Vergennes Church Podcast

Jesus calls us to be one. But what does that mean? What does unity mean for Christians? More importantly...what does it not mean? 

Before Jesus was handed over to be crucified he, prayed for his disciples, "that they may all be one." Why is unity important for Christians today?

"The gospel is less about how to get into the Kingdom of Heaven after you die, and more about how to live in the Kingdom of Heaven before you die." - Dallas WillardThis message began with a conversation among the gathered members of the 11:00 service about this very quote. The podcast begins right as the message truly begins, coming out of that conversation. 

We are all called by God to serve others, as Jesus served. How we serve will look different for each of us, because each of us is unique. Our gifts, passions, experiences, skills, and personality all affect how God will use us. When all of these come together in one opportunity to serve others, it is a beautiful thing. This message includes an excerpt from The Liturgists Podcast, on their episode titled "Suffering (Part 1)", which came out on November 1st, 2016. You can learn more about this podcast at www.theliturgists.com

Scripture tells us that God will transform us by changing the way we think. Jesus came not to be served but to serve others, and we are called to be like Jesus by serving others. In this message, we explore the mindset shifts that help us to be transformed to be more like Jesus, to serve others in radically loving ways. 

We begin 2019 with a new series titled "Full Service". As many of us are setting New Year's Resolutions to better ourselves, we remember that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and we are invited to follow him in a life of servanthood that is about lessening ourselves, rather than making ourselves greater. **A note to the listener:Throughout the message, Tom refers to the incurvatus in se term that he describes early in the message by curving his spine to look at his naval (hence, "naval-gazing"), showing the posture of sin, vs. holding an upright posture, turned out toward others. Later in the message, he would embody the two contrasting postures without referring to the term. This worked great in person, but admittedly it's harder to follow when one is merely listening to the podcast. We're sorry if there are moment where the message isn't clear!

Our worship leader Keith Bean shares a fitting word to end 2018. 

God wanted to get the word out that Jesus was born, so he sent his angels to call upon...the shepherds? Yes, the Shepherds. God called the ones the world often overlooked to be his messengers of the good news. When he was older, Jesus did the same thing; he showed love to the ones the world found unlovable. The final, Unexpected Gift that the angels brought, this time to the Shepherds: Love. 

Can you imagine being told that you had to be the earthly father of the Son of God?? Talk about pressure! Yet, when the angel visited Joseph with the news of Mary's pregnancy, we received the Unexpected Gift of Peace. 

Mary, God's Favor, and Joy

On Christ the King Sunday, we explore what it means to call Jesus our King, how Jesus is different from any other ruler our world has ever known, and how that leads us to true worship. He is the Alpha and Omega, and from Age to Age he is worthy of our praise! 

Can we be honest about depression in church?God is the source of our joy. However, If we're honest, there are times where we don't feel very joyful. Whether it is because of a recent life circumstance, or because of a more chronic mental health struggle, many of us will struggle with depression at some point. When that happens, we can't just say to ourselves or to others, "Be Happy!", or "Rejoice in the Lord!" Cheap and easy solutions just don't work. When we are depressed, how do we pray? How is God our deliverer and our hope, even when it doesn't feel that way? And how can we avoid cheap, easy solutions that don't adequately honor that life is very hard sometimes? In this message, we walk through Psalm 77 to find a way to pray while we're "in the middle". ___Find Frederic & Ronza, the band who wrote the song "In the Middle" mentioned during the message, at https://www.fredericandronza.com. You can find their newest album, "H

Sometimes we get it right; sometimes we do dumb, foolish, and sinful things. If we think we are defined by these things, we can begin to wonder if there is any hope for us after we've blown it big time. And so we hide. But...what if the mask we wear to hide our sin is only hiding us from the God who wants to restore us and heal us? 

In the message from our Pledge Sunday, we reflected on our "why"; Why we give, Why we serve, Why we do what we do. The answer is connected with the simple invitation from Jesus: "Come, Follow Me. Check out what I'm up to. Do you want to join me?"

What would make you truly happy? More money? A bigger house? A better car? While advertisers want you to believe otherwise, there are countless stories and multiple research studies, not to mention the witness of scripture and the pattern established by God himself, that tell us we are happier when we choose to use our money to benefit other people, not just ourselves. In this message, we learn what it means to find happiness by living a generous life by looking at the story of a Macedonian church that was simultaneously known for their poverty and their radical generosity. 

We all experience fear; it's part of being a human. The question is not "Will be afraid?" Rather, the question is, "Will I live from a place of fear? Or, is there another way? This message covers how to tell the difference between a bear and a deadline, how the ancient Israelites managed their fear of being conquered, and how Psalm 46 shows us how we can bring our fears to God.

In 1843, a small group of people in Vergennes Township starting meeting together to worship God and love their neighbors. 175 years, we're still meeting together more focused than ever on our mission of Making Disciples who grow in Knowing, Loving, and Serving Jesus Christ. On October 14th, we paused to remember 175 years and the many people who came before us, and we looked ahead to where God continued to call us today. Because of the great Cloud of Witnesses that surround us, we will run the race laid out in front of us today!

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Someone who is not enough? Someone who has wasted their life? Someone who doesn't have the right kind of body? Someone unlovable or undesirable? Shame is an incredible barrier that holds us back and keeps us feeling small. It's also a liar. When we feel like we are a nobody or that we are worthless, we can turn to Psalm 139 to hear God's truth. God knows us intimately, God is always with us, God pursues us, God desires us, God made us, God declares us "wonderfully made", and God has a plan for us. When we feel deep shame, we lose sight of the fact that God is a loving creator who made us, and he does not make mistakes.