Spark Cast

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Palm Sunday is also Lamb Selection Day. Matthew 21 is full of symbolism and the crowds are missing it and we are missing it too. Jesus is the Lamb, the once and for all lamb, the rejected and lovesick lamb who comes to wash away, not just some people's sin, not just some people's wrongdoing, but is here for all of us.

Romans 8 brings the stakes of Jewish and Gentile harmony to a head. Paul reveals that the destiny of humanity and its habitat have always been intertwined. God has made a covenant with us that includes promises to the earth, and God’s Spirit has enlisted us as one united humanity to fulfill those promises. God will be faithful to the covenant. Will we?

Our annual "State of Spark" update for our congregation including program, vision, and financial updates.

Twice in chapter six Paul exhorts the Romans to no longer continue sinning. He even uses an exasperated expression, "Heaven Forbid!" In addition to the spiritual teaching that we should do the right thing, there appears to be another layer, a deeper undercurrent in the teaching. Some appear to be arguing for a kind of "theological calculus." If sinning increases grace, then sinning must therefore...

Paul paints a sharp contrast between two paradigmatic humans: Adam - with whom the story of humanity begins, and Jesus - with whom it ends. To be human, whether Jew or Gentile, is to share in Adam’s fate, consequences, and actions. And now, to be in Jesus is to share in his.

Religious identity markers (a.k.a. "tribal" identifiers) are not what is credited as righteousness. What matters is faithfulness to core behavioral values. Abraham is the primal example of this principle, why he is the father of our faith.

In Romans 1 and 2, Paul illustrates in great detail that the entire world is woefully short of God's design. All of us are in desperate need of rescue. So, Paul launches into the Good News. God has a covenantal answer to this problem. Jesus.

Paul exhorts the Gentile and Jewish believers in Rome as to how they should live, arguing that even the Gentiles who lack the Torah, have God's law written on their hearts. What does it mean to follow God and does it matter how we live?

In this second and "final" teaching of the Letter to the Romans we explore what Paul was arguing throughout the beginning and middle by understanding the end game. As we progress through the series we hope that some of the key verses, themes, and even "hard" passages become better understood in light of the "end," the grand vision of "peace."

This letter, the most quoted of Paul's letters within evangelicalism, is much more beautiful than a simple four step road to heaven. Over the coming weeks, we'll explore the cultural context of Paul's letter, the beautiful complexity of this Christian faith, and the joyful invitation to follow Jesus and his Way in this world today.

We celebrate all God has done for us and look with hope towards the new year to come!

Some of us might have no experience or negative experiences with liturgical worship. At their best, however, liturgies require the whole congregation to participate in the prayers, in the rites, and in the music. Liturgy in Greek means “work of the people”, so this Sunday evening Sparkers participate in singing, call-and-response, communal prayers, and scripture readings. The focus is our liturgy,...

Colossians has no shortage of mysteries that we’ve covered over the last few weeks (God in Christ in you, being thankful amidst suffering). But when Paul talks about “the mystery of Christ”, he has a specific truth in mind—a truth that’s easier said than done.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day being with friends and family and sharing a meal as we reflected on the blessings we have received. And for many, having the 49ers play on Thanksgiving day was a blessing too. The bible has a lot to say about being grateful and thankful, with a focus on being thankful for a good and gracious God. We are so lucky!

If a principle teaching of Colossians is that our identity is “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” the goal of that teaching is “maturity.” That aim requires not only a transformation of understanding but a transformation of actual behavior. The brilliant analogy that Paul uses is clothing because what we wear on the outside is profoundly connected to who we are on the inside.

In introducing the Letter to the Colossians, we will draw our attention to a theme of Paul's letters—and of the Biblical narrative—that begins, not with behavioral modification, but a completely radical and transformative view of the new humanity that emerges in Christ.

This weekend Spark Church hosted Mark Yaconelli, speaker, author, and Executive Director of The Hearth, a local storytelling community welcoming people of all different spiritual backgrounds and journeys. Mark's most recent book, "Between The Listening And The Telling" is a beautiful journey of adventure, hope, longing, and mystery that invites us to all embrace our own stories as the way through...

This weekend Spark Church hosted Mark Yaconelli, speaker, author, and Executive Director of The Hearth, a local storytelling community welcoming people of all different spiritual backgrounds and journeys. Mark's most recent book, "Between The Listening And The Telling" is a beautiful journey of adventure, hope, longing, and mystery that invites us to all embrace our own stories as the way through...

This weekend Spark Church hosted Mark Yaconelli, speaker, author, and Executive Director of The Hearth, a local storytelling community welcoming people of all different spiritual backgrounds and journeys. Mark's most recent book, "Between The Listening And The Telling" is a beautiful journey of adventure, hope, longing, and mystery that invites us to all embrace our own stories as the way through...

This weekend Spark Church hosted Mark Yaconelli, speaker, author, and Executive Director of The Hearth, a local storytelling community welcoming people of all different spiritual backgrounds and journeys. Mark's most recent book, "Between The Listening And The Telling" is a beautiful journey of adventure, hope, longing, and mystery that invites us to all embrace our own stories as the way through...

This weekend Spark Church hosted Mark Yaconelli, speaker, author, and Executive Director of The Hearth, a local storytelling community welcoming people of all different spiritual backgrounds and journeys. Mark's most recent book, "Between The Listening And The Telling" is a beautiful journey of adventure, hope, longing, and mystery that invites us to all embrace our own stories as the way through...