against rocks" and a prayer template for us to work through. Text: Psalm 137 Teacher: Eric Williams