The prophet Isaiah, more than 800 years before the birth of Jesus, wrote that a Messiah would come, that the “government would be on His shoulders” and that His kingdom of justice of righteousness would last forever. This promise, of a King who will love what’s right and set things right, not only resonated then, but in our chaotic and broken world, resonates with us today. But. sometimes, we modern people, in our thirst for justice, skip over the “righteousness” part, and accidentally do harm. Or, we skip over the “justice” part, leaving empty non-sacrificial religion. But the kingdom of God is both justice AND righteousness. And together, these words show something not only about who God is, but what He’s up to and what kind of people He wants his image bearers to be. SPEAKERS: Jay Kim (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Isaiah 9:2,6-7 SPEAKERS: Jay Kim (Saratoga), video (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Isaiah 9:2,5

When we think of Christmas, we might think of twinkling lights, or the words of Silent Night that say “all is bright, all is calm.” But that first Christmas was anything but quiet. The birth of Jesus was actually a conflict, as we see in the response of people in power, like Herod. And yet, into this world of conflict we hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah, who wrote, hundreds of years before Jesus was born, that someday, God will stop all conflict. The promise in Isaiah that God will burn (read: entirely destroy) the bloody boots and garments of conflict. And in this world, no matter what conflict we find around us (or even inside of us), the promise of Jesus is the promise of Peace. SPEAKERS: Jay Kim (Saratoga), video (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Isaiah 9:2,5

More than 2400 years ago, a prophet named Isaiah wrote words of hope to his people, the Israelites, that someday God might send help - someone to “shatter the yoke of oppression.” Using extreme language, the prophet yearns for a time when God sends someone to “shatter the yoke of oppression” - removing for good suffering endured and suffering inflicted. And not just removing - but shattering. This is complete victory. There’s no shortage of suffering in our world today, from large-scale conflicts to interpersonal struggles which seem unlikely to change, if not intractable or impossible. And it’s into this kind of bleak world that God promises to enter. Freedom from deep suffering is actually the fruit of being near and connected to God and knowing that He is with us and for us. SPEAKERS: Christina Papoulias (Saratoga), Jay Kim (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Isaiah 9:2-7

The weeks leading up to Christmas are traditionally called “advent” - a word which means “arrival” - in which we take time to pause and reflect on the arrival of Jesus, and what that means and meant for the world and for us. The first week’s focus is on joy - especially in the midst of a dark world. But we have such a shallow understanding of joy; we make it synonymous with “pleasure.” But joy in the Bible - both in the New and Old Testaments - is not something manufactured or concocted or even based on “good” circumstances. It comes from God Himself - and is a fruit of being near and connected to Him and knowing that He is with us and for us. And SPEAKERS: Jay Kim (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Isaiah 9:2-7

As we approach Thanksgiving, we’re reminded of our culture’s annual rhythm. But if we’re honest, most of modern Thanksgiving is more about making food and travel and watching the Detroit Lions than it is taking time to really let gratitude flow out of us. But gratitude isn’t just something we do to be polite - it’s a deeply formative practice. But it’s also one that’s fleeting in our fast-paced culture. But it’s more than simply taking time to slow down. The Scriptures tell us that gratitude isn’t merely thanking God for the good things we have in our lives, but a deep, settled peace that we can trust and accept from God’s hands anything and everything that comes our way - even very bad stuff - because in God’s hands, even very bad things can be turned into very good things. SPEAKERS: David Kim (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Luke 17:11-19 NIV

The phrase “whatever happens” doesn’t conjure up visions of stability. When people say that - “whatever happens” - it’s usually because something bad is going to happen. For the church at Philippi, this was the case. In his letter to the early church in that city, Paul understood that the political climate was going to get heated. The earliest Christians in Philippi were in all likelihood facing serious persecution for political reasons. Incredibly, within this context, the Apostle Paul (who himself was a Roman Citizen) tells this group of Christians that no matter what happens politically, that they were to remember that their citizenship is in Heaven and their King is not Caesar, but Jesus. This would have real implications for the way they lived their lives - but Paul’s advice still rings true for believers down through the ages. SPEAKERS: Steve Clifford (Saratoga), video (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Philippians 1:27-28 NIV

Our political climate is marked by many things: outrage, fear, anxiety, concern. If there’s one word that folks would NOT use it would be “peace.” It seems that settled peace is not often present. So how do we get that? Well, if the story of Jesus is any indication, Jesus not only is the Prince of Peace, not only brings peace, but invites His followers to be agents of peace in a world full of conflict. But this will not just *happen* - it’s a work of grace that requires much of us, from listening well, to actively working for the good of those who consider us their enemies. But the words of Jesus say that peacemakers will be called sons and daughters of God, so his invitation to be peacemakers is an invitation to join the “family business” of God. SPEAKERS: Mark Averill (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Matthew 5:43-48 NIV

Paradigm for Politics, Pt I - Worship, Love Neighbor, Image of God, Wisdom, Justice, Speech It’s pretty common, in our charged political environment, to see people using strong, harsh and even demeaning language toward those they disagree with politically. But what gets lost in the vitriol and name-calling is that the very things we fear at a broad, societal level - collapse, violence, destruction - is actually rooted in the posture we choose to take toward one another (and toward those on the other side of the political aisle) in the person, intimate level. It begins with the choice between dishonoring or dignifying those with whom we disagree, between loathing our enemies or loving our enemies. And the Bible is clear - if you claim to love God, and hate your brother or your sister, you’re lying and kidding yourself. Enter, the invitation of Jesus, to extend undeserved love to others just as you have been extended undeserved love by God Himself. And in doing so, we bring about a very different sort of Kingdom: the Kingdom of God Himself. SPEAKERS: Jay Kim (Saratoga), video (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): 1 John 4:19-21 NIV

Description: It’s a pretty contentious political environment out there, often times with people shouting past each other. Sometimes, it seems that politics has become like a new religion. Jay and David dive into the ideas of Joshua Ryan Butler’s book The Party Crasher. They explore the the four distinct political ideologies at play in our culture, and how understanding them can help us not only understand our own political leanings, but empathize and connect with others in different sectors. Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim

PARTY CRASHER: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems our Partisan Divides | Pledge Allegiance to the King | October 27, 2024 In our current cultural moment, with a national election looming, the political divide feels as wide as it's ever been. Various political tribes present various visions of what will ultimately lead to society-wide flourishing. But Jesus is the ultimate Party Crasher, both affirming and confronting the various visions and inviting us to embrace a bold new vision of His Kingdom. In this series, we learn to live well in our polarized political world, in a way that can bring peace for the exhausted, courage for the anxious, comfort for the weary, and hope for all of us. For followers of Jesus, the fulfillment of hope and the path to true flourishing is found always and only when we pledge our allegiance to Christ alone. SPEAKERS: Jay Kim (Saratoga), video (South Hills)

This past weekend, more than 1700 folks volunteered at 16 different high-impact service projects across the county at something we call Beautiful Day. And it really was beautiful to see people serving their communities. But. All this activism without a meaningful connection to God can lead us awry - just as prayer without “movement” (real, sacrificial action) can be empty, too. The real work isn’t done on a weekend, but in the faithful persistence to keep serving and giving and loving. The Bible teaches us that this work, though it may seem so, so slow, is the way God works and the Kingdom grows. SPEAKERS: Finny Abraham + Jay Kim (Saratoga), Finny + DAT + Archie Jackson (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Acts 3:4 NIV SPEAKERS: David Tieche (Saratoga), video (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Matthew 16:21-27 NIV