Confluence Church

Many of us have found the road of life to be a little bumpier than we hoped. And for many of us, we have made things more complicated and harder than necessary because we have forgotten what is most important. Before Jesus was to burst on the scene John the Baptist was called to prepare the way. To make straight the paths that were crooked, to level the hurdles so that those of his day may better...

What if everything you were running after wasn’t worth chasing? Jesus began with blessing and turns to woe. Warning us about what truly matters and warning us that we are in danger of distracting ourselves to death.

Poor, Hungry, weeping, and left out are not things most people strive for. Many today would see this as a list to avoid, and yet Jesus begins by saying blessed are the poor, the hungry, the mourning, and the excluded. As Jesus describes this upside-down way of living we are left to decide which Kingdom we will live for.

When Jesus came back from a night of prayer he chose 12 ordinary men to change the world. These 12 would be enlisted by Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God. While we might expect the Son of God to enlist the extraordinary, we should find hope in His call to the ordinary.

Rest is something we all long for but often feel we never have enough of. In Jesus’ day, the Sabbath was weekly time to rest, but for some this routine had become just that, routine and ritual. Jesus pushes on the idea of Sabbath and in so doing reminds us He offers a better rest.

With Jesus there are no “chance” encounters, their are no accidental run ins, and there are not happen stances callings. Deemed an enemy of his people, Matthew, would have been convinced that Jesus could not possibly be talking to him, and yet Jesus calls Matthew and in doing so Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom is for everyone who changes direction to follow Him.

A group of fierce friends brought a paralyzed man before Jesus in the most unorthodox of ways. After breaking down barriers, social norms, and even a roof, these friends bring that man to Jesus. In turn Jesus brings renovation to the mans life. But as is often the case with Jesus, the results far exceed our own expectations.

Unclean. A word that would cause people to alter course quickly. The unclean were to be avoided because to assccciate with them would make you unclean. But when Jesus encountered the unclean He did not alter course He altered lives, including how we view the unclean, the outcast, the untouchable. Jesus’ humanity reminds us of the image we bear and validates our own human experience. But when the u...

After a long morning of fishing and no success, the last thing Peter wanted to do was cast out his nets again. But as Jesus got in Peter’s boats, it was clear, Peter’s plans were about to change. Because Jesus asked him to push out again, he did it. And Peter would not stop casting nets the rest of his life, although what he was aiming to catch would be very different.

As Jesus made His way throughout Galilee the report about Him began to grow and spread. He wasn’t just teaching with authority, He was living with authority. In the span of a view verses Jesus cast out a demon, heals his mother in law, and leaves town as the crowds grow. There was a purpose and intention to His actions and life the speaks to a clarity of mission that most of us miss. Rightly order...

As Jesus entered his hometown synagogue, expectations were rising. Reading from scripture, He Invited all those present to experience the hope of HIs Kingdom, and yet they refused to believe. Freedom was in front of them, but instead they chose the chains of what they knew. Jesus has come that we may have life, why do we continue to choose death?

In our moments of weakness, where do we find strength? When you are filled with doubts, where do you look for truth? As Jesus is led into the desert for forty days He is confronted by lies of the enemies. But in these moment He shows us how to combat lies and He begins a show a new way forward for all of Humanity.

Who are you? This a question that seems simple but can often haunt us. People are quick to tell us who we are or who we should be, but whose voice matters most. The beginning of Jesus was marked by a clear declaration of who He was and is. Luke also reminds us that this good news is not just for some, but Jesus has come for all.

We find a pair of panicked parents looking for a lost son. After 3 days of searching, they finally find him sitting among the teachers, eagerly learning, asking questions, and lingering at the temple. The boy, Jesus, just wanted to be in His Father’s house. Where do we eagerly desire to be? And how can we begin to foster and practice an intentional rhythm of being with the Father?

An old man, who lived a faithful and devout life, waiting for the comfort of his people to come. Why the days of his life were growing dim, the light he awaited grew bright. The light had come and everything would change. The man who long awaited the blessing of God on his people would now bless the savior of the world.

Far from a palace, in the quiet of the fields, shepherds were tending their flocks. When the night came alive around them. Good news of great joy for all people, a message just as much for the shepherds as it is for us today. Good news of great joy, Jesus has come!

Filled with the Spirit, Zechariah lets forth a poem of praise. His son would help prepare the way for the coming Messiah. And this messiah would bring light to those who sit in darkness. This is the good news of Jesus’ incarnation, that light has come and it shines forth even in the gloom of despair.

God is on the move and not only that He is moving into the neighborhood. This move toward humanity marks a coming shift as God’s Kingdom will not look like the Kingdom of man. But this is good news for those who feel lost or less than.

Mary was not expecting the visitor she received, nor the message that would be brought, but even in this her faith in God fueled her peace. Mary proves to be an example to us of what it means to say yes to God even when we do not fully understand.

Zechariah and Elizabeth had experience in losing hope. They had no children and assumed those days were long gone. For many in Israel, hopes of a savior seemed just as lost. God had been so quiet and yet in the midst of silence would come a rumble of unexpected hope. Luke’s account of Jesus’ life begins with the unexpected and the quiet beginnings of hope would begin to stir once again.

Esther walks us through a radical and dramatic story of God’s quiet sovereignty that provided rescue and redemption for His people. But the final lesson from Esther is a lesson of remembering joy even as exiles. The Feast of Purim was instituted to remind the Jewish people of God’s rescue. This was to be a feast of joy, a reminder that they had been doomed to death but were raised to life. The sto...