Simple one note message. We're just gonna walk through the story and see if we can make sense of it. Mark's story is important to put into context to understand what's going on here..  The disciples have seen and experienced some mind-blowing things. They're on a spiritual high. Jesus senses it, so he asks them who people think he is. Then he asks them, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter stands up and says that Jesus is the Christ. And what he means by that is Jesus is going to liberate Israel from Roman occupation.

Then Jesus talks about how he's going to suffer and die. Peter rebukes him (a bold move on his part!). Jesus rebukes him back. A little friendly fire between friends. In reality, Jesus is shattering their preconceived notions about who God is and who God's messiah was supposed to be.

Jesus says, "If you're going to follow me - take up your cross.  Lose your life to save it." Sounds crazy - sounds counterintuitive. But in reality - it's not. You can't have life without death. This i's how God designed the world to be.

Bottom line - following Jesus means we give of ourselves for the good of the larger human community. How does that play itself out in our lives?

Simple - maybe a little shorter than normal. But it's all good.

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Mark 8:31-38
http://bible.com/events/49222934

March 3, 2024 "Lose Your Life To Save It"

*We apologize for the sound quality, our system was having difficulties this week*

The parable of the rich young fool has been read and interpreted many ways. There are some who would see it as a cautionary tale against gaining wealth, and others who would say it is more about what you do with your wealth.

Perhaps it is somewhere in between, asking us to examine who we consider with our wealth, and what our purpose is for gaining more. Are we seeing those around us who may be wanting in some way? This doesn't just apply to physical wealth, either. Are we physically and mentally healthy so that we may share our time and energy with others when they need us? Are we dedicating our resources of all kinds to making life a more thriving place for everyone we meet?

Speaker: Tony Vis
Scripture: Luke 12:13-21
http://bible.com/events/49229946

March 17, 2024 "How Do You Use Your Wealth?"

Doubting Thomas story. Yay. The word "believe" is so important to John.  He includes this story about someone who just can't believe. I'm glad that Thomas made it into the story. Because sometimes it's hard to believe. Do we really believe this stuff? I think it's a fair question - and it's a question we shouldn't hesitate to ask.

Christianity is made out to be a set of beliefs you have to assent to. If that's all it is, then when you doubt, when you question, suddenly the whole thing falls apart. But what if it's more than that?

The word "believe" is also translated as "to trust." And it's probably a better translation. Trust is a relational word. Our faith isn't just about believing the right things - it's also about relationships. Maybe that's why John gives us this story - to benefit those who will not see Jesus and touch his wounds. It's John's way of saying, "I was there - trust me." And when we trust each other - when we gather together - even if it is behind closed doors - somehow we get Jesus, too.

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: John 20:19-31
http://bible.com/events/49244737

April 14, 2024 "We Will Carry Each Other In Moments of Unbelief"

The image of the good shepherd brings up complicated feelings for me. I'll explain why - hoping everyone else sort of feels the same way. I don't have answers in this message. All I come with is a bunch of questions. I'll ask them and I'll try to answer them.

1) Why does Jesus use this metaphor for himself in this particular setting? A lot to explain here in the email so I'll boil it down. Given he's in the temple and the people are celebrating the Feast of the Dedication, it seems as though Jesus is equating his presence with the very presence of the divine. This is one of the I AM statements that Jesus makes. OR, it could be that God's presence doesn't dwell in the temple. It's out in the wilderness with the sheep, the hired hands, and the wolves. In other words, God's with the outcasts, the unclean, the nonreligious.

2) What does Jesus mean when he says he knows his sheep and they know him? This part makes me uncomfortable. In my experience, a life of faith isn't quite this straightforward - not this certain. 

3) Who are the hired hands in our lives? The hired hands don't have skin in the game. They're in it for themselves - personal gain. When danger comes, they run. Who are the voices we listen to that might be doing us harm? Who are we letting shape us and mold us?  

4) What does the church soften this image so much? Yeah, look at those pictures of Jesus as a shepherd. They don't match what Jesus says. The good shepherd is gritty - has skin in the game - even lays down his life for his sheep. How do we embody this kind of love in the wilderness? How do we embody this kind of love for each other?

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: John 10:11-18
http://bible.com/events/49255244

May 5, 2024 "When The Good Shepherd Metaphor Brings Questions"

If you knew you were about to die, what would you say to those in this world you love the most? What hope or dream would you share? What advice would you give?

That's essentially what we get in Jesus' words. He knows the end is near. So what dream does he give them? A command and a promise.  

The command - love each other. Jesus doesn't say, act as if you love each other. He doesn't let us off the hook. He means really love each other - as he has loved us. Man, it seems like he's asking the impossible. Important questions for us to ponder - again, I don't know if I have the answers. What would it look like if we took this seriously? Do we know how to love as Jesus loved? Do we know how to feel the kind of compassion he felt? Do we hunger for justice so fiercely that we'll reorder our entire lives just to bring it about? Do we want this?

Most of the time we don't. We'd rather be safe and keep our circles small and manageable. We'd rather love people based on shared values and preferences and beliefs and not on Jesus' all-inclusive command. And yet, love is the thing Jesus calls us to. As he's headed for death - love is the thing he commands.

The promise - everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another. Love is the litmus test. Love is THE identifying marker. NOT beliefs. Not doctrinal or personal purity. Not any of the other things we argue about and split over. But love. Jesus seems to be saying that if we fail to love one another then the world will not learn what it needs to learn about who God is. And if we're honest, we've done a whole lot of failing.

Fortunately, Jesus doesn't leave us alone. He gives us a road map. As I have loved you. Live and love as I have lived and loved. Weep with those who weep. Laugh with those who laugh. Touch the untouchables. Include those who have been pushed out. Feed the hungry. Visit the prisoners. Free the captive. Confront the oppressors. Stand with the oppressed. Wash each other's feet.

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: John 13:31-35
http://bible.com/events/49258770

May 12, 2024 "Love Is The Identifying Marker"

In several different places in the gospels, Jesus shares what his purpose is. Here's one from John 10 - he says, "I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly." Then a little later on - in John 15 - he tells his followers that if we want to have abundant life, we need to stay connected to the vine.

Problem is, that's not always that easy. That picture of abundance isn't the only one offered to us. Our world gives us plenty of ideas for living an abundant life. Most of it has to do with the accumulation of stuff and status. But those things don't last.

So Jesus gives us a different view of abundance. He says, "I am the vine and you are the branches - remain in me and you will bear fruit - fruit that will last." In a sense, what Jesus is saying is that if we stay connected to him and allow God to work in us and through us, we will bear fruit. The fruit we bear looks a lot like the list that Paul gives in his letter to the Galatians. Most of us have this sense that our lives are only characterized as abundant when we display and create that kind of fruit.

Are we connected to the vine? What are the ways we can stay connected to the divine?

How else do we create fruit that will last? We ask God to do a little pruning. In a world of addition, what might God be asking us to cut out? Let go? What might God be pruning in our lives so that we can become fruit-bearing branches - so that our lives can truly be abundant?

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: John 15:1-8
https://www.bible.com/events/49268391

June 2, 2024 "Are We Connected To The Vine?"

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD." He's asking for mercy - you only ask for mercy if you've done something wrong. So I ask the question: why do we even care about something written by some king over 2000 years ago? There are all kinds of things in this world that indicate it isn't what God intended it to be.

The Psalm starts as a personal lament - then it turns into a national lament. What he's recognizing is that his heart is just a microcosm of what's happening in the rest of the world. No one is innocent. We all have a part to play.

But this is a Psalm of ascent. That means the tone starts on a somber note. But as it moves along, the notes get higher and lighter - filled with hope. There's hope because he's not at the end yet - there is still time to turn things around - still time to make necessary changes.

Not only do we have time left - but we have a God who is on our side - a God who listens - a God who isn't content to let us stay where we are. We have a God of redemption. When God looks at any one of us - God doesn't just see what we've become. God doesn't just see all the stuff that's wrong. God sees a fully formed Jesus-like human being ready to come out.

So we continue to pray, and worship, and serve the world and God's people because we have a God of forgiveness - a God of unfailing love - a God of redemption.

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Psalm 130:1-8
http://bible.com/events/49282757

June 30, 2024 "God Isn't Content For Us To Stay Where We Are"

Paul responds with joy and in faith when in a tight circumstance. While imprisoned in Rome, awaiting judgment from Nero, he writes this letter to the church in Philippi. In the same fashion, we are meant to reflect before a watching world what God's intentions and character are.

Speaker: Tony Vis
Scripture: Philippians 1:12-19
http://bible.com/events/49295510

July 28, 2024 "Responding With Joy"

Speaker: Marlin Vis
Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-9
http://bible.com/events/49302038

August 11, 2024 "Allow Yourself Rest"

Short little parable: two people go into the Temple and pray. A Pharisee and a tax collector. The tax collector goes home justified. Let's walk through this parable slowly and talk about how easy it is to think that we're "not like the Pharisee."

Now there are also two words we should talk about: sin and sinner. Yeah, we have an aversion to those words for various reasons. BUT, Jesus insists on using that word, "Sinner."  So then we should talk a bit about what the Bible says about sin.

There are different perspectives of sin we have in this parable. The Pharisee sees sin as something you do - he makes a list. It creates an us versus them kind of scenario. The tax collector, however, does not make a list. He simply calls himself a "sinner." For him, the concept of sin is more than just the "wrong" things that we do. It's deeper than that. Sin is something he has - it's like it's infected him. From his perspective, sin is something that has become a problem for everyone.  

And when we have a problem, we typically want to do something about it, right? What do we do with our sin? Well, we have some options. First, we can avoid it or say that we don't have it and that other people do. That's what the Pharisee does. Problem is, it doesn't do anything for us. We remain unchanged.

Next, we can obsess over it. The tax collector could have done that - his list of sins was a mile long. We can wallow in our guilt and our shame. We can beat ourselves up for it. Problem is, when we do that we wind up cutting ourselves off from the divine and from other people. We don't want that.

There's another option - we can confess it. We can be honest about it. Jesus insists on us talking about it and confessing it because there's power and healing that comes along with honest confession.

Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Luke 18:9-14
http://bible.com/events/49336012

October 20, 2024 "The Power of An Honest Confession"

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