Pastor Jay Dudley gave us a glimpse into the teaching content he shared at the Epiclesis-sponsored Trail Life troop's summer camp, June 2024. Jay serves as the troop's chaplain, and his sermon on this day explored three biblical stories of "garment gifts" that yielded insights into the meaning of salvation-- and a look at those gifts also set up a …

We're in part three of a four-part look at Paul's letter to the Ephesian church. This time, we're looking at chapter 5 where he says, "be careful how you walk." In fact, the construction in the original language is more like be "carefully careful." What's Paul warning us about, and what's he assuming, about the way we walk and live in the world? Al…

Dr. Carl Peters was the guest on this Sunday and he brought a message about division-- but not the mathematic kind. We live in a day when so many are divided and mired in disagreement. Where does the division come from, and how can we heal the great divide? Along the way we also talked about the work of the devil, "two races" of humankind, and a wa…

It is when I run out of my strength that God shows up. In this sixth and final of the series on 2 Corinthians, Pastor Chris shares a beautiful treatment by the late theologian Marva Dawn on a pivotal passage in chapter 12.We took a close look at some of the Greek text, but the main focus was on another, refreshing possibility of a translation that …

The Bible is full of examples of weakness-- and the way that God shows up in and uses weakness. Why is it that we Christians are still beguiled by worldly power and those who wield it? Join Pastor Chris for the fifth in a six-part series in 2 Corinthians as he lays a foundation of weakness by listing some of the many examples in Scripture where hum…

Dr. Dianne Collard, along with husband Glenn, was on hand on this Sunday morning to give us an update on her life in ministry. Epiclesis has long been a supporter of Dianne Collard and her ministries through the arts, which include “Montage International” and “Meraki Connection.” Dianne is the Europe Director for “Artists in Christian Testimony, In…

In this part four of a short series on 2 Corinthians, we find Paul once again defending his ministry and mission. In commenting on what he's been through and how he's responded to challenges, Paul shows us the marks of a true apostle. Join Pastor Chris as he continues a look at the second letter to the church in Corinth.…

Where do we go when we die? Are we going to get new bodies? Who do we live for in the meantime? Paul's second letter to the Corinthians is full of very practical theology. It's also full of a lot of plain, personal talk from Paul. In making his case for the ministry and mission that Christ gave him, he's taking on what must have been serious charge…

We're in the middle of a little series on Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth. There are plenty of places in this very personal letter where Paul is primarily defending his ministry against Corinthians detractors. But there are also plenty of places where that plain, practical language breaks out into beautiful theology-- even foundationa…

Pastor Chris began a series looking at the second of Paul's letters to the church at Corinth. Along the way, he shared some treasured excerpts from letters he had received many years ago from his parents, and also shared a curious passage about a mythical archaeological dig. What might any of those things have to do with Paul's correspondence with …