Christ Church Evangelical Covenant

God in the Gap - March 21, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

We started this journey thinking about how God is not a God who keeps His distance. He comes near to us when circumstances make us feel furthest from Him. And He is always seeking to shape us to be more like Him and to learn how to come alongside others when they are at their best… and their worst. So, there are times when He comes alongside on His own, and times when He comes alongside someone through us, but always He is never the God in the distance, but rather God in the Gap.

God in the Details - March 14, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Do you remember the first time you looked at something through a microscope… or a telescope? What you thought was so evident to your naked eye now became incredibly intricate and detailed. It was a whole world you would have completely passed over and thought nothing about if you hadn’t looked closer. God tells us over and over in His Word that He, too, can be found in unexpected and amazing ways in the details. So, let’s take this week to dig deeper, look closer, and together discover God in the details…

God in the Past - Mar 7, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

When we look to the past, what do we find? A God who is aloof and uninvolved? Or a God who persists at coming near at our best, at our worst, always? But that’s the past. Has He changed? Or is His consistent presence in our lives something we can always depend on in the best or even in the toughest times? Let’s find out together…

Justice in Tension - Feb 28 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

If there is an issue that has recently burst its way into the spotlight, it’s justice. And if there is an issue whose conversations are often filled with tension, it’s justice. But if there is an issue that God makes clear is close to His heart, it’s justice. And it is the tension of those conversations that can make us more like Jesus. So, let’s talk about justice …

Generosity in Tension - Feb 21, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

We’ve heard it since we were kids, “It’s nice to share.” But that doesn’t make it any easier. In our “zero sum” thinking about life, if I give anything away, I lose. And we don’t like to lose. But God says there is a different equation that frames the universe and brings good to our lives - the generosity equation. Sharing is not just nice, it is essential for life. Let’s talk about it …

Grace in Tension - Feburary 7, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Grace. When Luther considered the essentials of Christianity, he saw Grace as one of the five pillars of the faith expressed in the Protestant Reformation. The song, Amazing Grace, is one of the most well known songs of faith both inside and outside of the Church. We all love the truth that God has offered us a gift that goes beyond simply what we deserve. So, how is it even possible for Grace to bring tension into our lives?

Wisdom in Tension - January 31, 2020 - Pastor Vann Trapp

Sometimes our lives feel like we are on a tightrope, balancing between two options, two opinions, two choices, two camps. But God tells us in this verse from James that His wisdom does not waver like that. It is steady – not a tightrope. And how is that possible? Because wisdom is never a rope strung between only two points. Its stability is found in the many viewpoints, voices, options and camps that it draws on for understanding. But there is tension in that place of wisdom. These voices don’t always agree. That is the Soul Intension of those who follow Jesus.

The Splash Zone - January 24, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

When God pours into and through our lives, His presence coming through us impacts the lives around us with His power and His love. This is the Splash Zone. So, what is your splash zone? Who has God placed close enough to your own life to be influenced and transformed by the way God works in it?

Framed - January 17, 2021 - Pastor Vann Trapp

In the world of art, the most underappreciated and maligned member has to be… the frame. When does anyone ever joyfully exclaim, “I’ve been framed!” Never. And yet the frame is what helps us to focus our attention on what is essential in the picture within in. It provides a clear boundary between what is being portrayed and everything else. An essential part of our development as God’s people is letting Him frame us as well. Through His Word, His Spirit and His people, He clarifies what is important in our lives as individuals and as a community, and what needs to be let go. Have you been framed? Have we let God frame Christ Church? Let’s talk about it…

No et ceteras - January 10, 2020 - Pastor Vann Trapp

When you think about who some of the necessary people are in our community, who do you think of? Doctors and lawyers? Plumbers and electricians? Mayors and police officers? Teachers and social workers? What about when you think of who is a necessary part of God’s community, the Church? God says that when it comes to the Church, everyone He calls is an essential part. It’s like a Body. There are no extra parts. There are no et ceteras.