Rev. Venida continues our series, Rethinking Atonement, with reflections on suffering and sanctification.
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Did you know that penal substitutionary atonement is not the original theory of atonement? Kai Ngu provides a historical overview of different theories of atonement as well as guiding principles for reconstructing a model of atonement.
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Rev. Venida culminates the Higher Love sermon series with a re-membering and re-centering of our core calling as followers of Jesus — to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves. Grounded in 1 Corinthians 13, this message shares practical tools for living with love as our guiding mantra in every season of life.
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I entered the room and immediately felt the temperature drop. Then came the fake excitement and hellos. The awkward hugs and the uncomfortable banter. Once a place I felt so welcome, now a place of confusion and pain.
Nytasha Obasi as she explores breaking up within a community, when you still have to see each other.
Pastor Haley Warner continues our "Higher Love" series with "Unlearning Purity Culture". What did you learn about sex, your body, and desire from the Church? In this message, Haley unpacks her own story from shame to healing, and invites us all to reconstruct a healthier, Jesus-shaped sexual ethic.
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Rev. Venida invites her recent cohort of Black Storytellers to share the stories they crafted during their week-long residency.
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Rev. Venida opens our month-long Sermon Series, Higher Love, focusing on the theme of Love Your Neighbor. She will explore how we might recenter our capacity to embody love and show God’s love as we honor and prioritize the plight and needs of others.
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Em Slezak explores the final installment of the Beatitudes and asks: Who do you want to bless? How do we envision our present and future?
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Regina continues the We Belong Here series with the question: What does Parrot, a pillar, and a peacemaker have in common?
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Keli continues our “Liberated Faith” sermon series with a timely invitation to throw off the shackles of false urgency. Despite the chaos that surrounds us, our faith demands that we slow down and put our trust in God, no matter how uncomfortable or unsatisfactory that may seem.
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Rev. Venida engages in conversation with author and primary care physical, Dr. Kristin T. Lee. They will delve into her book, We Mend with Gold: An Immigrant Daughter’s Reckoning with American Christianity, and discuss topics of deconstructing and reconstructing faith, family, belonging and more.
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Preaching Bootcamper, Kevin Liao uses the Beatitudes to trace a history of Christian identity formation, linking it to Queer identity.
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We continue our We Belong Here sermon series with the Queerly Creative panel featuring diverse artists from our Forefront community. They’ll share the art forms they work in, the themes that inform their creative expression, their process, and even some works in progress.
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What if grief is where freedom begins? Join Mary Obassi as we hold Pride and Juneteenth together and sit with the strange blessing of those who mourn.
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Former Community Pastor, Mira Sawlani (she/her) kicks off Pride month. Hear her story of finding freedom in unexpected places as she preaches on Matthew 5:3 and God's radical love for those pushed to the margins.
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What does it mean to create a family — especially when the path is long, complex, non-normative, or not what you imagined? On Sunday May 31 we heard from members of our community including queer, femme, nonbinary, trans masc, parents and intended parents — and their stories of fertility, family, grief, and grace for the journey.
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Rev. Venida explores the significance of renewing our vows in pursuit of a more just, generous and inclusive world. Drawing on Jesus’ parable and his practice of reshaping culture through a radically open table, she examines this nation’s plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence even as civil rights are being rolled back, histories erased, and power being used against the most vulnerable.
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Renewal in the Middle of the Mess: What area of your life are you treating like Nineveh, hoping if you ignore it long enough, it will just disappear? Join us this Sunday as we uncover why your avoidance is blocking your elevation and activation.
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Pastor Angela talks about the Holy Spirit and the myriad of ways It shows up for us.
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SERMON CONTENT WARNING
This week’s sermon contains themes of sexual violence, rape, and other sensitive topics which may elicit deep emotions and is not suitable for children.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month and Rev. Venida will raise awareness and promote prevention by preaching on this very sensitive and rarely discussed topic. Using Tamar’s victimization in 2 Samuel 13 as a point of reference, Rev. Venida explores how the church can help cultivate renewal as a response to the individual and collective devastation resulting from violence against the body.