Hyphen Church

While there are so many things to unpack with a moment like Pentecost, the main takeaway for a modern hearer is the unity created. The purpose of the Spirit descending to earth was to create unity to emphasize the centrality of Christ. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neigh...

We might never see a scene like Isaiah 6 while we're still on earth, but there is a really simple and ordinary way to experience the presence of God in our daily walk. As we learn to be receptive to our own "throne room" moments, the silence in between will tell a better story. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the...

Surprising just about everyone, John ends his letter not talking about love, but rather faith, the sum of our relationship and loyal love with God. Our faith, not our love, is what is used to rise above the trouble of the world. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neighbors. B...

John makes his final connection about love, that it is a disposition not a duty. Love should not be a check list item, but should flow out of our standing as children of God. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neighbors. Be sure to check us out at hyphen.church and follow us...

The author of 1 John puts his finest point on love yet, making the strongest case for mirroring the actions of Christ. Ultimately love is a giving action: those of us that feel generous toward others, even the undeserving, are approaching the heart of God. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for th...

As John’s letter gains momentum, he begins some of his most famous arguments about the evidence of being a child of God. God has redefined our identity as His children, a gift from Him, not based on anything we are or can do. We are called to live in a way that represents our standing. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who pract...

First John leads us toward the community grounded in God’s grace by declaring that together we need God. Any kind of close relationship with God includes honesty about our failure to love God and our neighbor. As we uncover the letter of 1 John together, we have to ask ourselves, what is the definition of truth and togetherness? Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in...

Salome’s presence in the Mark’s telling of the Resurrection perhaps gives us a clearer look as to what is happening in this passage: the hope of the Resurrection surrounds us with peace. Just like the women at the tomb, we have the peace of hope that Jesus continues regardless of whether we can reach out and touch Him. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, M...

We’ve experienced Palm Sunday so many times it can be easy to miss the whole point of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Misinterpreted by almost everyone involved, Jesus is determined to disrupt and destroy the same power seeking to end his life. The parade isn’t the point, it’s to show those gathered what power in the kingdom looks like. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational chur...

The cleansing of the Temple isn’t exactly about the cleansing of the Temple. Jesus instead was making a symbolic gesture about the extra things that come between us and encountering God. In a world where distractions and distortions of worship abound, Jesus’ example calls us to reevaluate what consumes us. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to...

We all make plans for our life, but Jesus says if we really desire to live, we need to give up our life and follow him. While that might be scary, to truly see Jesus in everything we do involves a radical giving up of all we hold on to. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neig...

Peter declares Jesus the Messiah, but it’s on his terms. After Jesus corrects him publicly, He offers His deepest understanding of what it means to be one who follows after Him: denying themself and embracing sacrificial love. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neighbors. Be...

To begin our Lenten journey, we discover the beginning of our redemption. Surprisingly, it comes from a story of destruction. Renewal only comes through devastation, a reminder as Jesus makes his way to the cross. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neighbors. Be sure to check...

In the final Sunday of Epiphany, we read from one of the high points in the Gospel of Mark, the Transfiguration. Jesus was positioned then and still is now as the center of God’s glory and presence. We as the church can reveal that glory, too every time we embody the presence of Jesus. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who pract...

Jesus had busy days all the time, but He shows us and His Disciples that time spent in prayer alone always leads us back to Kingdom mission. Being with people is more than service, it’s revealing God face-to-face just as Jesus did. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neighbors...

One of the most interesting things about Mark’s gospel is the first acknowledgement of Jesus’ true identity is not by a person but an unclean spirit. Jesus performs the first miracle of his ministry demonstrating that Jesus’ authority liberates us. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake o...

Today we examine three important characteristics of God’s call: it’s universal, it’s personal, and it’s transformative. We are obligated to respond knowing that following Jesus involves a fundamental shift in our sense of self and purpose. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their n...

From the early pages of John, we learn an easy definition of a disciple: being found and finding others. Being found by Jesus, no matter where we are, becomes a chain reaction of finding others to follow Jesus. Being found by Christ is a transformative encounter leading to a renewed relationship with God. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to f...

Our mission as people of God is to do as John did, humble ourselves and point the way to Jesus the Christ, or as John calls him: “One More Powerful.” In calling Jerusalem to repentance, John accidentally defines what a church is: a unified spiritual journey toward repentance and renewal. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who pra...

The speaker of Isaiah 61 has been anointed for a special purpose: a mission of radical proclamation, one described in the text as “good news.” Then he describes what good news does, it’s a moment of transformation that although nothing has come yet, something is already here. Good news is a proclamation of “Instead.” Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI...

In some ways, Israel’s judgement looks nothing like our modern culture, but searching deeper, we share in their “uprootedness,” a spiritual homelessness. But it’s precisely in the Babylonian desert God comes to dwell among us, not some “pie in the sky” future, but right now in the places we feel alone and abandoned. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI s...

Our way is not God’s way. Especially when it comes to the timing of events. God’s timing to us may not seem nice, measured, or orderly at all. Sometimes God seems to break into our lives at the most inconvenient times in our everyday lives. But then God’s time collides with our time. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practic...

As Jesus builds to His conclusion, He repeats a familiar phrase to His disciples: Can you be trusted with the little things? Jesus makes it clear, those worthy of life with Him are those who have done well to protect and lift the least among us. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of t...

Responsibility in the church is the same no matter what we’ve been given, but the message from Jesus is not all of us have been given the same amount. We can be a delight to the Lord when we steward well whatever we have ability for. Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neighbo...

Who is responsible for the oil in our lamps? When our waiting comes up against a delay, something unexpected, who do we become while we wait? Notes for this message Hyphen Church is a nondenominational church in Fenton, MI seeking to form people who practice the presence of God for the sake of their neighbors. Be sure to check us out at hyphen.church and follow us on Facebook for the latest update...