Follow Your Heart In movies, songs, and well-meaning conversations, we hear the phrase, “Follow your heart.” Is this advice in line with the Bible? In this sermon, Adam offers five helpful “runway lights” to keep us on track with God’s will as we discern the path forward in our lives. Hint—one of them involves our hearts.…

Ever heard someone say, "God won't give you more than you can handle"? It sounds good, but it might not be the whole story. In fact, Scripture is full of stories about people who faced more than they could bear. This week, Jordan explores how we might adjust this common phrase in light of what God does give us - his grace, his presence, and his Spi…

Three Ways God Lets Us Down, and Why We Can Still Trust Him “God will never let me down,” we sing, but if we’re honest with ourselves, many of us have felt let down by God. In this sermon Abby explores disappointment, how God uses falling as part of our formation, and Jesus’s invitation to a downwardly mobile life.…

The story of Eutychus is a powerful reminder that Jesus meets us in our exhaustion and offers true rest and renewal. This week, Adam continues our "Echoes of Easter" series with a look at Eutychus' story and an encouragement to welcome Jesus into our own weariness.By Adam Avery

When Jesus encounters a widow whose son has died, his compassion leads to a surprising twist in her life trajectory. In this sermon, Jordan takes us into the details of this the story, revealing Jesus’s heart and showing that God is in the business of turning endings into new beginnings.By Jordan Otruba

Following Jesus’s death and resurrection; it seemed there was no way forward for Peter but backward—a return to fishing. Was he stuck in the shame of having denied his friend and Lord? In this sermon, Abby explores the dynamics of shame through Peter’s story and offers a way toward healing.By Abigail Carroll

Jordan kicks off our sermon series, Echoes of Resurrection, investigating what we can learn from Tabitha’s story. He offers observations about lament, legacy, and living with the end in mind, challenging us to trust that when we come to the end of the story, God is on the other side.By Jordan Otruba

In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus revealed important lessons about God’s timing, the nature of death, and the centrality of community in the life of the believer. This Easter, Adam explores Lazarus’s story as an instructive signpost pointing to Jesus’s ultimate victory over sin and the grave.By Adam Avery

This Palm Sunday, Jordan takes us into Mark 11:1-10 to explore the “crowd” as a character in Jesus’ story. From shouts of “Hosanna!” to cries of “Crucify!” within days, Jordan reflects on how their shifting perceptions mirror our own struggles to understand what God is up to. Listen as we consider the “shout” of our lives and behold the Savior who …

Crucified between two criminals, scoffed at by soldiers and religious officials, mourned by close friends (women from Galilee) who witnessed his last breath--Jesus gave his life. In this Lenten audio meditation, we honor Jesus's death by entering the story of his last hours and allowing our hearts to lament, trusting that God will meet us in our la…

The two men Crucified alongside Jesus responded to him very differently: one with close-hearted anger and cynicism, the other with humble, honest openness. What can we learn from their respective responses, and what can we learn from Jesus' responses to them that can help us navigate our own hardships in a broken world?…

In this audio meditation, we step into the scene of Jesus's trial to consider Pilate's conundrum, observe how Jesus and Pilate hold power differently, and make ourselves available to where the Lord would meet us and encourage us in the details. ----more---- This Lent, join us as we bear witness to Jesus's Passion through the eyes of those who were …

This week, Jordan continues our "Witnesses" series with a look at Jesus through the eyes of Pontius Pilate. Through his eyes, we can trace a progression - from seeing Jesus as an inconvenience to recognizing him as a man who was who he said he was. Pilate's internal struggles mirror some of our own internal conflicts, yet even in Pilate's failures …

In this audio meditation, we see Jesus approached by Judas and a contingent of Roman soldiers. A dramatic scene unfolds in which Jesus reveals both his power and humility. What was surprising or instructive to the disciples in these moments? What is surprising or instructive to us? ----more---- This Lent, join us as we bear witness to Jesus's Passi…

What does Jesus give himself to in moments of crisis? This week, we visit the Garden of Gethsemane through the eyes of Peter, James, and John as they watch Jesus turn to people, place, and prayer in his time of great grief and distress.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

In this audio meditation, we meet Jesus and the disciples on the Mount of Olives and bear witness to the hours leading to his night-time arrest. What was it like for the disciples to watch Jesus pray in anguish, and what was it like for Jesus when his friends could no longer manage to stay awake to pray with him? How might God’s grace meet us in th…

What do we do with a mirror that reflects to us the truth of who we really are? Do we destroy the mirror? Avoid it? Or do we behold the mirror and all that it reveals? This week, Jordan focuses our attention on the ways Judas experienced Jesus to be such a mirror, and invites us to consider the ways that we might be tempted to respond to Jesus in t…

In this audio meditation, we approach the table as Jesus and the disciples share their last meal together before his arrest. What might it have been like for the disciples witnessing the Lord prophesy his imminent betrayal, then break bread and share it as a picture of his body about to be broken? What gift of encouragement might this scene hold fo…

At Jesus’s arrest, Peter swings his sword to defend his rabbi, but Jesus rebukes him. What has gone wrong? This week, Abby draws us in to Peter’s story, explores the theme of discernment, and invites us to consider where God’s grace is waiting for us at the intersection of Peter’s story and our own.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

In this audio meditation, we consider Jesus's entry to Jerusalem and the behind-the-scenes work of acquiring a donkey. What were these moments like for the disciples? What about for the crowds? What do you notice about Jesus as you slow down with the details and enter the story? ----more---- This Lent, join us as we bear witness to Jesus's Passion …

In this week's podcast, Adam reflects on the many seasons of life (from the book of Ecclesiastes). Then, Adam shares about the exciting season ahead in his life and in the life of Church at the Well.By Adam Avery

Listening in Community We know of the listening relationship Jesus has with the Father. We know that Jesus exists in listening community. But what does that mean for us, and for our community? This week, Jordan continues our series, "Everyone Who Has Ears Let Them Hear," with a few ways Jesus uses community to shape our hearing.…

Listening is Giving When Jesus healed the woman who had bled for twelve years, he stopped to listen to her story. As we seek to become more like Jesus, what role does listening play in living a Kingdom life? What can we draw from this story about how to listen well to others as a sign of God’s love?By Abigail Carroll

What does a "listening life" look like in a world that seems determined to minimize margin in our lives? This week, Jordan continues our series, "Everyone Who Has Ears, Let Them Hear," with a look at three marks of a listening life from the book of Matthew.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

This week, Adam continues our series, "Everyone Who Has Ears Let Them Hear," with a reflection on hearing the voice of God.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

Jesus's Listening Relationship with the Father Listening is key to our relationship with God, but how do we listen well? In this sermon, Abby looks at three snapshots from Jesus’s life and explores his listening relationship with the Father, inviting us to follow Jesus's example.By Abigail Carroll

How has God provided for you in the past year? What do you long for in the coming year? In this New Year's meditation, Abby leads us in a guided prayer of examen, where we reflect on the past year and prepare our hearts for what the year ahead holds, all the while seeking to notice God's grace in our lives.…

The Christmas story teaches us that making room in our lives for Jesus doesn’t guarantee a comfortable journey, but the hope we have in Jesus can carry us through any hardship that comes our way. This week, we look at the stories of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2 - two people who modeled this truth.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

Merry Christmas! Hear the good news - God is with you, and is nearer than you know!By Adam Avery

Hospitality is at the heart of who God is, and it's on full display in the Christmas story. In this sermon, Abby explores three moments of God's hospitality in John's account of the incarnation and invites us to receive his hospitality this Christmas with the heart of a child.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

When God invites Mary to live a miraculous story of faith, he does not invite her to live it alone. What might that say about God? On this third week of Advent, Jordan explores this question and more with a reflection on Mary and Elizabeth's interaction in Luke 1:35-45.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

When Mary said “yes” to the angel Gabriel, she was saying “yes” to making room in her life for God. In this sermon, Abby explores a biblical understanding of hospitality, shares some stories of hospitality, and invites us to discern where and how God might be asking us to make room for him and others.…

After a brief hiatus (due to Table Church Sunday and some other technical difficulties), we're back! This week, Jordan re-introduces us to the Advent season with a look at John the Baptist's life from Luke chapter 3.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

When Jesus gave thanks at the last supper, he set an example for us. This week, we explore communion as Eucharist--the Thanksgiving table--by looking back to Old Testament thanksgiving practices that can help us better understand the significance of the Last supper and more fully enter into the celebration of communion.…

This week, Adam continues our sermon series, "The Bread and the Cup," with a look at communion as The Lord's Supper.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

Communion - The Family Meal For the next four weeks, we will explore four different approaches to the communion table. This week, we begin our sermon series, "The Bread and the Cup," with a look at the elements as the family meal.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

How do we seek first the Kingdom of God while also faithfully engaging in politics? In this wrap-up to the series, God, Politics, and the Church, Adam highlights several biblical and historical figures who grappled with this question in their times, closing with Jesus’ invitation to his disciples and to us today as revealed in a parable and a praye…

Resisting Politics of Fear While our partisan politics often rely on paralyzing fear that casts out love, the Gospel truth we’re invited to live is perfect love that casts out fear. In this sermon, Adam explores how we can engage the political process while resisting the politics of fear.By Adam Avery

"How do you know that you've developed a disordered attachment with politics?" After looking at an example of disordered attachment in the book of Exodus, Adam invites us to consider this question and more in this week's sermon - the second in our "God, Politics, and the Church" series.By Adam Avery

Seven Marks of Faithfulness to Jesus in a Politically Hostile World As we approach the national election, many may be wondering, How can followers of Jesus navigate the raging political storms of our day? In the first sermon of a series called God, Politics, and the Church, Adam offers seven marks of faithfulness to Jesus in a politically hostile w…

When the Jewish people returned from exile to rebuild the temple, they hit a wall of discouragement and shifted their focus from God to themselves, neglecting the temple and focusing on their own houses. In this sermon, Adam invites us to consider our ways just as the prophet Haggai invited the Jewish people to do in their time, trusting that God i…

As we follow Jesus, it's not unlikely that we will face seasons and changes that feel like they require much more than we have in our own strength. Thankfully, Jesus promises his disciples the gift of his Spirit for moments just like this. This week, we take a look at two stories from the book of Acts that show the Spirit showing up for people in n…

Jesus invites us to ask the Father for what we need, assuring us the Father delights in giving good gifts to his children when they ask. In this sermon, featuring a guest interview with Rick Pacukonas, we explore Jesus’s invitation to ask, several ways of thinking that can get in the way of asking, how God might be at work in our lives when we must…

Welcome back! This week, Adam shares four questions to consider while searching for the right home church.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

Sabbath is meant to be a blessing, not a burden, but we may hold assumptions about Sabbath that weigh it down and hinder us from receiving the gift of Sabbath rest God longs to give. In this audio reflection, Abby offers three approaches to thinking about Sabbath that will help us ponder and practice Sabbath with fresh perspective.…

In a society that values excessive work and honors extreme productivity, the practice of Sabbath is quite counter-cultural. Yet, Sabbath remains a remarkable invitation from God to stop, rest, worship, and delight. This week, ahead of our Summer Sabbath series, Adam shares some of the dangers of living a "hurry-sick" life, and invites us to conside…

Our culture is saturated with cynicism, and the church is not immune to it, but Jesus calls us to a different way. In this sermon, Ian examines several powerful moments in Jesus’ life and ministry when he resisted cynicism and concludes with three spiritual practices that can help us counter cynicism.…

Joy does not depend on the elimination of suffering because it transcends suffering and can even co-exist with suffering. In this sermon, Adam offers a biblical definition of joy, shares a story about the co-existence of joy and pain in his own life, and offers a concrete practice that has helped him cultivate joy.…

Josh Riggs, pastor of Church at Prison, shares the story of his surprising calling to work with inmates in Vermont prisons and gives us a glimpse of the heart of God for people the world considers unapproachable.By Adam Avery, Abigail Carroll, and Jordan Otruba

How is kindness different from niceness? In this sermon, Abby offers a biblical definition of kindness, teases out what we can learn about kindness from the story of David and Mephibosheth, shares a story from her own life about experiencing kindness, and looks at three kindness killers.By Abigail Carroll