We’re now including the Weekly Talkback with the sermon. The first audio bar has the sermon and the second audio bar has the Weekly Talkback. The Weekly Talkback explores or expounds upon some element of the sermon.

Speaker: Pastor Nick Ressler
Title: Slump
Date: June 9, 2019

Synopsis: Pastor Nick kick the new series off with a message centered in the Revelation 2 letter to the church of Ephesus. This letter has a compelling call back to our first love. As a worldwide church and as a church in Elizabethtown - what is our first love? And how are we doing at representing it?

Weekly Talkback- Prophecy and the Bridezilla of Christ
What is prophecy? How is prophecy used and why is it that some come true and some do not? How is prophecy connected to an incarnational God? How is an incarnational God connected to the way we understand our communal role as the Bride of Christ?

Speaker: Pastor Nick Ressler
Title: Remain
Date: June 16, 2019

Synopsis: This message is based in the letter to the church at Smyrna. Jesus encourages the church at Smyrna to “remain” in him. What exactly does this mean and how are we supposed to do it? Pastor Nick mixes both a historical and a theological understanding to answer this question.

Weekly Talkback - Walk a mile in the shoes of a Jew
Why is it important to see things from the perspective of other people? Is there some type of connection between seeing through their eyes and how we love them? Shouldn’t we be aware that the way we treat one another pulls people closer or pushes them away?

Speaker: Pastor Nick Ressler
Title: Poison
Date: June 23, 2019

Synopsis: Join us in the letter to the church in Pergamum. Scholars refer to this church as “the compromising church” because of the way that it seemed to buy into Roman occupation and heretical teaching. Pastor Nick points out that compromise often happens slowly and until someone from the outside points it out - we miss it. The incredible news is that Jesus makes a promise of something new at the end of the letter that gives us a sense of deep hope.

Weekly Talkback- Reading the Bible Wrong
Can you read the Bible wrong? Are pastors actually doing a deep injustice to the church when they give historical and theological background in their teaching? What are some tools that you can use to also study scripture more deeply?

Speaker: Pastor Nick Ressler
Title: False
Date: June 30, 2019

Synopsis: The letter to the church in Thyatira brings up the issue of idolatry and false teaching that is present in the church. Pastor Nick provides a foundation for being willing to ask ourselves the hard questions about the idols that are present in our life.

Weekly Talkback - Patriotism, Idolatry and Non-violence
This week we tackled a difficult topic - that our patriotism can be an idol if we are not careful. Pastor Nick takes time to further clarify this question and explain the denominational standpoint on flags and non-violence.

Speaker: Pastor Nick Ressler
Title: Reputation
Date: July 21, 2019

Synopsis: Together we look at the city of Sardis in Revelation 3 where God calls them to the carpet on a reputation of liveliness despite being nearly completely dead in spirit. Pastor Nick encourages the congregation to consider what God is saying to us as individuals and as a community of believers.

Weekly Talkback - Under Our Own Power: Moral Deism & Altruism
In our sermon we briefly mentioned the idea of moral deism and how it relates to both our modern tendency and the historic Sardinian desire to pay attention to the outside - what do people think? But, we should be asking: What does Jesus think?

Speaker: Pastor Nick Ressler
Title: Persevere
Date: July 28, 2019

Synopsis: The letter to the ancient city of Philadelphia pushes us to explore the points of our life when our own world has been turned upside down. It pushes us to know that God stands beside us in the midst of that life. It pushes us to consider that others have an equally difficult experience and our job is not to stand in their way but invite them to enter life with Jesus.

Weekly Talkback - Greeters & Guards
Which do you think you are? Do you think its possible that you believe that you are one thing but you are actually portraying something else entirely? We discuss postures and gestures and difference between the posture of a guard and the posture of a greeter. Which do you want to be?

Speaker: Pastor Nick Ressler
Title: Lukewarm
Date: August 4, 2019

Synopsis: The only letter to have zero positive things to say about one of the churches should make us pause and consider what Jesus means when he tells the Laodicean’s that they are lukewarm. What does it mean for us to repent from our indifference?

Weekly Talkback - You Are The Gold

Let’s take a second look at the list of things that we fill our lives up with. Those are the things that demand our attention and time. Those are the things that are whispering in our ear and rather than let God tell us who we are - we let those things define us.