Christ Church Evangelical Covenant

Shaloming: The Re-Make of Vocation

What does it mean to "require" wholeness for the city you live in today? Who is responsible for this wholeness? What is wholeness in the first place? As we continue on with our Rooted series, this Sunday, we will be focused on your part of the story. God is doing a Re-Make on an old theme... with each and every follower of Jesus. Same story... different medium, look, and feel but this "re-make" has to do with each of us in unique and exciting ways.

A Meaningful Life (Pastor Vann Trapp)

I think we would all agree that Jesus lived a meaningful life. It was meaningful to history, to eternity, and to each one of us. That is a life of purpose! So, how can we live a life like that? Pursuing greatness? Fame? Wealth? God says it comes through a life of service to others. But what exactly does that mean?

The Source of Our Struggles (Pastor Vann Trapp)

Blame. From the beginning of human history, we have looked for others to take the fall for our failures. And to be honest, there usually are other powers at play in the lapses of our lives. Sure, we believe some lie and act irresponsibly because of it, but what about the one who told that lie? And sure, we treated another person terribly, but what about the one who convinced us that they didn’t deserve to be treated well? There will always be liars and bad actors in our lives all the way up to Satan himself. But even if they never change, God wants to change us and change the world through us. So He says, take off the old; put on the new.

Trusting God (Pastor Vann Trapp)

God is speaking all around us. Through Creation. Through history. Through other people and our interactions with them. And of course, through His revelation to us in the Bible, through the voice of His Spirit in us, and through His Son, Jesus. But do we hear what He is saying? Are we listening? Do we know what we are listening for? How can we hear more clearly what God is saying?

Hearing from God (Pastor Vann Trapp)

God is speaking all around us. Through Creation. Through history. Through other people and our interactions with them. And of course, through His revelation to us in the Bible, through the voice of His Spirit in us, and through His Son, Jesus. But do we hear what He is saying? Are we listening? Do we know what we are listening for? How can we hear more clearly what God is saying?

Who Is God? (Pastor Vann Trapp)

Who is God? We have a lot of theories. Maybe as many ideas as there are people on the earth. Over the centuries, some ideas have taken root in our thinking through religion and philosophy. But who is right? Some say He is kind. Others say He is cruel. Some say He can be found in everything around us. Others say He is a figment of our imagination. But does God have anything to say about who He is? Has He spoken? Who does He say He is?

New Roots, New Life (Pastor Vann Trapp)

Strong trees require good roots and good soil. For us, Jesus is the soil we draw life from and the roots are those thoughts, habits, and actions that tie us into Him. So, how strong are our roots? Are our strongest life roots tying us to Jesus, or do we have roots going off in every direction drawing from less nourishing sources in this world? And how can we develop stronger roots to Jesus alone for a purposeful and meaningful life?

Called Together (Pastor Vann Trapp)

Unity. What does it take? People have been trying throughout all of human history to unify under all kinds of banners, causes, agreements, charters. But what does it take to be united as the community of God’s people? It’s about words, presence, and work. What does that mean? Come and see.

Called to Be It (Pastor Vann Trapp)

Who are those people God has connected you with? Sent you to? Prepared you for? Because all of us have two types of people God has said that we should be looking for in our lives: those for whom He has prepared us to pour into their lives so that they will know more about Jesus, and those who He has prepared to pour into ours so that we will. That’s discipleship. And we are all called to be in on it. That’s how God’s people grow up and grow together. So, who are your people?

Called to See It (Pastor Vann Trapp)

What does it mean to see like Jesus? Not just look like Jesus in the way we live our lives, but see what Jesus sees when we look at our world. When Jesus saw a crowd of stressed out people gathered; He didn’t see a nuisance; He didn’t see a waste of His time. He saw it instead as a boon for God’s kingdom. So, is that what we see? And do we respond the way He instructed us to?