Seasons - Staying Rooted In The Flow of Faith // Seasons of Fruit
Sunday, July 26th, 2026

Opening Worship

I’m Building Me a Home

Verse 1:

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Refrain:

This earthly house

Is gonna soon decay

My soul’s gotta have

My Lord, somewhere to stay

Verse 2:

When you hear me praying (When you hear me praying)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Verse 3:

When I’m seeking justice (When I’m seeking justice)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Verse 4:

When I’m loving mercy (When I’m loving mercy)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Verse 5:

When I’m walking humbly (When I’m walking humbly)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Joy In Resistance

Verse 1:

What the world needs now is joy in resistance

We will fight the good fight with or without your assistance

Move out of the way if you can’t support the mission

What the world needs now is joy in resistance

Verse 2:

What the world needs now is faith in resistance…

Verse 3:

What the world needs now is love in resistance…

Verse 4:

What the world needs now is hope in resistance…

Anchor Text:

Matthew 23:23-24 (NSRV)

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

Quote:

As I understand it, Jesus is not rejecting the scriptures themselves; rather, he is rejecting a certain interpretation and application of the scriptures that excluded all others. Anytime we use our sacred writings to justify acts of exclusion, rejection, and hegemony we are neglecting justice, mercy, and love. By doing so, we deploy our holy scriptures to do more harm than good, causing us to fall into the same hypocrisy that Jesus condemned

- Indigenous theologian Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley

Focusing Texts:

Mark 13:44-49 (NSRV)

Three Parables

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Dirt Discussions:

Say your name and most memorable life lesson.
How familiar are you with the parables of the bible?
Pick one from the Three Parables above and discuss with your group WHAT you think is happening and HOW it could be insightful.

Closing Worship

Nothing I Hold Onto

Verse:

I lean not on my own understanding

My life is in the hands of the maker of heaven (2x)

I give it all to you God

Trusting that you’ll make something beautiful out of me (2x)

Repeat

Bridge:

I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open…

(There’s nothing I hold onto

There’s nothing I hold onto

Cause’ I’m holding onto You)

Benediction

God of Seasons,

May we be people who:

Humbly walk the path of faith

Seeking your goodness in every time

As we reflect and learn from your loving ways

Help us to sense your presence everywhere

And give us hearts that break with what breaks yours

Be with us now as we go forth to love others and serve you

Wherever we may be

Amen.

——

Seasons - Staying Rooted In The Flow of Faith // Seasons of Reflection
Sunday, August 23rd, 2026

Text:

Psalm 77:3-12

3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[b]
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
    the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

7 “Will the Lord reject forever?
    Will he never show his favor again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
    Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

——

Seasons - Staying Rooted In The Flow of Faith // Seasons of Doubt
Sunday, August 9th, 2026

Text:

Psalm 88

**A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.**

1 Lord, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.

3 I am overwhelmed with troubles
    and my life draws near to death.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am like one without strength.
5 I am set apart with the dead,
    like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
    who are cut off from your care.

6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
    in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me;
    you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
8 You have taken from me my closest friends
    and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
9     my eyes are dim with grief.

I call to you, Lord, every day;
    I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
    Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
    your faithfulness in Destruction?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
    or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

13 But I cry to you for help, Lord;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, Lord, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?

15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
    I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
    your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;
    they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
    darkness is my closest friend.

“Doubt is a difficult animal to master because it requires that we learn the difference between doubting God and doubting what we believe about God. The former has the potential to destroy faith; that latter has the power to enrich and refine it. The former is a vice; the latter a virtue.”

— Rachel Held Evans

——

Seasons - Staying Rooted In The Flow of Faith // Seasons of (Good) Grief
Sunday, August 2nd, 2026

Definition: Grief is the deep, natural emotional pain and readjustment that follows any significant loss, serving as the silent reflection of love and the mind's attempt to bridge the gap between what was and what is.

Text: John 11:17-44

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

——

Seasons - Staying Rooted In The Flow of Faith // Seasons of Fruit
Sunday, July 26th, 2026

Opening Worship

I’m Building Me a Home

Verse 1:

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Refrain:

This earthly house

Is gonna soon decay

My soul’s gotta have

My Lord, somewhere to stay

Verse 2:

When you hear me praying (When you hear me praying)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Verse 3:

When I’m seeking justice (When I’m seeking justice)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Verse 4:

When I’m loving mercy (When I’m loving mercy)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Verse 5:

When I’m walking humbly (When I’m walking humbly)

I’m building us a home (I’m building us a home)

Joy In Resistance

Verse 1:

What the world needs now is joy in resistance

We will fight the good fight with or without your assistance

Move out of the way if you can’t support the mission

What the world needs now is joy in resistance

Verse 2:

What the world needs now is faith in resistance…

Verse 3:

What the world needs now is love in resistance…

Verse 4:

What the world needs now is hope in resistance…

Dirt Discussions:

Say your name and favorite fruit snack.
Do you get “Hangry” often, not often, or not at all? If so, share a hangry story; if not, share your secret in being content ^_^)
What’s a false truth you were led to believe, and how did you come to find out it was false?

Text:

Matthew 21:18-22 (FNV)

A FIG TREE WITH NO FRUIT

18 The next morning, as he was returning to Village of Peace (Jerusalem), he became hungry. 19 He saw a fig tree on the side of the road and went to it, but when he came to the tree, he found only leaves.

He spoke to the tree, “You will never again grow fruit!” and the fig tree began to wither away right then and there.

20 When the ones who walked the road with him saw the tree withering, they were amazed.

“How did it dry up and wither so quickly?” they asked.

21 “I speak from my heart, if you put all your trust in the Great Spirit and do not doubt that the Knower of Hearts hears you,” he answered them, “not only will you do what was done with this fig tree, but even if you speak to this mountain and say, ‘Be lifted up and go into the great waters,’ it will happen. 22 So when you send your prayers to the Great Spirit, believe that he hears you, and whatever you ask for will be yours.”

Mark 11:12-14 (FNV)

THE FIG TREE WITHOUT FRUIT

The next day, as Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was returning to Village of Peace (Jerusalem) from House of Figs (Bethany), he became hungry. He saw a fig tree with leaves on it in the distance and went to see whether he might find some figs on it. But when he came to the tree, he found only leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

He responded by speaking to the tree, “No one will eat fruit from you ever again!” And his followers heard what he said.

Closing Worship

Nothing I Hold Onto

Verse:

I lean not on my own understanding

My life is in the hands of the maker of heaven (2x)

I give it all to you God

Trusting that you’ll make something beautiful out of me (2x)

Repeat

Bridge:

I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open…

(There’s nothing I hold onto

There’s nothing I hold onto

Cause’ I’m holding onto You)

Benediction

God of Seasons,

May we be people who:

Humbly walk the path of faith

Seeking your goodness in every time

As we reflect and learn from your loving ways

Help us to sense your presence everywhere

And give us hearts that break with what breaks yours

Be with us now as we go forth to love others and serve you

Wherever we may be

Amen.

——

Seasons - Staying Rooted In The Flow of Faith // Seasons of Wrestling
Sunday, July 19th, 2026

Text:

Genesis 32:22-32

22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle.

——

Seasons - Staying Rooted In The Flow of Faith // Seasons of Failure
Sunday, July 12th, 2026

Text:

Luke 22:54-62

Peter Disowns Jesus (NIV)

54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Luke 22:31-34

31 “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail, and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 And he said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!” 34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day until you have denied three times that you know me.”

Luke 9:23-25

23 Then he said to them all, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit them if they gain the whole world but lose or forfeit themselves?

Matthew 27:3-5

3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.