Awaken Community

This week's teaching is a little bit less about what Jonah said and more about what he did (or didn't do) as a prophet of the Lord. What does the context of this book tell us? Does it matter if we read it literally or as a parable?

To start off our new series, Micah shares a few excerpts from the book of Jeremiah. As a prophet of the Lord, his messages are varied and many. He speaks challenges along with hope. Where can we fill the gap between what we say and what we do? And how can we count on hope, the hope that comes from God, in a time where it feels like there isn't any?

We begin a new series this week which will be an exploration of the prophets of the Bible. In a world filled with tumult, we hope to hear the voice of the Living God from the prophets of old and the prophets among us.

In this discussion of what we want to be as a church, it has to include how we can serve the community around us. We don't want to be a community that's sole focus is inward and our own needs. To be a community that's trying to look more and more like Jesus, it must include serving those around us.

Every year, we come back to the basics of what we want Awaken to be. Obviously, this year has had a major impact on our community. It's changed a lot of what we do and what our new rhythms have become. Our goal is that it doesn't change who we are.

What are the quid pro quos you grew up hearing? Was one of them pulled from Proverbs 16:3 - "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed"? Maybe it means something different than what we were originally taught.

Psalm 139 says “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” Which begs the question, does God get mail in both Heaven and in Hell? Micah talks through the history of heaven and hell, and what the psalmist is really saying here.

“Sex is really fun! And good!” Becky Patton and Micah continue the conversation talk-show-style from last week about Song of Solomon, sex, Christianity, and how we got here.

For the first time, Micah teaches from the book of Song of Songs. Known by many to be the Sexiest Chapter in the Bible, chapter 7 has been hotly debated across the spectrum of Christianity. From some saying it's an allegory to others saying it's a love letter, there's a lot to talk about. 

This week, Micah discusses Psalm 51 and the value of confession in community. The word confession can bring a lot of other words to mind, mixed feelings, and for some, memories. What does this Psalm show us about what biblical confession can look like?

Micah tackles the book of Ecclesiastes and this seemingly bizarre verse giving license to pursue food, money and wine. 

Some of us can really relate to Job right about now. As Pastor Jenna puts it, life can feel like grief on grief on grief. How can we read the story of Job seemingly being a pawn in a game between Jesus and Satan differently? Jenna brings a whole new perspective to the table.   The video sermon is not available this week but will be back next week!

This morning, we start with a question: "How can I trust the Bible when there are so many contradictions and discrepancies in it?" Maybe the answer is in how we read the bible and the fundamentalist Evangelical filter we've seen it through.

Have you ever seen those lists of names in the bible and proceeded to the next page to the "important stuff"? Been there, done that. Pastor Jenna brings another side to the lists that may make you want to go back and read them. Sometimes it can seem like a dry accounting of male figures in history. But there's much, much more to those seemingly endless lists.

Typically, our Lost in Translation series takes a difficult to understand or interpret passage and dissects is. This morning, we're doing it with an idea or concept - Justice. As a follower of Jesus, how should we define justice? It has often been misunderstood and construed. This morning, Micah takes a look at biblical justice, the Jewish definition of it, and the pledge of allegiance.

We're going back for more - round two on Psalm 137! There are more layers to this Psalm that we just couldn't fit into one teaching. This week, Micah looks at Psalm 137 from the view of the oppressed living under their oppressor. That filter reveals a completely different picture than what we talked about last week.

Psalm 137 pleads a case for honesty in our relationship with the Divine. It is a raw, unfiltered view into the lives of the oppressed. In exile, the empire did everything it could to strip the Israelites of their identities, everything that made them who they were; traditions, songs, language, religion, etc. In that context, the raw hatred is a lot easier to understand.

A time honored tradition at Awaken, we do our Lost in Translation series each summer to focus on parts of the Bible that may be confusing or difficult to understand. Our worship leader Melody kicks off this summer's series with Psalm 37. This Psalm somehow talks about justice and desire in one poem - how does that play out and in this case what do they have to say about each other? The answer adds deep, deep meaning to where we find ourselves right now.

How does bearing witness show up in the scriptures? It's a thread that winds its way through the people and parables of the Old Testament. And then Israel begins to worship idols and no longer bears witness of the love of God. Perhaps the stories of Acts is the way they find their way back to bearing witness to the good news of the love of God. 

This morning we take some time to lament the last week in the life of our city and also think about the prophet and the lament and the role they play in scripture and in our lives.