While COVID-19 had us worshipping at a social distance, we are still gathering as the body of Christ via our online services and in-person! Catch up on all past services or other video offerings by using the button to link to our YouTube channel, or check out the list below of upcoming and more recent services.
My family and I used to love to watch a show where an old, dilapidated house would be restored. Once, it had been a thing of beauty, but now, due to the ravages of time, neglect, and weathering, it was a shell of its former self. And yet, there was a common message upon the lips of all those men and women who came to restore these once forsaken places: these homes all had good bones. Despite all the wood rot and deterioration, broken windows, and crumbling walls, the ‘bones’, the foundational, internal structures of the house were still intact. Somehow, for those with eyes to see, even after all those years, this home begged to be restored, not destroyed.
In many ways, Christianity feels like those old houses: its message has been hijacked by some, weaponized by others, and forgotten by many. It appears to so many as a ‘house’ that has fallen into decay. And yet, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the bones, the core message of Christianity, is just as true as it has always been. In fact, it may be that the heart of the Christian message is needed now more than ever. Join us as we get back to the heart of the Bible's message, and (re)discover the good bones of the Christian story.
Sunday, April 28th, 2024 - Good Bones: The Work of Redemption
Sunday, April 21st, 2024 - Good Bones: The Fall
10:30am Contemporary (full recorded version as live stream started late)
Sunday, April 14th, 2024 - Good Bones: Creation from Nothing
Sunday, April 7th, 2024 - Good Bones: The Gospel in 4 Parts
Years ago, back in high school, I overheard a group of friends speaking negatively about me. I don’t remember the source of our conflict, nor do I recall what they said exactly, but I do remember feeling like they had me all wrong. Some of what they said was true, some of what they said was false, but most of what they said were half-truths and misinformation. What they said was close…but not quite, and it was the not-quite-parts that were so devastating to hear.
Reflecting on this story got me thinking – How often do we do this to Jesus? How often is our picture of Jesus skewed by half-truths and our understandings of Jesus riddled with misinformation? What if instead, we let Jesus speak for Himself? What if we let Jesus tell us who He is? In our next teaching series, “In His Own Words” we’ll try to do just that – to allow who we think Jesus is to be confronted by what Jesus said about Himself. If you’ve ever felt like your picture of Jesus is off or could use more clarity around who He is and why He matters, this series might be just what you need.
Sunday, March 31st, 2024 - Easter Sunday - In His Own Words: Get Your Hopes Up
(7am Sunrise service is not live streamed)
Sunday, March 24th, 2024 - Palm Sunday - In His Own Words: I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Sunday, March 17th, 2024 - In His Own Words: I AM the True Vine
Sunday, March 10th, 2024 - In His Own Words: I AM the Good Shepherd
Sunday, March 3rd, 2024 - In His Own Words: I AM the Door
Sunday, February 25th, 2024 - In His Own Words: I AM the Light of the World
Sunday, February 18th, 2024 - In His Own Words: I AM the Bread of Life
At the end of each year, Google releases their Year in Search where they reveal to the world what the most searched people, events, and stories were that year. While these stats are interesting enough on their own, the real gift is what lies behind these revelations. You see, these most searched elements reveal something about us as humans: about our fears and loves, our joys and anxieties, about our deepest wants and greatest insecurities. As we step into 2024, we’ll move forward into the new year by looking back at the things we searched for most and how every one of these searches is, at its core, actually a reflection of our deepest search: our search for God.
Sunday, February 11th, 2024 - Year in Searching: The Missing Piece
Sunday, February 4th, 2024 - Year in Searching: Why Does God...?
Sunday, January 28th, 2024 - Year in Searching: Who>What You Know
Sunday, January 21st, 2024 - Year in Searching: On Helpers and Hierarchy
Sunday, January 14th, 2024 - Year in Searching: On Vapor and Flowers
Sunday, January 7th, 2024 - Year in Searching: 2023's Most Googled Person
This Advent and Christmas season, we will follow the advent candle themes and unpack Christmas from the perspective of what the world needs today. We will look to: resilient faith, persistent hope, defiant joy, and radiant love during this special time of preparation, anticipation, and joy!
Sunday, December 31st, 2023 - Simply Christmas: Christmas Travelers
10am Carols & Communion Service
Sunday, December 24th, 2023 - Christmas Eve - Simply Christmas: Radiant Love
10am Family Service (no live stream)
Sunday, December 17th, 2023 - Simply Christmas: Defiant Joy
Sunday, December 10th, 2023 - Simply Christmas and Choir Cantata
9am Traditional with Choir Cantata "On This Shining Night"
Join us for a special Traditional Worship service this Sunday at 9am as our choir presents the Christmas story as told through song in the cantata "On This Shining Night." Replete with well-loved, familiar carols, as well as brand-new texts and music, this cantata is designed to prepare our hearts to follow the Light of Jesus. Through vocal and instrumental music, narration, and scripture, the ancient tale is retold of a world that lay in shadow, crying out for a Savior; the visit of the angels who announced the news of that Savior's coming, and the birth of Jesus, the "Light of the World."
10:30am Contemporary - Simply Christmas: Persistent Hope
Sunday, December 3rd, 2023 - Simply Christmas: Resilient Faith
For our one combined service on Sunday, 11/26 @ 10 am, we're mixing it up and having a Q&R sermon. This means Pastor Bobby will respond to questions submitted by the congregation for the message material. Do you have some nagging Bible question you've never shared? Do you have questions about God, Jesus, the church, or scripture you'd like addressed? These options can be sent anonymously so don't feel shy to ask what's on your mind! Click this link to submit your questions. The deadline for question submission is Monday, 11/20 at 5 pm. Depending on the volume of questions received, we may not be able to respond to them all, but either way it should be a fun way to experience God's word together!
Sunday, November 26th, 2023 - Q&R Sermon
Throughout the Bible, we read story after story of people sowing. We read stories about mustard seeds and farmers, fallow ground, and fields filled with wheat and weeds. As modern people who don't do quite as much farming as our ancestors did, these stories can at times feel archaic or disconnected from our experiences. However, while our lived reality might look a little different than theirs, we must understand that if we follow Jesus, regardless of our occupation, in Christ we have become sowers. But what does that mean and why does it matter? What does it look like to sow what matters today?
This year's stewardship series (giving to God, through the church, of our time, talents, and treasure) will focus on the biblical imagery of sowing seeds in and towards God's good kingdom, for the glory of God and the sake of the world.
Sunday, November 19th, 2023 - Sow What Matters: Sow When It Doesn't Make Sense
Sunday, November 12th, 2023 - Sow What Matters: Sow What Costs You
Sunday, November 5th, 2023 - Sow What Matters: Sow in Faith
Sunday, October 29th, 2023 - Sow What Matters: Sow What Honors God
Throughout the Bible, there's a repeated phrase that comes up again and again: The Fear of the Lord. We read things like, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10) and "the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him" (Exodus 14:31).
As often as the concept of the fear of the Lord appears in the scriptures however, many people - Christians included - struggle under the idea of fearing God. "Isn't God love?" we ask. "If God is love and love drives out fear, why should we fear God?"
In order to iron out this apparent tension, we often soften the notion of fear by reducing it to "reverence" or "respect". While this isn't completely wrong, these words alone don't capture the nuanced complexity of what it means to fear the Lord.
For the next four weeks, we'll explore the scriptures in pursuit of a healthier, more holistic understanding of what it means to fear the Lord as people who love Jesus and who live to love God and others, as He loves us.
Sunday, October 22nd, 2023 - Fearfully Unafraid: From Belief to Beholding
Sunday, October 15th, 2023 - Fearfully Unafraid: Fear Yields Faith
Sunday, October 8th, 2023 - Fearfully Unafraid: The Gifts of TFOTL
Sunday, October 1st, 2023 - Fearfully Unafraid: Healing What We Hear
After Israel was freed from Egypt but before they entered into the Promised Land, Israel had to navigate a liminal, in-between space called the wilderness. They weren't in Egypt anymore - they were free - but they weren't quite where they were headed either.
This liminal, in-between space isn't some mistake on God's part, nor is it an obstacle to be avoided; according to God, it is a necessity. There's something about this liminal, wilderness space that is necessary for Israel to pass through, because while they may be out of Egypt, Egypt isn't quite done with them. To put it differently, while they are indeed out of the land of Egypt, they must still get the presence of Egypt out of their hearts. And where is this extraction to take place? In the in-between space - in the wilderness.
If you've ever felt stuck between what was and what could be, between the past and the future, like you're moving forward but haven't yet arrived, then this series might just be what your heart has been longing for.
Sunday, September 24th, 2023 - Into the Wild: It's All About Consecration
Sunday, September 17th, 2023 - Into the Wild: The Intersection of Intercession
Sunday, September 10th, 2023 - Into the Wild: The Danger of Impatience
Sunday, September 3rd, 2023 - Into the Wild: Memory Gets Wonky in the Wild
Sunday, August 27th, 2023 - Into the Wild: Hungry and Humble
Sunday, August 20th, 2023 - Into the Wild: This is Test of Your...
Sunday, August 13th, 2023 - Into the Wild: Why the Wilderness?
Sunday, August 6th, 2023 - A Little Vacay Review
We'll spend July looking at the book of Acts and the impact and influence "going" had on the early church. As we do this, we'll challenge one another to "go" as Jesus commanded and be intentional in how we live out His command from Matthew 28:19-20.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Sunday, July 30th, 2023 - As You Go: What Must I Do to Be Saved?
Sunday, July 23rd, 2023 - As You Go: Exhortations from Antioch
Sunday, July 16th, 2023 - As You Go: When Good is Not Always God, but God is Always Good
Youth Sunday
Sunday, July 9th, 2023 - As You Go: The Road Less Traveled - Philip & the Ethiopian
Sunday, July 2nd, 2023 - As You Go: Going in the Spirit
When Jesus called men and women into life with himself, He didn't ask if they wanted to hang out and he didn't simply invite them to 'believe' in some theological facts about Him. He called them to become disciples. And then, not only did Jesus call them to be disciples, but to the people who became disciples He commanded them to make disciples. So, what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus and why does it matter? Is there any relevance to being a disciple today?
Through the month of June, we'll wrestle with these questions and more. If you've ever found yourself feeling like your experience as a Christian is missing something, could it be we've omitted a crucial part of what it means to follow Jesus?
Sunday, June 25th, 2023 - Life on Purpose: As You Go...Remember
Sunday, June 18th, 2023 - Life On Purpose: Teaching as Discipleship
Sunday, June 11th, 2023 - Life on Purpose: Baptized Into...
Sunday, June 4th, 2023 - Life on Purpose: Make Disciples
Sunday, May 28th, 2023 - Pentecost: The Gift of the Holy Spirit
At the risk of unnecessarily generalizing the complexity of life, something I've found to be true is that every challenge, every obstacle, every situation is an opportunity to become a "truster" or a "taker".
That problem at work,
that challenge at home,
that difficulty with a friend
all are opportunities to trust God or act like gods ourselves and take matters into our own hands.
It's important to understand that this trusting/taking phenomenon isn't new; it's as old as humanity itself.
With this in mind, we're kicking off a new series called Heartset, where we'll look at men and women in the Bible who, just like us, faced challenges and obstacles that tested their capacity to trust or to take.
Sunday, May 21st, 2023 - Heartset: Do You Love Me?
Sunday, May 14th, 2023 - Heartset: A Better Way Than Criticism
Sunday, May 7th, 2023 - Heartset: What Do You Reach For When...? Part II
Sunday, April 30th, 2023 - Heartset: What Do You Reach For When...?
Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 - Heartset: Trusting and Taking in the Face of Scarcity
Sunday, April 16th, 2023 - Heartset: Just Follow Your Heart?
When Mary went to the tomb of Jesus, nothing could prepare her for what she found. The body of Jesus, her dearest friend and teacher, was missing. Her knee-jerk reaction, however, to the missing body of Jesus was foul-play, not resurrection. And yet, by the time Mary left that tomb for good, her world would be turned upside down and inside out in the best sort of way. “He is not here, He is risen” (Luke 24:6).
From that moment on, a single, central message would be preached from those first Jesus followers: Christ crucified and risen. While there is so much more that can be said, it is this one message – Christ crucified and risen – a message voiced a thousand different ways by countless people throughout history, that has and continues to change the world. This Easter, we’re focusing on that single, saving, message: Christ crucified and risen.
Sunday, April 9th, 2023 - Christ Crucified and Risen
A valley full of bones… it doesn’t get much more hopeless than that. And yet there, in a literal valley of death, God posed a question: can these bones live? What an audacious question! They’re bones… they’re the epitome of death… and yet it is a question God doesn’t hesitate to ask. Can these bones live?
You don’t have to be standing in a skeleton sea to wonder the same question.
Can these bones live?
Can this marriage make it?
When will this loneliness end?
Will this tension ever break?
Will this season ever end?
The questions vary, but invariably they’re the same: can these bones live?
The Bible is filled with people whose hopelessness is swallowed up by hope, whose darkness is overcome by light, and whose shame is conquered by love. Join us during the season of Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter) as we wrestle with the question: Can these bones live?
April 2nd, 2023 - Palm Sunday - Can These Bones Live?
March 26th, 2023 - Can These Bones Live? - Seeing our Misplaced Hope
March 19th, 2023 - Can These Bones Live? - Undeterred
March 12th, 2023 - Can These Bones Live? - When Jesus is Late
March 5th, 2023 - #unfiltered
Please note that due to a change in sermon message, today's Scriptures come from Mark 8:22-38.
February 26th, 2023 - Can These Bones Live? - Skeleton Sea
Throughout the scriptures, especially the New Testament, there's this repeating refrain of "____ one another." What's in front of "one another" changes often, but over and over again there is a positive command placed in front of it. Encourage, forgive, serve, love... one another.
In this series, we won't touch on anywhere close to all of these commands, but we'll touch on five of these powerful, positive commands. In a world obsessed with self, a renewed commitment to "one another" might just be what we need to help us better fix our eyes on Jesus and become vessels of hope and healing in the world.
February 19th, 2023 - _____ One Another: Forgive One Another
February 12th, 2023 - _____ One Another: Love One Another
February 5th, 2023 - _____ One Another: Submit to One Another
January 29th, 2023 - _____ One Another: Serve One Another
January 22nd, 2023 - ____ One Another: Encourage One Another
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January 15th, 2023 - First Love First
Worship Handout
January 8th, 2023 - Small and Slow
January 1st, 2023 - Childlike Self-Reflection
Sunday Morning Service Times:
9:00 AM Traditional
10:30 AM Contemporary
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Here at Deer Lake, we want to be the church IN the Community, FOR the Community to the glory of God and for the sake of the world.