Prepare the Way
John the Baptist came with a message of repentance and belief. His job was to prepare the way for the Lord. As we begin this advent season, we explore what it will look like to get our hearts ready for his coming.
11.26.17 Living a Thankful Life- Pastor Jake Ritzema
Thanksgiving is an important time, to stop and reflect on all the things that we are thankful for. The Bible calls us to an entire life of thanksgiving. Join us this Sunday as Pastor Jake shares the good news about Jesus and the thankful life we can live in Him.
11.19.17 ID#7 Recreate -- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
We are finishing our ID series with a message about recreating. What does it mean for us to rest? How do we find balance between the rules of religion, and the "anything goes" of the irreligious? We look at the creation story, and Jesus' words about Sabbath to find a new way.
11.12.17 ID 6 What We Do- Celebrate- Pastor Jake Ritzema
We continue looking at some of the rhythms we do in every day life as we live out our gospel Identity. This week "celebrate." Jeff Vanderstelt said "Christians should throw the best parties, because we have more to celebrate than anyone else." This week we learn what it means to celebrate what God has done in our lives.
11.5.17 ID #5 Everyday Rhythms-Bless- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
As we continue our ID series, we look at generosity, and how we might use our riches in Jesus to bless others.
10.29.17 ID #4 Rhythms-Eating- Pastor Jake Ritzema
The everyday ways we live out our identity are the ways we introduce others to the new life we experience in Christ. Rather than doing new things in our life, we find ways to use things we all do to point to Christ.
Eating was one of the primary ways Jesus met shared the gospel with others. Around the table, walls come down. Around the table we all can acknowledge our need for God's provision. What does it look like to intentionally eat with others?
Listen to what Pastor Jake taught us this week.
10.22.17 ID #3 Sent as Missionaries- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
We continue our series looking at who we are in light of our baptismal identity. What does it mean to be baptized into the name of the Spirit? It means we have the same mission Jesus did, and we have the same power Jesus did, and that we are sent as Missionaries to show and tell people the good news about Jesus.
10.15.17 ID #2 We are Servants- Pastor Jake Ritzema
Week 2.
We are Servants. If Jesus is Lord, that makes us his servants. Because we are rightfully suspicious of authority, we don't hold service in high esteem. But if Jesus is our King and our Lord, then he is also a good king, and living in service to him is a great privilege. Today, we learn what it means to live our lives as Christ's servants.
10-8-17 ID #1 We are Family- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
Who are you?
If you could explain who you are in just a few sentences what would you emphasize, your family, your hometown, your job,....
As Christians our identity comes from God. For this series, we are learning about what it means to live into our baptismal identity -"into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit"
This week we start with the Father. If God is our father, that makes us his children. And the people around us our brothers and sisters. If that is true would it change the way we lived our lives? Would it change the way we cared for the people we interact with every day.
10.01.17 Committed #4 Faith Restored- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
After Jesus' death, the disicples weren't sure what to do. Jesus was their hope for their world, and he was dead. They were devastated. Today we look at the story of Jesus meeting Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus. He listens to their story, and restores their faith.
9.24.17 Committed #3 An Enduring Faith- Pastor Jake Ritzema
Today we are remembering the story of Caleb. He was one of the 12 spies sent to the promised land, and only one of the 2 that came back and said that they should go into the land. As a result of everyone else's doubts, he had to endure 40 years wandering in the desert, yet he was faithful.
9.10.17 Committed-1: A Doubting Father-Pastor Eric Schlukebir
Everyone has a different and unique story, and stories of coming to faith are similarly unique. For thousands of years, God has used all kinds of different ways to bring people to himself. This fall, we are going to study 4 different stories of faith that we find in the Bible. No one story is better than any other, but all bring glory to God. We hope you join us as we explore some of the different ways faith and commitment take shape in our lives.
This week we look at the story of a Father who brings his son to Jesus despite still harboring some doubts about whether he can heal him.
9.03.17- Help for Houston- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
Paul visited many different places and started many different churches. But as he went, he never forgot where he came from. Throughout his ministry he served as a connecting point between all of those churches, and as a conduit for helping those who needed it.
Today we are going to look at how that worked for Paul, and also a way that can work for us. Pastor Eric served five years in Houston, and is helping us to help those whose homes have been flooded in Hurricane Harvey.
8.28.17- Through the Roof Faith- Pastor Jake Ritzema
Sometimes our beliefs lead us to do things others may think our crazy. But we serve a big God, who did for us something completely unexpected. Today we hear the story of four friends who did whatever they needed to do to get their friend to Jesus.
8.20.17- How and Why we Worship #5- Blessing/Benediction/Sending- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
The last part of the worship service is the sending. Where God pronounces a blessing over His people and sends them out to participate in the restoration of all things.
8.13.17 How and Why we Worship #4 -Communion- Pastor Jake Ritzema
Throughout the Bible, God commands his people to remember what he has done using a meal. In the Old Testament, the Israelites celebrated the Passover meal as a way to remember the God who had delivered them from Egypt. Jesus later transformed that Passover meal, by saying that he was the true passover lamb. He then instructed believers to continue to celebrate this Last Supper as a testimony to his death and resurrection. Today we study how that meal nourishes us Spiritually as his people.
8.6.17. How and Why we Worship #3 The Word of God-Pastor Jake Ritzema
This week we explore the centrality of God's word in our worship. Since he is the one who calls us, and saves us, it is also His Word that guides us.
7-30-17 How and Why we Worship #2- Pastor Eric Schlukebir
As we continue to explore How and Why of our Worship, today we learn about the Prayer of Confession and the Assurance that follows. We confess our sins, because we believe that we all have sinned and fallen short. And that we all need Jesus to save us. The confession and assurance shows us both of these things.
7-23-17 Missionary Visit- Scott and Lisa Neumann
Scott and Lisa Neumann are with us this morning to share about the work they are doing in Lithuania.
7.16.17 How and Why we Worship #1 Call to Worship-Pastor Eric Schlukebir
Worship is about assigning worth to someone or something. As humans, we are created to worship. We all worship something, or someone. The question before us for the rest of summer is whether we will choose to worship the true and living God. We are also going to show how true worship, aligns our hearts and minds towards God, but also pushes us forward towards him. In order to learn about worship, we are going to be doing a series using the different aspects of our corporate worship service. Today, we start by learning about the Call to Worship.