Eternity Church PodCast Eternity Church

A Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal.Have you ever met someone and after hearing a few life stories or witnessing an amazing depth of wisdom you found yourself saying, “You should write a book!” You imagine their adventurous stories chronicled in a biography or their wit and knowledge distilled into text to be passed down to future generations.This is what I imagine Theophilus must have said when he heard the good news of Jesus. He wanted to know more, to really dig deeper into the life and ministry of this man from Galilee, and Luke was willing to oblige. Luke set down the gospel stories of Jesus from birth to death, resurrection to ascension, and I imagine Theophilus with scroll in hand on the edge of his seat!But when he got to the end and read, "Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God,” surely he must have wondered, “How did the good news get here?! How did it get to me? I’m not in Jerusalem. I didn’t hear this good news in the Temple courts. There must be more to the story! Seriously, Luke, stop holding out! How did the gospel go from Jerusalem to Rome!?”So, with a new patch of papyrus, Luke set out of to give us the rest of the story. He dovetails his second book perfectly with his first:"I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1.1b-3). And then, Luke reveals how it all began. Not with the disciples rushing from the mountain of ascension to the four corners of the world, but to return to the upper room and wait for the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1.4).Friends, take some time and read Acts 1 this week as we return to the upper room this to watch and pray, to wait and prepare. Before we get to Acts 2 on Pentecost, there is some Acts 1 work to be done in our hearts and minds.

A Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal.The Old Testament gives us two powerful images of creation and re-creation. The first is in the book of Genesis as God breathes life into humanity (Genesis 2.7). Imagine the picture the Torah paints for us of the dirt and clay of this earth being shaped and formed in the hands of God, then breathed to life and meaning and purpose by His Spirit. The same Spirit that moved over the waters filled the lung capacity of Adam and brought him to life.The second is long after the creation, long after the fall of humanity in sin, long after death has entered the world. Generations have come and gone since the time of Adam and Eve. Father to son, mother to daughter across the millennia. Dust to dust. And then, God takes the Prophet Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones and tells him to see the lifeless field around him and call to them to hear the word of the Lord (Ezekiel 37.5). In Ezekiel’s obedience, God promises to breathe His Spirit out over the creation that has wasted away, to bring about resurrection, re-creation.This makes what happens in the New Testament so profound! After the tragedy of Golgotha, where Jesus the Messiah was nailed to the cross and crucified; after His body was placed lifeless in the tomb, the disciples found themselves—much like Ezekiel—walking dazed and confused in a valley of broken dreams and breathless confusion. What had once been vibrant was now devastated. What they needed was to see Jesus, to be near Him. They needed to have their anxious and fearful hearts set to rest and feel the move of His Spirit.Friends, it’s the same thing we need today. May we find Jesus, full of life and speaking peace over our fears, as we gather this Sunday to read John 20.19-23.

Have you ever lost your keys? How about your wallet?  Mary and Joseph once lost Jesus, if that helps to make you feel any better.  But the reason why they lost Jesus was because of a cultural practice not seen much in 21st Century North America. Luke tells us the following: After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends (Luke 2:33-34). Mary and Joseph lost Jesus because they thought he was in their company. That is because back then, everyone in the community caravan looked out for everybody else. All the adults took responsibility for all the children. In this particular case, the adults dropped the ball. But thankfully, Jesus was never really lost. As he explained to his parents (as a twelve year old), he was simply about his Father’s business back at the temple, asking questions and listening to the teachers (Luke 2:45-46).  How can we cultivate an ongoing congregational life that fosters intergenerational responsibility, one where every adult is an aunt or uncle and every child is a niece or nephew in the family of God? I think it helps to move in this direction when we view the table of the Lord as a place where all generations can come together. Tables are often places that bring together young and old around a common purpose. This is more than just multiple generations in the same room. Intergenerationalism is when the generations mix and cross-pollinate in ways that enrich all parties and spur on spiritual growth. In the days leading up to the Upper Room, Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey while an intergenerational crowd shouted, “Hosanna!”  How do we know the triumphal entry crowd was a wide range of ages? Because Matthew tells us that the children kept shouting “Hosanna” all the way into the temple with Jesus (they outlasted the adults in their praises :). Their praises agitated the priests. But Jesus stuck up for the children and quoted the priests’ own Bible back to them: “have you never read, 'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’”? (Matt 21:16).  This week, I want to challenge us to celebrate the praises of the children and view them as role models of faith, prayer, and worship. Find someone from a different generation than yourself and offer to pray for them and ask them to pray for you. Have a seat at the intergenerational table of the Lord and watch what He does in your life.

An Easter Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal.So much can happen in a week, and Holy Week is no exception. The joys of Palm Sunday seem to melt like snow with each passing day. The shouts of “Hosanna!” and exuberance of the crowds fade with every passing hour.By Thursday, the masses have drifted away, the exclamations have grown still. Jesus and his disciples ascend the stairs into the upper room, and in that sacred space, Christ’s suffering begins. Picture the moment as He washes the feet of James and John, Andrew and Matthew. Then Jesus washes the feet of Judas. Christ’s love is so great, despite knowing what is to come, He still takes up his betrayer’s feet and cleans them. At the table, Jesus gives thanks for the bread and the cup—broken and poured out symbols of his sacrifice—and shares them with Simon and Thomas, with Peter and Thaddeus. Jesus offers the bread and cup to Judas.In the upper room, Jesus takes the symbols of his suffering and prepares us for the Garden. He sets our eyes on his condemnation and the cross on the hill. In the upper room, lit by candlelight, we foresee the noon skies darkened on Friday as Jesus is crowned King and crucified.How can we not weep on the Sabbath as the dawn illuminates the tomb where His body is held? How can we breathe with the hollowness in our chests, the absolute devastation of our loss. Jesus the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah is dead. There, his body wrapped quickly, his skin torn and stained with blood, we have no access. He is beyond our reach to anoint his body for burial. Our grieving is arrested, and we are soul shattered.Where are the songs and shouts of Sunday last? Where are the palms waving and voices rejoicing? Why is the silence of the early dawn as we walk to the tomb so deafening? This Sunday we have the spices prepared to honor Him and all the ways He showed us the face of God.As we come closer to the tomb, who will roll away the stone…

A Sunday morning by Youth Group Members and Pastor Brett Deal.Imagine if you heard someone was raised from the dead. What would your reaction be? Would it change the way you see the things in your life that need healing?Sure, may you have heard bits and pieces of miracles: crippled limbs restored, blind eyes opened and deaf ears healed. Over the years you’ve heard here and there about a man’s daughter raised to life at her wake, or a window’s only son who was revived at his own funeral procession (Mark 5:21-43, Luke 7.11-17)! But this resurrection is different. The girl’s body was still at home, the man not yet buried. But this, this man named Lazarus was dead and entombed for four days before Jesus went to the grave and called to him.Not only did Jesus bring Lazarus back to life, He also made an astonishing claim: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11.25)! With these words and with the living proof of Lazarus standing witness before a shocked world, word spread everywhere.As people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the annual festival recognizing the Exodus where God freed His people from bondage in Egypt, word broke out that Jesus was riding into the city on a donkey. In that simple act of humility, He signaled to all of Jerusalem He was the prophesied Messiah: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9.9).How else would you respond?! You were already exhilarated to hear about the resurrection of Lazarus, now the Messiah Himself is riding into the city! Imagine the questions burning in their hearts: Is He bringing us peace and restoration now? Will He lead us into a new exodus, out from under the control of Rome? Will He save us now?!This is why they shout “Hosanna!” The people recognized their need for salvation. “Save us!” they cry! “Save us, like you did Lazarus! Be our resurrection and life!”Friend, this prayer is not locked in time and knows no age limit. This week, Palm Sunday, we gather to see Jesus the King! And as a special act of worship, our children and youth will be leading us to meet with Him (Matthew 19.14)! 

A Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal.On Ash Wednesday we said, “Sometimes it helps to start in the middle.” Now in the blink of an eye, we find ourselves in the heart of Lent. Hours turned to days; days blurred into weeks. Where we may have started out with big plans to fast and pray, dedicating special times to step back and devote ourselves, we find time flowed through our hands like sand.In case you feel the stress and strain of the days gone too quickly by, hear those merciful words again: Sometimes it helps to start in the middle.Walking through these weeks, we’ve immersed ourselves in the songs of the Lord’s Servant found in Isaiah. We’ve rejoiced at His promised arrival. We’ve given thanks that He is the anointed One, beloved of God our Father who comes to restore us and redeem the nations. We’ve sought to draw near to Him amid His suffering, for we know He suffers for our sake. He has met us in the middle.In the center of our Lenten season, how would God our Father direct our response to Jesus as we read the words of Isaiah 61.1-3? Beloved, be rooted in Jesus’ sermon on the Mount, hearing His invitation to once again ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7.7).Friend, take a few minutes. Still your heart. Fix your eyes on Jesus and ask for His Spirit. Breathe in slowly and feel His Spirit filling you anew. Indwelled by His Spirit, seek His just presence. In our broken world there are too many injustices to address in a day. Seek His Spirit to show you the wise action He has for you today (Matthew 6.33-34). Knock, remembering that Jesus said, “I am the Door,” and believe He is leading you where He is calling you to be (John 10.9).