Westside Church

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 8 | God’s calling is not about waiting for specific, extraordinary signs – but about living out love, grace, and mercy in ordinary, daily actions, whether in our close circles or larger communities.

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 7 | Jesus values our faith in Him over societal rules and religious condemnation. He invites all of us to come as we are and bring whatever we have so that we might begin a personal connection with our Creator.

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 6 | Jesus models confidence in God’s sovereignty by leaning on two of God’s promises: He is present during the storm, even before the outcome changes, and that the worst storm is never the final word because of the resurrection.

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 5 | Jesus uses the Parable of the Sower to highlight how the Word of God functions like a humble seed that needs to take root deeply within us to truly shape us from the inside out.

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 4 | Jesus demonstrates that the Sabbath is intended to be a gift that meets the needs of people and provides a space for true rest, not a burdensome set of religious regulations.

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 3 | Jesus intentionally sought out solitude with God, even when the world was pulling him in every other direction. To maintain peace in our lives today, we can also seek a rhythm of listening to God in solitude.

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 2 | Faith can exist alongside doubt. Even in our spiritual questioning and confusion, Jesus does not waver in his love for us and encourages us to turn to him, believe in his words, and take a step of faith towards him.

Jesus Is King: The Gospel of Mark Pt 1 | Jesus’ choice to be baptized fulfilled God’s plan, demonstrated His identification with humanity, and revealed His authority through humility and sacrifice, rather than through strength and might.

While waiting on God can be difficult and vulnerable, we must realize that waiting on and trusting in God go hand in hand, and that those practices can cultivate hope and peace in our lives.

Christ reigns forever, including now. Even when our lives feel ordinary and mundane, we can recognize the divine in everyday moments, challenge assumptions about our faith, and embrace the surprising love and grace of God.

On this third Sunday of Advent, we find joy in the fact that God’s love is personal, unconditional, and actively pursuing each one of us.

When Jesus was sent to earth as a baby, he bridged the gap between us and God the Father, allowing us to enter into personal relationship, despite our human suffering and mess, with God through Jesus as Emmanuel (“God with us”).

From Genesis to the cross, God – the Creator of the universe – demonstrates that Jesus – the Word made flesh – provides victory over sin and death, offering us the opportunity to be adopted into God’s family and live in His victory, no matter what our past, present, or future looks like.

We are called to cultivate gratitude, not as a mere thank you to God, but as a posture of the heart that transforms our lives, deepens our faith, and leads to peace and joy even in the midst of suffering.

Jesus is the central focus of Christian faith, and believers are called to live missionally, following Jesus’ example of prioritizing people and sharing the gospel in both word and deed.

The church today is called to embrace peace and reconciliation in relationships despite differences – prioritizing peace over division, and trust that God is sovereign and holds our lives, our neighbors’ lives, and the whole world together.

As we bring our anxieties before God through prayer, our perspectives are transformed, allowing us to see our challenges through the lens of His sovereignty and faithfulness rather than our own limitations.

God encourages us to embrace the mysteries of faith and approach prayer with the understanding that we are citizens of heaven, and that we can trust in His authority and ability to respond to our prayers.

We can confidently cast our anxieties on God through prayer, knowing that He is our Heavenly Father: loving, consistent, powerful, and always present and ready to help us navigate even the toughest areas of our lives.

Doubt and uncertainty are natural parts of faith, and we are called to embrace these feelings without fear of judgment, as God’s unbreakable love provides security, comfort, and guidance through the challenges we face.

By developing a practice of prayer, we can align ourselves with Jesus, transforming our angry, arrogant, and anxious reactions to difficult circumstances into responses filled with the Fruits of the Spirit.

Jesus presented a revolutionary approach to navigating politics that calls for deeper engagement and understanding, encouraging the church to embody a love for their families and neighbors that transcends political divisions.

God’s justice does not adhere to human notions of fairness, but focuses on restoring His creation by righting wrongs and standing up for the oppressed.

Jesus calls us to go beyond the minimum requirements of faith and embrace a love that reflects His example of radical equality and grace.

As Christians, we are called to move beyond superficial judgments and divisions, recognizing that true reconciliation and love require acknowledging our own brokenness and approaching others with grace and humility.