Denver Community Church

April 27, 2008: Bread – Michael Hidalgo

What is it that we really need? We ask for so much, yet Jesus teaches us to ask only for what we need for that day. We cannot - as he states elsewhere - add a single hour to our lives worrying about tomorrow. The ancient monks had a beggars bowl. They would begin each day by getting enough in that bowl for the day, so that they could spend the rest of the day in devotion to God. Is it possible that too much causes more worry about tomorrow?

April 20, 2008: Thy Kingdom Come – Dave Terpstra

“Your kingdom come …” Jesus request involves asking God the Father to make his Kingdom a deeper reality here on this earth. So often we think about salvation in terms of getting to heaven, but maybe it also involves bring heaven here to this earth. What does it mean to live within the “dome” of where God is King?

April 13, 2008: Breathe – Michael Hidalgo

Running, snoring, yoga. Inhale. Exhale. How often do we contemplate just what our breath is and where it comes from? How aware are we of our breath? The very wind that has been given to us by God himself? Jesus prays, “… hallowed be your Name.” So what is in a name? The name of God - the ineffable name - was for thousands of years never spoken out loud. This was (is) an attempt to protect the name of God from being defiled or misused. As such the correct pronunciation has been lost - or has it? What if the name of God is simply a breath? What if the name of God is always on the lips of humanity - would we be aware of our breath then?

April 6, 2008: Mike Tucker

March 30, 2008: Where is There – Michael Hidalgo

Heaven seems like such a distant thing. It is something that is so far away from us. So to even thing about praying to a God who is there seems impossible. But what if heaven was right here? What if the miracle of prayer is not that we ascend to God but that God comes here to us? What if heaven is all around us, and that maybe we could make sense of it if we were just still long enough to pay attention? Understanding where there is may just be the beginning of prayer - and maybe there is here and we are just unaware that God is in our midst.

March 23, 2008: The Grave is Now a Groove (8 of 8) – Michael Hidalgo

Why do we so often speak of the death of Jesus, but neglect the resurrection. Once a year we stop and speak of the empty tomb, while the rest of the year we set our sights on Good Friday. So what is the significance of the resurrection? 

March 16, 2008: The Shackles are Undone (7 of 8) – Michael Hidalgo

There is not a lot known about exactly where Jesus went when he died. Did he go back to heaven for a couple of days? Or did he storm the gates of Hades and release the dead? Exactly where did he go? What were the conceptions of heaven and hell in ancient Israel? What does it mean to better understand exactly where Jesus was on Holy Saturday? What is the “afterlife” and how can we speak about heaven and hell in our world now?

March 9, 2008: All Debts are Removed (6 of 8) – Michael Hidalgo

To say the writer’s of the Bible were subversive is an understatement. Mark tells us of Jesus’ “march” to his crucifixion, yet he cloaks it in a very familiar procession that his readers would have understood very well. Mark is writing to a Roman audience, and he uses what they know to point toward the triumph, kingship, and deity of Jesus. In the 1^st Century there was a ceremony for Caesar when he came to a city that was his triumphal entry. This parade went through the city to a temple on a hill where he performed a sacrifice to the gods. Jesus goes through this Triumphe and shows that victory is found not in human kingdoms - but the in his sacrifice that allows people to enter the kingdom of God.

March 2, 2008: Flesh and Blood (5 of 8) – Michael Hidalgo

Once again we see Jesus eating a meal. The ministry of Jesus seems to characterized by meals. This makes sense as meals were incredibly meaningful in the Ancient Near East. Meal practices were no small things … to eat a meal with someone who invited you said you identified and affirmed that persons lifestyle. Jesus’ meal practice was about inclusion in a society with sharp social boundaries. Jesus’ meals were saying “This is the Kingdom - what you do and see is not.” The meals of Jesus were more than metaphors or symbols. They were his way of saying that all are provided for. Jesus, the Bread of Life and the Passover Lamb, was food for the journey. His table was not one that was closed - he took, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to his disciples - like he did when the fed the 5,000. His bread is for everyone - his death is so that all can come and receive from him. 

February 24, 2008: Come Die With Me (4 of 8) – Michael Hidalgo

Jesus has continually called his disciples to follow him. He continually says to them, “Pick up your cross …” “Whoever wants to be first must be last …” Jesus is giving these instructions to his disciples in the midst of his telling them that he is going to be killed. They don’t get it. All they care about is their place in all of this. Enter a woman who does the unthinkable. She anoints Jesus with perfume that is worth a years wages. The disciples begin to question this. Jesus then says, “She gets it.” She has anointed me … she is serving. She is entering into my death with me. Jesus speaks toward the attitude toward the poor, and seems to compare himself with the poor. Judas stands as the contrast to the woman. He is the ultimate in failed discipleship. Jesus’ call is to enter his death. So our choice, according to this story, is simple … we will either be like Judas and fail or like the woman and serve.