Christ Church Evangelical Covenant

The Invitation - June 13, 2021 - Lauren McDonough

Think about the last time you received an invitation: maybe to a wedding, a birthday party, or a dinner party. Invitations are everyday, normal parts of our lives. This week, we look at the story of Jesus and the Wedding at Cana. What happens when we invite Jesus into the everyday, normal parts of our life? How does God show up when we choose to extend an invitation to Him?

Dusty Old Scroll - June 6, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Often, old can mean “out of date,” “out of touch,” or just “irrelevant.” But God’s living Word, even though it is old, has remained vital and meaningful over several millennia. And the clearest picture of the life and power that is found in God’s Word was seen when “the Word became flesh” in the person of Jesus Christ and lived among us. Even the everyday stories from Jesus’ life are full of power, grace, compassion, all that God is. And that same life is what He desires to live out through us. No, God’s Word is not just some dusty old scroll. Let’s talk about it…

Raise the Sails - May 30 2021 - Greg Johnson

What do we do after a hard season in our lives? Where do we turn? How do we return to normal when so much has changed? The same God who is there in the midst of the storm is also there after it is over. Let’s see what it means to turn to Him. Let’s talk about it…

Something Unexpected - May 23 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

When our kids were little, we would constantly find their toys in the furthest corners under the furniture. And what is more frustrating than a toy just out of reach? “If my arms were just an inch or two longer…” But outside of reaching fallen toys, arm length is usually not a huge frustration maker.  Rather it is things like not having enough money, or power, or the right connections that keep success out of our reach. God tells us that now, for the things that are most important, He has given us His resources, His power, His connections through His Holy Spirit, to help us be successful in the life He calls us to. Being a witness of Jesus is about more than just telling others about His story. Let’s talk about it…

Out of the Ordinary - May 16, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Ever have one of those days where you feel incredibly ordinary? Some of us might say, “Like every day?” So, how is it possible that God takes the incredibly ordinary, like us, and makes it like Him? Because, He is anything but ordinary! That’s one of the true mysteries of God. But He does it with bread and wine. He does it with the waters of baptism. And He does it with us. The ordinary made extraordinary through the presence and power of His Spirit.

Out of the Fire - May 9 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Fire. It warms and it consumes; comforts and terrifies. It’s not either/or, but both/and. It is one of those dangerous things we find necessary for our lives even in our modern world of control and minimized risk. We can’t get away from the open flame of our pilot lights and intense burners in our furnaces. The Holy Spirit, too, can be both comforting and uncomfortable at the same time. When He shows up, we are calmed by the presence of God but then challenged by the changes He begins to work in us. The fire of God burns away the things that are harmful to us, but… some of those were things we treasured. So, will we let this firestorm of God light us up as witnesses of a kingdom beyond this world? Because that might cost us something.

Out of the Dust - May 2 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Left in the dust. Bite the dust. Gather dust. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Whenever we are talking about dust, unless it is the literal dust bunnies under the furniture, we are talking about insignificance, weakness, even death. And how many times do we look at our lives against the accomplishments of others, or the scale of this universe and think, “dust.” But God has made us to be of more significance than that. He has made us to go beyond the limits of our own power, our own potential, even our own mortality, through the power of His Holy Spirit. Through His presence, we too, are raised up “out of the dust” and made to be a new creation, ambassadors of His heavenly kingdom, the sons and daughters of God

Out of Thin Air - April 25 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Air. It has no real weight. We don’t think of it as a substance. You don’t fill a jar with it or bring it to the beach in the summer for when you get breathless. But air is essential. And it is powerful. When God created humans, He breathed into their lungs to give them life. When He talked to Ezekiel about reviving the army of dry bones, He said that, again, it was a matter of the Breath, the Spirit of God. And when He makes us alive with new life in Jesus, He does this, too, with His Spirit. He breathes new life into His new creation. You may not be able to see the Spirit or fill a jar with Him and take Him to the beach. But the reality is, He is even more essential than the air that we depend on for our lives. And He is even more powerful than any wind of this world. He can take what has been destroyed, decimated, even dried out in our lives and make it alive again. Let’s talk about it…

Out of the Flood - April 18, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Water is something we need. 60% of our bodies are made of it. 75% of our planet is covered in it. Human beings can survive months without food, but only days without water. So, we can’t be too far from it. But when too much water comes too close too fast, water can also be devastating. Because it’s powerful. Water can scour rocks into canyons over time. And it is relentless. God says His Holy Spirit is like water; essential, powerful, unstoppable. So, how do we make sure in our lives that we aren’t trying to stand against the relentless flow of God’s Holy Spirit? How do we align with His purpose and movement to see all that power harnessed for His good in and through our lives? Let’s talk about it… 

Out of Chaos - April 11, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Often, our lives look and feel like chaos. There appears to be no meaning, order, or purpose for what happens. And it goes deep; as deep as we care to look. And because of that we often live in the darkness of despair or the fantasy of denying that despair. But hope still shines in that darkness. Because over our chaos, God’s Spirit hovers and with a word, shapes that chaos into creation, that confusion into clarity, that emptiness into the fullness of relationship and purpose. Many of us are looking for that kind of transformation in our lives. And that is what the Spirit of God does. That is what He has done since the dawn of Creation. Let’s talk about it…