Advent: Unexpected news (Raul's farewell).
Advent invites us to anticipate God’s activity. This is the most evident in the birth announcement to Mary. She welcomes God’s unexpected news and shows us what it is like to have your expectations re-ordered around the joy and wonder of Jesus.
By Raul Sandoval
Philippians: Whatever happens.
Paul faces two outcomes: life or death. In the uncertainty of this situation he remains confident of one thing: his future is wrapped up in Jesus’ presence. This is the case with us in every uncertain and ambiguous situation. It’s in this light that Paul encourages the church - with its disunity and fearfulness - to continue to live out their faith because it is the Spirit that establishes us in Christ. So, in “whatever happens,” we can be confident that Jesus is the ground we can stand on. He supplies the Spirit and others as evidence of his present and coming kingdom.
By Raul Sandoval
Serve the city Sunday.
We’re taking a break from our current series to focus on a goal of ours here at Bread. We aim to be a church that exists for the good of the city. Jesus loves it and he’s already at work in bringing his goodness and kingdom to it. So we want to partner with him in that. Serve the City Sunday is about making our service initiatives known in accessible ways. In this talk you'll hear various speakers share about what this looks like. We believe that his kingdom is a place where everyone can play. Our hope is that you’d find your place as people who carry out God’s good work in this beloved city of his.
By Raul Sandoval
I AM: The gate.
Gates are entryways. They are entrances into realms. For the man born blind who was healed by Jesus, this was a transformative reality. He was rejected by the religious leaders so Jesus became the way in for him. The way into a new beginning, a new story, and a God-infused life. This goes for us as well. When life has a way of pushing us to the fringes, Jesus assures us that he is the way into the good life, a life that overflows with beauty and harmony. What does that look like? Jesus uses shepherd imagery to describe it. Take a listen and invite Jesus to meet with you.
By Raul Sandoval
David: David's deliverer.
We’ve reached the end of 2 Samuel and in it’s epilogue we find David’s song. It captures the essence of his life. It is David’s memoir-ic poem and he say’s “God is my deliverer”; David gets into trouble and God delivers him. From lions, Sauls, and personal failures God demonstrates to us through David that he can deliver us. We all face things - spiritual and natural - that work against us and in those moments it can feel like we’re up to our necks in trouble. David models a practice of calling on God when we’re in trouble. But more than that, David and the prophets point us to Jesus, the ultimate deliver. Jesus is the Son of David but he doesn’t rule as David did. Jesus rejected the nationalistic and militaristic ideas placed on the expected son of David – Jesus instead leads a kingdom not by violence, one that isn’t characterized by oppressive rule but one that is self denying, one that is marked by love. As we call on Jesus, he delivers us into his loving presence.
By Raul Sandoval
David: God's looking out.
How can we be sure God is looking out for us? David faces a less than ideal scenario, his best friend’s dad is out to kill him. Saul is set on holding onto power by killing David. Jonathan, however, ensures David that their friendship is in the Lord. Meaning that their friendship with one another is like that of the Lord’s; he won’t leave David alone. And like David, if we’ve ever been alone facing less than ideal scenarios, we long to know whether or not God is looking out. Community is God’s antidote to loneliness; in the same way Jonathan was an extension of God’s love and faithfulness. Godly community is like a well that God can draw on to look out for us. In his community we find that we’re not alone, we’re not orphans. Jesus calls us his siblings, clothed in his Sonship to the Father. In his family, the Spirit empowers us to fight loneliness and stand in solidarity with one another.
By Raul Sandoval
David: Where delight lies.
Before we get to David, we’re introduced to Saul. In a famous scene from chapter 15 we see the kind of person Saul is – he serves as a warning of what can happen when we allow pride to make a home in our hearts. Pride pushes God out and it puts us at the center. Saul, in his pride, rejects God and forfeits the call on his life. The story-teller then sets us up for the one who models the opposite of pride, humility. Jesus is the ultimate humble one who comes to us – he isn’t too great for the least of us. Jesus, in his humility, comes to us all. The invitation to us is to humbly follow him. Humility brings God in. Humility positions us to listen to his voice and that is where God’s delight lies.
By Raul Sandoval
Romans: The way we change.
The situation in the church in Rome was a stalemate, involving Jewish and Gentile Christians pointing fingers at each other over theological differences. Paul responds pastorally to their underlying question: who’s right and who needs to change? By Romans 8, Paul establishes that Jesus is right. He then makes the case that both groups (us included) need to change. Change comes by the Spirit. We are energized to live as the righteous people we already are. Righteousness is about how we relate to God and one another, it’s about how we share the table. The change that God wants to bring is an internal one that produces outward results most notable in our capacity to love and share. This kind of change is not just up to the Spirit; we are not passive in it, nor is obedience automatic – we participate. As we live by the Spirit, we’re reminded of our adoption into God’s family where we’re made new, all history, all curses, all regrets are done away with and we hear again God’s love for us. And nothing can separate us from his love.
By Raul Sandoval
Calling: Jesus the pastor.
The term ‘pastor’ is Latin for poimén (poy-mane') meaning shepherd. The mixed imagery around Shepherds included symbolism for leaders and rulers. Moses is said to have led God’s people out of Egypt “like a flock”. Elsewhere, the Prophet Jeremiah attacks leaders who have mismanaged God’s flock and led the people astray. From writings in the Ancient Near East to Greek epics, shepherds were a common figure for rulers. But among God’s people, it wasn’t so much about ruling, it was about caring. When Jesus arrived he was moved with compassion for a helpless and troubled people who had no shepherd. He comes to be the good, perfectly ideal, and beautiful shepherd that we all need. He pastors us with personal care, intimate knowledge, and wise guidance. We belong to Jesus the Chief Shepherd from whom we learn how to exercise our pastoral calling. As we give ourselves over to God’s good shepherding, his care and compassion drive us into the fullness of life in him.
By Raul Sandoval
Advent: Destined for joy.
The announcement of Jesus’ arrival comes to an unlikely group: the shepherds. This rag-tag group were often looked down on, forgotten, and considered to be far from religious or noble. Yet the greatest announcement in the history of the world comes to them, not to the rich and powerful but to the lowly shepherds. It suggests to us that God hasn’t forgotten the least of us – to him, we are unforgettable. We are favored, not forgotten by the Messiah who ushers in the age of favor and forgiveness. When we grasp it, it causes joy in us to overflow. Joy that sustains in hardship. Joy that is rooted in God’s faithfulness. We were destined for joy.
By Raul Sandval
Advent: Hope in the dark.
This is the first Sunday of Advent. This time of year we reflect and celebrate the arrival of Jesus. He came into the world not to judge it but to renew it. The time leading up to his arrival was a dark one characterized by rebellion, injustice and a longing for wholeness. In the mist of this less than ideal scenario we read of Jesus’ coming as the one who brings light into the darkness. He does this in our lives, he runs into the darkness. His embodied presence and creative power means that we’re not overtaken by it because his light shines on us. This is our hope and it grows as we worship the One who can never be put out by the darkness.
By Raul Sandoval
If Jesus is supreme, you'll be full.
The letter of Colossians was written to a people pulled in many directions by tricksters and gnostics saying the same thing: “You only have half of what you need. You’re half full.” Truthfully, life and the world can often press this same message upon us. Is it true? Its the age-old message that can lead us to fill ourselves with things we need when in reality, Jesus is the antidote for any sense of emptiness we may have. Jesus makes empty people full. This is what he’s done from the very beginning. He invites us to live full in him but it means we need to make him the center. As we do, he grows us and we become more full of his life, love, and joy.
By Raul Sandoval
Jesus with His Genté.
Jesus’ hometown people would have known him and watched him grow. They had a shared experience of agricultural living under foreign rule so when Jesus makes the announcement of Kingdom, his genté (people) would’ve expected nothing less than special favors and treatment from the local teacher. We’re not immune from this. We may often face temptation to fit Jesus into our designs and cubes as well as make special demands from him. In doing so, we miss the exciting and redemptive truth that it’s not us who fit God into our designs, He’s the one who fits us into his unfolding story or renewal. The new community of Jesus, His new genté, are those who are open to the presence and activity of the Spirit. This is who we are. So let us surrender to the Spirit and the renewal that he wants to bring both in our lives and the world around us.
By Raul Sandoval