The image of a fortress or stronghold in relation to the Lord shows up in many passages in the Old Testament. It is a portrait of strength, security, and safety for the people of God. Indeed, the Lord is the only one who could provide such protection in times of trouble. He is the one who created all things and also controls all things. Essentially, this word-picture of a fortress and stronghold teaches us the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. In other words, we can believe that when everything in our world seems to be falling apart we can take comfort from the fact that all things are firmly under the control of the Lord. Even when misfortunes come our way, or when wickedness is exalted, we can be confident that “The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble”.

Message from Rev. Danny Morgan on October 19, 2025

We return to 1 Samuel this Sunday, picking up the story of David in chapter 20. David’s great acts of heroism are behind him, he is married to the king’s daughter, but his place of privilege is shaky at best. Saul has conspired to kill David and this has sent David out of the king’s presence—David is a man on the run. To whom does David turn in this time of great trial? His beloved friend, Jonathan, Saul’s son. They reiterate the covenant they made together in chapter 18 and then David leaves Jonathan and the court of the king for good, embarking on what is probably a decade long exile. Join us this week as we consider David’s story as an analogy of our own trials and stresses. Is it really possible to be at peace while we’re on the run from the world, the flesh, and the devil? How can we live in anticipation of the fullness of God’s promises when we’ve been pushed into exile? All this and more as we consider again “the gospel according to Samuel."

This Sunday marks the beginning of a new fiscal year at Redeemer. Each year we set aside this first weekend of October to discuss Christian stewardship and consider our own giving as disciples of Jesus Christ. On Sunday we will examine the story of Barnabas and compare his story with that of Annanias and Saphira as we seek to uncover the heart of Christian giving.

Message from Rev. Eric Landry on September 28, 2025

Message from Rev. Eric Landry on September 21, 2025

Message from Rev. Danny Morgan on September 14, 2025

In John Bunyan’s classic tale, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” we follow a disciple of Jesus from the City of Destruction through various obstacles and temptations until he reaches the Celestial City. What steps are you taking on your own pilgrimage? This month, we’ll look at four key actions that should define every disciple at Redeemer: Believe, Belong, Become, and Bless. This path of discipleship will take greater prominence in our life together as a church as we prepare for God to work and through us for his glory and our good.

As we conclude Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we hear his final instructions to the church and bear witness to the many other colaborers who worked alongside Paul in gospel ministry. What can we learn about leading our own Christian life from these final verses? Join us this week for a glimpse of Paul’s practical Christianity.

Message from Rev. Danny Morgan on August 24, 2025

In our fragmented cultural moment, we don’t need more power struggles; we need a new cultural vision for the world altogether. The emphasis on individual autonomy and political idealism promises healing, but is only driving wounds deeper. The backdrop of the New Testament is no different. In a fragmented and wounded world, it was the counter-cultural way of Christianity that not only began to heal the world but also drove the early church’s influence and growth. Against the conventional way of classism, personal retributive justice, and dominance, Christians lived in the way of compassion, gentleness, and lowliness. This week, we’ll look at Colossians 3 and the antithesis of Paul’s “put off” and turn to what Christians are commanded to “put on.” We’ll see the counter-cultural way of the Christian community as the healing of the world.

As Christians we share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ through our union with him by faith. This reality is a profound mystery, but it is the source of our hope and joy, that shifts our perspective from earth to the throne room of God. It movitages the mortification of our sin and results in the production of a new unified community no longer marked by race, economic class or gender but marked by Christ Alone. This Sunday we will explore the implications of our union with Christ in His resurrection while pausing to wonder at his glory and discovering our shared identity as members of the glorious resurrected body of Christ.

We are by nature beings looking for validation. We were created for God, and despite his glory, we seek our validation in other people, in false ideas, and in circumstances that are apart from Christ. Like us, the church in Colossae wrestled with this reality as false teachers enticed the congregation to find validation in their relationships, in their past, in their present culture and in a life of ease withdrawn from the calling of Christ. This Sunday we will explore the Christian's validation by looking to Paul’s words in Colossians 2:16-23 as we seek to discover our validation in Christ our head, who nourishes, knits and grows the church for his glory and our eternal joy.

Have you ever been in a situation that felt like you lived between two different realities? Think of the summer after you graduated from high school—you lived an in-between life, no longer a child and yet not quite on your own at college. Or that period of time after the proposal but before the wedding—no longer single, but not yet married. In a similar fashion, Paul teaches the Colossians how to live in-between the victory over sin and death that Jesus has accomplished for them and the final reconciling work that is yet in the future when all things will be made new. You and I live in this same in-between time! What should life look like, how should you live, where can we place our hope and confidence? Join us this Sunday to find out.

Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae is a letter to a people he doesn’t know, except by reputation and the ministry of their beloved pastor Epaphras. This Sunday, we’ll see how Paul explains that even though he has not been with them in person, he struggles on their behalf to fulfill the work God has given him so that they might benefit from it. Paul’s explanation of his ministry is a helpful reminder of the purpose of the church: why do we gather week-in and week-out? How should we evaluate our effectiveness? What is the point of it all? Join us this Sunday as we take up Paul’s apostolic ministry and apply it to our life together as a church today.

Paul writes to the Colossians to show that Christ is preeminent over all so that they may know their new standing before him and new life in him and so be unshakable in their faith. Christ is the image of the invisible God and is unmatched in his work of creation and redemption. To exchange him for another would be to exchange the blazing sun for a nightlight.

In the opening of Colossians, the Holy Spirit through Paul, communicates three qualities that God delights in when he looks upon the church: a church that delights in discipleship (v. 3-6), a church with faithful ministers of the gospel (v.7-8, 1 & 2), and a church praying for Christ to actively work in their midst according to his will (v. 9-14). While these qualities invite us to evaluate our expectations of the church, we hope they will inspire us to delight in Christ's will and shape our hearts and habits as a congregation as we strive to grow in Christ this summer.

At the end of the beatitudes, Jesus pronounces perhaps the most paradoxical of all the beatitudes, “Blessed are the persecuted for righteousness’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 2000 years later, Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. Persecution doesn’t seem like a blessing. Furthermore, Christ tells us to “rejoice and be glad,” likely the last thing on the mind of those who face regular persecution. This Sunday, as we wrap up our study of the Beatitudes, we will discover how persecution is a kingdom blessing, and how we are to respond.

As we near the end of our series in the Beatitudes, we turn to Jesus’ blessing on those who make peace. They shall be called “sons of God,” the Son of God assures us. In a world filled with war and turmoil, the prospect of peace seems like a distant dream. In a church that has recently undergone conflict, the pursuit of peace may seem hopeless. So, how do we live into this Beatitude? What must be true of us to be peacemakers? And how do we live, as far as it is possible, at peace with all men? This Sunday will be a personal and vulnerable exploration of a Beatitude that may seem out of reach for many of us today but is a blessing Jesus has bestowed on his church.

Each year, on the Sunday following Pentecost, we set aside a week to remind ourselves that the God we worship is Triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Rather than being “extra credit” for really serious Christians, understanding the Trinity is essential to our faith. Our Confession of Faith this Sunday will be the Athanasian Creed, which says we can’t be saved without believing the doctrine of the Trinity “firmly and faithfully”! To help us grow in our understanding of the Trinity, we’ll turn on Sunday to 1 Peter 1:2, one of the many verses in the Bible that talks about the Trinity. More than just a theological lesson about the Trinity, I hope our time together impresses on us the deep commitment God has for us and for our good. Each person of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—are at work to rescue us from our exile and secure a place for us in the new creation.