Garden City Church

In the third week of our Advent series, Amanda Wagner leads a conversation focused on the story of angels appearing to shepherds, declaring the birth of Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. Shepherds are a group of people essential to Israel’s spiritual observance, and yet are systematically excluded by the same religious system due to their ritual uncleanness. And yet, it’s shepherds God sends His ange...

In the second week of our Advent series, Julia Allan focuses on Luke 2:1-7 and the humble arrival of Jesus as a baby born to Joseph and Mary in the small town of Bethlehem. Our humble king isn’t born in a palace, but in alongside animals. Jesus isn’t wrapped in exquisite cloth after he’s born, born in regular swaddling cloths. He isn’t born into power or privilege, but into obscurity and poverty....

Mitch Young, a member of Garden City’s Servant’s Council, focuses on our need for sabbath and rest. As we move into the Advent season, posturing ourselves to experience Jesus in a new way in this season, we need to think differently about the pace of our lives and the fullness of our schedules. As we anticipate our Savior’s arrival this Advent, may we also know His rest.

In Mark 12:28-34 Jesus is confronted by a teacher of the law who asks Jesus, of the 613 laws and commands Jewish people were expected to keep, which law is the most important. Pastor Shaq Hager walks us through Jesus’ response and teaches us that right belief doesn’t, in and of itself, lead to salvation. Right belief matched with right action is what Jesus requires of His people.

This, as we celebrated our one-year anniversary as a faith community, Pastor Dennis walked through Mark 11:11-17 (NIV). It's the story of Jesus entering the temple in Jerusalem and turning over tables. But, this story isn't really about Jesus confronting merchants for buying and selling in the temple. It's actually a story about the temple system and how it excluded people God wanted to include an...

Jesus and the disciples continue on the way to Jerusalem where Jesus encounters a blind man named Bartimaeus. Through this healing story Jesus continues to demonstrate to His followers the realities of spiritual blindness. This healing encounter is almost a plea from Jesus to His disciples for them to finally allow their eyes to be opened to what He's doing, to what His ministry is aimed toward, a...

Pastor Dennis Allan teaches through the story known as "The Rich Young Ruler," as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus and His disciples are on their way to Jerusalem and Jesus is continuing to teach them the ways of the Kingdom. Jesus makes it clear - wealth makes it very difficult for a person to inherit eternal life as it pulls people away from dependence on Jesus and entices them to live for...

This week Pastor Dennis Allan continues our study of the Gospel of Mark. In Mark 8:27-38 Jesus and the disciples are walking from village to village around Caesarea Philippi, a region known for its paganism and godlnessness, when Jesus asks the disciples, "Who do you say I am?" It's perhaps the defining question Jesus will ask the disciples (and us). The disciples' answer (as well as our own) will...

This week, Carrie Buckner walks us through Mark 8:22-26. Here, Mark records the story of Jesus healing a blind man. But this healing is different than other healing stories. This one takes time. It’s a slow healing, a healing that at first glance it appears Jesus needs two attempts at.. Even though it’s a slow healing, the person’s sight is restored. What is Jesus trying to teach us? How is this s...

Julia Allan walks us through Mark 7:24-30 as we continue our study of the Gospel of Mark. Jesus, having retreated to an unlikely city - Tyre, is encountered by a Gentile woman who asks Him to heal her daughter. Jesus responds in a manner that to our modern ears and hearts sounds entirely unlike Jesus. In fact, it's a passage that Christians might want to skip over because it's difficult to explain...

Pastor Dennis Allan walks us through Mark 7:1-23 where Jesus is confronted by a group of Pharisees seeking to undersratnd why He and His disciples don't ahdere to the "tradition of the elders" when it comes to washing their hands before eating. Jesus replies with a stinging rebuke, revealing the ways that the Pharisees have created a vast and extensive religious system comrpised of laws God never...

This week Pastor Dennis Allan continues our series on the Gospel of Mark by leading a conversation on Mark 6:1-6a. Jesus returns to His hometown with His disciples, but rather than receiving a warm welcome, He is met with rejection and opposition, so much so that the people try to kill Jesus. Through the story we learn what it means to be a disciple: we spend time with Jesus, we learn His teaching...

This week, we pick-up right where we left off the week before. Pastor Dennis leads us through Mark 6:6b-13, the story of Jesus sending twelve of His disciples on their first missionary journey. This is the first time we see Jesus sending out some of His disciples on their own to extend and expand His ministry by going to the places Jesus has already gone and teaching and healing people. Through th...

This week we hear from Reverend Eleanor Williams, founder of the North Side Partnership Project and a long-time minister in the African Methodist Episcopal church, as we continue our series on the Gospel of Mark. Rev. Eleanor walks us through the story of Jesus encountering a man possessed by a legion of demons and what it means for us to know that God is powerful over the spiritual realm.

This week, Amanda Wagner walks us through two passages, one located in Mark 2 and the other in Mark 3. Both passages focus on Jesus and the Sabbath. By the religious standards of the day Jesus is disobeying Jewish Sabbath law. He and His disciples have picked food and Jesus has healed a person, both on the Sabbath. In these stories we see the way that Jesus comes as the fulfillment and perfection...

Pastor Dennis Allan walks us through Mark 2:13-17 where we see Jesus invite Levi, a tax collector, to become one of His followers and we see Jesus attend a party at Levi's house filled with "tax collectors and sinners." Levi is reviled in Jewish religious culture and "tax collectors and sinners" are known to be wicked, intentionally choosing to exist well outside acceptable Jewish society. And yet...

Amanda Wagner walks through a story recorded in Mark 1:35-39. It's the story of Jesus, whose days are filled with people in need coming to Him and begging for help, intentionally withdrawing to pray. Immediately before this story Jesus heals many people and immediately following it Jesus heals a person with leprosy. Everywhere Jesus goes crowds form around Him. It would be so easy for Him to simpl...

Pastor Shaq Hager continues our series on the Gospel of Mark by focusing on Mark 1:21-28. Jesus enters a synagogue and teaches with authority, astonishing the people. A demon, possessing a person who attends the synagogue, confronts Jesus. Jesus responds to the demon by casting it out of the person and, symbolically, the synagogue. It's a story that helps us understand Jesus and authority. We'll s...

This week we begin our series on the Gospel of Mark. Pastor Dennis walks us through Mark 1:1-13, with a particular emphasis on the first verse of Mark's Gospel. At the time Mark was writing his gospel, the Roman empire was experiencing significant turmoil. Four emperors had risen to power in one year. The fourth, who would rule for a decade, a man named Vespasion, launched a propaganda campaign in...

It's on the Emmaus Road that the ressurected Jesus encounters two of His followers. They're confused, disillusioned, even sorrowful. They had believed that Jesus was going to be the Messiah. That's why they'd followed Him for three years. But now, all hope seemed lost. It's in that place that the resurrected Jesus met and walked with His followers, and it's where He meets and walks with us. In thi...

In the last week of our series on the Old Testament book of Exodus, Pastor Shaq focuses on the final verses of Exodus 40. As we look back across Exodus we see a God who liberates His people, leading them out of slavery and oppression, in order to pull His people into Himself. God sets His people free and then leads and loves His people, despite their sin and brokenness, as they learn to be God's c...

This week, Julia Allan walks through Exodus 33. After confronting the Israelites over the golden calf, Moses returns to the mountain to meet with God. There, Moses pleads with God to extend grace and mercy to the Israelites and not remove His presence from the midst of His people. Moses understands that it's God's presence dwelling among the Israelites that makes them a light to the world. The sam...

In Exodus 32 the Israelite people demand that Aaron build for them a golden calf. It's a brazen act of disobedience, as the Isrealite people break the first and second commandments. Pastor Dennis Allan walks us through the story, placing it within the larger context of the book of Exodus, demonstrating that it's the Israelites' lack of relationship with God that leads them to demand an idol. For u...

In Exodus 31 God gives His Spirit to an artisan for the work of creating the tabernacle. Pastor Shaq Hager walks us through the implications of God giving His Spirit to one person, foreshadowing the day that God would give His Spirit to all of His people. While we might not be artisans or craftsmen, every one of us is purposed by God to create. Whether as teachers or accountants, doctors or nurses...

Amanda Wagner teaches through Exodus 24. It's here that God renews the covenant with the Israelite people. Toward the end of the chapter the Israelite people look up to the top of the mountain and there they see God. They describe Him as a consuming fire. And yet, what this passage teaches us is that we, as God's people, can enter into His presence and not be consumed.