1 Peter 3:15 - In this short verse, Peter challenges his readers to be "prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." It's a call to spend the time needed to sort out how our own stories intersect with the gospel of Jesus, or, put another way, to prepare our own spiritual testimonies. It turns out, our stories are an indispensable part of boldly going to our neighbors in word and witness. In this message, Cameron also shared a practical framework for writing a testimony ("before, how, after, now") and challenged our whole church community to spend the month of January brainstorming, refining, writing, and sharing each of our stories with someone else. You have a story and it's both meaningful and powerful--let's get ready to tell it! A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of our series "Confidently Be, Boldly Go: On the Dance of Family Formation and Neighbor Witness"]

Ezekiel 37:24-28 - The prophet Ezekiel prophesied from exile in Babylon about both the reasons for the judgment God's people were experiencing as well as the very real hope of what God would do among Israel, the nations, and the whole creation. In this passage, we get another prophecy about the Messiah, this time connected to a new covenant God would make with His people and a related promise to be present with them forevermore. And although the name "Immanuel" is not in this passage, the idea of "God with us" very much is--a promise that Jesus would fulfill in stages through His incarnation, sending of the Holy Spirit, and eventual return. We conclude Advent 2025 reflecting on the God who is truly with us, even in this dark in-between. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of our series "Advent in the Prophets"]

Micah 5:1-6 - The prophet Micah prophesied about both God's impending judgment through rival nations AND the anointed king (messiah) who would come and shepherd God's people. In this passage we learn several things about what the Messiah would be like, including the surprisingly humble place of his birth. As we encounter the Messiah as Jesus Christ in the New Testament, we learn that that particular surprise wasn't the half of it. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 3 of our series "Advent in the Prophets"]

Daniel 7:9-14 - The Old Testament prophet Daniel's vision of a mysterious figure like a "son of man" approaching "the ancient of days" was shrouded in mystery for centuries--until Jesus came and claimed that title for Himself. In considering some of the connections between Daniel, the gospels, and Revelation, we learn deep truths about the surprising nature of God as Father, Son, and Spirit AND about what it will be like when the Son of Man returns. A sermon by Brette Way. [Part 2 of our series "Advent in the Prophets"]

This past Sunday 3 of our elders shared the latest updates and answers to some frequently asked questions concerning our ongoing Fremont Building Restoration Project and fundraising efforts. For ongoing updates, be sure to visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter. Support this project by giving and sharing with those who might be interested in helping to restore a 111-year-old church building in the heart of Portland! Learn, share, and give at www.doorofhopene.org.

Isaiah 9:2-7 - For Advent we’ll be considering four passages from the Old Testament prophets that anticipated the coming of God’s Spirit-anointed Messiah-King, who we know as Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 9, we get a picture of God’s light entering the dark, breaking the chains of His people’s oppression, and sending a Son to rule in perfect wisdom, strength, and peace. We learn that God doesn’t fear the dark, but enters it with us to dispel it. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 1 of our series “Advent in the Prophets”] Questions for reflection: 1) What is the difference between Advent and “the Holiday Season?” 2) How does Advent carry both a realistic and optimistic message? 3) What is God’s relationship to darkness? 4) How is God’s promised ruler different from the various ones that come and go in our world? 5) How does the cross illustrate the totally unique nature of Jesus’s rule and reign?

Matthew 5:31-32 - In His third case study, Jesus naturally turns from adultery and lust to marriage and divorce. Jesus's short statement highlights and answers one of the chief debates of His day: who or what is a marriage for? And how is it most wounded? In this passage we find Jesus's kingdom once again to be a place that champions the sanctity of marriage, in general, and the dignity of women, in particular. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 7 of our series "Jesus's Sermon on the Mount: The Good Life in the Kingdom of Grace"] Questions for reflection: 1) What experience do you have with divorce in your own family or friendships? 2) Recap the debate in Jesus's day about the grounds for divorce according to the law of Moses? 3) What do you think marriage is popularly thought to be "for" in our culture? 4) What does Jesus's teaching here indicate about how He sees the purpose of marriage? 5) How do we not trivialize the deep importance of our marriage commitments when acknowledging the grounds for divorce that the New Testament gives? 6) If you're married, how have you worked to cultivate health in your own marriage? If you're single, how have you worked to cultivate health in your own singleness?

Matthew 5:27-30 - In His second case study, Jesus explores the connection between the call to faithfulness to the one-flesh marriage covenant and the little looks and thoughts that reduce our brothers and sisters to sexual objects. In Jesus's kingdom, His disciples will fight to dignify one another as the divine image bearers that we are--and they'll live in light of the radical stakes that Jesus introduces here. All of this without shame, but in the loving light of the forgiving, merciful grace of our savior. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 6 of our series "Jesus's Sermon on the Mount: The Good Life in the Kingdom of Grace"] Questions for reflection: 1) What parallels did you notice in the stories Cameron shared about women's response to Jesus in the 2nd century and British journalist Louise Perry's response to Jesus over the last few years? 2) Why are Christians sometimes accused of being anti-sex? How would you answer that charge? 3) Talk about "covenant commitment" as the center of the biblical sexual ethic. 4) Jesus affirms the Old Testament's prohibition of adultery, but then He reveals its deeper heart. Why is Jesus concerned with what people do even with their eyes and minds? 5) How is this teaching good news for women, in particular? 6) What are some radical measures you could take to step into this fight in light of verses 29-30?

Matthew 5:21-26 - Through 6 case studies, Jesus explains what it means for Him to fulfill the law and to invite His disciples into a righteousness "greater than the pharisees." In the first case study, Jesus explores the deeper heart behind the Old Testament command not to murder. In a shocking twist, Jesus reveals the equal culpability of belittling words and the contemptuous heart. He also explores the connection between love for God and love for neighbor in surprising fashion. Through it all, Jesus affirms the incredible dignity with which disciples must learn to view their neighbors if they're going to live in step with His kingdom. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 5 of our series "Jesus's Sermon on the Mount: The Good Life in the Kingdom of Grace"] Questions for reflection: 1) Explain the connection between this passage and the previous one (Matthew 5:17-20). 2) Why would Jesus say that anger in the heart or contemptuous words will receive the same judgment as murder? What's he getting at? 3) In what ways can anger be a proper response? In what ways can it be a dangerous response? How does our culture often get this wrong? 4) What principle do you think is behind Jesus's story about not offering temple sacrifice while there is unresolved conflict with a brother or sister? 5) How does this passage push us toward a deeper recognition of our need for forgiveness through Christ?

Matthew 5:17-20 - Jesus transitions into the main body of His sermon by establishing His relationship to "the law and the prophets," which is shorthand for the entire Old Testament. Contrary to the thinking of many who want to simply pit Jesus against Israel's Scriptures, Jesus emphatically announces that HE has come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them--to bring them to their completion. In doing so He hints at the fact He is the one bringing about God's New Covenant, where the law will be written on the new heart and lived from the inside out with a new righteousness. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of our series "Jesus's Sermon on the Mount: The Good Life in the Kingdom of Grace"] Questions for reflection: 1) What are some ways you've heard Jesus's relationship to the Old Testament described previously? 2) What do you make of Jesus's emphatic point about his "not abolishing" the law and the prophets? 3) What does this teaching have to do with Jesus's later encounters with the Pharisees (like in Matthew 12:1-8 or Matthew 23:23-24)? How does it help us make sense of later passages where certain requirements of the law are loosened like in Acts 10 or Acts 15? 4) Where does someone find a righteousness that "exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees"? 5) How would you summarize Jesus's relationship to the Mosaic law? 6) How would you answer someone who asked why Christians don't observe the laws about wearing clothes of mixed fabrics?

Matthew 5:13-16 - Jesus's introduction to the Sermon on the Mount continues with His proclamation of His receptive audience's role in the world as both salt and light. In this short saying, Jesus is calling His disciples to be who they were made to be: those who together make things better (and for a long time) in a broken world and those who boldly shine Christ's light in a dark world. Underneath it all is the great call to "love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength... and to love your neighbor as yourself." A sermon by Tsion Reid. [Part 3 of our series "Jesus's Sermon on the Mount: The Good Life in the Kingdom of Grace"] Questions for reflection: 1) What would you say you are known for? 2) What does it mean to be "the salt of the earth?" 3) How does someone let their light shine boldly as on "a stand?" 4) What is the relationship here between faith and works? Or between Christ's work in your life and your work out in the world? 5) How does this passage point us to the grace of Christ? How does it point us to the Holy Spirit's empowerment?

Matthew 5:3-12 - The opening of the sermon on the mount sets out to answer a question of great importance: Who is really blessed in God's kingdom? Who is really happy in His kingdom? Who is really well-off in His kingdom? Who has the good life? This opening, often called “the beatitudes,” gives an answer that shocks us the same way it shocked Jesus’s first audience the same way it shocks people from any human culture that hears it–because its answer never comes naturally or peacefully into any culture in this world. And that’s for good reason, because it is an otherworldly answer. And yet, it is an answer that is full of hope to all who recognize their need. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 2 of our series "Jesus's Sermon on the Mount: The Good Life in the Kingdom of Grace"] Questions for reflection: 1) According to your natural mind, who would you say has possession of "the good life?" 2) Who was the specific group of people Jesus was speaking to? What do we know about them? Why is their identity important for what Jesus says to them? 3) How does the list of types of people that Jesus mentions strike you? Why are they difficult ways of being in this world? 4) Where does the "blessing" lie in these statements? 5) How is Jesus the embodiment of the beatitudes? 6) How is the importance of the recognition of our own need highlighted here in Jesus's words?

Matthew 4:23-5:2 - This teaching begins our deep dive into Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, which is one of the most famous and important collections of teachings of all time and an especially load-bearing part of the New Testament. Matthew's gospel frames the sermon in ways that highlight it as an important part of Jesus's gospel of the kingdom, as a new law for the New Covenant community, and as an extension of Jesus's whole-person approach to ministry in word and deed. In short, it is Jesus’s vision of the good life in His kingdom of grace. It also begs the question, "What if Jesus was serious?" A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 1 of our series "Jesus's Sermon on the Mount: The Good Life in the Kingdom of Grace"] Questions for reflection: 1) What have you previously heard about the purpose of the sermon on the mount? 2) What do you make of the radical claims the sermon makes on Jesus's disciples? 3) What part of Jesus's sermon do you find most beautiful? Most challenging? 4) What does the sermon on the mount have to do with the Kingdom of God? What does it have to do with the grace of God? 5) What are some of the implications for us "if Jesus was serious?"

1 Peter 2:9-12 - In part 3 of our vision series we consider how we are to “boldly go.” Rooted in our identity together as “holy exiles” chiefly allegiant to King Jesus, we are to embrace a posture of love toward our city and neighbors, in word and in deed. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 3 of our series “Confidently Be, Boldly Go: On the Dance of Family Formation and Neighbor Witness”] Questions for reflection: 1) Do you personally tend toward separating into a holy huddle OR assimilating into a fan club in relation to our cultural environment? 2) How have you felt the reality of living as a “holy exile” or “ambassador” in your day-to-day life? 3) How does the idea of evangelizing sit with you? Why? 4) How would you describe your own degree of being wowed with the beauty and goodness of Jesus? 5) What is one population in Portland you struggle to love? Why? 6) What is one population in Portland that your heart really beats for? Why? 7) Why do you think faith and love expressed in word AND deed are so important across the Bible?

1 Peter 2:1-8 - In part 2 of our vision series we consider just what it is we're to "confidently be." Rooted in our cross-centered theology, fighting to be knit together as family, and doggedly committed to a focused simplicity--we are fighting to be formed as a community set apart for Jesus. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 2 of our series “Confidently Be, Boldly Go: On the Dance of Family Formation and Neighbor Witness”]

1 Peter 2:1-12 - We begin our 2025-2026 vision series with an examination of two great temptations that have always been with the people of God: to either separate into a holy huddle or to assimilate into a cultural fan club. The key to avoiding the failings of each is to remain radically committed to the Jesus who deeply cares both about the formation of His people into a spiritual family AND the witness toward their neighbors in word and deed. This year may God allow us to both confidently be AND boldly go. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 1 of our vision series “Confidently Be, Boldly Go: On the Dance of Family Formation and Neighbor Witness”]

Job 42 - At the end of Job it is clear that the book is neither a how-to manual nor a collection of explanations for our sufferings. Even still, the final chapter recounts many of the book's enduring principles that help us stand when suffering comes our way. It also leaves us with its most important principle of all: the call to trust the good and gracious character of the God who promises to one day put all things right. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 6 of our series "God, Goodness & Suffering: The Wisdom of the Book of Job"]

Job 38-41 - All of the questions and wrestlings of Job come to a head in these chapters as God finally responds from the whirlwind. But instead of supplying answers, God introduces even more questions--questions directed to Job meant to illustrate just how incomplete Job's knowledge of the universe and capacity for justice are. But within God's humbling questions is a greater invitation: to trust the goodness of God, even when we're in pain and even when we don't understand. A sermon by Ron Friesen. [Part 5 of our series “God, Goodness & Suffering: The Wisdom of the Book of Job”]

Job 30-31 - Throughout the main body of the book of Job, Job himself is responding to his friends and calling out to God with a kind of raw, shockingly honest rhetoric that recalls the Psalms of lament. In his final speech culminating in chapter 31, Job helps us see that learning to similarly bring our laments to God is a crucial part of a healthy path through suffering that ignores neither God nor our deepest emotions. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of our series “God, Goodness & Suffering: The Wisdom of the Book of Job”]

Job 28:1-28 - A sermon by Lindsey Ponder. [Part 3 of our series “God, Goodness & Suffering: The Wisdom of the Book of Job”]