Denver Community Church

August 2, 2020: Holding Steady – Scott Oppliger

This week we will talk about how life has a way of shaking us up, especially right now in our world. One of the reasons we look to the Bible for insight and help is because the writers speak to our human experience. We relate. We know what the writer is talking about. King David shares his experience of being confused, anxious, fearful, and disoriented in Psalm 62. He declares that God is his rock and he won’t be shaken. What does this mean? What can we learn from David’s experience that could help us today? How can we be connected to God in ways that center and ground us in the midst of a tumultuous world?

Spiritual Formation Gathering – Confronting Systemic Injustice

As a faith community, we must continually challenge ourselves to follow the way of Jesus.  Included in this is educating ourselves about racism and engaging in the difficult work of dismantling systems of oppression that impact our BIPOC brothers and sisters.  Our process must include both personal contemplation and action. 

This recording is from our Spiritual Formation Workshop on the theme of “confronting systemic injustice”. This was a time to help us grow in our understanding and practice of the necessary internal work that we can do to support our advocacy. 

July 26, 2020: Hungry for Joy – Bekah Stewart

In this teaching, we will look at John 6 – the feeding of the 5000 and then Jesus saying "I am the bread of life." We will explore what it means to "taste and see that the Lord is good" through the practice of gratitude.

July 19, 2020: Follow the Leader – Nick Elio

We'll explore the process of discipleship by diving into the model that Jesus used with his disciples, exploring the great commission, and thinking about what it looks like for us to both have someone in front of us we are following and someone behind us we are leading.

July 12, 2020: The Courage to Rest – Amanda Lum

Many of us find ourselves weary and worn out. Especially in this time of a world-wide pandemic. God’s invitation to us is to experience rest and restoration in our lives even in the midst of all the demands we face. God created for six days and then “God rested”. One of the commands is to keep the Sabbath holy. What does keeping a Sabbath have to do with rest? Why is it hard to accept that invitation to rest? What does it mean to rest? How do we rest? These are the questions we will pursue in this teaching. 

July 5, 2020: Flesh & Blood – Dave Neuhausel

Explore how personal sin is merely the symptom of the much darker, insidious, and unseen diseases that are rooted in power and principalities.

June 28, 2020: Just This – Michael Hidalgo

The Church in Galatia was in a theological bind. They were arguing about what was expected of those who were a part of the Church. Rules. Beliefs. Expectations. All of these things have the power to bind us, to imprison us and shackle us as slaves in the world of poor religion. It’s nothing new, we do the same thing today. What God wants is freedom for all people.

Into this context, Paul writes and says, “The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love.” That’s it. It is that simple. Our faith is to worked out in our lives and through our lives into the world by love. What if this framed our theology? Our beliefs? Our thinking? Our religion? Our church? Phrased another way, if our faith when worked out is not love, it is dead wrong. It’s possible, this really is the only thing that matters.

June 21, 2020: Make It Real – Jon Gettings

Here we have a description of love. It begs the question what does patience, kindness, joy, humility, honoring others, seeking good for others, not being easily angered, not keeping a record of wrongs, not delighting in evil, rejoicing with the truth, protecting, trusting, hoping and persevering look like in everyday life? If we can begin to form a response to this question we might come close to being those who put hands and feet on the idea of love.

While it may seem overwhelming, this long list has two things in common. First, they all describe the Divine. Second, they all insist we place others before self. So, it could be said, the practice of love is to imitate the love we see in Jesus, one who always placed others before himself.

June 14, 2020: The Most Excellent Way – Michael Hidalgo

Paul spills a lot of ink leading up to these verses. He addresses questions of lifestyle, worship, Eucharist, service and unity among the Church in Corinth. Then he points out even if all these things are in place - if there is no love - then not one of them is worth it. It is just noise. It is all nothing. It is worthless. Love, is the most excellent way. 

This is important for us to consider for often we can be about all sorts of good things - speaking Divine words, spouting knowledge and wisdom, giving generously, even risking our own security for the sake of others ... but if any of these things are done without love it simply does not matter. Which means love must be the foundation of all we do - whether justice, generosity, teaching, acts of service, worship - everything must be grounded in love.

June 7, 2020: Do You Know Who You Are? – Bekah Stewart

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” That’s the mark. That’s how we can be identified as Jesus followers: by loving each other. This was the command Jesus gave to those who follow his way, and as disciples they understood that living life in imitation of their rabbi was what being a disciple was all about.

 

Jesus, later tells them what this love looks like when he speaks about laying down one’s life for their friends. Of course, in the immediate context, Jesus was about to lay down his life for everyone, not just his friends. But when we consider practicing love in the way of Jesus - what does it look like for us to lay down our lives for one another?