Restoration Church

In this special message and interview, we highlight Kentucky Refugee Ministries! Beforehand, Justin unpacks the consistent theme of God's heart for the vulnerable - all the way to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. If you've never heard of KRM, they do incredible work in caring for the needs of refugees in central Kentucky. Visit their website at kyrm.org

Do you believe God loves you? You might know the “right answer” to that question, but if we’re honest, there are times when it can be hard to believe. This week, as we look at the baptism of Jesus, we see the loving affirmation of the Father – a love that is likewise spoken over us in Christ. What might it look like to live from this love instead of spending our lives striving for it? (Matthew 3:1...

In taking on human flesh, Jesus embodied both the message and mission of God. And when it comes to our mission as a Church, the same is true. Just as Jesus chose presence with and for others, we, too, are called to the ministry of presence right where we are. (John 1:1-18) 

The incarnation means that God chose to become fully human – just like us. Jesus experienced every aching reality of our humanity, from hunger and sadness to laughter and joy. And you may not know it yet, but this is good news. Why? Because everything Jesus embodies, He redeems. (Hebrews 2:10-18)

What we don't need this Christmas is good advice about how to make an already hard life a little bit better. What we need instead, is good news - a Gospel of a God who meets us in vulnerability and need. That's what we gather around together - a God who meets us where we are, as we are, in love. (Luke 2:1-14)

In this special Sunday gathering, we celebrate the coming of Jesus through the leadership of Restoration Kids! Our message is about Jesus as the light of the world - and how no matter how old we are, we can be a light through a life of love. 

The Gospel begins in the lowest lows. Jesus entered the world through a poor, teenage mother in a nowhere town – in an empire committed to the exploitation of her people. And as her story comes into focus, she does something surprising: she sings a protest song – a song about how the mighty will fall and the lowly will be lifted by God. (Luke 1:46-55)

The prophecies that promise the Messiah aren’t just words of hope. They are also pronouncements of judgment. Both then and now, sin and injustice wreck havoc in the world around us. Judgment is coming, yes – but not to ruin us. God’s justice restores. (Isaiah 11:1-10)

Theologian Fleming Rutledge tells us that “Advent begins in the dark.” It is a season that encourages us to name and embrace the waiting and the longing we feel. As we begin the season of Advent, the Bible calls us to live in the tension – a tension between the darkness we see around us and the light we know is on the way. (Romans 13:11-14)

For better or worse, our lives are the product of the stories we immerse ourselves in. So as a Church, we need rhythms and practices that reorient our lives around the story God. This week, we’re talking about how our Church practices the story of Jesus together – and how you can walk with us. 

To the surprise and horror of Jonah, Nineveh repents and turns to God. And while this would might seem like good news (it was!), it made Jonah furious. Jonah’s story raises an important and difficult question: how do we respond to a God to loves the people we despise? As we close out our time in Jonah, we’re exploring how God’s widening mercy challenges the walls we place between “us” and “them.”

Jonah 2 is a prayer from rock bottom. After running from God, Jonah finds himself sinking deep into the worst moment of his life. And yet unlike Jonah, our worst moments don’t have to harden us. If we allow them to, we can find humility, clarity and a hope that can only be found at the end of our rope. 

Jonah is a prophet that does like what he hears from God. So what does he do? He runs. And the result? Rock bottom. But strangely, the belly of the whale isn't a sign of God's anger, but rather his mercy.  It's not a matter of if - but when - we'll reach our own rock bottom. So what kind of God will we meet at the end of our rope? (Jonah 1) 

This weekend, our students are leading every aspect of our gathering! As a part of this special Sunday, Our Student Pastor Casey is speaking about rage: namely, our culture’s obsession with reactivity and judgment towards our neighbors. How can we find a better way in Christ?

Sin doesn’t simply bring death and chaos to individuals. From the beginning, it has moved outward – into our systems, policies, and power structures. It subjugates, marginalizes, and disadvantages people made in the image of God. And correcting these wrongs? That’s called justice – and it’s woven into the very fabric of the Scriptures.

In this week's message in our series Restorers, we unpack the centrality of hospitality in the mission of God. (guest co-preacher: Amanda Hubler)

Do you know what the very first word that God uses to describe Himself to Moses? Merciful. Would that be the first word that is used to describe Christians today? The answer is, well… no. And we need to talk about why. This week, we’re continuing our Restorers series by looking at the centrality of mercy and compassion to our mission with Jesus – what it is, what it does, and why *our own* need fo...

Our presence in this world matters. How we relate to our neighbors speaks volumes about how we understand our faith. Because we are disciples of Jesus, our posture towards our neighbors is clear: we are servants. This Sunday, we’re going to explore what it means to love and be present to our neighbors not as saviors, but as servants.

It’s a topic that stirs a lot of emotion – and carries a lot of baggage: evangelism. To some, the idea of sharing our faith feels intimidating, outdated, or even offensive. So in this message, we’ll dispel some of the misguided assumptions about what it means to share our faith, and through it, offer a vision for how we might invite people into the story of God. 

Every year around this time, we pause to remember our identity and mission as a Church family. This year, as a part of our series Restorers, we’re focusing on how – and why – we join God’s restoring work in the world around us. Over the next 6 weeks, we’ll explore partnering with God through evangelism, justice, mercy, service, and hospitality.

In any given Church, you’ll find a variety of stories and backgrounds gathered into one big, messy family. Our common faith doesn’t always erase our differences, so what makes unity possible? In this message, Justin unpacks what has become a central value at Restoration: the centering of Jesus in everything we do. At our core, He alone holds us together.

It may seem counterintuitive, but often the first barrier we encounter in building healthy relationships isn’t them, it’s us. We want to be known by others, but how can we expect others to know us when we don’t really even know ourselves? In this message, we explore how self-awareness opens the door to the kind of community we seek – and share how we’re seeking to build this together at Restoratio...

At the heart of the Gospel, you’ll find forgiveness. But in everyday life, forgiveness isn’t always easy. As we continue our series Together, we’re exploring forgiveness – what it is, what it’s not, and why it’s central not only to our faith, but to building healthy, meaningful relationships. 

If we’re going to find healthy relationships in the Church, sooner in later, we’re going to have to learn how to handle conflict. In this message, we explore the centrality of reconciliation to the Gospel – and give a pathway foward in pursuing healthy vision of conflict that bears witness to the reconciliation we’ve found in Christ.

In the month of August, we're giving our attention to what it means to develop healthy, genuine relationships in the Church. This week, we're laying the foundation by exploring what it means to be a community known by love. (Colossians 3:12-13)