Church At The Well Podcast

Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread In a consumer society, we’re groomed to “grab it before it’s gone,” but in the Kingdom of God, we receive what God has for us as a gift. In this sermon, Abby unpacks three words from this line and shares a story about how God has been teaching her the difference between grabbing and receiving. ----more---- Discussion Questions 1. To pray, "Give" us this day our daily bread" is to refuse to grab but rather, to receive with open hands what God has for us as a gift. When are you most tempted to grab, and how do you know you are in "grab" mode? 2. To pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" is to be willing to share, acknowledging that God meets your needs through his provision for others and that he meets others' needs through his provision for you. How has God answered a prayer of yours through another person?  3. To pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread" is to ask God for what we need and trust him for it. What need(s) do you find it hard to trust him for?  4. Jesus said, "

This week, we continue our journey through the Lord's Prayer with a closer look at the petition, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." 

This week, Jordan continues our journey through The Lord's Prayer with a deeper look at what we're really praying and hoping for when we pray, "Your Kingdom Come." ----more---- Discussion Questions What line or phrase from the Lord’s Prayer stands out to you today? Why do you think that line or phrase stands out? “We are not referring to a place where we are going but rather a reality that has come to us… the kingdom of God isn’t so much a place as it is a new order in which… the will of God is done.” (Justo Gonzalez) What surprises you or intrigues you about this definition of the Kingdom of God? Reading Isaiah 11:6-9, what are some things that will be true when the Kingdom of God has fully come? Where God’s rule and reign is, there is freedom, healing, justice, humility, and generosity. Can you think of a time this week when you saw one of these values (or another kingdom value) on display, either in your life or in your community? When Jesus invites his followers to pray, “Your Kingdom come,” he makes spa

God’s name: what is it, and how do we “hallow” it? In this sermon, Abby explores the mystery and gift of God’s name as first revealed to Moses and then, more fully, through Jesus. She offers practical ways we can be hallowing his name in our lives and points us to a time when his name will be more fully revealed. ----more---- Discussion Questions Read Matthew 6:9 – 13 Is there a line, phrase, or request that stands out to you as you read and engage with the Lord’s Prayer today? If so, which one is it? And why do you think that particular line is standing out? God revealed his name to Moses, and with it, more of Godself, when he said to Moses, “I am who I am” (Yahweh) in Exodus 3:13 - 14. In your own words, what are some things this name reveals about God? Are there any names for God in the Scriptures that you feel particularly drawn to, and why do you think that particular name stands out? How might your picture of God be different if this name weren’t in the Scriptures? Using your imagination, what might i

This week, Jordan shares three things we can learn about God from the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6. 

As we mark Adam’s last Sunday as Church at the Well’s lead pastor and welcome Jordan and Abby into their new roles as co-lead pastors, Adam explores an instructive picture from the Book of Numbers: Aaron’s budding staff, a reminder that leadership in God’s kingdom is not grasped for but received, and that flourishing and new life ultimately come from God.

What does prayer have to do with creation? In this sermon, Abby explores three ways we can pray in light of creation, drawing from examples in Scripture and sharing stories of how God has met and ministered to her in and through nature.

This week, we explore how God invites us to both community and solitude as part of Sabbath. 

Finding Rest in Jesus In between commands against stealing, idolatry, and others, the Sabbath command might seem oddly out of place in the Ten Commandments. But what if it's there for a reason? This week, Adam continues our Summer Sabbath series by considering God's invitation to something deeper than a "day off" - an invitation to the true rest of Sabbath that we find in Jesus. 

Three Obstacles to Practicing Sabbath Rest just doesn’t just happen; we have to choose to take it. In this sermon, Abby considers three common obstacles that hinder us from practicing Sabbath and invites us to see Sabbath not as something to master or accomplish, but as a gift to receive and enjoy as we are able. ------------------------- Discussion Questions: Preparing for Sabbath isn’t just about guarding time, but, if helpful, planning it. Take two minutes to write a list of life-giving things you might enjoy doing as part of your Sabbath practice, then go around the circle, each sharing a few items from your “Sabbath Menu.” Is there someone in the group who knows someone who practices the art of rest well? If so, please share. If not, how does it feel not to know anyone who rests well? Building on Exodus 20:10, come up with a list as a group of who Sabbath is for besides you. (In other words, come up with a modern paraphrase of this verse). Do any items on your list stand out? What are a few ways our pra

Keeping sabbath is an act of resistance. In this sermon, Jordan explores three lies of identity (we are what we do, we are what we have, and we are what others say about us) and how practicing sabbath helps us to resist these lies and lean into the truth that we are God's beloved.

When we practice Sabbath, we’re not just taking a break from work, we’re returning to the heart of God’s design for relationships and renewal. This week, Adam kicks off our Summer Sabbath series by offering three ways to look at Sabbath and reminding us that when we Sabbath, we’re rehearsing for the Kingdom of God.

How does the popular mantra, “God helps those who help themselves,” square with Scripture? And since it’s not actually found in the Bible, where does this mantra come from? In the sermon, Abby gives a brief history of this saying, shares a story from her own life, and offers three things we can learn from Daniel about God’s will when it comes to our need for help. 

Many of us have heard the advice (or the song) that we ought to let "Jesus Take The Wheel." This week, Jordan continues our series, "You've Heard It Said," with a closer look at this common phrase. Together, we explore how faith and personal responsibility can work together, and what it really means to trust God with our lives. 

Follow Your Heart In movies, songs, and well-meaning conversations, we hear the phrase, “Follow your heart.” Is this advice in line with the Bible? In this sermon, Adam offers five helpful “runway lights” to keep us on track with God’s will as we discern the path forward in our lives. Hint—one of them involves our hearts.

Ever heard someone say, "God won't give you more than you can handle"? It sounds good, but it might not be the whole story. In fact, Scripture is full of stories about people who faced more than they could bear. This week, Jordan explores how we might adjust this common phrase in light of what God does give us - his grace, his presence, and his Spirit.

Three Ways God Lets Us Down, and Why We Can Still Trust Him “God will never let me down,” we sing, but if we’re honest with ourselves, many of us have felt let down by God. In this sermon Abby explores disappointment, how God uses falling as part of our formation, and Jesus’s invitation to a downwardly mobile life. 

The story of Eutychus is a powerful reminder that Jesus meets us in our exhaustion and offers true rest and renewal. This week, Adam continues our "Echoes of Easter" series with a look at Eutychus' story and an encouragement to welcome Jesus into our own weariness. 

When Jesus encounters a widow whose son has died, his compassion leads to a surprising twist in her life trajectory. In this sermon, Jordan takes us into the details of this the story, revealing Jesus’s heart and showing that God is in the business of turning endings into new beginnings. 

Following Jesus’s death and resurrection; it seemed there was no way forward for Peter but backward—a return to fishing. Was he stuck in the shame of having denied his friend and Lord? In this sermon, Abby explores the dynamics of shame through Peter’s story and offers a way toward healing.