Created for Connection!
Observing the widespread and severe effects of social disconnection on Americans’ health, Dr Vivek Murthy (Surgeon General of the United States) says that “loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being.” This reality reflects what our faith already teaches us: God created us for connection and community. Drawing on the experiences of the early church in scripture, let us relearn how God leads us into lives of meaningful relationship with Godself and one another.
Observing the widespread and severe effects of social disconnection on Americans’ health, Dr Vivek Murthy (Surgeon General of the United States) says that “loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being.” This reality reflects what our faith already teaches us: God created us for connection and community. Drawing on the experiences of the early church in scripture, let us relearn how God leads us into lives of meaningful relationship with Godself and one another.
Week 1:
Connection Among Christians | Ephesians 4:1-6 Our local church is a place to build meaningful relationships through the gift of our one faith
www.youtube.com/live/yWPo5FOChOA?si=Ird5JJVEiPXzJRQW
Connection Among Christians | Ephesians 4:1-6 Our local church is a place to build meaningful relationships through the gift of our one faith
www.youtube.com/live/yWPo5FOChOA?si=Ird5JJVEiPXzJRQW
Week 2:
Connection with God | John 15:1-12 Jesus was connected to the Creator and all his relationships were built on this relationship; so may all our relationships be built on our relationship with God. Staying connected to God helps us have more loving relationships with others and bear fruit.
www.youtube.com/live/Scf28l_SYlo?si=YuXeNtw6dxjZ0EPm
Connection with God | John 15:1-12 Jesus was connected to the Creator and all his relationships were built on this relationship; so may all our relationships be built on our relationship with God. Staying connected to God helps us have more loving relationships with others and bear fruit.
www.youtube.com/live/Scf28l_SYlo?si=YuXeNtw6dxjZ0EPm
Week 3:
Connection with Community | Hebrews 10:23-25 In our loneliness, we often retreat from church and community. We are called, as believers, to prioritize the time for worship and small groups, to encourage each other in the faith
www.youtube.com/live/qzeZritnzi0?si=GP4qnYjkgt_3UIIw
Connection with Community | Hebrews 10:23-25 In our loneliness, we often retreat from church and community. We are called, as believers, to prioritize the time for worship and small groups, to encourage each other in the faith
www.youtube.com/live/qzeZritnzi0?si=GP4qnYjkgt_3UIIw
Week 4:
Connection Across Barriers | Ephesians 2:11-22 Division and barriers can isolate us from one another. Christ, through faith, can break down hostilities and move us into new community and connection with one another.
www.youtube.com/live/PbTu2p7j1oQ?si=gMtInJQYhwuUNyK4
Connection Across Barriers | Ephesians 2:11-22 Division and barriers can isolate us from one another. Christ, through faith, can break down hostilities and move us into new community and connection with one another.
www.youtube.com/live/PbTu2p7j1oQ?si=gMtInJQYhwuUNyK4
Week 5:
Connection with the Larger Church (World Communion Sunday) | 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 On World Communion Sunday, Christians remember that they are part of the one body of Christ. Whether they share communion in a cathedral or the countryside, this Sunday celebrates our diversity as well as our common bonds
www.youtube.com/live/GdVPh9QFcCs?si=4x_UoeCVV9Dhr_9w
Connection with the Larger Church (World Communion Sunday) | 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 On World Communion Sunday, Christians remember that they are part of the one body of Christ. Whether they share communion in a cathedral or the countryside, this Sunday celebrates our diversity as well as our common bonds
www.youtube.com/live/GdVPh9QFcCs?si=4x_UoeCVV9Dhr_9w
ON PURPOSE
Have you ever asked this question: Why am I here? Trying to discover the purpose of our lives can lead to a lot of questions: Who am I? Do I have a “calling”? What am I supposed to do with my life? What does purposeful living look like? Often, the world is all too ready to give us answers to these questions – promising that finding the perfect job or achieving the next milestone will make us happy. But in this series, we will embrace these questions as an invitation to discover what it is that God wants to do with the story of our lives right now.
Have you ever asked this question: Why am I here? Trying to discover the purpose of our lives can lead to a lot of questions: Who am I? Do I have a “calling”? What am I supposed to do with my life? What does purposeful living look like? Often, the world is all too ready to give us answers to these questions – promising that finding the perfect job or achieving the next milestone will make us happy. But in this series, we will embrace these questions as an invitation to discover what it is that God wants to do with the story of our lives right now.
Week 1:
Why Am I Here? | John 3:1-9 Why am I here? Asking this question opens us up to God’s purpose for our lives.
www.youtube.com/live/tSRhyRVi3y4?si=4gbIqFrCm8My786p
Why Am I Here? | John 3:1-9 Why am I here? Asking this question opens us up to God’s purpose for our lives.
www.youtube.com/live/tSRhyRVi3y4?si=4gbIqFrCm8My786p
Week 2:
What is a “Purpose”? | Matthew 5:13-16 We have a lot of misconceptions about what purpose is. Finding our purpose is about discovering who God has uniquely created us to be and how our own gifts can serve others in any given moment.
https://www.youtube.com/live/JVl6IWlc1rs?si=iOzf3Fkvr7vG0iG0
What is a “Purpose”? | Matthew 5:13-16 We have a lot of misconceptions about what purpose is. Finding our purpose is about discovering who God has uniquely created us to be and how our own gifts can serve others in any given moment.
https://www.youtube.com/live/JVl6IWlc1rs?si=iOzf3Fkvr7vG0iG0
Week 3:
Who Am I? | Acts 9:1-19, John 21:15-19 We may feel like we are defined by our highs and lows, but first and foremost we are defined by God’s love of us. And God’s love promises to redeem our whole stories. It allows us to look back over our lives and see how all our experiences – good, bad, and in-between -- can shape and clarify our purpose.
https://www.youtube.com/live/hNAJ4ydjGxc?si=08ZeEG6vausnLj_M
Who Am I? | Acts 9:1-19, John 21:15-19 We may feel like we are defined by our highs and lows, but first and foremost we are defined by God’s love of us. And God’s love promises to redeem our whole stories. It allows us to look back over our lives and see how all our experiences – good, bad, and in-between -- can shape and clarify our purpose.
https://www.youtube.com/live/hNAJ4ydjGxc?si=08ZeEG6vausnLj_M
Week 4:
Purpose is Present | Matthew 14:13-21 To discover our purpose, we must not focus only on the future, but also pay attention to the present. What do we have to offer right now, and who needs it? When we offer what we have now, we find – often to our surprise – that our purpose begins to come into focus.
www.youtube.com/live/xyx2W09vMq4?si=NVE2oAm6b7K4izy2
Purpose is Present | Matthew 14:13-21 To discover our purpose, we must not focus only on the future, but also pay attention to the present. What do we have to offer right now, and who needs it? When we offer what we have now, we find – often to our surprise – that our purpose begins to come into focus.
www.youtube.com/live/xyx2W09vMq4?si=NVE2oAm6b7K4izy2
Week 5:
No Time Is Wasted | Exodus 16 or Proverbs 8:22-31 When we don’t have the answer to where we are going, we often feel like we are wandering and “wasting time.” But with God, no time is wasted. In our wandering, God offer us an opportunity to explore new possibilities through acts of creativity, wonder, and play.
https://www.youtube.com/live/Hq0cRaKEY44?si=Q4brZCoI2JJUmRyi
No Time Is Wasted | Exodus 16 or Proverbs 8:22-31 When we don’t have the answer to where we are going, we often feel like we are wandering and “wasting time.” But with God, no time is wasted. In our wandering, God offer us an opportunity to explore new possibilities through acts of creativity, wonder, and play.
https://www.youtube.com/live/Hq0cRaKEY44?si=Q4brZCoI2JJUmRyi
Week 6:
Will Purpose Make Me Happy? | Matthew 16:24-26, John 11:1-37 In a world that prioritizes “happiness,” God calls us into a more expansive vision of faith and flourishing.
https://www.youtube.com/live/iwixGBtb9Ew?si=LBTVtQ8ab8_WQhwb
Will Purpose Make Me Happy? | Matthew 16:24-26, John 11:1-37 In a world that prioritizes “happiness,” God calls us into a more expansive vision of faith and flourishing.
https://www.youtube.com/live/iwixGBtb9Ew?si=LBTVtQ8ab8_WQhwb