With-God Life
The People of God in Eternity – Revelation
Palm Sunday, April 13 Traditions worship service.
This Sunday, April 13, 2025 we will celebrate the culmination of our With-God Life Series that we began in September of 2023!
During this two-year series, we have surveyed through the whole of scripture from Genesis to Revelation through the lens of Spiritual formation. And throughout we have learned that The Immanuel Principle is the way God has interacted with human life throughout history. Through all the pages of the Bible we find God saying to us, “I am with you” God says, “Will you be with me?”
This Sunday as we come to the end of this series with the theme The People of God in Eternity as we consider the book of Revelation, we also celebrate Palm Sunday! We’ll have a Palm Procession remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at all the services and a special video to celebrate our With-God Life series.
At our 11am Service this Palm Sunday we will also celebrate our children singing and a special commissioned anthem composed by Pepper Choplin for our choir to sing on the With-God Life.
Luke 19:28-40
Revelation 1:4-8; 7:9-17
The People of God in Community – The Letters of John and Jude
Sunday, April 6 Traditions worship service.
William Law, an 18th century Anglican priest wrote: “If we are to be new people in Christ, then we must show our newness to the world. If we are to follow Christ, it must be in the way we spend each day.”
As we approach the letters of James and Peter this week, we remember that these writers likely knew each other and even walked together with Jesus! They were both also instrumental in the development of the first Christian community in Jerusalem that began to be organized after the day of Pentecost.
1 John 1:5-9; 3:1-3
1 John 4:7-21
Jude 1:7-21; 24-25
The People of God in Community – James, 1 and 2 Peter
Sunday, March 30 Traditions worship service.
William Law, an 18th century Anglican priest wrote: “If we are to be new people in Christ, then we must show our newness to the world. If we are to follow Christ, it must be in the way we spend each day.”
As we approach the letters of James and Peter this week, we remember that these writers likely knew each other and even walked together with Jesus! They were both also instrumental in the development of the first Christian community in Jerusalem that began to be organized after the day of Pentecost.
Join us in worship as we consider how to live with integrity as those who seek to follow Jesus at 9am in CLC or 11am in the Sanctuary or online!
1 Peter 1:1, 3-9
James 1:19-27; 2:14-17
James 3:1-6, 9-10
The People of God in Community – Hebrews
Sunday, March 23 Traditions worship service.
This week in the With-God Life: The People of God in Community we focus on the unique New Testament book Hebrews–which defies all other biblical genres. It’s kind of its own thing which is closer to a long sermon than it is a letter. Who it was written to and who it was written by remains a mystery. Still, we will find encouragement and challenge to follow Jesus and remain faithful to Jesus despite whatever hardships we may face.
Hebrews 1:1-3; 12:1-2, 12-15; 13:1-8, 15-17
The People of God in Community – Timothy and Titus
Sunday, March 16 Traditions worship service.
This Sunday, March 16 in our With-God Life Series: The People of God in Community we transition from Paul’s letters to specific churches that he had started or had influence over to what are known as the Pastoral Letters–1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. These 3 books in the New Testament were written by Paul to specific individual leaders named Timothy and Titus. They are written from one pastor to another pastor. These letters are important because they help us catch Paul’s vision for the nature of the church–how what we believe shapes how we live and behave.
1 Timothy 1:1-2; 2:1-6; 4:11-16
Titus 3:1-9
The People of God in Community – Thessalonians
Sunday, March 9 Traditions worship service.
We first learn about Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica in Acts 17: “After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews” (17:1). It’s very likely that the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is the earliest letter in the New Testament! This means that, for us as readers today, we find in 1 Thessalonians what was first on the mind of Paul and what were the initial issues being confronted by the early Church like: concerns about the timing of the return of Jesus Christ, the ethical behavior of Christians, and what is our task as disciples of Jesus. Join us this Sunday at 11am as we continue to learn from the Apostle Paul.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; 4:13-5:11; 5:12-28
The People of God in Community – Colossians
Sunday, March 2 Traditions worship service.
This Sunday we continue our With-God life series on the people of God in community as we focus on Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This short epistle is a theological masterwork that proclaims the universality and sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Join us in the Sanctuary at 11am or online as we wrestle with the idea of ultimate truth in a culture of competing ideologies. We hope to see you in worship!
Colossians 1:9-23
The People of God in Community – Philippians
Sunday, February 23 Traditions worship service.
Philippians is one of the letters Paul wrote from prison. It’s also his most personal letter because Paul knew these people so well. (You can read about Paul in Philippi in Acts 16.) In response to the Philippians kindness and generosity, Paul writes this letter full of gratefulness thanking God for this community of Jesus followers. We’ll find Paul’s encouragement for today, too, as he encourages us to imitate the humility of Christ and through the cultivation of joy find resilience in the midst of trouble. It’s a short letter, so you are encouraged to read it before you come to worship this Sunday, February 23rd at 9am in the CLC or 11am in the Sanctuary.
Philippians 1:1-11; 2:1-5
Philippians 4:2-9
The People of God in Community – Ephesians
Sunday, February 16 Traditions worship service.
This short New Testament Letter to the Ephesians invites us to consider our place as part of a church family–this unlikely group of people the Holy Spirit has brought together to be God’s people in this place for this season. How are you working to help our church family tend to our work of making God’s love real? We encourage you to be inspired by reading the 6 chapters of Ephesians and join us in worship at 9am in the CLC or 11am in the Sanctuary this Sunday.
Ephesians 1:1-2, 15-23
Ephesians 3:14-21; 4:1-6
The People of God in Community – Galatians
Sunday, February 9 Traditions worship service.
This Sunday we continue this section of the With-God Life called the People of God in Community. Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia is a textbook on Spiritual Formation. If we are living the Gospel rightly as individuals and in community then the Holy Spirit will be working in and through us, shaping and working us into the people we’re called to be as followers of Jesus Christ. In this beloved letter, Paul warns us of pitfalls along the path and lists the qualities, the “fruit” that the Spirit will bring forth in our lives. Join us in the Sanctuary service at 11:00am or watch the live stream on Facebook or Youtube.
Galatians 3:23-29, 5:13-26
The People of God in Community – Corinthians
Sunday, February 2 Traditions worship service.
We continue in our With-God Life Series this week working through the genre of New Testament literature we call LETTERS. For some background information on Paul’s relationship with the church at Corinth read Acts Chapter 18. Paul lived among the Corinthian followers of Jesus for a year and a half before he moved on to start churches in other cities. But, soon after he moved on, he learned that the Corinthian community was dealing with all kinds of problems and divisions just within the church community, which is why he wrote this letter. Join us this Sunday, Feb. 2 at 11am online or in person as we learn together how to grow our capacity to love like God loves us in Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13
The People of God in Community – Romans
Sunday, January 26 Traditions worship service.
We re-enter our series on the With-God Life this Sunday as we begin this section on The People of God in Community engaging with the genre of literature in scripture known as Letters. Paul’s Letter to the Romans is a remarkable treatise explaining what we call the GOSPEL–the good news of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This letter has had a wide ranging impact on Christian history, including the Protestant Reformation’s doctrine of justification by faith. Its influence upon John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement is also evident throughout his writings, most famously in this journal entry:
“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” (Works, “Journals,” May 24, 1738, para. 14)
As we approach this letter through the lens of spiritual formation we’ll focus on Paul’s desire to encourage and guide the community life of early Christians living in the city of Rome. Try reading Romans yourself! And join us for worship this Sunday 9am Contemporary Service in the CLC or 11am in the Sanctuary!
Romans 1:1-12
Romans 12
Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Sunday, January 12 Traditions worship service.
“Behold, the Lamb of God!” That’s how John the Baptist acknowledges Jesus after baptizing him in the Jordan. This Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, yet another example of God’s upside-down kingdom where the divine is baptized by the human. We can identify with John in our unworthiness but we are called to remember who we are in Jesus, that we share in his frailty as well as his victory. Today we reaffirm our pledge to resist evil in all its forms, repent of our sin and live into the service God has called us to.
Matthew 3:13-17
John 1:29-34
Fourth Sunday of Advent – Mary and Elizabeth
Sunday, December 22 Traditions worship service.
Immediately after Mary’s encounter with the Angel Gabriel and the announcement that she will bear a child who will be named Jesus and will be called the son of God, Luke tells us Mary “went with haste” to the Judean hillside to the home of Zachariah and Elizabeth. It was a journey of at least 70 miles, 100 miles when avoiding Samaria. It appears she traveled on foot and alone. Elizabeth greets Mary with blessings of welcome and joy, when other family members would have rejected Mary because of her circumstances. They spend a whole trimester together and we learn much about friendship and hospitality from Elizabeth and Mary.
Luke 1:39-45, 46-56
Third Sunday of Advent – Gabriel and Mary
Sunday, December 15 Traditions worship service.
This week in our With-God Life in Advent we consider the Annunciation text from Luke 1: 26-38. In preparation for Sunday, reflect on this story visually through the work of the Italian Renaissance artist Fra Filippo Lippi from the mid fifteenth century. Fra Lippi was a Carmelite friar who lived a complicated, troubled life but painted devotional subjects with understanding and clarity. The viewer is drawn into the intimate scene by the semicircular structure of the painting.
The use of perspective communicates that this is a real event. Visual simplicity is achieved by placing the two kneeling figures opposite one another. On the right Mary is holding a book, symbolizing the Word of God become flesh. Gabriel, easily identified by his golden wings, is holding a lily, a symbol of purity. The diagonal rays of light extend from the dove toward Mary as she listens humbly as Gabriel declares, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Enjoy our worship service on Sunday, December 15th with special musical guest harpist Anita Burroughs Price. There will be an extended Prelude of harp music beginning at 10:50am.
Luke 1:26-38
Second Sunday of Advent – Elizabeth and Zechariah
Sunday, December 8 Traditions worship service.
Of the four Gospels, only Luke begins with the story of the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth—the story of a couple getting on in years, the wife thought to be barren, any hope of having children all but gone. Then comes the incredible promise of a child to be born to them.
How would you describe yourself when required to wait? On pins and needles, itching to change your situation? Resigned to what may be a long trial? Impatient? Eager, yet willing to wait? What does your response to waiting reveal about your relationship with God?
Luke 1:5-25, 57-80
First Sunday of Advent – Joseph
Sunday, December 1 Traditions worship service.
We begin the Season of Advent this Sunday, December 1st as we return to our With-God Life Series and focus on the Gospel Narratives surrounding the birth of Jesus. This week we’ll revisit the Gospel of Matthew and consider how the ultimate with-God event is announced to Joseph. Throughout scripture we’ve seen how God had been present with individuals, with a family, with a tribe, then with a people. But, now God announces that God will be with us personally and will experience all of the limitations, vulnerabilities and struggles of human life. How has the reality that God took on human flesh and lived among us changed your life?
Matthew 1:18-25
The People of God on Mission – Acts part 3
Sunday, November 17 Traditions online worship service.
The road goes ever on. This week we conclude this section of the With-God Life journey looking at the People of God on mission. After the historic events of the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15 the rest of Luke’s narrative of the early followers of Jesus focuses on Paul’s missionary journeys. Armed with the good news that the Kingdom of God is available to all, Paul survives persecution, shipwreck, and even incarceration while never ceasing to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. What can we learn from Paul’s perseverance and creativity as we share the same message today? Join us in person or online as we respond to this important story.
Acts 17:16-28
The People of God on Mission – Acts part 2
Sunday, November 10 Traditions online worship service.
Since the beginning of our With-God Life journey considering scripture through the lens of spiritual formation we have seen how God’s aim throughout history has been to create an all-inclusive community of loving persons. As we continue to move through the Acts of the Apostles we’ll see how the earliest followers of Jesus worked to make this come to pass. Specifically, the coming together of Jews and Gentiles across cultural and ritual divides almost didn’t happen! Right in the center of Luke’s history of the early church, Luke writes about the Jerusalem council (chapter 15) where the whole Church gathers to work out a compromise so that the Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus could be in full communion with one another. Consider reading Acts chapters 9-15 before worshiping with us on November 10th in person or online
Acts 15:1-20
The People of God on Mission – Acts part 1
Sunday, October 27 Traditions online worship service.
This Sunday we continue our journey on the With-God Life series moving into a new part of the story – the people of God on mission. The Gospel of Luke told the story of the Acts of Jesus and now the same author continues with the Acts of the Apostles. In the first 8 chapters we experience the ascension of Jesus, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the explosive growth of the early church. Luke describes in detail the life of the early believers and their leaders and how they encounter opposition and persecution and eventually are scattered. Join us in worship this Sunday when we have a special contemporary service in the CLC from 9:00am to 9:45am in addition to our usual 11:00am service. We hope to see you there!
Acts 1:1-11
Acts 4:32-37
Acts 8:26-40