Recent Blog Posts

2/11/2024 The Last Man Standing In the dramatic transfiguration story, Peter's suggestion to build three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah prompts a divine response. What does this story reveal about Peter's beliefs, and how does this story challenge our...

2/4/2024 The View from 100 Isaiah 40 reminds us how great God is and how small we are. How can a 100th birthday party, a pop star comeback, and the Bible remind us of our place in the cosmos? And how can we live with the central Christian combination of wonder and...

1/28/2024 The Art of Wonder Drawing upon Psalm 111 as well as a conversation with a friend, the animated series "Bluey", and the movie "Soul", this message explores the theme of finding wonder, awe, and aliveness in the ordinary moments of life. Our services are...

1/21/2024 Our Problem with Jonah This Sunday we talked about the story of Jonah and the calling of the first disciples in the Gospel of Mark. Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube channel (https://ekklesiaraleigh.org/youtube). Join us Sundays online at...

1/14/2024 Samuel, Eli, and "Deconstruction Influencers" Whether we know it or not, our faith journeys have likely been impacted by what we've heard, read or watched from "deconstruction influencers." Join us as we explore this phenomenon through the lens of Samuel and...

1/7/2024 The Baptism of the Lord This weekend, we began the season of Epiphany. Saturday was Epiphany, and Sunday is the day we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord - a story that looks both forward and backward. Our services are streamed every Sunday on our YouTube...

12/24/2023 Beneath All that is Broken On that Bethlehem night, Jesus was born into a world hell-bent on rejecting him. In this Christmas Eve homily, we reflect on one possible answer to the question: What kept Jesus going? Our services are streamed every Sunday on our...

12/17/2023 Christmas Music and John the Baptist John the Baptist is one of the central figures of Advent. In many ways he embodies the spirit of this season of faithful waiting. In this third Sunday of Advent, we ask what Christmas music can tell us about our current...

12/10/2023 O Great and Terrible Day In 2 Peter 3, Peter instructs us to earnestly desire the coming "day of the Lord" — a day when our lives and deeds will be exposed for what they are. Why on earth would we desire such a day? Peter also gives us advice on how to...

12/03/2023 An Unexpected Starting Point This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, and we begin with a seemingly odd text for December (Mark 13). A text with cryptic statements about stars falling and keeping watch. It turns out a version of this text is our starting...