The Gathering

Faith is more than a static list of beliefs. It is also actively living your life in a way that will help your faith grow and evolve. Just as artists practice their craft as they pursue excellence, we must practice our faith as we pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus. Join us as we learn about the spiritual practices we commit to here at The Gathering in order to follow Christ and pursue growth...

Faith is more than a static list of beliefs. It is also actively living your life in a way that will help your faith grow and evolve. Just as artists practice their craft as they pursue excellence, we must practice our faith as we pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus. Join us as we learn about the spiritual practices we commit to here at The Gathering in order to follow Christ and pursue growth...

The first name given to the son of Mary, while still in the womb, was the name Jesus. This name means God saves (delivers, rescues). There is a lot packed into this name. It means that first, we need to be saved FROM something. Secondly, it means that we need to be saved FOR something. And finally, that we need SOMEONE to do the saving (we cannot do it ourselves). Jesus is the one who saves us fro...

In ancient times, the morning star was the brightest star in the sky, easily distinguishable from all others. It was usually the first to appear in the morning and the most prominent light in the sky at dusk. This “star” actually wasn’t a star at all. It was the planet Venus. Nonetheless it represented several things to the ancients. It represented that which is first and most important. It was al...

We often wonder what God is like. People tend to fill in the blanks with whatever they believe God should be. This can lead to a sense that God is free for people to define however they see fit. God is nature; God is an abstract spirit; God is merciful, judgmental, or vengeful. God can be almost anything. But the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s very being. In ot...

Churches have a lot of rituals that often leave people wondering...why do we do that? To new people, church can feel confusing, ritualistic, or just plain weird. And, if you’ve been coming for a while, it can be automatic, mindless, and you may even take it for granted. In this series, we will uncover some of the history, meaning and beauty behind those rituals you experience each Sunday. Join us...

Churches have a lot of rituals that often leave people wondering...why do we do that? To new people, church can feel confusing, ritualistic, or just plain weird. And, if you’ve been coming for a while, it can be automatic, mindless, and you may even take it for granted. In this series, we will uncover some of the history, meaning and beauty behind those rituals you experience each Sunday. Join us...

Churches have a lot of rituals that often leave people wondering...why do we do that? To new people, church can feel confusing, ritualistic, or just plain weird. And, if you’ve been coming for a while, it can be automatic, mindless, and you may even take it for granted. In this series, we will uncover some of the history, meaning and beauty behind those rituals you experience each Sunday. Join us...

The minor prophets are twelve books of the old testament, nearly ⅕ of the Bible. And yet their voices are rarely heard. But, the prophets played an important role - speaking truth to power, naming uncomfortable realities, and reminding people of the way they were called to live. Their voices were not popular, but were necessary. That was true then, and is still true today. Join us as we study the...

The minor prophets are twelve books of the old testament, nearly ⅕ of the Bible. And yet their voices are rarely heard. But, the prophets played an important role - speaking truth to power, naming uncomfortable realities, and reminding people of the way they were called to live. Their voices were not popular, but were necessary. That was true then, and is still true today. Join us as we study the...

The minor prophets are twelve books of the old testament, nearly ⅕ of the Bible. And yet their voices are rarely heard. But, the prophets played an important role - speaking truth to power, naming uncomfortable realities, and reminding people of the way they were called to live. Their voices were not popular, but were necessary. That was true then, and is still true today. Join us as we study the...

The minor prophets are twelve books of the old testament, nearly ⅕ of the Bible. And yet their voices are rarely heard. But, the prophets played an important role - speaking truth to power, naming uncomfortable realities, and reminding people of the way they were called to live. Their voices were not popular, but were necessary. That was true then, and is still true today. Join us as we study the...

How do we respond when someone gives us hard truths? Do we retaliate? Do we make excuses? Amos calls out God's people but he also tells them to turn around. Amos goes on to offer hope amid the uncomfortable truth telling and calls to repentance. Learn what practical ways we can respond when confronted with an uncomfortable truth.

Mary Magdalene is perhaps the most misunderstood and most forgotten of Jesus’ disciples. But she was a follower of Jesus, a close confidant, present at Jesus’ death, and the first disciple to witness and share the resurrection. Whatever their relationship, Mary was close to Jesus and is the first witness to the good news of his resurrection. No matter what, in life, in suffering, and in death - Ma...

As Jesus is being led to his crucifixion, we hear the brief story of Simon of Cyrene who helped Jesus carry his cross to the place of his execution. In the wake of his death another disciple named Joseph asked the authorities for Jesus’ body, prepared it for burial, and offered Jesus his own new tomb (at considerable personal expense). Both of these little known characters make important sacrifici...

Judas is the most notorious of all the disciples, and maybe the most mysterious. He is known as the one who betrayed Jesus. This led to Jesus’ arrest, Judas’ isolation from the disciples, and his eventual decision to take his own life. However, Christians for centuries have debated what happened to Judas. Did the guilt and shame lead to repentance and if it did, would God ever forgive this kind of...

In Luke 9 Jesus “turns his face towards Jerusalem” and begins the journey towards the cross. One of the first stops he makes on this journey is to his good friends Mary and Martha. In this short story, we see two ways of receiving and responding to Jesus. Martha receives and responds to Jesus through service. Mary does so through listening and contemplation. We often pit these two women (and these...

Saving and stewarding our money wisely allows us to respond to God’s ultimate purpose for money – to make an impact in the lives of others and God’s kingdom work. Scripture reminds us that God blesses us, material and otherwise, to be a blessing. Jesus shares a parable meant to get us thinking about the difference we make with what we have. Ultimately, wise money management allows us to be faith t...

Once we start accumulating money, Jesus urges us to consider how we use it. He warns his followers about spending foolishly on things that don’t matter (things consumed by rust and moth) and encourages them to be intentional with resources. Scripture elsewhere talks about the wisdom of saving, creating margin with our finances, and planning for our future. In this sermon, we will talk about how to...

Before we talk about what we do with our money, we must have some! In today’s world that is no easy feat. We live in a world that makes overspending easy and debt seem like a given. For a lot of people debt can seem like an unavoidable reality, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make choices that lead us away from debt. In part 1 we will talk about what scripture says about debt – being cautious of it...

In the new year God offers us a fresh start, a second chance, a new beginning. But what we do with this opportunity is up to us. Lasting change requires the willingness and courage to let go of old ways of living and adopt new habits that will move us forward. But where do we start? Scripture actually has a lot to teach us about where change begins, and how to sustain it over time.