the Cross Orlando

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message turns to Luke 24:36-43, where the risen Jesus appears among the gathered disciples, announces peace into their fear and confusion, shows them his hands and feet, and eats with them, reflecting on the resurrection of the body.

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message looks at the walk to Emmaus in Luke 24, where the risen Jesus joins two disciples without being recognized, opens the Scriptures to them, and is finally made known in the breaking of bread.

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message reaches the Lord's Supper in Luke 22:14-23, where Jesus, having longed to share this Passover before he suffers, institutes the bread and cup as his body and the new covenant in his blood, even as his betrayer sits at the table.

Guest preacher Demetrius, filling in while Ben preaches at the sister church in Lake Mary, takes a detour into Isaiah 30, where God rebukes Judah for trusting in an alliance with Egypt rather than him, applying it to how we craft our own solutions out of fear instead of relying on God.

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message works through Luke 14:1-24, where Jesus heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath at a Pharisee ruler's house and teaches about taking the lowest seat and inviting the poor, leading into the parable of the great banquet.

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message covers Luke 11:37-53, where Jesus dines with a Pharisee and pronounces a series of woes against the Pharisees and lawyers for cleaning the outside while neglecting justice and the love of God.

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message examines the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42, where Martha is distracted with serving while Mary sits at Jesus' feet, and Jesus affirms that Mary has chosen the good portion.

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message looks at the feeding of the five thousand in Luke 9:10-17, where Jesus tells the disciples to give the crowd something to eat and multiplies five loaves and two fish, exploring the disciples' obedience despite their inadequacy.

Continuing the series on food in the Gospel of Luke, this message turns to Luke 7:36-50, where Jesus dines at a Pharisee's house and a sinful woman anoints his feet, with extended background on the Pharisees and the customs of a first-century meal.

The opening message of a new series on food in the Gospel of Luke, beginning with the call of Levi the tax collector in Luke 5:27-32, where Jesus feasts with tax collectors and sinners and declares he came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous.

An Easter Sunday message on the resurrection from Matthew 28, recounting the women arriving at the tomb, the angel's announcement that Jesus has risen, and the risen Jesus meeting them, framed by reflections on building life around the marking of Easter.

A Palm Sunday message on the triumphal entry from Luke 19, presenting it as a rare scene of people worshiping Jesus well with heart and body even as their understanding lags behind, set against the backdrop of the journey to Jerusalem for Passover.

The closing message of the Lenten series in Isaiah 58, working through the final verses of the chapter and recapping the whole passage's call for worship that moves outward in mercy and justice rather than empty ritual, ahead of Palm Sunday and Easter.

Continuing the Lenten series in Isaiah 58, this message focuses on verses 8-11 and the promises that follow true worship: light breaking forth like the dawn, healing, the Lord's continual guidance, and becoming like a watered garden when God's people pursue mercy and justice.

The third-week Lenten message in Isaiah 58, focusing on verses 6-10 where God describes the fast he truly chooses: loosing the bonds of injustice, feeding the hungry, and caring for the oppressed, contrasted with the empty ritual fasting God rejects.

A conversational study of Matthew 16:13-18, where Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Jesus declares he will build his church on that confession, reflecting on the power of words and God's persistence with people, featuring guests Carol Forrest and Brian Carlson.

A conversational study of the call of Abram in Genesis 12:1-3, reflecting on God's promise to bless Abram and through him all the families of the earth, and how God works through one person to reach a whole family, featuring guests Carol Forrest and Brian Carlson.

A conversational study of Matthew 5:13-16 from the Sermon on the Mount, reflecting on Jesus calling his followers the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and how living well lets others see good works and glorify God, featuring guests Carol Forrest and Brian Carlson.

Continuing the Lenten series in Isaiah 58, this message covers verses 3-5, where the people complain that God ignores their fasting while God exposes that they fast for their own pleasure and oppress their workers, asking what kind of fast God actually chooses.

The opening message of a six-week Lenten series in Isaiah 58, focusing on verses 1-2, where God tells Isaiah to cry aloud against a people who seek God yet whose fasting and prayers go unheard, introducing the prophet Isaiah and the season's call to examine our need for a savior.

The concluding message of the series on the church in Scripture, moving into 1 Corinthians 12 and recapping how Jesus fulfills Israel's priestly calling as the great high priest, making the church a called-out people who mediate God's presence to the world.

Continuing the series on the church, this message examines the conditional covenant at Sinai in Exodus 19:5-6, where God calls Israel to be a kingdom of priests mediating his holiness to the world if they obey his voice, contrasting it with the unconditional covenant made with Abraham.

Continuing the series on the church, this message reaches Israel at Sinai in Exodus 19, where God reminds the people how he carried them on eagles' wings out of Egypt and calls them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, advancing the theme of a people who let God be God.

A conversational study of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32:22-31, where Jacob refuses to release the man until he is blessed and receives the new name Israel, reflecting on persistent faith, repentance, and clinging to God's blessing, featuring guests Carol Forrest and Brian Carlson.

Continuing the series on the story of the church in Scripture, this message focuses on Jacob in Genesis 32, recounting how the deceiver who stole Esau's birthright and blessing becomes part of God's plan, building toward Jacob wrestling with God.