Denver Community Church

December 21, 2014: From Words to Experience – Landon Lynch

We live in a world of words. From texts to tweets to emails to signs to conversations. And yet in this milieu of words we suffer from a lack of meaning. Isn’t this interesting? It seems that all the words in the world are not enough. It’s why someone can tell you they love you, and when we experience the way we are treated we know it’s not true.

Words will never do what one really good experience will do. We can learn about poverty through books and stats and research … but when you are in a slum holding a dying child you learn so much more about poverty than a book could ever teach you.

What we really long for as humans are real and true experiences. We have been fooled into thinking words are the best way to communicate something – which is why we move from words to experience. But God, in the person of Jesus moved the other way. “The word became flesh …” Why? Because God could never explain himself to us with words, so he came to us to and shared in our experience so we could understand him.

December 14, 2014: A Divine Dilemma – Michael Hidalgo

We’ve lost what is means to be human. We know we are dirt. We know we have the Divine breath in us. But we don’t know how to live in this. We too often give ourselves over to the dirt. And when we do this we somehow snuff out the Divine – at the very least in our consciousness.

But there is still this thing in us, isn’t there? 

This longing for a home that is somehow here, and yet it still feels far away. It’s the echo that we hear just as it fades away. It’s a sense that we’ve been made for more. That eternity is actually in our hearts, but somehow we can’t access it. It’s an ache, a longing, a desire … it’s the Divine breath within us screaming out “You are more than dirt.” And it’s this longing that Jesus came to reveal to us in his flesh. To show us what it really means to be human – to be, as the Psalmist says, “gods.”

December 14, 2014: A Divine Dilemma – Landon Lynch

We’ve lost what is means to be human. We know we are dirt. We know we have the Divine breath in us. But we don’t know how to live in this. We too often give ourselves over to the dirt. And when we do this we somehow snuff out the Divine – at the very least in our consciousness.

But there is still this thing in us, isn’t there? 

This longing for a home that is somehow here, and yet it still feels far away. It’s the echo that we hear just as it fades away. It’s a sense that we’ve been made for more. That eternity is actually in our hearts, but somehow we can’t access it. It’s an ache, a longing, a desire … it’s the Divine breath within us screaming out “You are more than dirt.” And it’s this longing that Jesus came to reveal to us in his flesh. To show us what it really means to be human – to be, as the Psalmist says, “gods.”

December 7, 2014: We Are Gods – Michael Hidalgo

The Psalmist proclaims we are gods – and uses the same Hebrew word for God (elohim) when he says this. And while this idea may well make us uneasy Jesus quotes it to refute the arguments of the religious elite in John 10.34. Of course, this does not mean what we think it means, does it? Can it?

Well first, this Scripture – or any Scripture – does not proclaim we are divine. However it does teach that we can become by grace what God is by nature. This is what Peter was getting at when he speaks about participating in the divine nature. It’s not just that we know about God or that we know God intimately. That we experience a union with the Divine.

This is why Scripture speaks so adamantly about us being perfect, and being co-heirs with Jesus. The presumption of the authors is we can (and will) become like Jesus. We have so disavowed this idea that it can seem like utter nonsense. But it is what the early church held to for years. Perhaps it’s time once again to pursue this union with Jesus. And how would we do that? The first step is learning about the life he lived. Which means immersing our whole self in him and in his teachings.

December 7, 2014: We Are Gods – Landon Lynch

 

The Psalmist proclaims we are gods – and uses the same Hebrew word for God (elohim) when he says this. And while this idea may well make us uneasy Jesus quotes it to refute the arguments of the religious elite in John 10.34. Of course, this does not mean what we think it means, does it? Can it?

Well first, this Scripture – or any Scripture – does not proclaim we are divine. However it does teach that we can become by grace what God is by nature. This is what Peter was getting at when he speaks about participating in the divine nature. It’s not just that we know about God or that we know God intimately. That we experience a union with the Divine.

 

This is why Scripture speaks so adamantly about us being perfect, and being co-heirs with Jesus. The presumption of the authors is we can (and will) become like Jesus. We have so disavowed this idea that it can seem like utter nonsense. But it is what the early church held to for years. Perhaps it’s time once again to pursue this union with Jesus. And how would we do that? The first step is learning about the life he lived. Which means immersing our whole self in him and in his teachings.

November 30, 2014: The Dirt and the Divine – Jon Gettings

As humans we were created by God from the earth and from breath. More specifically – we are a combination of the dirt and the Divine. If we take a moment to dwell on this it will become, for us, a completely overwhelming thought. With each breath we inhale and exhale we are reminded of the ruach the breath of God within us.

Perhaps the reason this is so overwhelming is because of how much we dwell on our dirt. We have come from dirt and to dirt we will return. True. This message is preached and proclaimed everywhere. Some go so far as to constantly remind us how awful we really are. With so much time dwelling on the dirt it’s no wonder we don’t contemplate the divine image impressed on us.

And this is the tragedy. We forget that we don’t just carry death in our mortal bodies, but we also carry Life. We are not just dirt – we’ve bear the stamp of the divine. And the God who formed us, the one who gives “life and breath and everything else” is the same who has come to redeem, renew and restore us.

November 30, 2014: The Dirt and the Divine – Dave Neuhausel

As humans we were created by God from the earth and from breath. More specifically – we are a combination of the dirt and the Divine. If we take a moment to dwell on this it will become, for us, a completely overwhelming thought. With each breath we inhale and exhale we are reminded of the ruach the breath of God within us.

Perhaps the reason this is so overwhelming is because of how much we dwell on our dirt. We have come from dirt and to dirt we will return. True. This message is preached and proclaimed everywhere. Some go so far as to constantly remind us how awful we really are. With so much time dwelling on the dirt it’s no wonder we don’t contemplate the divine image impressed on us.

And this is the tragedy. We forget that we don’t just carry death in our mortal bodies, but we also carry Life. We are not just dirt – we’ve bear the stamp of the divine. And the God who formed us, the one who gives “life and breath and everything else” is the same who has come to redeem, renew and restore us.

November 23, 2014: This Involves Us – Nick Elio

The Book of Acts is in many ways still being written. Except we are the characters. We are the ones who are the witnesses to what God is doing. How then are we carrying on this command that Jesus gave. How are we testifying to God’s goodness and who he is calling us to be?

November 23, 2014: This Involves Us – Michael Hidalgo

The Book of Acts is in many ways still being written. Except we are the characters. We are the ones who are the witnesses to what God is doing. How then are we carrying on this command that Jesus gave. How are we testifying to God’s goodness and who he is calling us to be?

November 16, 2014: What It Takes – Michael Hidalgo

Paul is sailing for Rome as a prisoner to what will certainly be his death, and then the perfect opportunity presents itself for him to escape. A shipwreck. What would you have done? Would you have used this opportunity to run, or would you have done what Paul did and served everyone on board. This is your life on the line.

 

Paul, stands and pronounces hope for everyone. Rather than run he is a calming presence. Something tells me that in that moment his resolve to go to Rome only grew in his gut. He knew what he had to do, and nothing would stop him from doing it.