Teacher: Bill Dogterom
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A Season of Advent: Joy
December 15, 2019 — Costa MesaThe third stop on the Advent Journey celebrates the wonder of Joy – the capacity for life as it is, on the way to Life as it will be. Joy is, unlike happiness, is not reflective of the circumstance – in fact, joy reframes our attitude towards the circumstances, allowing us to sit deeply with pain and loss without losing our way. And, as it turns out – Joy has a first Name, born in Bethlehem!
Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10 -
A Season of Advent: Peace
December 1, 2019 — Costa MesaAdvent marks the beginning of the church calendar year with a deliberate slowing – a pause in preparation for Him for Whom we wait. The prophet Isaiah’s fantastic visions of a world redeemed give us hope for peace – shalom – in a time of tension and conflict. And call us to join, even now, in preparing Him room.
Scripture: Isaiah 2:2–5 -
Mark: Drop Everything; In Place Greatness
November 3, 2019 — Costa MesaFollowing Jesus in order to be with and learn from him will bring us into tension with the ways we have been trained to think – especially about power and position. Jesus, who clearly has all the power necessary to force outcomes, uses his power to serve and not for his own advantage. He invites us to re-consider that greatness might begin right where we are – marked by serving.
Scripture: Mark 10:35-45 -
Mark: Drop Everything; Empty Hands, Open Hands
October 27, 2019 — Costa MesaAs we step into following Jesus, we discover the “drop everything” is an ongoing process of releasing everything that gets in the way of our becoming like Him. Love needs a place to land – but if our hands – our lives – are too full, we will walk away from love sad. Jesus invites us to Life – not as an add on to what we already have, but of an entirely different kind that relativizes everything else we think of as life.
Scripture: Mark 10:13-23 -
Mark: Drop Everything; Apprentices of Jesus
October 6, 2019 — Costa MesaWhen Jesus calls us to follow Him – He is serious! He invites us into an apprenticeship where we first watch what He does – so that we can learn how to do it ourselves. As it turns out, the apprenticeship includes both learning to do, and to not do… and will cost us all the ways we have learned to manage our lives apart from Him.
Scripture: Mark 1:21-45 -
Mark: Drop Everything; Be With Jesus – Do What Jesus Did
September 15, 2019 — Costa MesaWhen Jesus calls us to follow Him, it is a call first to be with Him – to learn life from Him – so that we can join Him in his mission – bringing the Good News of God’s Kingdom come, and pushing back the darkness!
Scripture: Mark 3:13-19 -
Mark: Drop Everything; Follow Jesus
September 8, 2019 — Costa MesaJesus comes and proclaims the availability of the Kingdom of God – and there is only one possible response – to repent, to reorder life in the light of the reality of the Kingdom. Mark models this in the invitation that came to four fishermen – and which comes to us – to leave the life you have built for yourself, and learn the new life of the Kingdom from Jesus.
Scripture: Mark 1:14-20 -
Beauty of the Church: Ephesians; Holiness is Usefulness
August 18, 2019 — Costa MesaJesus has invested His whole self in the Beauty of the Church – not simply so the Church can enjoy the benefits of His grace, but so that the Church can partner with Him in His mission to redeem the whole universe. In order for the church to be useful, it must be holy – otherwise it is part of the problem.
Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-5:20 -
Beauty of the Church: Ephesians; Grow in Love
August 4, 2019 — Costa MesaPaul knows that the radical vision for the church as the Body of Christ will only happen by the grace of God. His strategy is to pray – that we all grow up in love, both received and given – with an awareness that God has the ability to make it so. And so much more!
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21
