For our Home Liturgy today we are studying Philippians 2:1-11. In this passage, we're exhorted to walk in humility as followers of Christ. But how do we who are so prone to self-exaltation consider others more significant than ourselves? Paul shows us that the power to live humbly is found in Christ who is first our savior then our example. In Christ, we see the great paradox of the Christian life -- the way to true exaltation is through humility.
April 19th // Home Liturgy
For our Home Liturgy today, we'll be looking at Philippians 1:19-30. In this passage, Paul again repeats the theme of rejoicing in any circumstance, even the possibility of death for the sake of the Gospel. He is so confident in God that he is willing to live for Christ or to die and be with Christ. Such confidence should mark our lives as well. Like Paul, we who are citizens of heaven are to live in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
April 12th // Home Liturgy
This week we’re in Philippians 1:12-18. Paul reminds the church in Philippi that the Gospel is progressing in unique ways even in the midst of his imprisonment. Suffering is not a hindrance to God's mission -- it's a providential means by which he advances the gospel through his people. Are we living on mission in the midst of our present crisis? One of the greatest ways we can celebrate Easter Sunday is by considering the mission of God to bring the good news of our risen Christ to those far from him
April 5th // Home Liturgy
This week we will begin our journey through Philippians by looking at 1:1-11. Paul begins his letter to the church at Philippi with thanksgiving to God for the work he is doing in the church, the evidence of grace in their lives, and the growth that he will continue to do in and through them. Paul's prayer models for us the gratitude, confidence, and fruitfulness that should embody every church.
March 29th // Home Liturgy
In our Scattered Gathering this week we are studying Psalm 46 which exhorts us to find refuge in God alone. We are well aware that these are unstable times. The world as we know it is giving way. In all of this, our good and sovereign God invites us to find safety in him. When we trust in our sovereign God not only find the strength to endure trials, but also find gladness in the midst of them. "The Lord of hosts is with us! The God of Jacob is our fortress!"
March 22nd // Home Liturgy
In our Home Liturgy Teaching this week we will be studying 1 Peter 1:3-9. Peter draws our attention to the great salvation we have in Christ. Jesus secures for us a living hope in our future inheritance in Him. Such hope empowers us to endure suffering. More than just endurance, this hope assures us that God uses such trials to strengthen our faith and glorify His name. Grasping this truth fully leads to a surprising and inexpressible joy
March 15th // Home Liturgy
For the first Sunday of no gathering in light of COVID-19, we reflected on John 10:1-42. It’s encouraging how relevant this passage of scripture of text is for our current crisis. In this passage we read two more "I am" statements of Jesus. "I am the good shepherd" and "I am the door." Jesus uses imagery that is central to the heritage of Israel to show that he is the promised Messiah; the shepherd-leader of God's people. Just as sheep return to their shepherd through the door of the sheepfold, those who believe in Jesus enter into a loving, protecting relationship with God. If Jesus is our Shepherd, we have no reason to fear in the midst of any crisis. He will never let us go.