Sunday November 26, 2023- Serving King Jesus like it is Second Nature

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Chelsey Harmon preaches from Matthew 25.31-46.

This week we’re brought to the event that’s been hinted at in Jesus’s stories over the last couple of weeks: Judgement Day. We’ll interpret the sorting of the sheep and goats through the lens of those previous stories: what will it look like when we have waited for Jesus and lived like people who truly know God, and what will it look like if we have not?

At the end of the service, we’ll talk together about the kind of witness we want to be: what do we want to be communicating about God’s character to one another and our community? What might that mean we will do together in ministry? What causes God to say to the Bridge, “As you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me”?

Sunday November 19, 2023- Truly Knowing God: The Parable of the Bags of Gold in Matthew 25.14-30

Join us this Sunday at 10am for our worship service.

Pastor Chelsey Harmon will be preaching from Matthew 25.14-30. Last week Jesus told us how important it is for us to be responsible for ourselves when it comes to faith. In the very next story he tells, Jesus speaks more about the consequences of not knowing who God truly is. It’s a timely reminder for us as we celebrate three baptisms! What are we teaching our children– and reminding one another– to know about God? This reflection from A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) will help us make sense of the parable:

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us… We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that compose the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea about God…”

-in The Knowledge of the Holy

Sunday November 12, 2023- The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

Join us for worship this Sunday at 10am. Pastor Chelsey Harmon will be preaching a sermon titled “The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids” and reading scripture from Matthew 25.1-13.

The next few weeks of sermons will focus on some of Jesus’s stories about how his future return impacts (or ought to impact) how we live our lives here and now.

This Sunday, we start with the story about the wise and foolish bridesmaids; some were prepared to wait for the groom, others were careless. When the big moment came, those who were not prepared expected to be able to take the work of others for themselves. Not only did they miss the groom’s arrival, Jesus says, they also suffer from a much deeper carelessness: it’s as though they never really knew him. 

We are here to help one another in the life of faith, but each of us is responsible for our own faith. Jesus tells us this particular story about what his return will be like so that we get the message: we’re in this together, but saying “yes to Jesus” or proclaiming that “Jesus is Lord” does not mean much if we aren’t taking personal responsibility for preparing (and actually) welcoming God into our living.

Sunday November 3, 2023- The Kind of Discipling Community Jesus Desires

Join us for worship this Sunday at 10am. Pastor Chelsey Harmon will be preaching from Matthew 23.1-12 and her sermon is titled “The Kind of Discipling Community Jesus Desires.”

If we pay attention to Jesus’s descriptions this week, we’ll hear a picture of two contrasting kinds of discipleship communities. We’ll explore the differences and then wonder together about the kind of community the Bridge is currently fostering and where we might need to focus. You’ll be asked to share your answers to these two questions:

• How do you see discipleship being encouraged, supported, and practiced at the Bridge?

• What sort of support do you and/or your family need from the church community as a disciple of Jesus? (learning and equipping, opportunities to serve, accountability, etc.)

Sunday October 29, 2023- The Greatest Commandment

Join is this Sunday at 10am as we welcome back Pastor Dena Nicolai.

This week, Dena will continue following the lectionary, preaching from Matthew 22:34 - 46 in which Jesus reminds the Pharisees, and Matthew reminds his readers, of the Greatest Commandment: love. Jesus knows that this calling to love can be difficult, but his response to the Pharisees is meant to be an invitation into active work and transformation in-and-through the Son of God, not a snarky challenge or a legalistic law. This invitation remains for us today, especially as we consider what loving God and loving our neighbor might look like amidst some of the brokenness and despair around us. 

Sunday October 20, 2023

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Anneke Beimers leads us in worship and Sophie Naegtegaal reads a sermon.

Sunday October 15, 2023- God’s Invitation to the Kingdom Party Includes the Dress Code

Join us for worship this Sunday at 10am.

Pastor Chelsey Harmon will be preaching from Matthew 22.1-14. God’s invitation to the Kingdom party includes the dress code. That’s because when God invites us, God is actually calling us. In the biblical sense, to call or name someone is to identify them by an attribute or purpose; so embedded in God’s invitation is a calling to our God-given purpose– our dress code in the Kingdom. Jesus says that many are gathered– “the bad as well as the good”– so how will we respond to the invitation knowing that God expects our participation? 

Sunday October 8, 2023- Parable of the Wicked Tenants: Not Taking God’s Goodness for Granted

Join us for worship this Sunday at 10am!

Pastor Chelsey Harmon will be preaching from Matthew 21.33-46 and her sermon is titled “Parable of the Wicked Tenants: Not Taking God’s Goodness for Granted.” Jesus tells a story about a very good landowner and his very bad tenants to illustrate God’s promise of upheaval as a new foundation is laid for the Kingdom of God. Like last week, this story is directed at the temple leaders– and yet, it invites us to reflect on what we’re growing with the good God has given us, and to marvel at Christ’s commitment to humility, mercy, and justice. 

Sunday October 1, 2023- “Authority” and the Parable of the Two Sons

Join us for worship this Sunday at 10am!.

Pastor Chelsey Harmon will be preaching from Matthew 21. 23-32. Jesus cleared the temple of all the sellers and buyers, making room for the people in need of healing to come to him there. The next day, he came back to teach but was interrupted by the temple leaders who wanted to know who Jesus thought he was–why did he think he could change things without their permission? On Sunday, we’ll see how Jesus responds to their demand for an answer and how his story about obedience is both a word of grace and a wise hint about true authority.

Sunday September 24, 2023- The Parable of the Vineyard

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Pastor Chelsey Harmon joins us for her first Sunday in her new role as part time pastor at Bridge Community Church. Pastor Chelsey will be preaching from Matthew 20:1-16 and her sermon is titled “The Parable of the Vineyard.” Generosity evokes a lot of different reactions, from gratitude to embarrassment to even envy or trying to reason out who deserves what. Coming to terms with God's generosity may be the biggest challenge we face because God's generosity is the heartbeat of God's grace. This Sunday we'll listen to Jesus tell us to stop wondering about what's "fair" or "right" and try to celebrate what's good.

Sunday September 17, 2023

Join us this Sunday as we welcome back Pastor Josh Chamberlain from Langley Immanuel CRC.

Sunday September 10, 2023- Kingdom Calling

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we welcome Pastor Justin Roukema to the Bridge Community Church. Pastor Justin will be preaching a sermon titled “Kingdom Calling.” Before Jesus ascends into heaven, the disciples ask Jesus “Will you at this time restore the Kingdom?” Their deepest longing is for him to make everything right again. Jesus answers by calling them to be his witnesses. What is your deepest longing? Bring it to King Jesus and receive his calling to be his witness. The Holy Spirit will give you power to be part of what God is doing to restore His kingdom while we await the King.

Sunday September 3, 2023- The Calling of Moses at the Burning Bush

Join us this Sunday at 10am as Sophie Nagtegaal reads from Exodus 3:1-15 about the calling of Moses at the burning bush.

Sunday August 27, 2023- Learning To Pray From Jesus

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we welcome back Pastor Chelsey Harmon. Pastor Chelsey will be preaching from Luke 11.1-13 and her sermon is titled "Learning to Pray from Jesus." Jesus gives us insight into how he spends time with the Father by teaching us to pray and sharing a story that reveals God's goodness. The original disciples were inspired by Jesus's prayer life; might it be good for us too?

Sunday August 20, 2023- What is the One Thing?

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we welcome back Pastor Chelsey Harmon. Pastor Chelsey will be preaching from Luke 10.38-42. We can relate to both Mary and Martha, but Martha's distractedness and busyness is probably more like what most of our lives are like. Juggling family schedules, work tasks, personal needs is a lot! And yet, Jesus says we truly have need of only one thing to make the rest of life make sense. What does sitting at the feet of Jesus look like for busy people like us?

Sunday, August 13th- There Will Be a Delay

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we’re excited to welcome back Pastor Len Batterink. Pastor Len will be preaching from 2 Peter 3:1-10 (esp. v. 9) and his sermon is titled “There Will Be a Delay.” Jesus' return is taking longer than expected. But that doesn't mean it won't happen. God's time is not like our time. So we should always be ready to meet the risen Christ.

Sunday August 6, 2023- Long Weekend Service

Join us this Sunday at 10am for worship and a short sermon reading by Sophie Nagtegaal.

Sunday July 30, 2023

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we welcome back Pastor Josh Chamberlain from Langley Immanuel CRC.

Sunday July 23, 2023- Jesus and the Foreign Woman

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we welcome back Pastor Len Batterink. Pastor Len will be preaching from Matthew 15:21-28 and his sermon is titled “Jesus and the Foreign Woman.” The healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter shows that the love and healing power of Jesus is for everyone regardless of ethnicity, gender or social standing.

Sunday July 16, 2023- The Wind, the Waves, and Jesus

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we welcome back Pastor Len Batterink. Pastor Len will be preaching from Matthew 14:22-33 and his sermon is titled “The Wind, the Waves, and Jesus.” Peter walking on the water is a lesson in faith--that faith stays strong when we focus on Jesus and his power to help and to save.