We continue in our series on Colossians, today looking at one of the denser sections of the entire New Testament, especially with regard to Christology. Who truly is the Person of Christ? And is He as lofty in our minds, or, more importantly for many of us, is He as lofty in our hearts and souls as the Scriptures make Him out to be? If not (which, He isn't!), how do we exalt Him more? Rather than preaching, we're doing some practice of exalting Christ.

Join us as we jump into the first group of topics Paul hits on in Colossians: the importance of gratitude and prayer. The Colossians had several things going on in their church that Paul could have easily corrected and addressed. Instead, Paul blesses them, encourages them, calls out the good that God is doing in them, and prays for them. All of this gratitude and prayer is centered around Christ. There are ample lessons for us in this model, mainly, are we drawn towards gratitude and prayer, first, before correction and change? What if focusing on Christ fuels gratitude and prayer, and what if this completely changes how we operate in this Christian life? Beginning here usually bring a much more beautiful and joy-filled end. How do we add these elements into our discipleship journey as well, and how do we keep it Christ-centered, as Paul did?

Join us this week as we begin a series walking through the book of Colossians, learning how Christ forms his church and uses his people to build his kingdom.

Join us as we celebrate Easter and finish our series on Lament. What does the story of Jesus' resurrection have to do with our current trials and suffering? Everything! If the resurrection is true, it completely changes the way that we suffer today. It completely redefines it. And it will change even more what is true about our suffering in the future. It will not only cease to exist, but every single sorrow will be redeemed. Join us as we celebrate this Good News reality together!

We conclude the last rhythm in our lament series, "trust." Trust is not passive, but active, as we look back and remember God's faithfulness, and look ahead to see God's promises. It isn't just vague optimism or shallow hope, but a secure anchor to aid us when we're going through seasons of hardship. It is the goal of lament. To get here is hard, but to get here breeds more joy, more love, more life, and so we must learn to be a people who fight for it.