Spark Cast

The closing of Ephesians encourages followers of Jesus to put on the whole armor of God, because there is a struggle against the rulers, authorities, powers, spiritual and cosmic forces. So, what are these things that we are fighting/wrestling against? They are, "structures of earthly existence," systems that need the salvation and redemption of God.

This week Pastor Tom talks on Ephesians 5, and how the Jesus Way upends the social order, a continuation of God's work in dismantling the systems that marginalize people. Through Christ, everything is brought "to the light" and we are "woken up from our sleep" to join in this work of challenging these hierarchies.

This week's news of the death of George Floyd has upended our nation. In this talk, Pastor Marcus shares honestly about the challenge of trying to live the Way of Jesus in world so full of injustice.

When the Bible talks about gifts, there are several questions we should be asking. Who are these gifts given? How are they given? And, for what purpose? In this talk, Pastor Omair addresses these inquiries and encourages us to live into the calling God has given to us all.

Be humble and gentle, patient, and bear with one another. Far beyond a mere set of moral directives, these exhortations advance the Good News in very practical and communal terms, to the actual communities living out the ethics of God's Kingdom.

The love of God set apart the early Christians from their pagan counterparts, and sets followers of Jesus apart still to this day. It is this love that transforms everything.

We have been entrusted with a great mystery, the radical and life changing message of Jesus' inclusion of those who we deemed "outsiders." We are commission to carry this message well, bringing the Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

As we are being built into the "temple" a dwelling for God, we are challenged to tear down all the barriers that separate us, and join in the agenda of Jesus to make us all truly one.

It is possible to be alive, and yet appear as dead. And it is possible to be dead, and still be very much alive. When we are "in Christ," this is the "aliveness" that Paul is challenging and encouraging us all to embrace, and celebrate.

The Resurrection is the most central event in all of history. It has the power, once again, to bring new life today, even in the midst of pandemic.

In this talk, Pastor Danielle takes us through the historical context of Palm Sunday, and its significance. This theme is continued and advanced through Paul's words in Ephesians when speaking of "heaven and earth."

Still meeting remotely, we continue our series in Ephesians. In a culture that discards people for not living up to the standards of beauty, form, and expectation, our gospel declares that we are all chosen, beloved, cherished children of God.

With the directive to "shelter-in-place," Spark ran services completely remotely this Sunday. Pastor Danielle guides us through some reflections and solace during this time of significant disruption.

In the first service that did not gather people together in a room, we share some reflections and updates on Spark's response and responsibility. Then, in the first installment of our Ephesians series, we consider how we should think about and frame our current circumstances, recognizing that we have a much larger context in which we live as followers of Jesus.

There is a distinct difference between sympathy and empathy. The Way of Jesus is distinctively empathetic, suffering with us to bring comfort and connection in times of great difficulty.

Personal Testimony: Bill Glenn In answering life's biggest questions, we all tell stories that ground us in our identity, our understanding of truth, and our values for behavior. But what do we do when those stories don't work with new discoveries, bad news, negative experiences, or new revelations? In Jesus, we see a model and pathway forward by reinterpreting both the old master story and the ne...

Personal Testimony: Nico Poux In Luke 15, Jesus tells one parable with three stories; sheep, coin, and sons. We discover through this teaching Jesus's radical message of radical welcome.

Personal Testimony: Pastor Marcus Randolph There are a variety of ways we understand and interact with power in our world. One of the reasons we follow Jesus is because His Way upends, transforms, reforms, subverts, and displaces power and creates completely different understandings and dynamics. Power, according to the Way of Jesus is in service, ultimately, to self-sacrifice love.

Personal Testimony: Dan Bradford One of the most transformational ideas found in the Jesus movement is the subversion and transformation of the hierarchies that humans have created to create social order. In Christ, these beliefs are upended, and we are all seen, in God's Kingdom, as equal members, of equal value, of equal worth, with equal responsibility. This is a "higher" way.

Personal Testimony: Alexa DeSanctis Jesus's message of radical nonviolence is frequently misunderstood as passive. However, the Way of Jesus through nonviolence is far more radical and provides the most powerful way of advancing human flourishing.

Personal Testimony: Bob Lin Pastor Danielle shares more personally her journey of a Jesus who continually made—and continues to make—all things new.

Personal Testimony: Kelly Gilbert Suffering is frequently understood through pithy axioms which only turn out to be half-truths. The fuller realties as found in Jesus are far more profound and beautiful.

Personal Testimony: Siddhi Sundar Athens & Jerusalem are cities that respectively represent science and faith, sense and soul, the empirical and the mystical, the West and the East. Why would Jesus and Paul use and leverage Greek ideas, terms, and images in their teaching and spreading of the Gospel? Rather than contention, perhaps there is harmony.

Personal Testimony: Rajesh Philipos Our introduction to our series surveys the "free market" of religion in America and how it has influenced our particular context of faith expression.

One of the reasons we celebrate Christmas during the darkest time of the year is because it is here that we are the most hopeful. Let us join with our ancient ancestors in bringing forth that hope from the dark.