In this 6th message of the Sacraments of the Church sermon series, Rev. Venida preaches on the sacrament of Confession including its origin, how it is embraced today, and how a practice that has been used as a tactic to exert power and harm others has also been used to share one’s truth and connect more authentically with God, self and others. All this and more…
Read MoreDid you grow up in a tradition where you went through confirmation? If not, what sort of initiation or religious educational process did your tradition embody? Rev. Josh shares about the sacrament of confirmation, where an adolescent or adult, confirms their baptismal vows and publicly affirms their faith after having gone through confirmation classes where they learn about Christian history, beliefs, and traditions. How might we too benefit from the Spirit of this sacrament and how might it aid us in reconciling with and reforming our faith?
Read MoreRev. Josh explores the history, theology, and modern-day implications of the sacrament of anointing the sick. This sacrament started as a counter-cultural practice of extending love and grace to hurting and forgotten people in a Roman culture where the sick or sinners were isolated from the community. What if we embodied the spirit of this sacrament by showing up and acknowledging we often can’t take someones suffering away but we sit with them in their divorce, diagnosis, depression…
Read MoreRev. Josh explores the history, impact and modern day relevance of the sacrament of Holy Orders. What if part of ushering in the next 500 years of Christianity means we commit to expanding holy orders to all? What if it means having a healthy respect for pastors while equally valuing the voices and giftings of everyone at Forefront? What might this type of church look like?
Read MoreOur Sacraments Sermon Series begins with a spotlight on marriage. Rev. Venida talks about the history of marriage, how it has evolved over time, and how we can reposition our ideas about marriage to further incorporate Jesus’s words to love God, ourselves, and others. This can start with marriage partners focusing on the love they have for each other, and then extending that love to intentionally work as agents of change through God’s love, so that double the lives can become recipients of Jesus’s love, healing, power, and joy.
Read MoreKai Ngu speaks on a parable of Jesus on farmers and seeds, and the Hebrew Bible to show us how our Scriptures encourage us to relate to nature - land, animals, plants, stars - as persons and beings full of agency, emotion, and willpower. Understanding this animistic, and arguably indigenous, paradigm is essential towards building an anti-capitalist, anti-colonial ethos.
Read MoreMary Obasi explores why it is hard to change even when our circumstances have in the parable of "The Rich Man and Lazarus".
Read MoreGod has lavishly showered on us messages of abundance and hope. Unfortunately, the cares of this world can sometimes be overwhelming and cause us to fall into despair and doubt who we are and our purpose in life. In a continuation of The Parables sermon series, Rev. Venida reminds us of the importance of investing and nurturing those things, again and again, that will allow us to constantly bear good fruit.
Read MoreSometimes we're met with moments that speak to our character and defines us as individuals. Then there are moments that show the light within us! In this exciting sermon, Preacher bootcamp alum, Theon Freeman explores the Parable of the Lamp and what it looks like to discover God's light.
Read MoreRev. Josh queers the parable of the shepherd and the sheep in John 10 by connecting how we can often be led astray like new sheep to believe dehumanizing theologies. However, we can attune our ears to the tender and loving voice of The Good Shepherd who leads us to greener pastures amidst confusion and disillusionment.
Read MoreRev. Venida continues our sermon series with the Parable of the Unjust Judge. This sermon allows us to reflect upon who the heartfelt pleas for justice all around us and how we can answer the call.
Read MoreJesus proclaimed that his liberation was tied with the liberation of the least of these because he was the least of these. And if Jesus, God made flesh, was the least of these, then certainly we are too. And so when we feed the hungry, we are feeding Jesus and ourselves. When we set the prisoner free, we are setting Jesus free and setting ourselves free. Maybe that is what it means to be the Body of Christ.
Read MoreRev. Josh makes modern-day connections to our lives from the parable of the wheat and the weeds. He highlights some of the people in his life who felt like a weed, or perhaps not the people as much as the beliefs they held that seemed to get in his way or take nutrients from his life. He shared how he is often tempted to pluck them, shame them, and cast them aside. As we start PRIDE, might we give people the grace and space to learn how to love us, accept us, and eventually affirm or celebrate us.
Read MoreThe Pentecost Sunday sermon allows us to consider living life more abundantly through the power of the Holy Spirit. It allows us to think critically about the “what do you do?” question, and consider reframing the answer with a response, other than a job title, that is affirming and encouraging.
Read MoreJonathan Williams returns to Forefront to teach on one of his favorite subjects, Hell. In this sermon, Jonathan tells us that Hell is not biblical and that what seems to be a pillar of the Christian faith is not something Jesus believed. And that we could actual thank Christian nationalism for Hell rather than God. He hopes that we come out of church with a different idea of what Hell means. We may even exclaim, "What the Hell?!"
Read MoreRev. Josh highlights how Mary was the first to see the Resurrected Christ and amidst her grief and fear that someone had stolen his body, she didn’t even recognize him until he said her name. But Jesus wasn’t concerned first and foremost with proclaiming his identity or status but instead, he was concerned with her tears and tending to her pain. In a world that is quick to move from tragedy to triumph this story can serve as a reminder that we are called to sit with people in their pain and offer them support, even when we would rather offer solutions.
Read MoreOur Communion and Cross sermon series explores what it means to be Born Again. We take a look at the story of Nicodemus and the way he was intrigued by Jesus life’s life – the way he touched and healed people who were deemed unlovable and untouchable, and the compassion he showed for everyone regardless of their status. Jesus helped to broaden his understanding of what it means to be born again, and perhaps this sermon can guide us in exploring the same.
Read MoreNOTE: Due to a recording glitch with the livestream, there are about three minutes missing from this sermon. There will be a brief pause around 10:40, and then the sermon will resume as delivered.
The third week of the Communion and the Cross sermon series continues with a look at the restrictions around receiving communion within various faith traditions. The good news is that we can freely come to the communion table, without barriers or restrictions because there is no gatekeeping.
Read MoreHistorically we moved from human sacrifice to animal sacrifice to various modes of self-sacrifice. We did and still do this with the belief that by sacrificing something, God will be moved to bless or accept us. In this sermon Rev. Josh unpacks several theories held throughout Church history around the meaning of Jesus' death for Christians and the world. What if Jesus' death was simply a result of the life he lived? What if the death and resurrection of Christ is understood as a catalyst to reform society, inspiring people to follow His example and live good moral lives of love?
Read MoreIn this first sermon in our "Why Communion and the Cross" series, Pastor Angela explores the history behind Communion. The sermon aims to challenge and remove the barriers set by the guilt and shame culture and to replace it with Joy and Gratitude.
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