Episodes
Friday Mar 17, 2023
Lent 2023 (Part 3): Our Mouths
Friday Mar 17, 2023
Friday Mar 17, 2023
This Lent, Pastor Cana’s next focus in Psalms considers our words and how they are connected to our hearts. Psalm 51:15-17 describes David’s anguish over his sin and speaks to repent. Our mouth is not only what we do and don’t say, but also a demonstration of our heart, so we should submit both heart and mouth to God’s desires.
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Lent 2023 (Part 2): Our Ears
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
Wednesday Mar 08, 2023
This Lent, Pastor Cana’s next focus in Psalms considers the distinction between hearing (receiving information) and hearing (understanding). Psalm 40:1-6 explains what the Psalmist is going through and how God taught them to listen. God hears us and gives us ears to hear the Truth of who He is.
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Lent 2023 (Part 1): Our Flesh
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Friday Mar 03, 2023
This Lent, Pastor Cana’s focus is in Psalms to consider what it means to belong entirely to Jesus. Psalms 139:1-18 rejoices in God’s presence and tells us how we can trust that He always knows us. Whether God is everywhere you look or nowhere to be found, our bodies are proof that God is intimately aware of us, so we can trust that our whole selves are known to Him.
Saturday Feb 25, 2023
Clothed in Christ: Colossians 3:12-17
Saturday Feb 25, 2023
Saturday Feb 25, 2023
Pastor Cana takes us through Colossians 3:12-17, in which Paul writes to the church in Colossae to encourage them to reflect on their actions and instructs them how to show their devotion to Christ. We as well can demonstrate our Christian identity and loyalty every day by clothing ourselves in the virtues of Christ: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and most importantly, love.
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Doubting and Believing: John 20:19-31
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
In John 20:19-31, the disciple we know as Doubting Thomas asks for proof that the Lord his friends met was the same Jesus that was crucified. When presented with that proof, Thomas’ faith grew stronger. Pastor Cana shares with us that hesitance to believe and asking questions are a part of a healthy faith.
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Looking for God (Part 2): Esther 5:9-13
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Pastor Cana follows up with Esther in Esther 5:9-13, where Haman is enraged at the sight of Esther’s relative Mordecai. Haman’s revenge would mean the genocide of the Jewish people, but Esther’s actions lead to their salvation. God works in threatening circumstances for the good of His people. When you examine your life, to look for God.
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Looking for God (Part 1): Esther 2:5-11, 15-18
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Pastor Cana brings us to Esther 2:5-11, 15-18, where the story of Esther begins. Esther hides her Jewish beliefs to gain favor in the palace as King Ahasuerus seeks a new queen. God works in flawed people, including His own. Do you see God’s presence in hindsight when you thought you were working for yourself?
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
A Tale of Two Shepherds
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Pastor Cana muses on scripture (Jeremiah 23:1-4, Psalm 23, and Ephesians 2:12-18) describing both good and bad shepherds and leaders. Each of us has a responsibility to be shepherds for those around us, leading with support, grace, compassion, and generosity.
Friday Jan 20, 2023
God’s Rule and Reign: Psalm 2
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Friday Jan 20, 2023
The text for Pastor Cana’s sermon is Psalm 2, where the Psalmist speaks about the worldly powers who conspire against God and considers humanity’s desire for power, which is God’s to distribute. His authority and control are not threatened. We find comfort that God will not let false powers last but will reign in love forever.
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Oh Light (Holy Mystery): John 1:1-14 & 1 John 1:1-7
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
Wednesday Jan 11, 2023
In this message, Pastor Cana reflects on God’s lightness, the light that is from God, and the light we share as people. The texts from John 1:1-14 and 1 John 1:1-7 prompts us to consider what God’s light tells us and how we can be people who walk in the light, sharing light with others. When we Join God in lightness and avoid double-mindedness, we receive fellowship in the light.
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Advent 2022 (Part 5): Strangers
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
For the final sermon of Advent, Pastor Cana turns to Luke 2:8-20, where angels appear to the shepherds to announce the Savior’s birth and the shepherds become the first visitors and evangelists. Meeting a strange God means becoming a strange person sharing strange news, but we are encouraged to freely share the Good News.
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Advent 2022 (Part 4): Songs
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
For the fourth sermon of Advent, Pastor Cana turns to Luke 1:39-55, where Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, whose unborn son leaps in the presence of the unborn Son of God. Mary sings a song expressing joy, love, truth, power, glorification, and justice. Because of Jesus’ coming, we can join in Mary’s singing and believe that things will be better.
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Advent 2022 (Part 3): Serpents
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
For the third sermon of Advent, Pastor Cana turns to Luke 3:7-18, where John the Baptist calls out a crowd of listeners for hypocrisy and provides them instructions for correcting their behavior. It’s not too late for us to act righteously instead of professing our beliefs without change. We can repent and allow that repentance to change our outward actions.
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Advent 2022 (Part 2): Saviors
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
For the second sermon of Advent, Pastor Cana turns to Luke 3:1-6, where John the Baptist, son of Zachariah, received the Word of God and went out to pave the way for Jesus’ offer of salvation. It is up to us to do the same for the Savior’s Second Coming.
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Advent 2022 (Part 1): Signs
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Advent is a season of waiting, which requires us to be on alert. For the first sermon of Advent, Pastor Cana turns to Luke 21:25-36, where Jesus teaches that signs are our signal to stay ready for the Second Coming of Christ and the redemption He will bring. To catch those signs, we need to pay attention and not be distracted.
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
The Giving in Thanksgiving
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Jennifer’s son Cody Urban delivers a message to us for the holiday, focusing on what thanksgiving is. Thanksgiving is essential for prayer, as expressed in the ACTS model (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication). It is also a peace offering, a means of having fellowship with God through a communal meal. Finally, it leads to generosity when we remember that all we have been blessed with belongs to God and is not ours to keep.
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Seasons of Life: Job 38:1-13
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Pastor Cana looks to Ecclesiastes 3 and Job 38:1-7, 12-13 to convey that God cares about our concerns and isn’t threatened as we are when our life changes seasons. Because of this, we should feel confident rather than concerned when changes and challenges come our way.
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Spiritual Disciplines (Part 12): Fasting
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
For this Spiritual Discipline, Pastor Cana explains that fasting desires dependance on God and a spirit willing to live out God’s will. In Isaiah 58:6-9, God tells Israel that their insincere rituals of fasting are unacceptable and fasting must be taken to heart. There are many ways we can incorporate fasting into our daily efforts to nurture our relationship with God.
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Christians and Halloween
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Friday Nov 04, 2022
The secular holiday of Halloween is often controversial among Christians. In this message, Joanne Tramel traces the origins of the holiday and takes on the question “is it okay to celebrate?” Even a pagan holiday’s origins don’t always carry over into modern culture’s intent. Yes, Satan is real, but the Enemy is more likely to put his efforts into true evils such as hunger, drug addiction, and abuse. Only Jesus and modeling Christ-like actions can overcome Satan’s influence.
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Shiprah and Puah, Midwives to Justice: Exodus 1:15-21
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
For Pastor Cana’s message, she takes us to Exodus 1:15-21, where Pharaoh commands the midwives Shiprah and Puah to kill newborn Hebrew boys so that the slave population could be controlled. However, these midwives dared to defy and deceive him so that many lives could be saved and eventually freed. God’s deliverance is often messy, but will offer us life if we hold fast and serve confidently.
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Why Do We Worship by Singing?
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Singing is one of the most common ways to worship, so Jennifer Urban discusses the role it has in our worship, why it’s so essential, and reminds us that Satan uses lies to keep us from singing. We must keep in mind that worship is not about us, but about our Savior.
(Contains writing by Tom Olson, Joe McKeever, Vivian Bricker, James Jack, and Jonathan Mcleod)
Friday Oct 14, 2022
True Humility: 1 Corinthians 8:1-6
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Pastor Cana explains context for 1 Corinthians 8:1-6, which finds the early church arguing over the rightness of eating food sacrificed to false idols, leading Paul to tell them that being right is far less important than love. We often struggle when we don’t agree with others and feel the need to be right, but to have true humility, we must love first. Love offers a willingness to humble ourselves for the sake of another.
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Sabbath Rest: Exodus 20:8-11
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Pastor Cana refers to Exodus 20:8-11, which lays out God’s 4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. On the 7th day of Creation, God rested, blessing the Sabbath day and consecrating it for our sake. We must take time in our week to set aside our work to focus on recharging our physical, mental, and spiritual being.
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Youth and Age: Titus 2:1-8
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
Wednesday Sep 28, 2022
For this message, Pastor Cana brings up Titus 2:1-8, which builds a crossroads that acknowledges the gifts that young and old church family have to offer on another, while keeping in mind their responsibilities. It’s to our own benefit and growth to love, value, and learn from members of other age groups.
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Spiritual Disciplines (Part 11): Celebration
Friday Sep 23, 2022
Friday Sep 23, 2022
The next “Spiritual Discipline” Pastor Cana introduces us to is that of celebration. We reflect on Luke 7:31-35 and John 2 from the life and teachings of Jesus and see that knowing the invitation, location, and occasion for celebrating helps us understand the agenda and move ourselves to repeat the celebratory practice in our own lives.
Friday Sep 16, 2022
Good, Evil, and Community: Psalm 1
Friday Sep 16, 2022
Friday Sep 16, 2022
Pastor Cana introduces us to one of the Psalms of Wisdom, Psalm 1, which teaches that living a life of goodness is connected to the company one keeps. It is for this reason that we are tasked to reflect on how the people we surround ourselves with affect our thinking and behavior and seek positive influences.