Reading City Church

We don't have to look hard to face the reality of darkness. It's real in our world, but Jesus is clear that we are not without hope. In this section of Luke, he casts out the darkness from a little boy who is suffering. He rebukes his disciples for their inability to meet the need. His desire was for them to understand that his extraordinary, life-giving kingdom must flow through common, everyday...

We don't have to look hard to face the reality of darkness. It's real in our world, but Jesus is clear that we are not without hope. In this section of Luke, he casts out the darkness from a little boy who is suffering. He rebukes his disciples for their inability to meet the need. His desire was for them to understand that his extraordinary, life-giving kingdom must flow through common, everyday...

Continuing in our intensive study in Luke, today we read about Jesus' transfiguration. This is the only time when Jesus actually shows some of the essence of who he is to a few of his disciples. God is being fully accessible and approachable to his people for the first time. The idea of the eternal glory of God that we will one day enter and is within our humanity because of Jesus, can seem very u...

Continuing in our intensive study in Luke, today we read about Jesus' transfiguration. This is the only time when Jesus actually shows some of the essence of who he is to a few of his disciples. God is being fully accessible and approachable to his people for the first time. The idea of the eternal glory of God that we will one day enter and is within our humanity because of Jesus, can seem very u...

Today, Vince introduces the "J-curve of Jesus." This is the idea that Jesus' path did not follow a typical upward slant of success. Instead, he interrupted his relatively normal, human existence to suffer and die before ascending to his rightful place. By choosing this path, Jesus showed his love for humanity and transformed reality for the rest of time by making it possible for us to receive his...

Today, Vince introduces the "J-curve of Jesus." This is the idea that Jesus' path did not follow a typical upward slant of success. Instead, he interrupted his relatively normal, human existence to suffer and die before ascending to his rightful place. By choosing this path, Jesus showed his love for humanity and transformed reality for the rest of time by making it possible for us to receive his...

People had all sorts of theories about who Jesus was and the reason why He came to the Earth. In Luke 9:7-9, Jesus addresses this question with his disciples. Peter is the only one who is able or brave enough to answer with his heart. Over and over again, Jesus invites us to answer the same question for ourselves, because over and over again we need to evaluate our own feelings and faith apart fro...

People had all sorts of theories about who Jesus was and the reason why He came to the Earth. In Luke 9:7-9, Jesus addresses this question with his disciples. Peter is the only one who is able or brave enough to answer with his heart. Over and over again, Jesus invites us to answer the same question for ourselves, because over and over again we need to evaluate our own feelings and faith apart fro...

The places in our lives that may feel desolate are an invitation to go deeper into the riches of Christ from which we can feed others. We continue our study in the book of Luke with the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. In this empty place, Jesus feeds his people. The more stripping away of our own power happens, the more power from God to bring goodness and life settles upon us. When we are weak,...

The places in our lives that may feel desolate are an invitation to go deeper into the riches of Christ from which we can feed others. We continue our study in the book of Luke with the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. In this empty place, Jesus feeds his people. The more stripping away of our own power happens, the more power from God to bring goodness and life settles upon us. When we are weak,...

The invitation for this message is to consider Jesus’ sending of the 12 as a model for how we can share the goodness of His Kingdom through dependency and loving others in His power. It is impossible to have our hearts turned to and deeply resonate with the heart of God all the time. We are too wounded, too suspicious, too fickle, to formed by a fallen world and too likely to contribute to it’s pa...

The invitation for this message is to consider Jesus’ sending of the 12 as a model for how we can share the goodness of His Kingdom through dependency and loving others in His power. It is impossible to have our hearts turned to and deeply resonate with the heart of God all the time. We are too wounded, too suspicious, too fickle, to formed by a fallen world and too likely to contribute to it’s pa...

In this message, we focus on “normal” human fears and our normal human reactions to them… the stuff that often trips us up in our spiritual life, our relationships, our careers, our ability to enjoy life. The root of fear is in the story of our separation from God, the story we tell ourselves that we are on our own in a scary world. Tony Blair is our guest speaker this morning and he shares Jesus'...

In this message, we focus on “normal” human fears and our normal human reactions to them… the stuff that often trips us up in our spiritual life, our relationships, our careers, our ability to enjoy life. The root of fear is in the story of our separation from God, the story we tell ourselves that we are on our own in a scary world. Tony Blair is our guest speaker this morning and he shares Jesus'...

Here are two questions we're very familiar with in the church: who is Jesus? and What is His kingdom like? We're exploring these questions through another story in Luke, one that is probably confusing to most readers. In this story, we see Jesus act, but we also should notice the reactions of the people around him. Some responded with fear, some with awe and gratefulness. Our healing and salvation...

Here are two questions we're very familiar with in the church: who is Jesus? and What is His kingdom like? We're exploring these questions through another story in Luke, one that is probably confusing to most readers. In this story, we see Jesus act, but we also should notice the reactions of the people around him. Some responded with fear, some with awe and gratefulness. Our healing and salvation...

Jesus’ revolutionary explanation redefines the fabric of family and is the exact inclusiveness that so many need today. At the core of every family structure, whether traditional or not, is the deepest human desire to be a part of something. Healthy Christian families are meant to have opened arms, opened hearts, and opened homes to the larger eternal family. On this Father's Day, we pray that you...

Jesus’ revolutionary explanation redefines the fabric of family and is the exact inclusiveness that so many need today. At the core of every family structure, whether traditional or not, is the deepest human desire to be a part of something. Healthy Christian families are meant to have opened arms, opened hearts, and opened homes to the larger eternal family. On this Father's Day, we pray that you...

The secrets of the Kingdom of God are not actually riddles we may never understand. God wants us to know these things. He desires us to seek them out and He is glad to help us. True growth through the revelation of God takes time. We need to consider the whole context of scripture, hold loosely to what we've heard in the past, and put in the time to experience growth.

The secrets of the Kingdom of God are not actually riddles we may never understand. God wants us to know these things. He desires us to seek them out and He is glad to help us. True growth through the revelation of God takes time. We need to consider the whole context of scripture, hold loosely to what we've heard in the past, and put in the time to experience growth.

Jesus' tendency to speak in parables confused a lot of people. We have the benefit of being on the other side, with the interpretation of the story included in Luke's gospel. Jesus is telling us how different His kingdom is from what we expect. There is so much freedom in that truth and yet we often don't understand, just like the crowds who listened to Him. Jesus wasn’t interested in telling peop...

Jesus' tendency to speak in parables confused a lot of people. We have the benefit of being on the other side, with the interpretation of the story included in Luke's gospel. Jesus is telling us how different His kingdom is from what we expect. There is so much freedom in that truth and yet we often don't understand, just like the crowds who listened to Him. Jesus wasn’t interested in telling peop...

Today, we unpack the counter-cultural approach Jesus took to the role of women and men in his life and ministry. He wants to abolish the fears and harsh divisions that keep men and women from serving together as brothers and sisters in Christ. The world would then see a more full picture of God in our relationships and leadership - for both are created in the image of His likeness.

Today, we unpack the counter-cultural approach Jesus took to the role of women and men in his life and ministry. He wants to abolish the fears and harsh divisions that keep men and women from serving together as brothers and sisters in Christ. The world would then see a more full picture of God in our relationships and leadership - for both are created in the image of His likeness.

We are starting a new portion of the book of Luke and focusing specifically on the Kingdom of God and how Jesus shows us the better and more beautiful realities that are to come. The goodness of God’s realm is clear any place and time His desires are fulfilled.