Common Ground

Isaiah 35:1-10   The Gospel and the coming of Jesus Christ is the greatest joy the world has ever known. It is the promise of the cessation of all evil and the returning of light to a dark world. The Gospel is dead things coming to life and dried up riverbeds teeming with water again. The Kingdom breaking in, is a sick and withering tree sucking in life and nourishment God provides to bear fruit once again. So why do we feel so joyless? Why do feel like that withered tree? What is a Christian’s responsibility when it comes to the level of joy in this world? While the kingdom of God has broken in, there is still an “already, not yet” reality in the world that we live in, but it is the hope that gives us joy! Please join us as we sing the Advent hymns of joy and worship the God who is the source of all our joy. 

Matthew 5:43-46; Luke 10:30-35; John 13:31-35  In the song ‘O Holy Night’ the above lyric hits us. The next line is “His law is love and his gospel is peace.” As we gather this week to celebrate Advent peace, we have to ask ourselves, what have we learned this year in how we love one another? Who is the “one another?” The lyric implies some kind of pedagogical method to declare that “truly he taught us” but we need to look at our lives thoroughly and make sure we are learning the lessons. Join us as we look at the teachings, life, and example of Jesus in how he truly taught us to love one another.

John 12:1-9 Judas lays into her. He lets her have it. He sees that she is royally wasting expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus and in front of her guests and in her own house, Judas can’t contain his contempt any longer. “This expensive perfume could have been sold and given to the poor.” How does a person get to this point? Not Judas, but Mary. What is it about these feet that seem more costly than the perfume that was worth the equivalent of thousands of dollars? The anointing of Jesus’ feet is a story that we are in desperate need of in our culture today. In a world where we use people and love things, please join us as we explore the infamous story of Mary anointing Jesus before his burial. 

Luke 20: 19-26 November is traditionally seen in America as the "month of giving." Many people write down one thing a day that they are grateful for. Others plan a "Friendsgiving" while still others begin to see again those around us who are in the greatest need. There is something about this season that lends itself to gratitude and generosity and as the people of God, this is always a welcome reminder of what He has given. There is a story in the Gospels when some religious people were trying to trap Jesus in his words and allegiances. They asked a simple question, "Should Jews have to pay the poll tax to the Romans as we are now subservient to them even in our home country?" Jesus' response has gone down in history as one of the most famous things he ever said, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God that which belongs to God." Over the next two weeks at Common Ground we are going to look at the idea of money, mammon, taxes, images, and finally, what it means to live into the socio-politica

Genesis 11:1-9 We have come to the end of our Genesis journey as we look at the “end of the beginning” of God’s people before Abraham. We all know the importance of language and the need to work together in order to get any kind of project done. The Tower of Babel looks like the culmination of human ingenuity at the time, but there is more going on here than just building towers. This text cuts to the heart of mankind: what we are here for, what our purpose in life is along with the idols that we carry in our hearts. Babel would later become the Babylon that was a constant enemy of God’s people, and the place that John in Revelation compares to all and any wicked nation. Join us as we celebrate the Christ who is our strong tower and our shelter in the time of need.

Genesis 8:15-9:29 As we travel through this portion of Genesis 1-11, we see a God that is deeply connected with His creation and we see a humanity, that even though God has saved them, still falls short. We see Noah caught in the trauma of world wide catastrophe, and we see God giving assurance of His future plans for the earth. This is a beautiful section of scripture for our current human condition. We get stuck, we fall short, we see God’s promise in the sky in the form of a rainbow, and yet, we still find ways to attune our hearts to other things and other people. Join us as worship Christ and look at what it means to be in covenant relationship with God.

Genesis 6:9-8:14 The flood of Genesis 6-8 has such significance for the rest of redemptive history.  It is essential for us to try to grasp the pervasiveness of sin and the patience of God. The Flood is one of the most popular stories in the Bible, and yet, the context is often overlooked, particularly when it comes to what the Israelites had just walked through in order to get to Sinai. Join us as we worship Christ and celebrate the freedom through our God of love.  Guest Speaker: 

Genesis 4:17 - 6:8 I’m not sure how it happened or exactly when it happened, but a few years ago, the interest in finding out our ancestry became a big business. Now I’m sure there are a lot of contributing factors to this, but the question I want to ask is, “What does it matter to us now to learn about our family of origin and where and who we come from?” Who Great Grandma was and what she did matters to us because it helps tell and understand our own stories, even if in an ever so small way. The same is true for God and Israel when they are telling the story of Genesis to the people of the Exodus. The space between Cain killing Abel and the Flood is significant space and narrative even if it just looks like boring old genealogy stuff. God is communicating to his people that there are two lines that are drawn out from Adam, the line of Cain and then the line of Seth. Two paths diverged in a wood and...you get the idea. Yet in the midst of the ancestry, there is a pattern of both sin and righteousness that is

Genesis 4:1-16 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. There are so many iconic phrases from God’s dialogue with Cain in regards to murdering his brother that this is possibly one of the most famous passages that we will be studying this fall. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” “Sin is crouching at your door.” “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” For this and so much more, we are looking forward to a larger conversation about anger and the patient mercy of the Lord that sees all suffering and hears all suffering. Join us as we worship the God who calls us back to him even after the horrible ramifications of our anger. 

Genesis 3 "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” There is just so much pain and loss in Genesis chapter 3. There is deception, marital breakdown, ecological breakdown, shame, and disobedience, but the greatest loss that results from the introduction of sin into the creation narrative is the intimacy with God. This breakdown of intimacy with God has ramifications for all other relationships to creation, but it begins and ends with how sin impacts our ability to allow the Lord to be “my Lord.” While there is so much loss in this chapter, it is in no way without hope. God, in all of his sadness, reveals his promises of rescue, patience, and hope in the midst of paradise lost. 

Genesis 2: 4-25 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” At its very least, an “image” is the visual representation of another person or thing. A photo. A painting. A work of art. However, when God creates humanity, the idea of “image” goes far beyond what our understanding of just a visual representation may mean. God is doing something completely subversive when he creates humanity in his image and this has amazing and terrifying responsibilities in how we live and love. You are God’s picture to the world of who he is. Join us as we celebrate and worship Christ, the perfect representation of God and as we encourage one another to be more and more like Christ.

Genesis 1:1-2:3 “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” There is no shortage of debate surrounding the passage that we will be talking about this Sunday. From young earth to old earth to theistic evolution, there is plenty of fodder that people take to set the course of their agenda. But regardless of our own personal view of Genesis 1 and 2, what was Moses trying to communicate to the people of God as they were at the base of Mt. Sinai? What is God trying to say about himself and his beautiful creation and then in turn, what does that say about us as we do our best to find and follow Jesus? 

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." From the very first sentence of the Bible, we begin to see how the character and heart of God is put on display. Not only through the creation of the world, but also His character and heart are visible in the creation of animals and humanity. While this may answer a few questions about who God is, it's not long into the account that we begin to see ourselves for what we are. Beautiful, whole, created in His image, and yet with the capacity for great love and great evil. The rest of the account from Eden to Babel is full of messages that we need to hear and comprehend when it comes to following Jesus in the 21st century. This fall we will be exploring together some of the most foundational truths about God, his people, and the world around us. Join us as we live and move and worship together with Christ and his love at the center of us all.

Hebrews 13:1-21 "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." How do you end the letters you write? What are the last several paragraphs pushing toward? Like the author of Hebrews, it all depends on what you need to summarize in regards to the words and ideas you have already put down on the page. The last chapter of Hebrews is no different. Anchored in the story of Abraham offering hospitality to three strangers in the wilderness, our author wants the church to apply this virtue to all things if in fact "Jesus is Better." Join us as we close out our study in the book of Hebrews and worship Christ as King of all.

Hebrews 11:1-16 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. We have made it through the book of Hebrews to the quintessential chapter on faith. There is nothing like it in all of the New Testament. Please join us as we believe that God wants to strengthen and encourage all of us in our journey of faith and discipleship to Christ. Lord give us eyes to see and faith to believe that you are who you say you are. 

Hebrews 10:1-25 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. We take the Chatham bridge, the 95 bridge, and the Falmouth bridge almost every day. These get us from one place to another over a body of water and deliver us safely to our destination. Not always in a timely manner, but that's another story. Hebrews 10 serves as a bridge as well

Hebrews 8 & 9 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Understanding the significance of the cross can be difficult at times. It's about freedom from sin and death but I get that, but why do I still struggle and why is my conscious at times still so guilty and frail? What does Christ do for us through creating a New Covenant that the Old Covenant could not do? If you are struggling with what the covenants, the sacrifices, the priests, the lambs, and the blood of Christ and what that is all about, please make it a point to join us as we worship together through Hebrews 8 and 9. This passage is so beautiful and has a promise that not only gets to our heart but also our mental health. 

Hebrews 5 & 6 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,  where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. In the Israelite tradition, the High Priest was chosen by God to mediate between the sin of the people and the holiness of the one true God. As the author of Hebrews continues to drive the point home about the superiority and Lordship of Christ, he now uses another illustration of how Christ is superior to all they had put their hope in in the past. He also warns them about apostasy and encourages them to move on toward a spirituality that is mature and not childish. As we approach Sunday coming, consider the things, people, and realities that you put your hope in. Are they eternal? Why do they give you hope? Is it genuine or is there a sense of false hope involved? Join us as we look at the suffering hope of our great High Priest Jesus and look to anchor a

Hebrews 3 & 4  Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. As the author of Hebrews establishes Christ as the final word from God, one of the oldest and most reliable anchors for the Jewish faith was the story of Moses and the Exodus detailing God's mighty power on full display as he fights for his people and removes the bonds of slavery off of the necks of the Israelites. One of the greatest offers God gives his people on their journey is the invitation to rest from their work. Join us as we look at Hebrews 3 & 4 and see how Christ leads us beyond the waters of the Red Sea and into a more glorious and complete rest for all that entangl

Hebrews 1:1-14 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Throughout Old Testament and even New Testament history, God would send messengers of hope to his people and at special moments of redemptive history. It had grown as a heresy that Jesus was nothing more than just another one of God's special messengers. I mean we love angels even now, we talk about guardian angels, we sing about angels at Christmas, and we have TV shows that highlight celestial beings having power from above to do good. Yet, the author of Hebrews wants to underscore the difference between the now ascended Christ and angels. Join us as we launch into our summer series in Hebrews that gives us reason to worship Christ in God alone.