Episodes
4 days ago
The Word of God: John 1:1-14
4 days ago
4 days ago
John 1:1-14 gives us a poem/song reflecting on Jesus’ significance of His coming. Pastor Cana shows us in the scripture that Jesus, not the Bible, is the Word of God. With this information, we can look at all scripture texts through the interpretive lens of the Word of God.
5 days ago
Meaning-less Life: Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
5 days ago
5 days ago
When we look into Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 with Pastor Cana, we are left with the wisdom that God’s good gifts, the simple things, help us be freed to enjoy our lives without worrying about their impact and weight. We can give our lives less weight and make them instead more meaningful.
Friday Oct 18, 2024
Revealing Revelation (Part 2): Revelation 5
Friday Oct 18, 2024
Friday Oct 18, 2024
The author of Revelations 5 shares a vision for the Seven Churches of Asia. As Pastor Cana explains, for Revelation, God’s conquering and victory are about sacrifice, not slaughter. We are urged to worship a sacrificed Lamb as sacrificed people.
Friday Oct 11, 2024
Revealing Revelation (Part 1): Revelation 2:1-11
Friday Oct 11, 2024
Friday Oct 11, 2024
The author of Revelations 2:1-11 writes to the churches of Ephesus and Smyrna. As Pastor Cana explains, Revelation’s specific context and message to specific people can offer us similar comfort t and hope. Let us appreciate the struggles the ancient and modern churches share in common.
Friday Oct 04, 2024
Truth-Telling Friends and Smooth-Tongued Enemies: Proverbs 27:5-6
Friday Oct 04, 2024
Friday Oct 04, 2024
For this sermon, Pastor Cana takes to Proverbs 27:5-6, which advises the distinction between the harsh truths from our loved ones and the sweet lies our enemies tell us. Because God calls us to be righteous, we should be friends who receive and offer truth, even when it is painful.
Friday Sep 27, 2024
Fruit of the Spirit (Part 8): Gentleness
Friday Sep 27, 2024
Friday Sep 27, 2024
The next Fruit of the Spirit in Pastor Cana’s sermon series is reflected in Proverbs 15:1, 4, and 16:24, which speaks of the consequences of righteousness and wickedness. Preparing for the fruit of gentleness in our hearts means mindfully considering our lives.
Friday Sep 20, 2024
God’s Purposes Accomplished: Isaiah 55:8-13
Friday Sep 20, 2024
Friday Sep 20, 2024
Isaiah 55:8-13 is a rebuttal to the idea of overwork and offers a balance to value rest when needed. Pastor Cana presents us with the idea that the purposes of God are God’s to bring about. We are encouraged to rest and rejoice in God’s ability to accomplish His purpose.
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Christ, Our Peacemaker: Matthew 26:47-53
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Matthew 26:47-53 describes Jesus Christ’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and His response. Pastor Cana makes the case that Christ is firstly a peacemaker, living in a non-violent way and mindset, and it should shape our language and actions. We are encouraged to resist the violent language and conquering outlook of the world and choose to follow Christ the Peacemaker.
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
The Narrow Gate: Matthew 7:13-14
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
Matthew 7:13-14 describes the narrow gate and hard road to eternal life. Pastor Cana explains that the gate to God is narrow not to test us, but because living like Jesus is a challenging road. Our place is on the way because we have chosen it, living with compassion in a hardened world.
Friday Aug 30, 2024
Fruit of the Spirit (Part 7): Faithfulness
Friday Aug 30, 2024
Friday Aug 30, 2024
Returning to the Fruit of the Spirit, Pastor Cana opens to Genesis 15:6-18, where God makes a promise to Abram/Abraham that his descendants will suffer, but ultimately be rewarded. The fruit of faithfulness in Abraham is only possible because of God’s faithfulness. In us, God’s faithfulness will form our faithfulness during the long life of faith.
Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
The House of God: Psalm 84
Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
Pastor Cana opens to Psalm 84, which comes from the family of Korah, who well understand of the house and place of God. They knew that to be in the presence of God was better than being anywhere else. Our joy comes from the fact that God’s presence provides us a best place to be.
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Christians Who Changed the World: Harriet Tubman
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
In tradition to highlight Christians of history, Joanne Tramel speaks of abolitionist Harriet Tubman (born in slavery as Araminta Ross in 1822). A traumatic brain injury sustained in her youth brought her visions from God. After escaping slavery, she was encouraged by God to help others find freedom through the Underground Railroad, then during the Civil War in the Union army. In every accomplishment, she gave God the credit, which we can apply to our own lives.
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
Transfiguration Sunday: 2 Peter 1:12-19
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
For Transfiguration Sunday, Pastor Cana opens to 2 Peter 1:12-19, which lays out the important final thoughts from the wise apostle Peter to those in need of guidance. Christ’s confirmed glory in His transfiguration is a light for us in a dark place that we can rely on as a centering point of our lives.
Thursday Aug 01, 2024
Prayer (Part 6): Abandoned
Thursday Aug 01, 2024
Thursday Aug 01, 2024
Pastor Cana concludes the summer sermon series on prayer with Jeremiah 32:16-25, in which the prophet Jeremiah prays after he and his people abandoned God and faced the consequences of their choice. Yet, God provided a promise. We, like Jeremiah, can pray in hope that even when we don’t keep faithful to God, we can rejoice that God’s faithfulness is greater than human abandonment.
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Prayer (Part 5): Rescue
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
The next prayer of Pastor Cana’s focus comes from 2 Chronicles 20:5-12, where Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, while struggling to defend the nation against Moab, turns to God for rescue as their only hope. When we do not know what to do, Jehoshaphat’s prayer teaches us to look to God and trust Him when we are in impossible situations.
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
Fruit of the Spirit (Part 6): Goodness
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
Picking up in the Fruit of the Spirit series, Pastor Cana opens to Romans 12:9-21, where the author pushes the Christians of Rome to be servants to one another, to serve in their giftedness and not seek to be someone else, and reminding them that God’s will can be revealed in their work together for God’s kingdom. God gives us community in which the Spirit can grow the fruit of goodness.
Thursday Jul 11, 2024
Prayer (Part 4): Formal
Thursday Jul 11, 2024
Thursday Jul 11, 2024
For the fourth prayer in the sermon series, Pastor Cana goes to 1 Kings 8:22-30, where King Solomon prays publicly on behalf of Israel. Praying to God in a formal way as a community can draw us to a single focus and give us a chance to declare what we believe together.
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Prayer (Part 3): Informal
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
For the third prayer in the sermon series, Pastor Cana goes to Exodus 3:11-14 and 4:10-15, which gives us the example of Moses speaking to God with honesty as he is given the task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Because God knows our hearts and minds, He hears our casual prayers just as well as any other prayer. We know that praying honestly can mean praying in our own voice and in genuine reflection of our hearts.
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Tabitha/Dorcas (The Impact of One Life): Acts 9:36-42
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
A break from sermon series, Pastor Cana brings us to Acts 9:36-42, where Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek), is resurrected by God’s will that her community may learn from her life and imitate her as she imitates Christ. God can give our work and lives impact, even in small and quiet action. We are encouraged to live our one life for God’s impact.
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Prayer (Part 2): Defeat
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
The next prayer in the summer sermon series, Pastor Cana brings us to Joshua 7:6-13, where Joshua, Moses’ successor, leads the Israelites against their enemies, but the broken covenant results in their defeat. Joshua prays in anguish. God responds when we speak to Him honestly, even after defeat and we can take inspiration that God is with us whether we win or lose.
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Prayer (Part 1): Deliverance
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Kicking off the summer sermon series on prayer, Pastor Cana opens to 2 Kings 19:14-19, where King Hezekiah of Judah prays for deliverance as Assyria brings threat of conquest, swords VS. Judah’s faith in God. God can deliver His People and we can pray to ask Him for it.
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Fruit of the Spirit (Part 5): Kindness
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Pastor Cana uses 1 Peter 3:8-14 to introduce the 5th Fruit of the Spirit, kindness. God’s Spirit grows kindness in our hearts as a response to the love we have been given by God. We are asked to choose kindness over niceness (there is a difference!) and to prepare for the Spirit to grow kindness in us through true awareness of self and others.
Wednesday May 29, 2024
But I Say to You…: Matthew 5:17-23
Wednesday May 29, 2024
Wednesday May 29, 2024
Jennie Straight uses Matthew 5:17-23 to discuss the fulfillment of the law and anger. Jesus came to fulfill the law of God, which is not the same as the laws of the pharisees. For instance, God’s law of “do not murder” not only prohibits killing, but also consuming, unrighteous anger. Our anger should be from injustice to others or dishonoring God. Are we twisting God’s law for our desires? We are challenged to consider our reasons for our anger.
Friday May 24, 2024
Pentecost 2024: John 16:4-15
Friday May 24, 2024
Friday May 24, 2024
This Pentecost, Pastor Cana reads from John 16:4-15, which shows Jesus telling His disciples of greater things when the Holy Spirit comes to them. Because of Jesus’ departure, the Holy Spirit is present to teach and guide us in the way of truth.
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Giving Generously: Deuteronomy 15:7-11
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 gives instructions to pre-nation Israel for how to be God’s people, specifically, giving to those in need and cancelling debt in the Sabbath (seventh) year. Pastor Cana explains that the chain of generosity begins with God and it is our responsibility to continue the chain and help the poor willingly and without judgement, whether with our money, resources, time, skills, or emotional support.
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Fruit of the Spirit (Part 4): Patience
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Wednesday May 08, 2024
The fourth Fruit of the Spirit Pastor Cana is focusing on brings us to James 5:7-11, where James writes to Christians struggling with social exile to assure them that their endurance and patience will pay off when the Lord comes again. God’s compassion guarantees if we are patient, there will be blessing.