On Sunday we began a new series by reading Colossians 1v15-23 and asking the question, “What is our message to the world?” Our conviction is that the gospel is not just personal, it’s also cosmic. This is a far cry from the personal, private, gnostic American gospel that we were born into.  Because of the incarnation, salvation is neither an escape from this world or a perfection of it. It seems that the authors of the Scriptures want us to see ourselves as a part of the cosmos that is being reconciled through Christ - to love this world enough to want to participate in its restoration.  The hope of resurrection changes the way we live. We can live without fear and build with God things that will last forever. 

Advent has brought us to the birth of Christ, the celebration of Christ with us, but even after his arrival the Scriptures tell us that all is still not as it should be.   Christ has come, and He will come again, but we still live with the reality of suffering. The Scriptures call us to usher in the kingdom of God with our beautiful, suffering Savior. We don’t live for an ideal experience, we live for a person - in joy and in suffering. We know that faith pleases God so we do not shrink back when suffering comes. Our true joy comes from communion with him.  There is always beauty to be found, because Christ has made himself available to us.

During our Christmas Eve gathering this year we looked at the story of Jesus in John 1.  Because Jesus came we have hope in the midst of a troubled world and we get to carry that hope to the world.  We reflect on the fact that Christmas is a time to have hope even if the world seems dark.   We pray that as your family gathers you would remember all that Jesus did for us on the Cross, and the miracle that we serve a God who came to us.   Merry Christmas Saints' Hill

On Sunday, Pete read the Angels’ Song from Luke 2. The Angels’ Song is one of hope realized.  The angels come to the lowly shepherds to announce the good news of Christ’s birth. The Messiah is finally here, peace is available to all people. The angel chorus glorifies God for this great gift, and gives an important key for how this peace is actually obtained.  It is by our faith that God is pleased. When we entrust all of ourselves to Christ, we receive all that he is. This life of peace with God pours over into all of life, making the same gift that we received, available to all those we encounter. 

On Sunday we continued in our Advent series looking at the songs of Advent. This week we turned our attention to Mary. Luke 1v46-55 is Mary’s song. She sings because God has included her in His promise to bless the nations. She gives her yes, her surrender, so that she may participate in the fulfillment of this hope. The promise given to Mary is a part of a very old promise to Israel. God will send a Messiah to redeem his people from the curse.  The promise is unique in that it does not offer to heal the world with a political system, but with the incarnation - God inside of you, making you new. This reordering of humanity itself is what will lead to heaven on earth.

The prophecy of Zechariah in Luke 1v67-79 reframes our reality by showing us what the coming of Jesus really means, so that we can orient our lives appropriately.  The gospel is not our escape from this life nor our license to live for this world. The gospel of Jesus Christ means that eternal life begins right now.   We get to serve God without fear in righteousness and holiness through the union you have with God by the Spirit. This was God’s plan when He called Abraham and this is the hope we carry as we reflect on what the Advent season means.   We pray that you would continue to know and experience the wonderful union you have with God in Christ. 

On Sunday, Andoni reminded us of why it’s so important to keep the gospel as our North Star.   In an age of endless information, knowledge and influence we must remain aware of our need for Jesus.   In the battle for the mind, we must be conscious of what we are consuming. The only thing that will truly feed and sustain us is the Word.   We are designed to live with integrity and a single mind so that anywhere we go, our presence may suggest His.

On Sunday, we reflected on the journey Saints’ Hill has been on over the past seven years, and where we feel like God is taking us. The current shift we are feeling has led us to update our mission language, and to prepare to add a second gathering.   Our updated mission statement - friendship with God for the renewal of all things - reflects the core of our philosophy of ministry as well as what we are actually doing.  The decision to add a second gathering comes from a sense that we should be prepared to accommodate the growth that God is bringing to our town and to our family.   We are deeply grateful to God for what He has built in us over the last several years, and we are believing that He desires to give Newberg the same friendship He has so graciously given us.

Thanks for joining us as Senior Leader Alex Rettmann sits down with leaders from our church family to reflect on last Sunday’s sermon and talk about life, community, and ministry. We are praying you’re blessed!

On Sunday we wrapped up our vision series, Join the Family, with a message on the identity of a child.  God’s answer to a world filled with lack, is the establishment of a family. Abraham and his family were to trust God unto blessing the nations. This was ultimately fulfilled in Christ’s life, death and resurrection, where we now are invited to join the family of God through the blood of Jesus.  Our new identity as God’s child changes everything. We now have the security, access, and abundance of our Father. Being a part of God’s family means that you are so secure in His love that you don’t need to manipulate or control other family members to address lack. This frees you up to truly love and serve your brothers and sisters, and is the foundation of Christian community.

Thanks for joining us as Senior Leader Alex Rettmann sits down with leaders from our church family to reflect on last Sunday’s sermon and talk about life, community, and ministry. We are praying you’re blessed!

Our aim in this vision series has been to define what God is specifically doing with Saints’ Hill in this time and place, and how you can join that.   One identity we are committing to is the identity of a priest. What we learn from the Scriptures is that priests serve God on behalf of people, and serve people on behalf of God.   Therefore, the life that Jesus has for you is a life of service, rather than a personal project. We are praying that each of you, in the presence of God will learn how to leverage what he’s given you in this life, to serve and give - so that our world can taste and see Christ. 

Thanks for joining us as Senior Leader Alex Rettmann sits down with leaders from our church family to reflect on last Sunday’s sermon and talk about life, community, and ministry. We are praying you’re blessed!

This last week we continued in our vision series with a teaching on what the identity of Bride means for the people of Saints’ Hill. The Bible begins with a marriage and ends with a marriage, and everything in between is about marriage. It’s the central image of God’s desire for humanity and humanity’s need of God. We are the woman at the well in John 4, and Jesus is the groom offering us himself. He wants to detach us from our false loves so that we can experience Him as the ultimate most satisfying love. As His betrothed, our lives then ought to take the shape of longing. We pray and we worship to encounter Him, to let his love wash over us, and to pour out our devotion to Him. We pray that the identity of the bride would begin to shape how you use your time, your energy, and your attention. There is nothing more valuable than being with Him, knowing Him, and loving Him.

Thanks for joining us as Senior Leader Alex Rettmann sits down with leaders from our church family to reflect on last Sunday’s sermon and talk about life, community, and ministry. We are praying you’re blessed!

As a part of this vision series we want you to know what you can expect from us at Saints’ Hill and what we want to be able to expect from you, in other words, our social contract. Rather than a membership structure or specific requirements, our social contract is made up of a shared identity with an organizing principle.  According to the New Testament authors, there are many identities that we are afforded under Christ’s blood. We believe God has given us three to focus on as a church: child, priest, and bride. This means we do life together, we worship and pray, and we serve and give. Our organizing principle that empowers these identities is love - meaning, all of these actions are compelled by Christ’s love in us. Our prayer is that through our stewardship of these identities, we as a church would be able to serve God’s purposes for our time and place. 

Thanks for joining us as Senior Leader Alex Rettmann sits down with leaders from our church family to reflect on last Sunday’s sermon and talk about life, community, and ministry. We are praying you’re blessed!

What is Saints’ Hill trying to do to you? As we get more and more specific in this vision series, we want to talk about what our hope is for each person at Saints’ Hill.  Put simply - we want you, through friendship with God, to become completely secure in His love. When this happens, we believe that you will be filled to overflow, and that you’ll have something to give away. You’ll be able to actually do the good works He has prepared in advance for you to do.  God, make us willing to give up lesser loves and to walk the narrow road that leads to life. 

Thanks for joining us as Senior Leader Alex Rettmann sits down with leaders from our church family to reflect on last Sunday’s sermon and talk about life, community, and ministry. We are praying you’re blessed!

This last Sunday we talked about why Saints’ Hill exists. In a well-churched town, what is our unique purpose and how did we arrive there? Our founders had a conviction that Saints’ Hill needed to be a place where people could reliably encounter God. This comes from a belief that in His Presence all the right things grow and the wrong things die.  If you were made for union with God, a love encounter with Him is the greatest thing a church can provide.  Our strategy, from singing, to communion, to teaching and prayer is all aimed at seeing God face to face, being transformed by His love, and serving His purposes for our time and place.