Catastrophe of Love --- Luke 18:9-14 A religious leader and a tax collector walk into the Temple... Jesus' parable sets up what would have been a clear protagonist and antagonist. Yet it's the former oppressor who leaves the scene as having been justified. Once again, Jesus reminds us that works for the sake of themselves are hollow and lead to the sin of pride. The heart of what you do matters when striving for righteousness. And ultimately, it's only through God's mercy that you get it. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Catastrophe of Love --- Luke 10: 25-37 Pastor Joel is our special guest speaker today and we're happy to have him back up! We take on the now-watered-down term "Samaritan" in one of Jesus' most famous parables. That cultural identifier is so synonymous with being a kind person that it's easy to forget the challenge it was to hear for a Jew. It changes the definition of what a neighbor is and the kind of divisions that defined whole identities. It requires a love for those we couldn't imagine loving. And including those whose exclusion we take for granted. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Catastrophe of Love --- Luke 9:18-36 While we're remaining in Luke, we've now begun our yearly shift into the Season of Lent. As such, we're beginning a new series. Matt walks us through our yearly cadence and where we are today. The glory of Jesus is incomplete without the destination of the cross. In today's passage. Jesus's transfiguration shows the supernatural visage of the Son of Man on Earth. But we much remember that Jesus did not remain on that mountain. Nether are we. Following Christ's path is taking up the instruments of your own death and taking a very different walk up a different mountain. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Kingdom Come --- Luke 7:36-50 Unsurprisingly, we open today with a time of prayer and mourning. The invasion of Ukraine has the entire world witnessing the power of evil and of the human spirit played out in so much violence in a short time. Prayer, we acknowledge, isn't a last resort. It's a first response. Back in Luke, Jesus dines with a Pharisee who is about to see what the Kingdom of God looks like in ways he doesn't understand. And Jesus tells another parable that turns the world on its head. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Kingdom Come --- Luke 7:18-28 Is it true? Was it all worth it? These are sentiments we'd expect to come from anyone else than Jesus's cousin John. Yet as Jesus's ministry is underway we find John in prison after dedicating his life to announcing the coming of the Savior. Even John wonders if what he is hearing could really be part of the salvation he was imagining. And Jesus answers in a loving and incredible way. Jesus welcomes your questions. And your faith can be rewarded in truly awesome ways. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Into the Wild --- Luke 5:1-11 The calling of Peter is such a rich story that is filled with so much truth about what it is to become a follower of Jesus. It shows how the same frame of reference for your everyday life can contain neither the blessing nor the risk of a life that pursues Jesus. The faith and trust Peter puts in Christ is legendary, yet so are his failures. He sunk, he doubted, and he lied. But that wasn't the end of his story and it won't be for you either. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Into the Wild -- Luke 4:14-21 Jesus preaches a sermon on Isaiah in his hometown synagogue. The passage he reads is, in essence, a foreshadowing of what his ultimate Earthly mission will be. And how does it turn a town from respect to violence in such a short time? It happened because Jesus's words demanded a major social shift, not against the Romans, but toward the poor and even the non-Jewish. It was a grace that was physical and spiritual. How human is it that a cry for equality sounds more like oppression for the priveledged? Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Into the Wild --- Luke 4:1-13 We're happy to have Alayna return to speak the message today on this snowed-in virtual service! We're covering the temptation of Jesus in the desert just before he kicks off his 3-year ministry. It's important to note that the devil doesn't tempt Christ with anything evil or inherently sinful. Food, water, easy revelation of his power for the sake of his ministry -- All these things seem, on the surface, as furthering his mission. Yet Jesus knew the will of God and what his true mission on Earth entailed. This was a temptation to stray from God's path, which is likely a much easier temptation we can face today. It may be obvious to avoid evil deeds to others as a follower of Christ, but be careful giving into the more subtle temptation to take the easy way out of carrying your own cross and following the Lord. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Into the Wild --- Luke 3:1-21 Happy New Year Love Chapel Hill! Quick apology for some of that booth audio you'll hear. It goes away. No apologies for the baby sounds, though. She sounds adorable. Her daddy must be proud. We welcome back Val Burgard as we come to beginning of Jesus's ministry in our long walk through Luke! Many of the Jewish people thought they had found a Messiah in the cousin of John. It was easy to hope when a prophet from the wilderness preached to an oppressed nation. But John always made sure to point to Jesus. We must take a similar look at what we put our own hope and time in today. Does it also lead to Christ? Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give

Advent - The Gospel of Luke --- Luke 1:39-56 As we light the candle of Joy on this third Sunday of Advent, we also welcome Dr. Clark back up for the message this week! Chris has been pondering the meaning of Joy in times such as these. It's hard to find joy amidst sorrow, confusion, and strife. But joy isn't the simple presence of happiness. Mary, who very recently began carrying the weight of the world's salvation, remembers the psalms of old and sings a new song of joy for the favor she found and the hope coming to Israel from her womb. Joy comes in the dark places where the Lord is working. Connect Card - https://lovechapelhill.com/about-us/c... All Things Sunday - https://lovechapelhill.com/sunday Give - https://lovechapelhill.com/give