Spark Cast

More than just curiosity, this question invites us to personal compassion, dignified care, and systemic evaluation in accordance with the Way and ethics of Jesus.

This question invites us to seriously consider the place of gender in our faith tradition in referring God. This question speaks, not just to the nature of God, but to ourselves as well, and we would do well to consider carefully our language, our metaphors, and our concepts of the divine.

In this talk, we are guided through this question taking into consideration the roll this question plays in our spiritual lives, and the faith to which we adhere.

Underlying this big question are additional questions that address how we frame, think about, view, and read this sacred text. Through this talk, we get a refreshed understanding of scripture's brilliance, beauty, and power for our life and faith.

In this talk, five members of Spark's teaching team share their reflections, thoughts, and encouragements to this the question of why life is so hard.

This week, Pastors Danielle and Kevin were live with the Spark community to introduce this teaching series that will encourage us to embrace every question and every curiosity so as to achieve a meaningful and powerful faith.

This week, Pastors Danielle and Kevin were live with the Spark community to share some reflections on the past year as well as some perspectives for the future.

We begin at the beginning, and tease out the motif of darkness in the Bible. Through understanding the metaphor and meaning of darkness in the scriptures, we will see how Jesus, once again, upends the story to bring salvation, light, and hope to all parts of this world.

The birth of Jesus is a "solution" to a "problem." That problem is called in the story, "sin," can be best understood through carefully considering the solution of a baby born to be King.

The spiritual practice of waiting is a frequently unwanted discipline of hope. Yet, it is in the waiting that we discover the depths of our faith.

During this season, our Christmas story reminds us that dark times have come before, and the light of hope continues to shine brighter still.

The restoration of two women in Luke 8 in the same story speaks to the life that returns when we are returned back to our belonging in our community.

In the story of Jesus restoring a man who is possessed by an “unclean spirit" we see a revolutionary allegory that is politically evocative, symbolic as a critique of Rome’s brutal occupation. Yet, this is also a story of hope and liberation, where we learn that Jesus is the true King.

The story of Jesus asleep in the boat and then waking to calm the storm has multiple layers. Ultimately, this continues the message of God's overwhelming and compassionate love, for all, including the enemy. The wind and the waves obey this command. Will we?

The key question, "Who really is Jesus's family?" What does it mean to be "kin" according to Jesus? Once again, here in Luke 8, there is a revolutionary message that Jesus is advancing, one that is still needed today.

There are brilliant insights that the parables teach us about ourselves, not just the moral "takeaways." In this talk, we discover the power of these stories to shift our thinking, and our lives.

Pastors Danielle & Kevin have a conversation on what Luke 8:1-3 illuminates for us regarding the Way of Jesus. We include live Q&R from the congregation.

Dr. Esau McCaulley's work is at the intersection of the academy and ministry. In this conversation, Dr. McCaulley shared on his just published book, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope. This event was hosted by Spark. Church, Palo Alto (www.spark.church), and sponsored by our partners, The River Church Community, San Jose (www.the-river.org) and Seq...

In the encounter with a meal, at a Pharisee's home, and a woman with an alabaster jar, Jesus prompts us to consider our debts forgiven as the basis of God's radical love.

Pastors Danielle and Kevin share reflections on our 8th Anniversary, remembering and recounting the stories and values that have brought us thus far and will take us into the future.

The story of the centurion in the 7th chapter of Luke turns the teachings of Jesus in unexpected ways. There is potential for those, who we may deem to be the enemy, to actually exemplify the very teachings Jesus is advancing.

A portion of the Bible popularly known as "The Sermon on the Mount" from Matthew is here in Luke's account in shorter form. It is considered some of the most concentrated teachings of Jesus, packed with depth, wisdom, profound connections to our greater story, and a compelling vision for humanity. As we are guided and led to simply pay attention to Jesus's words, what happens to us, as we listen?

Wineskins are a metaphor for “disciples,” students who will take the message forward into the world. This is a commentary on how “old” ways can hinder “new” thinking, the teachings that Jesus is advancing.

As Jesus’ ministry begins to draw big crowds, it begins to draw big crowds of critics, too. In one encounter, Jesus “saves” a man who can’t walk. But what exactly did he save the man from? And why were the religious experts in the audience so upset? In this text, Luke invites us to think bigger about who Jesus is, what salvation means, and what access looks like for people of all abilities and dis...

In the purposeful and brilliant calling of Jesus's first disciples, ordinary fishermen, we learn that “following," the main metaphor for Luke’s message of discipleship, is to be challenged: to do more, see more, feel more...even when it may be most uncomfortable.