Common Ground Christian Church

Luke 1:26-38 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  That little teenage girl has a thing or two to show us. Mary holds the mirror up to us Christians and then asks the question, "will you trust him as I did?" After asking all her questions about virgin births, and sacred words, she surrenders her heart to the Lord and in the first act of Christmas hospitality, Mary surrenders her body to be a vessel for the Lord. Even before all the questions were answered about Joseph, about Jesus, and about what her family would think, Mary gives her entire life to God, through the Spirit, for the Son. As we come to worship this Son during the Advent Week of Love, what are you fearing? What impossible task has the Lord given to your body? Join us as we continue in our Advent Series, Waiting Room. 

Luke 6:27-36 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.  This is clearly not a Christmas passage. When Jesus says to "Give to anyone who begs" it's almost difficult to swallow. Even harder to follow. But we cannot wait and anticipate God with us, with our hands full of possessions and a heart full of greed. We need to take a long, hard look at our culture in how it is affecting us in ways we don't even realize. We'd like to take a look at how excess kills joy. Join us as we continue in our Advent Series, Waiting Room. 

Matthew 2:13-23 "Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men." Why does Matthew include the story of Herod's rage against the babies in Bethlehem? How do the outsiders get it while the insiders reject it? When Christ goes to Egypt, what connections are there as he follows the similar pattern of Israel from exile to rule and reign? As we enter the Advent Week of Peace there are a lot looming questions of howe we can be peacemakers in a world of violence and how Christ comes as a threat against every empire we build. Join us as we come encounter the Prince of Peace in song and sacrament. 

2 Corinthians 9:6-15  "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" We'll read in this passage that God loves a cheerful giver. Why? The answer, in short, is that Christ who, for the shear joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the father. The is a deep connection between God's character as giver, and what it means for the Christian to be transformed into his character. Join us as we take a look at God's nature as giver and give thanks for another amazing year at Common Ground. 

Joshua 24:14-28 Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. We value choice in America. We love being able to select from the 31 flavors of whatever it is we want or think we need. When it comes to faith though, that choice often gets us in trouble for so many times we choose the things that idolatrous and hateful. We actually choose things that harm and injure us for thinking it will satisfy our deep loneliness and our momentary desires. When Joshua call's Israel to renew their covenant with God - they ware quick to say "YES WE WILL SERVE GOD AND HIM ONLY." While they were quick to answer in the positive, idolatry and temptat

Joshua 20:1-9 These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation. We tend to seek revenge any way we can get it. It's hard when someone breaks, takes, or kills something of ours to be gracious and show kindness. In a time of "blood for blood" justice - God reveals himself as a level headed player in the laws that shaped nations. He is revealing to Israel that "accidents happen" and what matters is motive and intent. He also shows to us that those who have been accused need to be given a home and a place to flourish. The important thing for us as a church is to open our hearts up to the possibility that we are a place of refuge for all seeking Jesus. With just a few days until the national election please join us as we pray for our nation, pray for our city, and seek Christ on what it means to

Joshua 10:1-15 The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. One thing we have all said at one time or another is that, "I wish there was just more hours in the day." Well, for one such person, God actually granted that wish. As we look at the story of the sun standing still and God working wonders, we can't help but wonder about the role light and darkness play in our lives. What would we do if we had more light? What enemies of God could we make friends - or what evils from the Devil could we destroy if all  things were brought to the light? Join us as we are all in the Mill together as one family to bring light to the world. A city on a hill. 

Joshua 7:1-26 And Achan answered Joshua, "Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekel s, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath." There are some sins and patterns of thought that go undetected and are socially acceptable in our world. Jealousy, envy, and covetousness pretty much run the internet. From what we buy, to who we love, there is no doubt that envy plays a part. In the story of Achan there is a discontent that leads to a horrible situation for all of Israel - the greed of one person affected the entire nation. Join us as we take a serious look at a God who has given us all we need and to grow in contentment. 

Joshua 6:1-27 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.  God is in charge. We are not. The story of Jericho has been written so that Israel would know without a shadow of a doubt that God is with them and God is powerfully in charge. He brought the wall down against their enemy and he has, in Christ, brought the wall down against our greatest enemy, sin and death. Why do we live as if the walls were still up? Why do we live as if the enemy still has power over us? Join us as we worship a God who brings down walls and invites into freedom! 

Joshua 3:1-6,11-13,17; 4:1-7, 21-24; 5:10-15 And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. We all know the stories of just how long Israel wandered in the desert. It took them forty years to get to where they were going. For many of us, finally landing into God's promised land can seem like wandering. We wander from job to job, from romance to romance, from dream to dream, from victory to failure - we are not much different. Our comforts might bare the illusion of having landed but we are a wandering culture. For Joshua and Israel though, on one night, it all ended. The wandering was over, the manna eating ceased, and God was present with them, in the land that he'd promised. Join us as we look to find God in the wanderings and mark our trail as God shows his power to "do it again."

Joshua 2:1-24 And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.  If you have a past, or have carried baggage in your life, you know what it is like to try to trust people and just get through life. It was people that hurt you and it's people that you have a hard time with. In Joshua chapter 2 there is such a story. Spies, prostitutes, treason, promises and ultimately a woman's life changed forever. Join us as we look at the faith of Rahab and see what how we can grow in the love of a God who seems to love those on the outside, those with baggage.

Joshua 1:1-8 Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. If you've every been a part of a transfer of power or leadership you know just how hard it can be. When Joshua takes over for Moses all the people of God are still left in the desert. The one thing left to do is to get to the promised land. As we start the series on Joshua we can't help but notice all the connections to our own life as we have crossed over many waters and the connections to Christ as our mediator and advocate. Join us as we begin our fall series looking at the Gospel of Jesus through the book of Joshua. 

Ephesians 6:10-20 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. In our culture is pretty hard to really understand and even believe at time sin the schemes of the Devil. We don't see him, we don't understand him, and we don't know the different between our own sinful nature and the adversary's schemes. When Paul commands the Church in Ephesus to "stand firm" against the Devil, what is he really saying? Where as a church have we been too passive in our struggle against he great enemy of God? Where as God's children have we denied that our Father even has an enemy? How are we susceptible to his lies, his masquerading, his subtle hints of pragmatic compromise? What does the temptation of Christ have to teach us about how we can "stand firm" against the dev

Ephesians 6:1-4Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  Let's face it, parenting is hard. It is some of the hardest stuff we do in life. If you are a parent you know how difficult it is just of them to eat healthy and get their homework done. Add on top of that the pressure for them to obey and to nourish their souls as well as their bodies and you've got quite possibly the hardest thing we'll ever do in life. Join us as Paul talks to Christian children and Christian parents about how to get on in the home, how to live selflessly, and how to parent the way God parents you. 

Ephesians 5:21-33This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.  The "Great Mystery" Paul is talking about is "Christ's love for the Church." There has been more pain and suffering over this little passage than probably any other text in all the Bible. How could Paul's words become so oppressive? How could wives demand love without respecting their husbands? How could husbands demand submission without living like Christ themselves? At the end of the day, we need to talk about marriage and submission. We need to talk about the church and submission. We need to talk about the radical consumers that we are producing in America and how that plays out in marriage all over the church. We need to talk about men and women. We need to talk about the Holy Spirit and Unity. We need to talk about Paul's House Church model that included spouses, children, and slaves all practicin

Ephesians 5:15-21Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. How are you using your time? What is your relationship to time? Where are the areas of your life where time is being sucked and you have become apathetic? How does one redeem the time lost given to harmful and hateful habits? Paul as a passionate friend and pastor to the Ephesians pleads with them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and not to be filled with wine. He calls them to sing songs to one another and to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This is a hard text for us Western folks to hear. We love to drink wine and hate to submit. We love to isolate ourselves and hate singing. Join us as we look at Paul's message to Grow Up Because the Days are Evil! 

Ephesians 5:1-20  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  There are many Biblical truths in Scripture, and Paul throws us into the deep end of the theological pool this week.  Do we believe what we read in Scripture? Do we examine our lives in light of the unwavering Gospel, or our own shifting, joy stealing “feelings”?  Does walking in love, and being filled with the Spirit mean something, or are we as a body so jaded by Christian self-help platitudes that we have lost focus on the Hope and Joy that is ours in Christ.  Join us and hear what Paul has to say about the work of the Holy Spirit in

Ephesians 4:17-32But that is not the way you learned Christ! Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,  to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,  and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,  and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. One man gets nothing but discord out of a piano; another gets harmony. No one claims the piano is at fault. Life is about the same. The discord is there, and the harmony is there. Study to play correctly, and it will give forth the beauty; play it falsely, and it will give forth the ugliness.  —Anonymous The church has many parts, though imperfect, it takes each part to live the life given in such a way it brings beauty to our Creator. How can we experience a beautiful life? Surrender. Our lives consist of our daily habits, and the experts say anyone can start or stop a habit in 21 days. The beautiful life

Ephesians 4:1-16 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. If love is at the center of the church it will build itself. If we are at the center of the church it will be filled with egos and divisions. As Paul expresses the many gifts that Christ has left the church he is still pounding it in our brains that we are ONE! Guest Speaker: Dan Lemelin