University Christian Church

We “round the corner” in our 5-part series through Lamentations and ask: is there any hope? Might the circumstances we suffer, the situations that bring us sorrow, the realities that leave us anguished bring us closer to new life? So it was for Jesus. So it might be for us?

The poetry of Lamentations invites us into “the tensive interplay of unresolvable, open dialogue”—with affliction, with grief, with persistent suffering. In week three of our Lamentations series, Katie asks us to consider the role unanswerable questions, incomplete answers, and the more complex aspects of human experience play in our formation into Christlikeness.

Lament is a physical and embodied expression of grief, based on the recognition that things are not as they should be. When we take our pain to God, we proclaim hope—to ourselves and to our communities—that we believe things will change. Today, we continue our series through Lamentations, looking to faithful followers of the past to learn how to practice lament in the present.

To “lament” is to take our sorrows before the Lord. This Lenten season, we’re working our way through the five chapters of Lamentations. Jeremiah kicks-off our series by inviting us to take a closer look at what we do when we encounter suffering—in our own lives, and in the lives of those around us.

Jesus brings transformation into the lives of all who encounter him, into every place he goes. Today, we look at what transpires when Jesus meets God people in three different settings: a private place, a public place, and a hidden place. As we continue our journey through Mark’s Gospel, we invite you to reflect on the ways you’ve already experienced transformative encounters with Jesus, and allow yourself to stay open to new possibilities for experiencing fresh encounters with Jesus today.

Jesus comes onto the scene with power from on High. If we believe Jesus’ authority comes from God Almighty, what are we to make of his teaching? What could change in our lives, if we lived believing there is STILL power in Jesus’ name?

On Christmas Eve morning, Shannon took us on a journey across the arc of scripture, and invited us to reflect in new, deeper ways on the love God has for all his people. Just what kind of love is this? We hope this re-recording of Shannon’s message blesses you as much as it did listeners who gathered on the eve of Christmas.

Today, we continue along in Mark’s Gospel, where we see Jesus driven into wilderness; Jesus proclaiming Kingdom nearness; and Jesus calling his first disciples. What can we learn about the Good News from these three stories?

This morning, we begin our journey into Mark's Gospel, "the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." What is this so-called "Good News?" And what difference does believing it make in our lives today?

What can the story of the Magi, these “odd,” star-gazing wanderers, who follow a rising star to Bethlehem, teach us about God? About who God reveals himself to? About how and where God shows up? Much, for the one humble enough and curious enough to go looking.