Afleveringen
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This week we will consider two questions:
How did the Bible arise?
How might we best approach the Bible?
Despite appearing to be two separate questions, they are intimately connected within the reality of the God who seeks to meet us, challenge us, comfort us, teach and renew us. -
The question of “Where does the Bible connect in our lives?” can be understood in two ways—where we think it applies versus where it actually meets us. We often expect Scripture to connect in obvious places: church, Bible studies, or times of worship. But the power of God’s Word is that it reaches us in the unexpected moments—when we’re struggling in a relationship, facing uncertainty at work, or wrestling with doubt in silence.
Just as Jesus met people where they were—whether at a well, a stormy sea, or in the middle of their sin—Scripture meets us not just in sacred spaces but in our everyday lives, offering wisdom, correction, and comfort exactly where we need it most. But do we see the connection? -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Last year we took a trip through the book of Ecclesiastes with our ever honest, sometimes cryptic guide, "The Teacher." Chapter 3 began with the words, "There is a time for everything..." This week our investigation of the Christian Scriptures leads us to ask the question, "When?"
In earthly terms, the seconds, minutes, hours and days of our lives are a finite resource of unknown duration. How might scripture, and the message of Kingdom and Gospel that it brings us, inform and redeem our concept of time? Don't be late! -
Over the past two weeks we have considered the questions, "What is the Bible?" and "Why Does God Give Us a Written Word?" This week we ask, like that great theologian *Pete Townsend, "Who Are You? Who, who, who, who?" Character development is a central feature in books. Characters carry the story, draw us into the story and perhaps even cause us to see ourselves reflected in the lives portrayed on the page. Who are/is the main character in the Bible, and what might that mean for our own stories as we engage with these texts? "Lord, open our eyes, that we might see wonderful things in your word."
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Last week we started on an adventure of curiosity and investigation, into the book we call The Bible. After considering WHAT the Bible is, we now ask the question, "WHY?"
Why did God give us a written word? Were we to ask this question of any other written work of communication we would be wise to ask the authors themselves. Let us therefore inquire of the Lord together, asking our questions. Confident that he is not playing games with us, but that he wants to form and deepen a relationship that is life-giving and profoundly meaningful. -
Interrogating the Bible: Eight Essential Questions
Most followers of Jesus understand that the book that we call The Holy Bible is an important and central feature of our faith. Jesus quoted from the Old Testament, the church throughout history has looked to the scriptures to guide its faith and practice, and many of us can testify to the power and wisdom of its contents.
However, a great many of us find this book to be a bit of a mystery, and in a culture that is increasingly dismissive of these ancient texts, it is perhaps easier to leave the Word of God to the experts. Over the next eight weeks we will explore by means of a series of honest questions, this collection of letters, poetry, songs, history, gospel and apocalypse that is God’s revelation given to us to reveal his profound love for all that he has made. -
New Year’s may be an arbitrary moment in time, but it’s a season when we often reflect on our lives and consider how to embrace the coming year with hope and wisdom. This Sunday, your pastors will reflect on the past year and prayerfully invite us to welcome the days God will give us in 2025.
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This week, we conclude our 2024 Advent series. Over the past three weeks, we’ve explored the blues refrains, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” “How Long Must I Wait,” and “I Woke Up This Morning.” Living in the tension of God’s Kingdom "now and not yet," what have we learned to help us celebrate Christ’s birth with its struggles and promises of lasting peace? As the carolers sing, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight,” we draw near to Emmanuel with all that we are.
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Many blues songs often begin with the phrase, “I woke up this morning…”—a universal expression of life’s challenges and opportunities. This Sunday, we’ll explore the significance of mornings in scripture and in our lives, reflecting on how God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).
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Much of life finds us waiting. For someone or something. It's never particularly pleasant, yet not all waiting is created equal. Some is rather inconsequential: At this time of year we find ourselves irresistibly waiting for Christmas Day. However for some, waiting is almost unbearable. When the wait seems endless and the minutes, hours and days drag on. Perhaps what we need this Christmas is a new perspective on waiting. Listen as the Blues tells of the "Two Stories of Advent," and tune your heart to God's Advent calendar!
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Experience Christmas through the honesty of The Blues with our Advent series, A Blues Christmas: Songs of Struggle, Promises of Peace. Just as the Blues express deep human struggle and the hope for something better, Jesus was born into a world longing for light. Together, let’s sing the songs of Emmanuel—from the cries of God’s people for rescue, to the angel's message to Mary, to the day Hope was born for us.
Week 1: Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen...
Christmas is a time for joy, but true joy never stands alone. Unlike the fleeting, commercial versions we often see, real joy shines through sorrow, like sunshine breaking through clouds. It’s the relief of a prisoner granted reprieve. True Christmas joy comes from the news that our sorrows are seen, our longing for peace will be fulfilled, and our brokenness will be healed—all because a child was born. -
Unfortunately, we had a piece of gear go down and weren't able to record today's message. Sorry for the inconvenience!
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This Sunday, we’ll explore the final fruit of the Spirit listed by Paul—one that seems to hold everything else together: Self-Control.
How often do we find ourselves wrestling with self-control? Whether it’s resisting that extra screen time, holding back on indulgences, or simply getting up in the morning with purpose, self-control touches nearly every part of our lives. You are not alone in this tension.
This is one area where the Theologians and the Psychologists agree; Self-Control is central to a healthy human life. Perhaps the key is in the phrase itself. Yes, "self." Come and taste, and see that the Lord is good and that neither despair nor white-knuckled desperation is the answer to gaining mastery of our impulsive lives. -
As we approach the end of our journey exploring the Fruit of the Spirit, we meet the concept of Gentleness.
Do you detect a providential irony in the timing of this word’s appearance at the close of what has been a fiercely contested election, with the usual rhetoric and behavior that we could confidently describe as anything but “gentle?”
Might our association of this word with weakness be an issue when we consider this aspect of Fruitfulness? Is there something that we are missing? Probably!
Come and consider the truth of Jesus, who is both Lion and Lamb, and perhaps together we can break the broken patterns of our world and walk together along the new paths of Christ’s Kingdom.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. -
What does it mean to nurture faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit? Trust? Loyalty?
In a world where commitment can waver, what does this look like in real time?
Let’s look at how faithfulness shapes our character and strengthens our relationships with God and others. -
The subtitle of our sermon series is “Taste and See That the Lord is Good.” For centuries, philosophers and theologians have debated what the word "good" really means. Today, this question is more relevant than ever, with a wide range of definitions and opinions. This Sunday, we’ll explore what it means to grow in spiritual fruitfulness that we can confidently call "good." We’ll consider how to live in a way that embodies true goodness in our world, empowered by Jesus’ power and grace.
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When was the last time you experienced kindness? Take a moment to reflect. What made it stand out to you? Who showed it, and why do you think they did? How did it impact you?
Kindness is something we admire and strive to practice, but it can also be distorted by the world around us and the impulses within us. This week, we’ll explore how this Fruit of the Spirit challenges, transforms, and sends us out into the world in Jesus’ name. -
We may have all heard the famous lines..."patience is a virtue," "patience produces perseverance," "don't ask God for patience, He will give it to you!"
Join us this Sunday as we take a look at this fruit of the Spirit and see that sometimes patience looks different, sounds different, acts different, and why, perhaps, proves to be the fruit most difficult to cultivate and grow. -
Conflict currently rages all over the earth, both large-scale war that flashes on our screens on a daily basis, and the small-scale form between neighbors, family members, and co-workers. Jesus declared, “...blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9).
How might we become increasingly fruitful in our growth as people of peace? Perhaps John Lennon was on to something more theological than he realized when he sang, “All we are saying, is give peace a chance.” Come to NewSong this Sunday to hear the good news. "Peace in our Time!" -
Perhaps you remember singing with confidence, and at the top of your voice, the old Sunday School song about the "joy of Jesus!"
WHERE?
"Down in my heart!"
A simple song to learn and sing, but what about after we've moved from childhood into the complicated, painful seasons of adult life? Does that joy remain such that we could sing it out loud with all the hand motions and everything?
This week we will consider JOY, a facet of the Fruit of God, the Spirit. We will seek together to discover a path towards our God given identity as a Rejoicing People.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.
--Galatians 5:22-23 - Laat meer zien
