January 19_Where the End Begins: Altars

·39 min·3 clips

On the last day in their building, the pastor invites everyone to hold a rock and write a word capturing their experience here.

The episode begins with a call to worship where attendees are invited to pick up a rock and write a word that summarizes their experience in the building. Jenna, the executive pastor, welcomes visitors and provides logistical updates about the transition, including a $200,000 Redeemer Fund goal, upcoming open houses, and events like a rom-com prom. Pastor Micah then takes over, reflecting on this being the last gathering in the building, referencing the song 'Closing Time' and the idea that every new beginning comes from an end. He connects the congregation's transition to the story of Jacob in Genesis 28, where Jacob builds an altar after dreaming of a staircase to heaven. The teaching delves into the meaning of altars, explaining the Hebrew word for altar as a place of slaughter or sacrifice, with the first biblical altar built by Noah. Altars are described as markers of significant events, like Jacob's recognition that 'the Lord is in this place.' The pastor discusses how altars remind us that we are not God but are invited to participate in God's life, referencing the Eastern Orthodox concept of theosis and Rublev's Trinity icon. He argues that altars are places of offering, but not out of guilt or shame because God is not angry; instead, offerings are a response to God's love seen in Jesus. Altars are also portrayed as portals where we step out of the river of life to honor what has happened. The episode concludes with an invitation to communion and to place the written rocks in an outdoor rock garden, creating a collective altar to memorialize the community's 10 years together. The benediction is sung as the doxology.

As heard by us

A rock, a dream, and a church's memories shape a gentle meditation on noticing God's presence.

This Awaken teaching begins with a rock in the hand and turns it into a quiet exercise in memory. The room is invited, children included, to hold the stone, close their eyes, and recall what they have heard, seen, smelled, and lived inside the church.

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Why you'd press play

You can hold a stone with the room in your hand, then follow Jacob from a dream to Bethel, where presence and promise become something he can mark.

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