Shipwrecks happen. Sometimes life is really tough, and in the midst of that, where is God? Join us as we begin this journey together: How to Survive a Shipwreck.
What goes God think about you? The answer is clear: God SO loves you. You are a beloved child of God, with whom God is well pleased — before and beyond any accomplishment or earning. In this message, learn from Jesus how this reality can transform your identity and sustain you in the desert season.
Jonathan is joined by friends, Demi Prentiss and Krystal Stroud, as we explore together how to determine our vocation. We discuss questions like, “How do you know if your in the right career field?” and “How do you begin to determine your purpose?” Check out this sermon to hear what we found together.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King inspires us to be a part of creating the beloved community — God's dream for humanity. This requires us to be people of courage, compassion, creativity, and love. Join us in contemplating this work in our time and in our lives.
Recently, a team from the Open community traveled to the Texas–Mexico border to learn more about the situation, bear witness to the love of God, and listen for ways our community can help. Along the way, our hearts and eyes were opened, as we saw God's faith and hope and love working transformation even amidst difficult circumstances. Check out this sermon to learn more through stories from the border.
Forgiveness is a transformative relationship dynamic, but not because it avoids justice, but because it promotes justice through restoration, reparation, and reconciliation. Join Haley Feuerbacher, campus minister at the Denton Wesley Foundation for an empowering look at forgiveness in a different light.
What is up with all the monsters and beasts in the Bible? For the people who brought us the Bible, these creatures represented the evils of oppressive empires. Sometimes we forget that much of the Bible was written by vulnerable populations who suffered under the thumb of powerful, violent systems. But prophets and apocalyptic texts attempted to pull back the curtain of pomp and power to show reality beneath the surface. In these texts and the prophetic call to resist by loving greatly, we can find light for our lives today.
Origin stories help us remember the past, interpret the present, and communicate what is essential about who we are and where we are headed. But our relationship with origins is complex; often maturity involves unentangling ourselves from the stories we’ve been told. Join us as we look back at the origin story of our faith community, Genesis 1, and try to find a different light in our origins.
Sometimes we’ve been taught to think of the Bible as one bright light that makes clear light and shadow in our world. But the Bible is something so much more brilliant and magical — it is the library of a community, the witness of thousands of lights and conversations among God and humanity since the beginning. And the most magic thing of all: we are invited into the conversation.
In Jonathan's powerful, healing sermon, we are reminded that God has always listened to, seen, known, believed, and cared about women. Women like Hagar teach us that even when life hurts, when the brokenness of the world breaks us down, God is the God who sees you, knows you, loves you, and believes you—even if others don't. For us to be children of God, we need to start seeing the way God sees. Then we just might be able to see the message of hope being lived out by brave women.
Doubts don't disqualify you; doubts qualify you to seek. Here at Open, seekers are welcome, because embracing questions helps us grow, learn, and journey — exactly what God wants for us. Find out why we say clearly, "Seekers are welcome here."
If you've ever been to Open Worship, you know that the phrase "All Are Welcome Here" is very important to this community. In fact, we say those words together 4 times as we start the service every week! In this series, we explore what that phrase means for us and why we believe that God is (and has always been!) open to all.
Our words have weight — they have power to give life or diminish life. In a world full of negative or harmful messages, we are called to speak God's message of love to the world in all our words. Join us as we seek to learn how to use words wisely.
There is a message we speak by listening — that all people are worthy of being heard. Learn lessons from scripture and Mr. Rogers, who listened well to his neighbors, especially a young neighbor named François Clemmons. Together they teach us that listening is the beginning of love. From James 1:19
Despite what we may have heard, the story told in scripture is clear: all people are equally created in the image of God; the masculine and feminine together reflect the divine. We need all of us to know God all the more. On Mothers' Day, we honor the many women in our lives who have helped us glimpse the heart and character of God, and we renew our commitment to proclaim, empower, and cultivate the image of God in the women and girls in our community and world.
In our world and communities, there are places where the interwoven fabric of humanity is weak or torn. God invites us to be people of justice, who strengthen the world around us and repair the breaches. Learn how to be at work for justice and hear the story of someone from Denton's history who helped reweave our common fabric.
We don’t always know how to respond to the story of Easter, this amazing story about how nothing can stop God’s love. But when we find ourselves feeling far away, God responds to us with an unending, unstoppable love that invites us to simply come as we are and...have breakfast! (it will make sense once you’ve heard the message :)
We apologize for the audio trouble this week, but we wanted to share this helpful message on prayer anyway! Jesus’ disciples asked, “Teach us to pray.” Even though they had seen lots of prayer in their lives, Jesus prayed with an authenticity and deep connection that was like no other. In this sermon, learn from what Jesus taught, and add a practice to your palette to help you connect with the God who loves you.
In a black and white world, we were built to live in abundant color. Learn about some of the ancient spiritual practices like meditation and contemplation that Jesus followers have used to remix their creative palette and be part of making a more loving, colorful world. This video includes a special guided meditation and song by the Open band.
As we go through life, we accumulate wounds and scars and baggage. But God wants to help us be free. Forgiveness helps break the cycle so we can be who we were built to be. Forgiveness is incredibly hard, but it is powerfully life giving. Find out More about this tool for being new and living without baggage.