Denver Community Church

March 22, 2015: Dark Night of the Soul – Scott Oppliger

What do we do when things seem bleak? Can we can say with the Psalmist “darkness is my closest friend”? Let’s be honest these times come to us. Times when it is too dark to see anything, and hope is a distant memory. Even the best verse from Scripture or the company of a friend or a sliver of light do not seem to be enough to move beyond how we are feeling.

In those moments what we must first remember is we need to give voice to this. Like the Psalmist, we need to cry out and be honest. We need to recognize that we are people of the light, and yet at times in our lives things can be and will be dark. However, in the midst of that darkness, no matter how intense or how much we are immersed in it – the darkness need not be in us. 

March 22, 2015: Dark Night of the Soul – Landon Lynch

What do we do when things seem bleak? Can we can say with the Psalmist “darkness is my closest friend”? Let’s be honest these times come to us. Times when it is too dark to see anything, and hope is a distant memory. Even the best verse from Scripture or the company of a friend or a sliver of light do not seem to be enough to move beyond how we are feeling.

In those moments what we must first remember is we need to give voice to this. Like the Psalmist, we need to cry out and be honest. We need to recognize that we are people of the light, and yet at times in our lives things can be and will be dark. However, in the midst of that darkness, no matter how intense or how much we are immersed in it – the darkness need not be in us. 

March 15, 2015: Artificial Light – Michael Hidalgo

In our world today we are immersed in artificial light – light bulbs, smart phones, phone chargers, television, little LED lights on our power cords … it is everywhere. And we want it. But what we fail to see is artificial light has an adverse effect on us as humans. We see it as a cure for the dark, but it is not as great as we might think ... because nothing can do what the sun does. Which makes me think about one who masquerades as light. One who tries to appear as though he is one who does what the True Light does … but he doesn’t.

How often do we, in an attempt to flee the darkness, run after artificial light. It’s become so easy for us we just flip a switch. What we fail to see is that artificial light can and does have detrimental effects on us as human beings. It messes with our rhythms, our “bio-clock” and even effects our endocrine systems. Because we weren’t meant to live by this kind of light – we were made to live in a rhythm of both light and dark.

March 15, 2015: Artificial Light – Dave Neuhausel

In our world today we are immersed in artificial light – light bulbs, smart phones, phone chargers, television, little LED lights on our power cords … it is everywhere. And we want it. But what we fail to see is artificial light has an adverse effect on us as humans. We see it as a cure for the dark, but it is not as great as we might think ... because nothing can do what the sun does. Which makes me think about one who masquerades as light. One who tries to appear as though he is one who does what the True Light does … but he doesn’t.

How often do we, in an attempt to flee the darkness, run after artificial light. It’s become so easy for us we just flip a switch. What we fail to see is that artificial light can and does have detrimental effects on us as human beings. It messes with our rhythms, our “bio-clock” and even effects our endocrine systems. Because we weren’t meant to live by this kind of light – we were made to live in a rhythm of both light and dark.

March 8, 2015: What We Know We Don’t Know – Michael Hidalgo

With every bit of revelation we receive from God, with everything that is made known there are also some things that remain hidden in the dark. We see this when God comes to his people Israel when they are at the base of Mt. Siani. At no other time in their life had God revealed himself so completely, and yet there was darkness.

The writer of Exodus tells us plainly after God had spoken the Ten Words, “The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20.21). This specific Hebrew word araphel speaks of a darkness reserved for God. One that reveals and conceals. Which, if this teaches us anything it is this – even the darkness can reveal God to us.

As the anonymous writer of The Cloud of Unknowing teaches us, “… set yourself to rest in this darkness as long as you can, always crying out after him whom you love. For if you are to experience him or to see him at all, insofar as it is possible here, it must always be in this cloud and in this darkness.”

March 8, 2015: What We Know We Don’t Know – Landon Lynch

With every bit of revelation we receive from God, with everything that is made known there are also some things that remain hidden in the dark. We see this when God comes to his people Israel when they are at the base of Mt. Siani. At no other time in their life had God revealed himself so completely, and yet there was darkness.

The writer of Exodus tells us plainly after God had spoken the Ten Words, “The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20.21). This specific Hebrew word araphel speaks of a darkness reserved for God. One that reveals and conceals. Which, if this teaches us anything it is this – even the darkness can reveal God to us.

As the anonymous writer of The Cloud of Unknowing teaches us, “… set yourself to rest in this darkness as long as you can, always crying out after him whom you love. For if you are to experience him or to see him at all, insofar as it is possible here, it must always be in this cloud and in this darkness.”

March 1, 2015: Light and Dark – Landon Lynch

In the beginning things were dark. Really dark “… darkness was over the surface of the deep.” And right there in the midst of that darkness “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” From the opening words of Scripture we learn that God does not remove himself from the darkness but is right there in the middle of it.

And his first act of creation is to bring light out of the darkness. He names the darkness and later he creates a lesser light to “govern the night.” We learn God is not only in the darkness but also rules over it. And out of this he brings light and life. 

How often do good things in us spring up out of our darkness? It’s a funny thing how so often our shadow side can be the thing that brings insights, new understanding and light into our life. And we can go into this inner darkness with confidence, knowing that the Spirit of God hovers there … ready to speak words that will bring forth life.

March 1, 2015: Light and Dark – Amanda Lum and Michael Hidalgo

In the beginning things were dark. Really dark “… darkness was over the surface of the deep.” And right there in the midst of that darkness “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” From the opening words of Scripture we learn that God does not remove himself from the darkness but is right there in the middle of it.

And his first act of creation is to bring light out of the darkness. He names the darkness and later he creates a lesser light to “govern the night.” We learn God is not only in the darkness but also rules over it. And out of this he brings light and life. 

How often do good things in us spring up out of our darkness? It’s a funny thing how so often our shadow side can be the thing that brings insights, new understanding and light into our life. And we can go into this inner darkness with confidence, knowing that the Spirit of God hovers there … ready to speak words that will bring forth life.

February 18, 2015: Ash Wednesday – Michael Hidalgo

We will begin this series remembering we are dust and to dust we will return. Which means we will die. This is what we are asked to come to grips with. The difficult thing is this. We see death and we see darkness everyday. Which raises the question, “What do we do with the darkness?” This will be an intro to the series on darkness.

February 15, 2015: Healing and Wholeness – Landon Lynch

In our world today there is so much brokenness connected to sexuality – from porn to rape to sex slaves – our world has been ripped apart by one of the most intimate acts. But what if the story does not end with brokenness? What if this love poem actually calls us back to Eden? What if what we see is a vision of how things were which is how things can be and will be? 

All over this poem we see images of the garden, we see a freedom to express one’s deepest passions – without shame. There is a beauty and a wholeness contained in this relationship – all of this comes after Eden. Which tells us there is renewal, restoration and healing that can and will happen even in the deepest and most serious wounds – even sexual wounds. This is our hope – is there can be a new story.