Seven Mile Road

Few people would argue that it's a bad thing to love  your neighbor, but all kinds of answers emerge once we start to talk about what that means. This week, as we listen in on a conversation Jesus has with a lawyer, we'll learn that the neighbor we're called to love may not be who we think and that loving this neighbor may be more intense than we'd ever expect ... and that what...

Listen for an update on what's to come in March (and April!) at Seven Mile Melrose (and listen for a special donut code from Justin!).

A turning point happens in Jesus’ ministry as He sends disciples on mission in Luke 9. But more than just the Twelve, in chapter 10 Jesus includes others (a lot of others… like 72 others) in the mission! This spinoff mission has successive implications for the Christian church all the way to Seven Mile Road today. This Sunday we take a look at the Mission to which all followers of Jesus are called...

We all have a deep longing to be great, to be important and feel valued. Unfortunately, we often completely miss in our efforts. In this week’s sermon, we’ll hear how Jesus’ disciples had this same longing, this same tendency to pursue greatness in all the wrong ways, and what Jesus taught them about greatness: to be somebody in his kingdom is actually to be a nobody.

What? Says who? But why? Not only is this how every conversation seems to go with an inquisitive child, it is what we ask during the time in the Word in this sermon. What is marriage? Says who? But why is that marriage? We look to God's Word to help guide our hearts, our minds, and our actions as we understand marriage, pursue marriage, and do marriage. God in his richness has intentions for...

Things have been building in the Gospel of Luke. More and more people are curious about Jesus. As Jesus' identity continues to unfold and His mission is made more clear, we must ask, "What does it mean to follow him?" In this week's sermon, God reveals even more about who Jesus and gives a huge key to being a disciple of Jesus: "Listen to him!" Luke 9: 28-36

Sara Justin and Michael give you an update on this month at Seven Mile Melrose.

“Christianity without Discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” -Bonhoeffer Following Jesus in discipleship is not an easy path nor a short one. Discipleship is a total commitment requiring an understanding of the costs to oneself daily and working to be led by Jesus in all areas of life. Jesus speaks hard words to his original disciples (that Luke wanted to make sure all subsequent dis...

As more and more people come into contact with Jesus, his miracles and his teaching, word spreads. And as word spreads, people are confronted with the question, “Who is this? Who is Jesus?” From political rulers to Jesus’ disciples to us, it’s a question that must be considered and must be answered. This Sunday, we’ll hear how others answered and hear from Jesus himself. Luke 9.7-9, 18-22

On Sunday we are preaching through Luke 9:10-17 where Jesus takes a little bread and a little fish and turns it into a LOT of bread and a LOT of fish, and 5,000 people eat to their fill and then have leftovers.  What is happening here? Does Jesus have a magic wand or is this something else? How do 5 loaves and 2 fish feed 5,000 or more people? What is the point of this? On Sunday we get to feast o...

The Seven Mile Melrose staff give a quick update on what to expect as 2021 closes out and going in to the New Year in January. 

Yes, Christmas is supposed to be merry . Christ has come! But Christmas  - the advent of the Savior - exists because this world is marked by sickness, sorrow, and suffering. Why would God allow things to be this way? This Sunday we see a woman whose life was marked by the worst of sorrows for a dozen straight years ... yet she never lost hope, moving toward Christ in faith when she had her chance....

This Sunday we see Christ direct his fishermen-disciples to steer the boat toward ... Gerasa? Yes. This would be like a Celtics fan heading to Staples Center or a vegan hitting the drive-thru at Taco Bell. No 1st century Jew would purposefully steer toward that city. But Christ did, to set a captive free and send a message that His gospel was going to be further reaching than anyone had ever imagi...

This week, we will pause from our normal rhythm of preaching Luke to jump ahead and look at Luke 16. Jesus tells one of his stranger parables to pose this penetrating question: Do we love God or love money? Someone who loves God views themselves as a manager, while someone who loves money views themselves as an owner.

Sunny days or cloudy skies: How do you respond? The situations outside of human control tell you something about a person. Luke records a view of the disciples in some weather. Their response exposes their underlying beliefs. We will let this text shine on us to see what (or who) is our go-to in stormy times. Luke 8:22-25

Your nuclear family or church family: which is more important? We Bostonians tend to pit these against each other, as if they are part of some zero sum game. But Christ won't let us think this way. Instead, He teaches us to that both of our families - as long as they are marked by an all-in commitment to Him - are to be prized ... because they work in concert for the advance of His gospel.

The sudden emergence and lingering presence of COVID-19 have presented a serious challenge to the harmony of local church communities like ours at Seven Mile Road. From day one of the pandemic, we have asked the Father to give us an uncommon unity, even though many of us hold different convictions about what’s best around lockdowns, masks, vaccines, and all the rest. This Sunday we’ll unpack how a...

Listen for an update about this month at Seven Mile Melrose!

How are you doing receiving the Word of God? Like listening to it, really hearing it, and then letting it change your life… Robins, Rocks, Riches, and Resilience all will tell us something about how we are doing at this. In our next section of the gospel of Luke, we get to read an account from Jesus, the master storyteller, about this very question. As He walks through the possible responses to th...

Luke momentarily pauses his account to give us a quick glimpse into the makeup of the “ministry team” that accompanied Jesus. With Him were the 12 men he prayerfully appointed to the office of Apostle AND a number of women. This brief snapshot accords with how God intends for gospel advance to happen in a home, church, and city: men and women rightly-related and fully-engaged on mission together....

The depth of our love for the God of the gospel is directly tied to how clearly we see our need for His grace. This Sunday Luke juxtaposes for us two sinners: one who owned how bad her sin was, and the other who refused to do so. It's no surprise whose affections for Christ are richer. Which type of sinner are we? Luke 7:36-50

While Christ 100% calls us to practice critical thinking, he 100% calls us away from embracing a critical spirit. This Sunday we are back in Luke's gospel where we'll see Jesus calling out the religious elites of his day on their closed and critical spirit. In rejecting both John's message and His own they were in danger of missing out on the Spirit's work. May it not be so wit...

Sara and Michael get you caught up on all things Seven Mile Melrose for this month!

A s a bookend to the Vocation Workshop we held on Friday night, this Sunday we are going to preach about how the gospel informs the way we view our work. Whatever you do for work - whether teacher or accountant or plumber or or anesthesiologist or mother or marketing manager or social worker or pediatric pharmacologist or quarterback for the Patriots or cook or receptionist or pastor or disc jocke...

One of the things that Jesus loved and affirmed about His cousin John what that John was not a soft man. Yet even this steel-in-the-back prophet was susceptible to wavering doubts. This Sunday we’ll see where John went with His doubts and how Christ received them. And in doing so we doubters will find great hope, too. Reference: Luke 7:18-28