What Comes After

In 1937, while leading a seminary declared illegal by the Nazis, the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote one of his most famous books: The Cost of Discipleship. In the book, […]

We look at the ending of the story, focusing on some of the comic elements, and talk about how the story of Gideon is trying to teach us that friendship with God […]

Bishop Tim Wolfe teaches from the story of Gideon to encourage us that God can use us to change the world for the better. He highlights the verse that talks […]

When it seems like everything is on fire and God has abandoned the world, Gideon’s story reminds us that we are not alone. God is with us, inviting us to […]

We open a three-part sermon series on friendship with God using the story of Gideon in Judges 6–7. Who does God say you are? What does it mean to build […]

We use the story of Ruth as scaffolding for talking about care and concern for immigrants. Our message also includes a presentation by Amanda Schwartz, a staff attorney at the […]

The Christmas season ends on January 6th with the celebration of Epiphany. On this day we remember the story of Herod, an insecure king, who was visited by magi from […]

The night Jesus was born, some shepherds were playing a role that would have been familiar to anyone shaped by the Hebrew Scriptures—the role of the watchmen. We talk about […]

From Board Member Lisa Ruby: Pivoting away from quiet anticipation to rejoicing and elation as we light the candle of joy. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can […]

In the second week of Advent, as we continue our series on the legacy of the watchmen, we are invited to consider the story of Ezekiel the Prophet. Ezekiel was […]

It’s the first week of Advent, the season when we wait in the darkness with hope that God’s presence will break through. We talk about how the watchmen of Scripture provide a […]

Using a story from the Gospel of Luke, we offer a few thoughts on gratitude this Thanksgiving week. Learn more about Blue Ocean Church at a2blue.org. You can find recordings of past […]

Today we reach the edge of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus brings everything to a choice. There are different ways to live. Which story will we trust? Which foundation […]

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us not to judge one another and not to get caught up worrying about other people’s issues when we have plenty of […]

We continue in our series on the Sermon on the Mount and then have a little chat about the church in lieu of our normal membership series. Learn more about […]

This week we take a closer look at The Lord’s Prayer to help us better understand this prayer we say together each week and how it shapes our hearts. Learn […]

The part of the SOTM we’re talking about today is about rivalry-reducing practices. These are spiritual practices that can help shape us to have the kind of character that helps us […]

This week we continue our Sermon on the Mount series by considering two of Jesus’ most challenging teachings: nonviolence and enemy-love. We explore the logic behind these teachings and consider […]

We look at how Jesus diagnoses the things that most often trip humans up and keep us from being our best selves, and the practical advice he gives to help […]

What does it mean for salt to “lose its taste”? We talk about the part of the Sermon on the Mount that encourages us to keep our “flavor,” be light, […]