Denver Community Church

December 3, 2023: The Name of the Moment - Michael Hidalgo

Advent is something many are familiar with. Each year we ready ourselves for the coming of our king, Jesus. It is a season. A moment. A way of organizing our time. And we dare not lose the organizing of our time; when we do, we are just left with something else...something out of rhythm, something that has no beat – static, mush, white noise. But with Advent, we find ourselves pausing, expecting, looking ahead, anticipating, because something invaded our calendars and offered cadence. It's always been this way- time was built into the fabric of the cosmos from the very beginning. The creation poem in Genesis 1 has its own cadence: evening and morning. Day and night. Dark and light. This wisdom teaches us that darkness has its place in keeping a rhythm for our very lives. This is something modern science is teaching us too; our bodies need darkness to establish a rhythm for health. Without the darkness, there is only static.

November 19, 2023: Ravens and a Suggestion of Wild Flower - Maggie Knight

This teaching begins with the assumption that we will serve God first, not money. It is within this frame of mind that Jesus says do not worry. Let’s be honest none of us want to have worry or have anxiety in our lives. Yet here Jesus points to both and simply says, “Don’t do this.” The question begs, “Is it possible for me to live a worry free life?” Jesus is not rejecting the importance of these things - he is simply pointing out that we live for something more than food and clothing.  In this teaching, we examine how we can compassionately consider Jesus’ invitation in a time riddled with worry and anxiety.

November 12, 2023: Saving, Storing and Dying - Michael Hidalgo

How much anxiety, worry and fear stem from what we do or do not possess? It’s interesting to note that consternation over possessions is actually what leads Jesus to tell this story. A man wants Jesus to help him get his share of his inheritance. It makes sense, if he’s been cheated out of his share that he would want what’s coming to him. Jesus, however tells a story that insists true life is not the result of amassing possessions. In this story Jesus masterfully uses the first-person pronoun when speaking of the rich fool. His words are filled with “I”, “my”, “myself” and “me.” His pathetic situation of being wealthy and yet isolated is glaringly obvious to the hearer (see Isaiah 5.8), yet he is blind to his situation. It’s a hard story to hear because in so many ways it reflects back the desires so many have to attain wealth, amass possessions and get more and more. The message Jesus delivers is straight forward: The wealth you make in this life will give you all the life you will ever have. What God wants for us is to be wealthy in our hearts toward him, for then we will enjoy life now and the life to come.

November 5, 2023: The Inside on the Outside - Hannah Thom

Luke 12:1-12 is a troubling passage at so many levels and for so many reasons. Perhaps the most troubling is Jesus’ warning that what is secret will be made known. And it’s troubling because we all have secrets, some even unknown to ourselves. So how exactly will those secrets be made known? Well, when taken in context the larger teaching of Jesus points toward times of trouble and having to speak and testify – seemingly at the threat of one’s own life. Perhaps what Jesus is getting at is this: when the waters of our lives are stirred and the path we walk becomes rocky, what is really inside each of us is what comes out.

October 29, 2023: A Not So Lovely Dinner Conversation - Michael Hidalgo

Jesus steps into the role of prophet in Luke 11.37-54, speaking to both Pharisees and lawyers at a dinner party. The theme of his words is simple and found right at the beginning; outwardly they are clean, but inwardly they are not. This is an apt description of hypocrisy; what you see is not what you get. Throughout the gospels it seems this is the one thing that angers Jesus more than anything.

Often, when reflecting on this, many have enjoyed pointing the finger at the Pharisees, the Teaches of the Law, the Scribes and the rest of that tribe. Perhaps this is due to the fact that we often enjoy witnessing those who believe they are good and righteous – and who proudly put that on display – get their comeuppance. However, it may be helpful to pause and consider the fact that we enjoy this. Does that not say something about our hearts? While Jesus seems to be angry over this, we must ask: Was he angry at them? Or, was he angry at the systems that enabled them to live this way?

In this teaching, we explore the legalistic impulse all of us have, and invite each and every person to look within and contrast that with what we show to others on the outside.

October 22, 2023: Baptism - Michael Hidalgo

October 15, 2023: This is a Movement - Michael Hidalgo

Jesus’ final words to his disciples as he ascended into heaven were “go.” This reflects something we witness in the life of Jesus that is so compelling that we believe it is the best and brightest hope for the world in which we live. In Jesus, we see all that was promised and a glimpse of what it to come and that we have the hope of the reconciliation and unity of all things.  This is a work he is doing in every single place of the mutliverse – from the atomic level upward. And we are invited to join him in that work.  This is a movement that was started in the backwoods of Northern Galilee and has not stopped since. It’s not about furthering a religion or making our church brand more well-known or being relevant or proving ourselves right. Not. At. All. This is about celebrating the Christ, imitating the Christ, and working together to see the Kingdom of Heaven come on earth as it is in heaven. It is a movement.

October 8, 2023: Parts of a Whole - Jonathan Merritt

In his letter to the church in Corinth Paul expounds at great length about the group of Jesus followers being together in unity- and as parts of a greater whole, also being together in diversity. This was not just diversity in their individual gifts, but also diversity in ethnicity, background, preferences, beliefs and practices. To hammer home his point, he compares this community to the body – a body, which is not their own, but the Body of Christ.  This phrase, which is well-known in Christian circles, points toward an invitation: it invites the reader to recognize we are a part of something far larger than ourselves or any one single local faith community. Paul’s metaphor points toward something as infinite as the universe, which is to say, it points to The Christ. What a powerful thought that we, like Jesus, are the flesh and bone manifestation of what has been true since before the foundations of the world. This is not just about us, our tribe, our way of doing things, our particular philosophy of leadership; together we are those who point toward the deepest of all mysteries by the way we live our lives in community.

October 1, 2023: Hand It Over - Michael Hidalgo

Tradition has long been a part of the Church. Some scoff at it, while others embrace in such a way that it seems they may never let it go. What’s interesting is how Paul speaks to the church in Thessalonica about tradition. He encourages the community there to “hold fast” to the traditions given them. The word he uses for “traditions” literally translated “to give over.” Apparently for Paul neither scoffing at these things and holding fast to them is what we are to do. Rather, like Paul “handed over” teachings to this community, they are to do the same. This makes sense because we are always handing over something to those who follow us. The question is are we doing this with intention? Do we know what we are handing over? In the days of deconstruction in which we find ourselves, this is a pressing and important question for us to consider. As we do we remember the broad, deep stream we swim in when we speak about the Church. We also recognize we do not leave things behind in the way we think we do, rather we carry them with us in new ways. So, what was handed to us, and what are we handing over to those following us? After all, we are all a part of a great Tradition.

September 24, 2023: Eyes Wide Open - Keri Ladoucer

The phrase Jesus uses about the “eye being the lamp of the body” was a Jewish idiom that spoke about generosity; this is why the word “healthy” in the NIV translation can also refer to “generous.”  It seems then, Jesus teaches that generosity brings about light within us, a light that reflects the generosity of God.  Of course, speaking about generosity has fallen on hard times.  But if Jesus is inviting us to be generous, then this is something we need to pay attention to: remembering he is always inviting everyone toward full life – a life filled with light.  Jesus seems to be on to something.