Awaken Community

Nehemiah 1:5-11 - A plea for God's ear to be open and listening to the prayer of Nehemiah. Nehemiah personally asks forgiveness for the sins of his countryman, his family, and himself. They are tasked with remembering the promise that God made to gather the people and bring them home because they are God’s people.

This week is an introduction to Nehemiah and how we've gotten to the place where we are. Who was Nehemiah? How did Israel end up oppressed and exiled under Artaxerxes? What was the root cause of their suffering? Micah highlights the importance of beginning a process of renewal with grief/lament.

Acts 15, Early christians meet as a council in Jerusalem to start the church in the book of Acts. They find that the spirit of God is leading them beyond the confines of their religious structure and are thus tasked with living as a people of God rooted in love and a new way forward.

Tom sheds light on the current worldwide refugee crisis and his engagement with it through the non profit organization, IAFR. He shares the significance of the Lord's Prayer in a world desperate for hope.

Ruth 1:6-18, Mary provides context for her experience as a refugee and invites us to consider the importance of support systems and staying proximate to people with different life stories.

Jeremiah 29:1-14 The people of God in Exile - even here God is with them in Babylon. Exile is the place where your entire conception of who God is and what God is like dies and you find out God is still with you in this place/iteration.

1 Sam 8:1-22 - God warns them of all the things they will become if they go in this direction. As the people go down this path, they forget where they came from and they become Egypt - the very thing they were liberated from.

Judges 2:16-23, The children of God in this book of the Bible are often portrayed as rebellious and forgetful of the ways of God. Micah invites us to consider the ways God is more patient, hopeful, and available to us than we might otherwise be led to believe.

Numbers 9:15-23, The Israelites follow a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night trusting that the spirit of God is in it. Micah recalls the journey of Awaken, the movement of the spirit in our midst and invites us to trust that God is present and guiding us through whatever wilderness lay ahead.

Exodus 2:23-25 - God hear, remembers, sees, and knows the people while they are enslaved and oppressed. Micah invites us to consider what ideas and realities we need to be freed and liberated from.

Genesis 32 - Jacob has spent his life running from God and his own name. Micah highlights that ways God relentlessly pursues us and seeks to bring us into a way of life that bears good fruit and wholeness  of self.

Genesis 11:1-4, 12:1-5 These two chapters highlight the difference between a life motivated by fear and a life motivated by faith. Micah walks us through another iteration of the people of God following the voice of God towards partnered life together.

Awaken kicks off a new series exploring the different iterations of the people of God throughout scripture. What does a journey with God look like as a people experiencing different contexts and circumstances in history? Micah starts in Genesis 1 & 2 where humans are invited to move and work from a place of rest.

Micah provides an honest reflection on the significance of Easter and the importance of faith in a story that can at times feel unbelievable.

Trigger Warning: The content of this week's sermon references and discusses points made in The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone. Mark 15:1-15, Pilate has not always been the one sided character you may have grown up hearing about. Micah challenges and invites us to consider the origin of the cross, its use in subjugating people outside Rome, and the modern equivalent we might see or experience today.

Mark 14:66-72, We follow the journey of Peter and his walk with Jesus through the highs and lows. Micah explores the idea that we are not the sum of our mistakes or successes, but rather bear the image of God and the love the world was made out of.

Mark 14: 53-65, Jesus goes before the Sanhedrin where he experiences firsthand the at times unjust system of religious law. Micah brings forth the invitation and challenge to welcome outside perspectives, listen to voices who do not find themselves in the majority, and in doing so find ourselves experiencing an old story with new eyes.

Mark 14:27-51, The humanity of Jesus is on full display as he prays to God for relief from distress, another path that might not lead to death. Micah highlights the ways Jesus becomes our truest friend and ally in life because he entered into the deepest struggle of humanity.

Mark 14: 12-26, Micah explores the meaning of Passover and the ritual that would have been normal and habitual for a Jewish person. What is Jesus doing by deviating from the Passover script?

Mark 14: 1-11, Jesus gets anointed at Bethany by an unnamed woman. The deed is met with disdain by the disciples, but is welcomed by Jesus who recognizes the significance of the moment and his coming death. Micah sits with the questions, can you recognize the moment you are in? And how will you be remembered when all is said and done?