Serve
This week's message will feel a bit like preaching to the choir. Mosaic people serve better than most. You guys have an amazing ability to show up again and again with food, hugs, compassion, prayer, and whatever else is needed so that others sense themselves loved and closer to Jesus. Thank you for being that kind of community that loves to serve more than being served. As we continue to talk about how to BLESS others, you have a head-start on what it looks like to serve in practical ways. So come on Sunday and let's celebrate the ways we can (and do!) serve the way Jesus served.
Eat
Shakespeare once asked, “What’s in a name?” This week we ask, “What’s in a meal?” Sharing a meal was a sign of friendship in the ancient world. In many ways Jesus saw it as a sign of His Kingdom. When done with the right heart, sharing a meal creates space for God to work. It also gives people a taste of the life to come. So, this week, we will look at how Jesus used the dinner table to give of himself and invite people into the good life.
Listen
Jesus was and is a really good listener. Consequently, Jesus' miracles were almost always preceded by a conversation. That means the answer to the question “What would Jesus do?” is often, He would take time to really listen to people. So, what if listening to a person gives God the opportunity to show us what He is doing in that person's life? What if it is part of the way we become conduits of God’s grace? What if learning to listen well is part of how we bless those in our circles of engagement?
Begin with Prayer
Prayer is hard for do-ers (can I get an Amen?)! It feels like we aren't "doing" at all. And yet, maybe the most counter-intuitive thing we do, when we want to serve like Jesus, is to do a thing that feels like doing nothing at all. If we want to love our neighbors in a way that changes the world, all the spiritual wisdom encourages us to begin with prayer, so this week that's where we'll start. We'll start with what it looks like to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit and go where he sends.
B.L.E.S.S. Overview
Do you have a heart for people in your world who don’t know Jesus, but you’re not sure what to do about it? We live in a world where evangelism often gets a bad rap and sometimes for good reason. What if God is the ultimate evangelist? What if Jesus had a vision of blessing people so they can experience God’s grace and discover that God is indeed good? What if community, not slick salesmanship, is essential to this vision of evangelism? This Sunday, we will kick off a series called B.L.E.S.S. that will show us how to join God in the work He is doing, calling people around us into deep, life-giving relationship with Him.
We Can Help Shape Each Other’s Stories
When we listen to God's voice and listen to others, God can use us to help shape their stories.
The Promise, The Story, and The Blessing
Genesis 46 -48 | The Promise, The Story, and The Blessing
Friends, we are coming to the close of a powerful and rich journey through the Book of Genesis as a community. I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed walking through it with you. This week, we get to see this beautiful story come full circle. It leaves us asking the question, what does it mean to give the blessing? Come and together let's discover the invitation to participate in giving the blessing to those around us, and by doing so, join God in restoring the world.
Reframing By Grace
Last week, we listened to Joseph's story of exile and rescue. We learned from his experience with dreams what is means to carry the favor of God and to step humbly into redemption. This week, we take up the second half of his story and learn through his family relationships what it means to walk in step with a forgiving God. We discover from his story (and from the New Testament story of Onesimus) that the first person (and sometimes the only person) to benefit from forgiveness is us. Bring your hardest circumstances and relationships with you into worship this week. Let's watch together as God draws healing waters up from his well of Grace.
Jesus Is Our Rescue
Genesis 37-41: Dreams Conferred and Deferred
When you have a dream, but can't figure out how to get there, it can be so frustrating. When your dreams take you in unexpected directions, it can be surprising (and sometimes disappointing!) This Sunday, we meet the original Dreamer -- Jacob's son, Joseph. We discover through Joseph's story that dreams are one way God moves our stories forward. Looking forward to talking about dreams, visions, exile, and hope ...
“We’re Not Gonna Play Games, We’re Gonna Honor God.”
We're nearing summer, and for some of us that means finding space and time to hit our favorite beach or vacation spot -- that place that feels like peace and rest the minute we walk through the door. Do you have a place like that? Or maybe you have a space closer to home that, that when you step into it, you sense the presence of God.
I have several spaces like that. One is a trail near my house. As soon as my foot falls on that trail, I breathe easier. My brain stops racing. I hear Jesus better. It's a holy place.
In this week's Genesis passage, we get to visit Bethel, Jacob's holy ground. We can feel the goodness of God as Jacob encounters Him there, and we too, can hunger for that space where God shows up. I hope you can say that Mosaic is one of those places for you. And I hope this Sunday, as you step into worship and hear the Word of God, you (like Jacob) can say, "Surely the Lord is in this place!"
