Roots Church Sermon Podcast

This Advent, Roots is joining with hundreds of other congregations in conspiring against consumerism in our Christmas celebrations. The first theme of Advent Conspiracy is “Worship Fully.” In this sermon, Pastor T. C. explores the way we are formed by embodied practices. The apostle Paul teaches us to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices” to…

In this sermon, Pastor Der teaches on Paul’s argument to the so-called ‘Weak’ and ‘Strong’ factions in the house churches of Rome about how both Jewish and Gentile disciples are justified by “faith” in the same way that Abraham was.

In Romans 1.18–32, Paul employs language that echoes common Jewish stereotypes of Gentiles as particularly depraved and deserving of God’s wrath. Examples of this rhetoric can be found in Wisdom of Solomon. But Paul uses this rhetoric not to reinforce division between the Jewish and Gentile disciples in Rome. No! Paul uses it as a…

After having completed the 12-16 and 9-11 sections of Romans, we are leapfrogging over the 5-8 section to the 1-4 section, and returning to the foundation of the Christian faith: The Gospel. In Romans chapter 1, we discover that the Gospel Paul preached wasn’t the ‘Romans Road,’ but was instead about Jesus, not us; Good…

In this sermon, Emily Morrison breaks down one of the most confusing and misunderstood passages in all of the New Testament: Romans chapters 9-11. Paul is retelling the biblical narrative, reinterpreted in the light of who Jesus is and what he has done, for the sake of the unity of the church of Rome. The…

Romans chapter 9 has been misunderstood as a passage about individual election, predestination, and personal salvation. But Romans is not a book of abstract, systematic theology. Romans is a pastoral letter written to a church with factions along cultural and ethnic lines. Paul is writing to the so-called “Weak” and “Strong” to reframe the stories…

Romans 13 is a famous text that has been used as a proof-text to justify state-sponsored violence for millennia. By reading Romans “backwards” (in light of the conflict between the factions in the house churches of Rome), we can more clearly see Paul’s purpose for writing this passage. Rather than sanctioning state-sponsored violence, Paul was…

These three words, Christoformity, Glory, and Hope, represent the basic arch of Paul’s theological conviction for a unified multiethnic family of Jesus followers. Through what Scott McKnight calls “Christoformity” or the process of becoming like Christ in self-sacrificing ways, the Weak and the Strong – Jews and Gentiles–bring Glory to God when they give up…

In chapters 14 and 15, the apostle Paul/Saul directly addresses the conflict between factions in the house churches of Rome. Namely, he points out that there is division among them along cultural and ethnic lines after the Jewish disciples who were expelled from Rome begin returning only to find a gentile-dominated church that no longer…

In this message, Pastor Osheta continues our exploration of the house churches of Rome from Romans chapter 16 with a deeper dive into some important female leaders, three of whom are Phoebe, Priscilla, and Junia.

This is the first message in a new teaching series, exploring the letter to the church at Rome, written by the apostle Paul/Saul. In this message, Pastor T. C. introduces the series and explains why reading Romans “backwards” helps keep the theology of the letter in its social and ecclesial contexts, as well as making…

In this message Pastor T. C. connects the Sabbath to the themes of trusting God for Abundance and Resistance to the fear of Scarcity.

In this message Pastor Der continues in the theme of Divine Rest with a new look at the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10.

Jesus invites his followers into God’s rest through him. He is One who gives true rest. In this message, Pastor T. C. explores the connection between Sabbath and Jesus.

Roots is learning how to rest, allowing ourselves to be rejuvenated by God, and to enter into God’s rest. This message from pastors T. C. and Osheta is the kick-off of the Time to Be Human series.              

When we’re going through seasons of despair or lament, it’s naturally difficult to see beyond to the other side. In this standalone sermon, Pastor Der shares some of his own difficult seasons in life and ministry and how God’s promises for future blessing can be the impetus that moves us forward.

What is “oneness in Christ” and what does it teach us about the relationship between men and women in the church? In this message, Pastor T. C. shares some of the story about how his view changed from “Complementarianism” to “Egalitarianism”.

“Friendship” is an often neglected aspect of God’s covenant with humans. What can we learn about friendship with one another from God’s friendship with us?

The relationship between Paul and Timothy teaches us about Christian mentoring. Paul recognizes the contribution Timothy’s mother and grandmother have made to his faith. Paul encourages Timothy to “stir up” the gift from God that is already within him. This is an important truth for us to internalize when we are tempted to impose our…

Emily Morrison knows a thing or two about living in community. She has lived in shared spaces with other Christians in South Sudan, Louisiana, and now in Minnesota. In this message, she shares from the wisdom she’s gleaned from these experiences and from the example of the apostle Paul in I Thessalonians.

In Genesis 33, we read about the reconciliation of two brothers who became enemies. Esau and Jacob were twins who were very different. After Esau spurned his birthright giving it to Jacob for a meal, and Jacob cheated Esau out of their father’s blessing, Esau vowed to kill Jacob. But in Genesis 32 and 33,…

To kick off this new teaching series, Pastor T. C. lays a foundation for our approach to all our relationships. Rather than approaching them individualistically, a better approach is applying wisdom from the ‘Wisdom Tradition’ of Scripture and from modern systems thinking. Drawing from Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job, as well as from Generation to Generation…

“The Mother Heart of God” Osheta Moore

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!