Nova Church Weekly Messages

The world ought to make sense. Right?! Some things just seem to matter.  To everyone.  Things like beauty.  Or community.  Or justice. We long for these things.  We crave them.  We have this intuition that they’re important and good and right.  Yet all too often they seem to lay beyond our reach. What do we make of this?  Is it all a cruel joke?  Mere fantasy?  Or are these things actually signs —...

The world ought to make sense. Right?! Some things just seem to matter.  To everyone.  Things like beauty.  Or community.  Or justice. We long for these things.  We crave them.  We have this intuition that they’re important and good and right.  Yet all too often they seem to lay beyond our reach. What do we make of this?  Is it all a cruel joke?  Mere fantasy?  Or are these things actually signs —...

The world ought to make sense. Right?! Some things just seem to matter.  To everyone.  Things like beauty.  Or community.  Or justice. We long for these things.  We crave them.  We have this intuition that they’re important and good and right.  Yet all too often they seem to lay beyond our reach. What do we make of this?  Is it all a cruel joke?  Mere fantasy?  Or are these things actually signs —...

The world ought to make sense. Right?! Some things just seem to matter.  To everyone.  Things like beauty.  Or community.  Or justice. We long for these things.  We crave them.  We have this intuition that they’re important and good and right.  Yet all too often they seem to lay beyond our reach. What do we make of this?  Is it all a cruel joke?  Mere fantasy?  Or are these things actually signs —...

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!” Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice? This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the...

This week's worship gathering featured a panel discussion about the “how-to’s” of sabbath-ing. The panel includes Franklin Sarker, Kelsey Warren and Kimberly Kronwell, who are members of the Nova community, along with David Swenson, a pastor with Coram Doe Denver.  We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be mo...

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!” Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice? This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the...

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!” Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice? This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the...

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!” Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice? This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the...

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!” Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice? This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the...

We live in a restless, exhausted age.  Voices all around us demand, “Work harder!” “Fit more into your hours!” “Get more!” “Be more!” “Do more!” Is it even possible to slow down enough to hear a better, truer voice? This summer our teaching series is a deep dive into the spiritual practice of Sabbath.  In our treadmill culture today, this may be the most neglected spiritual practice, and also the...

In a restless, exhausted age, what does it mean to be a Sabbath people belonging to the Lord of Sabbath?  “Sabbath served as a regular reminder that God has given himself to his people, a regular call to trust him and rest in him, and with this, a regular means to enter his presence and experience the realities of life lived under him as King and Father." -Lord of Time: Living in the Rest and...

Starting in the book of Genesis, this message traces the thread of Sabbath throughout Scripture.  “...the gift of the Sabbath, its source, meaning, and goals, its prominence across Scripture, and its joyous and grace-filled center combine to provide a panoramic vista into the grand narrative of the Bible.”- Lord of Time: Living in the Rest and Reign of God In a restless, exhausted age, what does i...

What is "Sabbath"?  It is an invitation into the life of God. God rested on the seventh day.  Sabbath is a call to enter into the rest of God and enjoy life with God. In a restless, exhausted age, what does it mean to be a Sabbath-people, belonging to the Lord of Sabbath? “Sabbath served as a regular reminder that God has given himself to his people, a regular call to trust him and rest...

Here is a radical idea:  you are not what you do. You are not your performance or job title or pay check. The sum total of your worth is not your productivity. Work can become an idol in so many ways. But Jesus invites us to approach our work in a different way. Psalm 90 reminds us of our limits. We are finite creatures. God establish the work of our hands. We are yours.  God At Work: Living as Ag...

What has God made you to do? Consider your story, your temperament, your passions. Consider what you are good at. Consider God’s calling on your life. And together, as a community, our lives are woven together – God’s handiwork. God At Work: Living as Agents of Renewal Your work matters. Your work is an opportunity to join God in what God is doing in our world. Join us for our new series as we exp...

Let’s start here: What is the good news of Jesus?  In short, Jesus is renewing all of creation (including us). The Bible is telling a far better story than simply Jesus saving us so we can go to heaven when we die.  We are invited to participate in God’s work of renewal of all things. How do we cultivate a redemptive imagination in our everyday lives?  Joanna Meyer from the Denver Institute of Fai...

Do you ever feel stuck in your job?  Does your work feel hard or futile? Work is good.  And it is hard.  Why?  And what do we do with that? If Jesus came to make his blessing flow as far as the curse is found, how do we open ourselves up to the presence of Jesus in the midst of the difficulties of work?  How do we navigate the difficulties of work as Jesus-formed people? God At Work: Living as Age...

Work is part of God’s good creation. Part of the human job description is to join God in God’s care and cultivation of God’s world. There is no sacred and secular divide. Sometimes we confuse this point and act as if work that matters to God is restricted to those who work for a church or Christian non-profit.  God At Work: Living as Agents of Renewal Your work matters. Your work is an opportunity...

What do you think of when you think of “calling”?  Is it a certain kind of work you’re well-suited to do?  Is it your dream job? What comes to mind when you think of “calling”? Here’s the thing: What if we actually get calling wrong? What if we’ve actually misunderstood what calling actually is, at its deepest level? God At Work: Living as Agents of Renewal Your work matters. Your work is an oppor...

Enter into the mystery and power of Jesus’s final hours on the cross. Connect with the meaning of Good Friday as Nova Church gathers to worship and reflect on the weight of Jesus's suffering and sacrifice. Nova Church is a Jesus-centered community in the heart of central Denver. Learn more at https://novadenver.org/ .

That did not go like you thought it would. Maybe it was your plans for the weekend. Or the holidays. Or a new job. It’s a turn of events you did not see coming. A hand you didn’t see yourself being dealt. That didn’t go as expected. And you are left trying to make sense of what just happened. In Luke 24:13-35, two disciples of Jesus are reeling from a turn of events.  All their hopes and dreams fo...

We go back to Palm Sunday.  Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey, then weeps over Jerusalem. Subversive Jesus: A Lenten Series Jesus flips tables and flips scripts. Our notions of where true life is found are also flipped upside down. During this season of Lent, let’s draw near to Jesus and allow him to challenge us, unsettle us, and invite us into new life. Let’s consent to the subversive wo...

What do you do when you're cornered?  Do you come out swinging? Jesus holds all the power in the room.  When he is betrayed and arrested, what does he do with it?  Subversive Jesus: A Lenten Series Jesus flips tables and flips scripts. Our notions of where true life is found are also flipped upside down. During this season of Lent, let’s draw near to Jesus and allow him to challenge us, unset...

Jesus sees his suffering coming. He wants to pray in his favorite place with his friends – but his friends fall asleep. Jesus prays for the cup of suffering to be taken away – but then he consents to God’s will: “Not my will but yours be done.” Subversive Jesus: A Lenten Series Jesus flips tables and flips scripts. Our notions of where true life is found are also flipped upside down. During this s...