Awaken Community

For the third week of Advent, Micah looks at what God's response to the suffering of his people looks like and shows how it's another way that the Kingdom of God looks very different than what we might expect. 

Micah delves into Mary's Song, also called The Magnificat, and shares his reflections on seeing Mary as a prophet as well as a mother.

Micah kicks off Advent and a new series with John the Baptist. As God seems to do so often, he takes the oddball, the outcast, the one perceived to be on the outside to speak truth to those in power and bring a mirror to the faces of those who have lost their way in Christ. John the Baptist is the perfect example.

We are privileged to have Pastor Judy Howard Peterson speaking on Deborah this week. As always, Judy brings a new perspective and normalizing view of biblical characters.

Many have argued that the prophet's role is to be the conscience of the state. Micah shares some compelling through lines and comparisons of the prophecies of Nathan to the situation we find ourselves in today.

What would have to happen for God to say "I hate your gatherings!"? What could make God so angry? Rotten fruit. Micah asks some hard questions and sees what the prophet Amos has to say.

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.