We know how Judas’s story ends before it even begins. The first time Matthew introduces Judas in his gospel, he does it by naming him this way: “Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” But what if we slowed down long enough to see Judas as something… Read More »Grace Awaits
In Deuteronomy 5, Moses is reminding the Israelites to follow the Law and, in particular, the Ten Commandments. When Moses speaks the command to observe the Sabbath, the reason he gives for observing it is different than the reason God gave to Moses in Exodus.… Read More »Sabbath as Liberation
Why is it so hard for many of us to stop and rest? Sabbath is a good gift that God has given to His people, a gift that Jesus and His disciples embraced, and yet many of us either won’t rest or feel like we… Read More »Sabbath as Trust
This week, Dennis Allan explores the way that practicing Sabbath is a form of active resistance against dehumanizing systems and structures. We’re immersed in a culture that values productivity, efficiency, and seems to reward exhaustion, almost like it’s a badge of honor. We’re told time… Read More »Sabbath as Resistance
This week, Dennis Allan discusses the way prayer is meant to be done in community and how it’s supposed to expand outward. Jesus invites His people to come to God and ask for the things they want, to be vulnerable and honest as they express… Read More »Prayer that Bears Burdens
This week, Pastor Dennis talks through Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He asked God if there was a way to fulfill His mission without dying on the Cross. It’s here that we see Jesus practice a radical form of vulnerability and honesty… Read More »Prayer Requires Honesty
This week, Pastor Dennis begins our new series, “Being With God” by focusing on the way prayer is not about getting God to align with our agenda, but instead prayer is about building a deep, intimate, trusting relationship with God. We can make prayer into… Read More »Prayer is About Relationship
This Christmas Eve, Julia Allan leads Garden City’s kids and families through an interactive and conversational lesson about Jesus’s arrival and how, through Jesus’s birth, the work of inaugurating the Kingdom begins. Christmas isn’t just about the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah, it’s also about… Read More »Christmas Eve 2025
When the prophets envisioned God’s coming redemption, they sang of a world transformed. A world where deserts bloom, the lame leap like deer, and the ransomed return home with everlasting joy. The prophet, Isaiah, paints a picture of creation itself rejoicing at God’s restorative justice,… Read More »The Song of Justice
Micah promises that from Bethlehem, a small, forgotten, overlooked village on the edge of the Roman empire, will come a ruler whose greatness is marked not by power but by peace. When Gabriel appears to Mary, Micah’s prophecy begins to unfold: God chooses the humble,… Read More »The Promise of Peace