Views from The Ridge 05.22.2024
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week
Sunday, May 26
9am Worship in the Sanctuary (Here I Am! - Isaiah 6:1-13)
10:15am Formation time for all ages
Adult class series: Practicing The Way
Teen formation: The Chosen
Children’s formation: Godly Play
11am Worship in the Chapel (listen to this month’s worship inspiration on Spotify)
Monday, May 27 Church office closed
Wednesday, May 29, 10am Women’s Wednesday Fellowship
Upcoming
Wednesday, June 5 Men’s Monthly Assembly
Monday, June 24-Thursday, June 27 Sunset Camp, rising kindergarten through 6th grade Sign-up coming soon!
Interested in what’s scheduled for our campus at large? Please consider subscribing to Goodness Weekly.
The Same Power
Riley Stirman, Preaching Minister, Sunset Ridge Church
On Sunday, we heard one of the most bizarre stories in the Bible. As Ezekiel walks through a valley of dried up skeletons, God instructs him to prophesy to them. As he does, the bones begin forming themselves back into living people until the breath of God fills their bodies and Ezekiel finds himself surrounded by a crowd. God's Spirit brought life from death.
When Jesus was crucified, he lay in a tomb for three days. But God's Spirit raised him from the dead and brought him out of the tomb. God's Spirit brought life from death again.
And the Apostle Paul has the absolute audacity to make the absurd claim that the same Spirit is at work among us. The very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in us, giving life to our fragile, mortal bodies (Rom. 8:11). Elsewhere, (Eph. 1:19), he calls this the incomparably great power for us who believe. God's Spirit, who brings life from death, at work in each of us.
Imagine what kind of lives we would lead if we could keep this in the front of our minds. While folding laundry, the same power that rose Jesus from the dead is at work in us. While waiting in line, the same power that brought the bones to life is at work in us. While washing our hands, doing taxes, walking to the car, or staring at the ceiling, this incomparably great power is doing something in us. It may not always be as obvious as watching bones get stitched together, but we believe the Spirit is nearer to us than our own skin. And he is at work to renew us, to bring us to new life.
Not just us as individuals either. Our 75th anniversary celebration was a powerful reminder that the same power who raised Jesus from the dead is also still working among our church. What better way to testify to his continued work among us than to celebrate the love, the relationships, the service, and the beauty that have come from this church? What more apt analogy can you think of than sitting among trees and bushes where once there was only asphalt? Once again, God's Spirit brought life from death.
This week, let's try to fight the temptation towards discouragement and despair when we look at the state of the world. Let's try to remember that God has set us on a course toward restoration and fulfillment. And he has gifted us the very same power that he used to raise his son from the dead. Imagine all the little ways our lives may change if we can remember this simple, impossible truth.
To view recorded sermons from Sunset Ridge Church, please make sure to add us to your subscriptions on YouTube.
Praises and Prayers
Gwen Baird, Mary Ann Franzke’s daughter, is having complications from surgery.
Bethany Hill is recovering from surgery for a fractured femur.
Greg Johnston has been diagnosed with vascular dementia.
We wish a very happy birthday to Bettye Mack, who will celebrate her 99th birthday on May 30th!
