The Summit Church Denver

We continue our Advent series by jumping into the traditional Christmas story in Luke, seeing how this often quoted scene seen in pageants and television specials is actually far more bizarre and beautiful than we ever imagined.

We return to the Old Testament again in our Advent series, seeing the beauty of the mystery that's at the heart of the incarnation. (Exodus 33:18-23)

As we kick off our Advent series, we see how the great wait of the Bible commences in the very beginning, and how this wait helps us make sense of our own.

We love stories of redemption and we see this theme in the songs we sing, the books we write, the movies we create. In this portion of Ruth, we look at an interaction where we see how how hard Boaz is willing to work in order to redeem Ruth, and see how this story of redemption is one for us to receive with great joy. (Ruth 4:1-12)

After getting glimpses into the character of both Naomi and Ruth early in this story, we finally have the opportunity to learn about the character of Boaz. As we study who this man is, we not only see the kind of man that we should admire, but also emulate in an age where healthy manhood is often ignored. (Ruth 3:6-18)

Any story of great love has a moment of great risk. In this week's portion of the story of Ruth, we see Ruth's willingness to risk everything for love, and we learn what it looks like to risk well for love in our own lives as well. (Ruth 3:1)

Through a very normal, unglamorous conversation between Ruth and Naomi, we see how God starts to turn this story around and provide practical hope, not just for these two ladies, but for us as well.

We see the first true interaction between Ruth and Boaz - a beautiful scene where one of the most important people in this community takes notice and protects the least important. We consequently ask ourselves how a scene as unusual and challenging as this one should change how we live our own lives. Ruth 2:8-16

At this turning point in the plot, we see that it's in the mundane routine of life that love is at its best. As Ruth loves and serves Naomi, God is graciously working behind the scenes to bring about good.

The natural objection to the life of love that is pictured in the opening chapter of Ruth is "what happens when this doesn't work out?" Not experiencing the kind of love we long for when we give our heart away is incredibly painful. We dive into what it looks like to rightly lament in response to the disappointment and pain that comes with love.

We look at the most well-known verses in the book of Ruth and see how they're a supreme example of loyalty, leading us to ask what it looks like for us to demonstrate this kind of loyalty in our own lives.

As the story of ruth progresses, we see how Naomi and her companions come to a crossroads where someone is going to have to sacrifice tremendously if their relationship is going to thrive rather than dissolve. Consequently, we ask ourselves if we really understand how much sacrifice is at the root of love.

We kick off our study in the book of Ruth seeing how desperately need this story of authentic love, and how often real love is born out of the most painful experiences in our lives.

(Phil. 4:15-23) As Paul wraps up his letter to the church at Philippi, he talks about the need for Jesus' church to be generous because He was first generous with us.

Paul discusses what it sans for us to think rightly as we give ourselves to this cause, as he knows that nothing really impacts how we live as much as how we think.

As Paul continues to look at our lives as we give ourselves to Jesus' cause and are changed by His grace, Paul turns his attention to how we handle our anxiety.

After talking to us about what it means to be accepted by Jesus, Paul shifts our attention to what life looks like after being accepted. We see how life is a race, and as we run, we need an awareness of both where we're trying to go and what can prevent us from getting there.

Paul presents the foundational reason for why he lives, as well as why giving our lives to this great cause is such a beautiful way to live.

As we continue to learn about the cause we're meant to give our lives to, Paul helps us understand the necessity of identifying the right leaders of this movement and us relating to those leaders correctly.

The city remains one of the few concepts in a fractured and fragmented society that is so significant that we have to understand what it is and why it matters. As we kick off our week of ServeDenver, we study the story of Jonah to see God's perspective of the city.

In this passage, we see how the salvation Jesus cures for us will empower us to effectively carry out His mission to our city and the world.

Last week we saw Paul push us to take part in a deeply authentic, committed community called the church for the sake of the cause. However, any experience in community reflects that being around people in any context isn't easy. We look sat what it means to really engage in a community, particularly in the moments when it gets hard.