On this first Sunday of 2018, we begin a new sermon series based on Micah 6:8: He has shown you, o mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. But what does it mean to ‘act justly’? And […]
What does the Lord require of you? It’s an intentionally provocative question the prophet Micah asked the people of Israel; a question many of the Israelites would have been confident answering. But then Micah throws a curve ball. The answer, it seems, makes perfect sense, and yet is completely unexpected. What does the Lord require […]
On this last Sunday of 2017, we revisited the word sankofa. We took some time to look back so that we can move forward, remembering God’s loyal love. If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to read Psalm 107 to be reminded of God’s loyal love, both to the Israelites so many years ago […]
Listen here for the brief Christmas Eve sermon, concluding our “God With Us” series.
Christmas Eve is one of our most anticipated gatherings and we’d love for you and your loved ones to join us. The Branch is a place where everyone is welcome. Our time together on the 24th will include the singing of carols, a performance by our choir (and drum circle!), a dramatic reading of Christ’s […]
We continue our Advent series this week with Joseph’s story. What was it like to be in Joseph’s shoes? What do we learn about God and about ourselves through this story. We invite you to explore these questions and more while listening to this podcast. There are times of silence in the podcast to allow […]
This week, Brian Workman led us in the practice of Lectio Divina. Our BranchStudents group helped lead this practice by explaining how it works and reading the story for us. We invite you to spend some time with this story (Luke 1:26-56) and listen to what God might be telling you through it. Where does […]
God is with those who are heartbroken, feeling lost, those who are wondering if hope has run out. This week’s sermon was more interactive than normal, so instead of listening to the noise of our individual conversations, we invite you to have your own conversations or reflections, using the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Read […]
God with us. This is the promise of Advent. That Christ has come to be with us; to walk our earth, know our pain and guide us home. And, this same Christ is coming again to finally and fully be with us. God with us. Could there be anything more significant or shocking? God? Coming […]
As we end our series, we look into the verse that ends the story of the prodigal sons. In verse 31, the Father says “You are always with me and everything I have is yours.”
As we start to wrap up this series, it’s our hope that many of you have been able to take a step towards home. The journey doesn’t end here, though. It’s a lifelong journey, not an overnight one. Listen here.
This week, we move from the lies of the False Self (we must earn our identity) to discovering our True Self (we can receive our identity). “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” Luke 15:31
What mask are you wearing? This week, we dig into the hard work of uncovering the parts of ourselves that we like to keep hidden. Often, we don’t even know those parts exist. But our loving God wants more for us than the identity for which we are willing to settle.
We continue looking at the story of the prodigal sons (Luke 15) and see how much God loves us and invites us in.
“God is at home. It is we who have gone out for a walk.” Meister Eckhart The story of the prodigal son(s) in Luke 15 points us to what is true: we easily wander from home. And, when we turn back for home, God runs toward us to welcome every single part of who we […]
Janelle DeBlaay explores what it means to be truly hospitable. Listen as she encourages us to invite people into our lives, just as Jesus did.
Branch Retreat This weekend (9/24 & 9/25) is the Branch Retreat, starting at 2:00 pm on Saturday. It will be held at the DeBlaay-Oeverman homes (2020 and 2030 Madison). This event is completely free of charge! Here’s a rough timeline of events (emphasis on ‘rough’…it’s a flexible time together and we may move things around as needed). […]
Are you looking to help with CREATE but cannot volunteer? Below is a list of items commonly found in your recycle bin that would give the kids the materials they need to make something new and beautiful from something old and used up. Please consider sorting through your recycling bin over the next few weeks […]
