In Luke's account of the birth of Christ, an angelic herald proclaims to a group of shepherds "good news of great joy for all people." ECV exists to call all people to revolutionary lives of action through Spirit-empowered communities that love and obey Jesus Christ in all things. This week, we will consider this "all people" aspect of what it mean…

Joy is a major theme of the Christmas story, and for good reason—Mary rejoices with her cousin Elizabeth as she carries Jesus in her womb, angels announce the birth of Jesus as "good news of great joy" to the shepherds outside Bethlehem, and the Magi rejoice "exceedingly with great joy" as they approach the place of Jesus' birth. And yet even in th…

It’s that time of year. It gets dark before 5pm. It can seem like darkness is all there is. While that is true for December in the northeast, that can also feel real for our souls. But what if we remember that anything can be illuminated by God’s light? This light brings about truth—revelation about what is so, grace—warmth and kindness from the on…

On this first Sunday of Advent and of the liturgical year, we reflect on how Jesus was born to humble people in quiet village places, and not in a great city or to the rich and powerful. In our own time, too, it is in humility and quietness that we are invited to encounter Jesus and to receive from him the one true life, so often revealed in whispe…

In this third and final week before Advent, we will finish our 3-week series on worship with a time of extended musical worship interspersed with brief reflections on Scripture to help us review, reflect on, and embody worship in all areas of our lives. With word and song, our physical bodies, attentiveness to God in ordinary moments, and offering …

Worship is more than music. It is a whole life surrender to God’s will. This kind of whole-life worship reshapes our lives to look radically different than the patterns of this world. This week, in the second installment of our teaching series on worship, we’ll be exploring what it means for us to lead fully submitted lives of worship, beyond our c…

Do we live slow enough to notice invitations from God to worship? We don’t ever start worshipping God ex nihilo, out of nothing. We join in. We respond to an invitation. During our short series on WORSHIP before Advent, we are taking time to see worship as more than music. Worship is the site of our noticing God and drawing near. Worship is obedien…

This Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing from Julia Pickerill, co-senior pastor with her husband, Eric, at Vineyard Columbus, a flagship Vineyard church and the largest Vineyard church in the world. Julia and Eric have been part of Vineyard for many decades, led Joshua House, a rich and rooted young adult community at Vineyard Columbus for man…

During our series on Enemy Love, it may have been easy to wonder…but what about the Pharisees - the religious teachers that strongly oppose and eventually help kill Jesus? Jesus doesn’t seem too chummy with them. How is that love? Jesus does have a strange way of showing this group love. But by putting the pieces of our series together - creative e…

It can be easy to avoid our enemies, but it may be even easier to be offended by them. Jesus calls us to do something different: to love them. When we give up being offended, opportunities for love abound…even love that gets close. Jesus demonstrates this in his ministry. He gets close to people that his own community would consider enemies. When a…

If your sworn enemy asks you to love those who hurt you, you should run. If God asks the same, you should lean in and listen. Most people nod and agree with the teaching to love your neighbor — even if we don’t. But to love our enemies? Most laugh. Why love people who will hurt us? Why prioritize people who want to harm us? This seems foolish, unwi…

In this fourth week of our teaching series on Healing, we’ll be looking at what scripture has to say about the healing of our cities. The brokenness in our connections to one another can be so easy to see in the city around us. But real hope for the healing of our city can be harder for us to grab hold of. Do we hope in our own striving? Or is our …

God heals broken bodies. God heals troubling thoughts. But what about hearts? Broken hearts are not just the stuff of junior high drama. A broken heart steals our joy, robs our peace, and leads us to numbness. God isn’t only invested in our spiritual lives. God is invested in healing our hearts and emotions. We can ask God for full hearts in order …

God desires an integrated healing for us — body, mind, emotions, communities, and the world around us. In the Gospels, Jesus heals bodies. Does he heal minds too? With our increasing awareness of anxiety, depression, and trauma, it would be great if Jesus’ healing was more than skin deep. This Sunday, we’ll talk about how God does heals us through …

God heals. We see this in scripture. Jesus performs miracles and then his disciples do the same work of healing people from sickness and setting people free from dark forces. We see this in church history. Saints do healing work and communities rejoice. Hundreds of years later, do we see God’s healing in our lives? In our community? This Fall, we’r…

This week, for the final message of our summer series on the book of Ephesians, we will be looking at what it means to live as children of light. In a world like ours, with forces at play that are neither safe nor kind, it can be easy to keep parts of our lives hidden in the dark. But when we hide from God and from others, shame grows, and we becom…

In Ephesians 3, Paul writes about his ministry of bringing "the news of the boundless riches of Christ" to non-Jews (Gentiles), "to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God" (3:8) "now revealed...by the Spirit" (3:6).What is this mysterious plan now revealed? Would you believe that it's the church? "Through the churc…

What does God’s love mean to you? A question like that can elicit some pretty complicated and beautiful responses. Join us this week for another family friendly service filled with testimonies and lessons on what God’s love means to some of our youngest ECVers. - Series Description - How often do we lose sight of God’s character? We rupture a relat…

Church can be one of the easiest places to feel like we don’t belong. In this week’s portion of Ephesians, Paul reminds us that we have been brought in and no walls stand between us and Jesus. Not only so, but Jesus is the cornerstone of the new building being created by God from those who are called by him from the prophets to the apostles and on …

When we look around, things aren't perfect, or even ideal. The Bible uses stronger words- there's a way of death, and we see it daily. From wars between nations, injustice among people groups, or the internal strife we each feel. But there's also a promise that something unexpected can come from what we see, and people can be made ALIVE. Join us as…

How often do we lose sight of God’s character? We rupture a relationship and feel guilty. We sin and justify ourselves instead of seeking forgiveness. We lose our job and feel devastated. We need to remember who God is. God is powerful. God is alive. God is a unifier who makes us one. God is love. God is generous. God is light. The letter to Ephesu…

When Paul wrote to the church of Colassae, perhaps Paul wondered, “What if tomorrow, different households became faithful witnesses to the person of Jesus in all that they do? What would our world look like with multiple homes on fire with the Holy Spirit?” Paul’s ancient letter to the Colossians encourages the church of Colassae to dwell with Jesu…

When we look at the world around us, there is so much death. So many default ways of being and living that bring about harm, emptiness, something other than freedom. We see it in our individual lives, and we see it in the oppressive systems and structures all around us. And yet, Jesus invites us to live with our minds and hearts set on a different …

Paul’s letter to the Colossians urgently encourages the church in Colossae to remember their connection to Christ, where the fullness of God lives. Christ, the head of the Church. Christ, the one who aids God in reconciling all to Himself. Paul wants the Colossians to know that they are complete in Christ. Yet, many of them are living captive to de…

In the first two weeks of our teaching series on the book of Colossians, we've explored the "hope laid up in heaven" (Col 1:5) that the gospel articulates, good news that "bears fruit" in the communities to which it has come all over the world. While Christ's supremacy has been "proclaimed to every creature under heaven," the rule and reign of God …

We conclude our post-Easter teaching series, Empty, on the Sunday that concludes Eastertide in the church calendar: the feast of Pentecost. We've explored the idea that empty things-- like the empty tomb of Easter morning-- can be places of blessing. When we empty our schedules, wallets, resumés, beds and more to be present to God we can experience…

Join us this Sunday as we continue our Empty series. We will focus on the Empty Bed. Is it a site of restless anxiety or a place of reflection and peace? Sometimes, our culture's messaging on sex and our trust in God's goodness in this tender area of our lives determines whether we hide in shame or isolation or whether we open up this part of our l…

The Bible talks a lot about power of the words that come out of our mouths. Proverbs says that death and life are in the power of our tongue. Are our tongues producing words of life or words of death? Join us this Sunday as we discover if our mouths are full of gossip, slander, and lies or truth, encouragement, and edification. - Series Description…

When we come to Jesus, we are not only joined to him, but to his people—to his household. In the way of Jesus, our identity as members of his household takes precedence over all other memberships and identities, and, humanly speaking, becomes the locus of all our other relationships. To continue the “Empty” series, this week’s sermon will be called…

It is easy to live our lives thinking that are worth is in our accomplishments. Thankfully, Jesus has a list of accomplishments that are different than our own. They are freeing and completely free. Child. Reliant on God’s power. One who discerns the way of Jesus with him, not alone. This is the way to a life where we don’t withdraw from the world;…

Empty wallet. Empty bank account. How could those things have anything to do with resurrection? Jesus’ life giving advice on money isn’t go forth and chase “up and to the right” or “more, more, more.” Instead, Jesus’ path towards abundance goes once again through loss. Can we trust Jesus with our finances? Whatever our answer is, come and consider …

Following our Easter service exploring the power of the empty tomb, we will spend several weeks looking at how resurrection changes emptiness. Because of the resurrection, we know that empty things can be blessed. And some things need to be emptied to be consecrated for blessings that go far beyond what we can see. How do our schedules, wallets, co…

What’s a time you’ve had something redefined? Was it sudden or over time? Some of us have woken up with an ordinary understanding of some specific part of our life and by the time we went to sleep, everything was different. Others had that change happen over months, years, decades. This Easter, we remember that Jesus’ followers went through a whirl…

What if tomorrow brought freedom to all people and the land? This was God's vision of Jubilee, a time when the Israelites were invited to take a break from harvesting every 50 years to let the land rest and enjoy the abundance God would provide. They were also called to free all enslaved people. This is the essence of Jubilee. Where are you longing…

Over the past few weeks during this season of Lent, we’ve been spending time considering God’s heart for those who are materially poor. There is Gospel good news for all of us in this call to love the poor. And yet, we can so easily miss the good news altogether because we get entangled and distracted with other things, like wealth, and stability, …

Jesus’ famous last words dealt with being known by one’s love. What does love have to do with the poor, service, and justice? A lot, it turns out. Love isn’t just motivation to do work with and among the marginalized. Love is how we will be recognized as disciples, students of Jesus. On Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing someone who has walke…

You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Exod 23:9). The remarkable text from Matt 25 about the sheep and the goats and the "least of these" has been with us every week so far in our series on "Loving the Poor in Word and Deed" as we've explored how we serve and encounter Jesus…

In the famous parable of the sheep and the goats, both parties are surprised by Jesus’ connection with the poor — even the ones who have seen Jesus through their feeding, clothing, visiting, and compassionate service. Through our hearing of the story, we don’t have to be surprised anymore that we can see Jesus in the face of the poor. Instead, our …

Who is “the poor”? What does that phrase even mean anyway? Throughout the Bible, that phrase is used to describe people God wants to remember, serve, include, and relieve. Yet, we often forget these people. During this Lenten season, we’re remembering this group and God’s call for us to serve the marginalized amongst us. In Matthew 25, Jesus has su…

Last week, Josh shared about how Jesus died for our sin not to be a big deal. But once we understand and receive the good news of Jesus’s rescue from sin… what happens next? How are we supposed to relate to our own sinfulness as people who have been set free from sin if we can’t stop sinning? This Sunday, for the second installment of our two-part …

After exploring four weeks on hospitality, we will dive into one of the most contested topics when it comes to hosting others — SIN. Jesus was constantly accused of spending time with tax collectors and sinners, unsavory types. Religious experts thought Jesus minimized God’s law. Jesus wasn’t just full words and teaching on the matter either; he to…

Our January teaching series on Hospitality has explored how we need to be hosted by God with the gifts of love, home, and family that God gives us and then give those gifts in turn to others. We conclude our series with the gift that makes all of those (and more) possible-- the gift of himself in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus, who welcomes sinners (L…

The loneliness epidemic in our country impacts our city and our church. Even with people around us and in our lives, we can ask who is our family? Once we receive family, we have a choice. Do we hoard sacred and beloved relationships? Or do we connect other people to life-giving relationships and see that family grow. When we’re warmed, we provide …

Last week, we kicked off our series, Warmed, by proclaiming and experiencing God’s love. Even though God’s love is abundant, we can act like it is as scarce as warmth in the winter. How can we show God’s warmth to others when we haven’t received it ourselves lately? We need to be hosted first by God with the gifts God gives us (love, home, family, …

Have you ever been so cold that you don’t share a blanket? When you finally get some warmth in the winter, sharing it is not so easy. Sometimes, we simply need to be warmed in order to share that warmth with others. This is often true for God’s lavish love and hospitality. How can we show God’s warmth to others when we haven’t lately received it ou…

When we think of humility, we often think about lowering ourselves and our self-worth so as to not seem prideful or arrogant. What if being humble is not about taking on a false worth but actually stepping into the fullness of who God created you to be? What does that mean in the scheme of God's bigger story that He is writing? Join us this Sunday …

All of us, at some point, have wrestled with belief and unbelief. When we doubt, sometimes it causes us to wonder - do our questions and uncertainty cut us off from God? Could any of God's promises still be real and trustworthy in the face of our own unbelief? How can we still cling to the bigger story of our faith when we're not sure? This Sunday,…

In Advent, we remember the anticipation of many who were looking forward to the birth of Jesus. In Advent, we also expect and look forward to the second coming of Jesus. Both parts of Advent help us expand our own story — it started well before us and it is connected to something beyond us. As we expect a bigger story than just our own, we grow in …

Last week, we learned that “can I pray for you right now” is a helpful question to encourage real-time compassion, discipleship, and service to others. This week, we’ll engage “come Holy Spirit” as a powerful prayer to call on the Spirit’s power. This is an ancient prayer that has its roots in the disciples waiting on the Spirit at Pentecost before…

In the last few weeks, we proclaimed that spiritual gifts like prophecy and healing are from God and are meant to build up the Body. We also demonstrated this through some practical exercises around these gifts that have yielded some good stories. Praise God! Our Empowered series continues looking at how any number of these spiritual gifts operate …