Urban Village Church

Rest is a form of liberation that should be integrated in our personal and societal lives. We also celebrate World Communion Sunday and celebrate liberation in God's community. Join us as we dive into Deuteronomy 5:12-15.

This Sunday we are continuing our sermon series on rest. We have discussed God's intentions for our rest, but how do we find rest when our lives are not in line with God's hopes for us? Let's discuss how God provides rest when we are restless. See you on Sunday! 

This week's scripture will be Exodus 33: 12-14.

Psalm 132 shares that Rest is anything that grounds us in God and keeps us focused on the divine task.

On Sunday we explored the story of the Samaritan Woman whom Jesus encounters at a well. We also considered the people God invites us to meet along our journeys, and how each encounter is a chance to grow closer to God and to grow in understanding of our neighbors.

 

Our scripture: John 4: 5-26

Allies have the liberty (and have often exercised this liberty) to come and go as they please in the work of liberation. It’s easy enough to put up signs or wear clothing stating, Black Lives Matter. But what sacrifices are we willing to make to learn about these Black lives and to ensure their true liberation? Historically, those who claimed to be freedom fighters stayed the course, even to the point of personal harm. Liberation is a dangerous endeavor. We're excited for this sermon as we dive into scripture from Esther 4: 9-17.

This week's sermon, Our Lives Matter: Reintroducing Ourselves to Ourselves, shared Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey's book Our Lives Matter. In writing the book, Dr. Lightsey had to address the fact that her understanding of herself had shifted, and she had to come to terms with who she had become. We need to take the time to reintroduce ourselves to ourselves so that we can understand who God has led us to become, and to know how this new self can answer God's call on our lives. We explored scripture from 1st Kings 19: 9b-18.

We shall continue to rejoice as we face hardships in life.

This week our sermon series on Emergent Strategy, Kin-dom Come: Love and Humility, included scripture from John 13: 1-17

Brown identifies love and humility as essential tools for transformation. These virtues can help us navigate the complexities of social change and build stronger, more resilient communities. This sermon will focus on the transformative power of love and humility. We will discuss practical ways to cultivate these virtues in our daily lives and ministry, emphasizing that true social change begins with the transformation of our own hearts.

This week's scripture is Galatians 6:1-5

 

This sermon shares that we must open up to relationships and urge to be deeper rather than just conversational. We should spend time with one another, share spiritual conversations, and grow together.

Effective strategy for social change means making tough decisions, being disciplined, and staying focused on our goals. In this sermon, we will explore how Jesus and the early church employed strategic thinking to spread the Gospel and bring about transformative change, and how we can apply these principles to our context.