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Advent is a season of anticipation, reflection, and hope as Christians await the coming of Christ. But hope that is seen … is no hope at all. If we are honest, it can be very difficult to hope at times. Times when we see death and destruction all around us. Times when we experience backbiting, manipulation, greed, and the distortion of truth. Times when we feel another year slipping through our fingers. Times when we look … and see no progress. But during Advent – both in remembrance of Jesus’ birth and the expectation of his return – we join with centuries of Christians down through history who have hoped in his good news. Central to this hope is the belief that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." When Jesus begins his public ministry in Luke 4, he reads directly from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue in Nazareth. After finishing, he declares,  “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  Luke indicates that Jesus deliberately chooses this passage to read, emphasizing his messianic consciousness at the start of his ministry, and foreshadowing his conflict, and cross, with the powers that be. This day in Nazareth was not only a declaration of Jesus’ identity, but also his mission. Isaiah speaks of liberation, comfort, restoration, and joy – exactly what Jesus offered, and continues to offer, our broken world. While we reflect on this mission in a world that still groans under the weight of suffering, we are reminded that Jesus entered our poverty, our captivity, and our mourning – not as a distant Savior, but as Emmanuel  – the God who is with us. Jesus, the embodied proclamation of the Lord’s favor, did not come with political power or worldly wealth however, but with spiritual authority aimed at the margins. Whether we light candles this Advent season or not, we can be reminded that the light – and heat – of Spirit of the Lord, is not only on Jesus – but continues aflame in us. The Spirit invites and empowers us to continue in his mission – to be his hands and feet – as we proclaim good news to the poor, comfort the hurting, and are agents of God’s justice and mercy in the world.  This Advent season, we are beckoned to align our hopes with what Jesus said was fulfilled that day in Nazareth. This need not be a distant dream – but a present reality that began with Christ’s first coming, continues through us today, and will be completed at his return. In this season of remembrance and waiting, may we hear his words anew and respond with hearts that are open, hopeful, and ready.   Reflection Questions: ·      How does remembering Jesus as the proclaimer of good news to the poor, the binder of the brokenhearted, and the releasor of captives, make you feel right now? ·      In what ways might Jesus be inviting you to join him in his mission of the Lord’s favor during this season?

In this sermon we discuss that Jesus is not the Bible, and the Bible is not Jesus. We discuss the fact that the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus, and that in our digital age we need to recover communal, long-form reading that goes beyond the “quiet time”. #PracticingTheWay   # Scripture   #Sermon #BibleStudy

Let me start with several qualifiers; AI is not going anywhere. I use AI constantly. I use it even though I don't know I'm using it. I use Siri. You use Alexa. I used AI to create the feature image for this article. Using what we call "AI" is almost unavoidable. But what exactly do we define as "artificial intelligence"? Where do we draw the line? Is AI unequivocally good? Is it inherently evil and to be avoided at all costs? Will it lead the Terminator apocalypse some of us grew up fearing? (I still can't shake the T1000 in my nightmares). T1000 from Terminator 2, 1991 AI is everywhere now, and this is only going to continue. On our phones, in our cars, in our appliances, everywhere on the internet. Every app seems to have implemented some form of AI. I just added Apple Intelligence to my laptop. I use the AI DJ on Spotify. Even the platform I use to write this blog now offers to create not only post topics based on the content that I create (I can't lie, many of them are interesting), but also the entire post for me. I recently heard an interesting podcast around tech where the guest who was a lawyer said they planned to let AI write their next 12 newsletters for the year simply because it was more efficient and he could spend his time doing something else. The host quipped, "why not have it write 562 newsletters for you this year?" Of course this 'efficiency' is often very tempting, and sometimes has very little to no observable consequences. I would love to let an AI language model do the 'heavy lifting' for me and write 90% of this article so I don't have to spend the time that it takes for me to write 100% of it - trust me it takes longer than you think, and often longer than I want. AI could help me produce more content and therefore grow my audience, engagement, likes, and follows. But at what cost? Preachers and pastors use AI such as ChatGPT to write their sermons for them. Some think there is no problem with this, even heralding and championing the use of AI in our bible study and worship practices. I think there is a big difference between using a search program to find a scripture (which I do all the time), and having a AI program interpret Scripture to and for me. This moves into the realm of consciously wanting ourselves to be formed spiritually by AI. However, this is very dangerous as my friend and colleague Dr. John Boyles has written in his article " Misreading the Scripture with Artificial Eyes ": " This experience with ChatGPT [asking it to interpret Jesus' Sermon on the Mount] therefore cautions us to consider the value of any interpretive tendencies it exposes. Will we treat the Bible as a statistical game of tokens? As words and ideas to be bandied about in disembodied dialogue? Or will we take up the challenge of Jesus to be wise, to hear his teachings,  and to do   them  (Matt. 7:24) in community with one another?" ( 1 ) "Perhaps ChatGPT writes a 'better' sermon than you do, a sermon with better grammar or nicer turns of phrase. What of it? You aren’t called to be a 'good' preacher, not in that sense. You’re called to be a  faithful  preacher. God wants you to preach his Word as the person you are, not to serve as a mouthpiece for a proprietary algorithm." ( 2 ) And the church said ... Amen. My biggest reservation in all of this is the rapidity of change is that so few people seem to be discerning when it comes to implementing new tech into our lives, our hearts, minds, and souls. The tech that we use to shape the world around us; the micro waves that warms our food quickly ... the cars and highway systems that rapidly transport us across long distances ... the keyboards that punch out these words faster than writing by hand ... or the integration of Google's quantum computers into our world ... also shape us. For many, tech is often simply 'adopted' without critically thinking through the ramifications and implications as seen through a Christian worldview. This is perhaps most especially true for our children. This isn't to say that all technology is inherently evil, but that isn't the same as saying technology is neutral either. The idea that technology is neutral and is only determined by the user is a myth. Andy Crouch argues that technology offers us an "easy button everywhere", and that comes at a great cost to being formed into the likeness of Christ: "In countless ways our lives are easier than our grandparents'. But is what really matters - for example, wisdom and courage - it seems very hard to argue that our lives are overall better . ... Technology is a brilliant, praiseworthy expression of human creativity and cultivation of the world. But it is at best neutral in actually forming human beings who can create and cultivate as we were meant to. Technology is good at serving human beings. It even - as in medical or communication technology - saves human lives. It does almost nothing to actually form human being in the things that make them worth serving and saving." ( 3 ) Sure having an AI generated synopsis of an article, video, or podcast may be helpful for us to process information more quickly (a newer, slicker version of SparkNotes - or CliffsNotes in my day). But what is the cost of easy everywhere? Yes reviewing the SparkNotes may have helped me prepare to pass a test with less effort when I didn't want to take the time to read the entire book ... but is that helping me to be shaped into a more loving person (Mat 22:36-40) that is more able to persevere under trial (Jam 1:12) and to endure hardship (Heb 12:7)? The question we need to ask ourselves before using some tech isn't whether it is going to make my life easier, more comfortable, or more fun and entertaining - the answer is almost always that it will! The questions that we should be asking need to be more along the lines of; Is this helping me to be transformed more into the likeness of Christ, or is this making my life easier in some way while mis-forming me less into Christ? Is this helping me to love my neighbor better, an actual embodied image bearer of God? Does it rob or diminish some part of my embodied humanity that God has called 'good'? Most of us are not going to be the engineers that create the software or the politicians or CEO's that have greater influence on its cultural adoption (but I pray that some under the lordship of Jesus will be in those spaces). Most of us are simply users and consumers of this kind of tech. This means that it is an uphill climb for us at this point in human history. Most of us have already adopted many of these technologies wholesale, and been significantly transformed by them in the process. Often without knowing it. We are now beginning to see more clearly that just because we can , doesn't mean we should . We are now starting to experience the psychological damage of living a phone-based life, and especially the mental illness increase it creates in children . But it need not be all doom and gloom. It needs to simply be a time, like all others before it, where the followers of Jesus consider what it looks like to be salt on the earth in their cultural context. To offer a way forward, a way of love, perseverance, and meaningful purpose. To offer this to a world hellbent on trying to avoid suffering, boredom, loneliness, and death by finding salvation in the promise of technology; an easy button everywhere. "When God lets himself be born and become [a human being], this is not idle caprice, some fancy he hits upon just to be doing something, perhaps to put an end to the boredom that has brashly been said must be involved in being God - it is not in order to have an adventure. No, when God does this, then this fact is the earnestness of existence. Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death Recommend Reading : Douglas Estes, Braving the Future: Christian Faith in a World of Limitless Tech , 2018. Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place , 2017. Andy Crouch, The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World , 2022. Jacob Shatzer, Transhumanism and the Image of God: Today's Technology and the Future of Christian Discipleship , 2019. Craig Gay, Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal , 2018. Christina Bieber Lake, Prophets of the Posthuman: American Fiction, Biotechnology, and the Ethics of Personhood , 2016. John C. Lennox, 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity , 2020. Albert Borgmann, Power Failure: Christianity in the Culture of Technology , 2003. Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness , 2024 Footnotes: John Boyles, " Misreading Scripture with Artificial Eyes " (Christianity Today, 2023), accessed Jan 12, 2025. Brad East, " AI Has No Place in the Pulpit " (Christianity Today, 2023), accessed Jan 12, 2025. Andy Crouch, The Tech Wise Family (Grand Rapids; Baker Books, 2017), 65-66. #technology #artificialintelligence #AI #ChatGPT

A continuation of our series; Practicing the Way. Utilizing John Mark Comer's platform ( PracticingTheWay.org ) we seek to become spiritual people, being transformed more into the likeness of Jesus. To this end we seek to utilize Spiritual Disciplines in our life and church community to help us. Continuing the practice of prayer, Jon Sherwood discusses various types of prayer including gratitude, lament, petition and intercession. As we continue to practice the spiritual discipline of prayer, we are reminded that the disciplines are not an end in and of themselves, but rather a vehicle for us to experience intimacy with God and personal transformation into the likeness of Jesus. #prayer   #prayerlife   #prayerfortoday   #spiritualdisciplines   #spiritualpractices   #spirituality   #spiritualgrowth   #microchurch   #PracticingTheWay #Prayer #Sermon

Prayer is a place where heaven and earth can meet as we allow God's will to come on earth as it is in heaven. In this sermon Jon Sherwood works through Romans 12:1-8 and discusses the nature of offering our bodies as living sacrifices as well as understanding and utilizing our gifts in the body of Christ. #PracticingTheWay #Prayer #Sermon

This is the beginning of a new series; Practicing the Way. Utilizing John Mark Comer's platform ( PracticingTheWay.org ) we seek to become spiritual people, being transformed more into the likeness of Jesus. To this end we seek to utilize Spiritual Disciplines in our life and church community to help us. The first of these Spiritual Disciplines we look at is prayer, in particular the Lord's prayer of Luke 11. #PracticingTheWay #Prayer #Sermon

Beginning a spiritual formation practice of generosity, Jon discusses the difference between a mindset of abundance vs. scarcity. #PracticingTheWay #Generosity #Sermon

Understanding God's Generosity Continuing our practice of generosity, let's take a moment to reflect on the source of all generosity—God Himself. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, found in Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus reveals profound truths about God's character. This parable isn't just a story; it's a window into how God operates and how we can apply these lessons in our daily lives. The Parable Explained In this parable, a landowner hires workers at different times throughout the day. At the end of the day, he pays them all the same wage, regardless of how long they worked. This can seem unfair at first glance, but it highlights God's generosity. He gives grace and blessings freely, not based on our merit but on His love. Have you ever felt like you were working hard, yet others seemed to receive the same rewards without the same effort? It’s a relatable feeling. But this parable invites us to reconsider our perspective. God’s generosity isn’t about fairness in human terms; it’s about His boundless love and grace. Applications in Our Context Now, how does this apply to our lives today? One area that stands out is immigration. Many people are seeking a better life, often facing challenges that can feel insurmountable. As followers of Christ, we are called to love our neighbors, regardless of their background or circumstances. This means extending generosity to those who might not seem deserving by worldly standards. Imagine welcoming a new neighbor who comes from a different culture. What if we approached them with the same generosity that God shows us? It could be as simple as sharing a meal, offering assistance, or just being a listening ear. These small acts can make a significant difference in someone’s life. The Challenge of Generosity Generosity can be challenging, especially when we feel stretched thin ourselves. It’s easy to hold back, thinking, “I don’t have enough to give.” But here’s the truth: God doesn’t ask us to give what we don’t have. Instead, He invites us to share what we do have, no matter how small it may seem. Have you ever noticed how a little kindness can go a long way? When we step out in faith and give, we often find that God multiplies our efforts. This is where the beauty of discipleship comes into play. As we grow in our understanding of God’s generosity, we become more equipped to reflect that generosity in our own lives. Reflecting on Our Generosity As we continue this journey of understanding generosity, let’s take a moment to reflect. What does generosity look like in your life? Are there areas where you feel called to give more? Perhaps it’s time to consider how you can embody God’s love in practical ways. It’s not just about financial giving; it’s about our time, our attention, and our compassion. When we open our hearts, we create space for God to work through us. This is what discipleship is all about—growing closer to Jesus and allowing His love to flow through us to others. Conclusion: Embracing God's Generosity In conclusion, the generosity of God is a powerful reminder of how we are called to live. As we reflect on the parable of the workers in the vineyard, let’s embrace the challenge of generosity in our own lives. Let’s be willing to step outside our comfort zones and love those around us, just as God loves us. Remember, generosity isn’t about the amount we give; it’s about the heart behind it. So, let’s strive to be generous in all aspects of our lives, reflecting the incredible generosity of our God. #PracticingTheWay #Generosity #Sermon

In this sermon, we look at the generosity of God through the lens of our sufferings and how it can be redemptive, ultimately leading to hope. #PracticingTheWay #Generosity #Sermon

Here Jon discusses the nonviolent way of the cross as seen in the life and ministry of Jesus and its relevance in a context of Christian nationalism and violence.

In this sermon Jon discusses the concept of the whole Gospel and distinguishes it from common incomplete Gospels as seek to be centered on the Well of Jesus' lordship.

A cohort of church leaders from around the country join me in a conversation with Dr. Mark Baker, author of Centered-Set Church: Discipleship & Community Without Judgmentalism. Mark was a seminary professor for 25 years in California. Mark's book (inspired by Hiebert) has impacted me tremendously. After discussing this book together as a cohort of pastors for several months, we concluded by having Mark join us for our last discussion and for us to ask him questions as we wrestle with these concepts and how to implement them in our contexts. Referenced Materials: For those who have not read the book - diagrams and definitions : 13 minute video on individuals living in a centered way, internal evangelism: Blog – list of new insights since the book came out: Video series on first few chapters of the book #discipleship #leadership #bookreview