Seven Mile Road

Being in control of our lives appeals to many of us. There’s a problem, though: no matter how much we want to be in control, we just aren’t built for it. We don’t have what it takes. We spend endless time, energy, and thought trying to bring the circumstances of life under our rule, but it never works out. Rather than producing control and joy, our efforts gain anxiety, worry, and stress. This Sun...

Listen for an update on what you need to know this month at Seven Mile Melrose. Click here to register for Theology for Everyone class: https://sevenmileroad.churchcenter.com/people/forms/428972 Click here to register for Shaped By Scripture track: https://sevenmileroad.churchcenter.com/people/forms/428959

All of Scripture is God breathed, it is true, but through the ages the parable of the prodigal son has stayed minty fresh. If you want to get at the heart of God, and do so with an illustration, which is what Jesus loved to do with his parables, Luke 15:11-32 is one of the best places to go. The gospel news is a handful of historical facts related to the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord a...

Throughout The Gospel of Luke, we've seen and heard the religious leaders miss the mark repeatedly. They've tried to earn what is free, and they've charged for things they were supposed to give away. But if they got it wrong, how are people like us standing in the crowds that don't have training or pedigree or a spotless record supposed to know what it means to follow Jesus? Th...

You’re Invited: Great Supper… Before you RSVP your first question might be, “What are they serving?” But the folks around the table are more interested in who’s invited. Jesus tells us a story about the great supper in the age to come which is light on the menu details but pretty heavily focused on the invite list. We’ll see what this story means for invites and excuses for a future great supper t...

Jesus gets invited to a meal with some Pharisees and reveals the path to honor in a way that completely contradicts the Pharisees in the room. We (and the Pharisees at the table) think the best way to get honor is to compete for it, and use or exclude the weak for our own gain in the process. It's a zero sum game. Jesus provides a different pathway to hono: humility and inclusion of the weak...

July is church planting month at Seven Mile Melrose! Listen to a 9 minute update from Justin and Sara. 

Jesus points out a human tendency to silence God’s Word from moving us to repentance and faith in Jesus. We do all sorts of things to try to stop the message and messengers from getting to us. Jerusalem had this same tendency recorded throughout the Bible. That human tendency is countered by what we see in God’s disposition towards us. We’ll look at our tendency & God’s disposition and take st...

After hearing that that kingdom of God was like a mustard seed, someone asked a natural question, “How big will this kingdom be?” Rather than answering the question, Jesus explains how not to miss the kingdom and that many who expect to be in the kingdom will miss out. But he doesn’t stop there, instead promising that many from all times and places will enter the kingdom. It’s not that few people...

Last week, we looked at Jesus’ healing of a woman on the Sabbath. This Sunday, we will learn from Luke how Jesus explains the appropriate way to perceive what the kingdom of God looks like at work in the world. Jesus is God’s king, and where the king is, there is the kingdom at work. However, like a seed in a garden or yeast in dough, the work of Jesus requires receptive environments to grow over...

 In our suffering it can be hard to see Jesus. It's hard to be hopeful when we can't see any reason to hope. Does Jesus see our suffering? In Luke 13:10-17 we see a woman with prolonged disability encounter Jesus in all his grace, mercy, and power. Jesus sees her; Jesus turns her suffering into joy. 

Hear from the Melrose staff what to expect this summer at Seven Mile Melrose

Luke 13.1-9 When bad things happen, we often wonder why. The same thing happened in Jesus' day and the assumption was often that tragedies are the result of personal sin. This Sunday, we'll listen in as Jesus is told of a tragedy and then answers the question, "Do you think these were worse sinners?"

Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God," but he also said "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division."  Does Jesus contradict himself here?  How does a message of "peace on earth" reconcile with the division that Jesus says he came to bring to earth?  When is it appropriate for us t...

We're thrilled to have Pastor Matt Moran preaching  this Sunday as we continue our series in the gospel of Luke. Pastor Matt served as a pastor at Seven Mile Road Melrose for over five years and currently serves as the Lead Pastor at Community of Grace in his hometown of  Buffalo, NY.

Tune in to hear Justin, Michael, and Sara (along with a special guest star!) give a quick run down of what's happening when this month at Seven Mile Road.

Luke 12.1-12 What do you fear? How does that fear shape you? After a confrontation with the Pharisees, Jesus warns his disciplines how easy it is to fear the wrong things and where that leads. Jesus knew that a time was coming when his disciples would be tested and he helps prepares them by pointing out what fear is actually worth having. In fact, Jesus will tell them about One who will help them...

When we pursue outside purity, we miss Jesus and his work to cleanse our insideThe Pharisees and the scribes both participated and benefited from a religious system that gave them public praise and approval. The devastating consequences, though, was that while they assumed they were honoring God they were actually moving further away from him. Jesus gives sharp words to people who are culturally a...

Happy Easter! What's inside Jesus' tomb? Nothing! Yes it was a trick question but the answer is what makes Easter so happy. Jesus died and was resurrected. A Friday of sadness, grief, and loss was met with a Sunday of wonder, exhulation, and joy. There is no better news than Gospel news. On Sunday we will meet Jesus on a field where a crowd of people seek to test his claim to be God&apos...

Is there anyone to fear when one is with Jesus? We needn’t fear any person, nor natural phenomena, nor disease as Jesus is more powerful than each. But what about the Satan and his demons? We see evil in our world and in ourselves. We might think it is only human weakness, but the Bible tells us there is more than we see. That unseen darkness can certainly shake us, but Luke presents Jesus as the...

When we're most honest, many of us have a lot of worry about how we parent our kids well and how we help them learn to trust God as they grow.  So we wonder how what to do ... how to do that ... and it can feel so complicated. This week we'll hear God's wisdom from Deuteronomy 6, where Moses helps us see some simple ways we can help our kids learn to trust God. Deut 6:20-25

The Melrose staff get you caught up on all things April Fool's Day and all things  Seven Mile Melrose for the month! Give it a listen!

Far from being a new question, “How should we pray?” is actually an old one that the disciples asked Jesus and one that he answered. In our text this week, Jesus teaches the disciples (and us!) what and how to pray. But ultimately he tells teaches how we ought to approach God, who is a Good Father to his children and will always gives the best gifts. Luke 11.1-13

Matthew 13.44-46 What would you do for great treasure? What would you sacrifice? This week, we’ll hear Jesus teach that the Kingdom of Heaven is, in fact, the greatest of all treasures. And, we’ll consider what happens when the reality of Jesus being the greatest treasure hits home in our hearts?

What happens when we live by anxiety and not faith? In this sermon we examine the brief interaction Luke records between Jesus, Martha, and Mary. Martha shows Jesus great hospitality initially, but all her serving ends up actually shielding her from Jesus. Mary shows us what it looks like to posture ourselves with Jesus as our highest Good.