Church of the City New York

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy finished our "Seeking God" series by preaching from Ezekiel 22 about the importance of the Advocate. In the face of sin, God in His holiness must bring about justice, yet He longs to show mercy, and looks for people to repair the broken walls and stand in the breach to advocate for mankind. As believers, we are empowered by the blood and intercession of Jesus, and are called to become God's advocates by repenting for our own sins and contributions to the corruption of our generation; live righteously, disciple others, and work to rebuild society; and become people of prayer who choose to serve our city.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Seeking God series with a teaching on the Worshiper. Through the story of the woman at the well in the gospel of John, we find God's passion for worship, and the lengths He will go to draw worship out of the human heart. Jesus' interactions with this woman reveal the Father's determination to satisfy our deepest desires by thrilling us with Himself; telling us everything we've ever done, and still offering us His endless love and living water.

Guest pastor Corey Russell discusses the role of intercessors in seeking God and humanity's reconciliation. He emphasizes God's deep longing for justice, the emergence of intercessors as proof of His love, and Jesus as the ultimate intercessor. The podcast explores the power of intercession in addressing societal issues, connecting priesthood and kingship through Jesus, and the eternal intercession of Jesus for believers. It concludes with a prayer for intercession and revival in New York City.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our January sermon series, “Seeking God,” by examining the story of Zacchaeus and the lengths that God will go to seek to save the lost. Jesus’ Great Commission at the end of Matthew’s gospel commands His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” establishing that the priority of Heaven is bringing the lost home, and forcing us to ask, “Is it also ours?” For the Gospel of Jesus is the only message in the world that acknowledges both the beauty of the human soul and the brokenness of it, and still says it is worth saving. The church of Christ was made to continue His mission to seek and save the lost, meeting them with the unexpected, life-altering, grace of the Gospel.

SEEKING GOD: SURRENDERED HEARTS — This Sunday, we began our January sermon series, “Seeking God.” Pastor Jon pointed out that though we know God is a “seeking” God, we rarely consider who or what He is seeking. This week we saw that God is seeking surrendered hearts, wholly devoted to Him, by looking at the life of King Asa in 2 Chronicles. Asa’s reign over Judah displays both whole-hearted devotion and the tragedy of half-heartedness. Pastor Jon exhorted us to resolve to diligently seek God, identify and renounce any division in our hearts (not managing idols but destroying them), and reignite our passion for seeking God. A half-hearted response is inappropriate towards a whole-hearted God who loves us and spared no expense to save us.

This Advent Season, we have been exploring Christmas through different characters in the story of Jesus’ birth, and this week, Pastor Suzy took a closer look at Mary in her sermonette for Lessons & Carols. Through Mary, we see a beautiful picture of what happens when the deep longings of both a people, and an individual, are fulfilled. The core longing of each person is to be loved, and at the end of the day, the Christmas story is a love story that we are invited to recognize, respond to, participate in, and witness about to the all the world.

Pastor Jon explores the curiosity that Christmas ignites in our hearts, inspired by the Wise Men's journey. He emphasizes the importance of seeking answers beyond ourselves and making meaningful life choices. The discussion connects ancient Roman anxieties with today's political tensions, illustrating the struggle for emotional clarity. Ultimately, the quest for hope is highlighted as a pursuit of deeper understanding, urging listeners to cultivate their faith and find joy in Christ during the festive season.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Advent series by examining the story of Joseph and what he teaches us about embracing a spirit of peace in contested spaces. Pastor Jon explained that peace that relies on perfect circumstances is actually no peace at all. Instead, Joseph’s life shows us that true peace is disruptive and anti-fragile, is found in the miraculous ordinary, and comes through costly obedience. 

This past Sunday, Pastor Olivia kicked off our Advent sermon series with a message on deferred longing being an invitation to hope. Jesus knows that desires lurk within us, both pure and unpure, and that it is much safer to open up these desires in His presence. Once we acknowledge these longings, we are inevitably led into the reality of waiting and hoping for these longings to be fulfilled.

This week, Pastor Ashley concluded our "The Way of Jesus" series with "The Way of Justice." When Jesus inaugurated His ministry, He announced Himself as the same God of the Old Testament who defended the fatherless, the widowed, the poor, and the oppressed. Ultimately, she taught that Jesus' biblical justice requires us to sacrifice privilege with suspended judgment for the restoration of others.