Common Ground

The Grit and Grace in the Letter to the Galatians

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 16:00:00 +0000

On the road to Damascus, Paul encountered Jesus. He was not expecting that encounter, and he was definitely not expecting the trip on THAT road to put him eventually on a road towards sharing the gospel with Gentiles.
This week, we’ll be uncovering how the grace of God does not fit into the established boundaries of our understanding. We’re excited to continue to explore Paul’s letter to the Galatians and how we can be taught by a community’s struggles 2000 years ago.

A Prisoner to People Pleasing or Prisoner of Christ

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 16:00:00 +0000

We all want freedom. We talk about freedom in certain ways and we talk about freedom in Christ in certain ways. Paul's letter to the Galatians is in response to the bondage that some Christians were putting on Gentiles to observe the Torah law and go so far as to get circumcised before following Jesus. Paul understands that the family of God is a multi-ethnic, liberation from the laws of culture that in fact bind us to sin and death. If we want real freedom, we become slaves to Christ. That paradox is what we will explore this summer as we begin a new series in Galatians. This letter is full of truth and wisdom as we at Common Ground navigate life in the Spirit and as we long for the true freedom that comes as a New Creation! Join us this summer and read through the book several times over the next month as we dive deep into the Grit and the Grace from Paul's letter to the Galatians.

Worshiping Together: CG & Micah Street Church

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 16:00:00 +0000

We have the chance this Sunday to participate in something very special. Micah Street Church has said yes to our invitation to come and join Common Ground for a joint worship service at the Silk Mill. We can’t wait to host our neighbors and friends as we work through the passage in Ephesians on love and unity. Pastor Chelsea will tell more of the Micah Street Church story, and we will hear from some of their members on Sunday as we come together as one worshipping body this Sunday around the table. Be ready to welcome them and make our guests feel right at home. They have been in the yard at The Meeting House for the past 8 months and have felt our hospitality there and we are excited to be in the same space.

Nothing to Hide. Nothing to Fear. In This Together

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Join us this Sunday as we continue our current series with a look at Acts 13! Gregg will be back from his time away, and we are looking forward to hearing what the Lord has been stirring in him through this chapter of Acts. We can’t wait to worship whether you are with us in person or digitally!

Nothing to Hide. Nothing to Fear. In This Together.

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 12 confronts us with the execution of James while Peter is miraculously rescued from prison by an angel. We cheer for Peter’s release but we feel saddened for the suffering James had to endure. Why didn’t God save both? Why does James die and Peter get to live? This seems unfair. How did the early church respond when their leaders faced execution? King Herod used power and violence to demonstrate who was in charge. Does the church submit or align with those in power or is there another way? What is our understanding of the power of prayer when we’re faced with challenges? God watches over us and will neither slumber nor sleep. Acts 12 explores where we’ve put our hope and security. Join us on Sunday at the Silk Mill as we worship our Lord and Deliverer.

Nothing to Hide. Nothing to Fear. In This Together

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Have you ever been in Peter’s shoes? You see God do something amazing and no sooner do you get home to tell your crew and they ask, “how dare you include those people up in this party?” The insiders were so in. The outsiders were so out. When God does his joining, the insiders are so sure of their purity code that nobody else could possibly receive God’s spirit unless it went through them first. When we follow the Holy Spirit we soon find that he does what he wants and he does it how he wants. Our paradigms of cultural expectations crumble when it comes to who God will go after. Peter has to explain himself to the super religious folks that God truly is after the nations and not just those who fly their flag. God created it all and God through the Holy Spirit wants it all back! Join us on Sunday at the Silk Mill as we worship in the joy of this great Holy Spirit!

When He Was Weak, She Was Strong

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

This fourth and final message in our Faith Out of Africa series is about mother’s, leaders, their sons, and their husbands. Moses is on his way to lead his people out of slavary when he himself is bound to the chains of disobedience to God. The woman at his side, Zipporah from the African country of Midian responds in faith when Moses doesn’t. Who knows what the story of The Exodus would even be if it weren’t for the quick thinking and actions of faith by Zipporah! This is one of the weirdest accounts in the Bible and there is much that we cannot fully understand about the cultural practices of the Egyptians and early Hebrews. However, there is enough here to grow in our obedience to Christ and to know that he means it when he calls us to his covenant. I can’t wait for you to hear the testimony this week and be together to worship! Join us on Sunday as we hear testimony, sing songs of hope, and grow in love and obedience to God. Share the zoom link with a friend and join us online at 10 am.

Coerced To Carry - Simon's March To Freedom

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

This third message in our Faith Out of Africa series is all about carrying the cross, literally. When our Lord, weakened by being flogged could carry his cross no longer, the Roman Soldiers found Simon from Africa in the crowd along the road to Calvary and forced him to carry the cross for Jesus the rest of the way. Long before Paul would say, “I am crucified with Christ” the very first person to carry the cross was an African who has a story to tell. His two sons became followers of Jesus and Paul talks about Simon’s wife in another passage which can only get me excited for heaven when I think about how the Gospel spread like wildfire because the soldiers picked this man to help Jesus. How about you? What does it mean to voluntarily carry the cross of Jesus? While Simon was forced and compelled by the sword, we have agency in the voluntary surrender of our lives to this convicted Messiah. In this first Sunday of Lent we will look to the cross, we will look to Simon, and we will look at the brutality of the Roman government. It is inside this world of violence that our King overcame the world. Join us on Sunday as we hear testimony, sing songs of hope, and grow in love and obedience to God. Share the zoom link with a friend and join us online at 10 am.

She Came Seeking Wisdom

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

This second message in our Faith Out of Africa series is all about wisdom. We are familiar with the wisdom of Solomon but we are less familiar with the brilliance, regality, and resilience of the Queen of Sheba. She had caught word of Solmon’s wisdom and set out on the road to find truth. How much of your week is spent in the pursuit of wisdom? Who have you given permission to as the source of that wisdom? Do they have an agenda? Do they have the truth? This is another beautiful story in the Bible of how a foreign person came seeking after Israel’s God. Clearly, Yahweh had blessed Solmon and the Queen reveals her own wisdom in the seeking. We all need wisdom right now and I can’t wait to share this message with you! Join us on Sunday as we hear testimony, sing songs of hope, and grow in love and obedience to God. Share the zoom link with a friend and join us online at 10 am.

Liberated On The Road

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

As we begin our Faith Out of Africa series, the first thing we observe is a God who runs. Jesus told us he would. Jesus told us this is what God is like. He said, “The father, noticing his son a long way off, began to run down the road…” What Jesus told us about, we actually see as Philip runs to the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He was letting him know in the most profound way, “even though you are on the margins, even though you are on a migrant journey, you will never walk alone.” The African American struggle in this country has been one long road. When the church refused to see the image of Christ in the bodies of black people, thank God we have a Father who runs! Who runs past the elder brother to get to the one who’s on the road. This encounter in Acts 8 was the beginning of a robust church in Africa and we look forward to being together as the people of God this week. Join us on Sunday as we hear testimony, sing songs of hope, and grow in love and obedience to God. Share the zoom link with a friend and join us online at 10 am.

The Exile of Innocence

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 17:00:00 +0000

By the order of King Herod all the male babies, two and under, where to be put to death. This is a part of the Christmas story that often gets passed over. However, in a year of so much reflection on our own mortality and on humanities capacity for evil and death, we would do well as a church to reflect on the Dark Side of Christmas. As Jesus was teaching and preaching he said to his disciples, “let the little children come unto me, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.” There is an innocence about a child that the Lord longs for all of us to never outgrow. There is stark difference between being childish and childlike. Herod, with his executive order, caused a weeping to be heard in Bethlehem like never before and ever since. We all have experienced loss, but the loss of a child is a very unique kind of suffering. Would you join us on Sunday over Zoom as we worship, sing, and pray for those who have lost and give hope to one another as we march into this New Year.

The Exile of the Wise Men

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 17:00:00 +0000

This will be a Christmas like none other in your lifetime. The country and the world has shut down and families will gather in limited capacity due to Covid-19. We have already endured 9 months of life changing events, and as the darkness of winter is upon us, a young lady is about to have a baby. In the midst of another pandemic, the pandemic of exile, sin, and death, the light of God came to save us! Christmas is the season of darkness that is exposed by the light, and there is no doubt that we are in the darkness. As the body of Christ, we are committed to grieving with a world that has seen so much suffering and death this year. Would you commit to joining us each week over the next couple months as we look at Advent in Exile: Stories of Christ in the Winter of Covid. Believe Church! The light is coming! The light is winning!

The Exile of God

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Refugees. Conquered nations. Banished criminals. That is who deserves to be in exile. Yet, John’s account of the birth of Jesus begins with something totally unique in our universe. He claims that the God of creation in the beginning is fully present in the humanity of the person of Jesus. Fully God and Fully Man. The light that was commanded in Genesis, “Let there be light” is the “light of mankind” and he is the one who also said, “I am the light of the world.” Why would God exile himself or for what reason would he abandon his riches in glory to come and be made in human likeness? He has no rival and no equal. Great is our God and greatly to be praised for his wisdom far outreaches our own and his love is deep enough to come and rescue us. Join us via Zoom this Sunday as we gather online, hear testimony, sing songs of Advent, and pray for one another. Be strong and courageous CG! You are loved and not alone!

The Exile of Bethlehem’s Shepherd’s

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 17:00:00 +0000

As we light the candle of Joy this weekend we hear the angels singing “Glory to God in the Highest” right above our heads. As the Shepherds were watching their flocks by night, God interpreted their darkness. We are inviting this same God to interrupt our darkness this winter as well. As we put this pandemic in perspective, we have to acknowledge the pain, loss, and frustrations that so many of us have felt. Yet, it is in our very suffering and bondage that a child was born into the earth. Born to rescue and save us! Shepherds were considered some of the lowest people on the social ladder and God chose to announce the birth of Jesus to a class of people who were considered thieves and uncredible. Why? Join us on Sunday as we gather outside to raise our voices our lift our prayers for one another as we worship the newborn king!

The Exile of Mary and Joseph

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 17:00:00 +0000

We will light the candle of peace this Sunday as we move to Zoom for this week’s worship gathering. We have a testimony lined up and we are excited to hear what God has for us in this second week of Advent. Mary and Joseph were on their way to Bethlehem when the time came for Christ to be born and they found that even in Joseph’s hometown there was no place to call home. Christ was born in a stable. Have you ever felt exiled even at home? Have you gone back to your hometown and things were just different? What can we learn in the winter of Covid from the fact that there was “no room in the inn”? We have all felt so many emotions this past week and it will be good to see your beautiful faces church as we anchor into the waiting of Advent. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

The Exile of Simeon and Anna’s Thanksgiving Sermon

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

We will light the candle of hope this Sunday and we can’t wait to worship with you near the River! We begin our Advent season looking at the person of Simeon. What an amazing story of long anticipated hope in the Lord’s Messiah. He lived in occupied Jerusalem and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, long before Acts chapter 2! What was so special about this man? What was so special about Anna who was a prophetess in the temple? Come sing some familiar songs as we long for the same hope of God’s final restoration!

Into the Fire of Exile and Hope

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

As we begin our Advent series we will begin by looking at how to be faithful in the fire of exile. We have all felt the struggle to remain faithful to God in the past 2020. Many of you carry shame and guilt, while others of us feel entitled and proud. Yet the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reminds us that it is always God who is with us, rescuing us, and delivering us IN the fires of our suffering and lament. In the redemptive story of God we find Israel being held caprice in Babylon because of their own idolatry and service to other Gods. We begin this Advent season in looking at how the people of God can be faithful even in the midst of displacement. Join us at the River this Sunday at 10 am and bring a friend.

No Matter What Happens: He is for you and with you!

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Romans 8 is one of the most beautiful chapters in the middle of one of the most reconciling of letters. We have come to the end of the matter and we are going to finish our study in Romans with this text in mind. There is an attitude that comes from the Spirit of Christ that allows us to live at peace in the midst of empire and chaos. This same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead has given life to our human bodies and this life is now lived together as siblings not strangers. The promises from Romans 8 moves us to a new Torah and that is the Law of Christ that removes all selfishness and lives in the freedom and love that God is for us and not condemning us. Join us on Sunday (most likely on Zoom due to flooding and rain) as we sing, worship, and grow in Christ.

Who Can Rescue Me From This Body of Death?

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

We sure could use a rescue right now! A rescue from the pandemic, from politics, from the daily grind, and from the spiritual burden we often carry in our bodies to do the right thing. We know the good we ought to do but why is it so hard to get done? We know the evil that lurks around every corner, but why are do our vices have such a death grip on us? Paul in Romans 7 lays one of the most compelling arguments to the House Church in Rome that it is through the Spirit of Christ alone that we are rescued from the collective weight of Adam’s curse, from sin and from death. I hope you will join us at the River on Sunday and bring a friend who could use a good rescue as well! I’m so looking forward to preaching Christ and to proclaim the hope that is found in no other name!

Raised with Him and Wholehearted Obedience

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

There are a lot of weapons flying around right now! Some verbal, some emotional, and many physical. What Paul wants the church at Rome to emulate is that we would use the weapons of Christ for a holy life. Paul likens the weapons of the world to what sin does to each of us and to our community. Sin has a cumulative effect but the good news is that so does righteousness. However, for this holy life to begin we have to follow Christ into his death. Join us at the River on Sunday as we look at the famous passages from Romans 6 and encourage one another as we worship Christ as King!

The New and Better Adam

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Romans 5 begins a new section of Paul’s letter to the Roman House Churches. He is talking about the cycle of sin that leads to death and the gift of righteousness that leads to eternal life. We often think of sin as something that we do but Paul makes it clear that sin is something that is doing us! Christ has done what Adam could not do and therefore either by faith we accept the gift of Christ or by unbelief we settle for the gift of Adam. If you are struggling and need to be reminded of just how great God’s grace is, would you join us at the River this Sunday? Grab a friend, a neighbor, or just yourself and sing with us as we call on Christ our only peace in the midst of chaos.

Righteousness That Comes By Faith

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 16:00:00 +0000

As we continue reading Romans backwards and make our way through chapters 4 and 5, we are re-introduced to some of our forefathers, such as Abraham. Paul reminds us of the simple gospel truths that we have been declared righteous by God through faith, brought to life through Christ, and that through his righteousness grace will reign! Read over Romans 4 & 5 a couple times before Sunday and join us at 10am by the river.

God’s Impartial Judgment and Faith Working Itself Out in Love

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 16:00:00 +0000

We began at the end of Romans to look at the pastoral theology of Paul’s love for these five Roman House Churches. Now with this in mind of the Weak and the Strong, we enter the beginning of Paul’s letter that would have been read and questions answered by Phoebe. God shows no partiality. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Paul is preaching and longs to see the believers in Rome to give them a spiritual gift and he longs for the unity of the church in the midst of Roman Empire! This Gospel of Jesus subverts Jewish Religion and Roman Privilege and that has something to say to us today in America. Grab your friends, your masks, your umbrellas for the sun or the rain, and meet us down behind the Silk Mill. Come and join us in God’s beautiful creation by the river this Sunday as we look at what it means to love sacrificially or join our Zoom Church on Sunday at 10am.

God’s Ways are God’s Ways and His Way is Love

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

We have always heard that God is a mysterious God but what do we mean by that? Usually we are talking about our own life and how our circumstances didn’t go according to plan. But what do we do when God opens up the door and begins to reveal to us that he loves more than just one particular group of people? Has your world been blown apart by just how big God is, or have you ever found that you’ve put God in a box as to who is in and who is out? Paul continues to call out the Weak in the Roman House Churches to show just how God’s plan all along was to include those who they believed were “out”! Grab your friends, your masks, your umbrellas for the sun or the rain, and meet us down behind the Silk Mill. Come and join us in God’s beautiful creation by the river this Sunday as we look at what it means to love sacrificially or join our Zoom Church on Sunday at 10am.

Conforming to Christ as a Living Sacrifice

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

What covid sacrifices have you made lately? Has the pandemic limited your interactions with family and friends? Some of you only do curbside grocery pick up. Parents are sending their kids to virtual classrooms while they work remotely in new office spaces at home. Zoom and emails have replaced our personal interactions. In the meantime we’re trying to make sense of the division and pain in our country. Disunity and social conflicts have become the norm. In light of these changes how do we offer our bodies as living sacrifices in meaningful and practical ways that serve our families and friends in need? Why is Paul cultivating communities of peace and unity when house churches are surrounded by a culture of power and privilege? Come and join us in God’s beautiful creation by the river this Sunday as we look at what it means to love sacrificially or join our Zoom Church on Sunday at 10am.

Voluntarily Submit

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Romans 13 and 14 carry profound wisdom for how to live in the world as a follower of Christ. I’d ask that you read these chapters before Sunday as we talk about what this means for our relationship with God, with one another, and in the world. Paul is teaching the church in Rome how to be in the world but not of it. Join us for Zoom Church on Sunday and we hope that you’d share the zoom link with a friend and invite them to our online gathering and we’ll see you Sunday at 10 am.

The Strong and the Weak

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

We are starting a new series this coming Sunday and I can’t wait to see you on our Zoom call! As the body of Christ is it so important to be reminded together of God’s mercy and grace. As we see one another and sing, even from our own homes, we are reminded that we are not alone and we are not crazy for believing that Christ is raised from the dead. Romans 15 and 16 have some important lessons for us and I’m looking forward to sharing those with you. Share the zoom link with a friend and invite them to our online gathering and we’ll see you Sunday at 10 am.

So Be The Bridge

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Being a bridge is painful. People have the opportunity to walk all over you, vandalize, and reject you. However, to stand in the tension between two paths and connect the least, last, and lost to the love of God and to be the conduit for that connection is the mission Christ has given each of us. So yes, the bridge is out. We can’t get to where we need to be from where we are, your friends need to see Christ lived out amidst systemic racism and hate. Our city needs to see the way of Christ lived out amidst fear of death and fear of Covid. Our families need to see and hear the kingdom of Christ lived out amidst greed, division, and political rage. The Good News of Jesus tells us that Christ has bridged the gap from darkness to light and from death to life. However, to follow Christ is to emulate Christ and to be that bridge for others. This takes practice but more than anything it forces us to love the unlovable. The way Christ loved us. Join us in our Zoom call on Sunday at 10 am! We can’t wait to see your face!

So Relay The Ancient Foundations

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

There is no foundation in this life worthy of building upon if that foundation cannot withhold the storms that come with being human. Jesus, as he finishes out the Sermon on the Mount talks about the foundations that we are tempted to build upon that have nothing to do with his law of love and salvation. Through the past six months and perhaps even longer we have had the ground shaken beneath us. From work, school, politics, and divisions in our nation, cultural foundations have been exposed as not being worthy material to build on. Join us for Zoom Church on Sunday as we worship Christ and relay the ancient foundations that can sustain us in our troubled times. Share the Zoom link with a friend or a neighbor and have them join Common Ground as we worship.

Trust the Detour

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

To remember is to flourish in fidelity, to forget is the first step in idolatry. We have had months and months of our normal way of life disrupted and the temptation to forget Christ and his commands is ever present. When the bridge is out there is a detour sign that points us to the long way round. Israel found themselves forgetting God, forgetting his prophet Moses, and refusing the long way around to their physical and spiritual destination. We often think we know the best way to go or a shortcut without listening or following the instructions of the detour. For Israel, this disobedience, this forgetting, led them into one of the most idolatrous moments recorded in the Bible. Join us on Sunday as we talk about how to avoid the construction of Golden Calves and grow in our trust of God through and around the detours of life. See you at 10 am on Sunday! Grab the zoom link and share it with a friend and have them join us at church on Sunday as we sing, worship, and welcome the long way home!

Prejudice and Peter’s Vision

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

What are you to do when you come face to face with your own prejudice? Some people entrench even deeper into the divide while the Chrisitan understands that God shows no partiality. In our nation, we have to come to grips with the reality of our past and as a Christian we have to be clear about our unique future. The Lord gives Peter a gift that will speak to our own prejudices and I hope you join us on Sunday at 10 am!

Go Through the Water

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

As we begin our new series we will be talking about the Israelites staring at the Red Sea in front of them and the enemies of Egypt behind them. What do you do when you feel stuck? How do we march forward when fear is one side and the impossible is on the other? As the people of God we rejoice that God provides a way through the wilderness, no matter what wilderness we find ourselves in. Join us on Sunday in our zoom call as we worship together this week! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Gossip

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Solomon talks about gossip as the tiny morsels of speech that destroy another. I had a friend growing up who’s grandmother would always have a bowl of M&M’s out on the counter. We’d walk by and eat one and then walk by and eat another, then we’d run by and grab a handful, and then after lunch run in and grab a few more! These tiny morsels were never meant to just be consumed as “once-a-day medicine.” Gossip is like that. Easy to grab, easy to consume the lives of others, easy to destroy another and not even know what we are really doing. As we finish out our series on the Deadliest Sins, we had to add a bonus sin to really speak to the times we are living in. Gossip destroys churches, break rooms, schools, and homes. The Gospel is the spreading of “good news” and gossip is the spreading of bad news from a bad heart. Join us online this Sunday as we look to purify our hearts from where all the negative speech pours from!

Lust

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Jul 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Lust brings an intensity that causes one to abandon logic, morality, wisdom, relationship, and love. It is a psychological storm of the bending and breaking of truth and goodness. The results of lust are crippling; it’s unruly, reduces meaning, infiltrates the purest of pure and the best of intentions; It corrupts; It separates. While this force permeates the likes of power, money, love, and food, most commonly we associate lust with sex. The bottom line: lust distracts, disorders, and separates us from the relationships that should matter most. But while we try to define what lust is and recognize the harmful characteristics it brings, it’s even more important to be reminded of Jesus’ desire for to mend and bring order to chaos. Join us this week online as we look at the relationship of Lust and its effect on the body, mind, soul and heart.

Gluttony

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 16:00:00 +0000

We have a false perception when it comes to the sin of gluttony. We tend to think of the overweight person stuffing their face and caricatures of unhealthy, slobbering, consumers usually fill our idea of gluttony. This could not be further from the truth. The Deadly Sin of Gluttony shows up in all kinds of ways when we control or are controlled by food that really is symbolic of a deeper spiritual issue. Christ has given us taste buds and flavors, he’s given us fasting and feasting, he’s given us bodies that need to be ready for work and rest, so what does it mean in our day in age to be a glutton? We live in a body image culture and how we think about food has got to come under the Lordship of Christ. Join us Online this Sunday as we look at what it means to be controlled by Christ and not our bellies.

Envy

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 16:00:00 +0000

We come to that horrible Deadly Sin that benefits no one!! Of all the Deadly Sins, Envy doesn’t even bring a temporary pleasure. It serves and helps no one and only destroys and kills. Yet, where does it come from, what are the sources of envy and why are the objects of our envy usually those who are close to us in one way or another? From the beginning story of Cain and Abel we see that envy is after the affection and love that assumed is lacking. Self worth, self image, and the ability to love one’s self has a lot to do with envy, in fact it has more to do with envy than what another person has. For the church this is a particularly wicked sin because it attacks love at the roots. Join us Online this Sunday as we worship Christ resurrected and grow in our love for one another!

Avarice

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 16:00:00 +0000

As we work through the Seven Deadly sins we come upon the one that deals with our possessions and desires of things. Avarice is another way of saying, “I want it all.” Oftentimes this will be translated into the word greed but even that misses some of its nuance. Where did we learn that kind of behavior? Why did our parents have to remind us to share as a little child? How has greed played a role in our national conversations about economies, race, violence, wars, and the American Dream? On a personal level how has avarice or your desire to have it all, formed your heart in Christ? We cannot serve two masters right? Jesus said we will either love money or love God, but we can’t do both! Ask a friend to join you online this Sunday as we look at the scriptures and look to Christ as the remedy for our greedy hearts and put to rest this deadly sin.

Sloth

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the Seven Deadly Sins is Slothfulness. Why? We’ll discuss this coming Sunday but in preparation for that, how important is it for us to heed St. Paul’s words in Galatians 6: Do not grow weary in doing good. How difficult it is to get up off the couch sometimes and attempt to care for basic household tasks much less the problems of the world, right? But on the other hand, how easy is it to work our careers 110%, throwing ourselves into household redesign projects, or PTA meetings, or our children’s sports teams rather than address the needs of a hurting neighbor. Join us online this Sunday as we continue in our Time to Heal series, addressing the deceptively deep and pervasive sin of Slothfulness. And remember brothers and sisters: Do not grow weary in doing good.

Vain Glory

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Likes, re-tweets, and shares. Thank you cards. Medals, ribbons, and badges. Cheers and applause. Our culture nurtures the endless pursuit of recognition and praise, and Christian culture doesn’t lag far behind. This week in our Time to Heal series, we tackle the insidious sin of vainglory, which trades the authentic desire to be truly known as we are for the cheap counterfeit of being known for what we do, what we stand for, and what we say. Join us online this Sunday as we again look to Jesus, who alone can heal us. Journey with us as we seek to understand what real glory looks like and to whom it belongs.

Anger

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Solomon describes the world as he sees it in Ecclesiastes in his now famous litany of how the world moves. There is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to kill and a time to heal. Solomon is not prescribing what is OK, he's describing what is. With so much loss, death, and division, we as the believing community of Christ want to be a part of the healing, but how can we give the world that which we do not have? When the bank comes back on our virtues with "insufficient funds" we know that vices have taken over and we have nothing to offer a thirsty world. However, with each of the deadly sins, anger, vainglory, sloth, avarice, envy, gluttony, and lust, there is Christ centered, and a communal invitation to healing, freedom, and unity. Join Common Ground over the next couple months as plead with Christ for A Time to Heal!

Paul & Timothy - Equality and Emulation

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 31 May 2020 16:00:00 +0000

We finish out our series this Sunday with the amazing friendship of Paul and Timothy! For every younger person who had a trusted older friend who believed in them and poured into them and saw them as an equal, this is the quintessential discipleship relationship. The truth is that our friendships and closest relationships form us. They either malform us or they form us to be more like Christ. There is no middle ground. Join us online this Sunday as we worship, sing, pray, and seek the hope of Christ for our world! Grab a friend and have a worship watch party!

Phoebe & Paul - Sibling Trust and Advocacy

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 May 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Jonathan and David. Ruth and Naomi. John Mark and Paul. The similarities of gender have always created great friendships but what about opposite sex friends? Don’t go there right? They only and always lead to affairs and deep regret. They only and always create tension and should be avoided at all costs, right? When we talk about Faithful Friendship that pushes us toward mutual Christoformity, we cannot abandoned to the margins, the profound work of Christ that brings men and women together for mutual edification, mutual ministry, and mutual familial love. Paul and Phoebe shared a beautiful friendship that doesn’t get talked about enough and we can't wait to worship with you on Sunday as we look at the family being built up in Christ. Grab a friend for a worship Watch Party and we’ll see you Online at 10 am.

Paul & John Mark - Reconciliation and Accountability

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 May 2020 16:00:00 +0000

You will not be conformed to Christ on your own. No matter how hard you try, it takes friends and a church to live out the ministry of reconciliation because we hurt each other. We let each other down. We don’t know how far we have strayed from the road of Christ until another tells us how far off track we are. We can reject their words of rebuke or humbly listen to others as they remind us how far we have to go. The past two weeks we’ve looked at amazing friendships. David and Jonathan! Ruth and Naomi!! Come on, these are hard for us to relate to at time and so we come to the rub! The truth of the matter is that friendships are hard and friends let us down and even abandon us. The Gospel story does not let us off the hook when it comes to this kind of friendship either. Paul would preach about the ministry of reconciliation even if it was hard for him to practice it with John Mark! Truly having friendships that create a mutual Christoformity (walk together in Christlikeness) will demand accountability and reconciliation, no matter how hard that may come to us. Join us Sunday Online as we look at the next two characteristics of Faithful Friendship as we dive into forming friends that will hold us accountable and love us enough to be reconciled!

Naomi & Ruth - Presence and Loyalty

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 May 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Tucked away in between the wild account of the Judges and the rise of King David is the little book of Ruth. A young outsider who came empty to Israel and was filled by the HESED of God’s faithfulness. As we explore the Art of Friendship, let's look at how loyalty and being present can change everything. We’ve all had that friend who bailed when times got hard. We’ve also had friends who stabbed us in the back. Yet Ruth is pointing to a kind of love that moves beyond words and puts on display the heart of Christ. Loyalty and Presence.

Jonathan & David - Covenantal Affection

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 May 2020 16:00:00 +0000

This sermon series and study on friendship will be a bit more than a Hollywood portrayal of "The one where Ross and Rachel were on a break." It will be a little different than "The one with the jellyfish." These five weeks will look less like Woody and Buzz and not even like Mr. Rogers and Lady Elaine Fairchilde. We think there may be more to friendship than what we've been offered. Perhaps our quarantine has exposed a deeper longing to a deeper kind of connection.

The Gospel from the beginning of God creating mankind is about friendship. If God is love than God gets to set the parameters and mark the boundaries of love and that is where friendship takes an interesting turn than just, "we were in the same sorority" or "we both have toddlers."

The way the Gospel talks of friendship is surrounded by this concept of 'mutual Christoformity" which is another way of saying 'bonded in becoming like Christ.' Friendship, C.S. Lewis would say, begins when one person says to another, "What? You too? I thought I was the only one." Mutual Christoformity would say, "Let's walk this road of Emmaus together while sharing the load of each others cross." Paul calls each of us to take up our cross daily and follow Christ but we do that together.

Over the next five week's we'll be looking at David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, Paul and John Mark, Peter and Paul, Paul and Phoebe, Timothy and Paul, as well as Jesus and Mary.

If Covid-19 has taught me anything, it is that deep, affectionate, loyal friendships are at the heart of human need and at the heart of the Christiaan narrative! Grab a friend and worship with us Online over the month of May as we look at The Art of Faithful Friends!

The Single Body of Christ

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 16:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 7:32-35; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 Corinthians 6:18-19; Hebrews 4:14-16

The single body of Christ is to be celebrated. In the same way that faithful marriages should be celebrated, you who are single and honoring God with your life are a sweet and precious gift to the church and therefore the world. Paul has a lot to say in 1 Corinthians about being single and I know for me, I didn’t often hear that in a positive way growing up. Perhaps you had the same experience and yet I want to encourage all of us to understand theologically what Jesus has done in his single body that we can all build one another up in Christ. Whether male or female, single or married, divorced or widowed, you are the beloved child of God and we need you to be the best version of Christ we can be!

The Married Body of Christ

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 16:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 13 & Ephesians 5:15b-33

God gave us a beautiful thing when he gave us marriage. Community amidst diversity as the two become one flesh. This is a great mystery and while there are several mysteries about husbands and wives living out a faithful marriage, there is no greater mystery than the marriage itself being an image to the world of how Christ loves the church. Our everyday life of running around has come to a screeching halt and our marriages are being exposed for how we have invested in them over the years. Surely there is more we can all learn about ourselves and our spouses in this time and may Christ in his mercy get all the glory! Join us online as we hope to encourage, teach, and equip you to live out the months ahead with your spouse in a way that our pre-lockdown life left us too numb to see.

That You Might Have Life In His Name!

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 16:00:00 +0000

John 20:1-31

The emotions surrounding the resurrection of Jesus have never been more raw to me than they are right now. From Mary’s tears to John’s foot race all the way to Thomases doubt, I can really feel the emotion this Easter as even the disciples didn’t know what to do with the tomb being empty. Your friends and family may be experiencing the same kind of raw emotion as we all walk through this season of isolation, fear, and doubt. I want you to join us as we worship together, sing together, pray together, and shout that glorious truth that “He is Risen Indeed” together. My prayer CG is that the power of the resurrection of Christ fills your heart and home like never before and you will be able to take comfort and faith into what the next several months bring us. “This has been written down that you might believe and that in believing, you may have LIFE IN HIS NAME!

Have Mercy on Us

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 20:29-34

A strange Palm Sunday indeed. Normally we would have gathered in the Silk Mill for baby dedications and loud hosannas. However, we will gather in our homes with shouts of praise, tinged with lament. Perhaps this is a more accurate way to celebrate Palm Sunday anyway. In our text we look at Jesus’ actions right before the donkey ride. Two men, blind and poor, cry out to him for healing. “Have mercy on us Son of David!” These words ring in my ears as I think about the healing and blindness our world is experiencing right now. Please join us this Palm Sunday as we worship the King, who is humble and riding on a donkey, yet he is also the Healer who stops the parade to give sight to the blind.

Speak the Truth in Love

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 4: 9-16

Here it is. The famous passage of St. Paul bidding the church to “speak the truth in love.” How has the recent pandemic changed how you talk to others? Are you being honest with yourself, with others, with your kids? It’s not easy this speaking the truth in love thing and yet Christ is perfect TRUTH and Christ is perfect LOVE. The Pattern of Redemption that we see in this reflection by Paul is that Jesus, ascended to the father, is pouring out love into the world through his Spirit and his church and we need to simply remain in him.

A Prodigal Father

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Luke 15:11-32

When it comes to our own sin and shame, why do we reject the Pattern of Redemption found in Luke 15? Do we have some innate desire to pay for our own sin? Some primordial malfunction that rejects the kind of father Jesus describes? Maybe it’s just that his character of love is just so unfathomable to our own patterns of revenge and resentment. The son chooses to quarantine outside the confines of the Father’s home and love and finds himself infected with shame, sin, and regret. The offer of the good life filled with sex, money, and power comes crashing down on him, and the turn toward home is the beginning of grace. This week we will look at the story of a Father who runs after his son even when he’s been infected. In this case, in the case of sin and death, it’s only the love of a Father who breaks all the rules that can save. This is God! Our Father.

When God Loves and Mankind Hates

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Mar 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Jonah 1-4

You’ve the exact opposite thing that God asks you to do. He says run south and you run north. He says love a people and you hate those people. He says repent and you keep on sinning. He says preach a sermon and you proclaim the least amount of information that might draw others toward God. He shows compassion and you show contempt. How does God treat a person like this? What does the story of Jonah teach us about the patterns of God’s love and redemption? Just when you think you’ve got God’s grace figured out, Jonah the prophet screws up our thinking about who God is and how God loves. Join us as we take another Old Testament look at the Pattern of God’s Redemption.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

What a Dip!

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 16:00:00 +0000

2 Kings 5:1-14

We are in a series this spring that draws on and highlights the patterns of redemption that God has done throughout history. As bees have patterns in their honeycomb, so God has ways of restoring and redeeming those who we might think don’t deserve it. The story of Namaan is one such example. He was the captain of the Syrian army, a mighty man, a violent man, a powerful man, and one who had already invaded Israel and could at anytime, do it again. Yet in this story, it’s the God of Israel who has compassion on him and models for his people and the world, the kind of God that Yahweh is. The healing is strange, the whole event is strange, and yet God reveals something about his character that his own people had forgotten. Join us as we worship the author of life and the God of redemption.

A Strange Romance

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Hosea 3:1-5

The story of Hosea and his wife Gomer, is one of the strangest narratives in all scripture. A prophet of God is commanded to go and take a wife of harlotry and bear children with her, even though she is repeatedly unfaithful. The story is heartbreaking; it’s beautiful; it’s tragic, but most of all, it’s redemptive. Join us as we look at the character of God to rescue, restore, and redeem us, even in the worst of situations.

**This sermon was not recorded.**

Toxic Masculinity

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 5:1-16; Galatians 5:16-25

Surprisingly the term ‘toxic masculinity’ is not new with the #metoo #churchtoo movement. In fact, the term has been around for over 30 years but it certainly seems like it’s having its moment. Some want to blame men for all the issues in the world and others want to believe that ‘toxic masculinity’ is an attempt to feminize our boys and label any man ‘toxic’ who holds to a more traditional view of manhood. However, when you strip away the political and cultural agendas, there is no denying that something is perpetuating the rape, murder, domestic violence, sexual and intellectual dominance, and ongoing sexism and systemic devaluation of women's bodies and opinions, that comes with the term ‘toxic masculinity.’ When Christ transforms a man, what does he do? What is he transforming that man into? Who in the Bible gives us a picture of what redemptive masculinity should and can be? We see Joseph, we see Boaz, we see Paul, but we have the absolute best model for what it means to be a man in the person of Jesus. Join us as we look at the Taboo topic of Toxic Masculinity and worship Christ who flips all the scripts and points to a third way.

Eating Disorders

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 17:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 6:13, 19-20; Acts 10:12-15; Ephesians 5:1-20; Romans 8:26-28

There are a few major eating disorders that clinicians and psychologists see every day in their offices. Our culture is one that, rather than feeding young girls and boys with body positive images and habits, has fed us with a false image of what is beautiful. Eating disorders develop for a variety of reasons and all of them need to be dealt with and taken very seriously. I hope you bring your daughters, your sisters, your neighbors, your sons, and friends. We are the body of Christ. How we feed it matters. This one is for the 10 million girls diagnosed with a clinical eating disorder. For the 1 million boys diagnosed. That’s just diagnosed. This is for those who need Lent to truly be about spiritual formation and not just a religious justification for a soul-sucking hunger. This is for your teens. For you as you work with them. For all of us who have ran to Krispy Kreme instead of to the one who gives daily bread! Bread!! I can’t eat bread!! I love you church. This has been an eye opening week of study and I look forward to being around the table of Christ’s hospitality. All are welcome.

Politics and Humility

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Philippians 2:1-16; John 17:14-21; Romans 12:1-3, 9-21

Philosopher Frederich Neitzche hated humility. He believed that humility was a Christian virtue and had no place in an enlightened world. Neitzche would love the current political situation in America. However, we are not after a world that looks more like Nietzsche's philosophical ideal, rather we are after a world in which the Kingdom of Heaven is on display in all corners of our culture through the hands, feet, language, and virtues of everyday Christians. How humble are you in your political conversations? Do people get a picture of Christ’s love after they encounter you on social media, or in person? How can we model love for our “cultural other” if we can’t listen, empathize, and show humility toward them? Join us for a much-needed conversation before we go into this election year about the self-emptying humility of Christ and hope we have for Common Ground to live into that love in the year ahead.

**This sermon was not recorded.**

Adultery

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:27-30; Hebrews 13:4; and John 8:1-11

What constitutes infidelity? In a culture of snapchat, emails, sexting, and high speed internet porn, how does a marriage survive and even thrive against such an onslaught of attacks? From workplace romances, to gym hookups and reviving emotional connections online, we have to talk about adultery. We have to talk about its warning signs and how to recover and get up off the floor and even move past it to regain trust if that is even possible. The Gospel has great news for all of us and we have to take our cues from the word of God on the page and the Word of God in Christ as he encounters a woman in John 8. Join us as we take a hard look at the one thing that tears more at the fabric of our marriages than any other thing. If you have a hurting friend or hurting spouse, this will be a redemptive move toward the heart of Christ who forgives and challenges men and women to be transformed and to “go and sin no more.”

Hezekiah Argues Not to Die

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 17:00:00 +0000

2 Kings 20:1-11

We will be finishing up our series by looking at the life and near death of Hezekiah. If there is one thing that we will all do in this life, that is pray to God to heal, preserve, and save us from our deathbed. Hezekiah hears from God’s prophet that he will die and then he prays and the Lord hears his prayer and gives him another 15 years of life. This raises a lot of questions that may go unanswered, but it also highlights God’s power over death, and his desire to bring life. Join us as we look at Hezekiah’s fight for life and continue to grow in our trust in God through Christ who raises the dead!

Moses Argues for Israel

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Exodus 32:1-14

As God and Moses are hashing out the language and stipulations of the covenant at Sinai, the people of God are down the mountain fashioning, sacrificing to, and dancing around the Golden Calf. God is furious. Moses is furious. God is ready to wipe them out. Moses is ready to argue. The story of the Golden Calf has so many implications for us even today. What is idolatry? How far can false shepherds lead the church away from the heart of God? In an act of Messianic foreshadowing, Moses intercedes on behalf of the people even though they are a wayward and unfaithful spouse to God. Join us as we look at lesson three in our series, Arguing with God.

Abraham Argues for Sodom

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Genesis 18:20-33

In one of the most profound conversations in the Bible, Abraham goes back and forth with God about sparing the city of Sodom. His nephew Lot and his family lived there and while of course Abraham was concerned for his kin, his heart broke for the city as a whole. This argument with God puts on display for you and I a lot of things about the human heart, God’s character, and human sin. More than anything, Abraham is modeling for us how to pray and talk to God when the culture and society around us wants to live as if they themselves are their own God. Abraham asks for the righteous few to save the idolatrous many and God listens. Join us as we look at Sodom, the judgment of God, the intercession of Abraham, and the perfect mediator between God and mankind, Christ.

Mary Argues at a Wedding

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 17:00:00 +0000

John 2:1-12

Nobody knows how to argue with God better than the mother of Jesus! As we launch our new series, we’ve gotta take a look at how Mary, at the wedding in Cana, employs her son to respond to the very shameful reality of running out of wine at a wedding. For the hosts and the guests, Jesus steps up at Mary’s requests and as a result the wedding supper, from here on out, has new meaning. Does Mary know what she’s doing? Why now? Why here? Why wine? Join us as we look at Mary Arguing with God at a Wedding.

**This sermon was not recorded.**

Out of and Back to Egypt

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Chains Shall He Break

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 1:46-56; Philemon 1:10-21; Romans 6:20-23

Mary. The teenage mother of Christ. She was born in occupied Israel. Rome had been the ruling presence for years. Outside rules and outside taxes forcing outside oppression over a people long oppressed. Then, at the birth of the newborn king, the insiders begin their fragility. Herod asks the wise men where the child is to be born. The hunt begins. The lies begin, “I too want to come and worship him.” Then the decree, “All male children under the age of two are to be slaughtered in Bethlehem.” Oppressed from the outsiders while on the run from their own king, Mary and Joseph find themselves in an unbelievably difficult position. The kind of position that Christ himself, had come to alleviate. The song O Holy Night, says, “Chains shall he break, for the slave is his brother, and in his name all oppression shall cease.” While we do not see this ceasefire in the governments of oppression and greed today, we do see the kingdom of Christ in the hearts of all who have allowed this king to take up residence in their lives and in their community. Please join us as we light the Advent candle of love and worship the God who breaks down the walls of division.

Sweet Hymns of Joy

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 35:1-10

The Gospel and the coming of Jesus Christ is the greatest joy the world has ever known. It is the promise of the cessation of all evil and the returning of light to a dark world. The Gospel is dead things coming to life and dried up riverbeds teeming with water again. The Kingdom breaking in, is a sick and withering tree sucking in life and nourishment God provides to bear fruit once again. So why do we feel so joyless? Why do feel like that withered tree? What is a Christian’s responsibility when it comes to the level of joy in this world? While the kingdom of God has broken in, there is still an “already, not yet” reality in the world that we live in, but it is the hope that gives us joy! Please join us as we sing the Advent hymns of joy and worship the God who is the source of all our joy.

Truly He Taught Us

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 5:43-46; Luke 10:30-35; John 13:31-35

In the song ‘O Holy Night’ the above lyric hits us. The next line is “His law is love and his gospel is peace.” As we gather this week to celebrate Advent peace, we have to ask ourselves, what have we learned this year in how we love one another? Who is the “one another?” The lyric implies some kind of pedagogical method to declare that “truly he taught us” but we need to look at our lives thoroughly and make sure we are learning the lessons. Join us as we look at the teachings, life, and example of Jesus in how he truly taught us to love one another.

Long Lay the World

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 17:00:00 +0000

At first, the line just seems like a bit of rising action in the verse leading to the famous chorus and the full on punch of O Holy Night. However, there is so much weight in the little lyric, "till he appeared and the soul felt its worth." We live in a culture where our souls are encased in a body that doesn't feel its worth and if the body doesn't feel worth, how can the soul? Yet, Christ breaks into the world to unify mind, body, and soul and to bring dignity and a holistic salvation to all who long for his appearing. Advent reveals just how much you are worth to God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer would say, "And in the Incarnation the whole human race to recover the dignity of the image of God. Henceforth, any attack even on the least of men is an attack on Christ, who took the form of man, and in his own Person restored the image of God in all that bears a human form." Join us as we walk through the Advent Season working through the implications of that O Holy Night.

**This sermon was not recorded due to House Church.**

Raised to Give

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 17:00:00 +0000

John 12:1-9

Judas lays into her. He lets her have it. He sees that she is royally wasting expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus and in front of her guests and in her own house, Judas can’t contain his contempt any longer. “This expensive perfume could have been sold and given to the poor.” How does a person get to this point? Not Judas, but Mary. What is it about these feet that seem more costly than the perfume that was worth the equivalent of thousands of dollars? The anointing of Jesus’ feet is a story that we are in desperate need of in our culture today. In a world where we use people and love things, please join us as we explore the infamous story of Mary anointing Jesus before his burial.

Give to Caesar What Is Caesar’s

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 20: 19-26

November is traditionally seen in America as the "month of giving." Many people write down one thing a day that they are grateful for. Others plan a "Friendsgiving" while still others begin to see again those around us who are in the greatest need. There is something about this season that lends itself to gratitude and generosity and as the people of God, this is always a welcome reminder of what He has given. There is a story in the Gospels when some religious people were trying to trap Jesus in his words and allegiances. They asked a simple question, "Should Jews have to pay the poll tax to the Romans as we are now subservient to them even in our home country?" Jesus' response has gone down in history as one of the most famous things he ever said, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God that which belongs to God." Over the next two weeks at Common Ground we are going to look at the idea of money, mammon, taxes, images, and finally, what it means to live into the socio-political world that Jesus invites his followers into. Join us as we grow in our practice of God's plan for our money and our lives.

Fear Not, Little Flock

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 12: 22-34

Nothing like a morning together in the park. It’s a time to rest and look at the provisions over the year that God has been so gracious to give all of us. While Gregg is leading the Silent Retreat in Crozet, Matt Johns will be sharing from his heart on the reality of worry and anxiety. There is command found all over the gospels “not to worry” and “not to fear” and yet, we live such anxious lives. Join us as we worship and live into the peace that this season can bring.

**This sermon was not recorded**

The Tower of Babel

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Genesis 11:1-9

We have come to the end of our Genesis journey as we look at the “end of the beginning” of God’s people before Abraham. We all know the importance of language and the need to work together in order to get any kind of project done. The Tower of Babel looks like the culmination of human ingenuity at the time, but there is more going on here than just building towers. This text cuts to the heart of mankind: what we are here for, what our purpose in life is along with the idols that we carry in our hearts. Babel would later become the Babylon that was a constant enemy of God’s people, and the place that John in Revelation compares to all and any wicked nation. Join us as we celebrate the Christ who is our strong tower and our shelter in the time of need.

God's Covenant With Noah

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 8:15-9:29

As we travel through this portion of Genesis 1-11, we see a God that is deeply connected with His creation and we see a humanity, that even though God has saved them, still falls short. We see Noah caught in the trauma of world wide catastrophe, and we see God giving assurance of His future plans for the earth. This is a beautiful section of scripture for our current human condition. We get stuck, we fall short, we see God’s promise in the sky in the form of a rainbow, and yet, we still find ways to attune our hearts to other things and other people. Join us as worship Christ and look at what it means to be in covenant relationship with God.

The Flood

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 6:9-8:14

The flood of Genesis 6-8 has such significance for the rest of redemptive history. It is essential for us to try to grasp the pervasiveness of sin and the patience of God. The Flood is one of the most popular stories in the Bible, and yet, the context is often overlooked, particularly when it comes to what the Israelites had just walked through in order to get to Sinai. Join us as we worship Christ and celebrate the freedom through our God of love.

Guest Speaker:

Named & Known

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 4:17 - 6:8

I’m not sure how it happened or exactly when it happened, but a few years ago, the interest in finding out our ancestry became a big business. Now I’m sure there are a lot of contributing factors to this, but the question I want to ask is, “What does it matter to us now to learn about our family of origin and where and who we come from?” Who Great Grandma was and what she did matters to us because it helps tell and understand our own stories, even if in an ever so small way. The same is true for God and Israel when they are telling the story of Genesis to the people of the Exodus. The space between Cain killing Abel and the Flood is significant space and narrative even if it just looks like boring old genealogy stuff. God is communicating to his people that there are two lines that are drawn out from Adam, the line of Cain and then the line of Seth. Two paths diverged in a wood and...you get the idea. Yet in the midst of the ancestry, there is a pattern of both sin and righteousness that is worth telling. Join us as we explore and worship the God who knows our names and calls us his own!

Cain and Abel

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 4:1-16
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.

There are so many iconic phrases from God’s dialogue with Cain in regards to murdering his brother that this is possibly one of the most famous passages that we will be studying this fall. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” “Sin is crouching at your door.” “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” For this and so much more, we are looking forward to a larger conversation about anger and the patient mercy of the Lord that sees all suffering and hears all suffering. Join us as we worship the God who calls us back to him even after the horrible ramifications of our anger.

Paradise Lost

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 3
"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

There is just so much pain and loss in Genesis chapter 3. There is deception, marital breakdown, ecological breakdown, shame, and disobedience, but the greatest loss that results from the introduction of sin into the creation narrative is the intimacy with God. This breakdown of intimacy with God has ramifications for all other relationships to creation, but it begins and ends with how sin impacts our ability to allow the Lord to be “my Lord.” While there is so much loss in this chapter, it is in no way without hope. God, in all of his sadness, reveals his promises of rescue, patience, and hope in the midst of paradise lost.

Made in the Image of God

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 2: 4-25
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

At its very least, an “image” is the visual representation of another person or thing. A photo. A painting. A work of art. However, when God creates humanity, the idea of “image” goes far beyond what our understanding of just a visual representation may mean. God is doing something completely subversive when he creates humanity in his image and this has amazing and terrifying responsibilities in how we live and love. You are God’s picture to the world of who he is. Join us as we celebrate and worship Christ, the perfect representation of God and as we encourage one another to be more and more like Christ.

Six Days and a Rest

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 1:1-2:3
“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

There is no shortage of debate surrounding the passage that we will be talking about this Sunday. From young earth to old earth to theistic evolution, there is plenty of fodder that people take to set the course of their agenda. But regardless of our own personal view of Genesis 1 and 2, what was Moses trying to communicate to the people of God as they were at the base of Mt. Sinai? What is God trying to say about himself and his beautiful creation and then in turn, what does that say about us as we do our best to find and follow Jesus?

The God at the Beginning

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Genesis 1:1
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

From the very first sentence of the Bible, we begin to see how the character and heart of God is put on display. Not only through the creation of the world, but also His character and heart are visible in the creation of animals and humanity. While this may answer a few questions about who God is, it's not long into the account that we begin to see ourselves for what we are. Beautiful, whole, created in His image, and yet with the capacity for great love and great evil. The rest of the account from Eden to Babel is full of messages that we need to hear and comprehend when it comes to following Jesus in the 21st century. This fall we will be exploring together some of the most foundational truths about God, his people, and the world around us. Join us as we live and move and worship together with Christ and his love at the center of us all.

Anchored in Pleasing God

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 13:1-21
"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

How do you end the letters you write? What are the last several paragraphs pushing toward? Like the author of Hebrews, it all depends on what you need to summarize in regards to the words and ideas you have already put down on the page. The last chapter of Hebrews is no different. Anchored in the story of Abraham offering hospitality to three strangers in the wilderness, our author wants the church to apply this virtue to all things if in fact "Jesus is Better." Join us as we close out our study in the book of Hebrews and worship Christ as King of all.

Anchored in Faith - Part 2

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 11:17-40
Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

We began a study on faith last Sunday from Hebrews 11 and there is simply too much in the chapter to keep it to one message. Join us for a look at the rest of the chapter. Full of stories and examples of faith lived out, even to the very end.

**Due to a technical issue, this sermon was not recorded.**

Anchored in Faith

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 11:1-16
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

We have made it through the book of Hebrews to the quintessential chapter on faith. There is nothing like it in all of the New Testament. Please join us as we believe that God wants to strengthen and encourage all of us in our journey of faith and discipleship to Christ. Lord give us eyes to see and faith to believe that you are who you say you are.

Serve the City

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 11 Aug 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Serve the City is a part of our seasonal rhythm as a church. STC weekend is a time for us to leave the four walls of the Silk Mill to love, serve, and connect with city we live in!

Anchored Into A New Covenant

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 10:1-25
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

We take the Chatham bridge, the 95 bridge, and the Falmouth bridge almost every day. These get us from one place to another over a body of water and deliver us safely to our destination. Not always in a timely manner, but that's another story. Hebrews 10 serves as a bridge as well from the High Priest and his sacrifice to the amazing chapter 11, and the stories of faith found there. However, Hebrews 10 serves as so much more than just a bridge between texts. It is rich, meaningful, and full of admonishment to all of us as we gather to worship and grow as the people of God. Join us as we continue in our summer series in the book of Hebrews.

**Guest Speaker: Nate

Anchored Into A New Covenant

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Jul 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 8 & 9
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Understanding the significance of the cross can be difficult at times. It's about freedom from sin and death but I get that, but why do I still struggle and why is my conscious at times still so guilty and frail? What does Christ do for us through creating a New Covenant that the Old Covenant could not do? If you are struggling with what the covenants, the sacrifices, the priests, the lambs, and the blood of Christ and what that is all about, please make it a point to join us as we worship together through Hebrews 8 and 9. This passage is so beautiful and has a promise that not only gets to our heart but also our mental health.

Anchored Into The Suffering High Priest

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 5 & 6
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

In the Israelite tradition, the High Priest was chosen by God to mediate between the sin of the people and the holiness of the one true God. As the author of Hebrews continues to drive the point home about the superiority and Lordship of Christ, he now uses another illustration of how Christ is superior to all they had put their hope in in the past. He also warns them about apostasy and encourages them to move on toward a spirituality that is mature and not childish. As we approach Sunday coming, consider the things, people, and realities that you put your hope in. Are they eternal? Why do they give you hope? Is it genuine or is there a sense of false hope involved? Join us as we look at the suffering hope of our great High Priest Jesus and look to anchor all of our life and hope in him.

Anchored Beyond The Exodus

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 3 & 4
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

As the author of Hebrews establishes Christ as the final word from God, one of the oldest and most reliable anchors for the Jewish faith was the story of Moses and the Exodus detailing God's mighty power on full display as he fights for his people and removes the bonds of slavery off of the necks of the Israelites. One of the greatest offers God gives his people on their journey is the invitation to rest from their work. Join us as we look at Hebrews 3 & 4 and see how Christ leads us beyond the waters of the Red Sea and into a more glorious and complete rest for all that entangles us.

Anchored Beyond Angels

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 1:1-14
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God
spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last
days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he
appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Throughout Old Testament and even New Testament history, God would send messengers of hope to his people and at special moments of redemptive history. It had grown as a heresy that Jesus was nothing more than just another one of God's special messengers. I mean we love angels even now, we talk about guardian angels, we sing about angels at Christmas, and we have TV shows that highlight celestial beings having power from above to do good. Yet, the author of Hebrews wants to underscore the difference between the now ascended Christ and angels. Join us as we launch into our summer series in Hebrews that gives us reason to worship Christ in God alone.

Unity: We Cannot Manufacture This

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 2:46-47
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

When the body of Christ loves God and loves each other well, there is no end to the possibilities of what God can do through that community. A community in love with one another is a force for amazing good in this world but God isn't just after the good, he is after complete salvation of those who are last, least, and lost. The unified body of Christ points the way to a father who is longing to be reunited with his children. Join us as we finish up our series in Acts chapter 2 and pray and grow in our love for God and one another.

Unity: They Were in Awe of God's Wonders

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 2:43-45
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

Unity does not mean conformity as God has unique gifts and ministries for each and every member of the body. However, it appears that the early disciples may have fought for a greater leveling of the playing field than we first think. They were devoted to the apostles teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers and this gave them a unity that allowed them to believe and have all things in common, so much so that generosity and wonder became an everyday practice. Join us as we continue in our UNITY series and grow in our love for one another.

Unity: They Devoted Themselves

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 2:42
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

As we welcome Summer and step into this new season of Common Ground ministry and mission, it is good for us to be reminded of the foundations of the church. Last week we celebrated the Birthday of the Church as we gathered to worship on Pentecost Sunday. One of the often overlooked results of the Holy Spirit falling on the church is the unity that came as a result of the disciples partnered with the Spirit in their lives. We want to pause for a few short weeks and talk about UNITY. Is it necessary? Where does it come from? How do we get it? In a world so divided, how can we be the church God has called us to be in our neighborhoods if we aren't unified ourselves? Join us as we worship, pray, and grow in our love of God and love for one another.

The Birth of the Church

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 2 and Genesis 11

Each year we celebrate with parties, candles, cake, and presents for the birthdays of our loved ones. For the birth of the church, we pause, and remember the fire that was lit in the hearts of those in the upper room. Once filled with fear now filled with the Holy Spirit. Once divided in visions of what to do after Christ died, now united in purpose to preach the gospel to all mankind. We are excited as a church as we continue to live in the joy of Christ as we let the ongoing, never-ending work of the Holy Spirit continue to sanctify us as a church and make us one!

Guest Speaker: Andrew Owens

Our History and Future

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 25 and 1 Corinthians 13

Join us as we pray, worship, and dream together about God's heart for the Charles Street space. We are beyond excited for all that He has in store for us as a church family and as we move out to create even deeper roots into the city. Would you join us as we share from our heart several hopes of how this building and land can be used for the glory of God?

Roma

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 May 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Ruth 1:6-22
But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

As we finish out our Reel to Real series this year, we will look at the remarkable film set in Mexico in the 1970's called Roma. It is a meditation on family, women, motherhood, and endurance. The film is joyful and tragic, and while events are happening all around the film, the main storyline follows Cleo, an indigenous nanny as she loves and serves a wealthy family of Spanish decent. As we begin to think about the themes of the film and the theological connections, we can't help but ponder anew the story of Ruth and Naomi. Their familial connection, their strength, the endurance, and their family history. Join us as we go back to the lineage of Jesus' family tree and worship Christ the great, great, great, great, (you get it) grandson of Ruth.

Isle of Dogs

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 May 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Romans 7:15-25; Psalm 119:9-16
For I do not understand my own actions.
For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

The dogs on Trash Island needed to be rescued. One of the dogs would require a special kind of rescue. If this is your first Wes Anderson film, you need to know that all of his films are a tragedy in some form or another. Isle of Dogs is no different. It is a big screen meditation on the transformation one one single creature by the love of another. There is so much more going on in the film, but at the end of the day, it's a story about the love between a boy and his dog. Join us as we look at this kind of love while giving all of our praise and worship to Christ our King.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 May 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

How do you get up when you get knocked down? How to you keep being kind in a world of "InstaMeFirstBook"? How do you show up to life time and time and time again when life itself seems to keep you down? The Spider-Verse movie is a beautiful meditation on getting up but not in our own power, and it seems that when we are surrounded by likeminded 'heroes" the getting up is a little bit easier. Join us as we celebrate Mother's Day and worship the creator and savior of the world.

Leave No Trace

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 May 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 88; Psalm 77; John 20:19-23
For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
    for they are cut off from your hand.

We live in a culture of ever increasing trauma. From the War on Terror to school shootings, first responders, child abuse, and assaults, there is trauma all around us. What is the intersection between a robust theology of the cross and PTSD? What does the Gospel offer for those who suffer and what kind of community is God calling us to be if we are to offer hope and hospitality to those suffer from this level of trauma. We need to talk about the hope of the Gospel in an ever suffering culture. Join us as we look at the film Leave No Trace.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Apr 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 4:25-32
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Did you grow up with Mr. Rogers? Where you one of the millions of children who were transported each day to the imaginary land of make believe inside "The Neighborhood"? Well whether you were or weren't, there is something so beautiful about this documentary and this man that is worth taking our time to see what made him tick. Fred Rogers was on mission. Deeply Christian and a profound man of prayer he used his television program to speak into the lives of so many and we want to talk about it. Now everybody sing, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, could you be mine..."

Practice Resurrection

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

It is the Sunday that all other Sunday's hang on. It is resurrection Sunday and there is reason to celebrate! The text however, begins with Mary and the women grieving as they bring spices to the tomb and it ends with Peter racing out the door to corroborate their story. Everything in between leaves us in wonder, awe, and anticipation and King Jesus, raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit defeats sin and death and the world will never be the same.

Royal Humility

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Luke 19:28-40
And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Jesus, bold, humble, rebellious, and full of courage drives straight to the heart of mankind's idolatry by calling himself the Messiah sent from God. Riding in to Jerusalem on a donkey is the beginning of the end and sparks a fire that will culminate in his arrest, flogging, and finally his crucifixion. Yet, what does it mean for us today? Is there more beyond just history to learn here? Oh yeah!! There are a million implications in what we call the Triumphal Entry and we will touch on a few of them.

**This sermon was not recorded due to Church being at Old Mill Park**

The Mad Messiah's Shepherding Plan: Irrational Love

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 16:00:00 +0000

John 10:1-21
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.

Jesus in John 10 shares his famous discourse on the Good Shepherd. At the end of his words, the crowd is torn in two. They have no clue who he is or what he really is talking about. Some are skeptical about his claims and others straight up call him crazy. If we were honest, there are thing about the message and life of Christ that just don't add up to our rational minds. Yet in all of this, we see also in and through the Gospel that Jesus came to save sinners and reconcile the earth back to God. He came on a rescue mission to liberate all creation from sin and death. Join us as we begin our Easter Series moving closer to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

Signs of Light and Life

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 31 Mar 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Luke 11:29-36
"When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation."

Jesus, in this section of Luke is pretty frustrated with the people's unbelief. They ask for sign, they want him to walk across the water and raise the dead, but even after he does these things they still have hearts of stone. He decides to give them a bit of a riddle instead. Join us as we all gather to hear the riddle of Jesus when he talks about the Sign of Jonah.

Being Human is to be Silent

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Habakkuk 2:20; Psalm 46:10; Luke 5:16; Luke 23:6-12 Matthew 27:11-14
"But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Many of us are terrified of silence. We can't stand it when there are long pauses in conversation and we often fill every waking moment with noise, being it music, television, just any kind of background noise to calm the deafening silence. Yet, there is a kind of silence that we may be missing out on when it comes to hearing God. Is your relationship with God defined by what you learn with your brains? What you do with your hands? What you say in your prayers? The word relationship itself implies a two way form of communication and while we certainly have God's written word as a lamp unto our feet, we are also inclined to speak to the God of the universe through our mediated relationship of his Son, Jesus Christ. How do we hear God if we are not still? How can we sit still in our room if everything in our culture is demanding noise and distracting us? What role do our iPhones play in modern discipleship? All of this has an affect on our humanity. Join us for our final culmination in this series called Being Human.

Being Human is to Flourish

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Romans 8:1-39
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Would you say that part of Being Human is that we should be able to rise above the natural world's survival instincts and cultivate the land and relationships, and all of life in a way that allows us to flourish? What would it look like in your life right now if you as a human being, were to flourish? Who's vision of flourishing wins the day? What is keeping us stuck in similar patterns of dryness and death? Join us as we keep talking about Being Human and specifically this week on what it means to flourish.

What is a Human Body?

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 16:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 3:1-23; Genesis 1:26-31
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

We often times are told that our bodies are machines or that they are nothing more than matter made up of bones, blood, and electrons. Others still might say that the human body just the worthless earth-suit that houses the more sacred essence of the soul, leaving the body to have little value. What do you think? What is the human body for? Is there a knowledge that our bodies give us that is not cerebral? What clues do we have from science and theology that might help us live out our calling as followers of Christ? What does his body have to do with my body? Join us as we continue in our series of Being Human.

What is a Human Being?

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Genesis 2:4-24 & Romans 12:1-2
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

What is the essence of humanity? I mean does a dog know he is a dog, and to that degree does he know what particular kind of dog he is? Yet, regardless of what Fido knows or doesn't know about his essence we would not say that he is any less of a dog because he is not fully conscious of the kind of breed that he is. Yet, we as humans in our consciousness have degrees of what we would say is behavior or patterns of thinking that is either is MORE or in face LESS human. God has created one of the most complex and befuddling things by creating the human brain and we haven't even begun to fully grasp all we can possibly do with them. Yet the Gospel is clear that somehow, we are to conform these bodies and minds into the likeness of the body and mind of Christ. Join us as we take a look at the theological interaction between the mind, body, and spirit of Being Human.

**This sermon was not recorded due to City Church**

Pro Life 2.0

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 5:38-48; Romans 12:14-21; 13:1-7
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well."

Over the last 40 years our nation has been divided and embattled in horrible reality that is Abortion on demand. This has created language that we use as a culture with words such as "pro-choice", "pro-life" or "the sanctity of life." There are marches, there are critical votes, and there are clear bombs thrown on both sides. In our great state of Virginia, just this month, the debate rages ever on. However, we are left with some glaring questions about the duty of what it means to be pro-life. This is not a message strictly about abortion, but rather a message about who we have permission to kill. As the colony of heaven here on earth, what is our responsibility to be consistently pro-life? Join us as we worship the Christ who would say, "I am the way, the truth, and the LIFE."

Gossip

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Proverbs 26:17-22; James 3:11-12
Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

In every family, in every neighborhood, in every friend group and in every church there is gossip. It runs right down the middle of every human heart and it is quite possibly the most diabolical virus one can be infected with. It has torn apart more communities, families, relationships, and churches than perhaps any other one thing. Yet, when is the last time we had a serious conversation about such a sickness? As God's holy people, our speech matters because it bears witness to the world about who God is. We reveal a lot to the world about our own ego when we tear others down. We can do better. We gotta do better. Join us as we continue our Taboo Series with the slippery topic of Gossip.

Guest Speaker: Andrew Owens

Fear and Security

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Feb 2019 17:00:00 +0000

1 John 4:7-12; 16-21
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

Did you have a crippling phobia growing up? Was it spiders? Snakes? The Dark? How did you get over it? Or perhaps you haven't. Did you're fears ever make you act in a way that was out of character or treat others in a way that made them out to be monsters, based on your fear? There is no way around the reality that there is a much fear in the church as there is in the culture. Yet our calling as the people of God is to be a place of faith and hope. We have gotten our wires crossed somewhere that has causes us to fear others rather than love them. Join us as we take a look at 1st John's understanding of Fear and Security in the life of the Christian and as we gather to worship Christ, the only one we are called to fear.

What's Going On

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Galatians 2:6-14
But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Racism in America could have been different. Leaders could have come together. Churches could have come together. We could have listened to one another in ways that Christ taught us. Yet, we see that even in the New Testament, even after we know what's right and good according to all the walls of separation that Christ tore down, we still struggle in coming together in unity around the table. We see Jesus through whatever lens we have grown up with and we need to begin to listen and be the people now that God will make us one day.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 10:25-37
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

In the ongoing school of love, there are lessons that cannot be taught, but only experienced. Lessons like trust, forgiveness, who's my neighbor, and what or who is the correct object/person to give my heart to? Lauryn's album is an exploration in all of these things. One day a Pharisee was trying to trap Jesus and he tells the man a parable about a man who had been beat down. The crowd and the man went away amazed at Jesus' teaching. In this new year, we need to examine afresh not only the teachings of love that Christ gave us, but also the example of love that he still gives us. Join us as we worship Christ and grow in love for one another.

The Last of the Independents

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Mark 2:1-12
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

Aelred of Rievaulx wrote a fascinating book on Spiritual Friendship. In it, Aelred says, "though challenged, though injured, though tossed into flames, though nailed to a cross, a friend loves always." Close your eyes and think of your friend. Think of friends past and present. Where have they given you life? When where they there when everyone else had gone? Are you a friend like that? Do you pray for a friend like that? How has the community of faith helped, or hindered those kind of friendships? The Pretenders put out a song that speaks to a level of friendship and love that has a lot to say about the kind of loyalty we see in Christ and through other friendships that we see in the Bible.

**This sermon was not recorded due to all House Church Sunday.**

Meditation on the Baptism of Jesus

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 3:15-17; 21-22

Why does a sinless Jesus feel compelled to be baptized by John? John was giving a baptism of repentance and yet all four gospels tell the story of Christ's baptism. Jesus would say in Matthew, "this needs to be done to fulfill all righteousness." The early church fathers would agree that what Jesus is doing is further identifying with humanity he came to rescue, and while he was sinless he would later take on the sins of the world in order that through our own adoption we too might be saved.

At the end of last year many people were posting to social media their "Top 9" which was a spread of their top 9 moments or favorite pics of the last year. My mind immediately went to my favorite moments. I thought of my friends, my child, my family, my travels, and then as I meditated a bit more on my actual favorite moments, I was drawn to tears by a church who gathers at the river for baptisms. I was reminded of the all people this year who, like Christ, were baptized in the river. I can think of them now. The joy in their hearts, the feeling of adoption and love, and then that great and booming voice over them solidifying their baptismal identity, "this is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased."

Our baptism marks us like it marked Christ, not as a moment of ritual metaphor, but rather as a revolutionary flag in the ground moment. Upon Christ's baptism he is then tempted by Satan in ways that we too are tempted. To be relevant (stones to bread) to be popular (throw yourself off the temple) and to be powerful (I'll give you all these if you bow down and worship me). Yet Jesus was faithful to the mission and the kingdom of God and faithful to you and to me as our great mediator and friend.

As you go into the new year, how are you living into the revolutionary nature of your baptismal identity? Where are you winning the battles of temptation and where do you need to be reminded of God's great love for you? How has ambition and success clouded your love for God and your love for neighbor? Finally, where do you need to welcome Christ into the moments of your suffering humanity and allow him to be present with you?

The Baptism of Jesus is a further expression of the incarnation that ties the actions of Christ into the prophetic words of Isaiah that would call our Messiah, "God with Us!" He is with you, and he is for you! Let us be found with him, and for him in!

**This sermon was not recorded due to a snow cancellation.**

Blood on the Tracks

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 25:1-9
For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, like heat in a dry place.

Jesus said, "In this life, you will have troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world." Blood on the Tracks is an album of loss and heartache. It's the feeling we all have in this world where we experience trouble. So how can we take heart? How do we anchor our loves and joys to the kingdom of God in this new year? How do we walk through our heartaches as Christ would?

The Wait is Over and I've Lost Jesus

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 2:41-52
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” ⁴⁹And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”

Guest Speaker: Hans Labor

Waiting for the Dawn

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 2 and Isaiah 9

Waiting at the Altar

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 1:18-25
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Marriage. The Holy Family. Father, Mother, and Child. When we look at the engagement of Joseph to Mary during the season of Advent it reminds us that God is present even through the rocky and difficult times. This season of the year is hard on many families but particularly on marriages. Join us as we look at righteous man, caught between two nearly impossible choices.

Waiting Beyond the Ashes

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 1:39-56
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant..."

What is the source of all of your joy? I mean where does it come from? Joy breaks into the Advent season with the color pink and disrupts the bleak mid-winter with the news of a baby to be born. Mary's soul can hardly take it and likewise, our lives, chosen by God to inhabit the Christ should burst at the very thought of God not just with us, but in us. Glory be to the Father of Lights! Join us as we celebrate this joyful news that "for unto us a child is born! A son is given!"

Waiting in a Violent World

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 2:1-23 & 11:11-15
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

There is no such thing as a sentimental Christmas. The coming of God comes to us with love that puts on display the violent hearts of men. God coming to us is as an unwanted foreigner. God coming to us is as ticking time bomb putting on display the desires of the flesh and the kingdoms we build. It is not an easy passage to preach through, but we cannot get to the Christ-child without coming to the reality of our own lack of peace. We will light the candle of peace and learn to "wait in a violent world" like men and women who belong to Christ. Join us as we look at the often overlooked Christmas passage of the Slaughtering of the Innocents and grow in peace.

Waiting for the Light

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000

John 1:1-15
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Advent comes to us in the dark. Yet the darkness could not overcome it! Come join us as we sing songs, hear the ancient story, and celebrate as we light the Advent candle of Hope.

**Due to Advent Breakfast, sermon was not recorded.**

The End of the Matter

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 65:17-66:2
“See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
    nor will they come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem
    and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
    will be heard in it no more."

Jesus' First Sermon

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 61:-17; 62:1-5
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.

Every sermon has a text. Every message that is a God honoring sermon needs to be rooted in the word of God. Jesus is our model for this. If you find yourself in a church that doesn't use scripture as the source content but rather someone's opinion, you know that you are in the wrong place. We find ourselves toward the end of our series in Isaiah, and we come to a passage that held great significance for Jesus. In fact, it was the text he used for his very first sermon. Join us as we talk about why this passage was so important to Jesus and why it should be important to us.

God's Compassion and his Abundant Pardon

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 11 Nov 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 55:1-13
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Isaiah 55 declares that the trees of the field will clap their hands as we go out with joy and are led forth with peace! May each of us be found in God's abundant mercy and be led forth in his peace.

**This sermon was not recorded due to House Churches.**

My Suffering Servant

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Join us as we talk about love. Not since Good Friday will we have discussed this level of sacrifice and peace. Bring a friend who is hurting, who is cast out, who is lonely and broken, or bring yourself in the same state. Christ who is our peace promises to meet us where we are as we lift him up. We look forward to a morning of worship that will cost us everything.

Treasures in the Dark

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 44:24-45:25
I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

There is no hurt that you have gone through that God does not want to heal. No suffering that you have endured that he does not want to redeem. No sin so great that he is not standing at the ready to wash it away. Israel was in a desperate place when God flexes his cosmic muscle to declare that "I alone am God and I will give to you the treasures from out of the darkness." Join us as we worship the great and holy king and walk a step closer with him through the darkness and into the light.

Comfort in the Waiting

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 40:1-31
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

It's hard to wait. It's real hard to wait when you are in any kind of emotional or physical discomfort, and yet, Isaiah 40 gives all of us reasons to find joy and hope in the waiting. Join us as we gather to worship and wait.

Guest Speaker: Joel Pazmino

Streams in the Desert

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Oct 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 35:1-10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!

Are you parched? Are you dry? Have the troubles of this world and the darkness of sins shame held you desert of spiritual thirst? Even as God allows Israel to go through exile he promises that days of refreshing are coming, that there will be streams that flow through the desert. Can you resonate with the hope of this promise? God did not abandon his people and he will not abandon you. Join us for a time of worship and open hearts as God's great streams of abundance flow again over his people, giving us hope for the journey.

The Peaceable Kingdom

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 11:1-11; 12:1-6
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

God has huge plans for this world. The prophet Isaiah drops clues into the final culmination of peace in a way that we could not imagine. Beyond being an Eden-revisited, the Peaceable Kingdom will have a memory of the time of injustice and yet will be a place of total and complete Shalom. There will be no death on God's holy mountain and all of his creation will be at rest together. Yet, we struggle in the here and now with our own internal peace, making peace with others, and making peace in our world. Join us as we are reminded of God's final and beautiful plan for New Creation

The Increase of His Government

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 9:1-7
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

We are working through of the most famous passages in the book of Isaiah as he writes about the hope of a King who would rule the nations with righteousness and justice. In a world divided over politics and big or little government, Isaiah points us to Jesus who changes the conversation. Join us as we gather to worship this Prince of Peace and grow in our total allegiance to him over any other would be king.

**This sermon was not recorded**

False Piety and a Sign from the Lord

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 7:10-16
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Have you ever asked God for a sign? Of course, we have all asked God to show himself to us in one way or another, perhaps even in a grilled cheese. However, what would you do if God said he'd give you a sign of his power and control? In one of the most famous passages in Isaiah, there is a lot of conversation going on between God and the king of Judah. The conversation points to a lack of faith and trust in the Lord and we can also relate to that. Join us as we look at God's sign to his people that he is for us and not against us, that he is with us and not far from us.

Here I am...

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 6:1-13
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

How do you feel in the presence of God? A bit unsure of what to say? Super excited like you're spending time with your best friend? Shameful and scared because you don't feel you measure up? Throughout the centuries as the saints and sinners of God have been in his presence, one things is sure, it is a dreadfully wonderful thing. Isaiah is no different. He feels like he's going to die and he says, "Woe is me, for I'm a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips." To be in the presence of a Holy God is no joke, and yet, God in his mercy, transforms his life in this moment and Isaiah is never the same. We have a chance to be equally transformed by this same Holy God. Join us as we gather to be reminded of the calling he has placed on our lives to live counter-culturally for the glory of God and for the sharing of the Gospel message, that Christ is King and Caesar is not.

The Failed Vineyard

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Sep 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 5:1-7
Let me sing for my beloved
    my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and he looked for it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded wild grapes.

The imagery of vines, branches, vineyards, and fruit are all throughout the Bible. Jesus would even talk about it time and time again in his teaching on the kind of people that his disciples are to be. We are to produce good fruit. Yet, we all know that the kind of fruit that is produced is based on the kind of care and nurture that goes into the vine and the plant. "You will reap what you sow." However, Isaiah 5 paints a very different picture of God's meticulous care and love that he poured into Israel and yet still produced sour grapes. Join us as we talk about God's love for his children and how we can be the kind of fruit bearing church that God is calling us to be in Christ.

The Hypocrisy in our Repentance

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Sep 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 1:1-20
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
    for the Lord has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its owner,
    and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does not know,
    my people do not understand.”

The book of Isaiah comes out swinging at Israel's sin, and he calls the people of God to a repentance that goes beyond lip service. In fact Isaiah, speaks for God as his prophet and says of God, "Even your prayers disgust me." How did the children of God stray so far from his heart? What implications does this have for our own worship and repentance? The Puritans use to pray, "Lord I need to repent of my repentance" and this passage of Isaiah falls in line with that sentiment. God calls us to an active form of repentance that goes beyond our Sunday worship and gets to the heart of what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus. Join us as we jump head first into the story of Isaiah.

Breaking Bread from House to House

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 4:42-47
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ had its beginnings in House Churches and in the public squares. By and large, we have moved the sharing of the gospel to halls, theaters, and large gatherings. While this is just a reality, what are we possibly missing out on by putting that responsibility onto the professionals and taking it out of our own home? What are we quietly saying by "going to church" rather than "being the church." Join us as we talk about the early church gatherings and dream big about what Christ wants to do in our homes this upcoming year!

Life around the Table

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Aug 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 2:11-22
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God...

Life and joy happen around the table. As followers of Christ, we have the chance to offer as much life and sustenance to those who are lacking and we can do that best around our tables. Join us as we talk about our Fall Groups and share the heart of Christ for life around the table.

Friends at the End

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 4:7-18
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

From Bonhoeffer to Martin Luther King Jr, words from prison mean something. St. Paul, in his last paragraphs in the letter to the Colossians is no different. He mentions ten people in the last few verses and each of them holds a special place in his heart as he writes from a Roman prison. Bars and chains give you a lot of time to think, to reflect on life and those who are important to you. Paul thinks of his friends who have been with him to the very end. What about us? Are we the kind of people that sit with friends in their imprisonment in order to further the gospel of Christ? Most of us have a hard time with discomfort. Yet Paul and his friends have a lot to teach us from prison as they finish out this letter. Join us as we finish out an amazing time through the book of Colossians.

Faithful Presence

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Aug 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 4:2-6
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Questions abound on the structure and methods of prayer. How can we be more passionate, more consistent, less needy, and less wishful? Paul is about to end his letter and he asks for the small church to be devoted to prayer and there are a lot of lessons that we can take away from his words as we too become a small church devoted to prayer. Join us as we worship our resurrected king and pray for kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in heaven.

Adding Spiritual Value to Your Home

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 3:18-25
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

We live in the age of Lowe's. Or, maybe you're a Home Depot kind of family. We watch shows about home improvements and we love a good Pinterest board on quick DIY projects that could add value to our home. Yet, while we are quick to add monetary value, we are a bit more unsure on how to add spiritual value to our home, our marriage, and to our children's lives. This Sunday is 5th Sunday and we want to talk about the family. After talking extensively about the baptized and resurrected life of the Christian, Paul now moves toward interpersonal relationships and how to live the crucified and resurrected life in the here and now. While the surrounding context is hotly debated about wives submitting and slaves obeying, there is no arguing that the Christian home should be safe and hospitable for everyone to grow and to flourish in Christ. As we continue in our series through Colossians, we look forward to being together in worship and hope. Join us as we talk about our homes and how we can add spiritual value to our homes and families.

The Old and The New Self

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 3:12-17
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Having put off our old selves and put on the new in Christ, how then do we proceed? When the followers of Christ have put to death that which is worldly, turning form anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk, what is it to live in the reality that “Christ is all, and in all.”? Paul continues this week by showing us what the clothes look like. Christ clothes us in kindness, humility, meekness and patience but it is not without challenge. How do we bear with one another in community when sin yet ensnares and wounds. What does it mean to forgive as we were forgiven? Join us as we worship and rejoice in the Lord! Come and hear what Paul has to say about the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts and put on display in community.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

The Old and The New Self

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 3:1-11
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

It's not that hard to think back to what we once were. It's also not that hard to look forward to a better version of ourselves. The hard thing is to become the person Christ has created us to be in him. So many things hold us back from our old friends, to our old habits, it's just not that easy to lay the old version of ourselves to rest. It's a funeral we struggle to arrange, and yet until it's a funeral that we have to go through. Join us as we look at this beautiful passage from Paul's letter to the Colossians church and we worship together the Christ who has raised us from the grave!

Guest Speaker: Hans Labor

Clarifying the Rules

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 2:16-23
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ...
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?

As the church was beginning in the years following the resurrection of Jesus, there were many rules that were trying to keep people from being unified in Christ. False religions grew up around Christianity trying to make the follower of Jesus slaves to the rules of their particular cult. These people were putting new rules on the people in the church and demanding that they follow their rules in order to have, not only salvation, but any kind of mystical experience with God. They demanded a strict diet and a strict form of pietism. Rules!! Rules!! Rules!! What does this mean for the church today? How are we judged, and how do we judge others based on outward appearances of spirituality when in fact, hearts and wandering minds are never changed? Join us as Paul clarifies the rules for us so that our lives and bodies will not longer be slaves to sin!

Fully Alive in Christ

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 2:6-15
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

The question that Christianity answers, is not what makes Jesus the more rational choice, but rather what makes dead things come alive? Paul combats the philosophies of the Gentile culture along with the traditions of the Jewish culture and he comes to the answer that it is Christ and in Christ alone that cancels the debt of sin and unites Jew and Gentile alike into a new family! Join us as we ponder again the magnitude of his sacrifice and offer of life!

He is Above Creation and He is Above the Church!

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 Jun 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 1:15-23
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Have you ever wondered what God is like? What he looks like and the kinds of things he'd say and do if he were here? In the OT we hear things like, "nobody can see God and live." Why is that I wonder? What is it about the presence of God or the sinfulness of mankind that isn't allowed to see God? Yet Paul wants you and me to see and to understand the wisdom that, if you have seen Jesus, you have seen God. He is the image, the very picture of the invisible God! If you've been with Jesus you've been with God! Join us as we make much of Jesus and his glory in creation, the church, and in our lives!!

Bearing Fruit through Prayer and Thanksgiving

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Colossians 1:1-14
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

We forget. We forget where we parked. We forget where we put our car keys. We forget friends birthdays and we forget appointments. Paul knew humanities forgetfulness and he knew that since the church is made up of humans, we as a church forget too. The opening statements in Paul's letter to the Colossians are about remembering that we have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into Christ's marvelous light. He reminds us that we are the city shining on a hill. He reminds us that we are most joyful when we are thankful. He reminds us that we are most secure when we in prayer with our Father. He reminds us also of what Christ has done for us and that alone should spark our imaginations daily for Gospel living and Gospel hope. Join us as we begin a new series in Colossians and grow in our knowledge and service to King Jesus.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

The Wedding Supper of the Lamb

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Revelation 19:6-10
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Why do weddings make us cry? What is it about the promise of faithfulness and love that brings tears to our eyes? The final story of Revelation is no different. Christ has promised to come and dwell among us, to vindicate the evil done on earth and to bring heaven and earth together in a new creation where there are no more tears, no more darkness, and no more death! Weddings make us cry because they are the appetizer of the great and glorious wedding day. No bride has been happier than the church will be on the day of Jesus' coming! Yet how are we doing in the engagement period? Have we been faithful to our betrothed? Join us for the conclusion of our Revelation Series as we worship the lamb who is worthy and long for the day when heaven and earth shall be one!

The Day of the Lord

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Jun 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Revelation 18:20-19:4
And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out,

“Alas, alas, for the great city
    where all who had ships at sea
    grew rich by her wealth!
For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
    and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you against her!”

How does it all end? Do God's people cry out forever? Is there a hell? Is there a heaven? What does the apocalyptic language of Revelation have to do with what is actually going to happen when Christ returns? Is God just, if evil is not done away with? How does God defeat evil? How will God judge the church? How will God judge the corruption of empires, the violence of empires, the greed of empires, the seductions of empires? What does the "Fall of Babylon" entail and why does all of heaven rejoice at the fall of the "unholy trinity" as we see it in Revelation 18 and 19? We have to understand this in someways is like Easter and Good Friday. There is no resurrection without death and there is no wedding supper of the lamb if there is still evil present. Join us as we look at The Day of the Lord and continue to worship the lamb who is worthy of all our praise!

Serve the City

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 May 2018 16:00:00 +0000

James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

We live in a pretty wild time in our culture. This picture grabs at our hearts. The lady in the purple glasses is from an era and time were life was lived and not just reordered from the sidelines. The life that Christ has for us is one that is to be experienced and that should form lasting memories in our lives and the lives of those around us.

We will not be gathering at the Silk Mill this Sunday, but rather we will turn our active worship of Jesus toward the streets and people of our city. Loving God is directly connected to how we love our neighbor and this is a great weekend to get outside yourself, join a service team, make some new friends, and spread the love of God all around.

The Vocation of the Saints

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 May 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Revelation 14:12-13
Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

We all have jobs. We are teachers, shop owners, contractors, plumbers, nurses, firefighters, as well as a variety of other things. We have vocations and many of us were trained for the jobs we do. Some of us wish we still had more training for we feel a bit shaky on the job, tons of responsibility and little margin for error. Yet when it comes to our Christian Vocation, what are we to be doing, learning, getting done in the mean time between Christ's first and second coming? What training should we be giving to others and receiving ourselves? The good news is that we find a lot of these answers in the book of Revelation. This resistance document would not be much of a document if it didn't encourage us in what and how to resist the powers that are waging war against the Lamb. And we all have jobs to do. Join us as we look at The Vocation of the Saints.

The Slaughtered Lamb

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 May 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Revelation 4 and 5
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

We come to the central image of Revelation: the throne of God and the lamb that was slain. Holding these two images in theological perspective, gives the church hope, for the lamb alone is worthy to bring about the justice and salvation of God. Yet, what does it all mean? While the world is in chaos and while Christians walk through unmentionable persecution, the worship in heaven is not only a foretaste of what is to come, but a format for how we are to fill the earth with worship now! Join us as we look only to Jesus the Passover Lamb, the suffering servant, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is worthy!

The Unveiling

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 May 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Revelation 1:1-3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

As the bride walks down the isle her vail covers her face. What is to be revealed is kept hidden until the proper moment. The book of Revelation is that same word. It is an unveiling of the things to come and how the Lamb of God is the only one worthy to make all things new! Many people avoid the book of Revelation because it's either too scary or too hard to understand and we get that, but over the next five weeks we'll be "unveiling" several eschatological themes from the book of Revelation to encourage us to stand firm and to walk without fear until the Day of the Lord. Christ has promised a beautiful wedding, he as the bridegroom and the church as the bride. Join us as we begin to unveil the hope of heaven.

Coco

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Galatians 4:4-7
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Where Wonder was a meditation on Kindness and Three Billboards was a meditation on Anger and Grief, and Get Out was a meditation on the horrors of Racism, Coco is a meditation on Family and Memory. While many of our church family will be at the Women's Retreat, the rest of us will be pondering the love and pain that comes through and in a family. Coco, even though it's a cartoon, does not shy away from the pain that comes from abandonment and the traditions that families adopt when they've been wounded. However, when families can reconcile and find hope through the pain, it is a picture on this earth of God's great family. Join us as we look at the film Coco to shed light on the love of our Father and the great bridge that he crossed to get to us.

Get Out

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Apr 2018 16:00:00 +0000

John 4:5-10,39-42
The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Where Wonder was a meditation on Kindness and Three Billboards was a meditation on Anger and Grief, Get Out hits us with the horrors of Racism. Many in our country and even in our churches want to simply say that we are living in a post-Racial America, and yet there are films, books, and conversations that we have that we cannot turn away from and simply ignore. As the church, we are bridge builders to the kingdom of Christ, and the issue of race is a torrent that needs gospel-centered builders. Our Reel to Real series is a theological exploration of the films that are telling a story that highlight in this cultural moment, an aspect of God's overall redemptive story. Get Out is classified in the horror genre, and it is telling the story of the horror of racism that exists in a suburban neighborhood. In areas where that are presumed "safe" evil and sin creep in. Join us as we look to Jesus who not only tells the story of the Good Samaritan, but also models for us with the Woman at the Well, what true reconciliation looks like.

Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 16:00:00 +0000

1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:7-9; Ephesians 4:25-32
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

Quite possibly the angriest movie we saw last year was Three Billboards. While Wonder, was a meditation on kindness, Three Billboards is a meditation on anger. Yet, there is so much more to point out theologically than just a world on fire. It is a hard movie to watch and an even harder film to wrestle with. It hits on many of humanities most broken aspects; from racism, to homophobia, to sexual assault, suicide, and even parenting. However, the true redemptive hope that Three Billboards leaves us with, is how we deal with our pain, grief, and longings for justice. Join us as we hope to connect the cross of Christ with the pain of the world.

Wonder

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 16:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 12:12-31
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.

Wonder is a the story of a boy with many facial disfigurations, who is loved by his family and yet struggles as he navigates the halls of Middle School. This world comes at us cold at times and it takes those around us who see the world a bit differently to give us eyes to see. If you've read the book or have seen the movie Wonder, you are in for a treat as we take a look at some of the precepts from the film and work them around the cross and resurrection of Jesus. However, more accurately, we'll look at the church and how we are a place full of "Wonders" and yet we have produced some of the world's worst bullies. Join us as we take a gravity free leap into kindness!

The Cry of Victory

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 16:00:00 +0000

John 20:1-31
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

Paul would say, "If Christ be not raised we are above all to be pitied." Not because we would be wrong, but because the hope of the world would be lost. Yet on that great glorious morning, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ the King of Kings, rose from the tomb and all of heaven shouted for joy and the earth shook. As we gather to worship, we are reminded that this is not the end. We can't wait to proclaim with you, that "He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!"

The Cry for a King

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 21:1-11
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Palm Sunday is a revolutionary battle cry for a king! The only issue is, what kind of king are we shouting for? The crowds on that day shouted "Hosanna" which translated means "Save Us." What they meant was "save us" from the Roman occupation, however, what Jesus had it mind was a much more holistic salvation!

The Cry to Be Powerful

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 4:8-11
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”Every place that the Devil led Jesus was higher and higher. A high temple, and a high mountain are emblematic of the temptation to power that he was offering Christ. "I will give you all the nations if you just bow down and worship me."

There is possibly no greater temptation in our political and ecclesial life than the one of power and control. It is much harder to love people than to control them. We have the same issues in our homes and in our schools. Join us as we look at the beauty and humility of Jesus as we grow in his suffering and joy.

The Cry For an Encore

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 4:5-7
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone.' "

I mean come on!! How is this even a temptation? We can see the obvious first temptation after Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, to "turn these stones into bread." However, what on earth is Satan really trying to tempt Jesus with here? What if Jesus could have really looked like a Superstar in front of the people? Would they believe him then? We are halfway through our road to Easter and we are looking forward to joining back up in the Silk Mill as we continue in our series on the Temptations of Christ and how the enemy is still after us with the same temptations.

The Cry to be Relevant

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 4:1-4
And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Lent is a season of confession and repentance. Because of this it is also a season of great temptation and the reminder that our struggle is not just against flesh and blood but our struggle in these bodies is a spiritual struggle. Satan comes to Jesus and tempts him in three ways and over the next three weeks, we'll be taking deeper look at what this means for the Gospel and what it means for us. This first temptation is to turn stones into bread and to make the hungers of the body more important than the hungers and thirsts of the spirit. Yet Jesus is stalwart in his response and unlike Adam and Eve, he shows us a way through the wilderness of temptation.

*House Church Sunday. No sermon recorded.*

Suicide

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Romans 12:9-21; Lamentations 3:17-33 & Acts 16:25-40
My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord." Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

From '13 Reasons' to severe depression, we have to talk about shame and mental health in a way that brings the light of Christ into the darkness that many of us feel. The stigmas surrounding mental health have got to change if we are going to prevent suicides and bring hope to the world in the way that Christ commands us to. How can we as a church family, support one another? How can we a church family, help identify some of the early warning signs? How can we as the kingdom of Christ, sit with those suffering inside the prison of their own mind and not judge them or tell them how to live? How can we become a listening community when the topic of suicide is at hand? Join us as we finish out our Taboo Series and God willing, shine some light on the shadows surrounding suicide.

God and Country

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 17:00:00 +0000

John 19:1-16 & Revelation 5
Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

We have been told from a very early age that "our nation one nation under God." We have stamped "In God We Trust" on our money and even have patriotic hymns like "God Bless America" that are sung in churches. Our scouts and children learn that our duty to "God and Country" is one of the most important and noblest things we can do to become a meaningful citizens. Our families have fought, for generations for freedom and we think of this as we get emotional at the national anthem and we grow infuriated when people disrespect the flag, dishonor our soldiers. Much of this contempt is done with Christian overtones and language that echoes back to a time when God was really on our side and if we could just get back there, all will be well in our country. But what does all of this really have to do with the cross of Christ? Where does nationalism begin and respect for ones country end? Join us for what will be a very hard message on "God and Country." Join us as we sing to Christ the King, asking him to give us a heart that is willing to count the cost of discipleship.

Conversation

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 24:13-35; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?”

We live in a culture that is losing it's ability to have a conversation. When I grew up, I remember my dad taking the phone off the hook and putting it in the cabinet until the annoying beeps stoped, then we would enjoy our family time together without interruptions. Today, we are interrupting ourselves, with everyone around the table having a phone and most likely a TV on in the background, we are constantly connected and therefore constantly only half present. What are we teaching our little children? How does this create further barriers to the ones Christ has asked us to love, our enemies? What implications does this have for our friendships, our romances, and our parenting? Even greater, what are the implications for the sharing of the "good news" when we lose the ability to have healthy conversations?

Opioids

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Psalm 142 & John 9:1-25
Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud...

What hope is there for the family who has a child addicted to heroin? What can the church do for the thousands of people in our community addicted opioids like oxycontin and oxycodone? How can we support our police officers, counselors, social workers, and our fire fighters who are the "tip of the spear" in the relentless effort to save a generation? What does King David and King Jesus have to say about the role both the community and the individual plays in sobriety and true transcendence? We will be doing our best to explain the epidemic and offer the hope of God inside the loving arms of a community centered around the hospitality of Christ. If you know someone who is exhausted from loving an addict, or if you know someone addicted, consider inviting them to sit with you as we cry out to God on behalf of our loved ones trapped inside the prison of addiction.

Liturgies of the Home

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 22:00:00 +0000

Seminar to Cultivate Faith in the Home

Liturgies of the Home

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 6:1-4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Home can be a tricky work for lots of people. It can be the place of greatest pain, and it can be the place of our greatest joy. As we think through the final message in our series of Beyond the Fig Leaves, we have to think about the weight of shame that we have stored in the wine cellars of our home. Shame that is "ready-to-serve" at a moments notice. You can probably trace back your greatest moment of resentment back to a parent. So with that in mind, what does it look like for us to curate "shame-free" homes where everyone feel safe to "come out of hiding." Our homes are little churches, places where truth and love coexist, places were obedience and grace coexist. Join us as we talk about our practices at home that help form our Christian life.

The Naked Truth About Marriage

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 5:15-33

Did you shed a tear at your wedding? Did your spouse? There is something about receiving the voluntary gift of self-sacrificing love that brings us to tears. How about now, all those years later, are we still filled with gratitude for what God has joined together? There is beauty that brings us to tears. There is the full understanding that we are unworthy and yet this person loves us wholeheartedly as we are. Adam and Eve were naked and felt no shame and the early pages of Genesis reveal something masculinity and femininity. Marriage is sacred and we need to be reminded of this as often as we can. Join us as we talk about the beauty of a Christ-centered marriage and the great mystery of Christ's love for His bride, His church.

A Single Body

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 12:25

When we talk about the theology of the body, it is imperative to talk about the option of the single life that being a Christian affords us. Before Jesus began his church, married life was the only option for cultures and religions. After Jesus, we begin to see that the kingdom of God is not about being given in marriage. Jesus models not only in his teaching, but also in his sexuality that having a body is good and it is expected to live in this single bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. In our culture however, that is almost impossible. How can we encourage one another, whether single, or married? How can promote robust friendships among all of us that elevate the lack of intimacy found in our world? Join us as we look at the sexuality of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus and the body of Jesus to grow in our hope for how to live in our bodies beyond the shame!

Born Hungry

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Genesis 1-2 & Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

When God looked out on his creation could not stop saying one phrase: "He saw that it was good." Inside that good creation, inside of us, God has placed all kinds of hungers and desires, all of which are GOOD!! We hunger for purpose. We hunger for love. We hunger for a great meal and we hunger for intimacy and friendship. We are born hungry. Join us as we begin a new series looking at how God has created us for communion with him and with others and how our hungers can point us either toward God or away from him.

To Follow a King

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 5:1-11

Humans love beginnings and we have an immense capacity to mark the first steps of a journey. We love births, weddings, and the opening day of baseball season. On the cusp of a new year, we will explore a beginning in Scripture, the calling of the first disciples. How does the calling of the first of the twelve impact our lives today? Does the obedient response of the disciples inform how we are called to follow Christ? Join us as we model for our children what it looks like to worship Christ in community, and break bread around His table, and explore a beginning in God’s Word so we can be better equipped to live His Love, Grace, and Mercy.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

The Ghost of Christmas Future

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Christmas Eve Service

The Ghost of Christmas Present

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 2:1-20
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

What is your relationship to time? Always wishing you had more of it? Finding all the time saving tricks to get the most accomplished? Or perhaps, you feel stuck in time and you are just counting the ticks of the clock. As we work through the story of Scrooge, we come upon this encounter with The Ghost of Christmas Present. We see that "time is a gift, and that's why it is called the present" as Dickens would say. As this Spirit takes Scrooge on a journey through the night, he sees things in a different perspective, but most of all, it gives him a deeper appreciation for time. Join us as we look at the Nativity story and how Christ breaks into our time and gives it new meaning.

The Ghost of Christmas Past

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 43:1-28
"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

How do you look back on your Christmas' gone by? What was your favorite gift, song, or moment? For many of us it's most likely a mixed bag of emotions. The same is true with Ebenezer Scrooge. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes him on a trip that is filled with more than nostalgia, it's filled with truth, and truth can be very very hard. Join us as we look at the redemptive way in which God looks upon our past in order to give us peace for a future.

Bah! Humbug!

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 20:1, 13-16; Luke 16:19-31
There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table.

If we are honest, there is probably a little bit of Scrooge in all of us. For some, perhaps more than others. How did we become so cynical? So inward focused? Scrooge has a way of sneaking up on us even when so much of our lives are looking and feelings so good. Join us as we light the Candle of Hope and begin the Advent season believing that God can change even the coldest of hearts. We will take a page out of Charles Dickens to look at Christ as the hope of the world.

Economics Up a Tree

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Nov 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 19:1-10

Either Jesus is the worst financial advisor that every walked passed a sycamore tree, or when corrupt capitalists come into proximity with the love and mercy of Christ, your economics kind of go up a tree, or down it, however you like. We live in a corrupted society and we all have learned habits of survival that do not run consistent with the kingdom of God. Join us as we look the story of Zacchaeus and move closer to the generosity of God.

Retail Therapy and the Eucharist

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 17:00:00 +0000

John 6:22-59
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

We have been marketed to from the time we were children. Told to buy this and buy that, and this will make you happy, and that will make you feel better, when the truth is we are in debt and we feel empty. Join us as we talk about Jesus' sermon on the Bread of Life and how that teaches us how to be and live in a world of retail therapy.

A Song of Anger and Revenge

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Psalm 137:1-9
Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!"
O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!

Atrocities had been done to Israel that no human being could imagine or stomach. Men, women, and children had been ruthlessly killed and targeted by the Edomites and the Babylonians. It's hard not to think of a young man full of anger this week going inside a church and targeting crying children with his assault rifle. We are left with the wreckage and the rage. Israel was left with the white-hot anger that boils over into Psalm 137. How are we to live with the emotions of anger? In politics and social media, how are we to live with our emotions of anger? In family and at work, how are we to model a Christ who on one hand, says, "Turn the other cheek" and on the other hand, "grabbed a whip and began turning over the tables of the money-changers"? Join us as we look at anger and revenge in light of the Cross and Resurrection!

A Song of Forgiveness

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Psalm 130:1-8
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

The scene in Les Miserables when Jean Val Jean is given forgiveness by the priest, that is a moment that probably best pictures Psalm 130. "From out of the depths I cried to you O God..." Perhaps you have been there and are in need of redemption and mercy. In our journey toward Christ-likeness, we fall short all of the time and we have to cry out for mercy along with way. Join us as we look at one of the most hopeful songs ever written, A Song of Forgiveness!

Guest Speaker: Carey Sims

A New Song of Indescribable Joy

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 96:1-13
Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!

We live in a world charged with wonder and awe. From the sound of children laughing and giggling, to the loving embrace of a friend who knows you inside and out. God has set us into a place where his goodness and blessings truly abound, if we just have the eyes to see them. Psalm 96 is a song of joy that comes from the truth that God has done and is doing amazing things for his people. All creation shouts and sings a new song that the universe has never heard before and that this the song of love and thanks to a God who is coming to be near his children! Even if we have to wait on it, he is near, he is closer than yesterday, so we just have to sing!! Join us as we lift up our voices to the King who reigns forever and ever!

A Song to Restore Us

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 80:1-19
Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.

What would restoration look like for you right now? How were you designed? What are the reasons that keep you rusty and broken down? Psalm 80 is a beautiful reminder that the face of God has planted a vineyard and is longing to restore his children from all kinds of rust and dust that keep us out of commission inside the kingdom of God. Join us as we look under the Psalm 80 asks us to look "look under the hood" and restore our run down hearts.

The Song of Repentance

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 51:1-19
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.

How does one reconnect with the sweet love of God after sinning horrendously? We have all had times where we deliberately strayed from God's love and perhaps from the spouses, and friends that we have promised never to stray from. How do you come home, when you've damaged every relationship the matters to you? How do you come home to God? Psalm 51 is a huge clue into the puzzle of restoring the joy of our salvation, that sweet embrace of God the father from his wandering child. Join us as we worship the God who loves sinners back into the family of mercy!

The Song of the Hospitable Shepherd

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

Where does Psalm 23 take you? For many, it transports them back to a struggle in their own life, or to a funeral of a loved one. Still, for others, Psalm 23 has been a song of God's great provisions. No matter what comes to mind when you think of Psalm 23, we are very thankful, that in the light of such tragedy as Las Vegas this past week, that we are able to come into the fold of God and hear the words of King David, "I shall fear no evil..." We need that now. So join us as we gather to pray through tragedy and to worship our great Shepherd King.

A Song of the Forsaken

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

What does it mean to have a king that suffers? What did it mean for Israel to have a king that was near to death and then saved at the last minute? If God has forsaken the king, what hope do we have? And yet, Psalm 22 does not end with despair, but rather unprecedented hope! The words, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me..." have been the content of many a Good Friday service. These were the very words that Jesus spoke on the cross, connecting what he was doing, to what the Psalmist wrote. Join us as we dive into the mystery of the cross and to experience the hope that comes after the kings, cry for help!

A Song of God's Majesty

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 Sep 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 8
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

The glory of God is all around us. God's rule and reign is on display for everyone to see. We see it as we look up to the sky and we see it in the birth of a newborn baby. We feel it in our bones that God is closer than we think. And yet, this Psalm of creations talks about God's infinite love for humanity. He has taken his authority and placed it upon us to tend and steward as if we were truly made to bear his image in the world. Join us for a time of worship to our creator out in nature. O Worship the King!!

A Song for All Who Weep

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 6
My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?
Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

The Psalms teach us how to pray. They give us permission to pray our true emotions and feelings void of pious rhetoric. Our prayers seldom get to the heart of the issue because we are giving God our false self in prayer. David in Psalm 6 is broken with sorrow. He has sinned and the is sick with the consequences. As he pours out his heart to God, there is an honesty in prayer that we can all learn from. All of us are either grieving now or we will be in the near future. Join us as we worship Jesus and learn how to pray in our grief.

The Song of Coronation

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 2
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
"Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us."

With violence, greed, dishonesty, and pride the kings of this world kick against their creator. It is hard for us not to fall victim to the temptation of empire building and political solutions, rather than taking refuge in God. The Psalmist wants all of Israel to know that the Lord has anointed his King and that they can take refuge in him. Join us as we celebrate and worship King Jesus!

The Hikers Song and the Road Less Traveled

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Psalm 1
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

What is the noise that is keeping you distracted not only from hearing God, but from enjoying him as well? There is something about being on the trail in nature that allows many of us to focus and to have an amazing sense of wonder and peace. It seems that our everyday lives are full of distracted, temptations, and sins that pull us away from the path of obedience and peace. Join us as we launch an exciting new sermon series through the book of Psalms.

Farmers, Fools and Family

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Aug 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 5: 7-20
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

If patience is a virtue, it is a neglected one. With the cultural pressures to produce, perform, and consume, there is no time for being patient. Any bump in the road must be leveled, every risk must be mitigated, and every hardship must be averted or out-sourced. Can the toils and struggles of a farmer or a prophet teach us anything of value as we follow Christ through hardship and suffering? James thinks so. Join us as we complete our study on the book of James.

Guest Speaker: Dan Lemelin

The Future and Trust

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 4:13 - 5:6
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Are you a planner? Do you like having control of your life and your future? Then why is it that we often times find out that our lives end up going much differently then we have planned? If you ever worry about what your life and future will hold then come ready to be challenged as we dive into what God's Word has to say about our futures and ultimately, our trust.

Guest Speaker: James Bauslaugh

**This sermon was not recorded**

Warning Against Worldliness

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 4: 1-10
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

What does it mean to be a Holy people? What does it look like for a community to truly put God first? To take sin seriously? To be double-minded? To live in two worlds? James does not pull punches when it comes to the failure that awaits us when we live to serve God and the world, but he also reminds us “He (God) gives more grace.” (James 4:6) Come join us as we wrestle with some challenging questions and look to God’s Word for guidance.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

What Fills the Cup is What Spills Out

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 3:1-18
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.

How's your speech? What bubbles out when you are angry? How quick are you to comment when things don't work out the way you hoped? Who is suffering right now because of the words that you spoke over them? is there more wisdom in our words or in our silence? What do the words we use have to say about our spiritual condition?

James wants to tell us that "what we say = what's inside" and we may have not just a mouth issue but a heart issue as well. The saints have told us from ancient times that "what comes out of the mouth finds its source in the heart." Join us as we study the ancient text to filter our modern hearts that stream out poison and praise.

Faith vs Works

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 2:14-26

Our Favorite Sin of Playing Favorites

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 2:1-13
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Did you have a sibling who was mom's favorite? A teacher who loved the suck up in the class? How about a boss that picked favorites in meetings and at lunch? What about a church that showed partiality to the rich while the poor were passed over? There must have been a serious problem in the surrounding churches for James to be so adamant in his words. Simply put, copy God and God has no favorites. So why and how do we fall into this so often? Join us as we get to the heart of God's love for his children.

Worthless Religion

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 1:12-27
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

It's easy to fall into a faith that believes but doesn't act. It's one thing to love God and it's quite another thing to live for him. When you feel stuck in a season of inaction, how do can you get moving again? As we continue in our study of James, we come to a section rich with familiar phrases like, "be doers of the word" and "let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." Then James concludes this section in a discussion on what "worthless religion" looks like. Join us as we discern and study what it means to have a faith that "does."

Count It All Joy

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000

James 1:1-11
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

What would it look like for you to "lack nothing" in your existence? It would take contentment not only in your life with God but with your life among others as well. James is not calling us to a naive existence that calls suffering a "happy" thing, but rather he is telling us that it is the trials of life that are the gas in the engine moving us toward "completeness" in Christ. Many people get tripped up in suffering and who can blame them, this life is hard. However, James wants us to know this week that God is love and his love is steadfast in trials, and it is generous in faith and his love shows no favoritism to anyone! Join us as we begin a study in the letter of James and seek the Holy Spirit together to change us and form us in the love of God.

The Death of Revelation

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000

John 21: 24-25
"This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

As we finish out our series on The Challenge of Atheism, it is fitting to talk about what all the controversy is about. We'll be exploring the authority of God as it is expressed in scripture and the Bible. We are living in a time where the Bible is not only seen as authoritative but also it's readership is down considerably. The role it plays in society is changing and the role it plays in the church has been shifting as well. Join us as we fishing out our series in unbelief with a fresh look the authority of God expressed in the text.

Ecce Homo - "Behold the Man" (Nietzsche and Jesus)

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 25 Jun 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Luke 18:9-14
"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."

Just a few weeks before going "mad" Nietzsche published his autobiography, "Ecce Homo" - a play on the words from Pilate about Jesus, in Latin meaning, "Behold the Man." As we continue looking at the gods of unbelief we are culminating our study with the suspicion and atheism of Frederich Nietzsche. While Freud pointed out that God is a made up illusion and Marx called God the opium that people drug themselves with because life is hard, Nietzsche says that "God is dead, and we have killed him." Join us as we dive into the deep end yet again to root out our own hypocrisy and resentment.

Blessing Marx the Community

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 5:1-12
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

How are we to live as a people? How are we to live in community? What does it mean when the rich get richer and the poor are forgotten? As we continue in our study of Atheism, it is critical to look in the mirror of how we are treating those around us. Marx will be our guide as we learn how to change the world, not his way, but not without his critique on our way. The way of Jesus will mark us, but what way is that? Join us as we work through the communism and Atheism of Marx to get to a new way. All are welcome.

I Believe, Freud Help My Unbelief

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 64:6
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

If there is a part of your religious devotion and practice that is out of step with the full nature of the person of Jesus, wouldn't you like to know about it so that you can change? Well, the truth is perhaps not. We allow our mind to deceive us at times in order to be more comfortable and to ultimately get what we desire. Join us as we take a long hard look at the life and Atheism of Sigmund Freud in order to live more authentically in the name of Jesus.

**This sermon was not recorded.**

Stands to Reason

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 1:15-20
"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool."

What role does our reason and rationality play into our faith? Has reason kept you from belief? Has belief kept you from reason? Join us as we kick off a controversial series in unbelief. This week we'll be doing our best to check our brains back into our faith. Do you have a friend or two who do not believe in God? This would be a great series to invite them to come and ask their questions along with us.

Scattered in Community

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 May 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 2:42-47
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

God desires for his children to love and live in proximity, not only to him, but in proximity with one another. This closeness can only happen when reconciliation, hospitality, simplicity, and Sabbath rest are present. We have been created to live with one another and we have been recreated for one another. Join us for our third and final conversation on the theology and practice of Christian discipleship through House Church!

Scattered in Mission

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 May 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 3:1-10
And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" 7And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

We do not exist only for the worship of God but also to make disciples of all nations. It is the worship of God that pushes us out to love in a way that we couldn't if we have not been in the company of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we think of mission, and sharing the "good news" we have a lot to learn. Why do our efforts look so different from the ones in Acts? What if we understood the power of the Holy Spirit in a way the early church did? How can we live in a city and still be scattered in mission? Join us as we continue the conversation about discipleship from the book of Acts!

Scattered in Worship

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 May 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Acts 1 & 2
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

When the Holy Spirit came upon the early church in the book of Acts, the disciples were changed forever. After seeng the risen Christ they believed in the future that he was in fact the long awaited Messiah of Israel. All of their expectations in life changed, when they were shattered by the power, glory, and mission of God for the world. When we consider being disciples we have to first understand that all our plans change when we encounter the power, glory, and mission of Christ to reach the world. However, before we go out to change the world, our internal world has to change in the presence of God. Join us for an unconventional conversation about worship with the help of some of our House Church leaders. Grab a friend and meet us at the Silk Mill at 10 am!

Life in the Spirit

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 May 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Galatians 5:16-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Jesus said that it was better if the Spirit came. Jesus called the Sprit a comforter. Jesus said that the Spirit would convict us in our sin. Jesus promised his disciples that the Spirit would be poured out on all people and that times of following HIM will look like times of being led by the Spirit. True discipleship means being able to live and be like the Master, even when the Master is no longer around physically. We are looking forward to the final installment of Being Disciples. It means living in the Spirit. Join us on Sunday as we gather for worship at 10 am at the Silk Mill!

The Body of Christ

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 16:00:00 +0000

2 Corinthians 2:12-26
But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Paul calls us the body of Christ but what does that mean? How do we work best together and how do we give honor to all parts when it's so easy to just love the extraverted parts? God has a plan and we want to see him glorified in his body! Join us as we look to Jesus as we grow in Being Disciples!

Holiness

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 16:00:00 +0000

2 Corinthians 3:17-46
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The commands to be holy are all over the Old and New Testaments. Yet, nothing can seem to be harder to grasp than holiness through discipleship. How did Peter, John, and later on Paul become holy? Often times we think that to be holy is to be cut off from a world that is polluted. Yet somehow, Christ is able to be fully engaged and fully pure all at the same time. This is the holiness we pursue! Join us as we look to Jesus as we grow in Being Disciples!

A Burning Hope

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Luke 24:13-35
They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"

On Sunday morning, we as a community will give witness and testimony to the risen Christ as we say together, "He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!"

As Jesus showed up to the two friends walking on the road to Emmaus, we have a burning hope that has shown up to us as well. We simply cannot wait to rejoice and celebrate King Jesus with you!

The Aroma of a New Regime

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 16:00:00 +0000

2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Matthew 21:6-11
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

As we celebrate the dedication of four beautiful babies this Sunday, we will also consider what it means to be led by Christ in "triumphant procession." For Paul, this meant being held captive to the power of a great affection. As Jesus walk through the processional on Palm Sunday, there is no doubt that the crowds around him had different expectations of what the Messiah would and should do. We are not much different. The goal for us though, is to not stop following him at the temple, to go where he goes, to keep company with Jesus and to follow him all the way to the cross. Where others abandoned him along the road, we will follow. We have to, for he alone has the words of life, "come unto me, all you who are heavy burned, and I will give you rest." Join us as we consider this Christ and the aroma of His new regime as we begin Holy Week.

Forgiveness

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 7:7-9; 6:8-15
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Being Disciples means to forgive offenses as God, in Christ, has forgiven us. Easy to say. Easy to offer up statements to ease our suffering when people stab us in the back and tear down our world. Did Jesus really mean what he said in the Sermon on the Mount? Why? But perhaps more important than the why, is the how. How can we, forgive like Christ has forgiven us? Are you carrying resentment? Your family. Your former church. Your current church. Your work. Your children. Your neighbors. Join us for a formative discussion on how the followers of Jesus learn and grow in forgiveness.

Faith, Hope and Love

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 13:8-13
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

Being a disciple is to constantly be in the company of Jesus. While in that company we see him our faith being stretched, our hope being solidified and our loves being challenged. To follow Jesus is to love like Jesus. Join us as we worship and move out in Faith, Hope, and Love!

Come and See

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000

John 1:35-39
And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

As we move toward Easter we are beginning a new series of messages on what it means on Being Disciples. When Jesus called the first disciples he invites them to Come and See how life with God is really supposed to be lived out. This Sunday we will look at that famous passage in John one and we are praying as a community that we too will hear those words of Christ, "Come, the lame are healed. See how the kingdom is breaking into the darkness." Join us as we grow in prayer and worship, together, as we follow this Jesus.

Water from the Rock

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Exodus 17:1-7
And the Lord said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink."

Lent offers the people of God a time to consider our thirsts. We fast, we give, we pray, and all three of those can reveal to us some of our most beloved idols. Join us as we take a step away from the Taboo series to talk about thirsting in the desert and trusting that God is big enough to handle our doubt and loving enough to handle our thirst.

Serve the City

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 17:00:00 +0000

All glory, honor, and power, belong to the Lord of hosts. He has caused the sun to rise and feeds the poor and gives drink to the thirsty. As we have scattered all over the city to serve this week, we will continue to serve and bear witness to his mercy and love.

From Ash Wednesday to a final BBQ, you have served and loved FXBG beyond measure. You have worked very hard CG in love and in mercy in so many ways this week. Thank you for being a generous and giving community. Well done you all.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for selfishness, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:13-14

Immigration

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

How is a Christian to think and live in a nation divided by immigration, refugees, documented and undocumented aliens? We are being bullied on both sides, told that we are either racist xenophobes, or, on the other extreme, that we are single handily contributing to the downfall of America by letting in terrorist Muslims. How is the church to live and love when we are fearful and unclear? When does the church speak up, and with what voice? Does God have anything to say? How does the Bible speak about strangers among us? Join us as we look at the words of St. Paul, who crossed many borders but only lived in one for one KING.

Cynicism

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Acts 9:1-19
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.

We will working with this definition over the weekend: Cynicism is "an embittered disposition of distrust born out of disillusionment." We all grow up idealistic about all kinds of things, love, romance, marriage, service, parenting, church, and even God. What happens over time is that reality creeps in and we have a moment of disillusionment, where we come to grips that all we thought about a given thing, comes unraveled. The romance didn't work. The job didn't deliver what it promised. The cause exposed an underbelly that intolerable. The church was so hypocritical and unkind. These are moments of disillusionment and they spark the idealistic person to come to grips with reality. This is the birth of cynicism and the death of Christian hope. Paul, after being knocked off his horse, was resilient to cynicism, how? Join us as we expose cynicism for the sickness that it is.

Check out the video from House Church:
https://vimeo.com/204638898

Race in the Church

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 2:11-22
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

The history of segregation, systemic injustice, and slavery has left a gaping wound in America. For those who are unwilling to either understand the work of the gospel, or the history of prejudice in our nation, they, will go through life blind to the hope for unity and love. They will be lazy to the work of the gospel and form a Jesus who blesses them, while telling others to just pull yourself up by your bootstraps. While we have come far from the days of "Whites Only", there seems to be a new face of racism popping up, not only in our cities, but in our churches. We are committed to the Ministry of Reconciliation as Christ our King has given us. Join us as we do our best to listen, be vulnerable, and worship Jesus who broke down the dividing wall of hostility.

Climate Change

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 2:12-15; Romans 8:18-22; Revelation 22:1-22
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

What are we talking about when we talk about climate change? What does environmental stewardship look like for Christians who are already pulled in so many ways about what issues to feel strongly about and what issues may not be real? What shoots through your soul when you hear about Climate Change on the news? What does the Bible tell us? What does science tell us? Who should I trust on the issue? Join us as we take a serious look at the taboo issue of environmental stewardship, climate change, our role in the New Creation and how Christ in his victory is making all things new!

Pray

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 11:1-13
And he said to them, "When you pray, say:
"Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."

As the people of God, one of the greatest gifts the Lord has given to us is the privilege to be in communication and connection with him. Yet there is so much about prayer that we don't grasp. Sometimes we put too many expectations on ourselves of what prayer has to look like and be. Other times we think we simply struggle through a time of drought and disconnection with God. Join us as we ask, as the disciples, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Die

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 Jan 2017 17:00:00 +0000

John 19:1-42
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

As the people of God, should we die any differently than others? What if you are terrified about death? What if you are all too eager for it? What if you are numb to it for all the family that has already died? What and how should following Christ inform our death as an event? This Sunday we will be asking the morbid question of Christ, "Lord, teach us to die." Unlike the celibate Rabbi, who never had sex, we can look to Jesus' death as the place to find some clues to how we can approach our own end. Join us as we worship the creator and consider what it means to pass on to eternity.

Make Love

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 Jan 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Song of Solomon 8:1-7
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
he would be utterly despised.

Sure, we can all figure it out. This goes here and that goes there. How hard can it be? Having sex doesn't need to much explanation when it comes to the logistics. The problem comes when we add human beings, with all our baggage, hurts and disorientations to sex. God has given spouses a beautiful thing when he gave us sex. The church should be the first to promote, encourage, and establish this as a good and great thing for our communities and our homes. Join us as we ask the question of Christ - "Teach us what it means to make love in your kingdom!"

Live

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 7:36-50
37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

It is the Christians Love for the Lord Jesus Christ that is the most powerful witness to the lost world…an ungrateful, loveless Christian undercuts the testimony of the gospel and such attitudes are incompatible with God’s gracious forgiveness. As we begin a new series this week called “Jesus teach me to…” we will explore together a richly beautiful text, Luke 7:36-50, and ask “Jesus teach me to….Live”. What does it look like to “live” in light of eternal life provided by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through the interaction between a Pharisee, a sinful woman, and Jesus, we will examine what it means to actively seek out God, counter culturally let our hair down to serve, and to worship our King with love for Him and others.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

Waiting without Darkness - Making Room for Light

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sat, 24 Dec 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 2:1-21
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The people walking around in darkness, political darkness, religious darkness, inner darkness, have seen a great light. As we gather on Christmas Eve to worship the newborn king, we have to acknowledge our deep need for light. We cannot wait to gather with you as God open's up the floodgates of light into our hearts as we acknowledge what a mighty thing he has done in the incarnation! For unto us a child is born!

Waiting without Fear - Making Room for Love

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 1:26-38
And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

That little teenage girl has a thing or two to show us. Mary holds the mirror up to us Christians and then asks the question, "will you trust him as I did?" After asking all her questions about virgin births, and sacred words, she surrenders her heart to the Lord and in the first act of Christmas hospitality, Mary surrenders her body to be a vessel for the Lord. Even before all the questions were answered about Joseph, about Jesus, and about what her family would think, Mary gives her entire life to God, through the Spirit, for the Son. As we come to worship this Son during the Advent Week of Love, what are you fearing? What impossible task has the Lord given to your body? Join us as we continue in our Advent Series, Waiting Room.

Waiting without Excess - Making Room for Joy

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 6:27-36
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

This is clearly not a Christmas passage. When Jesus says to "Give to anyone who begs" it's almost difficult to swallow. Even harder to follow. But we cannot wait and anticipate God with us, with our hands full of possessions and a heart full of greed. We need to take a long, hard look at our culture in how it is affecting us in ways we don't even realize. We'd like to take a look at how excess kills joy. Join us as we continue in our Advent Series, Waiting Room.

Waiting without Despair - Making Room for Peace

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 2:13-23
"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men."

Why does Matthew include the story of Herod's rage against the babies in Bethlehem? How do the outsiders get it while the insiders reject it? When Christ goes to Egypt, what connections are there as he follows the similar pattern of Israel from exile to rule and reign? As we enter the Advent Week of Peace there are a lot looming questions of howe we can be peacemakers in a world of violence and how Christ comes as a threat against every empire we build. Join us as we come encounter the Prince of Peace in song and sacrament.

Waiting without Division - Making Room for Hope

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Isaiah 40:1-11; 25-31
"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins."

Do you need comfort? Do you need hope? Has the month been nearly too much to carry alone? Join us as we light the hope candle and put our trust in a God of comfort.

**This sermon was not recorded**

The Generosity of God

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:00:00 +0000

2 Corinthians 9:6-15
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work"

We'll read in this passage that God loves a cheerful giver. Why? The answer, in short, is that Christ who, for the shear joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the father. The is a deep connection between God's character as giver, and what it means for the Christian to be transformed into his character. Join us as we take a look at God's nature as giver and give thanks for another amazing year at Common Ground.

Choose This Day Who You Will Serve

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Joshua 24:14-28
Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

We value choice in America. We love being able to select from the 31 flavors of whatever it is we want or think we need. When it comes to faith though, that choice often gets us in trouble for so many times we choose the things that idolatrous and hateful. We actually choose things that harm and injure us for thinking it will satisfy our deep loneliness and our momentary desires. When Joshua call's Israel to renew their covenant with God - they ware quick to say "YES WE WILL SERVE GOD AND HIM ONLY." While they were quick to answer in the positive, idolatry and temptation was right around the corner. How do we maintain zeal for Christ? How do we keep our promises to God? How do we love our neighbor when trust has been broken? How do we come back to God after major blunders? What is God's attitude toward us when we beg forgiveness again and again? Join us as we finish out the Gospel According to Joshua and renew our hearts in service to God.

A City of Refuge

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Joshua 20:1-9
These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.

We tend to seek revenge any way we can get it. It's hard when someone breaks, takes, or kills something of ours to be gracious and show kindness. In a time of "blood for blood" justice - God reveals himself as a level headed player in the laws that shaped nations. He is revealing to Israel that "accidents happen" and what matters is motive and intent. He also shows to us that those who have been accused need to be given a home and a place to flourish. The important thing for us as a church is to open our hearts up to the possibility that we are a place of refuge for all seeking Jesus. With just a few days until the national election please join us as we pray for our nation, pray for our city, and seek Christ on what it means to become a place of refuge for the accused.

Sun Stand Still

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Joshua 10:1-15
The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

One thing we have all said at one time or another is that, "I wish there was just more hours in the day." Well, for one such person, God actually granted that wish. As we look at the story of the sun standing still and God working wonders, we can't help but wonder about the role light and darkness play in our lives. What would we do if we had more light? What enemies of God could we make friends - or what evils from the Devil could we destroy if all things were brought to the light? Join us as we are all in the Mill together as one family to bring light to the world. A city on a hill.

Coveting the Devoted Things

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Joshua 7:1-26
And Achan answered Joshua, "Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekel
s, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

There are some sins and patterns of thought that go undetected and are socially acceptable in our world. Jealousy, envy, and covetousness pretty much run the internet. From what we buy, to who we love, there is no doubt that envy plays a part. In the story of Achan there is a discontent that leads to a horrible situation for all of Israel - the greed of one person affected the entire nation. Join us as we take a serious look at a God who has given us all we need and to grow in contentment.

Walls Fall Down

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Joshua 6:1-27
So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.

God is in charge. We are not. The story of Jericho has been written so that Israel would know without a shadow of a doubt that God is with them and God is powerfully in charge. He brought the wall down against their enemy and he has, in Christ, brought the wall down against our greatest enemy, sin and death. Why do we live as if the walls were still up? Why do we live as if the enemy still has power over us? Join us as we worship a God who brings down walls and invites into freedom!

Where Wilderness Wanderings Ends

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 09 Oct 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Joshua 3:1-6,11-13,17; 4:1-7, 21-24; 5:10-15
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

We all know the stories of just how long Israel wandered in the desert. It took them forty years to get to where they were going. For many of us, finally landing into God's promised land can seem like wandering. We wander from job to job, from romance to romance, from dream to dream, from victory to failure - we are not much different. Our comforts might bare the illusion of having landed but we are a wandering culture. For Joshua and Israel though, on one night, it all ended. The wandering was over, the manna eating ceased, and God was present with them, in the land that he'd promised. Join us as we look to find God in the wanderings and mark our trail as God shows his power to "do it again."

The Song of a Sex Worker

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 02 Oct 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Joshua 2:1-24
And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

If you have a past, or have carried baggage in your life, you know what it is like to try to trust people and just get through life. It was people that hurt you and it's people that you have a hard time with. In Joshua chapter 2 there is such a story. Spies, prostitutes, treason, promises and ultimately a woman's life changed forever. Join us as we look at the faith of Rahab and see what how we can grow in the love of a God who seems to love those on the outside, those with baggage.

Crossing the Jordan

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Joshua 1:1-8
Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

If you've every been a part of a transfer of power or leadership you know just how hard it can be. When Joshua takes over for Moses all the people of God are still left in the desert. The one thing left to do is to get to the promised land. As we start the series on Joshua we can't help but notice all the connections to our own life as we have crossed over many waters and the connections to Christ as our mediator and advocate. Join us as we begin our fall series looking at the Gospel of Jesus through the book of Joshua.

Growing Up to Stand Firm Against the Schemes of the Devil

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 18 Sep 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 6:10-20
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

In our culture is pretty hard to really understand and even believe at time sin the schemes of the Devil. We don't see him, we don't understand him, and we don't know the different between our own sinful nature and the adversary's schemes. When Paul commands the Church in Ephesus to "stand firm" against the Devil, what is he really saying? Where as a church have we been too passive in our struggle against he great enemy of God? Where as God's children have we denied that our Father even has an enemy? How are we susceptible to his lies, his masquerading, his subtle hints of pragmatic compromise? What does the temptation of Christ have to teach us about how we can "stand firm" against the devil's schemes. Join us as we finish out or Ephesians series and get real honest about the Devil. Stand firm people of God.

Growing Up in Parenting

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Let's face it, parenting is hard. It is some of the hardest stuff we do in life. If you are a parent you know how difficult it is just of them to eat healthy and get their homework done. Add on top of that the pressure for them to obey and to nourish their souls as well as their bodies and you've got quite possibly the hardest thing we'll ever do in life. Join us as Paul talks to Christian children and Christian parents about how to get on in the home, how to live selflessly, and how to parent the way God parents you.

Growing Up in Submission and Sacrifice

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 5:21-33
This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The "Great Mystery" Paul is talking about is "Christ's love for the Church." There has been more pain and suffering over this little passage than probably any other text in all the Bible. How could Paul's words become so oppressive? How could wives demand love without respecting their husbands? How could husbands demand submission without living like Christ themselves? At the end of the day, we need to talk about marriage and submission. We need to talk about the church and submission. We need to talk about the radical consumers that we are producing in America and how that plays out in marriage all over the church. We need to talk about men and women. We need to talk about the Holy Spirit and Unity. We need to talk about Paul's House Church model that included spouses, children, and slaves all practicing resurrection in the same house. We need to talk about this and we need to make it uncomfortably personal. God has a plan for his church and your marriage or singleness play a huge part in his plan. Join us as Paul moves out of the theoretical glory passages of Ephesians and gets a little too close for comfort. Our homes and our workplaces.

Growing Up Because the Days are Evil

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 5:15-21
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

How are you using your time? What is your relationship to time? Where are the areas of your life where time is being sucked and you have become apathetic? How does one redeem the time lost given to harmful and hateful habits?

Paul as a passionate friend and pastor to the Ephesians pleads with them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and not to be filled with wine. He calls them to sing songs to one another and to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This is a hard text for us Western folks to hear. We love to drink wine and hate to submit. We love to isolate ourselves and hate singing. Join us as we look at Paul's message to Grow Up Because the Days are Evil!

Growing Up in Joy

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 5:1-20
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many Biblical truths in Scripture, and Paul throws us into the deep end of the theological pool this week. Do we believe what we read in Scripture? Do we examine our lives in light of the unwavering Gospel, or our own shifting, joy stealing “feelings”? Does walking in love, and being filled with the Spirit mean something, or are we as a body so jaded by Christian self-help platitudes that we have lost focus on the Hope and Joy that is ours in Christ. Join us and hear what Paul has to say about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to discern and live truth, love, peace, kindness, thanksgiving, and joy for we are Joyful Saints, and heirs of His Holy Kingdom, not a broken world.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

Growing Up in His Likeness

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 4:17-32
But that is not the way you learned Christ! Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

One man gets nothing but discord out of a piano; another gets harmony. No one claims the piano is at fault. Life is about the same. The discord is there, and the harmony is there. Study to play correctly, and it will give forth the beauty; play it falsely, and it will give forth the ugliness.
—Anonymous

The church has many parts, though imperfect, it takes each part to live the life given in such a way it brings beauty to our Creator. How can we experience a beautiful life? Surrender. Our lives consist of our daily habits, and the experts say anyone can start or stop a habit in 21 days. The beautiful life is not cultivated by simply taking 21 days to form new habits, but rather it is cultivated by seeking the Truth. As we gather this week, the citizens of Ephesus will serve as an example for us, and the words of Paul will direct us on our never-ending journey of "Growing Up In Christ".

Guest Speaker: Chris Meeks

Growing Up in Every Way

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 4:1-16
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

If love is at the center of the church it will build itself. If we are at the center of the church it will be filled with egos and divisions. As Paul expresses the many gifts that Christ has left the church he is still pounding it in our brains that we are ONE!

Guest Speaker: Dan Lemelin

Growing Up in Strength and Power

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Growing Up in Wisdom and Mystery

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 3:1-13
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

God has made the two one.
Christ has become the bridge.
The Holy Spirit has given them gifts.

The Church is given an unbelievable responsibility in this text according to Paul. That task is to not only let the world know that Christ is King but to let the rulers in the heavenly places know that Christ is King. Our love, our worship, our forgiveness is making the mystery of Christ manifest to the natural and the supernatural. How are we doing? Join us as we look at this mystery and worship Christ who is our wisdom and joy!

Love Shall Overcome

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Growing Up in Peace

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 2:11-22
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Every gender divide.
Every racial divide.
Every economic divide.
Every religious divide.
Every parental divide.
Every neighborly divide.
Every vocational divide.
Every marital divide.
Every sexual divide.
Every political divide.
Every national divide.
Every church divide.
Every psychological divide.

Every single divide has been destroyed by the peace that Christ has offered both parties through is body making reconciliation through his broken body and through the blood of the cross. And here we are bickering, fighting, name calling, throwing bombs on the other side, demanding our rights and that we are right. Paul refuses to let the miraculous go unsaid. The miracle of Jews and Gentiles breaking bread. The miracle of zealots and tax collectors washing feet. The miracle of men and women serving and submitting to one another in the new humanity. Join us as we worship the Christ who has broken down the dividing walls of hostility!

Growing Up in Grace and Good Works

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 26 Jun 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 2:1-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

There is hard work ahead for the church of Christ. We have been saved to do good works, not because of them. Join us as we explore the incomparable grace of Christ that has been poured out on us his church and as we keep looking to Jesus to form our desires and habits through worship and community.

Growing Up in Prayer

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 19 Jun 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 1:15-23
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.

We say it a lot, "I'll remember you in my prayers." At best we pray in a way that is glib and passing. At our worst, we totally forget to pray for them even if it would be a dismissive prayer just to say we are praying. When it comes to Growing Up In Christ we all have a lot to practice when it comes to prayer. Not a lot to learn, but rather a lot to practice. Paul full of thanksgiving and prayer in this section and after blessing God's great name with the 7 explosive verbs talking about what God has done for us, he now blesses the saints and reminds them that he is constantly praying for them. How we talk to God matters and if you are like me, you could use a good reminder of the nuts and bolts of prayer. Join us as we worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

**This sermon was not recorded due to technical issues**

In Christ: Ascribing Praise To God

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 1:3-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Paul can't control himself as he shoots out of the gates in this Ephesian letter. Like a trained and skilled runner, every step and every verb and every preposition is leading to a crescendo of glory being given to God for his spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ. We've been chosen, we've been appointed, we've been given an inheritance and many other gifts that are ours in Christ set aside our false selves to remind us out of the block that we are truly blessed. Not in the Joel Osteen way, but rather in a profoundly rich way that has little or nothing at all to do with monetary gain. Our blessings in Christ make us all theologians to seek out the mystery that is ours and to hope for the final reconciliation of all things as we wait for it with all joy and faith. Join us for a conversation on how gratitude and vision allow us to run the race with perseverance.

It Begins: A Congregation of Embarrassingly Ordinary People

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ephesians 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have to start at the beginning of Ephesians if we are going to hear what the Spirit has to say to Common Ground. The beginning of Ephesians however is not with chapter 1. It rather begins in the book of Acts with a brooding murderer ready to kill and destroy everyone sitting in a pew and holding a church hymnal. It begins with Saul, the Apostle who's heart was set free. Join us as we begin an amazing journey through Ephesians.

Spotlight

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 22 May 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Ezekiel 34, Mark 9:42-47
Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

Before we just say that this is a Catholic problem, we need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Protestant pastors, shepherds, leaders, and teachers are not immune to corrupt systems and abuse. Sin knows no denomination and we want to have yet another hard conversation about the kind of leadership and protection that it takes to train up a child in a church of safety and joy. Where children, men, and women are safe from the abuse of power from the top down and humble leaders are leading like Jesus. Join us as we look at the Oscar winning film Spotlight. We will use this story to talk about our own sin and the cover-ups that we allow so that we won't be exposed as frauds. We will also take a serious look at God's promise of judgement upon corrupt shepherds and why that is necessary from a loving God.

Creed

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 15 May 2016 16:00:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 9:19-27
Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

We all get into the ring when it comes to our faith journey and we think we have the stamina, the skill, and the endurance to finish the fight. Life has a way of taking us all out one way or another. When it comes to our life in Christ we are called to endurance and legacy. The story of Rocky and Creed remind all of us that the underdog is not just lucky, but rather, has trained their body's and minds for the fight. How are you doing in the ring? Has life knocked you out? Have circumstances left you bloody? Who is in the corner telling you to keep the gloves up, to keep throwing punches? Join us as we look at Paul's amazing words to the Corinthian church about how he fights for the sake of the Gospel.

Room

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 08 May 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Judges 11:1-7; 29-40
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, "If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."

There is no doubt that violence against women and children is epidemic. Not just in the city, but in the church as well. As I'm writing there is a 3 year old Spotsylvania boy who's been abducted. He'll either be dead by church on Sunday or he'll be found with severe trauma. His mom was already beat up last night. What are we doing to train our boys and girls to live like Jesus? What are we doing to combat our own anger, power, and control issues? The story of Jephthah is not a perfect parallel but it is a story of a father killing his own daughter. It is a story of violence. It is a story of a young women who doesn't get the hero's parade that she deserves. The film Room brings to light the trauma and post trauma issues that surround violence against women and children. Join us as we seek to worship Christ and find him present with all of us in our time of suffering.

Self-Deception and Romance

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 01 May 2016 16:00:00 +0000

2 Samuel 12:1-15
Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?

Our sexual bodies get us in trouble. What was created gets desecrated and what is left is either total repentance or total deception. In our final message on Self-Deception we will look at the lies we believe about love, sex, marriage, accountability and romance. Come thirsty for change and trust that God in his goodness wants to restore you even if that means complete honesty. Join us as we look at God's great romance for us in spite of our sin and how through getting honest we can be restored, made clean, whole.

Self Deception and Rationalization

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Numbers 22:1-41
But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road.

The story of Balaam is the story of rationalization. As more and more money is offered he delays, procrastinates, prays selfish prayers, and then ultimately takes the deal of self-deception. With his mouth he gives eloquent descriptions of the God of Israel and yet with his life he can't fully grasp anything but a self-seeking existence. When we hold Balaam up to ourselves the image is not very pretty. Join us as we attempt to pull the wool off of our eyes that we ourselves placed there. We can't wait to worship and celebrate Christ with you!

Self-Deception and Identity

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Socrates famously asserted that the unexamined life is not worth living. We make all sorts of deals with ourselves every day in order to stave off examination and remain happily self-deceived. Many of these "little deals" we make allow us the guilt free pleasure of sin or we simply deceive ourselves so that we don't have to face the painful reality of grief, loss, or abandonment. At face value we are great liars. Often times these lies comfort us or excuse us. However, Christ's offer of life to the full demands an examined existence fully exposed to ourselves, our God, and our world. Join us as we look at four aspects of self-deception and the Christian life that will help us to live more wholeheartedly.

Guest Speaker: Matt McCauley

Fear and Death, Be Not Proud

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 28:1-20
So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

Old things have passed away. New Creation is breaking forth into glorious songs and glorious praise. Our hearts break open with hope as fears melt into possibility. Easter Sunday morning is the day out of the Christian Calendar that we desperately need in a world of death. To be reminded that these dry bones and endless pursuits are all coming to an end when death itself dies. Join us and wait for that sound as we are led in worship to the words, "HE IS RISEN." And in that moment we will out shout as one for "HE IS RISEN INDEED!" Our fears our shame and all of our sin has been buried with him and are made a live because he lives.

*This sermon was not recorded due to technical issues*

Convictions and Beliefs, Be Not Proud!

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 21:1-7
Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

Nearly everyone in Jerusalem that day had an idea of what the Messiah, when he came, would do for them. We are not much different. We peddle our merchandise in the temple, even if that is the temple of our own bodies. We treat the sacred as it is the common. Ye through this beautiful, heart-wrenching narrative we see that Christ wants to inhabit every temple and will flip over every table until his is given the the honor due his glory. Palm Sunday is one of the most celebratory Sunday's in the Christian calendar but that is only for those with eyes and ears to see that Christ has come to throw out any and everyone who is hindering the poor to get back to God. Join us and come poor in spirit if you have to, but come. You are welcome at the table Christ has prepared for you!

Ambition and Coercion, Be Not Proud!

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Matthew 20:20-28
But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We live in a part of the country that understand the destructive abuse of power. Either on our school boards, our jobs, our homes, our politics, and even in our churches. In this world of ambition and coercion, Jesus hits his disciples with an unthinkable platform; humility. If we are to be his followers we are going to have to rethink our ladders of success. As we begin our Easter series, join us as we worship together the one who gave up his power in order for us see God!

Violence - The Non-Violent Perspective

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 5:38-48
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."

We think that it is fitting during our Taboo series and during Lent to have diverse and constructive conversation about violence. As we all know Jesus was tortured and executed at the wishes and by the hands of the angry mob. No matter what century the church has lived through there has always been a division of belief in how we are to live in a violent world. Each of these divisions argues their case from scripture. There are however, unquestionable theological implications for all of us. 1. Be peacemakers. 2. Love our enemy. 3. Act Justly. 4. Love Mercy. Bear God's image in the world. 5. Follow Christ. How each of these get lived out as disciples holds great significance. Join us as we hold up the Cross of Christ as the greatest act of violence the world has ever seen while at the same time the greatest act of love.

Speaker: Gregg Jennings

Violence - The Just War Option

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Violence - Violence at Street Level

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Gender Identity

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 17:00:00 +0000

1st John 3:1-3
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

We live and are sharing the Gospel inside a culture where gender lines are being explored and rights are being demanded. How the church responds in this hour is critical for how we engage the world as the church. How do we live in the tension between love and purity? Doesn't the Bible have a lot to say about our gender being sacred? Where is Jesus in this conversation? Are we a place where people can feel at home while cross-dressing? If we don't understand intersex, how can we understand gender dysphoria? There is a lot to comprehend, and there is a lot that psychologists and theologians just don't know. Join us as we look to the Gospel and to the standards set by Christ for holiness and belonging.

Politics

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Luke 20:19-26
21So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. 22Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24“Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?”

If anything can shut down a conversation it's politics. How does this dividing reality come to play in our Christian witness? How do we support life while also remembering the poor? If Jesus is to be all in all, reconciling the world back to himself where does he do that best? In the realm of the church or in the realm of changing society? How do we "Give to God what is God's?" The gospel has been hijacked by both parties and it's time for a healthy and hard conversation about where Christ just might be in the matter. Join us as we, from all different political opinions, gather around the table of Christ.

Divorce

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 19:1-15
And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”

One might ask, "What is so taboo about divorce? Isn't the Bible clear that God hates divorce?" We would have to be a community not living in reality to see the hurt and damage caused by divorce. Relationships are at the core of what the Gospel means and yet it is sin in our hearts that drive so many wedges between us. What are the options when it comes to divorce? Should I live forever unhappy? Should I stay with an abuser? Can I stay even after my spouse has committed adultery? Why does God care so much and it seem the church care so little about these things? What do I do with my pain and my shame? Join us as we talk about the tragedy of divorce and how Christ can heal our broken hearts.

Alcohol

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Matthew 26:29, John 2; Genesis 9; 1 Corinthians 11
"I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

All of us have a story of shame when it comes to alcohol. Either that as something we did while drinking or something that was done to us while someone else was drinking? How can Christ, in good conscience turn water to wine? I mean where does he get off knowing that some struggle with this? Is there a redemption for those who struggle? Is there sobriety for the addicted and is there a world that we can imagine where all the good gifts of God will be made new? How do we live in the tension between Eucharistic joy and alcoholic shame? Join us as we discuss the beauty and tragedy of alcohol.

The Golden Age of Hacking

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Exodus 32:1-35
And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!"

Israel's greatest sin gave way for Moses' greatest prayer. When we look at the doctrine of repentance and what it takes to get rid of the golden calves in our life we have to look at this story. The people needed a God that they could see and Aaron was more than happy to give it to them. Join us as we look at how sin distorts even our worship.

The First Marriage Hacked

adam@adamwhitley.com (Common Ground) — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 17:00:00 +0000

How do you repair a relationship with a friend, a spouse, a boss, a God? The truth is that it's down right hard. Our systems get hacked all the time and repairs need to be made. If we are honest, we have a way of indirectly hacking our own relationships by what we do, say, and where our affections lay. But what do you do when that critical relationship is with God? How do you return to square one? Join us as we look at a variety of ways of getting back to factory settings with God. This series will challenge and encourage each of us in repentance, the love of God and ultimately a change in our affections and actions.