Forefront Podcast

Cultivating & Letting Go | A Smorgasbord of Ways to Connect with God

Rev. Josh started our Cultivating and Letting Go series by connecting the story of Jesus fasting and praying for forty days in the desert in order to cultivate the beginning of ministry to the value of us cultivating our spiritual lives so that we are prepared for the struggles and tribulations of our everyday life. Jesus wanders with God as a spiritual practice, thus preparing him to face trials and stay centered on his purpose. Many of us may have gotten out of the routine of spiritual practices or have baggage around being guilted to read our bible or pray. But quite frankly there is a smorgasbord of ways to connect with God and perhaps we can engage these opportunities anew.

Bible Say What? | Seeing Yourself in the Text

In the final sermon of this series, Bible Say What, Pastor Mak explores the journey to finding oneself in the very text that may have once been used against us. How can someone begin to find themselves in the text if they haven't even felt permission to find themselves in the church? So many of us here have come from a background of harmful theology, myself included. Many of us have been told or taught that our very existence is shameful and unwelcome in Church. If we’ve been told we shouldn’t even be seen in a church, how on earth are we supposed get to a place of seeing ourselves in the text. If the messaging that’s been ingrained in us leaves people like us out, or worse- characterizes people like us as the villains, how are we to feel anything other than distant and resistant to opening the Bible, let alone reading it with the intention of seeing ourselves in it. It can feel incredibly daunting. It feels incredibly daunting to me. One could say this sermon topic is the “scare the you-know-what out of me” assignment. But like the intention behind my acting class, sometimes we need a push to get out of our own heads, move beyond the box the world has put us in, and address the fear that's been holding us back.

Bible Say What? | Is the Bible Authoritative, Inspired, Inerrant?

In today’s sermon we ask questions related to the Bible, and whether it is the authority which is the word of God to be believed and obeyed; or whether its words were inspired by God; or whether it’s infallible and free from errors and untruths. There are so many different beliefs and theological perspectives, and there probably will be until the end of time.

Bible Say What? | Often Missed Themes in the Bible

What themes do you think can easily be missed if reading this text from a place of power and privilege? Jesus placed himself in solitary with the weak and so did Moses and the 17 prophets in the Hebrew Bible. So what happens if you don’t find yourself as weak? Might you find it difficult to see yourself in the narrative of Scripture as the one in need, being oppressed, held captive. Jesus came to give sight to the blind… perhaps this is spiritual metaphorical blindness. In this sermon you’re invited to see the text anew from the perspective of black liberation, how might this lift is a spiritual blindness to see a broader vision?

Bible Say What? | How Did Jesus and the Disciples Read the Bible

We continue this sermon series by looking at how Jesus and his disciples read the Bible. Through the framework of Rob Bell’s work, What Is the Bible?, we consider Interpretation, Incarnation and Invitation to determine how we too can be enlightened through the retelling of Scripture.

Bible Say What? | Seeing God in a New Way in the Bible

Jennifer Uriele Derenoncourt will continue with our new series, Bible Say What? and explore questions like What is the version of the Bible you want to take with you on this journey of life? What are the stories that speak to you and how do you interpret them? How do those stories align with your God?

Bible Say What? | The Who, What, Where, When, & Why of the Bible

Ever heard someone refer to the Bible as the manual or GPS for life, the magic 8 call, the rule book? Well Rev. Josh started our new series, Bible Say What? By exploring questions like: What is the Bible if not a GPS? Who wrote the Bible? Who decided what books were included? When did it come together? How and Why do we even read the Bible? Some of the responses to these questions just may surprise you…

From Generation to Generation | We Keep Seeking

Using the story of the Magi visit to Jesus, and the escape to Egypt, this sermon reminds us of how individually and collectively, we keep on seeking Jesus. We keep connecting with Him through worship, and through the love, joy, and goodness we share with others. It also reminds us that even in the most unlikely of circumstances, God will continue to graciously be found holding our questions, answers, and all of who we are, from generation to generation.

From Generation to Generation | We See God in Each Other

In two miraculous turn of events, Mary and Elizabeth, two relatives, experience a special connection through the power of a greeting and the Holy Spirit which ultimately helps us consider how we are able to see God in each other.

From Generation to Generation | We Can Choose A Better Way

Have you ever experienced a shift or change in how you understood yourself, God, spirituality, the world, racism, sexism, sexuality, or perhaps your expectations for yourself vs. your family's expectations? Has it ever been difficult for certain people to trust where God is guiding you? Have they struggled to stand alongside you through every season of your life? Well in this sermon Rev. Josh RaderLee looks at similar challenges that Mary and Joseph faced as they discerned their unexpected future together. Joseph choose a better way after a divine intervention that shifted the way he saw God, himself, and his fiance. Do you or someone you know need a divine intervention to shift their or your thinking?