Door of Hope Northeast

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 - Work is a significant part of life, but it is all too easy to dismiss it as divorced from meaningful spiritual things, a necessary evil, a slog, or a punishment of some type. Work is often challenging and complicated, but it was part of God's good design from the very beginning. In our work today we can find good, gracious gifts from God if we have the eyes to see. A sermo...

Matthew 11:28-30 - Rest is a major theme of the Bible from God's initial rest after the six days of creation to the future rest that will attend the New Heavens and the New Earth. Today, genuine rest can seem hard to come by, but every instance of it should be received as a gracious gift from our giving God, and a reminder of the central truth that Jesus Himself came to give us a deeper rest than...

Revelation 19:6-10 - We can rightly think of food and drink as the gifts and glories of the garden made consumable for our nourishment and pleasure. God didn't have to make food with as much delicious potentiality as He did, but He did as a pure gift to his creatures! In this teaching we consider how to receive food as the gift that it is as well as how to let it stir up our longings for the great...

Amos 9:13-15 - From creation until now, gardens represent places of encounter with the presence of God, partnership with God, provision from God, and a source of joyful delight from God. This week, we consider the goodness of gardens by considering them in light of three important biblical gardens: Eden, Gethsemane, and New Jerusalem. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 7 of the series "God of Every...

Ephesians 2:11-22 - This week we consider the good gifts of God found in relationship and community. Humanity was created to be relational to reflect our relational God and countless gifts flow from good, healthy relationships. This side of Pentecost with the arrival of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the birth of the church, the people of God now have the potential to experience a depth and richne...

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 - In the second half of this series, we now turn to consider our relationships to specific "good things." This week, we consider the good gift of embodiment. The Bible presents the human body as a beautiful, essential part of who we are and the vehicle through which we experience all the rest that God has for us. Despite a surprisingly low view of the body in our culture, des...

1 Timothy 4:1-5 - In light of all we've learned so far, we pause for some practical application. How can we attune ourselves to really appreciate the gifts of God around us in the day-to-day? How can we turn these moments into opportunities to revel in His grace and to commune with Him? One essential way is through cultivating a habit of "holy attention." A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of the...

Genesis 1:26-2:25 - In part 3, we consider the role of humanity, made in the image of God, in the created order. The first two chapters of Genesis paint an awe-inspiring picture of just how generous God has been to and through His people. How are we to receive every good thing that comes through human acts of cultivation and work? Once again (and perhaps surprisingly), as gifts from our generous G...

Genesis 1:1-2:3 - In part 2, we consider the big picture of God's act of creation in Genesis. What is the significance of the "very goodness" that He declares over all that He made? What posture are we to take towards the world and all the things that He's filled it with? A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 2 of the series "God of Every Good Thing"]

Genesis 1:1; John 17:24 - We begin a new series looking to find the goodness, beauty, and grace of God in all the good things He has lovingly given. How might our discipleship to Jesus look different if we came to recognize every legitimately good thing as the gift that it is, pointing us to the Giver? We begin by considering the loving, giving nature of God, evidenced even before the creation of...

Mark 16:9-20 - In this short addendum to our series through the Gospel According to Mark, Cameron talks through some of the issues surrounding the "longer ending" of Mark's Gospel, what it says, and why the vast majority of biblical scholars believe Mark didn't write it.

Mark 16:1-8 - The Gospel According to Mark ends on massive cliffhanger. An angel announces to the women that Jesus has risen from the dead, but the way Mark paints the scene is not how any of us would have expected. The question is why? The answer to that question reveals the purpose of Mark's Gospel and the challenge that comes to everyone who hears the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ,...

Mark 15:40-47 - As Friday evening turns to Saturday, we see the true colors of several disciples as they rush to bury the body of Jesus before Sabbath. What does faithfulness look like in fear, in grief, in silence, and in waiting? What does it look like in the face of the evident defeat of one's Messiah and God? A sermon by Cameron Heger.

Mark 15:33-39 - The climax of Mark's gospel arrives with the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. In this passage we see the unthinkable agony of Jesus being forsaken by his Father, the meaning of his death in the tearing of the temple veil, and the final truth that Mark has been building toward: "Truly this man was the Son of God!" A sermon by Cameron Heger.

Mark 15:16-32 - The Gospel According to Mark slows down to paint an incredibly detailed picture of Jesus's crucifixion. Here we see the meaning, irony, and deep surprise of the cross--for the Son of God to suffer alongside and for us in order to save us. A sermon by Chris Nye.

Mark 15:1-15 - Jesus, the King of the Jews, stands before Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect, awaiting the final decision concerning His fate. In this story we see two very different kinds of rulers. We also see two very different kinds of criminals in Barabbas, the justly condemned, whose penalty is taken by Jesus, the one true innocent. This moment in history is loaded with meaning about the natu...

Mark 14:66-72 - Peter faces a trial of his own as he follows Jesus at a distance. Questioned about his association the Lord, he ends up denying Jesus just as predicted. Though this moment of brokenness is the end of Peter's story in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus had so much more for him on the other side, just as He does for all who come to him in humble repentance. A sermon by Cameron Heger.

Mark 14:53-65 - Jesus faces the miscarriage of justice at a sham hearing before the religious authorities ultimately to be condemned to death. While He listens in silence for most of it, He finally gives these people a definitive answer to the most pressing question of all: "Who are you?" Jesus's answer challenges every other authority, identity, and would-be savior we might turn to. A sermon by C...

A short church community update for the season of Lent 2023. A call to pursue Jesus over the next 40+ days by setting down one habit and picking up another, all with the goal of making space to pursue Jesus in repentance and confession, connection and abiding, gratitude and generosity.

Mark 14:43-52 - The hour has come for Jesus to be arrested. In his interactions with betraying Judas, the seizing crowd, and the fleeing disciples, we see the radical love of God. In witnessing Jesus's loving example, we are invited to experience it ourselves and to become conduits of it toward others. A sermon by Michelle Jones.

Mark 14:32-42 - In his last moments of freedom before his arrest, Jesus seeks out a moment with his Father in prayer with his friends nearby. Staring down the cup of the justice of God he is soon to drink, he is overcome with crushing fear, anxiety, and dread. In this passage we see the real suffering humanity of Jesus alongside his ultimate submissive faithfulness driven by his unfathomable self-...

Mark 14:26-31 - On His way to Gethsemane, Jesus announces the certainty of all of the disciples' coming failure and abandonment. In the same breath, He promises to meet with them again on the other side of his death and resurrection. Here we see a stunning picture of the gracious heart of Jesus--a grace we all desperately need and a grace that will change our lives . A sermon by Cameron Heger.

Mark 14:22-25 - During the Passover meal, Jesus institutes a new practice by which His disciples will remember him. They are to take the bread and the cup, representing his body and his blood soon to be given in a New Covenant for the forgiveness of sins. In the communion meal we continue to encounter this Jesus, who is himself the ultimate sacrament. A sermon by Josh White.

Mark 14:12-21 - Jesus spends his last night celebrating the Passover with his twelve closest disciples. It is no accident that this night, loaded with salvation-historical significance, is the night Jesus was betrayed. In this passage Jesus Himself is shown to be the true, better, and final Passover Lamb. A sermon by Cameron Heger.

Mark 14:1-11 - What happens when sacrificial worship meets our utilitarian, logical instincts? In this story we are challenged by the faithfulness of a woman who knew the value of the Messiah standing in front of her, and a Messiah who valued humanity beyond measure. A sermon by Cameron Heger.