Keep spreading the news

“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:20 This past Sunday, we considered Jesus’ parable of the soils. Jesus pictures the word of God as seed that is...

Focus on the families

And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35) Jesus offends a lot of people. There is, ironically, nothing controversial about...

C.S. Lewis on longing

In yesterday’s sermon I shared a quote from C.S. Lewis on the role of longing in the life of a Christian. This is a theme that runs through many of Lewis’ works, including The Chronicles of Narnia and Lewis’ autobiography, Surprised by Joy. While...

Suffering for self vs. suffering for God

This past Sunday we began our Advent series on living with expectant hope in God’s promises. We considered how God equips Christians to live with hope in all seasons of life. Namely, we suffer 1) with our identity and worth secure, 2) with our faith in his word, 3)...

Mercy requires humility

Yesterday, Pete Williamson preached on humility, using Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The takeaway from this parable is that there is only one route into God’s favor and salvation, and that is through his mercy towards undeserving sinners. There...

Why salvation in this way? (5 reasons)

This past Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ claim to forgive sins, and said that God’s forgiveness of sins is not based merely on his love and will to forgive sins, but also on the sacrifice of Jesus in our place. The gospel is not just “God is gracious, loving, and...

The simple vision for Roots Church

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) I...

New space, new time, starting this week (9/22)

We got certificate of occupancy! Beginning this Sunday (9/22) Roots Church meets at 8925 271st St. NW at 10:30 am!! Thank you to all of you who have put in time and resources to make this happen. I am keenly aware of God’s grace in bringing us to this point, and...

Power and weakness in the church

Last week, I attended a day-long seminar with professor and author Kyle Strobel, hosted by the 3Strand Church Network that we are a part of. Kyle recently wrote a book on power and weakness in the kingdom of God, and the seminar was centered around that topic. This is...