Pathfinder Church Messages

Pathfinder Church | April 18, 2021 | Doug Mauss Our digital world makes us feel like we’re more connected than ever before, but it also means we somehow feel less seen, known, and loved as we really are. Our mediated and manicured avatars may look great and provide us with plenty of attention, on top of 24/7 connection, but they work against what we need most: being truly seen and known. Website |...

Pathfinder Church | April 11, 2021 | Dion Garrett Right now, we have to sit distanced because we know that if we don’t, people will get sick and die. But distancing ourselves is not new, we have increasingly chosen to distance ourselves from others for all kinds of reasons… all of them about self-protection (of health, life, reputation, and complications). But the Spirit that is released after Jes...

Pathfinder Church | The Cost of 6ft | April 4, 2021 | Dion Garrett Jesus, the Son of God, chose not to stay distant from us, at Christmas he came near. But his life, and especially his rejection, betrayal, and death show us why flesh and blood living is so risky. Lately in our world, we see it too. The risks of embodied living seem endless. Yet, after the resurrection Jesus shows us that in spite...

Pathfinder Church | March 28, 2021 | Doug Mauss The Grace of Mystery Extracting the richness from life feels like endless work. To be sure, much of life’s best things are the fruit of a lot of diligent labor. But before any of us were, God created a complex, magnificent, mysterious universe for us to experience—with little effort—as a gift. While so much of my life’s joy is caught up in my achievi...

Pathfinder Church | March 24, 2021 | Melissa Harting & Doug Mauss Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed...

Pathfinder Church | March 21, 2021 | Dion Garrett The Grace of Belonging When it comes to belonging, history has shown that we make two critical mistakes: (1) Expel anyone who violates our beliefs and rules (2) Affirm all beliefs and rules as equally valid so that everyone can belong.  Both make belonging dependent on the community’s rules. But God doesn’t make following the rules a basis for our...

Pathfinder Church | March 17, 2021 | David Jameson & Doug Mauss Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teach...

Pathfinder Church | March 14, 2021 | Dion Garrett The Grace of Provision One of our sinful survival mechanisms tells us that survival is on us. We must take care of ourselves and if we are to expect anything from anyone else, it’s always transactional—quid pro quo. But there is a grace from God that also lives especially but not exclusively among His people. It says, “let me give to you what you n...

Pathfinder Church | March 10, 2021 | Jon Shepherd & Dion Garrett Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by...

Pathfinder Church | March 7, 2021 | Dion Garrett The Grace of Patience Calling someone immature is never a compliment. Our impatience with people who aren’t where we want them—including ourselves—shows how much we struggle with the growth journey. The truth is, maturing is a process that takes time. And while struggling through the awkwardness and ugliness that accompanies our “becoming,” we can a...

Pathfinder Church | March 3, 2021 | Chris Toomey & Doug Mauss As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for...

Pathfinder Church | February 28, 2021 | Doug Mauss The Grace of Redemption God’s grace is the beginning of everything and will have the final word. Not only will all of our mistakes be forgiven, not only will our pain be erased, but God promises that he will redeem everything that is fallen, broken, defiled and ugly, and he will make it new. There are few things in life more powerful than knowing...

Pathfinder Church | February 24, 2021 | Annalyse Erbst & Dion Garrett "Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hai...

Pathfinder Church | February 21, 2021 | Dion Garrett The Grace of Forgiveness When you’ve really hurt someone, sinned against them, you realize how powerless you are. Because in those moments, you know there is absolutely nothing you can do to make things right again. In those moments, the only source of hope is that the other person would be kind enough to absolve you anyway, in spite of you. Thi...

Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give Podcasts | https://pathfinderstl.org/podcasts Facebook | https://facebook.com/pathfinderstl Instagram |  https://instagram.com/pathfinderstl St. John School | https://stjls.org Contact Us | churchinfo@pathfinderstl.org

Pathfinder Church | February 14, 2021 | Dion Garrett Love. Is there anything in life more heavily sought and more grossly misunderstood? Love plays a central role in a Christian’s life, there’s nothing more defining, but in a world that has put forth a romantic cliché as the picture of true love, we end up misled and dissatisfied in our relationships.  Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Gi...

Pathfinder Church | February 7, 2021 | Dion Garrett This weekend millions tune in to watch some of the most finely tuned physical specimens on the planet battle it out for our entertainment. Ironically, we’ll watch them while bingeing on decadent spreads of food that will probably leave us with stomach aches. In both the highly trained athlete and the average American couch potato, a common misund...

Pathfinder Church | January 31, 2021 | Dion Garrett In our day, vocations and callings have been traded for careers and paychecks. The shift is more than semantics too. As Pastor Rick Warren’s bestselling book showed us 20 years ago, we are desperate to figure out our purpose. Without a clear calling, life is nothing more than a joyless trudge through a series of eight to fives. Website | https://...

Pathfinder Church | January 24, 2021 | Doug Mauss The power of our thoughts, either to bring joy and peace to our beings or sadness and sickness, is astounding. With mental health finally getting our attention, what advantage does our faith offer us in cultivating wholeness in the mind? Website | https://pathfinderstl.org ​ Online Giving | https://pathfinderstl.org/give ​ Facebook | https://facebo...

Pathfinder Church | January 17, 2021 | Dion Garrett      For something that’s so temporal, money sure does have a big impact on every part of our lives. Just notice how quickly everything changes when you open your credit card statements this month. But in spite of how overpowering money can be, it’s often the last place we invite God into. Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https...

Pathfinder Church | January 10, 2021 | Doug Mauss What does it mean to be spiritual? Is it nebulous and fluid, defined differently by each person? And if not, who gets to decide? Jesus came to challenge the prevailing definitions of spirituality in his way and to redefine what spirituality looks like. His definition was surprising to many in his day and still for us today!  Website | https://pathf...

Pathfinder Church | January 03, 2021 | Dion Garrett The great misunderstanding of Christianity is that it’s not actually a set of beliefs, doctrines, or truths—not alone. According to Jesus, it’s a whole lifestyle, a way of living that leads us to a better, fuller life. How many of us are settling for crumbs of life by letting Jesus’s full offer go on misunderstood and unclaimed? A whole, integrat...

Pathfinder Church | December 27, 2020 | Doug Mauss When Christmas goes, the warmth and hope of the season often goes with it. But, God’s Messiah doesn’t go back in the box when Christmas ends, which means his influence remains with us. God has fulfilled his promise to be with us forever, which is the most hopeful promise our world can know. Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https...

Pathfinder Church | December 20, 2020 | Dion Garrett When we look back over the course of our lives, or look around at our world, there’s so much that has been lost or torn down. While that may bring us discouragement, regret, and despair, God promised us a Messiah who would be skilled at putting broken things back together.  Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online Giving | https://pathfinderst...

Pathfinder Church | December 13, 2020 | Doug Mauss Fire, we’re taught from the time we’re little, is dangerous, and most little ones learn to be wary of a soapy bath. This makes God promise that the Messiah will come with refining fire and launderer’s soap, sound very odd. And yet these are some of the most hopeful promises an imperfect person can hear. Website | https://pathfinderstl.org Online G...