Newsong Fellowship

Pastor Dave opens the series with a look at the three primary systems of power or “kingdoms” that shape our lives and the relationship between them.

Pastors Dave, Lindsey and Grant close the series with some discussion and reflection around the questions that were submitted during the series.

Pastor Dave brings the series full circle with the reminder of the priority of relationships within the Kingdom of God and how closely related they are to what Jesus calls “eternal life”.

“Becoming one…” as Jesus prayed that we would, and in doing so gaining the capacity to transcend any divide that separates or threatens to separate us in “us/them” categories requires three very intentional practices: seeing, immersing and contending. As we develop those practices in our daily lives, we enable and participate in God’s grand dream for all of creation: RESTORATION

The 3rd way of the Kingdom both issues the calling and provides the means by which can learn to transcend the divides in a way that sees the “other” as someone made in the image of God and worthy of my efforts to want and work for their flourishing as well as my own. The final practice of “contending”, as we witness it in the life and teaching of Jesus, will be the most challenging…

As we learn to love, we are invited to see and then engage in practices of immersion that cultivate the kind of Oneness that Jesus prays for us in John 17. These practices of commitment, humility, and vulnerability - demonstrated to us in the story of the Good Samaritan - will surely immerse us in authentic experiences of what God promises to us, “I am with you.”

Living the Third Way of the Kingdom in pursuit of Shalom in order to transcend the divides that tend to surface with those who have significant differences from us and they way we engage the world requires a new way of engaging those around us. Today we explore the first of four practices that will enable us to actually participate in the reconciliation and restoration of all things.

In John 17, right before his journey to the cross begins, Jesus prays an intimate and interesting prayer on behalf of his followers and all those who, over time, would become his followers. What’s interesting is that, given all the things he could pray for in this final petition, he prays for his followers to be one, as he and the Father are one. What does that mean and why does he include this particular request?

Pastor Dave begins a new series intended to help us learn how to become the kind of people who naturally and actively bring peace and wholeness that transcends and heals the division and disruption that is on the rise all around us.

As this series comes to a close, Pastor Lindsey interviews two Newsong families and explores their stories of wonder, discovery and passion in pursuit of child-like faiths through the stages and phases of life within their families.

NOTE: There were some technical issues with the livestream so there are a couple of places where the recording drops out. We apologize for the inconvenience! Building on the points of the series so far, we talk again about what “passion” is in a childlike faith by taking a look at the story of Samuel’s calling from the Bible. We see from his story some key points to understanding what passion (or vocation, or calling) looks like, and use those, alongside our own stories, to begin our own wonder-filled discovery of recovering and re-embodying the passion God has entrusted in us.

Children see the world differently. In our journey of faith, the Biblical Prophets, Jesus, Saul, and the Everyday Peacemakers among us, continue to urge us to see differently, inviting us to see that every extraordinary life matters. As we wonder and discover faith like a child, we will fuel passion for God’s Kingdom here on Earth that will radically transform the way we love and live our lives.

Pastor Dave, Pastor Lindsey and Pastor Grant pick up from last week’s talk on the priority of “Discovery” as a playground for the pursuit of child-like faith and our “Living Room” is transformed into a “Discovery Room” as we explore the practice of discovery together!

Jesus keeps insisting that the experience of life in the kingdom is reserved for those who have the capacity, in some way, to be like a child. But what does that mean? What are the qualities, lenses or practices that are natural to the ways of a child? How does someone who’s grown recapture them?

Wonder, as a playful, imaginative and creative experience and expression of spirituality, must be cultivated. When perception, productivity, performance and prestige go unaddressed, we become awe-deprived and our faith suffers. Our Creator has given us the gift of a playground so that we can play, discovering and cultivating a faith of wonder that’s inspiring and beautiful.

The experience of Wonder is meant to give us a sense that things are bigger than our perception allows us to see… it gives pause and points to something beyond itself. Wonder is meant to reveal again and again to us our place in the family of things.

For many, it seems obvious that to become spiritually mature means to leave childhood behind. But what if this actually leads to an anemic faith - a faith lacking a necessary vitality? What if the Jesus Way, and the reality of the Kingdom here and now, requires a childlike faith to see it, to enter it, and live from it?

Marc Gibbs, one of our elders, talks with Pastor Dave raising some of the questions that have surfaced from the series and revisiting the arc and impact of the Kingdom understanding of money, wealth and possessions.

According to the Scriptures, humankind was created by God and called to oversee the expansion and flourishing of creation as representatives of God and in harmony with His design and desires. What will that look like in eternity and what role do wealth and possessions have in preparing us to do that?

Newsong celebrates God's beautiful design in the family through a recognition of some of the stages of life and the joy of the journey together as a larger family in pursuit of "home".