Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us today. Shine your light in our hearts so that we may share it with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. From Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Chapter 4: 4-9 4 Rejoice[b] in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.[c] 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. T

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us today. Shine your light in our hearts so that we may share it with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. From Paul’s Letter to the Philippians - Chapter 3:1-11 Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, be

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us today. Shine your light in our hearts so that we may share it with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. From Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Chapter 2, vs. 1-17 If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us today. Shine your light in our hearts so that we may share it with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Faith within hardship When we began Philippians, we met a letter full of joy, written by a man in prison. Now Paul shows us more of what that joy looks like when c

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us today. Shine your light in our hearts so that we may share it with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. A letter filled with joy In this episode, we begin exploring Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. Paul writes with warmth and affection, even though he is a pr

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us today. Shine your light in our hearts so that we may share it with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. From the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13:24-30 and vs. 36-43 The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat 24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may b

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Matthew 15: 10-20 Things That Defile 10 Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11 it is not what goes int

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Luke 10:25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan 25 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.[a] “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inher

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. Let’s talk about parables for a moment. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a parable as “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told

Seeing people gather together in a house of worship and genuinely enjoy their time here is something I find deeply fulfilling. My name is Christopher Allen, and I joined Brick Church in the spring of 1980 along with my parents, Pat and Lee Allen. Shortly thereafter, I left for boarding school and, except for holidays, was away from the church until the late 1980s. When I returned and began serving as an usher, my journey at Brick truly began. It is a journey that continues to

I came to faith much later in my life, and I came to faith by studying Scripture. I came to faith much later in my life, and I came to faith by studying Scripture, not by going to church. When I had really made a commitment to start following Christ in my life, I knew I needed a church community that could come alongside me on my spiritual journey. So I started church shopping, and I came to Brick Church, and I felt that this was the right place. This was the community that w

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your Holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. There are many, many stories in the Gospels that feature Jesus at the table with others. I personally love this because it shows us that Jesus was a human be

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your Holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen. From the Book of Proverbs 12:18 "Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” In this world of divisive rhetoric and fake n

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others.In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Book of Acts Chapter 3:1-10 Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar 3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others.In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Matthew 16:13–23 Peter’s Declaration about Jesus 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Matthew 14:22–33 Jesus Walks on the Water Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dism

Let Us Pray Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for giving us ears to hear your Holy Word. We pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to make these ancient words of Scripture relevant and near to each of us this day. Shine your holy light in our hearts so we may share it with others.In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. From the Gospel of Luke 5:1–11 Jesus Calls the First Disciples 5 Once while Jesus[a] was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on