The River Church Sermons

I heard a story this week about a Christian man, Mark Uptain, father of 5 and husband who last September led a guided elk hunt. His hunter/client shot an elk. The next day they returned for the elk to clean it and prepare the meat and trophy for transport on horses. That's when two grizzly bears appeared out of the covering charging with full force. Mark had a choice. Run for his life or lead the...

It is difficult to underestimate the enormous influence that Disney Princess films have had in shaping our imaginations and longings for marriage in our current culture. Ultimate fulfillment and meaning are typically portrayed in finding the love of one's life and living happily ever after. As a result, we often struggle to make sense of the adult single life, without adding pressure and expectati...

Church is a family. A family is made up of parents, kids, grandparents, pet dogs, rats, and chinchillas, stray cats, aunts and uncles, and long lost relatives. The church is a lot like a family. You don't get to pick who's in it. And that can be exciting and it can also be a real challenge. I always felt bad for a distant relative that always seemed lost to the rest of our family. Maybe due to lif...

Looking back over my life, now 58, I would never have imagined all the downright difficulty life would bring. In High School, I never thought life could be so challenging. So here's what I have learned. Darkness has become my friend. I don't look forward to it. I don't invite it. But at times, I live in it. And in it God is most clearly visible. Gregory of Nyssa was a bishop in Cappadocia (Modern...

Remember when you were little and afraid of the dark? It's ok to admit you were convinced of monsters under your bed and boogey-men in your closet. Petrified and unable to move or sleep you called out for help. The mere presence of a parent or older sibling lying next to you on your bed brought calm and assurance of companionship. Even with the lights out, the monsters seemed manageable. Though a...

Ready for another dousing of darkness? This weekend I plan to bring Part II of a message I started last weekend entitled, "Getting Comforatble with Darkness" from the life of Moses. Moses met God on Mt. Sinai in darkness. Several things from his life and experience parallel our lives as Christ followers. For one, it’s often confusing why we have to go through darkness to find God. For another, it...

I hope you are not afraid of the dark because we are going to be talking about darkness for the next several weeks in our new series: Walking With God In The Dark. The subtitle of the series is, Just because the lights are out doesn’t mean God is not present or something like that. Every single one of us will go through a period of darkness at some point in our lives. When I was in High School, I...

Christians: You've seen them on TV (think Ned Flanders or Angela from 'The Office'), you've heard about them in politics (not going there!), and you've probably got a few of them in your life (hence why you're at church today). Join us this Sunday for a special message: "What a Christian Isn't." If you are curious about Christianity or have been a follower of Jesus for decades, join us as we squas...

Easter service with James.

Sunrise service with Bill.

April 19 Good Friday Service - Stations of the Cross by The River Church of the South Bay

Hi friends, Brooke Andrews here. I want to take you back to 2008 to give you a glimpse into the heart and vision of our guest speaker, a friend of mine. In 2008, Kevin Palau, the president of the Luis Palau Association (LPA), reached out to Sam Adams, one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States. Kevin showed up to ask how LPA might come alongside Sam to address critical needs in the co...

This morning I arrived at Pete's right when they opened. As I ordered my cappuccino, Mike told me my drink was free today! I love when that happens! I have a Pete's card. When my points are utilized there, on occasion, my coffee is free! Have you ever been a "card carrying member" to something? Like the Sky Lounge for American Airlines or a member of a country club, Restoration Hardware, or anythi...

Imagine coming to the Communion Table, reaching out for a piece of the torn bread at the same time as a brother in Christ, who has just taken you to court in a bitter lawsuit. It happens. all. too. often. "I am shocked that you are suing your brother in Christ!" Paul, the spiritual father to his Corinthian children, can hardly believe what he is hearing-litigation dividing the church. This Sunday...

Two weeks ago, I had the honor of officiating Tara's brother's wedding in Portland. It was a beautiful day for the whole family. Sterling napped through the whole ceremony, so he missed dad-in-action, but at least he looked cute in his baby tux. One of the significant moments in the ceremony is the Declaration of Consent, especially the part where the congregation publicly affirms their support of...

Upside-down and inside-out. It's the beautiful and often bewildering trail to that scenic viewpoint from which we behold life from our God's-eye-view. It's the last open road to reality. The final crest to clarity. And this Sunday, Paul of Tarsus's inspired and inspiring reflections will take us there. If you want your life and relationships moving in the direction of health, truth, and freedom, j...

Don’t take yourself so darn seriously. Let’s take ourselves more seriously. These are the paradoxical imperatives Paul offers as an inoculation to the disease threatening churches old and new. In a U.S. Christian church context enamored by celebrity pastors, shiny new ministry brands, and tired old culture wars, how can we—a 12-year-old Jesus-following community—avoid the seduction of “Pop-Churchi...

Have you ever played that party game where everyone has the name of a famous person pinned onto the back of their shirt? You don't know the identity of the person on your back, but everyone else does. Your task is to move about the room asking questions that can eventually reveal the secret. There are two subtle realities manifest in the game common to other parts of our life: first, it is uncomfo...

When our kids were young and getting ready to walk to our neighborhood elementary school we talked them through safely crossing the street. Do you parents remember those conversations? We didn't talk about the weather, the history of paving streets with asphalt, or their cool new school clothes, and we certainly didn't try to impress them with our stories of bravely walking to school, three miles...

What if you’ve been looking at everything the wrong way? What if this last week, month, or decade has gone by allowing you to experience people, problems, or portions of your life through the wrong lenses? What if you’ve been watching key scenes in the unfolding adventure/stubborn drama/fog-shrouded mystery that is your life from a blind spot. These are just the kinds of scary-exciting questions t...

Our world and nation are going through a season of difficult division—evidenced most recently in the partisan back and forth applause on the floor during the Tuesday evening State of the Union speech. Politics easily divides, as does religion. The apostle Paul launched his letter to the Corinthian church because he was deeply grieved that partisan bickering and divisive behavior had begun to disma...

Our new series, A Beautiful Kind of Broken is an in depth study of I Corinthians, a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a growing and influential church in a lively Seaport that earned its place in the Roman colonies. Here's a story for you. It's the story of a prosperous, adventurous, diverse, influential, and growing city called Corinth. There lived a wonderfully diverse church community filled wit...

Last year, the big health company, Cigna, did a massive study across our country to investigate their hunch about Americans and their connections. Their discovery: most of us are lonely, or at least wish we could experience better friendships. Deep in the DNA of The River Church is the hope and drive that no one should have to live life alone. The church is God’s gift to help alleviate loneliness....

This Sunday Karl plans to encourage us from John 14 and talk about HOPE. Social commentators describe our world as being VUCA- volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. (Sounds like we need a little hope) Jesus says Hope is a father. The deep answers for our lives and our world are not going to be found in political solutions, referendums, economic uplifts or New Years resolutions but in a Dad....

As a kid, I always wondered what it would have been like to be Charlie. He finds the final golden ticket, a chance to meet the mysterious Willy Wonka. Except I didn't grow up poor like Charlie and my grandparents were not bedridden living out their days in our family room. Nevertheless imagine the excitement of a young boy getting the chance of a lifetime to meet the one who creates what every kid...