My Story Matters
February 19 | 9AM & 11AM
“My Transfigured Story Matters” | Matthew 17:1-9 | Rev. Barrett Owen
Readers get the behind-the-scenes tour of Jesus’ life in Matthew 17. He takes his closest friends with him up on a mountain and we get to go too. While up there, Jesus transfigures into his divine state offering us a glimpse of what heaven looks like on earth. This single act offers us much in terms of faith but sadly the disciples fail to understand its relevance. We can’t make the same mistake.
February 12 | 9AM & 11AM
“Reconciliation Matters to My Story” | Matthew 5:21-37 | Rev. Barrett Owen
What good is our offering if it’s tainted? This is Jesus’ message for those of us who worship pretending we are reconciled with our enemies or our families. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to be people of salt and light which means we have to understand the importance of reconciliation and take seriously Jesus’ pronunciation, “Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
February 5 | 9AM & 11AM
“The Kingdom of Heaven Matters to My Story” | Matthew 5:14-16 | Dr. Jim Everette
One could argue the Kingdom of Heaven is the primary objective in Matthew’s Gospel. All the characters, the narrators, even Jesus’ teachings, they all deal with the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 5, Jesus has strong words on what it means for us to “enter” into that kingdom, and it has a lot to do with how we understand and follow the law.
January 29 | 9AM & 11AM
“The Downtrodden Matter to God” | Matthew 5:1-12 | Rev. Barrett Owen
Jesus is living during a terribly oppressive time for people outside of political power, so it’s in this context Jesus speaks, “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . blessed are the meek . . . blessed are those who mourn . . . blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . .” With these words, Jesus pushes back hundreds of years of hate and self-doubt by saying, “You aren’t too small in God’s realm. You aren’t too broken for my future. And when it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven, you matter to God.”
January 22 | 9AM & 11AM
“My Calling Matters” | John 1:29-42 | Rev. Jim Baldwin
When Jesus calls the twelve together, we see something amazing happen. Those who get to be in the Lord’s inner circle are people like you and me. It’s not just the rich or the politically powerful, but the earnest and the seeking. This unfolding in scripture sets the stage for an enormous theological truth: those who get access to God is not dependent upon your social status but rather your soul’s earnest search. This truth still applies today.
January 15 | 9AM & 11AM
My Baptism Matters | Matthew 3:13-17 | Rev. Barrett Owen
When Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened, and God said, “This is my Beloved.” Henri Nouwen believes this is the same message God says to us at our baptism. After nearly two decades of higher, theological thought and church praxis and nearly thirty years of being a Christian, I agree. Our baptism sets a trajectory and tone for the deep, deep truth of who we are in Christ: A beloved child of God.
January 8 | 9AM & 11AM
The Story of the Magi | Matthew 2:1-12 | Rev. Barrett Owen
In Matthew 2, there are two sets of Magi. The Magi of the East are scholars who feel compelled to go and meet the God of not just Israel, but in fact the world. But there is another group we don’t often think about: the Magi of the West. This group of scholars are hunkered down in Jerusalem bidding for Herod’s attention and love. These two groups create a stark dichotomy of what faith looks like when it’s fueled by hope and mystery or fear and certainty. Learning about these two groups will help us find ourselves in the story.
