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Rest, Rule, Rhythms (Summer 2024)Throughout the summer, we will refresh on a few key ideas in the spiritual life: Rest, Rule, Rhythm. As we work through, we will have in mind our own lives and how we are designing and ordering our lives in ways that help us to connect with God and grow in Christ-likeness by the Spirit.
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Practice Resurrection (Easter 2024)On Easter we asked about Resurrection, "What IS it?" and "What do we DO with it?" We settled, with Wendell Berry and Eugene Peterson on this for the 2nd question: Resurrection is something we PRACTICE. It's a new reality we deliberately, over time, live into. So during the 50-day season of Eastertide, we're going to try to Practice Resurrection.
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What God Can Do with 40 (Lent 2024)40 is an important number in the Bible.
It is always a time of God preparing people for something new. It makes sense, then, that the Lenten season of 40 days would be a time of preparation to re-experience the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Join us as we explore the different ways God uses 40 to cleanse, prepare, and transform...not just in bible stories, but in YOUR life. |
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Parables: Rethinking EverythingJesus is known for telling short stories called "Parables."
Some of them seem quaint, others confusing. But what are they? And why does Jesus teach in these stories? We'll explore five of Jesus' parables and see how Jesus' words might "get under our skin." I'm sure we'll find something new and think in ways we've never thought before. |
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Prince of Peace (Advent 2023)Wars in Ukraine and Gaza top the headlines internationally; national politics approach an election year plagued with division; after the pandemic has passed, we have returned to complex lives of busyness and striving to meet impossible standards. As Jesus observes on the Mount of Olives: we do not know what will bring us peace, and it is because we do not recognize our visitation by the Prince of Peace.
This Advent series will show us the paths to Peace that Jesus lays out. |
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Make Known, Hand DownThe Gospel moves us outward. But in what way? So often the Church has moved outward to colonize or exert power over. So what does sharing the Gospel look like? We'll spend some time on two images: Making Known and Handing Down. As a church, as Christians, our future is dependent on our capacity and commitment to move outward in ways that humbly share what we have in Jesus.
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Table TalkThis mini-series surrounds our "Breakfast Church Experiments," where we introduce DISRUPTIVE conversations into the CONNECTION of Breakfast Church. These experiments are on August 27, September 10 and 24. Videos will not be available, but some configuration of the messages will be. Check it out...best of all...in person! 10am Sunday Mornings.
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Letters to the Churches (July-August, 2023)This mini-series on Revelation 1-3 reflects on what Jesus might be speaking to our church today...and just who this Jesus is who encourages and calls to repent and promises.
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Big, Broad, BeyondWe live in a complicated world.
We are tempted to run toward simplicity or double down with rigid categories. But we serve a BIG, BROAD, BEYOND God. This mini-series is about giving God space to expand our minds and hearts and souls...even our theologies...so that we can experience a multi-dimensional God who can work within the wild diversities and complexities of our world. |
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Trusting Joy (Easter 2023)Did you know that Easter isn't just a day? That Easter-Tide is a SEASON?! In fact, it's the longest season of the church year: 50 Days!
That doesn't mean we try to sustain the experience of Joy for 50 days. That's impossible. But it is a time to lean into the joy dimension of our humanity, a time of learning to trust the truth of joy, the very inbreaking of a Risen Christ, a God who is making all things new. So let's linger together in Eastertide and see if we can trust JOY just a little more. |
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Telling the Truth (Lent 2023)When we think about "telling the truth," maybe Pinocchio comes to mind, or maybe a being told as a child to admit it when you did something wrong.
But truth-telling goes far deeper than that, because our methods for deception (of others and even ourselves!) and truth-avoidance get more sophisticated and less conscious as we get older. During Lent, we work on telling the truth. It seems simple, but there are many ways we avoid the encounter with what is most real and true about us, about the world, and about God. We'll come at this practice from several biblical angles: Crying out to God, Prophesying, Confessing Sins, Walking in the Light, and Bearing Witness. |
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Conversation Starters (Winter 2023)It's no secret that conversation is hard. We experience that struggle in family relationships, organizations, the wider public discourse, and yes, even in our prayers and relationship with God. How do our Christian convictions teach us to approach conversation? What theological perspectives might help us transform how we relate to others? What practical skills can we take into conversations both human and divine in order to experience deeper connection and foster more creativity?
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Beginings (Advent 2022)Each of the Gospel writers begins telling their stories of Jesus differently. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each depict the inbreaking of God into the world from a different angle. Which helps us as we seek to discern how God is breaking into our world and our lives today. As we walk through the four Sundays of Advent, we will journey through the four Gospels' "Beginnings," and hopefully recognize new ways that God is Emmanuel: God with Us.
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Gratitude and GenerosityGratitude and Generosity are two sides of the same coin: natural responses to God's abundant goodness and radical commitment to sharing. When we cultivate gratitude and generosity, we tune in deeper to our blessedness AND become more like God in our desire to share that blessing with others. So how are you cultivating Gratitude and Generosity?
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Inner, Inter, Other (Fall 2022)Pastor Jon is back from sabbatical and sharing some thoughts rooted in the Gospel concerning the direction of the church. Listen in and share your own thoughts, dreams, and ideas.
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What does this want to become?Pastor Jon is on sabbatical for the summer, which gives the church a wonderful opportunity to explore what it means to be a Jesus community with Pastor Steve North. Pastor Steve brings a fresh perspective from his "other" role as the leader of Lifeline Toledo, a micro-church and creative ministry that serves the Toledo community in a variety of ways. He explores the question the Pentecost crowds ask in Acts 2..."What does this want to become?" You can hear Pastor Jon introduce this question on June 5, and then Pastor Steve takes over.
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Chaos and New Creation (Easter 2022)What if the Bible doesn't start in nothingness...but in chaos, in a world that feels like it has collapsed in on itself...in the midst of exile and oppression and a people who have heard that this is "just how it is"...a people desperate for a word from God, a light to shine, a new story to live by?
That's Genesis 1 in a nutshell. It's not primarily about a time past when life began, but about what life looks like when God is doing God things. It gives us a picture of the God we will see in Exodus and Exile and even in Easter. Join us as we find hope and wisdom and beauty in the opening poem of the Bible: Genesis 1. |
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Shadows of the Cross (Lent 2022)All of us have a shadow. Our shadow is made up of all the parts of ourselves that we have been taught must be hidden if we are to be safe, loved, and accepted. But as much as we try to hide, our shadows shape our lives in powerful ways. This Lent, we step into the shadow, seek to know our own shadows, and ask how the Cross draws all the parts of us out and into wholeness.
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Who do you say I am? (Winter 2022)The central question of the Gospels--and you might say, our own lives--is "Who do we say Jesus is?" In Mark, this is literally the central question. In the middle of the Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" Throughout, Mark shows how different people who met Jesus answered that question. This series will explore those encounters and give space for us to reflect on who Jesus is to us?
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Advent-ure: the journey to Bethlehem (Advent 2021)As one mystic says, "We are all meant to be mothers of God"--Christ emerging from us into the world. So why not spend some time with Mary, following the twists and turns--the ADVENTure--that she experiences leading up to the birth of Jesus? Maybe it might help us to be more prepared to be people who offer God to the world in our lives.
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Stewards of the Table (November 2021)"Stewardship" may mean nothing to you if you grew up outside of the church. OR, if you grew up in the church, it may carry all of the excitement of turning on your favorite radio or tv show only to realize it's the pledge drive. Stewardship, however, is core to what it means to be followers of Jesus. The question is, "What are we stewards OF?" Well, Jesus has giving us a Table, a meal that draws us into the very core of the Gospel and presence of God among us. This fall, we'll explore and experiment with how to steward the Table as a church and in our daily lives.
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Blessed to Be a Blessing (Fall 2021)There is a core promise and purpose at the heart of the Bible and the Christian life: we are blessed to be a blessing.
BUT... Both of these can be elusive. Sometimes we struggle to see God's blessing in our lives. Sometimes we struggle to freely and generously give as God has given in Christ. This fall series explores this life lived in the Kingdom ecology of blessing and seeks to unlock that flow of blessing not just through learning, but planning and practicing as well. |
"Esther" by Marc Chagall
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Gospel Glimpses through Esther (August 2021)Among our Bible's 66 books, Esther is unique. It is a fascinating story that is read annually in the Jewish community on the Feast of Purim. Far from a simple story of a heroic young Jewish queen, Esther is as complex as it is fascinating, and takes a good bit of work to dig into and receive the story for what it is. The story is written by and for an oppressed and occupied people, involves numerous Hebrew literary devices, and brings up some difficult theological and moral questions. Beyond all of that, the book doesn't mention "God" once.
Our Summer Porch Session Bible Study has tried to do some of that work and this mini-series is some of the fruits of those labors. We hope you are blessed and challenged, and that you are aided as you seek the hidden God in your own life and faith. |
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Essential (Summer 2021)"Essential" is a word we've used a lot recently. Essential workers, air travel, and shopping. What is essential and what is not? But we have also had our lives stripped to the bare essentials, and come into contact with what is most essential for us as human being. This summer, we try to give voice to some of those lessons so that we can move forward more rooted in who we are and what we're about together.
Note: Summer services are in-person and live-streamed on Facebook. Full-length sermons will also be pre-recorded and posted for those who want to go deeper with the Scriptures and ideas in the message. |
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Easter Paradoxes (Easter 2021)When we read Easter stories, we tend to put them into our categories for "hope" and "joy." But Easter presents some real dilemmas the more we think and the deeper we go, dilemmas described in the very pages of our Gospels. We'll spend time in these stories as a way of letting the Easter message connect even more deeply with our own stories.
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Decentering: a lenten practice (Lent 2021)Many of us are familiar with the story of Joseph in the Bible. If you are, you know that over the last 14 chapters of Genesis, we are also introduced to LOTS of characters. Who's to say we're always the "Joseph" in the story?
This year, our Lenten practice is decentering: trying to breakthrough the assumption that every verse of the Bible is about me, to me, and directly for whatever happens to be going on in my life when I read that verse or that story. It’s a way of opening our ears more fully to God, and finding ourselves wherever we actually are in God’s story, not just where we want to be. |
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Honor (Winter 2021)In Hebrew, the word "kavod" is translated "GLORY" and "HONOR." And the word means "weighty" or "significant." We ascribe honor to what we believe is significant. We listen to words and ideas that are "weighty." We give our lives to that which we believe is ultimately worthy. In this series, we will examine where we are giving honor right now, and what is truly worth our attention, our time, our energy, our...HONOR.
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Simple Christmas (Advent 2020)“That is just so 6 BC,” Joseph must have thought when he found out there was no room in the inn, as his pregnant bride screamed in pain. Nothing had gone as planned that year. He was getting married, then he wasn’t, then an angel came and said he was going to have a son…but not exactly his son. And then, in the midst of all this, a painstaking trip to Jerusalem with his near-bursting wife. Now, he couldn’t even welcome his son into the world in the comforts of a building.
The year 2020 AD hasn’t exactly gone as planned either. Often, it seems, the best God things happen when, like Mary and Joseph, the building we desire for refuge is closed. Maybe 2020 is really a manger kind of year. Let’s focus on what new dimensions of Advent and Christmas stand out to us, what new traditions form, and what mangers we have overlooked before. |
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Relinquishment (November 2020)"Relinquishment is a spiritual response to being worried or fearful—something we all struggle with from time to time. Worries and fears can hijack our thoughts and emotions, and can make our lives miserable. In relinquishment, we turn over those worries and fears to God, who has the ability to take our anxiety and give us profound peace.” -- Bob Beer, Founder of SDG Publishing
In these times of high anxiety and fear, we turn to God. With the help of GO-N-DO Discipleship, we will practice Relinquishment together, seeking to be more present to God than consumed by worry and fear. |
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We Belong (Fall 2020)We belong.
What do you think of when you hear that phrase? A relationship you're in? A place you live? A job you feel called to? A Pat Benatar song? In this moment of history, however, we are seeing a crisis of belong TO. From protests in the streets questioning whether certain people have EVER truly belonged in this country to questions about our responsibility to one another in a pandemic...we are seeing the radical individualism of our culture exposed. In this series, we will see a deeper truth: that we are inextricably linked to God, to one another, and to the world. We belong. |
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Spirit(uality) in the Wild (Summer 2020)We have often relied on set times and places like Sunday mornings "at church" to remind us to pay attention to God. What happens when a global pandemic takes away those times and places? There's no better time to develop a robust Spirit(uality) that helps us to connect with God and God's purposes in everyday life, in everyday places!
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Joy (Easter 2020)Is joy determined by our circumstances? Does being a Christian mean we should always be smiling? And where does true joy come from anyway? We ask these questions and more as we endure the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine.
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ENCOUNTERS (ADVENT 2019) This Advent, we’re beginning a journey that will take us all the way through Easter. It’s called “Encounters,” and we will walk all the way through the Gospel of Luke. Wherever someone encounters Jesus, we’ll be there! People Who Give"Stewardship" is a word that can make church people RUN! But it is also a word that gets at the core of what God made us as human beings according to the Bible. What often gets lost is that stewardship is not about money. It is about an entire approach to life that is marked by sharing, generosity, and gratitude. In this series, we will explore the human element of stewardship--how it is our stories, our relationships, our communities that move us to give, serve, and love--and the God who gave us everything.
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TenWe all know the 10 Commandments…well, we all think we do. But we are less clear on what to do with them. Are they a summary of Christian faith? a template for national legislation? a relic of another culture? The 10 Commandments are both more and less than any of these things. If we just read them as rules, then they are not worthy to any of these tasks. But if we read them as a part of God’s great Story of liberation, justice, and community…then we’re onto something. The purpose of the series is to reconsider what these 10 Commandments really are so that we can unleash the possibilities they point to as conditions of community and windows into God’s heart.
Ancient faith for modern people (summer 2019) |
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you are (easter 2019)Comforters, Living Letters, Jars of Clay, Wilderness Wanderers, Ambassadors of Christ, Temples of God--these are just some of the images Paul uses to draw us into the mystery of what it is to be "in Christ" in his epistle we call 2 Corinthians.
The Easter Season is the perfect time to recover a sense of who we are when we worship a Risen Christ! Trauma and the cross (lent 2019)The more researchers learn about human brains and behaviors, the more we have become aware of the deep impact that traumatic experiences have upon our lives. It is trauma that is often the root of our fears, sinful patterns, and sense of "stuckness." And so it is interesting that at the center of our faith, the center of the Gospel is the traumatic event of the Cross. During Lent, we will learn how trauma impacts our lives and explore how the Cross liberates us from our ongoing entanglement with trauma's effects on our lives and relationships.
tWISTEDReexamining popular beliefs about heaven and hell, angels and demons, Satan, and the End Times.
Quick quiz: Why do we think of the forbidden fruit eaten by Eve as an apple? Answer: Not because of the Bible. We have lots of ideas and pictures of Satan, heaven, hell, angels, and demons...but how many of them actually derive from our Scriptures? Some of these misconceptions are trivial (like the apple). But some really impact how we understand our faith, how we grieve, even how we live day to day. We’ll take some of these popular beliefs and check them according to the Bible. And what we’ll find is that there is always Good News to be gained when we let go of that which God has not said! Snapshots of a Messiah (Advent 2018)Throughout the story of Israel, God is planting seeds that will blossom into the Messiah, the one who will come to forgive, save, make things right, bring heaven and earth back together. The Church has often turned to Isaiah during Advent to remind us of the dream that we believe Jesus came to fulfill. But in this series, we won't be looking at your typical Advent texts. We'll look for snapshots of the Messiah in some surprising places! And we'll add new dimensions to our understanding of God's dream for the the world under the reign of the Messiah.
But what i do have...Is the glass half empty? or half full?
Many of us begin our days thinking about our lack of sleep and end our days worrying about the problems we didn’t solve. We are trapped in a scarcity mindset—plagued by the conviction that we don’t have enough, we haven’t done enough, we aren’t enough. The Bible, however, shows us a God of abundance who can do far more than we can ask or imagine, who feeds 5000 people with a few loaves of bread and a couple fish. So what’s the secret? Well maybe it’s not about whether the glass is half empty or half full. It’s about Who’s pouring. An Altar in the WorldDo you ever feel like there is something "More" to life?
Have you ever had a moment where you were in touch with this "More" and wanted to hold onto it somehow--or find it more often? Many of us have learned that God is only in certain places and with certain people, but the Bible tells a different story. Based on Barbara Brown Taylor's book of the same title, we will both hear that different story and learn practices of discovering God in our real, even "ordinary" lives. |
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RisenJesus died in a broken world...and that didn't change in the time he was in the tomb. Jesus arose back into a world of grief and shame, doubt and disappointment, resistance and apathy. And that's where we still find him. This Easter Season, we will see where Jesus met those first witnesses and where he still meets us today.
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ForgivenessDo I have to forgive? How many times? What if the person doesn't apologize--or is still harming me? How can I forgive myself? Does forgiving someone mean I have to trust them again?
These are just some of the questions you might have about forgiveness. We will seek to find the forgiveness Jesus calls us to during the Lenten season. in addition to the sermon series, you can join in the Tuesday workshop where we will go deeper and more personal on the practice of forgiveness in our own lives. The workshop will begin at 6:45pm on Tuesdays 2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20. On Community Dinner nights (2/20, 2/27, 3/20) that will be our meal beforehand. On the other nights, we will eat a simple supper at 6pm. |
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Her StoryWomen's voices and stories have too often been dismissed or silenced. From the #metoo movement and beyond, our society is just beginning to take women's stories and experiences seriously. In Matthew's Gospel, Matthew surprisingly refers us back to five women, whose stories are gritty, uncomfortable, and often skipped. We are taking the season of Epiphany to listen to these women's stories and see how God worked through them to bring Jesus into this world--and how God can work through our stories to do the same.
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What are we waiting for?We're all waiting for something. Maybe it's for life to calm down, for a disease to be cured, to see a lost loved one again, for all of our sorrows and sufferings to cease...
That's what Advent is about. It recognizes our "already/not yet" reality as Christians. Christ has come, but all is not as it should be. So what ARE we waiting for? What HAS God promised? And what DOES waiting in faith look like? That's what this Advent will be all about. |
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Semper ReformandaOn the 500th Anniversary of the unofficial launch of the Protestant Reformation, we look back at one of the texts God used to reform Martin Luther's heart: Paul's epistle to the Romans--rediscovering for ourselves just what the Good News of Jesus is, and how God continues to reform our hearts, minds, and churches today. For online devotional resources on Romans, check here or here.
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Fresh VoicesPastor Jon is on sabbatical for the month of July. This gives us an opportunity to hear "fresh voices" bring the words of God to bear on our community. Join us, listen, be transformed, and consider the future God has for this community.
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Lessons from our pastAs we continue to celebrate 100 years of ministry at Point Place UCC, With 100 years to build on, we have a strong foundation. Taking moments from the church's past, this series asks, "Where do we go from here?"
You can check out more of our history in the video at the bottom of the page. |
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When Jesus says GoGo...
...to your sister or brother ...the second mile ...into your closet ...to the lost sheep ...sell all your possessions ...get the colt ...into the streets ...make disciples ...You never know where you'll end up. As we continue with our 100th Anniversary theme, "Go with God," we will use the Season of Lent to listen and respond to where Jesus calls us to "Go." |
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When God Says GoWith our 100th Anniversary in 2017, we are looking at where the story of Point Place UCC and each of our stories fit into the greater Story of God. And we find our connection in God's call to "GO!" We will look at how God's people have responded in faith to this calling for thousands of years...and how we can respond to it today.
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The GIFT (advent 2016)Sometimes, we are drawn to Christmas because it seems like an escape from reality, a Winter Wonderland that covers over life's troubles for a few weeks.
But this is far from the Christmas Story we find in our Gospels. God has come to be with us in the gritty realities of our lives. This Advent, we learn to embrace these realities in order to find the true meaning of Christmas. |
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The politics of jesus (Fall 2016)"In polite company, you don't talk about politics or religion."
Well who said anything about polite company?! This fall, there will be a cacophony of voices seeking to shape our political perspectives. As followers of Jesus, we want to make space for Jesus' voice to speak to us before any other. And Jesus was political. His life and teachings are intended to shape how we relate to one another and how we help to shape the society in which we live alongside our neighbors. So while you're thinking politics this fall, make sure that Jesus is shaping your politics--not the other way around. |
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Gospel on Canvas (August 2016)This fun summer series looks at Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel and looks for the ways the artist depicted Gospel realities that have made the work so iconic. (Yes, we know it's not literally "canvas," but work with us here ;) )
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Small PackagesWe've all heard the phrase, "Good things come in small packages." Well, this summer, we will look at some of the Bible's "smallest packages": Obadiah, Haggai, Philemon, Jude, 2nd and 3rd John. And we'll mine these texts to see what Good News God has for us in these little books.
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The Living GodWith Christ risen from the dead, we are assured that God is alive and that God's plan to be WITH us is secure. Prayer is how we live into this new reality and assurance. But...
What is prayer all about? How do we do it? These are the questions we will explore during the Easter season this year. |
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Give it up (Lent 2016)You may be familiar with the practice of giving something up for Lent. Usually it's something like chocolate or alcohol or some other item. Which is great. But...
What about the very habits of our hearts that most get in the way of our relationship with God and the abundant life God has for us? That's what we'll be "giving up" this Lent: control, worrying, complaining, superiority, enemies, and expectations. So listen and join in by "giving up" one of these soul-crushing habits and replacing it with a practice that will bring life to you and those around you. |
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What Did Jesus Do? (Winter 2016)It has become popular to ask the question, "What would Jesus do?" This is a good question, but it only really helps if we know the answer to another question, "What DID Jesus do?" We might not be able to figure out exactly what Jesus would do in every situation we face today, but if we understand what Jesus gave his life to during his time on earth, we may become the kind of people who love like Jesus did in any and every circumstance.
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Created & Called (Fall 2015)Who has God made you to be? What has God called you to do? We will follow the life of Moses to see how he came to understand how God had created him for a purpose--to lead God's people out of slavery. Moses' story, passion, gifts, and wiring all prepared him to do this work in the power of God. Each movement will be 2 weeks: the first for teaching and the second for testimony and a hands-on activity to help you discover how God has made you. Then, during Advent, we will listen to Jesus' own words about why he came, and see how the ways God has shaped us turn into a calling.
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Resting in the Gospel (2015)Sometimes we just have to take a deep breath. Seriously, do it. Breathe in...Breathe out. Beyond taking physical deep breaths, sometimes we need to take a deep breath of the soul. For Christians, I think that is about taking a moment to reflect on, rest in, and celebrate the Gospel: the Good News that we are invited into new life in relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's what we're doing in worship in these two between-series weeks. Just reflecting on the Gospel, and this week resting in it. I encourage you to listen to the sermons (linked below) and check out the 3G Plan (also linked below) to practice this deep breathing of the soul.
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I Love to Tell the Story (August 2015)
In this unique series, Pastor Jon (PPUCC, 10am), Pastor Mike Delong (CrossPoint Community, 10:30am), and Pastor Cindy Getzinger (Messiah Lutheran, 8am & 10:30am) will rotate churches, preaching from their favorite and most formative Bible stories.
In this unique series, Pastor Jon (PPUCC, 10am), Pastor Mike Delong (CrossPoint Community, 10:30am), and Pastor Cindy Getzinger (Messiah Lutheran, 8am & 10:30am) will rotate churches, preaching from their favorite and most formative Bible stories.
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Unexpected Places: Summer Series 2015
This Summer, we will pick up the theme of General Synod, and see how God has a habit of showing up in "unexpected places." Where might God be showing up in our world where we least expect? |
The Natural Church
Churches get bigger in many ways, but how does a church GROW? To illustrate how spiritual growth happens, Jesus tells a story about the natural world--about a seed that is cultivated by a farmer--but grows "all by itself." Paul talks about planting and watering, but God being the one who brings the growth. What are the conditions that bring about this kind of growth? Learning from Christian Schwartz' Natural Church Development, we will go on a journey to discover how God is calling us to grow--and what is getting in our way as followers of Christ and as a church.
Churches get bigger in many ways, but how does a church GROW? To illustrate how spiritual growth happens, Jesus tells a story about the natural world--about a seed that is cultivated by a farmer--but grows "all by itself." Paul talks about planting and watering, but God being the one who brings the growth. What are the conditions that bring about this kind of growth? Learning from Christian Schwartz' Natural Church Development, we will go on a journey to discover how God is calling us to grow--and what is getting in our way as followers of Christ and as a church.
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Lent Series: "Jesus Asked..."God is an avid question-asker. Why? Because God is interested in relationship and questions are the foundation for relationship. During Lent, we will allow some of Jesus' best questions to open up our hearts to deeper relationship with God...and with each other. The sermon series will connect with Lenten "partnerships" where 2-3 people commit to gather once/week to explore each other's stories and the questions Jesus asks. There will be time to do this on Wednesday evenings as well as we gather for a simple supper, brief worship time, and then engage these important questions with one another. Deepening relationships with God and one another.
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Legacy: Living for what lastsExplore the question, "What is my legacy?" and take steps to make sure that answer is in line with our values.
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Songs of ChristmasLearn the stories and THE STORY behind the songs we sing.
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Walk the Walk: a series from the book of James“They talk the talk. But they don’t walk the walk.” This is one of the biggest criticisms of the Church in our society. And oftentimes, it’s true. We say we believe, but we are hesitant to fully embrace the life Jesus wants to give us.
During the Fall, we will be exploring the book of James. James—often thought to be the brother of Jesus—has one main message for the early followers of Christ: “Walk the walk.” |
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Psalms: the language of prayer
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Covenant (May 2014)
Covenant is a hugely important word in the Scriptures, but not one we often use. As we move towards thinking about church membership in terms of covenant, this series will explore what a covenant is (and is not) and how a covenant works.
Covenant is a hugely important word in the Scriptures, but not one we often use. As we move towards thinking about church membership in terms of covenant, this series will explore what a covenant is (and is not) and how a covenant works.
Word and Table
What did the disciples expect from Jesus after the Resurrection? What would we expect of him?
Probably nothing quite as simple as what Jesus did: opened up the Scriptures over meals with his disciples.
How does the Risen Christ's ministry in the 40 days he spent with his disciples after Easter shape the ministry of the Church?
What did the disciples expect from Jesus after the Resurrection? What would we expect of him?
Probably nothing quite as simple as what Jesus did: opened up the Scriptures over meals with his disciples.
How does the Risen Christ's ministry in the 40 days he spent with his disciples after Easter shape the ministry of the Church?
Lent 2014: Getting Our Hands Dirty
During this Lenten season, we are asking God to show us 1 way the Spirit wants to bring Gospel-transformation in our lives. We will look at our souls, our relationships, and our neighborhoods and ask what area God wants to work in. And then we will use Dallas Willard's simple theory that we participate in transformation in 3 steps: Vision, Intention, Means. Check the website and Facebook page for more ways to get your hands dirty this Lent.
During this Lenten season, we are asking God to show us 1 way the Spirit wants to bring Gospel-transformation in our lives. We will look at our souls, our relationships, and our neighborhoods and ask what area God wants to work in. And then we will use Dallas Willard's simple theory that we participate in transformation in 3 steps: Vision, Intention, Means. Check the website and Facebook page for more ways to get your hands dirty this Lent.
Eugene Peterson says that "Love is one of the slipperiest words in our language." It's also the word at the center of the Gospel. So what is it? And why do we need love? During the winter, we will listen to Paul's famous "Love chapter" (1 Corinthians 13) to redefine love and learn to live it out in community.
1 Peter: How Should I Live? (Summer 2013)
We're all trying to figure out how to live. Even when we've chosen to follow Jesus, we can feel like "strangers in a strange land" and suffering can make it hard to find joy and act in love. Peter writes a letter to some of the first Christians helping them to see how God is calling and enabling them to live a radical life even as strangers and sufferers in a world that doesn't always support their cause. We'll explore Peter's words in this Summer series of reflections from the epistle of 1 Peter.
Easter People (Easter Season 2013)
How did those who witnessed Jesus' Resurrection respond? How can we, who have come to know the living Christ, live in a way that shows us to be "Easter People"?
"The Church in the Wilderness" (Lent 2013)
From the center of town to the outskirts of society. The American Church has experienced some radical changes over the past 60 years. Many churchgoers have deep feelings of frustration, anxiety, and helplessness as we try to live out our faith. During Lent, we will journey with the Israelites through the wilderness, and hopefully catch a glimpse of hope in what God is doing during this "wilderness" time.
Enough!
Whether it comes from inside, the media, or the culture around you, many of us feel a constant pressure for more: to know more, do more, and have more.
And we do.We know, do, and have more than any other culture in history. But we’re less content, less fulfilled, and less connected to God, each other, and the creation.
Sometimes we may want to scream: “ENOUGH!”
Join us as we learn how to be content in a culture of never-enough.
And we do.We know, do, and have more than any other culture in history. But we’re less content, less fulfilled, and less connected to God, each other, and the creation.
Sometimes we may want to scream: “ENOUGH!”
Join us as we learn how to be content in a culture of never-enough.
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INCARNATION(AL) (Advent 2012)On Christmas, we celebrate the proclamation that "The Lord has come." Christians often call this the "Incarnation": "God in the flesh." Why was it so important for God to become human, to have a body with hands and feet and eyes and ears? This is the mystery we will explore during Advent.
And then we'll explore what this means for the Church, which the New Testament calls the "Body of Christ." How do we embody the presence of God as Jesus did? The Incarnation of Christ. The Incarnational Church. 
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A New Vision
During the Fall, we will be looking at our in-process Vision Statement, asking how this points us to what kind of church God is calling us to be, and exploring how we might live that out. Hopefully, this imaginative process is exciting to you, as God can do amazing things when we are open to the fresh leadings of his Spirit.
Here's the statement:
We are striving to live the GOSPEL LIFE together:
GLORIFYING God in whole-life worship,
GROWING as disciples by word and Spirit, and
GLOWING with Christ's love in our neighborhoods.
Glad you asked....(Summer Series 2012)
In this series, we will be addressing YOUR questions. I asked you what you would like me to preach on and you asked some great questions: what is faith? what place has humor in a church service? what has Pollyanna to do with Jesus? and more. Throughout the summer, these questions will be addressed in a variety of ways.
Like Him We Rise (Easter Season 2012)
The New Testament tells us again and again that as we come to know and follow the Risen Christ, we share in his Resurrection. Or, as one hymn celebrates, "Made like him, like him we rise...Ours the Cross, the grave, the skies." In baptism, Jesus' death and resurrection story becomes our story. So this Easter Season, we will be entering into the stories of some of the people who encountered the Risen Christ, and experienced a kind of Resurrection. These stories include people who found themselves in a variety of places on their journey: doubt, grief, shame, hostility, etc. So as we engage these stories, we will be seeking to find where the Risen Christ might be meeting us, and how he might make his Resurrection ours.
Link to "Like Him We Rise" Sermons
"Something You Can Fill" (Lent 2012)
During the Advent and Epiphany seasons, we talked about how God has revealed himself to us and how we can listen to God's revelation. But often, our lives are so filled with other things--even good things--that there is no space for God to be present, speak, and fill us with what we most deeply need. During this Lenten series, we will be thinking about ourselves as bowls: bowls that need to be emptied of our things so that we can be filled with the things of God. And we will be looking at some tried-and-true spiritual practices to help us both to be emptied and to be filled again.
Link to "Something You Can Fill" Sermons
Link to "Something You Can Fill" Sermons
"Learning to Listen" (Winter 2012)
During the Advent Season and into Christmas Eve, we talked about a God who reveals himself to us, who allows us and yearns for us to know him. But how do we receive that revelation? What is our part in getting to know God and follow Jesus? That is what we will be talking about during this series. We will be looking at how we take in God's revelation through various ways of reading the Scriptures, prayer, and observing the world around us. Each sermon will have some practical, specific tips on engaging in these important practices.
Link to "Learning to Listen" Sermons
Link to "Learning to Listen" Sermons
"Revelation" (Advent and Christmas 2011)
It's commonplace today to hear someone say something like, "Well I believe in a God, but God is way to big for our limited human minds to actually know anything about." Is that true? As finite human beings, are we incapable of having any true insight into an infinite God? The Scriptures seem to suggest that while God may be to big for us humans to fully grasp or even to discover on our known, he does make himself know to us. And he does so in a variety of ways. We call this "Revelation." Revelation isn't just a scary book at the end of the Bible; it's the gift of relationship that God has offered to us. That is the gift we see most clearly in Jesus, and the gift we celebrate during the season of Advent.
Link to "Revelation" Sermons
Link to "Revelation" Sermons
"In the Beginning" (Fall 2011)
The Bible is a Story: about God, about the world he created, and about us. It's a Story that builds and blossoms from beginning to end. And like any good story, the beginning, middle, and end are all intricately woven together in a beautiful fabric where we can find our place and our purpose. Genesis 1-12 "sets the scene" for God's Story. Yet, while many of us know the individual stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, and the Tower of Babel, most of us would have trouble showing how these little stories fit into the big Story or how the Gospel Story is being whispered even in these early moments. Those are the goals of this Fall sermon series, "In the Beginning."
Link to "In the Beginning" Sermons
Link to "In the Beginning" Sermons
"Going Small" (Summer 2011)
Many churches are trying to get bigger! What if the key to spiritual growth is by getting smaller? Jesus' disciples became world-changers. But how? Perhaps one of the most important lessons we learn from Jesus' disciple-making process is one we often overlook: Jesus made disciples in a small group context. This summer, we will look at some of the away-from-the-spotlight moments Jesus had with his disciples and how these moments were central in helping them become men and women who could lead the Church. Finally, we will ask how this small group principle fits into our life at PPUCC.
Link to "Going Small" Sermons
Link to "Going Small" Sermons
"The Resurrection Life" (Easter Season 2011)
Jesus' Resurrection is a display of God's plan for the world and for us and an invitation to join into this life of victorious power and love. What does this "Resurrection Life" look like? I think we get a glimpse in Matthew 28:18-20, often known as "The Great Commission." Until Pentecost, we explore these three verses as a blueprint for living life in light of Jesus' Resurrection.
Link to "The Resurrection Life" Sermons
Link to "The Resurrection Life" Sermons
"The Cross and Us" (Lent 2011)
Lent is a time to stop, assess, and reflect. In Lent, we are called to take an honest look at ourselves and things about life that may be difficult. When we do this, many of us find fear in our hearts and minds. During Lent, we will look at some of the places these fears come from: guilt, shame, worthlessness, loneliness, and confusion. When we honestly bring these emotions and fears to the Cross of Jesus, the Bible tells us that they can be transformed. Into what? Take a listen...
Link to "The Cross and Us" Sermons
Link to "The Cross and Us" Sermons
That Thing We Do: Worship Series (Winter 2011)
What are we really doing when we gather on Sunday morning? Many of us come to the church building Sunday after Sunday without ever really asking the question, "Why?" In this series, we explore the various "things we do" during our worship services from prelude to benediction and find how they help us to be planted in the Story of God, express our praise, and have our lives formed by the Gospel.
Link to "That Thing We Do: Worship" Sermons
Link to "That Thing We Do: Worship" Sermons
Advent and Christmas 2010
During the Advent Season, we look at some of the words of Isaiah that were intended to prepare us for the Messiah, God's Chosen One. We look at who Jesus is, how we can live as his followers, and how we can prepare for the time when he returns.
Link to "Advent and Christmas" Sermons
Link to "Advent and Christmas" Sermons
Ephesians Worship Series(Fall 2010)
There may not be any better place to start if we want to get a vision of who Jesus is, what God is doing with this world, who we are as Christians, and what the Church is called to do and be. Verse by verse, we will discover the amazing grace of God's plan and the life-changing calling of the Gospel.
Link to "Ephesians" Sermons
Link to "Ephesians" Sermons
Point Place United Church of Christ 4920-297th Toledo Oh 43611 419-726-7390 office@pointplaceucc.org