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Walk to Emmaus - Luke 24:13-25 Two disciples walking to Emmaus after Jesus' crucifixion couldn't recognize him despite spending an entire day together. Their grief and shattered hopes had blinded them to his presence. This story reveals a profound truth: even when we can't see Jesus, he walks with us through our darkest moments. The disciples' eyes were finally opened when they shared a meal together, highlighting the sacred power of community and gathering around tables. When we're hurting, we shouldn't isolate but instead seek connection with others. God shows up in different ways to different people, which is why we need each other's stories and experiences to recognize his presence in our own lives.

As we celebrate 20 years of ministry with Feed My Starving Children and Feed the Need, STL, we worship at Queeny Park and serve together! One church. One worship. One mission. Jesus' parting words to Peter in the Gospel of John were, "feed my sheep." Jesus speaks these words to us today. Learn more at https://feedtheneedstl.org/

The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as history's most transformative event, creating a divine disruption that changed everything. This wasn't a quiet miracle but an earth-shaking moment that broke down barriers between people and conquered death itself. The difference between happiness and resurrection joy is that happiness depends on circumstances while joy depends on Christ's presence with us. Living as Easter people means maintaining an even if faith - trusting God even when life feels chaotic, practicing resurrection joy that transcends our circumstances, and tuning our hearts to Christ's voice above the world's noise. Because Christ is risen, death is no longer final, and we can face any challenge knowing the same power that conquered death works in our lives today.

On Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus entry into Jerusalembut this wasnt just a celebration. It was a moment of deep tension, even protest. As Roman power marched into the city with force and intimidation, Jesus entered from the opposite directionon a donkey, surrounded not by soldiers but by ordinary people crying out for rescue. In this final message of The Essential Jesus series, we reflect on what this moment reveals about the kind of kingdom Jesus brings. Not one built on power, control, or violence, but one rooted in love, mercy, justice, and peace. As we look back on the essential teachings of Jesus, we are invited to ask a defining question: Which procession are we following? The way of empireor the way of Jesus?

As we conclude The Essential Jesus series, we turn to one of the most urgent teachings of Jesus: truth and discernment. In a world overwhelmed by information and competing voices, Jesus calls followers to be discerningespecially when powerful voices claim to speak for God but use faith for control, division, or personal gain. This message challenges us to move beyond blame and confusion and instead grow in spiritual discernment through Scripture, humility, and love. When we learn to recognize truth and live it out faithfully, we become part of Gods work to heal and transform a divided worldone relationship, one act of love at a time.

Modern idolatry has evolved beyond golden statuesit's celebrated in our culture, just wearing a disguise. In this message, we explore the fatal link between identity and idolatry, discovering that our greatest temptations are never our weaknesses but our giftsgood things twisted into ultimate things. Through Jesus' wilderness temptation and the story of the rich young ruler, we see how questioning our "beloved" identity opens the door to idols that promise fulfillment but lead to fear, division, and blame. What voices are you trusting to tell you who you are? What idols have taken up residence in your heart? Surrender is difficult, but God is always waiting with open arms, promising abundant life right now when we tune out competing voices and remember: You are beloved. https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/46163/note-255572.html

In this weeks message from The Essential Jesus series, we explore the difference between a heart shaped by blame and judgment and one shaped by humility and repentance. Beginning with the story of Adam and Eve and moving into Jesus teaching about the speck and the log, this sermon examines how shame often drives us to point fingers instead of taking responsibility. But Jesus offers a different way. Humility helps us see ourselves and others clearlyas beloved children of Godand repentance gives us the courage to turn back when we lose our way. When communities create space for honesty, grace, and forgiveness, we break the cycle of blame and step back into the joy, freedom, and connection of Gods kingdom.

Living with open hands instead of clenched fists transforms our relationship with God and others. When we hold tightly to our resources, we reveal our lack of trust in God's provision. True generosity isn't about transactions but recognizing God's image in every person, especially those in need. Jesus defined His mission by first mentioning the poor, showing us where to find Him today. We must shift from being reservoirs that hoard blessings to being pipes that allow God's grace to flow through us to others.

In Week 6 of The Essential Jesus, we explore the five vulnerable groups that consistently appear on Gods heart throughout Scripture: widows, orphans, aliens (foreigners), the poor, and the sick. From Deuteronomy to Luke to Ephesians, we see that Gods people are called not just to believe rightly but to love boldlyespecially those pushed to the margins. Looking at the radical practices of the early church, this message reminds us that what made Christianity flourish was not influence or power, but agape love embodied in action. When we remember that we were once strangers brought near by Christ, we begin to see that there is no other, only family. And in caring for the vulnerable, we glimpse the kingdom of heaven. https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/46163/note-255562.html

Isaiah reveals that God desires more than religious ritualsHe wants us to break the chains of injustice and find Him among the forgotten. While we often seek God in magnificent places, Jesus tells us He's found among prisoners, the hungry, and the overlooked. True worship isn't about what we give up, but who we let in. In God's economy, there's no such thing as a nobody. We're called to recognize the divine dignity in every person, especially those society dismisses. When we serve the forgotten, we don't just help otherswe encounter Jesus Himself and find our own healing.

In Week 4 of The Essential Jesus, we turn to one of Jesus most foundational perspectives: the belief that every human being is made in the image of God. Drawing from Genesis, the Gospel of John, and Pauls words to the Galatians, Pastor Amy explores what it means to see humanity as bound together in a sacred, ongoing Conversation held in Christ. Rather than erasing difference, Jesus truly sees peoplehonoring their full humanity while affirming their belovedness. This message challenges how we think about worth, justice, accountability, and community, reminding us that no hierarchy of value exists in Gods eyes. When we learn to see one another as Jesus does, we join Gods work of healing and hope in the world. https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/46163/note-255558.html

What kind of fruit is our life producing? In Week 3 of The Essential Jesus, we explore how Jesus calls followers into a way of life shaped by the Fruit of the Spirit. Drawing from Galatians, Colossians, and Jesus teaching in Matthew, this sermon invites us to see discipleship not as a checklist, but as a lifelong practice of becoming who God created us to be. In a culture marked by fear, division, selfishness, and blame, discernment matters more than ever. Jesus reminds us that what is truly of God will bear good fruitlove, joy, peace, compassion, humility, kindness, and self-control. This message challenges us to tend the soil of our hearts, remain rooted in Christ, and trust that Gods Spirit is at work, shaping our lives for the sake of the world. https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/46163/note-255555.html

What if the way we respond to conflict is actually shaping who we are becoming? In the second message of The Essential Jesus sermon series, we look at one of Jesus most challenging teachings: Turn the other cheek In a world driven by retaliation, outrage, and fear, Jesus offers a third waynot violent retaliation and not passive surrender, but active, nonviolent resistance rooted in trust, humility, and grace. Through vivid imagery, biblical insight, and the witness of Jesus own life, this sermon reframes familiar teachings like turn the other cheek and go the extra mile as courageous, creative acts that break cycles of harm and refuse to let another persons darkness dictate our light. This message invites us to move from being reactors to redeemers, grounded deeply enough in Gods grace that even friction can refine rather than destroy. https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/46163/note-255554.html

In the opening message of The Essential Jesus series, we begin with Jesus most challengingand most essentialteaching: Love your enemies. In a world shaped by fear, division, selfishness, and blame, Jesus offers a radically different way of lifeone that does not seek to defeat enemies, but to transform them through love. Through the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, the witness of Paul and Silas in prison, and the call to reconciliation in 2 Corinthians, this sermon explores why loving enemies is not optional for Christians, but foundational. Jesus does not just command this way of lifeJesus lives it. And through the power of the Spirit, this essential teaching still has the power to heal hearts, communities, and cultures today. https://churchlinkfeeds.blob.core.windows.net/notes/46163/note-255553.html

In this sermon on the Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:1317), we reflect on why Jesus insists on being baptized and what that moment reveals about identity, belonging, and mission. Drawing on the image of the Spirit descending like a dove, Pastor Amy explores how Jesus baptism pulls together divinity, humanity, creation, and belovednessgrounding Jesus for the work ahead. Baptism is not presented as an ending, but as a beginning: a sending into the world with clarity of identity and purpose. Just as Jesus moves from the waters into wilderness, temptation, and mission, we are invited to remember our baptism as a daily grounding in who we are, whose we are, and what we are called to do. Through ritual, remembrance, and community, we are strengthened to follow the essential mission of Jesus with courage, compassion, and hope.