Psalm 84

In Psalm 84 we hear the psalmist’s passionate cry: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” But what does that mean for us when our hearts often long for “a thousand elsewheres” — vacations, success, comfort — more than the presence of God? This sermon explores that tension honestly, naming how we can sometimes sing worship songs without fully meaning the words. The psalm reminds us that the Christian life isn’t just about avoiding sin or “sin management,” but about entering into the presence of the living God — the place where healing, wholeness, and true life are found. Like choosing between cities or destinations, what we think is “better” is shaped by the stories and songs that capture our imagination. Marketing trains us to long for other things, but Psalm 84 invites us to retrain our hearts to long for God through worship, community, and pilgrimage with Jesus. In him, we discover that God’s presence is the ultimate “stuff” our souls were made for. Recorded August 24, 2025.

Psalm 72

This week, we explore Psalm 72 which teaches us to long for a king who brings justice and shalom—peace, wholeness, and flourishing. This hope is fulfilled in Jesus, the greater King who defends the vulnerable, heals the broken, and confronts injustice with sacrificial love. As His followers, we’re invited to pray, see others with His eyes, and live out justice and mercy so that God’s kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Recorded August 17, 2025.

Psalm 24

Psalm 24 calls us to meet the majestic Creator with clean hands and pure hearts. Revival begins not with programs or crowds, but with holy discontent and God’s people being filled with Him. Transformation starts when we let Him cleanse our actions, motives, and allegiances. Where do we long for God to arrive, and how are we preparing? True revival is a community becoming deeply God-conscious—starting when we open our lives to the King of Glory. Recorded August 10, 2025.

Psalm 127

Psalm 127 reminds us that without God’s presence, even our hardest work can become empty toil. This sermon invites us to see all we do—whether in jobs, homes, relationships, or ministry—as “kingdom work,” joining God’s ongoing activity to bring life, hope, and flourishing in places big and small.

Psalm 63

In her first sermon ever (!), one of our church elders, Christiane, reflects on Psalm 63 and what it means to long for and find satisfaction in God. Through honest storytelling and spiritual insight, she explores how our deepest desires point us toward God—and how Scripture and simple practices can help us meet Him in everyday life. Recorded July 20, 2025.

An Invitation to Worship in Every Season // Psalm 8

Psalm 8 invites us into a posture of worship by recognizing God as the majestic Creator and King over all. Whether we feel powerful or powerless, the Psalm reminds us that everyone worships something—and only worship of God leads to life, not destruction. As we enter summer, this message encourages us to enjoy beauty, rest, and connection, but to do so with intentionality—seeing every moment as an opportunity to turn our hearts toward God in worship, just as Jesus did in both his strength and vulnerability. Recorded July 7, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Community Discernment

In this final message of the Open to the Spirit series, we’re invited as a community into a “guided invitation”—a gentle, hopeful call to open ourselves more deeply to the Spirit’s presence, power, and person. With heartfelt thanks for all who have been using their gifts—serving, teaching, encouraging, creating, and leading—the message names the beauty of what God is already doing among us. At the same time, it honestly acknowledges the fears many of us carry: fear of change, of losing control, or of what others might think. Rather than pushing past these struggles, we’re invited to bring them into the light—trusting that the Spirit leads us not through shame, but through love. Whether you’re eager to leap forward or still feeling hesitant, this is a call to walk together—slowly, patiently, and bravely—as we become the kind of Spirit-led community we long to be. Recorded June 22, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Gift Tensions // Ephesians 4:1-16

As we begin to close our discernment on being Open to the Spirit, this sermon encourages us to embrace the Spirit’s guidance and power by trusting God in our hesitations, supporting one another’s gifts, and growing together in love. Using Ephesians 4 and the image of a fishing reel, it highlights the tension between human effort and divine strength as necessary for spiritual maturity and unity. Recorded June 15, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts - Leadership // Ephesians 4:1-16

In this teaching, we explore the fivefold ministry gifts described in Ephesians 4—Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher—often referred to as APEST - which are given to the church to equip believers and build up the body of Christ. We look at the unique function and heart of each gift, how they worked together in the early church, and how they might be expressed in our communities today. Re-recorded June 9, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts - Power // 1 Corinthians 12

This week’s sermon explores the Power Gifts—a category of spiritual gifts meant to tangibly demonstrate that God is real, active, and present. Rooted in 1 Corinthians 12, the message invites listeners to consider how we might be open to God’s “supernatural” work in our lives and church, despite modern skepticism. Apologies - the first minute of the recording was cut out. Recorded June 1, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts - Love // 1 Corinthians 12:1-2, 4-12

As we continue exploring how to remain open to the Spirit, we turn our focus to one of the major themes of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Bible: spiritual gifts. This week, we’re looking specifically at the gifts that fall under the “love” category, with the hope of learning about them, celebrating them, and encouraging their use within our community.
Recorded on May 18, 2025.

Open to the Spirit: Goals and Guidelines of the Spirit's Work

This week, we wrap up the introduction to our Open to the Spirit series by exploring a crucial question: How can we tell when the Holy Spirit is at work—in us and in our church? The teaching unpacks four key markers of the Spirit’s activity: love, hope and faith, the building up of community, and a Spirit-led unity. These goals and guidelines help us stay grounded as we learn to live more open to God’s presence and power. Recorded May 11, 2025.