ReNew Ames Messages

ReNew Ames
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ReNew Community: Following Jesus to renew lives that renew the world. UP with God, IN with one another, OUT in service.

  1. June 14, 2026 "I Was Blind, But Now I See!"

    1d ago

    June 14, 2026 "I Was Blind, But Now I See!"

    Speaker: Bev Modlin Scripture: John 9:1-41 https://www.bible.com/events/49623691

    30 min
  2. June 7, 2026 "Leaving The Comfort Of Our Booths"

    Jun 10

    June 7, 2026 "Leaving The Comfort Of Our Booths"

    Today we're slowly walking through the calling of Matthew. Jesus saw Matthew at the tax collector's booth; we have to understand some of tax collector culture to grasp why Matthew would have had a negative reputation amongst his people. He's basically an IRS agent working in collaboration with the Roman empire to extort money from his own people. So yeah, he wasn't liked. Yet Jesus calls him anyway. What did Jesus see in him? What did Jesus recognize that he hadn't yet recognized about himself? Jesus is always doing stuff like this because apparently, this is how grace works. Grace sees something in people before it fully exists. Grace recognizes the person you can become before you can see the person you can become. So let's talk about the booth, which is more than just a piece of furniture. What does it represent? Safety. Security. Predictability. Identity. And yet, he leaves it behind. Why? Who knows? But the call of Jesus into something new was stronger than the comfort he's known in his booth. We all have booths. Some of us are sitting in them now. The booth of bitterness. Of cynicism. Of Certainty. Of other peoples' expectations of us. Of our past wounds or failures. All kinds of booths. Here's the thing about booths: they can become so familiar that they begin to feel like home. Even when they shrink our souls and keep us from becoming the person we were made to be. Jesus says, "Follow me, I've got something better in store for you." Then the story gets interesting. He's at Matthew's home eating with tax collectors and sinners. This makes the religious people nervous. Who you eat with reveals who your people are. And Jesus keeps surprising people with who he eats with. He doesn't just preach grace, he practices it. Makes it visible. So the religious people question him. In response, he says, "It isn't the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Here's what's funny. No one questions a doctor for spending time in the hospital. Jesus being with these people doesn't mean he's a failure as a rabbi, it shows his purpose. Then he says the thing about God desiring mercy, not sacrifice. He's saying that when religion gets disconnected from compassion, it loses its heart. It stops looking like and revealing God. Then he says the thing about calling not the righteous, but the sinners. What's the difference between righteous people and sinners? The sinners know they're in need of healing. The righteous KNOW they DON'T need healing, which, of course, is the thing that makes them sick. This is an invitation to move toward transformation. The righteous don't want transformation because they don't think they need it. But the sick...they notice that Matthew doesn't stay in his booth. He leaves it behind and is transformed. Then he eventually writes it down. He's transformed and helps the generations that follow find healing, too. He becomes a witness. Because that's what grace does. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13 http://bible.com/events/49620456

    32 min
  3. May 31, 2026 "What Fellowship Looks Like"

    Jun 3

    May 31, 2026 "What Fellowship Looks Like"

    It's Trinity Sunday! We're starting off with a VERY brief history lesson with an introduction to the Nicene Creed. Yes, I'm even going to quote from the creed. We're going old school. The creed clearly clears things up. Yeah, no. We all still have questions. All of these analogies seem to fall short. Maybe the Trinity is better NOT explained; maybe it's better if we experience the Trinity. Think about the blessing/benediction from Paul: Grace of Jesus. Love of God. Fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We all know what grace feels like. We all know what love feels like. We all know what fellowship feels like. Maybe that's how we talk about the Trinity, by noticing how God has already been moving among us. Grace. Love. Fellowship. I like that a lot. But it doesn't stop me from wanting to explain it, or at least think about and play around with it. So, we'll do some more of that, by borrowing from Richard Rohr and running through some thoughts here. - God is dynamic. - God is diverse. - God is communal. What are we left with? Mystery. But it's a mystery that can be experienced if we're paying attention. Grace. Love. Fellowship. And if we're really paying attention, those things are everywhere. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 https://www.bible.com/events/49617181

    31 min
  4. May 24, 2026 "The Sage And Son"

    May 27

    May 24, 2026 "The Sage And Son"

    In this second iteration of Aaron and Tony chatting about faith and living a life that reflects Jesus, folks submitted questions and they answered them, mostly off the cuff. There are still more questions that didn't get answered this time around, so be on the lookout for another Sunday like this in the near future to finish up the list, if everything works out!

    42 min
  5. May 17, 2026 "Redefining Our Idea Of Glory"

    May 20

    May 17, 2026 "Redefining Our Idea Of Glory"

    We continue on in the Farewell Discourses. This time, we finish with the prayer Jesus prays at the end of his long, difficult discussion with his disciples, before he says goodbye. We'll begin by remembering, again, the context. It's remarkable that Jesus intercedes with the Father on our behalf. I love the idea that God cares about my little life and loves me enough to talk to the Father about me. Not just about me, but about the ones I love, and all of us at ReNew, and for that matter, the entire world. What does he pray about? Glory. Normally think of winning we think about glory. Jesus subverts and redefines that idea. Glory is the work Jesus accomplished. It looks like washing feet, healing people, forgiving, welcoming those on the margins, and eventually it looks like a cross. Glory is love poured out. Jesus then connects the cross to eternal life. Eternal life is not what we normally think. It's a relationship with the divine, now. Jesus is constantly bringing us back to the present moment, the now. Then he prays that they may be one. Unity. This isn't uniformity. That's when everyone thinks the same, votes the same, and experiences God the same. Unity is hard. It takes humility, listening, learning, repentance, and grace. Jesus prays for unity right before violence erupts. Violence intends fear. And fear divides. Fear causes us to choose sides. Fear divides. But Jesus is always building newer and bigger tables inviting more and more of us to sit at them. We struggle at unity because we'd rather preserve the institution than create communities of healing. Jesus has a better idea: building a community shaped by the love of God. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: John 17:1-11 https://www.bible.com/events/49610724

    31 min
  6. May 10, 2026 "Love Is The Strategy"

    May 13

    May 10, 2026 "Love Is The Strategy"

    If you love me, you will obey my commandments. We often hear this and we think of a rule book. We think obligation. We think the worst of religion. Most of us grew up hearing these words. But what did Jesus mean? If we flip back a chapter, John tells us. "I give you a new commandment - as I have loved you, so you should love one another." It's the only commandment given by Jesus in John's story about Jesus. Love. Let's think back to what we talked about last week, with the possibilities of what that could look like in our day. Maybe here, Jesus does give us a road map, or a strategy. The strategy is love. The only way those things are possible is through love. But let's acknowledge, those things feel impossible. Yeah, Jesus sensed that, too. So he said he'd send us the Spirit. Even after Jesus leaves, he'll continue to be with them through the presence of the Spirit. The church describes the Spirit in a particular way, with particular language, and what we can apply particular meaning now, in modern times. Then Jesus says this thing about the peace he gives. Jesus gives us a different kind of peace than the world gives. It's deeper than trouble. It's a rootedness, a steadiness, a center that holds no matter what. We know people who radiate this kind of peace. They don't pretend that life isn't hard. But there's a groundedness to them. It's like they know that love is underneath all things, maybe holding all things together. Maybe that's the kind of peace Jesus is talking about. Again, yes, we live in troubled times. We don't deny that. But we face it head on, with love, through the presence and power of the Spirit. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: John 14:15-27 http://bible.com/events/49607445

    32 min
  7. May 3, 2026 "Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled"

    May 6

    May 3, 2026 "Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled"

    Do not let your hearts be troubled. Jesus has just told his followers that he's leaving and that they can't come with him. Their world is unravelling, it feels like the ground is shifting underneath their feet. Yeah, we know what that's like. Emotionally, culturally, and spiritually. Look at the state of reality right now. We're living in "troubled" times, of course our hearts are troubled. Jesus knows this. We'll notice what he doesn't offer. Not a strategy, not a 5 point plan. What does he offer? Presence. In my Father's house there are many rooms. We've often heard this as heaven talk, like there's a mansion in the sky. What if it's that and then some? What if he's not just talking future, what if he's talking a present reality? What if he's talking about belonging? Dwelling places. A home. His presence. We belong to the divine. Then Thomas says what everyone is thinking: "we don't know where you're going." In other words, "I don't get it." Which is kinda refreshing. Jesus responds with "I am the way and the truth and the life." Then Jesus says something controversial: "no one comes to the Father except through me." We hear this as exclusion. What if it's not that? What if it's about the nature of radical inclusion? Jesus is the embodiment of self-giving love, radical forgiveness, and boundary-breaking grace. Maybe "through me" means through this way of living? We don't arrive at God through domination or violence or force or control, we arrive at God through love, which is exactly who Jesus is. So let's talk about "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" before we end talking through "those who believe in Jesus will do even greater things." Maybe greater things doesn't mean more spectacular. Maybe it means more expansive? Jesus was voluntarily bound to a particular place and time. Now the invitation expands to you and me and us. Maybe greater things includes making communities of generosity, people who choose forgiveness over revenge - communities building systems around justice. We live in turbulent times, but there is a way forward. "Do not let your hearts be troubled" doesn't mean we ignore reality. No, we face reality knowing there's a deeper current underneath. We have a home in the divine. A presence that is holding us. And if we all follow Jesus, living lives of self-giving love, maybe we'll see those "greater things" and get through these turbulent times together. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: John 14:1-14

    31 min
  8. April 26, 2026 "Are We Alert To The Ordinary?"

    Apr 29

    April 26, 2026 "Are We Alert To The Ordinary?"

    Speaker: Suzanne Vogel Scripture: Matthew 8:1-17 http://bible.com/events/49600674

    26 min
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ReNew Community: Following Jesus to renew lives that renew the world. UP with God, IN with one another, OUT in service.

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  • Creator
    ReNew Ames
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    380
  • Rating
    Clean
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    ReNew Ames Messages