The Parish

IN OUR WILDERNESS | Aaron Holbrough

Jesus didn't endure the wilderness to spare us from it, but to show us how.

REVOLUTION | CONVICTION SEVEN | Aaron Holbrough

The peace message of Jesus is often misunderstood, yet central to his teaching.  That's why He will interrupt our concept of what peace really is and offer an alternative that leads to human flourishing for all involved.

REVOLUTION | CONVICTION SIX | Jan Hux

If we find ourselves, in these fraught times, succumbing to a desire to hoard and take care of our own, we may find it helpful to recognize that what we have is not really our "own" but a gift from God, given so that we can share.

REVOLUTION | CONVICTION FIVE | Aaron Holbrough

We choose to belong to each other—because it is together—not alone,  that we can witness what love can do and maybe catch a glimpse of just how big God is.  Community is our spiritual practice, not just a byproduct of it.

REVOLUTION | CONVICTION FOUR | Jan Hux

Jesus is bringing a subversive kingdom where those considered losers and outsiders are brought to the table and celebrated.
 

REVOLUTION | CONVICTION THREE | Aaron Holbrough

The Christian mission was never to make the world more christian, but instead to make it more loving, and the way of Christ will show us how.
Conviction Three: The rejection of world domination and Christendom and embracing influence not control

REVOLUTION | CONVICTION TWO | Jan Hux

Jesus is what God has to say.
If we treat the bible as a flat text where every verse carries equal weight then we either resolve those conflicts by making arbitrary decisions about what applies and what doesn’t or we just stay confused. A Jesus-centered approach to scripture can help resolve the conflict.

REVOLUTION | CONVICTION ONE | Aaron Holbrough

Jesus is offering us a compelling way forward in a divided world.  Jesus is teaching us that instead of choosing a side we can choose a way.   Conviction one | We choose to follow Jesus not just worship him.

Light of the World | Jan Hux

What if being the light of the world means taking a vital role in a silent movie?

Salt of the Earth | Aaron Holbrough

What if God is not trying to heal the world for, us as much as heal the world through us. 

SIGNS of ADVENT | Jan Hux

The message the shepherds were given about a baby in a cattle feed trough was vague and cryptic at best. They may have wished for a more detailed map but in faith they followed the sign they had been given and it brought them to Jesus.

an HONEST ADVENT | LOVE | Aaron Holbrough

Advent will teach us that we need search for the light of the world in these stories, so we know what it looks like in our own lives.

an HONEST ADVENT | JOY | Jan Hux

During the secular holiday season, it can feel as though we're expected to be happy all the time - have a holly, jolly merry Christmas!  But the message the angel brought to the shepherds on that first Christmas didn't offer happiness - it offered joy, which is a very different thing. 

an HONEST ADVENT | PEACE | Aaron Holbrough

The Advent story is showing us that something beautiful can come from the unexpected, even the misunderstood.  The journey might start with hope-but it will take us through surrender before arriving at peace.

an HONEST ADVENT | HOPE | Jan Hux

Hope isn't a way to deny our current pain by envisioning a happier future. Hope is present in the messiness of our lives, giving us the courage for the next step forward.

an HONEST ADVENT | Introduction | Aaron

By the time we begin to sing Christmas songs, and by the time the tree and lights are up, by the time Mary is showing, we are already in the middle of something.  The Magi have already left Persia heading east towards yonder star.  Let's be Honest.

SATISFIED | Jan Hux

The Greek woman with a sick child knew that in the cultural context Jesus and his disciples came from, she was very much an outsider. But she asked, and found that the abundance of Jesus' salvation could reach even her.

GETTING LOST | Aaron Holbrough

Jesus' invitation is to follow not to arrive, the transformation happens on the way.