Redemption Hill Blog

attention

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:2

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

When I first saw this picture, I asked my mom, “What the heck am I supposed to write about?” I took some advice from my friend Alyssa, who said to stare at the picture for about five minutes.

One of the first things that I noticed was that baby Jesus’ heart is the Christmas star. This baby’s heart, pure as gold, is the symbol everyone recognizes him by.

The shepherds say, “Where is the newborn king?”

This poor baby is probably thinking, “Who are these strange people, and why are they kneeling on the floor in front of me?” He is suddenly being worshipped and praised by shepherds and receiving fine gifts from kings. All this baby wants is to cry and go to sleep in his mother’s arms, but instead he gets kings and perfumes and oils.

“We have come to worship him,” is not a normal saying for a little newborn baby. But this young baby is suddenly a king, whether he wants to be or not. Unbeknownst to this baby, he is going to perform great tasks and create amazing things in his lifetime. Is he thinking about that? No, he is not. He is probably thinking about how hungry he is and how he wants to go to bed. This tiny, newborn baby, even though he’s Jesus, is still a drooling, crying, laughing, eating baby.

Everybody talks about the sweet, innocent boy who was already so great and amazing when he was born, but everyone starts out as a crying baby. The only difference between being a normal baby and being Jesus is that Jesus is a king with a star in his favor. All of a sudden, he is being burdened down with responsibilities and becoming the most wanted and cared for person of all time. This baby created the universe, and when he was born that universe was a part of him. God knew that at some point, Jesus would have to sacrifice himself for the world. Because Jesus knew the universe, he wasn’t thinking about himself, unlike a human would. He knew God would take care of him in the way that he needed to.

This picture shows a tiny baby, Jesus, but with the universe in him. It’s perfect. Baby Jesus, and the universe within.

participate

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

"There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him." - Luke 2:40

Read: Luke 2:25-40

I was sitting in the basement at our small group meeting listening to a friend lead us through a beautiful moment. The kids were all sitting on the floor surrounding her while she spoke about the Prophets and how they were a part of Jesus’ birth. She was teaching us about the Advent story, and I had never experienced anything like it. Watching their enamored faces, with the five candles sitting on a simple plate with one candle glowing, I was captured by the simplicity of it.

Up until this point, I'd only known Advent to be this thing that was done at the front of the church, where someone came up up and read from the Bible, lit a candle, and that was that. I had no idea that Advent was something that I could participate in at home, with my family and my friends. I called my friend and asked her and her sister to tell me everything they knew about Advent. Her family has this very rich tradition of celebrating together every year and it was beautiful. I loved the ease of it, that you could do it in any fashion that worked for your family.

But most of all, I loved that it was something that my family could participate in together and that it could become a tradition in our home, too. So we stepped in. We chose as a family to celebrate the coming of Jesus year after year. To celebrate the Prophets, Angels, Shepherds and Wisemen in the story of the birth of Jesus.

When I look at today's picture, I see a few things. I see my little family in our home or in our friend’s home, remembering the Angels or the Shepherds and how they played a role in the birth of Jesus.

But I also see how Jesus, God of the Universe, chose to step in and Participate in this human condition.

How he came to earth as a small infant, born into vulnerability, resting in Mary’s arms.

Luke 2:40 tells us, “The child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”

In this verse, we see the humanity of Jesus.

He grew.

He became strong.

He learned and increased in wisdom.

The Savior of the world chose not to bypass the process of life but to embrace it fully, participating in all that it means to be human. In this we can know that He felt all the same things that we feel.

But also Mary participated. She carried Him, fed Him, and cared for Him, her heart filled with awe and uncertainty. She said yes to God’s plan, yes to this holy, messy, beautiful calling. She reminds us that participation in this life often comes in simple, sacred acts, like showing up, holding close, and paying attention to the moment.

In this Advent season, we are invited to participate as well. God’s grace is at work all around us. In the joy of a child, the stillness of prayer, the quiet moments of love shared with those we hold dear. Like Mary, we don’t have to understand the fullness of God’s plan to say yes to it. We don’t have to be strong enough or wise enough on our own. It can be as simple as gathering at a friend's home to be quiet, to remember. His grace is enough. His love is sufficient.

As you prepare your heart this Advent, pause to participate in the small moments. Look for His presence in the mundane. Hold close what matters most. For just as Christ grew in wisdom and strength, so too can we grow in becoming vessels of His love for the world.

with

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:09:14 GMT

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)." - Isaiah 7:14

Read: Isaiah 7:10-15

The Risk of Birth, Christmas, 1973

-Madeleine L'Engle

This is no time for a child to be born,

With the earth betrayed by war & hate

And a comet slashing the sky to warn

That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,

In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;

Honour & truth were trampled by scorn —

Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?

The inn is full on the planet earth,

And by a comet the sky is torn —

Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

It is of note that God unfurls his plan for redemption in the shape of a birthing woman. His hand, universe dusted, opens over earth and in his warm palm sits Mary, heavy with child, full with courage. Caressed by heaven, her back hunches. She cries out in ancient pain, Eternity between her legs, pulling Beginning and End into her shaking arms. She draws Word to her chest, nurses Provision at her breast, kisses the sticky brow of God With Us.

It is of note that God gave Mary a battle song, that mighty prophetess, the voice of those who unexpectedly know the story before anyone else understands a whisper of the impossible. Mary, stained with afterbirth, smeared with His blood, roars. As deep calls to deep, so Mary cries into the wilderness, her fierce hymn echoed across the ages.

Women long for birth. We ache for children, even when we cannot name the ache. We die with the pain of childbirth, die and rise again, a new kind of person. We die with the pain of not-childbirth, of empty days, of one line instead of two.

And the world is made again, again, again. The hand of the Almighty still stretches across the cosmos, through time and space and song, laying bare the broken hearts of men and women who long to be redeemed. We kneel beside Mary, shoulder to shoulder with Joseph, and gasp at the unearned, whimpering grace of Emmanuel. God with her.

joy

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 15:28:54 GMT

“But the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” Luke 2:10

READ: LUKE 2:8-20

God couldn’t wait. It was finally time, and he had patiently waited for literal centuries to make this happen. Maybe seven! It didn’t matter; it was too long. Being separated from the people he loved so much...he could combust!—He was coming! For them. And nothing would stop him.

He couldn’t hold all the joy in—he knew exactly who he’d tell first: the shepherds. These are my people, God thought. They will get how good this gift is in a way maybe no one else will. They’ve been told a false narrative their whole life. That they’re not important, that they’re outcasts, socially and spiritually, that they’re not worthy to be with me for this reason or that. But I’ve always seen them and loved them, God thought. They’re close to my heart. I can’t wait to show them how much I love them—then they will never be afraid of my rejection!

In fact, God was ready to flip every false narrative on its head. Love would be the most powerful reality in his kingdom, with him on the throne. He would clear up the misconceptions that this gift was only for a select few: social class, race, age, gender, bad or good, cool or uncool—none of that will matter more than His love for them. Every beloved person will hear their creator say, you are invited, you are worthy. The quirkier, the better. God’s the giver and he gets to decide– and he said it’s for everyone!

God was making good on his promise; he always had and always will.

He was coming! To rescue, to fix what was broken, to set everything right, forever. He’d get his hands dirty doing it; he wasn’t afraid of the mess, the pain, the darkness. He would enter right in, while looking to the future, radiant with confidence and joy. They’re worth it, and he’d show them all of this, starting through the way he came. That first, dark, dingy night in a manger.

God couldn’t wait.

What emotions bubble up for you when you’re preparing to give someone you love a really great gift? What does the Christmas story show and tell you about how God feels about you?

motherhood

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

In pain, you will bring forth children. - Genesis 3:16

Read: Genesis 3

Just for a moment try to picture the garden of Eden. Although we are deep in the barren winter months, can you imagine the sights, sounds, and smells of that luscious oasis? Take a deep breath, smell the intoxicating fragrances, feel the warm sunshine on your skin, look and see Eve standing flawlessly, her toes buried in the whispering grass. But she is not alone. Stealthily creeping, the enemy approaches, ready to cast shadows and inflict darkness. With four little words, “Did God actually say…” the enemy planted the seed of doubt in Eve, and it took such a deep root within her that it has endured and spread to each of our hearts. Why did Eve listen to that voice? Through Eve’s doubting, pain was born. “In pain you shall bring forth children.”

Is it just me or does that punishment seem weird and oddly specific? I mean, how often does a woman give birth in her lifetime? I can’t imagine that squeezing a tiny human out of another human could be anything but painful. Plus, the pain is temporary and totally worth it. Once you hold your baby in your arms, there is a moment of perfect peace, and all is well. “We have sufferings now, but these are nothing compared to the great glory that will be given to us.” (Rom 8:18) Consider for a moment that the pain of childbirth is a preparation for motherhood.

Motherhood is excruciatingly beautiful and gut-wrenching, marvelously sublime, yet there is also a stripping of the former, an emptying, a rawness, a painful change. Through parenting, one can see the best and worst in themselves. As any parent can tell you, parenting is painful and hard. Pain is something we don’t enjoy experiencing. But, what if pain was a preparation for what is to come? A calling to change? Although pain (particularly in childbirth) was born as a consequence of Eve’s disobedience, what if, in God’s mysterious mercy, it was actually for our good? After all, what the enemy meant for evil, God is working for our good.

C.S. Lewis writes, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Can you hear Him?

In today's image, we see how God brings wholeness to something once broken. Although Eve brought pain in childbirth, God uses the pain of childbirth to bring forth our Lord and Savior. Through the birth of Jesus Christ, we have hope and forgiveness of sin. Through pain on the cross, God brings redemption and glory!

In your doubts and pain, what voices are you going to listen to? God is speaking; are you willing to listen? What beautiful things have been birthed through your pain?

vulnerability

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

- Psalm 139:15-16

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READ: Psalm 139

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"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” -Brene Brown

As I read today's passage in Psalms and the words of Brene Brown on vulnerability, I think of my mother’s pregnancy with me. My mother hoped for the best once she knew I was no longer just a figment of her imagination and unmet dreams to grow her own family. She had high hopes that her children would someday live a better life than she and her parents lived. However, things didn’t go as she expected. My mother suffered from the projected shame from her community and the sadness of being abandoned by my biological father.

The world (in this case her college advisor) said that she could end the pregnancy and finish school on time. This situation was a tough one, but the decision was clear to her even before that advisor uttered those words:

“No, I am keeping the baby. I trust and believe that God will help me manage and care for my baby.”

Hold onto that thought for a minute. A situation gone awry was redeemed and placed in the hands of God. As everything seemed to be turning against her, she persisted in her faith to continue allowing God’s plan for me to come to fruition.

I wish I could say that after that decision that things fell into place, but my mother suffered through several trials and tribulations. She had to withdraw from school to take time to provide for us, faced homelessness, sleeping on couches during her pregnancy and shortly after my birth.

I look at this season as an echo of the hidden place. God was there with my mother all along and had his hand and protection over me and my fetal self every step of the way.

Today, you are reading this because my mother chose to heed to God‘s plan for my life. When I was in my mother’s womb, she did not know that she would finish undergrad and graduate school by the time that I graduated from high school. Little did she know that that same child she had in her womb would also grow up to graduate from graduate school and follow her footsteps in the profession of social work, AND that we would both be walking with and speaking into the lives of hundreds of people who face similar situations of heartbreak and devastation.

Remember my friends that God is always there, always looking out for us and planning greater things for our lives than we could ever fathom. I would invite you to be brave enough to “explore the darkness” and embrace the vulnerability this season and in each season to come. You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

grow

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

"You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." - LUke 1:45

Read: Luke 1:39-45

There are so many things that happen unseen. Caterpillars cocoon themselves up into small, boring, brown shapes. A tiny seed gets pressed into the ordinary dirt and from the surface of the earth, seems silent, stagnant, and unchanging. A collection of gas and dust flow painfully slowly through space. Inside a womb, cells quietly evolve from one to billions.

The end of the book of Job reveals our impatient human tendencies towards the unseen. God realigns Job by asking him a series of questions:

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"

"Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain?"

"Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soak and spread its wing towards the south?"

"Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like His?"

And my personal favorite, "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?"

God is not afraid of our questions, but He does want us to trust him even in the unseen. Even in the things waiting to be brought to fruition.

There are countless examples of things in our world that seem to be doing nothing and yet from both a cosmic and microscopic perspective, we know that over time, growth is taking place.

What things are unseen in your life? What things are hidden from your perspective and feel pointlessly slow, hopeless and unchanging?

What ends up happening? A colorful butterfly emerges. A tree stretches up to the heavens. A bright star is shining in the night. A baby is breathing in his mother's arms.

Perhaps this is where God will reveal His beauty. Mayb e this is the growth He designed for you all along.

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End

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” Says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” - Revelation 1:8

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Read: Revelation 1:4-8

I remember climbing into the backseat of our ’95 Dodge Caravan destined for our summer vacation on the beach.

It was an 8-hour drive through Florida in the summer with no air conditioning.

Sandwich crumbs on the carpet floor, cup holders sticky from soda spills, and fighting with my sister over the lone Gameboy. We all had to go to the bathroom, but each was anxiously waiting for someone else to break so we didn't have to be the “one” to take the blame for another stop.

Sheesh. What could be worth all the stress and sweat and bathroom breaks?

The destination.

That spot was my favorite place in the whole world. I’d spend most of the year anticipating our annual summer vacation. Eat. Sleep. Fish. Watch cartoons. What more could a 10-year-old ask for?

Sometimes, life can feel like we’re trapped in a ’95 Dodge minivan with no air conditioning.

But the Destination.

The Omega.

The One who makes all the suffering and pain worthy of the anticipation of the fulness of His presence.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever'...

And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making everything new!' And then he said to me, 'Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.'

And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.

All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”

What more could we ask for?

visible

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.

- Isaiah 53:2

Read: Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:2-- the prophecy of Jesus Coming and being born. He is born in the slums in a barn, born a carpenter's son and fleeing the tyrant Herod. He has nothing of any glamor or power when He is born. Nothing like what we see with today's celebrities and other famous people. The image of a tender green root coming up from the dry unusable ground is Jesus being nothing, someone no one knew. From the beginning He gained recognition from people hearing the stories about His miracles. He gained more recognition not based on what he had or how he looked, but on how he treated people and how he was following the Word and fulfilling prophecies. The passage says that Jesus grew up in the Lord, and shows us how we should grow up with the Lord and not let the things in our lives control us.

Let us be able to fall back on Him, or if we are to fall completely, He will be there to pick us up. This also shows our God’s commitment to His people, what He told them, and how He was going to do it. We can put our trust in the Lord no matter what. Even if it takes a hundred years or more, the Lord is true. When relating this to your day-to-day life, when you find yourself in a slump, there is always good you can do to help other people follow the Lord, even when it is hard.

given

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - ISAIAH 9:6

Read: Isaiah 9:1-7

Isaiah 9:1-7 speaks powerfully of what’s to come, a kingdom and great light. But in God’s Way this kingdom and great light arrive with a humble act, His Son given.

Reflect with me on the words used to describe the promise of the coming kingdom and King: great light, nation, rejoicing, harvest, provision, spoils of war, breaking yokes of burden, breaking rods of empire, burning bloodstained uniforms of war, government, name, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, no end, throne, kingdom, establish, uphold, justice, righteousness, forevermore, zeal, Lord of armies, accomplish.

And now, reflect on the words used to describe the One through which all of this will be fulfilled: child, born, Son, given.

By God’s grace we know what was given, He tells us through that very gift! At this prophecy’s fulfillment we hear the words of Jesus: Repent, the Kingdom of God is here.

Now, think of a kingdom - better yet, think of the kingdom of heaven. What do you envision? Clouds? A castle? Perhaps a city with some golden streets? Harps and folks in white sheets? A gate with that Peter guy stamping entry tickets? If you wear a monocle, smoke a pipe and play the cello, perhaps a kingdom makes you think of political structures such as: chiefdom, serfdom. Here’s the challenge. That’s not where our minds are supposed to turn.

Turn your mind to these words instead: wisdom, freedom. Wisdom is the condition of being wise and freedom, the state of being free. Sure, there are places where wisdom and freedom might be found, but they are so much more in heart and action than brick and mortar.

Like wisdom and freedom, kingdom is a condition - the condition of being ruled. So, we’re given the condition of being ruled? Hmmm. Cheery. Haven't we morally progressed out of archaic thoughts and systems like kingdoms? Being ruled is antiquated and oppressive. But if we are to believe God giving the condition of rule is somehow gospel, then we must understand what the condition of this rule means, and the character of the One ruling.

When God first teaches us about rule, we learn God made humans in His image to rule over His creation. When God first teaches us about His reign, God confronts and defeats oppressive and systemic evil, liberates His people, and invites Israel under His reign to bless the nations, defending the poor and vulnerable.

Look at how our King was given:

He’s paraded into Jerusalem - riding on a donkey.

He’s enthroned - in trial and execution.

He’s called Christ - while receiving blows.

He’s hailed by royal guards - as mockery.

He’s exalted and lifted up as Israel’s King - on a cross.

God’s coronation is an act of sacrificial love, dying on behalf of those who rebelled against His reign.

This is the humble King and the great kingdom that Isaiah prophesied of and now is. And He gives us an invitation! The child born, the Son given, the great light. Praise the Lord!

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light

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.

- John 1:4-5

Read: John 1:1-9

Each Christmas Eve, one of the most special moments that I treasure every year happens. While we sing Silent Night, each person is handed a candle, then one candle is lit. The first candle that has been lit is carefully tipped so that the next person can light their candle as well. Each person is given a little bit of the initial flame, until everyone is surrounded by a gentle, warm glow.

Why is this moment so special to me and to many others around me? In that moment, I truly can feel that Jesus is our light. Nothing else could explain how one moment could be so beautiful. In such a time, when there is so little light, we feel our human need for light. That is the way that God made us. The darkness simply feels wrong to us. Darkness means that we cannot see, and it is difficult to walk. In complete darkness, nothing can live. We are vulnerable without light. In that same way, we need Jesus.

Unlike Jesus, however, light can go out, leaving us helpless. If there was complete darkness, and then you lit a tiny match, you would likely be worried that it would go out and leave you in darkness again. In John 5, it says, “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” Ever since Jesus, our light, was brought to Earth, that light can never go out. This message of hope reminds us that we are forever saved. Even when this broken world brings darkness into our lives, Jesus, our light, will never go out.

annunciation

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. - Luke 1:28-29

Read: Luke 1:26-38

Gabriel came to me and told me that I will be blessed with a baby boy and that I will name him Jesus. But why did the Lord choose me? There are lots of other women, why me? Did you choose me because of my response? Or my way of living? I don’t understand why me?

Lord, I am very grateful that I, a common woman, would be chosen to have your son Emmanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Why Lord? Why me?

My heart is full of joy! I don’t know why you chose me but I trust that you will do great things with me and through me. You have done great things. You have healed the sick, you have performed great things with only your hands. You have been mindful of the ways of your servant. Thank you, Lord.

You have done powerful things lord. You have brought down rulers from their thrones, but have lifted up the humble and given food to the hungry. You are so great Lord. I love you very much.

virgin

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” || Luke 1:34

READ: Luke 1:26-38

"But how can this happen?”

This is a question I have been asking lately. In the face of countless challenges that feel impossible and stalled, I don’t see a way through the dark fog. I sense a pull forward, a whisper to move into the mist, an ache in my heart, but the path is invisible and full of hindrances.

Most of us have asked Mary’s question at one time or another. We see lack everywhere we look: lack of money, lack of resources, lack of time, lack of people, lack of nuance, lack of skill, lack of knowledge, lack of voice, lack of desire, lack of power. At least I do. As I write this, I am feeling each of these deeply. When we can’t find a way through on our own, we shrivel up in fear. We lose hope.

I am often so afraid to bring my questions and desires to God because I don’t see a way in the wilderness, and frankly, I am worried that God will disappoint or fail me. And because I don’t see a way, because I can’t make a way, I don’t believe that God can, either.

However, the wonderful, good news is that we aren’t the ones who must make the miracle for which we seek. Listen to the angel’s response to Mary after she asks this fateful question:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you… for the Word of God will never fail.”

What an immediate perspective shift, a simple answer in the mystery of the Incarnation. The angel doesn’t give Mary a list of things she must do to live out her calling as Mother of God. The angel only tells her to be still and pay attention as God does through her what she could never do on her own.

Our ways are complicated. We meddle, we fret, we panic, we make charts and plans. We try to fix things (typically making them worse), force the prophecies to come true, and end up feeling defeated by the amount of work it takes to move the needle forward.

But God’s way is simple and impossible. It is soft, quiet, intimate, restful, specific. It can be counted on. It will never fail. God desires that our yoke be easy, and our burden, light. God does not want us to fill our packs with the weight of control. It’s up to us to choose which burden we will pick up.

Mary’s final response is a declaration of her own surrender to the Spirit. She says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Notice how different her response is than our often haphazard, casual faith that looks more like crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.

Mary’s response starts with surrender of everything, and a prophecy over her future from a spirit of faith. In the same way, we must be willing to release our tight hold on our lives, and allow the Spirit to move intimately in the spaces that feel vulnerable and frightening. We must be willing to let the Spirit place a greater gift inside us than we could imagine.

This advent, what are you asking for? What feels impossible? How can you ask honestly for what you want? Where might God be asking you to remain still as God works through you?

present

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:00:01 GMT

"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I am the one who was, who is, and who is to come- the Almighty one."- Revelation 1:8

Read: Revelation 1:5-8

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He was

The earth was formless and void. Empty.

Darkness covered the face of the deep.

At that moment, Jesus was there.

The Light pierced the darkness.

From the nothingness, He wove the fabric of all creation

Everything was from Him and through Him.

This is the beginning.

Jesus is the beginning.

He is

Nothing is the way it was meant to be.

A world heavy with pain, soaked in tears, and shadowed by sadness.

Unable to escape the power of sin,

We need a rescuer. A Savior.

It’s why He had to come.

We wait to celebrate the single, sacred moment when eternity broke into our world.

The heralded Emmanuel, God with us.

The unexpected, awaited King.

Here! Now! With us!

He lived the life we couldn’t.

Filling the world with hope and light.

He died the death we deserved.

But the Light can’t be extinguished.

Like a sunrise, the Light rose again.

He made a way.

A way for us to be adopted into His family.

The family of light.

Sons and Daughters of the Light.

Filling us with His Light,

Like the Earth in the beginning.

Little lights, bringing His light to the rest of the world.

Little lights becoming more like The Light.

Clay vessels, molded by the Potter, brimming with His light, and born anew into this world.

We have been rescued, forgiven and adopted!

Yet, we wait.

We wait for the things that are to become the things that will be .

We wait for tears to be turned to joy.
We wait for grief to be turned to gladness.
For ashes to be turned to beauty
For death to be turned to life.
Captivity to deliverance.
Lament to praise.
Brokenness to wholeness.

We wait for the work of Jesus while being near to Jesus.

We are His kingdom and we bring His kingdom.

We feed the hungry as our souls are fed.

We care for the needy as our needs are cared for.

We do for the least of these, because Jesus did for us.

This is the tension of Advent.

The in-between.

A future promised, a way made, tears and sadness still present.

This is now.

Jesus is here, now.

He is to come

No one knows the hour.

But, we know the ending.

The Light that once broke the darkness returns,

Blazing with uncontainable glory

It fills every corner of darkness with His eternal glory.

All sad things vanish.

All pain is wiped away.

The city of light, shining with the Glory of God, comes to earth.

At that moment, Jesus will be there.

Full of light.

Like the Earth in the beginning.

Like our souls now.

He was. He is. He is to come.

This is eternity.

Jesus is eternity.

Jesus is the end.

The Light that shone into the darkness at the beginning shines forevermore.

He was. He is. He is to come.

The Alpha and the Omega.

The Beginning, and the End.

beginning

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 14:00:00 GMT

"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I am the one who was, who is, and who is to come- the Almighty one."- Revelation 1:8

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READ: Revelation 1:5-8

Beginning.

The beginning is when you start to breathe.

Is it?

The beginning is when you come to God.

It is.

The way.

The way is when you start moving throughout your day.

Is it?

The way is when you live your life with Gods word, love, and mercy.

It is.

The end.

The end is when you die.

Is it?

The end is when you chose to separate yourself from your creator, the omega.

It is.

Let yourself be aware of what God fully is. He is everything. He is more than what our mind can and will ever be able to fathom. He is what gives our life a purpose worth being on earth for.

Mary's Faith: How Little Things Make a Big Difference

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 06:00:00 GMT

John 20:1-8

When you have great faith, you can empower people to do things they never thought they could. When you love strongly, people feel that love, which is sometimes all someone needs. And when you believe in God, he can change your life.

The end. That was what the disciples felt when Jesus died. Among the disciples was Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus had cast seven demons from. Mary had been there at the cross when Jesus died, that horrid cross. Mary had followed Jesus for a while, listening to his teachings and learning about God. But he had died. Jesus, the good shepherd, was dead? Soon, the disciples were scattered and hiding, and little hope remained. What would you do?

This was a hard time for all of Jesus’s followers. Mary Magdalene was just one of the many people experiencing this hardship. The loss of a good friend, a wonderful teacher, and a source of hope all at once. And Mary was terribly sad. Sometimes, it may seem like Mary was a hero. But she was just a girl. What makes her remembered today is her faith. Her faith following Jesus, even to his death. What makes her remembered today is her love. Her love that led her to go to his tomb, so she could care for his body. And what makes her remembered today is her belief. Her belief when she saw Jesus and the angels. These are some things that all followers of Christ can have.

Mary had some simple traits anyone can have. Some that many Christians say they have. You probably do! But when you put everything you have into them, you can change lives. When you have great faith, you can empower people to do things they never thought they could. When you love strongly, people feel that love, which is sometimes all someone needs. And when you believe in God, he can change your life.

Sometimes, the simplest things like a tiny sapling can make a big difference. As we enjoy Easter, remember how little things are just as (and maybe even more) important as big things. He is risen indeed!

Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 06:00:00 GMT

Matthew 27:57-61

In the darkness below, will the seed of his body find life? Will the rains come down from heaven? Is it good soil? We wait, akin to farmers awaiting the sprout, for Jesus' body to take root and break forth, transcending the tomb's confines.

I live off of Orchard Street, where my house occupies what was once an orchard. The soil in my neighborhood is exceptional, fostering the growth of a towering catalpa tree in my backyard, visible from blocks away. Though the seed of this tree may seem insignificant, its transformation into the shading presence under which my child plays and where we dangle patio lights depended on its burial and surrender to the soil.

Similar to the seed, Jesus surrenders his body to the tomb, just as Joseph, unaware, mirrors a farmer planting seeds, laying Jesus' linen-wrapped body in a carved-out tomb and sealing its entrance. In the darkness below, will the seed of his body find life? Will the rains come down from heaven? Is it good soil? We wait, akin to farmers awaiting the sprout, for Jesus' body to take root and break forth, transcending the tomb's confines. It's not merely a backyard garden we envision but a farm, where life hinges on the seed's ability to take root. Will Jesus' body break through and the tomb be shattered? We wait.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 06:00:00 GMT

John 19:28-37

But as I juxtapose those images from my life- those moments of shame that I would rather no one ever see- with the image of a Lamb, sliced in half, for the sake of the world, I begin to think that if God could bring beauty, healing, and life from the ugliness, pain, and death of the crucifixion, maybe He can do the same with all those moments from my life?

I do not like this image.

I find it ugly, disturbing… I don’t want to look at it.

But seen from a certain angle, that makes perfect sense. What was ever uglier than the way that we betrayed and assassinated the King of Glory? Maybe we have seen those crucifixion images too often, and gotten desensitized to the shocking nature of not only how the crucifixion is depicted, but the ugly, disturbing nature of the crucifixion itself.

I have seen Jesus on the cross thousands of times. A lamb, sliced in half by death, bleeding in some way for the whole world? That’s a new one.

What a paradoxical thing is this Life in the Way of Jesus. Beauty from ashes. Life from death. That the most grotesque murder human minds could imagine and carry out somehow rebounds to my forgiveness, to life eternal for anyone willing to throw the weight of their soul on this battered, torn, and broken man? Amazing.

I do not like this image. But, I love it for what it represents.

In the same way, as I look back on my life, I see a procession of ugly moments, failures, and wounds both received and given. I do not like looking at them .

But as I juxtapose those images from my life- those moments of shame that I would rather no one ever see- with the image of a Lamb, sliced in half, for the sake of the world, I begin to think that if God could bring beauty, healing, and life from the ugliness, pain, and death of the crucifixion, maybe He can do the same with all those moments from my life?

As I look back on my life through the lens of the Cross, and Christ crucified, I realize that there’s not a moment in my life that God cannot redeem, cannot heal, cannot use to bless others.

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and says “I am making all things new!”

Jesus Entrusts Mary and John to Each Other

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 06:00:00 GMT

John 19:25-27

Is there some area of your life, a place of pain, confusion, grief, or fear, where you need to sense Jesus' tender compassion? Lord, Jesus, thank you that you see me, that you care for me, and you are here for me. Will you please show me today your tangible, loving care?

Only the Gospel of John records this passage, and we assume that the disciple Jesus loved is John. It's interesting only women and John are there at the end with Jesus. Scholars believe that during a time of perceived revolution, women were not a threat so they could come and go as they pleased. And, John was likely still very young, so also not regarded as a serious threat. Notice also this disciple is mentioned in John 18:15-16.

Jesus' mother, Mary, has been lovingly devoted to Jesus to the very end. While she doesn't fully understand the purpose of Jesus' death yet, we assume she did after the resurrection, since John takes her to his home and welcomes her as though she were his own mother. I wonder if in this horrifically painful moment for Mary, she is reminded of the prophet Simeon's prophecy over Jesus, and specifically to her, "And a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:35)

Jesus, after hanging on the cross for several excruciating hours, suffocating, barely able to talk, in pain beyond imagination, both physically and spiritually, still sees the crowd with compassion, and particularly his own dear mother. Jesus makes loving provision for her, "Dear woman, here is your son." And to John, "Here is your mother."

Jesus cares deeply for his mother and her needs. Just as he does for you and me.

Is there some area of your life, a place of pain, confusion, grief, or fear, where you need to sense Jesus' tender compassion? Lord, Jesus, thank you that you see me, that you care for me, and you are here for me. Will you please show me today your tangible, loving care.

Another important thing to see in this encounter is the beginning of the church family. Mary had other children who could have met her physical needs after Jesus' death, yet Jesus entrusts her to John's care. He realized our need for spiritual relationship which we find only in the family of God. Sometimes, ideally, our earthly family is also our spiritual family. But sometimes, as Proverbs 18:24 reminds us, "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." While the Lord definitely wants us to love and care for our earthly families, we are also to live out deep, practical, loving care for our spiritual family. In our context at RH, the hope is our Microchurch will become our spiritual family. Jesus earlier had redefined family in Luke 8 - "The one who does the will of my Father is my mother, brother, sister." And he also said, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35)

Lord Jesus, who is someone in my spiritual family that I can love and care for in a practical way? Please bring to mind and help me do this. Thank you for entrusting us to each other.

Jesus and the Repentant Thief

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 06:00:00 GMT

LUke 23:32-43

The religious leaders and scholars of the day were spending unending hours working to please God and get into heaven, to get it right with literally hundreds of rules they kept to. How is it that, in his last moments of life, Jesus promises this thief paradise? I think his confession (saying what he believed) and his trust in Jesus (as evidenced by his request) allow him to receive this invitation. He believed Jesus was the king going to His kingdom and he wanted to be WITH Him.

In the image above by Scott the Painter, we see Jesus’ pierced hand reaching out to the pierced hand of the repentant thief. It reminds me of the Michelangelo painting ‘The Creation of Adam’ in which God is reaching His hand out to Adam. In Scott’s image, I see that same action.

This moment with the repentant thief is a re-creation moment. Jesus is the new Adam and in this moment is becoming The Way, helping us do the same, something we can’t do on our own.

In this story we see a foil of responses. One thief mocks Jesus just as the soldiers had, even as he hangs on a cross beside Jesus. He is hard-hearted and self-protecting. The repentant thief, on the other hand, sees the reality of what is happening and his response is one of honesty. In Luke 23:41 he says, “We are suffering justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done; but this man has done nothing wrong.” He is honest about his actions and seems to know Jesus is innocent. This confession borne out of honesty allows him to ask in verse 42: “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom!” and Jesus answers him in verse 43: “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

What?! The religious leaders and scholars of the day were spending unending hours working to please God and get into heaven, to get it right with literally hundreds of rules they kept to. How is it that, in his last moments of life, Jesus promises this thief paradise? I think his confession (saying what he believed) and his trust in Jesus (as evidenced by his request) allow him to receive this invitation. He believed Jesus was the king going to His kingdom and he wanted to be WITH Him.

How does this speak into our own lives? We are also invited by Jesus. He is waiting for our ‘yes’.

Where in your life are you self-promoting or self-protecting? Where are you working so hard to achieve out of your own energy or hiding due to fear? All our striving (or doing for God) isn’t the same as being WITH Him. Hiding due to fear is keeping Him at arm’s length. Neither of these result in transformation. God wants you to be the new Adam--it’s why Jesus came. He unlocked the power (the Holy Spirit) and it’s available to all. We can allow this transformation by confessing those places we are keeping Him out of and inviting Him in. It may be that God is inviting you into doing less and instead being with Him more. It may be that He wants to walk you out of fear and into trust of Him. Whatever the invitation is, it always leads deeper in relationship with Him.

The repentant thief was welcomed into paradise with Jesus because he wanted to go. Do you?

The Crucifixion

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 13:30:00 GMT

Matthew 27:35-46

Not very far into the report, tears formed in my eyes and soon I began to cry, wondering if I should pull over. I was overwhelmed with the pain and suffering that He was willing to endure for my sake.

As Robin and I were returning to Boise from a missions conference in Portland , she read to us from one of the physician’s accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus. I don’t remember which one, there have been many since the advent of the science of medical pathology. We know with growing granularity how bad the physical suffering was.

The Romans knew what they were doing by crucifying a prisoner – causing excruciating and enduring agony that could last for days. Whatever the crime, the penalty of crucifixion was by far the worst penalty meted out; unimaginable pain relieved only by a death that would be a long time coming. Crucifixion was believed to be the most effective response to slave rebellion, whether in the owner’s garden or lining the road to Rome for miles.

Not very far into the report, tears formed in my eyes and soon I began to cry, wondering if I should pull over. I was overwhelmed with the pain and suffering that He was willing to endure for my sake.

More striking, as the years passed and my familiarity with both Scripture and personal loneliness matured, I came to understand that Jesus was entirely on His own thru it all. He had been abandoned to the agonizing suffering by His Father and the Holy Spirit. His adoption of the unholiness of my rejection made Him unclean and offensive to them. And while the physical pain was overwhelming, the loneliness of being utterly forsaken and completely isolated was far worse.

Having some small understanding of the unrestrained love for me that compelled Him to ‘take my place’ both on the cross and in Sheol, the place of the dead, there is nothing that I won’t attempt for Him and nothing that I will withhold from Him. Galatians 2:20 takes on new meaning: “I am crucified with Christ…”

I am among the captives taken when “He took captivity captive…” (Eph.4:8).

Jesus Meets the Weeping Women

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

listen to Adriana read today's piece

Luke 23:28-31

I’ll never forget that stark warning that followed; the clarity in His speech, and the implication that life would get much harder. And what pressed upon my heart was that He cares about the difficulty. He cares about the corrupt parts of us that do what we know we ought not to do, but we do them anyway. The parts of us that will have us begging for mercy, and clinging to repentance.

Tears are not just for Him but a gift from Him.

Very few words fell from His mouth that day.

Why didn’t He speak up? Defend His innocence? Fight evil with all His God-given power?

The thought of losing Him for good overwhelmed my whole nervous system.

My stomach churned, uncontrollable sobs flowed out of me like a raging river.

The mob's shouts hushed down to a distant roar in my head. My eyes could see nothing but His blood-smattered bones through wells of tears.

I’ll never forget the moment He called out to us, “Daughters of Jerusalem,"

pulling an anchor from the depths of my bowels up into my throat.

I’m not sure how I can say what I felt when He spoke “daughters.” It’s as if the most barren parts of me were seen in all their depravity, and yet completely covered by the tenderness in his voice.

“Do not weep for me."

My cheeks grew flush. Not weep for Him? He is my best friend, the oxygen filling my bones and bursting through my soul, the heartbeat in my chest. To not weep... for him would be to suffocate. He went on,

“But weep for yourselves and for your children.”

I’ll never forget that stark warning that followed; the clarity in His speech, and the implication that life would get much harder. And what pressed upon my heart was that He cares about the difficulty. He cares about the corrupt parts of us that do what we know we ought not to do, but do anyway. The parts of us that will have us begging for mercy, and clinging to repentance.

Tears are not just for Him but a gift from Him.

And while I knew at that moment I would no longer get to walk with Him daily, my tears and the yearning of my heart suddenly shot in a different direction, as if magnetically pulled into alignment with His vision for His people. To those who didn’t hear their name fall from His lips, or witness the sincerity of His eyes as he gazed through all the hurt.

I continued to weep that day but not for Him, not for losing Him--what a joy that I got to be in His presence for even a moment.

But for all those who have yet to know His goodness, His kindness, His Mercy, I weep.

Jesus is Helped by Simon to Carry His Cross

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

MARK 15:21-23

The cross is brutal

a big slab, rough and rigid

I touch and test the tree of death, before I drag it like Isaac to his altar

How will I make it all the way to the hill of the Skull?

Used, unknown, dreading the long walk with this load

Step after step after step with my eyes to Skull where my job will be done

The city is alive

shouting and music, smoked meat smells fill the air

disappointed that I missed the first night’s festivities, I feel the rush of the festival

How will God meet me this year for the Passover?

Excited, nostalgic, clean and prepared

people everywhere with my anticipation and hope

The guards are strong

loud and aggressive, their Greek sounds just a little different than in Libya

Trying to avoid conflict, I follow their orders and walk into the crowd

Who will finally stand up to these Romans?

Confused, unanchored, scared, interrupted

the prefect’s court on the other side of the gate has seen a storm come and go

The cross is brutal

a big slab, rough and rigid

I touch and test the tree of death, before I drag it like Isaac to his altar

How will I make it all the way to the hill of the Skull?

Used, unknown, dreading the long walk with this load

Step after step after step with my eyes to Skull where my job will be done

Those people are angry

vitriol, spitting, disrespectful words from respectable men

I notice people I’ve learned from before, foaming with hatred

What could he have possibly taken from them?

Embarrassed, exposed, vulnerable, dirty

the air is tense and abrasive with hate

This Jesus

bleeding and broken, stumbling and yet determined

his eyes are kind and his posture is open

Who is this man?

Alone, exhausted, powerful, in love

peace in the chaos of judgment

Those people are sad

tears and moans, overwhelming reverence

they only watch, helpless to protect their friend… their leader?

What could he possibly have given them?

Disappointed, disoriented, discouraged, alive

the air is heavy and almost humid with love

His look is gentle

intimate and caring, a loyal friend in a time of need

I regret my rush, I drop the tree and he looks at me

How does he know me?

Seen, known, understood, forgiven

he turns to his altar, ready to drink of its evil

The guards are powerless

insecure mocking to kill the silence

almost prodding them to do their job, he submits to the cross

Will he put this to an end?

Shocked, disgusted, intrigued, transfixed

the crowd’s hate is unquenched and its love is tortured

The Messiah is dead

beautiful and pure, but impossible to watch

I hear him breathe his last, like a lion after protecting its pride

How do I follow a dead man?

Disappointed, disoriented, discouraged, alive

God provided the ram from the thicket for me

But, what now?

Jesus Takes Up His Cross

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 15:00:00 GMT

John 19:16-18

“There has been a choice for 2000 years for every Christian who has ever felt threatened, who has ever felt oppressed, and who has ever felt persecuted. And that choice is very simple,” stated author and journalist Tim Alberta to his audience at Michigan State University. “You can reach for the sword, or you can reach for the cross.”

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The gospel of John is the only one of the four to record Jesus taking up his own cross. The other three are in agreement that a man named Simon was compelled to carry it for him. Biblical scholar Dr. Clark Peddicord believes that the reason for this distinction in the book of John may well be to emphasize that Jesus chose the cross. He chose it, despite every temptation not to.

“I don’t know him,” Peter claimed. I once thought that this denial was solely due to a lack of courage. But remember how the same person also took up the sword to defend Jesus when soldiers came to arrest him. I will stand with you even unto death, he had declared just hours earlier, and he was being true to his word, until Jesus shut him down. Fear likely played a part in his denial, but do you also detect anger, confusion, wounded pride, and a bitter sense of disappointment at work? From Peter’s perspective, this was absolutely NOT the plan. And in a very real sense, he did not yet know the Messiah who rejects the sword and chooses the cross. What manner of salvation could this be? Even now, it’s not the kind of salvation we tend to seek.

The temptation to reach for the sword is still very real. As Tim Alberta explains, “The sword can be military power. It can be political influence. It can be the promises and the rhetoric of a strongman who says that they’re going to protect you and defeat your enemies and keep you safe.” The attractiveness of this option is undeniable. But the cross that Jesus chose still haunts our human nature with its weighty invitation to take it up, as Simon did, and follow the Wounded Healer. Will we?

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so tha t you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2: 21-24)

As if Dying Wasn't Enough

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Remember, beloved, Jesus experienced all of these.

And he did it for us.

Jesus felt the real physical pain in his body. Felt real emotional and spiritual distress. He experienced the abandonment of his best friends and family.

Forsaken by His Father.

He joins us in our suffering. He follows us into our darkness and sits in it with us.

As if dying wasn’t enough.

As if the act of crucifixion alone wasn’t enough.

Why did you let them hurt you so badly?

Shred your skin with whips.

Rivers of blood from a crown made of thorns, impaled in your scalp, dripping, burning into your eyes, into your mouth while the ENTIRE regiment of soldiers mocked you. They spit on you.

Did you cry out or did you stay silent? Were you sad, or angry, or resolved?

You must have felt so alone--

How lonely do we feel in our own suffering? In our loss, in our lack. In grief, in pain.

Loss of loved ones, of our children, of our parents.

Our own bodies fail us.

Betrayal.

A dream shattered.
Loss of our innocence. Abuse and pain inflicted by others.

Affliction brought on by our own hands and choices.

But my dear ones, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Remember, beloved, Jesus experienced all of these.

And he did it for us.

Jesus felt the real physical pain in his body. Felt real emotional and spiritual distress. He experienced the abandonment of his best friends and family.

Forsaken by His Father.

He joins us in our suffering. He follows us into our darkness and sits in it with us.

Paul writes this in Romans

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full right as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

I invite you to let yourself go there, to your pain, your suffering WITH Jesus.

Maybe it’s on the surface, overwhelming, and you’re drowning in it.

Maybe it’s buried deep deep deep and hidden.

Take a breath and tell Jesus about it. Show Him. Let Him sit in it with you. Let Him grieve it with you. Let Him speak to you in it. Listen. Let Him hold you close.

You are not alone.

Jesus’ suffering was not the end of His story

It is not the end of yours.

Resurrection is coming.

Complicit

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Matthew 27:11-29

They have chosen their king.

They have chosen their god.

They have anointed the priest their hearts truly desire.

They have cried “crucify him” throughout the streets of their blood-stained empire.

Who or what do you worship?

“We all serve somebody.”

The humans in the Garden would be “independent” as they served the will of a created being,

believing they were making themselves free of the Creator.

Complicit.

The Jewish religious leadership,

threatened by the power of love,

would cut down the tree of life

lest anyone eat the fruit of its branches,

but Pilate could see…

their weakness, their fear, their desperate grasp for relevance.

He too had a fear.

He was weak in his political standing.

His job was to maintain peace.

He had stood before on many battlefields as a Roman knight,

establishing peace through the wielding of Roman might,

he had faced kings with the sword,

yet this accused man muttered not one whisper.

Pilate could see the game,

this man before him was no concern for the crown,

but if he did not protect the crown,

could he be called

complicit?

Barabbas! ( meaning son of the father ) Barabbas!

Give us Barabbas!

The violent revolutionary over the man of peace?!?

Give us Barabbas!

They don’t want the whipped and meek King.

They don’t want a King of love.

They don’t want a King of peace.

They want a king who wields the sword,

hates, dehumanizes, offends, and destroys.

They do not want the one anointed Son of the Father,

they want the one they named “the son of the father.”

Irony: in keeping the peace for Rome,

Pilate sets free a raised a fist against Rome.

His desire to pacify will only amplify

their ability to defy Rome.

Complicit.

They have chosen their king.

They have chosen their god.

They have anointed the priest their hearts truly desire.

They have cried “crucify him” throughout the streets of their blood-stained empire.

Pilate’s wife had a vision of this man with clean hands.

Have nothing to do with him.

Pilate washes his hands,

but the stain of blood will not wash off that easy.

“the great stumbling block…

… [is the one] who is more devoted to “order” than to justice…”*

Pilate will fail the people,

Rome,

his wife,

justice,

peace,

Jesus,

innocence,

himself.

His significance in history is not a man of power, or the great man who took a stand.

His scarlet name tag reads…

Complicit.

Who or what do you worship?

“We all serve somebody.”

The humans in the Garden would be “independent” as they served the will of a created being,

believing they were making themselves free of the Creator.

Complicit.

The Jewish religious leadership,

threatened by the power of love,

would cut down the tree of life

lest anyone eat the fruit of its branches,

but Pilate could see…

their weakness, their fear, their desperate grasp for relevance.

He too had a fear.

He was weak in his political standing.

His job was to maintain peace.

He had stood before on many battlefields as a Roman knight,

establishing peace through the wielding of Roman might,

he had faced kings with the sword,

yet this accused man muttered not one whisper.

Pilate could see the game,

this man before him was no concern for the crown,

but if he did not protect the crown,

could he be called

complicit?

Barabbas! (meaning son of the father ) Barabbas!

Give us Barabbas!

The violent revolutionary over the man of peace?!?

Give us Barabbas!

They don’t want the whipped and meek King.

They don’t want a King of love.

They don’t want a King of peace.

They want a king who wields the sword,

hates, dehumanizes, offends, and destroys.

They do not want the one anointed Son of the Father,

they want the one they named “the son of the father.”

Irony: in keeping the peace for Rome,

Pilate sets free a raised a fist against Rome.

His desire to pacify will only amplify

their ability to defy Rome.

Complicit.

They have chosen their king.

They have chosen their god.

They have anointed the priest their hearts truly desire.

They have cried “crucify him” throughout the streets of their blood-stained empire.

Pilate’s wife had a vision of this man with clean hands.

Have nothing to do with him.

Pilate washes his hands,

but the stain of blood will not wash off that easy.

“the great stumbling block…

… [is the one] who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice…”*

Pilate will fail the people,

Rome,

his wife,

justice,

peace,

Jesus,

innocence,

himself.

His significance in history is not a man of power, or the great man who took a stand.

Instead, his scarlet name tag reads…

“Complicit.”

*quoted from Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”

Courage to Turn: Peter, The Rooster, and the Invitation to Repentance

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 07:00:00 GMT

luke 22:54-62

I’m realizing that the rooster isn’t some cruel, shame-filled punishment from Jesus, not a taunting see, I knew you couldn’t do it . Rather, the rooster is a gentle reminder that it’s time to go, to turn and see Jesus catch Peter’s eye across the courtyard, giving him a look that is full of both grief and forgiveness.

In the grand scheme of Peter’s life, we know this moment as his falling. We cringe at the prophecy of Jesus given only days before— before the rooster crows, you will have denied me three times —and hold our breath at Peter’s fierce rebuttal that he’s going to do the right thing.

Oh sweet, relatable Peter.

And yet, in every one of the four gospels, when the time actually comes, terror grips Peter.

Luke’s retelling informs us that in the huddle of people by the fire stands a relative of the soldier whose ear Peter had chopped off hours prior—not a good look for Peter, especially in this shadowy courtyard where the walls themselves have ears prepared to tattle the story: we found another one of them, and it’s even the wild one who cut that soldier’s ear off!

Before Peter knows what he’s doing, he’s spewing lies about who he is and who he is in relation to his Good Teacher, sticky shame gurgling up like thick mud around his ankles and slowly rising until it’s suffocating him, until he’s shouting to defend himself from all those insidious ears in the walls.

And then, above the roar of his own panic, the rooster crows.

Thank God for the rooster.

Yes, thank God for the rooster because who knows what else Peter would have done or said if the rooster had kept silent. What could have happened if Peter had not been called back to himself and his Lord, reminded of what was true about him? With no prompting to flee, would he have stuck around the fire longer, his paper thin lies eventually exposed? Would he have been captured or executed, knowing the last thing he’d done was betray his best friend?

As I read this familiar story, I’m realizing that the rooster isn’t some cruel, shame-filled punishment from Jesus, not a taunting, see, I knew you couldn’t do it.

Rather, the rooster is a gentle reminder that it’s time to go, to turn and see Jesus catch Peter’s eye across the courtyard, giving him a look that is full of both grief and forgiveness.

The rooster is a hand reaching down into the waves that have turned into mud, ready to pull Peter out from the waves and winds of terror once again.

The rooster is the particular voice of Jesus that cuts through chaos and says, oh friend, I love you, and this isn’t what I have for you. Why did you doubt?

No wonder Peter breaks down and weeps.

This Lenten season, what is the rooster crowing in your courtyard? Where are you having a disproportionate or defensive reaction in your body to something unexpected? Where are you drifting into territory that is hidden and anxious and messy? What is the grace-filled alarm that is calling you back to your identity—your identity in relation to your Good Father? And what is reminding you that you are beloved, giving you the courage to move towards that truth again?

Friends, do not let the Liar convince you that the rooster you’re hearing is punishment. Instead, listen to Jesus, who reminds us with love in his eyes that the rooster is grace. The rooster is an invitation to repentance. The rooster is hope.

The Spiritual Practice of Being Misunderstood

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Matthew 26:57-67

The opponents of God on all sides still try to slander Jesus and His people….and Jesus shows us something radical here, a practice that is not well-recognized in our world.

The spiritual practice of being misunderstood…and not correcting people.

In the passage when Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin (the ruling body of 70 Elder Rabbis from Israel), there is so much to mourn and one really important thing to learn to emulate in Jesus.

Can you imagine sitting with 70 of your colleagues, some who mentored you, some you sat under, some who sat under your teaching, and be treated like this? Jesus warns his disciples that this is coming:

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers." ( Matthew 5:11-12)

Persecution, lies, evil words. We still see this in our world today, and it is only increasing. For those who stand in the middle and reject the lies of the world…and also reject the lies of religious leaders, we experience this sort of ongoing battle from both sides.

But let’s focus here on those attacks that come from the religious influencers of our day. Do you see in this passage, anything that looks like Jesus and the kingdom of heaven? Do the sects of Pharisees and Saducees who ruled the religious institutions of Israel (Temple and Synagogue) have any connection here to the God who made them?

It is the same today. Spiritual leaders who lead churches, denominations, institutions like colleges and seminaries and publishing houses…they still are looking to lie about Jesus and His followers. They are still looking to discredit Jesus in the public square, they’re just using different language:

-Jesus hates those people

-Jesus isn’t tolerant enough

-Church is evil

-Jesus loves my candidate

-Jesus would punish those people I hate

-Jesus hates the church

-Jesus hates the world

The opponents of God on all sides still try to slander Jesus and His people….and Jesus shows us something radical here, a practice that is not well-recognized in our world.

The spiritual practice of being misunderstood….and not correcting people.

“But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, 'I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.'"

We want to write a long social media caption explaining ourselves. We want to defend each other, our churches, our institutions…but it’s not fair…and it’s not true.

Jesus here is giving us the gift that we need to overcome persecution and lies: stay quiet and let your life vindicate you. Let your silence create your moral authority. Let the empty words of lies show themself as without merit.

The people I know who walk closely to Jesus practice this the best. They don’t feel the need to justify themselves but:

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others. ( 1 Thess. 4 )

Jesus and Judas

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 15:00:00 GMT

John 13:18-30 , Matthew 26:47-56

In Judas’ worst moment, in the middle of the fateful act of betrayal that would go on to define him for all of human history, Jesus still calls him friend.

Three years of friendship.

Deep conversations.

Sunrise breakfasts.

Fishing trips.

Inside jokes.

Campfires.

Pillow talk.

Jesus and Judas hiked thousands of miles together throughout Galilee and Judea. Jesus granted Judas authority to cast out demons and to heal people from diseases. Judas was not just some extra hanging out in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to betray his rabbi.

He was one of the boys. To Jesus, he was closer than family.

Even as Jesus acknowledges Judas’ impending betrayal at the Last Supper his disposition towards him is gentle. He even washes his feet.

“Hurry and do what you’re going to do.”

There is no apparent spite or vengeance is his voice. Only sorrow mingled with an unwavering fondness.

In the garden, Jesus was still reeling emotionally from this wound three years in the making. He knew it was coming, but would that have made the deception hurt any less?

Judas arrives in the garden and, as he approaches Jesus, he runs his thumb over the face of a Greek demigod on an ill-shaped silver coin. There is no turning back now. He greets his rabbi with a forced smile, leans in, and kisses Jesus as his final act of betrayal.

Still, with the proverbial knife is his back, Jesus refuses to let go.

“Do what you came for, friend.”

Friend.

In Judas’ worst moment, in the middle of the fateful act of betrayal that would go on to define him for all of human history, Jesus still calls him friend.

This betrayal was one of the most painful wounds Jesus received in his last hours. There is no wound that stings like the blade of a friend.

The good news is that Jesus is a “friend that sticks closer than a brother.” In our worst moments, our little acts of betrayal, when we’re full of regret and hiding little silver coins in our pockets, he refuses to let us go.

He still calls us “friend.”

Kenosis {emptied}

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Matthew 26:36-46

We say “I am filled with grief,”

And yet it is not the filling but the thing that left us, the lack,

this is our sorrow.

We are the bare tree, stripped by winter,

yawning creek beds, dry and waiting,

We are the hardened earth.

Olive branches shiver overhead.

Sit here,

Jesus tells his friends.

We are often the empty things.

The tired things.

The disappointed things.

Like stunned mothers after delivery, once full with child,

hollowed now by birth,

we stare into eternity, that great distance between now

and God.

Take this cup of suffering,

Jesus prays.

Empty things cannot give.

Friends fail us,

lovers leave us,

bodies trouble us

piece by piece.

Father! If you are willing!

Jesus cries.

Depleted by the act of simply being awake, drawn towards sleep,

aren’t we impossibly fragile?

We are vast and then we are nothing,

rolling in and out like the tide,

rushing high up on the shore then creeping back down, exposing waterlogged secrets

and wet sand.

Pray with me,

Jesus pleads.

This is the rhythm of humanity, of creation, of all that we call home and friend and foe,

to be full with the sea, then empty as the waters recede,

A soggy metaphor of our

Lenten existence.

Are you still asleep?

Jesus asks.

Here we are in Lent.

Here we are in our empty season, watching for higher tides,

Binoculars pressed

to the horizon of hope.

We say “I am filled with grief,”

And yet it is not the filling but the thing that left us, the lack,

this is our sorrow.

We are the bare tree, stripped by winter,

yawning creek beds, dry and waiting,

We are the hardened earth.

Father! Take this cup!

Jesus weeps.

Lent is a season of Becoming Empty.

We sit shiva, stark nights alone in Gethsemane

avoiding temptation

as we listen for the Father’s voice.

Practical Radical Hospitality, pt. 3

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 23:18:00 GMT

Who is God asking you to invite into your home?

Welcome to the season of hospitality! The late afternoon sky dims early and we head inside, eager for the warmth and comfort of our own space. The holidays are almost here, so we make preparations for a time at home and in the homes of others, carefully considering who we will spend our precious time with this winter.

Here is an invitation to consider something new.

Rather than asking “Who do I want in my home?” perhaps we could ask, “Who is God asking me to invite into my home?”

Because yes, this is the season of inviting and making room. Parties, dinners, concerts and recitals- we call and email and text the dates and times, making room for each other in our lives. And even as we invite our children and families to remember the Advent story together, that wild story of virgin birth and thousands of years of promises delivered and kept, we make room for something even more grand: Hope. “Hope has the texture of expectation,” Stephen Long tells us, and we are learning to expect good things when we let people into our lives and our spaces. “Yes, but HOW?” you might be wondering. “Tell us how!”

Listen- we’ll just do what Jesus did.

Pay attention. Who is God already bringing to your attention? Is it an elderly neighbor who passes your house every day on their morning walk? Is it the lonely mom who doesn’t seem to have many friends? Is it someone in your own family who seems to need you right now? Is it a coworker who doesn’t have a stable home life?
Look for the outsiders. Jesus says (essentially), “Don’t invite your cool friends and rich family members over, because then they’ll just invite you over to their house and you didn’t really sacrifice anything at all.” Yikes. What does that mean for us? Hospitality is for everyone in our lives, yes, but Kingdom hospitality goes beyond the borders of our own comfort and “in group.” There is blessing waiting for both parties when we look outside of our narrow lens and stretch ourselves in new relationships.
Open your table. Jesus spent many hours around a table, eating with all kinds of people in all kinds of homes. The table (or kitchen counter, or fire pit, or couch with plates on our laps) is a place of rest and refreshment, where the pleasure of food softens us towards our table mates and allows us to see each other with fresh affection and awareness.

May the bitter cold of winter be met by the warmth of a table full of new friends, and may this season of hospitality open up our expectations for all the ways that God is connecting us to the people in our lives.

Written by Jessie Horney

on hospitality, pt. 2

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 21:48:00 GMT

the stories we tell ourselves

In our culture, we are particularly wary of strangers. From a young age, we are told to not talk to strangers, to avoid people who might not want to be bothered, to mind our own business. These aren't necessarily bad things–often they are extremely useful in keeping us safe. However, as Jessie said last week, “we’ve gotten really good at keeping the wrong people out, but now we can’t seem to find the latch to open that gate back up.”

We are stuck in this pattern of closing our doors to anyone that might potentially be harmful or even uncomfortable to us, and forgetting that we can walk out of our doors and through other people's. And as Robert said, hospitality "doesn't belong in our cultural narrative anymore." We no longer see strangers as people to welcome in. Rather, we see them as a threat, to our safety, to our well-being, to our comfort, to our routine, to our convenience. And we've been very busy telling stories that perpetuate this narrative.

Narrative and storytelling are so important to being a human because language–the building blocks of story– creates culture. It is what defines the way we live and the patterns of our behavior. Simply put, stories are important because we believe them, and we are empowered to act in a certain way based on the stories we are surrounded with. We can use stories for extreme good; for example, a person is empowered to forgive their father because they watched a film in which a son forgives his father, and restores the relationship. We can also use stories for extreme harm; for example, the systematic oppression and dehumanization of people of color in films that portray them as servants, slaves, sidekicks, and villans, rather than as the leading characters we are taught to look up to. This is why representation is so important, because stories allow us to imagine the way our relationships, choices, patterns, and future could potentially look. And we don't see this only in fictional stories, but, even more powerful, through social media and our news sources as well.

This causes us to ask: what stories does our current culture tell us about strangers? What sort of stories make Netflix's Top 10? What content fills our news feeds? How are strangers and marginalized people portrayed? What parts of their stories are highlighted?

Consider our obsession with violence and true crime. Think of TV shows such as "The Watcher," about a man who writes chilling notes threatening to break in and murder the family that has just moved into a new house. In a more benign sense, recall tales of neighbors who spy and meddle, peeking into other people's private business. Less terrifying, but just as unsettling. How does all this affect our behavior?

It's not that these kinds of stories are fake, because unfortunately, "stranger danger" is a present reality. But what would it take for us to seek out stories of redemption rather than terror, stories where relationships were created because of radical hospitality? Stories that embody Hebrews 13:

"Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!"

What would it look like for us to change the narrative, to start telling good stories in our own small spheres of influence that demonstrate the love of Jesus bleeding into relationships, infusing our interactions with kindness rather than hostility?

Jesus was always changing the narrative–taking what people thought and flipping it upside down. And we have spent every day since trying to set things back the way they used to be, before Jesus made everything uncomfortable, different, and risky.

He preached a whole sermon riffing on the statement, "you have heard it said… but I say…" He spent time with people who seem to us dirty, immoral, and dangerous. In response to the question, "who is my neighbor?", a question that 2000 years later we really haven't stopped asking, he tells a story that seems so backward to us. He tells of a man who was nearly fatally beaten and dumped along the side of the road. A leader of the religious establishment walks past him as he is dying. A priest walks past him, and chooses not to get his hands dirty either. Then, a stranger from a different country sees him, pays for him to have a place to stay and get well, provides food for him, and covers any additional expenses that he racks up.

"Which of these people was a neighbor to the man along the road?" Jesus asks. Of course, it is the outsider, the stranger, the man that actually saw and responded to what he saw with compassion and a movable heart. The man who took action, who made room, who leaned in instead of running away. The man who welcomed him in. The man who loved him.

This is the narrative Jesus tells about neighbors, asking us both explicitly and implicitly who is our neighbor? And when we see our neighbors who need love, which narrative will we believe about them? The narrative projected to us by our society and our politics? Or the subversive, counter-cultural, quiet narrative from Jesus?

Through our stories, our language, and the power of the Spirit within us, may we learn to soften our borders, changing the narrative from a frightened apprehension to a radical love.

on hospitality, pt. 1/3

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 21:29:00 GMT

a life with no maps

In the West, we love a good plan. The question, "where do you see yourself in five years?" permeates interviews and meetings as we get to know new friends and coworkers. We are obsessed with keeping busy through planning out each minute during the week for ultimate productivity, and we make plans for the weekend to maximize pleasure. We map out our story to know how best to prepare for whatever challenges might lay ahead.

So what happens when plans are disrupted? What happens when maps are torn from our grasp and we are left to figure things out on our own? Do we remember what that feels like?

In the Ancient Near East, travel was treacherous. Bandits lay in wait for unsuspecting travelers, there were no maps or even actual roads to follow, and those on the journey were completely reliant on the hospitality and generosity of strangers to provide them with water, food, and housing. The travelers were completely at the mercy of the stranger's willingness to care for them. God's people were intended to soften their borders and welcome the traveler in, learning how to take care of each other just as they had been taken care of and provided for by God and others throughout their long seasons of wandering.

Fifty centuries later, though our context has shifted, the role of God's people in the world has not, and neither has the needs of the traveler. Those without homes remain completely at the mercy of those who are willing (or unwilling) to take care of them, to provide them with food, water, and a place to rest, grow, and thrive.

However, in our culture of individualism, we pledge our allegiance to the god of independence, rather than the God of generosity. We value individual effort and initiative above all and expect others, even those who are in desperate need of embodied aid, to simply listen to our chiding and follow, without help, the same path that we did. Our personal maps are not universal, with different terrains, starting points, previous experiences, landscapes, cultures and values. It is for this reason, perhaps, that these maps (and the accompanying suggestions) are not actually as helpful as we assume.

We live our lives with so many maps: digital maps on our phones, maps of our day, our week, and our life. Our freedom to move about these landscapes the way that we want to is held as our chief good.

But this bears questions: is it possible that these maps hinder our hospitality?

What, practically, has to shift inside of us to live in a world without maps?

How do we need to be formed to change our life to make room for others?

What happens to those for whom their own map has become irrelevant?

When do we need to set down our own expectations and step into the story of another?

And, what would it look like for us to be moved by compassion rather than fear?

The kingdom of God has soft edges and open doors–can this be said of our own hearts towards those in need? There is a force in the world seeking to make things right, and we are being invited into this same work of justice as brokenness is made whole again. We must become people who instinctively say yes when there is need.

There are 1000+ people in our city whose maps have been demolished, who have no idea what their own future holds, who have found themselves in an environment in deep need for a safe place. You have something that someone else needs that will change their life.

From offering a rental property you own, building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on your property, and cosigning and leveraging your credit for a family in need, to donations, advocacy, or even simply cultivating a relationship with someone that needs a friend, we have the resources to come alongside those who are in need.

Because the fact is, we all know what it feels like to have our plans disrupted, that anxious fear that takes over our body as we frantically grip the semblance of control we still have left. In those moments, all we want is for someone to notice, to welcome our messy life without expectation or shame, to enter into it with us and offer a listening heart and helping hand. God does this for us, and we have the opportunity to do that same thing for people who need it.

Will we act on it?

For more information on action you can take to make a difference in the housing crisis in our city, visit houseyourneighbor.org or leaphousing.org.

Our Christmas show this year is a fundraiser for LEAP Housing as we take steps to cultivate a spirit of giving and hospitality in our city this Christmas. We'd love to have you join us on December 22nd at 6:30pm, downtown at the Basque Center.
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Core Value: Contextualization

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 16:44:00 GMT

We believe in contextualized structures with revolutionary content.

We will not trust in franchising or empire-building through propagation. Rather, we will value the empowerment of every micro-church community to contextualize the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel to the people they hope to reach. Our culture is one of deculturalization and “becoming all things to all people.” We believe in contextualized structures with revolutionary content. Learning from the ministry of Jesus, we will not try to bring surface transformation (to culture or structures) but rather contextualize our structures to what people can and will understand, so that the revolutionary message of the Kingdom of Jesus and the liberating work of the Holy Spirit will be received and implemented.

Core Value: The Ends of the Earth and the Depths of our Souls

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 18:24:00 GMT

We believe that Jesus came as the savior, not of one people group but of all peoples, that the kingdom of God is universal, and that the great longing of all souls is a desire for belonging, peace and a whole heart.

While we understand that our most transforming ministry will take place among our own demographics and geographically located in our own city, we commit ourselves to the mission of God to reach the whole world. We believe that Jesus came as the savior, not of one people group but of all peoples, that the kingdom of God is universal, and that the great longing of all souls is a desire for belonging, peace and a whole heart.

We value the peoples of the world because we believe that God is global, the Maker of all humanity who desires to redeem every unique people group. We assume responsibility for the whole world, not because we believe we can reach it alone, but because we accept the mandate of the Great Commission, the heart of God to love and sacrifice for the discipleship of each people group. We accept our place in partnership with the global church, stepping into our apostolic mandate to send and be sent into every part of the world. We also recognize that not everyone has equal access to the Gospel, so there is a level of urgency to bring the Gospel to those peoples who have never heard it before. Therefore, we will prioritize reaching these frontier people groups by advocating, interceding for, and sending missionaries and even entire micro-churches so that they might have a lasting, indigenous church planting movement. However, we believe that in order to reach the ends of the Earth, first the good news of the kingdom must penetrate to the depths of our own soul. As such, we commit to spiritual formation, vulnerability, accountability and forgiveness within our own community as we seek to follow in the way of Jesus.

Core Value: The Lost

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 17:02:00 GMT

We will live out Christ’s mission because we are sent people, just as he was sent.

We will live out Christ’s mission because we are sent people, just as he was sent. We believe that the church is not the church until it is engaged in the mission to which God has called it. We crave healing, discipleship and intimacy with God. However, we believe that all of these things come in large part through obedience to the mission. We believe that our own healing comes through offering healing to others and that discipleship does not primarily take place in a lecture but rather through action. We believe that intimacy with God comes from being in his presence and through submission to his will, by doing what he is doing. Since we believe that the life of Jesus and the early church demonstrated that God himself is with the lost and the poor of the earth, proclaiming the Good News of His Kingdom, we also believe that when we co-labor with Jesus as workers in his harvest field, we not only bring the kingdom into that place, but we also experience the deepest and truest intimacy with God.

Core Value: The Poor

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 16:11:00 GMT

We will remember the poor because we believe that God does.

We believe that they are central to his mission in the world. It is our conviction that God is always on the side of the oppressed, those who have no one on their side. For that reason we believe the church should also stand on the side of the poor, and in so doing, stand in solidarity with the heart and work of God. Jesus’ own ministry is our model. We welcome all people but prioritize the poor in our ministry concern, allocation of resources and advocacy. We do this not because the rich and middle class are less important to God, but because they already have access to resources and are able to advocate their own cause. It is our belief that the church should therefore prioritize and remember those who have less and have access to less, so that in all things there might be equity.

Core Value: Biblical Justice

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:32:00 GMT

The search for the Kingdom of God is also a search for justice. They are the same longing.

We will live for the biblical concept of justice. We will take a prophetic stand against all kinds of evil, not only spiritual, but also societal. All sin and injustice is the enemy of the church and the Kingdom of God. The search for the Kingdom of God is also a search for justice. They are the same longing. In the Kingdom, we find ultimate justice, and biblical justice is more than just punishment for wrongdoing and oppression. It is also the restoration of wholeness, equality, and peace between people and with God. We believe that God is in the business of making the hills flat, of leveling out power structures, of coming alongside the lowly among us, and loving them where they are at. We believe Biblical Justice looks like serving the poor and powerless, orphan, the widow, the prisoner, the immigrant, and the oppressed.

Our value of justice is a call to seek the welfare of every person that we can influence in our city and the world. It is to hope and work for the Kingdom of God, as it breaks into the places we are. For that reason, our value of justice will mean action in the places where we have power, as well as the pursuit of justice in the proclamation of the Kingdom wherever we have a voice.

on daily provision

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 12:00:00 GMT

How easy is it for us to get used to the radical ways that God takes care of us?

Imagine the Israelites, in the middle of the desert. No food, the possibility that an army is, somehow, going to come rushing out of the sea. No map but a cloud, no light at night but a pillar of fire. And then, one morning, in the middle of deep uncertainty, waking up to the ground covered in manna, actual bread from heaven covering the ground like dew. The bread is snatched up, inhaled, delicious and soft. And like the mercy of God new every morning, so is the manna–daily provision as they wake, with a double portion before the Sabbath.
But then, as we humans tend to do, they begin to worry. What was one day a miracle becomes an anxious storm of lies the next. What if the manna stops? And so they snatch it up in armfuls and hoard the goodness of God. I imagine the manna inside their pillows, under their sleeping mats, inside the pockets of their bags, as if they know its stolen treasure they have to hide away and protect at all costs, so much so that they lay their heads on it to sleep.
And the next day, the manna is spoiled. A rotten stench wakes them, wafting up from their pillows. Maggots squirm all over everything. Everything they've hoarded is wasted, useless.
It is easy for me to judge these ancient humans. I think to myself, God literally just gave you bread from heaven to eat. There's been water coming out of rocks and an entire sea that split open. What more do you need to see to know that God is trustworthy?
But then, of course, I realize my place in the story, and that I, too, have maggots crawling over rotten bread under my pillow.
What is rotting in your life? What needs to die to give birth to life? How long do you believe in God's provision before you need another gift? How easy is it for us to get used to the radical ways that God takes care of us? There have been so many times God has showed up in unexpected ways, and yet, again and again, I am afraid to only keep what I need, swayed by the lies that whisper what if-what if-what if.
What do we desire for our lives that we are afraid will not be fully realized? What parts and pieces and daily conveniences do we hide beneath our beds and in our cars and in the pockets of our jeans that are rotting from misuse or a lack of use all together? What would it look like to dump out our pockets and come again to God, empty-handed, trusting that as manna came down once before, manna will come down again? That in seasons of drought and sometimes forced rest, there will be a double portion? Why is it so scary for us to release the semblance of control and allow the God that loves us to hold us close?
In Deuteronomy, Moses is talking to the Israelites, speaking truth to their fear. May his words be something to cling to when we are afraid of opening our hands, of releasing the manna we use to fill the empty spaces of our heart.
Moses says,
"...in the wilderness, there you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his child, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
We are taken care of, again and again.
Amen. May it be so.

Core Value: Kingdom Mission

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 20:56:00 GMT

We will live out Christ’s mission because we are sent people, just as he was sent.

We will live out Christ’s mission because we are sent people, just as he was sent. We believe that the church is not the church until it is engaged in the mission for which God has called it to. We crave healing, discipleship and intimacy with God. However, we believe that all of these things come in large part through obedience to the mission. We believe that our own healing comes through offering healing to others and that discipleship does not primarily take place in a lecture but rather through action. We believe that intimacy with God comes from being in his presence and through submission to his will, by doing what he is doing. Since we believe that the life of Jesus and the early church demonstrated that God himself is with the lost and the poor of the earth, proclaiming the Good News of His Kingdom, we also believe that when we co-labor with Jesus as workers in his harvest field, we not only bring the kingdom into that place, but we also experience the deepest and truest intimacy with God.

Core Value: Simplicity

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 20:54:00 GMT

We seek to not waste the resources God has entrusted to us that were meant for other people on ourselves, but rather to live in a way that is radically hospitable and generous, with a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity.

We commit to live a life free from clutter and the allure of materialism. We affirm that every believer and every community of believers has a responsibility to renounce the sins of its own people. As North Americans we renounce the slavery and idolatry of materialism through embracing a simple lifestyle. We do not believe that money or things are in themselves evil or to be avoided, but that the love of money and things is one of the greatest perils western believers face in our time, that possessions are an appetite to manage. We willingly use material things and wealth for the service of the Kingdom, but not for personal fulfillment or inappropriate luxury. We believe that the Earth was given to humanity as provision, as a resource of raw materials to steward and create from, not to dominate, exploit or destroy.

We seek to follow Jesus' teachings around money and possessions in the Gospels, as Jesus describes a way that is deeply dependent on him, trusting every step of the way that God will provide. We seek to not waste the resources God has entrusted to us that were meant for other people on ourselves, but rather to live in a way that is radically hospitable and generous, with a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. We value contentment and good work, and repent of our desire for power, ease, and self-provision. We seek simplicity in order to practice trust and connection with God and each other. In doing so, we pursue wholeness and completeness socially while pursuing a single-minded devotion to God.

Core Value: Culture and Ethnicity

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 20:43:00 GMT

We do not just admire multi-ethnic communities, but purpose to become one.

We affirm that every culture and ethnicity, while imperfect, reflects the mosaic of God’s own image and together we better glorify and serve the God of a diverse Creation. We value every people, language, and culture in our Valley and in the world. We believe that the church of Jesus Christ was meant to demonstrate the power of the gospel through reconciliation, unity, and the beauty of a multi-ethnic community. For that reason we do not just admire multi-ethnic communities, but purpose to become one. We do not believe in being color blind. Rather, we hope to accept and include the beauty and wisdom of every culture in our city and in our communities.

on seeing God

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 12:00:00 GMT

How do you see God?

Often in Christian circles, we hear phrases along the lines of "I saw God while…" or, "I see God in that," or, "I see God in you." I often wonder if everyone means the same thing when they say that they "see God." Does it feel the same way for everyone, or is it something different for each of us?
In one of my favorite poems by Rainer Maria Rilke, he writes, " God speaks to each of us as he makes us then walks with us silently out of the night."
Rilke talks about how God speaks to each of us in a specific way that God knows we will hear. Along these lines, I wonder–does God appear to each of us the way God knows we will see?
In this weeks' instagram live, I asked Jessie and Andrew one of my favorite questions to ask people: "When you hear the word God, what do you picture? What's the first thing that comes to your brain?"
As I've asked people this question over the years, I've heard a variety of answers. Some people have said "a dark sky with thousands of stars," "a mother rocking a baby in her lap," and "G-O-D in big block letters." Jessie said she saw a tangible, bright light that you could hold in your hands. Andrew said he envisions mystical, mysterious clouds. For me, I always picture the last scene in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, when Aslan is walking down the beach as the sun is setting and Lucy, teary eyed, is watching him from the balcony.
The way we picture God is vital, because it affects both how we see God and God's character, and the places we watch for God to show up. Do we imagine God as an aloof old man with a beard in the sky who doesn't really care about our problems? As a busy father with a 'not right now' attitude? A swath of color and light? A woodworker on a hill? Or something else entirely?
What are things that have shaped your experience with God up to this point? How has this, in turn, shaped your relationship with God? How is the Spirit revealing God to you specifically, now? Where are things shifting? How does it feel in your body when glimpses of Jesus come? When everything is illuminated, even if for just a moment?
As we enter a season of discernment and prayer as a church, may we remember the ways that God insists on being personal with us, that we are created to realize God in our bodies. That we are known by God, and through this intimate knowing, God's beauty and presence follow us everywhere. May we remember to practice looking for the ways God asks us to re-evaluate our old ideas of the holy, and to open our eyes to the possibility of change in the unformed places of our heart. May we cling to the hope that our exhausted eyes will see God in the way that God is precisely forming us to notice. May we not grow weary of the good work of being transformed in the way of Jesus as we seek God's face–trusting that as we seek the kingdom, as we come to the God who wants to talk with us, that God has already drawn near. God is not hiding, but simply waiting for us to notice where he is working already.

on doubt

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 12:00:00 GMT

What would it look like to walk towards God with our questions, rather than hiding them from view? What if we talked about our doubts with God and each other, instead of minimizing them?

Throughout the last few years, there has not been much room for doubt, inside and outside the church. The walls of the places we travel through are firm and thick, with an air that feels heavy and anxious. The ticket in is a strong opinion, and the back door is a questioning spirit.

But then, in the middle of this gray world of arguments and dogma, the Kingdom of Heaven slips in, in spurts and starts and one tiny step at a time. The kingdom of God is spacious and has soft edges, as the presence of God breaks in with light and color, reminding us that in this particular kingdom there is room. Room for those questions that feel too big to utter. Room for honest doubt.

One of the things I find profound about the Bible is that it includes (and features!) stories of doubt. Stories where the characters seem to have life breathed into them, and they suddenly grow legs and fingernails and eyebrows and are human standing in front of us. It is in these stories specifically that we are given permission to be honest with God, to ask the questions of our hearts without shame, and ultimately to move forward in our own story. The doubt– and in turn, the belief–is essential to our humanness.

These stories are are scattered throughout the Psalms (specifically the psalms of Asaph,) in the stories of Elijah battling depression in the desert, Moses begging God to choose someone else to deliver the Israelites, Joseph despairing in the Egyptian jail, and Gideon repeatedly asking for a sign that he is doing the right thing. We see doubt in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones, and in Naomi’s distress in her response to the death of her husband and sons. We see it in Mary of Bethany, who we often remember for the story of her sitting at Jesus’ feet while her anxious sister prepares dinner, but forget she also hid from Jesus after her brother’s death, and then bitterly yelled at him: “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” There is the story of Thomas, labeled “doubting” by history, but whom you can’t blame; would you have believed it if your friends told you the man you loved, your dear friend, whom you saw die, was suddenly alive again? There are the disciples, losing their minds in a storm on the Sea of Galilee while Jesus slept in their boat. The story of Zechariah the priest, made mute for nine months as consequence for doubting the angel of the Lord, doubting because it was an unexpected answer to a long unanswered prayer. His legacy of doubt was passed down to his own son-the answer to his prayer- John the Baptist, as he sat in jail for his radical message, questioning if Jesus was actually the Messiah, or if he should keep looking for someone else.

Yes, it is evident that God cares and values our authentic, humble honesty over our blind acceptance of truths we are told to believe, and it is in this place that God draws us close, that every time God responds with generous patience, kindness and grace.

So what does it mean, for us, in this moment, to invite ourselves to this honest place with God? What does it mean to allow the soft edges of God's kingdom to soften the edges of our own heart, as we consider our own doubts and the doubts of those around us?

Perhaps it looks like sitting in silence and allowing a question you've been harboring to float to the surface without shame, speaking kindly to yourself as a loving parent speaks to a small child. Perhaps it means practicing holding the doubt in one hand, and your identity as a beloved child of God in the other. Perhaps it is a conversation with people you trust, naming your questions and holding space for the questions of others, without demanding a clear cut answer. Perhaps it is listening more than we speak and leaning into what we hear, even if it feels unexpected and scary.

In the paradoxical way of the kingdom of God, there is room for questions and hope at the same time. Even (especially) as we hold them and name them before our Maker, may we feel the truth of our identity as beloved children of God.

No question is too big for God. What might happen if we actually asked?

on presence

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 16:30:00 GMT

In the countercultural way of the Kingdom, it is only in our present moments that transformation occurs, because it is in this present moment (and only this moment) that we can be with God.

He stood in front of the blackboard and drew a squeaky circle with the chalk, the little white pencil scratching against the surface. This is God, he said.
Then, he drew a straight line underneath the circle that touched the circumference at one singular point. This is us, he said.
Then, he made a dot where the circle and line touched. This is this moment, he said. We exist in time–the line. God does not–the circle. So, we can only interact with God in this single moment where we are. We can't interact with God yesterday, or five minutes ago, or an hour from now. All we have for connection is this exact moment.
That conversation with my professor was almost five years ago now, and still, the words bounce around in my brain, sometimes resting long enough for me to almost grasp the truth of them. We live in a society and a culture that so values anticipation, that worships under the pedestal of vision-casting and goal-setting and forward-progress, that it is easy to be swept away in the current that is lunging someplace new, headlong and quickly.
But, in the countercultural way of the Kingdom, it is only in our present moments that transformation occurs, because it is in this present moment (and only this moment) that we can be with God. Even as I write this, my head is spinning with ideas for the holiday season and my plans to have coffee with a friend two hours from now and the to-do list that is constantly evolving. And yet, in the delicate middle, in the moments that we rush through to get to the next one, we so often skip past God for the sake of productivity and progress.
What would it take for us to slow down and remember that the moment ( this moment!) we are in is the only time we have to interact with the Holy? That our Maker is here, now, with us, asking us to walk with him into the rest of our day, our life?
We have only now to hear from the voice of the one who is calling our name. And, when we hear it, we have only now to respond, to obey, to be still, to be seen, to quiet our fearful hearts, to notice the parts of us that are waking up and let them have room to move.
God is in the business of ordinary love, the Spirit hovering over the dark waters of our own soul as the Spirit did in the beginning. Not racing through us but simply hovering, interested in this sacred with-ness , this immanuel that can only be experienced exactly where we are.
Eventually, one moment at a time, a path is made through the middle of the sea of our soul, and we are invited to step in. Even in our anticipation of all that the next season holds, may we take the time to pause and notice as the first molecules of that sea within us begin to move. May we notice the first flutterings of our heart as the Spirit breathes life into our weary bones, as our timeline touches eternity.

on goodness

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 19:15:00 GMT

In the grand scheme of the world, there is goodness.

As the sun slides up over the horizon again, the world is washed in a light that promises at least one thing: newness. There is always the whisper, the glimmer of light that says "I am not sure if a miracle is coming, but I am sure that one could come."
The Psalmists, poets and soldiers and priests and kings, wrote of our world as the best parts of God made tangible for our weary souls, reminders of God's unimaginable love in the waters and God's generous mercy in the dawn.
It is easy to wake each day and feel our heart begin its slow acceleration in our chest, growing tighter and more confined as the hours tick by, the heavy anxieties and anticipation of a full to-do list hovering like a heavy blanket the minute we open our eyes. But, in the wash of the early morning, we can remember that there is always the possibility for goodness, for a miracle.
In Psalm 104, the Psalmist writes,

“All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you

open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.”

In the early morning light, where is God's hand opening towards you? What might happen if we talked with God about our heart's experience–about what we feel deep in our bones? If we were honest with our fears, and perhaps more terrifying still, honest with our hopes? If we knew God listened and actively held us like a mother holds her child? What might happen if we considered what that holy satisfaction feels like in our bodies, and if we remembered God's quiet faithfulness and the way God filled us up once (or perhaps, many times) before?
What parts of creation is God using to remind you of God's promises to you, as God lavishes us with good things? And how often do we walk past those good things, forgetting to notice them, or forgetting to gather them up?
Our God, who lives in our bodies, is wildly insistent on nearness to us, even when anxiety, tragedy and rage cloud our eyes to God and the truth of our identity as beloved. When we are feeling alone, abandoned, and empty, may we follow the Earth's example in active remembrance of the way we can depend on our Creator. God will give us what we truly need when we need it, even if it is only a whisper of a hopeful possibility with the dawn.
May we search for the goodness made visible by the Light, may we store it up in our heart, may we cling to it with all of ourselves.

Core Value: Sharing and Giving

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 16:37:00 GMT

Can we trust in God's generosity instead of believing in the world's scarcity?

Because we value community and simplicity, we commit ourselves to both sharing and giving. As we are filled up with the abundant love and generous mercy of our Maker, we are able to release our grip on our own resources, trusting that God will provide. We affirm that the basis for our own generous hearts stems from a commitment to believe that God will take the chaos of our own circumstance and make order, as God pours out the best of himself onto his creation. In the face of our deepest fears of insecurity and scarcity, God satisfies us with good things, at the proper time.

From this perspective, we are able to open our hands, willing to cultivate and care for the land and our own possessions with courage and humility. We share because it promotes authentic relationships and breaks the bondage of selfish possessiveness. We believe the western doctrine of personal property is imperfect and needs to be tempered with the more biblical value of generosity and sacrifice. When we share what we have with others, we confess that God is the true owner, and that we are only stewards of his creation and the resources he apportions us for his purposes.

We will also give, because in giving we destroy the grip of materialism over our hearts as we release our resources, time, wealth, and possessions completely into the control of another. For that reason we will pursue relentless generosity and the holding of all things in common. We encourage our people to give as often and as generously as they can, and to consider themselves stewards of everything in their care. Likewise, the collective finances of the church and ministries should set an example in this regard.

We believe that when God asks us to step out, we can move forward in faith towards our trustworthy God, whose generosity leads to our generosity. We value this connection with God and each other, believing that everything we have comes from our great and generous God, as we learn to stop resource guarding and hand over our inheritance for the sake of the whole.

For more on Sharing and Giving, listen to this podcast episode!

on seasons

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 16:30:00 GMT

Which part of you is God tending to?

Outside my window, the edges of the leaves are starting to turn. Speckled with burnt orange splotches, they bow in the wind to the season drawing near. Without a fuss, the trees sense the coming autumn and give themselves over to it, allowing it to color their bodies as they turn to gold, blaze, and enter a simplified rest.

Throughout the biblical text, we are compared to such trees: a tree planted beside streams of water, an olive tree in the house of God, a tree of the field clapping our hands in surrender and celebration. I wonder if this is because we, too, are made to be ephemeral beings completely dependent on the sustenance of a Maker who tends to us with care and generosity. We are led beside streams of water while we wait for God to come, that we might root down and grow up all at once, ever undergoing the often invisible transformation into who we are made to be.

At the start of another school year, as the days grow shorter, as the rhythms of our days shift to include whatever the autumn brings, where are our souls responding to the season? Which part of you is God tending to? Which part of you is seeking rest and renewal? Which part is turning to gold?

What might it look like for us to surrender to God's prompting as the season shifts, refusing to berate ourselves for not living up to our own expectations of how things ought to have gone or progress, but treating ourselves like the rest of God's creation, as seasonal organisms in their own rhythm of life. We do not accuse the tree of losing her leaves, nor do we blame our plants for needing water. In the same way, our Maker reaches out and touches us with a hand of gentle care, providing space for our persistent changing.

Nothing in this soft world is in bloom forever; rather, as we, with creation, die and are renewed in our own time, we are able to house the reality of God's resurrection power in our own bodies. From longer seasons of productive growth and quiet rest, to the ebbing rhythms of work and rest in our day-to-day, we can remember that no feeling is final, that creation is walking this journey with us, that the most important work is done in the dark.

What comfort it is that God creates and recreates us as seasonal beings. When we feel weary or alone as we live out our lives, we can trust that God, in God's mercy, has made space for us to slow down, to reset, to sleep, to be tended to, and in time, to be made new.

Core Value: Empowerment

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 16:30:00 GMT

Would you believe that you are an original artwork of God's?

We affirm the priesthood of all believers. We affirm each person who has given their life in surrender to Jesus and the kingdom has been empowered to hear and fulfill a unique calling from Jesus, possible only by the Spirit of God indwelling and working through every person who believes.

In our role as priests and mediators, this Spirit draws us into our original mission—communion with the Godhead—and breathes new life into us as the Spirit fills us with his presence as we make space for others to know Jesus. As children of God, welcomed into God's family, the Spirit prompts us to hear God's voice and walk accordingly to accomplish the good work God has gotten ready for us to do. These good works form us as people of love, humble and gentle, shaped along the same lines of formation as Jesus, who we seek to emulate. Because we have freely received, we can freely give, filled up with the message we are called to proclaim: "the kingdom is near."

Therefore, as priests we work towards empowering everyone to hear and fulfill the calling of Jesus in their life. We affirm the unique, sacred creation of each human, every person divinely designed with an eternal destiny, an original artwork, a gift from God to the world, a person in whom God delights and dwells. From this posture, we believe God wants to partner with us in the work he's equipped us to do, in the middle of our ordinary lives, through our interests, passions, dreams, talents, and personalities, all affirmed in community.

This value of empowerment is expressed in all spiritual gifts and callings for all people regardless of race, gender or age for the sake of Jesus’ mission and for the equipping of all believers towards maturity.

To learn more about this Core Value, listen to this podcast or watch this instagram interview!

on invitation

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 16:30:00 GMT

In the busy noise of the world, where is God issuing those ancient invitations to come, to follow, to rest, to join?

Where might God already be working, waiting for us to join in?

In the busy noise of the world, where is God issuing those ancient invitations to come, to follow, to rest, to join?

God is not in the disembodied business of making machines, constructed creations with steel plates and metal rods, wiring and electricity. Rather, since the beginning, God touches us with a Spirit that moves and breathes, forming us into beings with brains and bodies that listen, speak, taste, smell, feel, remember, and connect with our Maker and each other.

Even in the first garden, before the launch of civilization as we know it, God valued walking in the cool of the day with people that loved him, not out of coercion but out of genuine desire. Since then, God is calling his creation back to the garden, inviting us to return to a life of resurrection if we are willing to accept it.

As we see time and again, God refuses to force us to act in a way that we don't want to. So instead, like an unnoticed spring wind, God slips into our ordinary days, in our simple routines and our complicated fears, drawing near when we are too afraid to answer the voice calling out in the night. As in the very beginning, the Spirit hovers over the deep places of our own soul, in the middle of our brokenness, and exhales new mercies upon us as the sun rises, making and re-making us every day.

The Spirit of God is ever reaching out a hand of invitation to step into those places where the Spirit is already moving. Because God values our friendship, our transformation and our love more than our blind obedience, God becomes our strength and our grace, drawing near and asking us simply to join in.

What would it look like if we chose to respond to God's presence with generous participation, crossing thresholds of faith and trusting God to meet us on the other side? How would this change the way we hope, the way we grieve, the way we love our neighbor, the way we love our God?

May we pay generous attention to God's faithful presence, and when we hear God's gracious invitation, may we say yes, again and again.

Core Value: Passion

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 16:30:00 GMT

We believe that the deaths we suffer for the kingdom are just more opportunities for stones to be rolled away.

With Jesus as our model, we want our lives to be characterized by passion. We are not forced to join in, but God in his mercy continually asks us to follow him—not because he is dependent on us, but because God values our transformation. In the most basic sense, a life of passion indicates that we should be moved by our relationship with God, and maintain a high level of dedication in all we do for Him. In a deeper sense it means that we value suffering and sacrifice. We must step over the threshold of faith again and again, believing that God is good. We know that the adversary will attack us with ancient lies, and our suffering comes as we face them, affirming that God will take care of us. We seek to lay down lies and ask for truth in exchange. We believe that it is through the death of these lies that we will experience resurrection and be made new, transformed as a community as we see the face of God reflected through each other's renewal in Christ.

We see Jesus’ willingness to suffer for the lost and the hopeless as a model for all who would come after him, indicating that we, too, are to take up our cross and walk the way of suffering. This doesn't mean that we seek pain or persecution, but that we do not shrink back from it. We are willing to open ourselves up to God shaping us through painful circumstances, discovering and discerning the Spirit's voice that guides us through anxiety with hope.

We are convinced that the clearest expression of the Gospel is a wild love, and that love is forever defined by Jesus in His death for us. We value the kind of radical faith that expects every believer to be ready and willing to suffer and sacrifice for Jesus, his name and his kingdom. We believe that the deaths we suffer for the kingdom are more opportunities for stones to be rolled away.

We realize that this value is countercultural to the world's emphasis on prosperity and the idea that in all things God wants to give us personal success, exalting our individual kingdoms. We denounce this idea and affirm that the Kingdom of God will not be built through selfish ambition, but through passionate, sacrificial love of God and our neighbor alike.

Want to learn more about this core value? Listen to this episode of our podcast, or watch this instagram live interview.

on interruption

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 16:28:00 GMT

Who is God asking you to love?

The slow rhythm of Jesus' life was syncopated with interruption, characterized by open eyes as he lifted the heavy burdens, physically and emotionally, off of aching people who hoped he would make them well. Jesus' days were made up of nearly exclusively unforeseen encounters with people asking to be made whole—asking to be seen. Every time, Jesus stopped, and fully turned his attention towards the person seeking his care.

I am reminded of Jesus' story in the book of Luke about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus, covered in sores, lays at the gate of the rich man, longing for any food the rich man can spare. It is implied that the rich man, noticeably nameless in this story, steps over Lazarus every day in order to leave his home, and does not fulfill Lazarus' desire to be taken care of. Eventually, both Lazarus and the rich man die, Lazarus carried by angels into heaven and the rich man to "the place of the dead." He begs Father Abraham to allow him a cool drink, and to warn his brothers of their impending doom, but Abraham refuses. "If they won't listen to Moses, they won't be persuaded," he says. "Even if someone rises from the dead."

I wonder, who is the Lazarus in our lives? Who is laying across our threshold that we step over every day? What people do we consider inconvenient, frustrating, needy, or irresponsible, that we would rather ignore than love? What has happened in the core of our heart that makes us so resistant to being interrupted? What do we miss in the interruptions of our life that we rush past, over, or around? Where has the lie of scarcity slipped into our rule of life, scarcity of time, money, energy, and love?

In the kingdom of God, there is more than enough. Into our cracked souls, God sings a melody of abundance, reminding us that we are loved entirely. God fills us with so much love that it runs over and pours onto our lap, and consequently, onto those around us. Only when we are secure in the people God has made us to be can we release our grip of control, living a life in the way of Jesus, a life that makes space for interruption.

It may be that God is there already, waiting for us to stop.

Core Value: Each Other

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:30:00 GMT

What would it look like to treat everyone like they are worth sacrificing for?

We believe being on mission for Jesus means loving each other and the world at large. From beginning to end and everywhere in between, the Bible communicates that loving well is vital, exemplified by a conscious commitment to our small communities and the church community at large. We believe this commitment is a commitment to each other's burdens and needs, both physical and emotional.
This commitment looks like intimacy of relationship, vulnerability, honesty, intentionality, interruptibility, humility, generosity (of time, spirit and money), deep acceptance and unconditional love. We commit to the slow working out of our faith as we strive to increase in loving each other, resting in our identity as beloved children of God and asking to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit. We commit to the practice of intercessory prayer, stepping into each other's shoes and carrying each others' burdens.
We believe that God calls us into his mission and ministry together, never alone. We believe that God exists in community, and it is our role to join those places that God is already working, that we might be an expression of God's love to those around us. We believe that God did not intend for us to be alone, and that isolation, fear of each other, and spiritual competition are cancers in the church. We believe that moral and theological failures, controlling leadership, and many of our emotional struggles stem from a lack of community. As we practice this radical love, we seek to remove burdens rather than add more on.
We value free, committed and loving friendship. Whenever possible we will lead through teams and the sharing of life at every level with trusted friends who are an extension of the grace and presence of God in our lives.

Want to learn more about this core value? Listen to this podcast episode , or watch this instagram live interview !

on choosing peace

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

How might we, as God's people, in the middle of this tempest of a garden we find ourselves in, begin to plant seeds that do not cause destruction, but instead bring justice? What would it look like to sow seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness?

we sowed the wind, gusts

we shoved in the unwilling

earth, and it’s sprouted

into a tempest,

a tumultuous rainstorm,

a field of whirlwinds.

we cry “how long,” but

we planted injustice, so

what did we expect?

(hosea 8)

There is a beauty in planting seeds. It feels magical, the invisible transformation that takes place in the darkness of the soil, from a tiny living thing to a dewey green shoot. There is a comfortable reliability in the process, too. If you plant a zinnia seed, you know those colorful, happy flowers will sprout from your flower bed. If you plant a tomato seed, you can be sure to have ripe red fruit in the middle of summer. You will not get a melon from a basil seed, or rosemary from a carrot seed. I wonder, in the garden of our souls, what sort of seeds are we planting? And why are we surprised at the fruit cropping up around us, when the things growing in us are always planted there by what we allow to shape us, by the choices we make, by the seeds we bury in our hearts? Lately, we hear a lot of this line of questioning, the desperate cry of "how did we get here?!" Or, to put it another way, "where did all these weeds come from?" This seems to be on the hearts of both individuals and larger scale organizations, from politics to the American church. The answer is hard to swallow: "the garden has weeds because we planted them." The prophet Hosea once wrote, "they have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind." He was speaking about God's people who had traveled away from God into the darkness of the soul, one moment, one choice, at a time. Because the truth remains–whatever we plant will inevitably grow. Each choice we make in our day is like a seed we place into the fertile ground of our heart. How might we, as God's people, in the middle of this tempest of a garden we find ourselves in, begin to plant seeds that do not cause destruction, but instead bring justice? What would it look like to sow seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness? We are constantly planting gardens in the floors of our homes, churches, and neighborhoods. As we consciously choose to be shaped in the way of Jesus as a community, even in the discomfort, may we witness a garden of hope sprouting up everywhere and singing of the Kingdom of God–herbs of kindness, tomato plants of tiny delights, and wildflowers of every kind of gentleness, humility, and gratitude.

Core Value: Humility

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

We believe humility is knowing your belovedness in Christ and having the courage to live into that reality.

We are loving going through our core values as a community this summer. Our latest liturgy forming us in the way of Jesus is our seventh core value: humility.
As a peculiar people in a world opposed to God, we commit to pursue humility as one of the chief virtues, entering into our communities with a posture of thinking of others as better than ourselves. We believe humility is knowing your belovedness in Christ and having the courage to live into that reality.
We believe humility is not simply considering others as equal to ourselves, because practically speaking, equality will not bring about the change we need. Rather, we must consider others as better than ourselves. We value humility as strong medicine for the cancer of our pride. We believe humility is cultivated in community as a practice that develops patience, forgiveness, respect, kindness, and a willingness to be wrong, seeds of peace planted as we learn to live alongside one another, and as we allow ourselves to be shaped and formed in the way of Jesus.
We expect this humility in leadership, relationships, theology, the contextualization of our mission, our prayer, and even our appraisal of ourselves and others. We are convinced that humility is necessary for following Jesus as an individual and as a community. We hope to be flexible and willing to learn, refining our commitments and expanding our understanding and revelation of God and God's call upon us.
The move from pride to humility is largely done in a way that moves from the outside in, starting with what we do for and alongside those around us. We don’t develop humility and then act in humble ways. Rather we must consciously choose the path of humility— valuing it as a practice that shapes us into humble people, laying down our preferences for the sake of the world.
Want to learn more about this core value? Listen to this podcast episode , o r watch this instagram live interview !

on waiting

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

In our daily moments between disorder and renewal, between death and resurrection, what would it look like to trust that Jesus is on his way, but simply taking his time?

I can't help but think about Martha and Mary after Lazarus' death. I imagine Martha, wringing her hands, pacing around her home, rushing to the door at the slightest sound in a frantic attempt to hold on to her faith as she prayed for Jesus to actually come. I imagine Mary, distraught and unwilling to move, weeping in mourning and despair. We often remember the glorious ending, but rush over the messy wilderness of the middle. Especially in our world that likes to skip the hard things, that numbs us to the feelings that surface in the mundane, that forces our phones out of our pockets at stop lights and in line for coffee, we hate waiting. This is even more acute when the waiting is uncomfortable rather than just boring, from the ache of unfulfilled longing to the sharp pain of loss. During this last collective season, we have been doing quite a lot of that: waiting. We've embodied those feelings of anxiety and restlessness as we wait for Jesus to show up, and we've laid face down and wept at what has felt like the end of the world. In our daily moments between disorder and renewal, between death and resurrection, what would it look like to trust that Jesus is on his way, but simply taking his time? What would it look like for us to submit to the discipline of what has always been a core practice for God's people: patience? Throughout the Biblical narrative, we find God's people are shaped in the waiting, in the wilderness and outside tombs. Through the daily rhythms of paying generous attention–contemplation–God draws near, watering a new thing in us. As we sit in these long moments (or weeks, or years) of contemplation, what does it look like for us to be shaped in the slow way of God? I wonder what God might have for us in the waiting, what God might be whispering to us in the in-between moments. Often, our restless hearts have to sit with things for a long time before they change, like a river carving out a mountain, or a seed germinating in the soil. As we tend to the growth of our soul, choosing to opt-in to the discomfort of waiting instead of running away from it, God cultivates beauty in the darkness. And we are made new.

Core Value: Zeal with Contemplation

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

Is this Christian life about active passion or a quiet relationship with God? Could it be both?

We value the paradox of exuberance and zeal in worship, community life, and evangelism, while at the same time wholeheartedly pursuing the rhythm and profound importance of silence and solitude for personal contemplation and rest. We affirm seasons of zeal and charismatic expression of the greatness and majesty of God in tandem with reflective and meditative seasons before God, valuing each and both together as equals. We believe that this latter, quiet expression of faith is what prompts us into tangible action, as an organic result of our trust in God, rather than the proof of it.

We believe that zeal with contemplation is a two-fold rhythm of active trust in action and a focus on our inner life. It is not a balance but a gentle swaying between the two, as we consider the equally important practices involved in both, from service and labor to silence and solitude. To combat an activism that can lead to burnout, we value practices of silence and solitude as gatekeepers of our soul and as liturgies that usher us into the presence of God where we begin to pray, intentionally listening to God's voice. We believe these practices that tend to our inner life in God's presence are where our own zeal is cultivated, practices that ultimately propel us back into the life of the community, as refreshed and renewed people of justice and peace.
We hope our lives may be a fusion of both zeal, lived ablaze and unashamed for God, and contemplation, lived in deep awareness and quiet appreciation for God. As we spend time with the Father, we can then go freely into the world to love God and our neighbor.
Want to learn more about this core value? Listen to this podcast episode , or watch this instagram live interview !

on believing

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

"Do you believe I can make you see?"

"Do you believe I can make you see?"Jesus asks in response to the cries of two blind men. Instantly, the men respond, "Yes Lord. We do." Just before this, in an anxious crowd, a marginalized woman who has suffered from constant bleeding for a decade, answers Jesus' question—do you believe?—before she is even asked. She stretches out her desperate hand towards Jesus as he passes by, hoping with all of her that she needs only to touch the fringe of his robe to be healed. In a moment of incredible courage, she grasps Jesus’ hem and his power floods her aching body. Jesus, in his kind, gracious way, sees her, and in the same way he responds to the blind men, Jesus says with utmost gentleness: "Daughter! Be encouraged. Your faith has made you well." These hurried, noisy days, when Jesus feels removed and out of context, it is hard to believe in a way that so blatantly asks for a miracle. It feels risky both to speak the words of belief aloud, and to stretch our shaking hand towards the power heals the aches won't go away. What if the prayer doesn’t work? Do we actually believe Jesus is able to make us well? Our city? Our country? Our relationships? Our rational hearts? And yet, despite our unbelief, the grace of Jesus' power remains unchanged. The power that opens eyes, that softens the knife edge of pain, that slips inside and changes our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. The power that makes things whole. How might our interactions with Jesus and our neighbors be shaped if we believed that God’s renewal was breathing inside of them? If we actively reached out our hands in faith towards this power that is faithful and good, even when it is invisible? Opening our heart to belief requires boldness, especially in the face of unanswered prayer, heartbreak, and pain. May we be brave enough to interrupt Jesus in the crowds, trusting that even when we don’t have the answers we seek, the Almighty promises to fill us in the waiting, through the sacrifice of Jesus and the gift of the Spirit. Like the blind men, may we declare our belief in God's ability to heal, in the reality of a God who draws near, in a God whose hem can work miracles.

Core Value: Missional Prayer

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

We frequently pray for ourselves, but we forget to pray for our neighbors and the world. How might this affect us and the world around us?

This week's Core Value is Missional Prayer, the liturgy that shapes our own experience with prayer, but also shapes the way we pursue and experience God in the broader context of the world.

We commit ourselves to live a life of prayer because we believe that only God can accomplish what He calls us to do and that God should receive the glory. What a radical change in perspective. It isn’t about what we can do for God but rather praying for God to act and asking how we can participate.
Using the text from James 5, we commit ourselves to a life of communal prayer–praying in times of trouble, gratitude, sickness, health, confession and friendship. We acknowledge these prayers offered in faith are powerful, life-changing, and life-bringing.
As stated in James, we believe the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. We believe that, like Elijah, we have a direct line to the Almighty Creator, and the Creator's power is what fills us with the power to pray in earnest. For this reason, we believe the church should be committed to night and day prayer for the world, the coming of the Kingdom and a deeper revelation of God.
We value prayer because we believe we are all called to the ministry of intercession and we want to see God's Kingdom come. If we are praying missionally, when we see people on the margins, we believe it is our call to welcome them and treat them as people who need our love and care, through the power of Jesus, the Messiah. We seek to embody the heart of ancient, missional prayer: to love the Lord with all of ourselves, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 12)
In the life of the body, we value prayer both as a formational process that molds us and our relationships, and as our life's center and cornerstone. We believe that as we let prayer shape the pattern and rule of our life, it allows us to start to see the world the way Jesus does.
We are not a community that permits people to go at this alone–we believe in praying alongside our neighbors through every part of life.
Click here to listen to the podcast on Missional Prayer, and for more on making this kind of prayer a daily rhythm in your life.
Want to learn more about this core value? Listen to this podcast episode , or watch this instagram live interview !

Want

on recognizing Jesus

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

How often do we see Jesus in our lives but don't actually comprehend the reality of his presence?

What does God look like to you?
Do you often pray that you would be able to see God more clearly in your ordinary moments? That you would not only understand God's voice, but be able to recognize it when you hear it?
How often do we see Jesus in our lives but don't actually comprehend the reality of his presence?
In the prologue to the book of John, John describes this reality, writing that Jesus "came into the very world that he created, but the world didn't recognize him." Later, In a full circle moment at the end of the book, he tells the story of Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus' followers, who is outside the empty tomb, weeping, unable to fathom where Jesus has gone, desperately afraid his body has been stolen.
John writes, "She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him." Not until Jesus says her name—"Mary"—does she turn fully to him and realize who is speaking to her.
Where in our life do we, like Mary, see Jesus standing there and not recognize him?
John describes Jesus as the Word of God–that Jesus' role in the plan of our redemption is to be the demonstration of God's heart, the bearer of God's message, the Word of God's mouth to the world God loves.
Jesus came not only to speak, but to embody truth, love, and faithfulness. He does so by "making his home among us," that we might see and grasp the very heart of God, that we might experience God's abundant love poured out on us. That we might recognize the voice calling out our name.
How would this affect the way we live?
As we take the time to notice where the light of Christ illuminates our neighborhood, in shared laughter, in the sunrise, in everyday service, in the eyes of children, in a kind word, in a needed embrace, may we hear Jesus speak our name into the silence. May we turn, then, and see him everywhere, given hope to persist in the honest and imperfect living out of our faith, knowing we are not alone.

"No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us."

Core Value: The Bible

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT

The embodied expression of God, who made His home among us.

We trust the authority, reliability and truth of canonical Scripture. In humility, we acknowledge we do not fully understand God and the world God made. For that reason, we rely on the Bible as our rule of our faith, teaching us what we do not know, challenging us in our daily liturgies, and leading us away from our misconceptions, self-deceptions, and convenient ideas about life and God. We don’t choose which parts of the Bible we want to believe, obey or understand. Rather, we submit to the entirety of Biblical Scripture because we trust that it reveals the truth that is beyond us– namely, Jesus.

We believe that Jesus is the “Word," the embodied expression of God who made his home among us. Jesus reveals God to us, and for that reason we don’t only obey Scripture, we really care about it. We love the Bible because it is God’s gracious gift to humanity to reveal himself, his plan, and our identity in him. Like a mirror, the Word shows us who we really are, and like a window, it opens our lives to the beauty, wonder, and the love of God that we long to know.
No podcast episode this week, but we'll be back next week with another new episode!

on forgiveness

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 17:41:00 GMT

resisting rage, embodying gentleness, and why the truth of our humanity matters

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

This is the very end of the Apostle's Creed, the series of statements at the center of our faith, a distillation of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. This ancient document travels through the trinity, detailing what we believe about God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, respectively. We've been thinking about the creed and what its words mean for us in the story of our belonging, first to Christ and then, therefore, each other. We've been wrestling with what it means to be a community Learning the Way of Jesus.

I have always been particularly interested in the Holy Spirit, the way we become dwelling places for the untamed power that raised Jesus from the dead. As the creed states, we share in the Spirit's divine power as a whole church, in our communion, resurrection, and eternal life with Christ, and in the forgiveness of sins.

Stop and think about that for a moment. This has huge implications on us as followers of Jesus.

In our Christian culture, there is a large emphasis on sin. There has to be, to some extent. We are flawed beings, and there is absolutely a necessary place for remorse and confession. A proper amount of accountability is vital for growth, discipleship and spiritual health. However, we also have a tendency to heap shame and judgment upon each other and ourselves, and it is a toxic weight on our souls.

However, I find it so profound that the creed doesn't say "we believe in heaping shame upon you for your sins," or "the proper judgment of sins." It doesn't even say, "we believe in the confession of sins." It says "we believe in the forgiveness of sins ."

Goodness.

I used to think I was good at forgiveness, until I actually had someone I needed to forgive. I really don't like forgiving people (or myself). It is so hard, because it not only involves re-examining wounds you'd like to forget, but it also requires becoming curious about the person that wronged you rather than lumping them into wide categories or stereotypes. Forgiveness says, "Hmm. I wonder why you did that," with a grace-filled gentleness that refuses to become enraged. It holds accountability in one hand and love in the other.

Forgiveness is an active remembrance that we, in our humanity, are not so different from each other, that we, too, have been forgiven already. It is only from God's incomprehensible, all-encompassing, abundant forgiveness that we are given the power to forgive. A true work of the Holy within us, forgiveness is a practice that we, as Jesus followers, must commit to. May we learn to exercise this radical, counter-cultural, Spirit-filled outpouring of empathy and curiosity, offering it generously towards others and to ourselves.

No human being is our enemy. Every human being deserves forgiveness. Every human being has been forgiven already. So too may we forgive. So too have we been forgiven.

Core Value: Unity (The Apostle's Creed)

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 11:00:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered why we feel a deep need to be together, even though so often our togetherness produces discord? What is it, exactly, that makes us a community?

Our core value this week is Unity, drawn from the text of the Apostle's Creed, a series of statements that define our faith written by 2nd generation followers of Jesus, and Jesus' prayer in John 17, for unity of essence through God.

The truth is, we cannot embody unity simply on the basis of preference or opinion. This results in a lot of heat, and not much light.

Rather, it is only from our belonging to God that we belong to one another. Our unity is not defined by boundaries or conditions, but in drawing towards Christ. This unity of Spirit is derived from mission and direction, not alignment and method. It is from our values, rather than how we live them out. It is centered around grace rather than obedience to human authority, affirming that in God's kingdom, there is autonomy, forgiveness, and love. It is through humility, allowing history to speak against us with prophetic witness.

Unity comes in our belief in the Apostle's Creed, the very basics of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, the story of our belonging. As we seek unity, we practice grabbing hold of the clear, important things in the creed with ferocity, and having grace for secondary issues.

We are made one because of Jesus' ultimate authority, who was committed to inviting, challenging, and humbling himself through service and sacrifice. It is from Jesus and Scripture that we are united, not in any place of human achievement, power, or position. We don't get to decide who is in and who is out, refusing to label other human beings as enemies. Rather, we get to walk alongside each other, praying for transformation with understanding.

Ultimately, we seek unity by seeking union with Christ.

Want to learn more about this core value? Click here to listen to our most recent podcast for more on Unity and the Apostle's Creed!

The Apostle's Creed

Core Value: Micro-church

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 19:17:00 GMT

The most basic expression of the church.

We are taking a deep dive this summer into our core values at Redemption Hill, and examining how those values shape our liturgies–the day-in day out work of being Jesus people.

Our second value is micro-church, what we believe to be the most basic expression of the church. We believe the work we do together in genuine, intentional community is the work of God's kingdom. We want to practice and embody the rhythms of gathering, scattering, focusing on God, each other, and the world at large, actively choosing connection and inviting each other into obedience. We believe the larger church expressions exist to serve the smaller and not the other way around.

Have you ever wanted to be a part of a community that felt more like a village or extended family than just an organization? Micro-church, meeting in homes with friends and neighbors, is the irreducible minimum of what it means to be Jesus’ church. Worship, prayer, learning the way of Jesus, community meals, mission and justice are all part of our everyday rhythms as followers of Jesus.

Micro-church is an outpost of God’s kingdom in every neighborhood where God’s people gather. For many, it looks like brunch and BBQ’s, parties, prayer around tables, soccer fields and workplace break rooms. We believe church doesn’t happen in a building, but is God’s people following Jesus and witnessing the beauty, justice and peace of God’s kingdom come to life one moment at a time all around us.

Click here listen to the podcast episode on Micro-church!

Core Values: The Way of Jesus

robert@solidcreative.media (Robert Frazier) — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 18:55:00 GMT

An introduction to our summer series, "Liturgy: The Work of the People"

Our summer sermon series is exploring our liturgies–the day-in day out work of being Jesus people– and throughout the next few months we are diving into the core values that we hold as a community to wrestle with what that means.
The first value, from which all the rest flow, is our commitment to learning the way of Jesus together to bless our city. We value Jesus as the image of the invisible God, and seek to worship Him by imitating both his life and ministry. Our theology and practice as a community is relentlessly Christ-centered. He is our model, mentor, hero, mediator, savior, judge, king and ruler of all.
Click here to listen to the podcast episode on Learning the Way of Jesus!

Redemption Hill Blog

attention

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:2

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

participate

"There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him." - Luke 2:40

Read: Luke 2:25-40

with

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)." - Isaiah 7:14

Read: Isaiah 7:10-15

joy

“But the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” Luke 2:10

READ: LUKE 2:8-20

motherhood

In pain, you will bring forth children. - Genesis 3:16

Read: Genesis 3

vulnerability

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

- Psalm 139:15-16 ﻿

This is a subtitle for your new post

READ: Psalm 139

grow

"You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." - LUke 1:45

Read: Luke 1:39-45

End

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” Says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” - Revelation 1:8

This is a subtitle for your new post

Read: Revelation 1:4-8

visible

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

- Isaiah 53:2

﻿

Read: Isaiah 53

given

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - ISAIAH 9:6

Read: Isaiah 9:1-7

light

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

- John 1:4-5

Read: John 1:1-9

annunciation

Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. - Luke 1:28-29

Read: Luke 1:26-38

virgin

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” || Luke 1:34

READ: Luke 1:26-38

present

"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I am the one who was, who is, and who is to come- the Almighty one."- Revelation 1:8

Read: Revelation 1:5-8

beginning

"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I am the one who was, who is, and who is to come- the Almighty one."- Revelation 1:8

This is a subtitle for your new post

READ: Revelation 1:5-8

Mary's Faith: How Little Things Make a Big Difference

When you have great faith, you can empower people to do things they never thought they could. When you love strongly, people feel that love, which is sometimes all someone needs. And when you believe in God, he can change your life.

Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

In the darkness below, will the seed of his body find life? Will the rains come down from heaven? Is it good soil? We wait, akin to farmers awaiting the sprout, for Jesus' body to take root and break forth, transcending the tomb's confines.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

Jesus Entrusts Mary and John to Each Other

Is there some area of your life, a place of pain, confusion, grief, or fear, where you need to sense Jesus' tender compassion? Lord, Jesus, thank you that you see me, that you care for me, and you are here for me. Will you please show me today your tangible, loving care?

Jesus and the Repentant Thief

The Crucifixion

Not very far into the report, tears formed in my eyes and soon I began to cry, wondering if I should pull over. I was overwhelmed with the pain and suffering that He was willing to endure for my sake.

Jesus Meets the Weeping Women

Tears are not just for Him but a gift from Him.

Jesus is Helped by Simon to Carry His Cross

The cross is brutal

a big slab, rough and rigid

I touch and test the tree of death, before I drag it like Isaac to his altar

How will I make it all the way to the hill of the Skull?

Used, unknown, dreading the long walk with this load

Step after step after step with my eyes to Skull where my job will be done

Jesus Takes Up His Cross

As if Dying Wasn't Enough

- Psalm 139:15-16

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.

For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - ISAIAH 9:6

The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.

We are the hardened earth.

We believe that Jesus came as the savior, not of one people group but of all peoples, that the kingdom of God is universal, and that the great longing of all souls is a desire for belonging, peace and a whole heart.