Advent Worship Series: The Vocabulary of Christmas

During the Advent and Christmas seasons, The Way worship experiences will focus on ”The Vocabulary of Christmas.” With ancient biblical words as our guide, we will discover what we are called to proclaim about Jesus the Christ. We will come to understand what Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah, Gloria, Emmanuel, and Amen mean to the Christian community and to our discipleship. Our journey will connect us to the first generations of Christians even as it calls us to make a difference in the world today. Worship themes are:
November 29 Maranatha: The “Already-Not Yet” Reality of Christ
December 6 Hosanna: The Saving Work of Christ
December 13 Hallelujah: May God Be Praised
December 20 Gloria: The Angel’s Song
December 24 Emmanuel: God Is With Us
December 27 Amen: So Be It, Lord

Rejoice! Sermon Series

In Phil 4:4, Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” This series will teach us how to cultivate an attitude of joy despite life’s challenging circumstances.

Sunday themes are:
Rejoice! Even When You Don’t Feel Like It (November 8)
Rejoice! Even When All Seems Lost (November 15)
Rejoice! Even When No One Else Does (November 22)

All Saints Sunday

All Saints Sunday is a day we set aside each year to reflect on the faithful witness of those who have gone before us. These may be family members who shaped our lives or brothers and sisters in Christ who guided us with their words and deeds. All Saints Sunday is a day of remembrance and celebration for that “great cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us always.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

"Come to the Worship Table" Semon Series

We will turn our attention to the Lord’s Table during our October worship series. “Come to the Welcome Table” is an old spiritual that celebrates the gracious welcome we find in Christ and with the Body of Christ at the Table. Sunday themes are:

October 4: World Communion Sunday
October 11 Share the Feast: Feed the Hungry
October 18 Share the Table: Embrace the Outcast (sorry, this webcast is unavailable)
October 25 Share the Christ: Meet the Christ and Be the Christ

"Peacemakers" Sermon Series

In Matthew 5:9, Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” This September at The Way, we will explore what this means for us. Using Jesus’ teachings throughout the Gospels along with the book, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande, we will challenge ourselves to be bearers of peace in our interpersonal relationships as well as our life together as a community of faith.
September 6 “Glorify God”
September 13 “Get the Log Out of Your Eye”
September 20 “Gently Restore”
September 27 “Go and Be Reconciled”

All Things Considered Sermon Series

Every summer at The Way, we take time to consider your requests—those unanswered faith questions, those difficult scriptures, those spiritual musings and wonderings of yours. This is always one of the most varied and fun worship series of our year. Consider being a part of “All Things Considered” this summer!
August 2 Rev. Carolyn Bullard, preaching
August 9 Questions about Scripture
August 16 More (!) Questions about Theology
August 23 Questions about the Christian Church & Other Denominations
August 30 Questions about Spiritual Disciplines

Boot Camp Summer Worship Series

This summer at The Way, we will experience a crash course in basic Christian Theology called Boot Camp. Over the past few months, many of your spiritual questions have centered on the core issues of our faith. Boot Camp will be an opportunity to learn more about these core issues from diverse perspectives. This will be a challenging series; it may even make you uncomfortable. But isn’t that what all Boot Camps do? By the end of July, you will have a solid—albeit basic—understanding of Christian theology and hopefully the desire to learn and explore Christian theology even more deeply.

June 7 - Faith
June 14 - The Bible (Activities Bldg)
June 21 - Meet God, Meet Christ (Activities Bldg)
June 28 - Born Again / Thin Places
July 5 - The Kingdom of God
July 12 - Sin and Salvation
July 19 - The Heart of the Matter
July 26 - Heart and Home

A River Deep and Wide

I have just returned from Nashville where I participated in a weeklong seminar of this same name. The following thoughts are taken from the seminar brochure:Spirituality is like a river…a River flowing with the grace of God, a River full of life and vitality for thirsty souls and hungry hearts, a River of Jesus’ love. The Psalmist writes, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” (Ps 46:4a). This is the River we seek in an increasingly multicultural and inter-religious world. Some respond to diversity with fear, but as people of faith we know that differences can lead to discovery. Diversity is an invitation to dialogue. In the spirit of Jesus, who was always venturing forth to meet others, A River Deep and Wide will be an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to relate to one another, overcoming divisions and discovering our oneness in community. So it will be with us at The Way as we focus on the same theme. Each Sunday in May, we will consider a different current in this River of faith and life:
May 3 Bridge the Gap—A Celebration of Creation
May 10 Bridge the Generations
May 17 Bridge the Traditions
May 24 Bridge the Cultures
May 31 Catch the Current (Pentecost Sunday)

Anniversary Sunday and April 26

The Way’s 4th Anniversary Celebration, April 19: Come celebrate four years of ministry at The Way! We will take a look back at the past year, open ourselves up to what God has in store for us in the year ahead, and share a potluck fellowship meal together. As with our previous anniversary celebrations, the music for this evening will be all-request.
Anniversary Sunday - April 19


Special Guests Chris and Maggie Bryant share experiences from their mission trip to China.
April 26

Easter Sunday Service

The Way will gather for worship on Easter Sunday at our regular time to proclaim the Good News of Christ’s resurrection. Our scripture for the evening service will be the Emmaus Story, Luke 24:13-35.
Easter Sunday -April 12

Jesus Today Sermon Series

"So what?" Unfortunately, that's the response of far too many Americans when hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. According to a recent survey, two-thirds of the American public believes that religion is losing its influence on our society. When asked if religion can provide solutions to the problems regular Americans face, most people said no. Now we have a choice here. We can wring our hands and complain to ourselves about why more people haven't "found what we've found"; or we can answer their question. So what? What does it matter that Christ lived and died and rose again? How is Jesus relevant today? These are the questions we will wrestle with during this Lenten season as we consider "Jesus Today."
March 1: Life Today (Matthew 3-4)
March 8: Jesus Today (Psalm 23, John 10:1-16)
March 15: Spirituality Today (John 4)
March 22: Communion Today (Luke 13:29-John 17:1-26)
March 29: Freedom Today (Luke 17:11-19)

See the Light Sermon Series

We live in uncertain times, made even more uncertain by the economic instability of the past few months. It seems as if the world is conspiring against us in our need for security. But we would be remiss if we did not also reflect on how our materialism has contributed to the situation we face today. With this first worship series of the New Year, we will work to align how we actually live with how we talk about living as the Body of Christ. We are called to “See the Light”—both the Light of Christ that has the power to lead us from darkness into life and the dawning realization of what our priorities should be. During “See the Light,” we will consider:

January 11 Our Golden Calves
January 18 The Image of God
January 25 Your Inner Zacchaeus
February 1 The Cry of the Poor
February 8 It Is Enough
February 15 Now Choose
February 22 The Salvation Army (Rev. Carolyn Bullard, Guest Preacher)

Water of Life: A Worship Service for the New Year

January 4, 2009