Urban Village Church

The Parable of the Prodigal Son – A Story of Redemption and Welcome! In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus shares a powerful story of love, grace, and restoration. A son demands his inheritance early, squanders it all in reckless living, and finds himself lost and broken. In desperation, he returns home, expecting rejection—but instead, his father runs to embrace him, celebrating his return with open arms. This...

In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. For three years, he came looking for fruit, but found none. Frustrated, he told the gardener to cut it down, questioning why it was taking up space without producing anything. But the gardener responded, asking for one more year. He would tend to the tree by digging around it and adding manure, hoping it wo...

In this passage from John 4:7-30, Jesus has an unexpected conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. He asks her for a drink, which surprises her, as Jews and Samaritans typically didn’t interact. Jesus responds by offering her "living water," a spiritual gift that leads to eternal life. The woman initially thinks He’s talking about physical water, but Jesus explains that the water He offers w...

Romans emphasizes salvation through faith, not works, and reminds us that believing in Jesus and the resurrection leads to salvation. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. Join us Sunday as we deep dive into Romans and are reminded of the importance of salvation for us.

We are reminded to focus our attention on heavenly things rather than earthly. Join us this week as we share about spiritual life and the future we will share with Christ.

Jesus comforts and encourages his disciples as he prepares to leave. As he leaves, he promises that the Holy Spirit will help the disciples continue their ministry after his ascension to heaven. In this verse, Jesus teaches the disciples to lead with truth, not emotion. The Holy Spirit helps the disciples understand the Word, grow in serving others, and stop sin. The Word gives disciples peace, co...

This week we focus on the commands given to the church at Ephesus as they remember and repent, and do the works they did at first. It is important to remember the works we were doing when we first became believers, repent and turn away from where we are now and turn away and bad and return to the work we were doing when we first became believers, and prioritize things of great value, such as lovin...

God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham obeys God and God intervenes to stop the sacrifice.

This week we speak of self-control and the Fruits of the Spirit.

God will meet all your needs to the riches of glory in Christ. We declare provision from God.

Have you ever wondered where God is present in the scarcity of your life? What is God doing when times are tough and hope is in short supply? Have ever wondered how and where God is leading you?

As we continue our sermon series on abundance and scarcity, we focus on how marginalized voices and experiences illuminate pathways toward abundant living and transformation. Who is God inviting you to listen to as we seek the abundance that God offers in the midst of scarcity.

God used the brook to sustain Elijah, and now the means God had used to provide for His servant dried up.

Listen to our recent sermon series from Wicker Park, preached by Rev. Jonathan Grace, Lead Pastor.

This Sunday marked the fourth Sunday of Advent. We prepare our hearts to receive Christ as we focus on God's love. In our Scripture, Mary sings about a God of liberation who pulls the powerful from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. Mary sings a story of hope, one in which justice and joy are interwoven. As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, may we also sing stories of hope, justice, and j...

In the moment of affirming the promise, God restores us. How often do you allow yourself to be amazed? Wonder is all around us—can we recognize it? As we learn how to rejoice in a weary world, can we live in a way that allows amazement and wonder to surprise us often? In Psalm 126, those who expect to reap tears are granted a surprise: shouts of joy. Amazement is a balm for the weary.

In community, our joy expands. When we can’t rejoice, we can carry each other’s joy. This week we continue our Advent worship by lighting the Hope and Peace candles, finding connection with each other, and by learning how God brings peace and joy in the midst of our weariness.

As Advent begins, we start by acknowledging the weariness, grief, rage, and hopelessness we carry—and we also affirm that we are made for joy. Sometimes weariness can harden us and prevent us from living fully. We’ve had hard journeys. Grief has left a scar on us. This is how we show up to Advent. We see how God brings joy in the midst of our weariness.

The prophet Micah contrasts our expectations of sacrifice with the sacrifices that God actually calls for. Instead of vanity and punishment, God desires justice, kindness, and a relationship. This sermon explores why we think of sacrifice and giving to God as a painful experience, and contrast that with the joy that comes with giving.

In this story, Jesus redefines how we think about giving and what God looks for in our tithing. We explore the understanding of abundance to God, and what it means to give out of poverty rather than wealth.

The parable considers how fear and a scarcity mindset keep us from using our resources for God. This week we explored how to shift from a scarcity to an abundance mindset, and how to actually engage with the world in faith that our resources will grow.

We can never outgive God. It often feels like giving is a tough requirement, especially when we have limited resources. However, when we give we find that God takes our giving and creates abundance.

This Sunday we begin our Stewardship sermon, What We Give to the Church. We dive into Leviticus 27:30 as our Scripture reminds us that all things belong to God. Giving back to God is an acknowledgement of the righteousness, goodness, and the lordship of God over all creation. The need to give back also creates a just society in which serving God and keeping God’s commandments create a mindset of g...

This week we join Dr Pamela Lightsey. Our sermon series on Rest dives into Creation as not a one-time act. It is ongoing, though God rested on the seventh day. Similarly, our ability to produce this or that should not be an end goal by which we gauge when we can/should rest. Rest should be our vision for our everyday lives; part of our dreams for the best possible future. Rest is not an end goal b...

You are made in the image of a God who rested. And maybe when God rested on the 7th day of creation, God dreamed—of you, me, and the best reality for all.  What would it look like for all of us to rest and dream like God? Join us Sunday as we share from Hebrews 4:1-10.