The Branch

While Joseph is in prison, it seems like there are opportunities to get out, but God's timing and his timing aren't necessarily the same. What do we do in the waiting?

In Genesis 39, we read the continuing story of Joseph and see how Joseph maintains his integrity even in difficult circumstances. We also see how God has not left him, even as a slave and a prisoner.

This is the first in our sermon series called "Nothing Is Wasted" looking at the story of Joseph to see how God can use the hard parts of our lives, for good.

God is love and he shows us true love by giving us his son. True love is selfless and sacrificial. In this episode, we look at John 15 and see how Jesus calls us to display love on our front porch.

The Prophet Isaiah spoke words of hope to God's people in Isaiah 35. God makes a way where there was no way before and joy springs up.

David writes of hope in Psalm 33, knowing our tendencies to falsely place our hope in anything other than God. God is our living hope. How do we live with a front porch of hope?

As we open the Advent season, we look at Isaiah 9:1-7 and the prophet's words of the Prince of Peace who would bring us peace. What do people experience on our front porch? Is there evidence that we have met the Prince of Peace?

When God's people were led into the Promised Land, God gave them instructions for how to bring their praise and thanksgiving to him. As we consider all that God has done for us, what do we learn from all that God told his people?

Through the beginning of Paul's letter to the Philippians, we take a look at what it means to be part of a community that encourages and is thankful for one another.

In this episode, we look at John 7 and talk about God's timing and what it means to wait or move forward when God calls us to.

Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and tested by the devil in Matthew 4. We look at how Jesus responds to this testing and how we apply it to our lives.

We look at Matthew 14 and learn the importance of setting time aside for ourselves as well as the importance of giving what we have to the Lord, knowing that things in his hands will be multiplied to be much greater than they are on their own.

The disciples followed Jesus into a boat which ended up in a storm in Matthew 8:23-27. We follow Jesus and end up in a storm but we wonder whether or not he is with us or if he has abandoned us.

In this episode, we look at the account of Nicodemus in John 3 and see his progression towards Jesus, out of the darkness and into the light.

What does it mean to break down the barriers that stop us from connecting and being with God? We look at Luke 19 and the story of Zacchaeus.

In this episode, we dive into John 4 to discuss how our past can be used for God's future.

When we spend time in communion with the Father and one another, it leads us to service of God and one another as well. We look at Matthew 25:31-46 and Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats.

In this episode, we look at Ephesians 4 to learn how we grow as people and a community through communion with Christ and others .

The Church has celebrated the Lord's Supper/Eucharist/Communion since Jesus instituted the meal with his disciples. The meal that Jesus shared with his disciples was actually the Passover meal and the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread that we read about in Exodus 12. We look at what that means for us as we come to the Lord's table.

In this episode, we talk about how to have communion with one another and Christ through prayer.

In this episode, we talk about God's intention for us to commune with him and with each other.

How do we discern the voice of the Lord from our voice and others voices? Through the account of Samuel and Eli in 1 Samuel 3:1-10, we look at how we discern and know God's voice.

How do we discern between our flesh and our spirit? We look at Romans 7 and 8 to gain a better understanding.

In this episode, we look at John 18:38-40 as we learn the difference between our truth and God's Truth.

There's a difference in doing things because we are trying to be better or look better versus doing them because the grace of Jesus Christ has changed us. In this episode, we see that difference in the example of Jesus' disciple, Peter.