The Gateway Church

Dominic Jackson wraps up our series on beauty by inviting us to rediscover mystery as a way God draws us into wonder, trust, and a deeper relationship. Through Elijah’s encounter with God in 1 Kings 19—where God is not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a gentle whisper—we learn that God often meets us in ways we wouldn’t expect, yet exactly as we need. The New Testament deepens this invitat...

Dominic Jackson explores the hard, honest question of suffering through John 16 and Romans 8. Jesus does not hide the reality of trouble, but he does promise his presence and his victory. This sermon invites us to name pain without minimizing it, to rediscover lament as a faithful practice, and to trust that God is at work even when healing or resolution feels far away. We are reminded that creati...

In week 3 of Beauty: See Again What God Calls Good , Matt Crummy turns to the created world as a living witness to God’s presence and love. Drawing especially from Psalm 104, this sermon reminds us that responding to creation with praise is not extra or peripheral, but a sign that we’re seeing a fuller picture of what’s real. We’re invited into a simple, transformative rhythm: direct our attention...

In week 2 of Beauty: See Again What God Calls Good , Dominic Jackson explores how our identity is formed and healed in Christ. Starting with Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30–31), this sermon reframes self-love as learning to see ourselves as God sees us—so we can love others more truly. Drawing on Paul’s repeated language of being “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3–14), Domin...

Dominic Jackson opens our series by asking a foundational question: What does God think is beautiful? Centered on Matthew 26 (with parallels in Mark 14), this sermon reflects on the woman who anoints Jesus with costly perfume and how her devotion looks like waste to some but is called beautiful by Jesus himself. The message invites us to examine how perspective shapes our worship, how easily we ju...

Dominic Jackson closes 1 John by arguing that Scripture frames the true opposite of love not as hate but fear—“perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4). He traces how fear is instilled in us through advertising, news, and social media, then shows how our anger and hatred often mask deeper fears—of loss, insignificance, or lack of control. Drawing on voices like Nouwen, Thurman, and Baldwin, he show...

John warns his churches, “Don’t believe every spirit—test the spirits” (1 John 2:26–27; 4:1). In this sermon, Dominic Jackson names how half-true “American gospels” can sound biblical yet quietly edit the good news. This week he focuses on two influential versions—Christian nationalism and the liberation/social gospel—asking one simple question of each: Is this the gospel? Anchoring in 1 Corinthia...

Dominic Jackson explores the theme of false teaching, drawing from the biblical text of 1 John 4:1-3. He begins by contextualizing the New Testament's warnings against false teachers, noting that unlike Old Testament warnings about external threats, these were about dangers arising from within the church. Dominic argues that the most dangerous false teachings today are not outright lies but are pa...

Exploring 1 John 3, Matt Crummy challenges us to imagine love not only as sentiment but as embodied action. “Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth,” John writes—and Matt walks us through what it looks like to hold love and truth together without collapsing one into the other. He explores how genuine Christian love is not defined by emotional intensity or external performance, bu...

In this sermon on 1 John 3, Matt Crummy explores the astonishing truth that we are called children of God—not metaphorically or aspirationally, but as a present and permanent identity rooted in God’s initiating love. This identity, given not earned, shapes how we see ourselves, how we respond to sin, and how we live in hopeful anticipation of what we will become. Matt contrasts being named by the...

Dominic Jackson teaches from 1 John 2, where John draws a sharp contrast between love for the world and love for the Father. In a culture shaped by craving, self-promotion, and fleeting promises, John warns that the desires of the flesh, the eyes, and pride are all passing away. Instead, those who do the will of God remain forever. This passage also introduces the idea of “antichrists”—those who d...

Dominic Jackson continues our journey through 1 John by exploring what it means to live in the light through the command to love. Though John calls it both an “old” and “new” command, the heart of it is simple: love one another. But this love is not a vague sentiment or shallow tolerance; it’s a love defined by the life and self-giving of Jesus. When we withhold love, John says, we walk in darknes...

Dominic Jackson opens our series on 1 John by reflecting on how the Christian faith begins not with ideas or inspiration, but with a person—Jesus Christ—whom John and the apostles heard, saw, and touched. The letter begins with eyewitness testimony and a call to deeper fellowship: not just with God, but with one another. In a world where many are uncertain what is true or who can be trusted, John...

Dominic Jackson teaches on the parable of the mustard seed from Matthew 13, where Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to something small, hidden, and slow-growing. The seed’s size hides its true power; it becomes a tree that offers rest, hospitality, and shelter. In an era that prizes instant results and visible success, Jesus invites us to trust the quiet power of small beginnings. The kingdom g...

Dominic Jackson teaches on Jesus’ parable of the rich fool in Luke 12, where a man builds bigger barns to store his abundance but loses his life before he can enjoy it. The story is not a simple condemnation of wealth, but a confrontation with greed—the subtle shift of trust and allegiance away from God and toward self-sufficiency. Jesus names this as a vision problem: a darkened eye sees the worl...

Continuing our Parables series, Dominic Jackson teaches on Matthew 21:28-32 and the story of the two sons, where Jesus contrasts words with obedience. One son refuses his father but later repents and acts; the other promises compliance but never moves his feet. In this tension, Jesus exposes the danger of honoring God with our lips while our lives remain unchanged. True faith, Dominic reminds us,...

Matt Crummy explores Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard, where God’s justice and mercy meet in ways that unsettle our instincts about fairness. The landowner pays each worker the same, keeping his promise to the first while showing unexpected generosity to the last. For those measuring worth by comparison, this feels like loss, and Jesus names it the “evil eye”—a vision clouded by envy....

Dominic Jackson examines Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, highlighting how pride, comparison, and self-righteousness can obscure our need for grace. While the Pharisee presents a flawless religious résumé, his posture reveals a heart focused on self and performance. The tax collector, in contrast, offers no defense—only humility and a cry for mercy. We are invited to consider...

In this sermon on Luke 15, Dominic Jackson reflects on the parable often called “The Prodigal Son.” Drawing out the inner lives of all three characters—the younger son, the older brother, and the father—Dominic explores how the story exposes not just rebellion, but resentment, grief, and the longing for reconciliation. The younger son runs from home in search of freedom, only to find himself empty...

In this sermon on Matthew 25:14-30, Dominic Jackson continues the Parables series by turning to the parable of the talents. Dominic explains how the parable is less about ability and more about responsibility, especially in light of who we believe God to be. Jesus presents a master who entrusts his wealth to servants with varying amounts and then departs, inviting them to act in his absence. The c...

In this sermon on Matthew 13, Dominic Jackson opens the Parables series by exploring the parable of the sower. He reflects on how Jesus’ stories shape our perception and judgment, inviting self-examination rather than critique of others. Through the lens of a familiar farming image, Jesus challenges his listeners to consider the judgments they’re making and where true discernment comes from. We’re...

In this concluding sermon of Gateway’s series on biblical genres, Matt Crummy explores the importance of becoming spiritually fluent readers of Scripture in a complex, distracted age. Using 2 Timothy 2:1-9, he urges the church to move beyond surface-level Bible reading to cultivate embodied moral fluency —a way of life formed by deep, communal, repetitive engagement with Scripture. Drawing paralle...

Dominic Jackson examines how biblical teaching—particularly in the wisdom and epistolary traditions—forms a people who live in step with God’s character. Drawing from passages in Proverbs, Ephesians, and 2 Timothy, he reflects on the difference between information and formation, showing how instruction in Scripture is meant to shape not just what we know but how we live. Dominic challenges us to m...

Dominic Jackson explores how the biblical genre we often skip over—lists of names—tells a profound story of God’s faithfulness across generations. Focusing on the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, Dominic shows how these seemingly dry records reveal a Messiah who is both the rightful heir to David’s throne and a son born into a messy, complicated, and very human family tree. Through Joseph...

Dominic Jackson explores how God sometimes communicates through embodied, performative actions that disrupt and confront. Focusing on Ezekiel 4 and other prophetic sign acts throughout Scripture, Dominic traces a form of divine speech that uses physical action as a message through shocking, symbolic warnings intended to prompt and expose. He explains how these acts were not random but deliberately...