Marysville Nazarene

Ripples moving in the same direction grow into waes. Transformation is a process, and every step is precious to God. He can multiply its impact in ways we can't imagine! What is your next "yes"?

Jesus doesn't see people the way the religious see people. But we're not called to be religious--we're called to follow His example. Everyone is created in the image of God and is loved by Him no matter what... therefore, we as a church believe there are no lost causes. No one should be defined by their failures, issues, or conditions. We are known, seen, heard--and worthy of redemption!

It can be uncomfortable walking in ankle deep, knee deep, or even waist deep waters, but God is calling us to something deeper! "Where the river flows, everything will live..."

Earthquakes don't end with the first rumble. The aftershocks continue long after, shifting the ground beneath us, and Pentecost is one of the most powerful aftershocks of Christ's resurrection. We are created to host the holiness of God! To be holy is not a command, it's an identity. It's not about behavior modification, it's about transformation! Real holiness is magnetic. Are you ready to allow the aftershocks of the resurrection to reverberate through your life? Because the world is starving for real people filled with real love from a real God. 

Just like the aftershocks that follow an earthquake, Jesus' resurrecction and ascension were shocking, powerful, world-changing moments that continue to shape our faith and mission today. We live, we believe, and we serve in the tension between Christ's ascension and his return, but we are meant to be living aftershocks--carrying the power of the resurrection--into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth! How are you living in the in-between?

Celebrating the Class of 2025!

Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus model, lead, teach, inspire, convict, and instruct his followers. This instruction--the command to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves--comes before The Great Commission. A commission is a formal, written warrant, granting the power to perform various acts or duties. It's the authorization to act in a prescribed manner. And those who've been commissioned have been given a charge to serve.  So what are our "marching orders"? Go. Make. Baptize. Teach. 

Failure identifies a gap between where we are and where we can be. But just as He did with Peter, Jesus fills that gap! The aftershock of Christ's death and resurrection made a difference in Peter's life, and His love inspires us to respond as well. 

Just like our fears, our doubts are opportunities for God to work in our lives.

No other king loves his enemies, humbles himself, heals the unclean, eats with the outcasts, washes feet, or died for us. This is not just good news... this is great news! And the truth of the Resurrection is imperishable and unfading, nor can it be spoiled by the happenings of this world.

What we do on Sundays is meaningless without the foundation of understanding both the vertical AND the horizontal nature of the Greatest Commandment--to "love the Lord your God [out of] your heart, soul, mind, and strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself." What comes out of us reflects the king that we worship--the king of pride or the king of humility. Grace helps us reconnect the vertical (loving God) to the horizontal (loving others). Humility feeds gratitude, gratitude feeds generosity, and generosity allows us to love our neighbor. Which king are you feeding?

Mark 12 tells the Parable of the Tenants--but it's not a lesson in dollars and cents. It's not even about Rome or the image of Caesar. It's about lordship. The image we bear reflects who (or what) we worship. May our lives reveal his majesty and mercy as we humbly walk in the way of Jesus and give God what belongs to Him.

Jesus as Messiah is clear to those of us reading the gospels, but for those participating in the story, there was still confusion. Jesus didn't arrive to bring them freedom from the temple of Rome like they'd hoped, but instead engaged in a "battle" that was far more personal. He lived out Micah's lament (Micah 7), proclaiming hope that comes from the Lord and calling each of us to be trees not just full of leaves, but trees that bear fruit.

The story of Bartimaeus in Mark 10 is the story of someone who finally "gets it," unlike the rich man or James and John. And while the disciples were quick to dismiss Bartimaeus, Jesus called to him, and Bartimaeus threw off his cloak--his only possession--and ran to Jesus. 

No matter where we are in our journey toward worshiping God (our ascent)--whether we're at the bottom in need of grace to begin the climb, halfway up and laboring to keep going, or at the gates of the Holy City--there is still more that God has for us. We are still climbing and God is still working in us as we confront the kings that vie for our hearts.

The story of the rich man in Mark 10 is not a story about money, but rather that of idolatry. Jesus put himself in direct competition with what the man loved most and made him choose--he could keep his "stuff" or he could follow Jesus. He couldn't do both. And the same is true for us today. When it comes to serving God, we need not ask ourselves "what do I need to do?" but rather "what am I missing?" What might be getting in the way of following the one and only king? Because whoever loves anything more than God... is lacking.

The Gospel is unbelievable! And yet our stories, proclamations, and testimonies express our belief. May we not be guilty of being called unbelieving--a faithless generation.

The pharisees relied on oral regulations to pretct people and their relationship with God. But over time, external things became their focus, and these traditions had blinded them to who God was and what He wanted. Corruption begins inside our hearts, not outside. The pharisees' hands were clean, but their heart had been defiled. Jesus wants holiness to be understood through mercy, grace, caring and compassion, deliverance and community. Let us not miss the invitation the way the pharisees did, and join Jesus in the mission of God. 

The disciples had just seen Jesus feed 5000 people, and yet they were still surprised to see Him walking on water. How many times do we react the same way today, when our expectations don't match what God is doing? Sometimes, while we're straining at the oars of life, He is trying to get us to understand who He really is. Doubt and wonder can't coexist...