Name: "Identity and the Church" | 2022.01.30 - Esther Chang by The Highway Community in Centered
Duration: 24 min 31 s
Description: Our ideas and practice of church have been challenged by recent history. What is church? In this passage, Paul lays out the belief systems that are informing the church’s identity. Join us as we examine what he has to say about the source, means, nature and effect of false and true identities, and consider what it means to keep our identities, as people and as a church, centered on Jesus.

Centered

We begin a series of messages in Colossians by exploring the context of Paul’s letter, as well as his prayer that the Colossians would be centered on God’s will in Jesus.

"The Center Of God's Will" | 2022.01.09 - John Riemenschnitter

We explore the text known as the Christ hymn, and the unique role of the church that emerges for Paul’s Christology.

"All Jesus, All The Time" | 2022.01.16 - John Riemenschnitter

Jesus is creating a multi-ethnic family. The apostle Paul stewards this mystery and identifies a mystery that God desires to reveal to us – Christ in you, which is the fundamental truth of your identity.

"The Mystery Machine" | 2022.01.23 - Julie Pederson

Our ideas and practice of church have been challenged by recent history. What is church? In this passage, Paul lays out the belief systems that are informing the church’s identity. Join us as we examine what he has to say about the source, means, nature and effect of false and true identities, and consider what it means to keep our identities, as people and as a church, centered on Jesus.

"Identity and the Church" | 2022.01.30 - Esther Chang

Join us for a conversation about living into the new life God has given us as we continue our series in Colossians. This week, our passage is Colossians 3:1-11

"Clothed In Love" | 2022.02.06 - David Haley

Hope can be lived out in prophetic acts. Acting with hope in the midst of hopelessness is a mark of Jesus followers always. We see if the story of Jeremiah, as he buys his cousin's field even while his nation is about to fall to enemy invaders, that God promises a hopeful future.

Prophetic Hope | Julie Pederson

What if real power doesn’t look like winning, but enduring?
In a world obsessed with strength, success, and control, 2 Timothy 1 offers a radically different vision—one where courage is born in weakness, love triumphs over fear, and the Spirit gives strength not to escape suffering, but to stand faithful within it.

This teaching explores how we often misunderstand power, how disappointment can drive a wedge between us and God, and how grace empowers us to face trials with courage, love, and self-discipline.

When Power Looks Like Weakness | Adam Hendrix

With so many things that could define us, we need to remember Paul's emphasis on what the heart of the gospel is: 1) Jesus is raised from the dead, 2) Jesus is a decedent of David. The awe and wonder that flows from that must be what form the center of our church and of our lives.

Paul’s letter to Timothy is more than advice — it’s a lifeline: “Remember Jesus Christ.” In this talk, we explore how keeping Jesus at the center can bring strength, peace, and direction when everything else feels uncertain.

Jesus at the Center of Everything | Adam Hendrix

We live in a world of quick answers and Google searches. But when it comes to Scripture, information alone doesn’t change us. What we need is transformation. Here’s what it means to engage the Bible as something alive — breathed by God, meant to form us from the inside out.

Why the Bible Was Never Meant to Be an Instruction Manual | Adam Hendrix

We often think perseverance means never giving up. But what if spiritual maturity means learning both the grace to quit and the grit to keep going? This week, we explore the paradox of perseverance—the tension between release and resilience—and how acknowledging our limits can open us to God’s power.

Paradox of Perseverance | Adam Hendrix

Our world sees waiting as a waste of time, something to be gotten through so things can begin to happen — but the Bible is full of people who wait. What does it look like to wait well? We will look at what the prophet Habakkuk teaches us about the nature of waiting in the spiritual life, and two ways we can learn to wait in faith. Passage: Habakkuk 2:1-4

Sermon 11.3.25

When bad news, or rumors, or a general sense of uncertainty start to throw into a panic mode, we must remember the story that we are a part of and look to God to be our orienting point.

Unshaken: Finding Stability in Unsteady Times

Psalm 98 wasn’t written from comfort or ease—it was forged in the real pressures of ancient life: instability, loss, empire, exhaustion. Yet the Psalmist calls God’s people to shout, sing, and rejoice. Why? Because joy isn’t denial. It isn’t pretending things are fine. It’s defiance. It’s a deliberate act of re-centering on a God who keeps covenant even when circumstances fall apart.

Defiant Joy: Worship When Life Is Hard

From the galaxies of Colossians 1 to the cross of Luke 23, we wrestle with the paradox at the center of faith: the One who sustains the universe becomes small, vulnerable, and wounded. What does that mean for a world—and for lives—that feel like they’re falling apart?

The Cosmic King Who Became Breakable

Jesus was born into a particular place and time. A full human existing with a full human experience. A commonly overlooked piece of his humanity is the empire he was surrounded by. Jesus was born into “the time of King Herod.” This is not just a statement of fact from Matthew. This short sentence paints an entire picture of the powers of his time and how they impacted not just Jesus, but his family, his community, and his worldview.

In The Time of Herod... | Tatiana Schmidt

Highway is a non-denominational, Jesus-centered, egalitarian church community in Silicon Valley, gathering in Mountain View.

"Identity and the Church" | 2022.01.30 - Esther Chang

The Highway Community

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