Elm City Vineyard Church Talks

Jesus’ famous last words dealt with being known by one’s love. What does love have to do with the poor, service, and justice? A lot, it turns out. Love isn’t just motivation to do work with and among the marginalized. Love is how we will be recognized as disciples, students of Jesus. On Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing someone who has walked this out in word and deed. Rob Morris, CEO and Co-Founder of Love146, will share his story, the story of his organization which works to eliminate child trafficking, and what love has got to do with it all. You don’t want to miss this!

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Jesus cares deeply about the marginalized. During this Lenten series, we will unpack God’s care for the poor, identification with this group, and the ways God moves on their behalf and calls us to do likewise. Oftentimes, we see people talk the talk with justice — saying the right things, using the in season buzzwords — but they are not caring for actual marginalized folks. Other times, we see people serving to the point of burnout and not modeling the world they are working so hard for. They might do good works but without much good news. Jesus is completely different. He has compassion, mercy, and deep love for folks who are marginalized. Jesus sees, stops, and cares, and He calls us to do the same. Will we? Over the Covid-19 pandemic, each our service and justice ministries got shut down — prison bible studies at Whalley and York, serving at Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK), and serving with Agape Church for the Homeless. As the pandemic shifted and more things opened up, we remained quite inward. We want that to change. We are praying that God’s work amongst us would inspire a new ministry for and among the poor and marginalized. Join us!

You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Exod 23:9).

The remarkable text from Matt 25 about the sheep and the goats and the "least of these" has been with us every week so far in our series on "Loving the Poor in Word and Deed" as we've explored how we serve and encounter Jesus when we feed, clothe, house, welcome, visit, and otherwise care for the poor. This week we continue our series with a look at how God identifies with the poor as he rescues a people from slavery in Egypt and enjoins those people--his people--to liberality, generous giving motivated by their own experience of rescue by God from affliction and lack. It's the model for the church of Jesus who was "anointed to bring good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18) and instructed his followers to "give to all who ask" (Matt 5:42).

- Series Description -

Jesus cares deeply about the marginalized. During this Lenten series, we will unpack God’s care for the poor, identification with this group, and the ways God moves on their behalf and calls us to do likewise. Oftentimes, we see people talk the talk with justice — saying the right things, using the in season buzzwords — but they are not caring for actual marginalized folks. Other times, we see people serving to the point of burnout and not modeling the world they are working so hard for. They might do good works but without much good news. Jesus is completely different. He has compassion, mercy, and deep love for folks who are marginalized. Jesus sees, stops, and cares, and He calls us to do the same. Will we? Over the Covid-19 pandemic, each our service and justice ministries got shut down — prison bible studies at Whalley and York, serving at Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK), and serving with Agape Church for the Homeless. As the pandemic shifted and more things opened up, we remained quite inward. We want that to change. We are praying that God’s work amongst us would inspire a new ministry for and among the poor and marginalized. Join us!

In the famous parable of the sheep and the goats, both parties are surprised by Jesus’ connection with the poor — even the ones who have seen Jesus through their feeding, clothing, visiting, and compassionate service. Through our hearing of the story, we don’t have to be surprised anymore that we can see Jesus in the face of the poor. Instead, our compassion for the poor and marginalized can now become our worship of and encounter with Jesus. With that hope, we’ll go deeper on Sunday as we listen to stories from our community about encountering God through the marginalized. You don’t want to miss hearing these dynamic stories from other ECVers as we continue to build courage for this work together.

- Series Description -

Jesus cares deeply about the marginalized. During this Lenten series, we will unpack God’s care for the poor, identification with this group, and the ways God moves on their behalf and calls us to do likewise. Oftentimes, we see people talk the talk with justice — saying the right things, using the in season buzzwords — but they are not caring for actual marginalized folks. Other times, we see people serving to the point of burnout and not modeling the world they are working so hard for. They might do good works but without much good news. Jesus is completely different. He has compassion, mercy, and deep love for folks who are marginalized. Jesus sees, stops, and cares, and He calls us to do the same. Will we? Over the Covid-19 pandemic, each our service and justice ministries got shut down — prison bible studies at Whalley and York, serving at Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK), and serving with Agape Church for the Homeless. As the pandemic shifted and more things opened up, we remained quite inward. We want that to change. We are praying that God’s work amongst us would inspire a new ministry for and among the poor and marginalized. Join us!

Who is “the poor”? What does that phrase even mean anyway? Throughout the Bible, that phrase is used to describe people God wants to remember, serve, include, and relieve. Yet, we often forget these people. During this Lenten season, we’re remembering this group and God’s call for us to serve the marginalized amongst us. In Matthew 25, Jesus has surprising news about who they are. Hint: it involves Jesus in a big way. Could Jesus’ revelation change our lives, our church, and our city? Come and see.

- Series Description -

Jesus cares deeply about the marginalized. During this Lenten series, we will unpack God’s care for the poor, identification with this group, and the ways God moves on their behalf and calls us to do likewise. Oftentimes, we see people talk the talk with justice — saying the right things, using the in season buzzwords — but they are not caring for actual marginalized folks. Other times, we see people serving to the point of burnout and not modeling the world they are working so hard for. They might do good works but without much good news. Jesus is completely different. He has compassion, mercy, and deep love for folks who are marginalized. Jesus sees, stops, and cares, and He calls us to do the same. Will we? Over the Covid-19 pandemic, each our service and justice ministries got shut down — prison bible studies at Whalley and York, serving at Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK), and serving with Agape Church for the Homeless. As the pandemic shifted and more things opened up, we remained quite inward. We want that to change. We are praying that God’s work amongst us would inspire a new ministry for and among the poor and marginalized. Join us!

Last week, Josh shared about how Jesus died for our sin not to be a big deal. But once we understand and receive the good news of Jesus’s rescue from sin… what happens next? How are we supposed to relate to our own sinfulness as people who have been set free from sin if we can’t stop sinning? This Sunday, for the second installment of our two-part series on Sin, Tina will be sharing more about what it means to walk with Jesus as everyday sinners in a world distorted by the accuser’s voice.

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S I N

Some people say sin is missing the mark. Others say sin is like drinking poison, weakening you with every breath you take. Some say sin doesn’t exist or, if it does, it doesn’t really matter. What does Jesus make of sin? What do you?

After exploring four weeks on hospitality, we will dive into one of the most contested topics when it comes to hosting others — SIN. Jesus was constantly accused of spending time with tax collectors and sinners, unsavory types. Religious experts thought Jesus minimized God’s law. Jesus wasn’t just full words and teaching on the matter either; he touched the untouchable who were thought to carry sin’s contagion. Our Sinless Savior wants to teach us a thing or two about how to view and engage sin, others’ and our own. Are we up for being learners?

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S I N

Some people say sin is missing the mark. Others say sin is like drinking poison, weakening you with every breath you take. Some say sin doesn’t exist or, if it does, it doesn’t really matter. What does Jesus make of sin? What do you?

Our January teaching series on Hospitality has explored how we need to be hosted by God with the gifts of love, home, and family that God gives us and then give those gifts in turn to others. We conclude our series with the gift that makes all of those (and more) possible-- the gift of himself in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus, who welcomes sinners (Luke 15:2), ascends to heaven, he sends the Spirit to his followers whose growing numbers represent an ever-widening circle of those into whose hearts God's love has been poured by the Spirit (Rom 5:5), a "spirit of adoption...bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom 8:15-16). The filling of the Spirit, again and again, leads and equips the church to extend God's hospitality, bringing near all those who were "far off" to be "members of the household of God" (Eph 2:13, 19).

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A Sermon Series on God's Hospitality and Our Own

The loneliness epidemic in our country impacts our city and our church. Even with people around us and in our lives, we can ask who is our family? Once we receive family, we have a choice. Do we hoard sacred and beloved relationships? Or do we connect other people to life-giving relationships and see that family grow. When we’re warmed, we provide warmth. That’s the hope. So, what does it mean that we have a God, who is a Loving Parent —one whom Jesus calls his “Heavenly Father.” Can we feast of this relationship and then minister family to others? Jesus seems to think so! The work of family is available, growing, and we’re a part of receiving it and passing it on.

Series Description - 

A Sermon Series on God's Hospitality and Our Own

Last week, we kicked off our series, Warmed, by proclaiming and experiencing God’s love. Even though God’s love is abundant, we can act like it is as scarce as warmth in the winter. How can we show God’s warmth to others when we haven’t received it ourselves lately? We need to be hosted first by God with the gifts God gives us (love, home, family, and the Spirit). Then, we’re called to give those gifts away to the Church, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. This week, we’ll explore how God gives us the gift of home. Through God being Creator of the world and our Maker, we can find Home in peculiar ways and help others find home too. 

Series Description - 

A Sermon Series on God's Hospitality and Our Own

Have you ever been so cold that you don’t share a blanket? When you finally get some warmth in the winter, sharing it is not so easy. Sometimes, we simply need to be warmed in order to share that warmth with others. This is often true for God’s lavish love and hospitality. How can we show God’s warmth to others when we haven’t lately received it ourselves? In our first sermon series of the new year, we will talk about the gifts God gives us (love, home, family, and the Spirit) as our Great Host and how we’re called to give those away to the Church, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. Come today to hear about and experience God’s love as God’s ultimate act of hospitality.

When we think of humility, we often think about lowering ourselves and our self-worth so as to not seem prideful or arrogant. What if being humble is not about taking on a false worth but actually stepping into the fullness of who God created you to be? What does that mean in the scheme of God's bigger story that He is writing? Join us this Sunday as we look at how John the Baptist's humility helped pave the way for the coming of Jesus.

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In Advent, we remember the anticipation of many who were looking forward to the birth of Jesus. We also look forward to the second coming of Jesus. Both parts help us expand our own story— it started before us and it is connected to something beyond us.

All of us, at some point, have wrestled with belief and unbelief. When we doubt, sometimes it causes us to wonder - do our questions and uncertainty cut us off from God? Could any of God's promises still be real and trustworthy in the face of our own unbelief? How can we still cling to the bigger story of our faith when we're not sure? This Sunday, Tina will be leading us in an exploration of disbelief, faithful rescue, and kingdom perspective through the story of Zechariah’s angelic visitation and the birth of John the Baptist.
Come join us for this second chapter of our Advent series. 

Series Description - 

In Advent, we remember the anticipation of many who were looking forward to the birth of Jesus. We also look forward to the second coming of Jesus. Both parts help us expand our own story— it started before us and it is connected to something beyond us.

In Advent, we remember the anticipation of many who were looking forward to the birth of Jesus. In Advent, we also expect and look forward to the second coming of Jesus. Both parts of Advent help us expand our own story — it started well before us and it is connected to something beyond us. As we expect a bigger story than just our own, we grow in hope, we shake off doubt, we foster humility, and we learn just how central Jesus is to all of that. A few months ago, we began a journey learning about how our stories are powerful and connected to Jesus’ story. In our Empowered series, we learned how the Holy Spirit changes our lives and empowers our stories. As we close out the year, we’ll discover together just how big our story is when we tether it to the life of Jesus. This Jesus, son of God, born in a manger and coming again on a white horse. From his birth to his second coming, Jesus wants this good news to be a great joy for us and our world. Come hear more how that gives us hope this Sunday.

Last week, we learned that “can I pray for you right now” is a helpful question to encourage real-time compassion, discipleship, and service to others. This week, we’ll engage “come Holy Spirit” as a powerful prayer to call on the Spirit’s power. This is an ancient prayer that has its roots in the disciples waiting on the Spirit at Pentecost before the Spirit fills them all and leads them to new and deepened connection with God. This Sunday, Mike Turrgiano, a Vineyard pastor from NYC with four decades of experience, will teach us more about asking for God’s Spirit to come.

Series Description - 

Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy Spirit.

In the last few weeks, we proclaimed that spiritual gifts like prophecy and healing are from God and are meant to build up the Body. We also demonstrated this through some practical exercises around these gifts that have yielded some good stories. Praise God! Our Empowered series continues looking at how any number of these spiritual gifts operate in the real world by asking this simple question: Can I pray for you right now? This question is a favorite of the Vineyard, and we see its roots in how much of Jesus’ ministry results in immediate interaction where prayer is not left as a bedtime ritual or a solitary morning devotion. Instead, prayer is an overflow of compassion, love, and mercy towards other people. Especially, folks who have presented some kind of a need. What if when needs are presented in your life you always asked that person — in and outside of church, with folks who follow Jesus and others — can I pray for you right now?

- Series Description -

Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy Spirit. Whether it’s the call to do Kingdom ministry like Jesus, to lean out in spiritual gifts like healing and prophecy, or to pray for people in your everyday life, we want this series to help you feel empowered to live like Jesus everyday.

"...and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal..." (Luke 9:2)
The accounts of Jesus's public life and ministry in the gospels of the New Testament can be roughly divided between stories of Jesus's healing ministry, his teaching and dialogue with disciples, crowds, and religious leaders, and the extended narrative of his arrest and crucifixion.
The gospels make abundantly clear that Jesus spends *a lot* of time healing people and commissions his followers to do the same.
Indeed, there may not be a more straightforward example of the good news of the "kingdom of God at hand" than the rule and reign of God breaking into the present age to heal sickness and disease, and let the oppressed go free.
Join us this Sunday as Todd explores the healing ministry of Jesus and the church, and how we might partner with the Holy Spirit to see (more!) healing in our church, our city, and our world.

- Series Description -

Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy Spirit. Whether it’s the call to do Kingdom ministry like Jesus, to lean out in spiritual gifts like healing and prophecy, or to pray for people in your everyday life, we want this series to help you feel empowered to live like Jesus everyday.

After one of the most famous passages on love ever written, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians says, “follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” Huh? What do love, spiritual gifts, and prophecy have to do with one another? This Sunday, we will explore how prophecy is relevant today — not as a plot to a convoluted superhero movie, but for the building up of communities in love — inside and outside the Church.

- Series Description -

Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy Spirit. Whether it’s the call to do Kingdom ministry like Jesus, to lean out in spiritual gifts like healing and prophecy, or to pray for people in your everyday life, we want this series to help you feel empowered to live like Jesus everyday.

Last week, we looked at how Jesus invites us to Kingdom ministry alongside Him. We took a risk and sent out a few folks to pray for others on the green during service to see what God would do and got to hear testimonies of how God showed up. This week, Andy Saperstein will look at how Jesus and Elijah were able to notice and act upon the shouts and whispers of God both in season and out of season.

- Series Description -

Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy Spirit. Whether it’s the call to do Kingdom ministry like Jesus, to lean out in spiritual gifts like healing and prophecy, or to pray for people in your everyday life, we want this series to help you feel empowered to live like Jesus everyday.

Last week, we talked about Jesus’ declaration that the Kingdom of God is at hand. We even practiced as a church as we did some real time Kingdom ministry during service. This week, we’ll continue that work as we unpack how Jesus invites us to Kingdom ministry alongside him. It is Jesus’ Kingdom, but we are all invited to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit to see it change our lives, the lives of people around us, our neighborhoods, and beyond.

- Series Description -

Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy Spirit. Whether it’s the call to do Kingdom ministry like Jesus, to lean out in spiritual gifts like healing and prophecy, or to pray for people in your everyday life, we want this series to help you feel empowered to live like Jesus everyday.

What is the Kingdom of God? Is it now or not yet? As we begin our series, Empowered, we will start with an introduction of Jesus’ core message: the Kingdom of God is at hand. This Kingdom story is our story. Come and learn more.

- Series Description -

Empowered is a practical sermon series on how Jesus’ work to bring the Kingdom empowers us to live and minister in a whole new way through the Holy Spirit. Whether it’s the call to do Kingdom ministry like Jesus, to lean out in spiritual gifts like healing and prophecy, or to pray for people in your everyday life, we want this series to help you feel empowered to live like Jesus everyday.