Life is full of seasons, and this Sunday's reading from Ecclesiastes reminds us that each one has its own purpose. As a child, you may have experienced the death of a pet or grandparent. At a young age, we learn that life is temporary and will one day come to an end. This doesn’t have to be a heavy thought—it can actually free us to live more fully and faithfully in the time we’ve been given. In this final sermon in our series, Back to Basics, we ask the question, "How is God calling us to live within the time we have now?"

Remember the wonder of planting a seed in a cup at school, watching roots push down and a sprout push up? Jesus uses this same image in the parable of the sower, teaching us that His Word takes root in people’s hearts in different ways. We are not called to judge whether someone’s heart is ready—we are simply called to scatter the seeds, nurture growth, and trust God to bring the harvest. God invites us to look with wonder at His creation and at the ways He brings life and growth all around us. See you Sunday for the 4th in a series of sermons on Back to Basics.

We’ve all hit that breaking point—the moment when the pace of life feels impossible to keep up. In 1 Kings, the prophet Elijah reached that place too. He wondered if he could keep going, even to fulfill God’s calling. What do we do when we find ourselves there? This week, we’ll look at how God sustains us and gives us what we need to keep living out His mission.

On Sunday, we will explore a concept so fundamental to our teaching of young children through one of the most well known of Jesus' fables.  The story of the Good Samaritan teaches us both how to share our hearts and resources with others, but also how we should define the "others".  Join us Sunday as we continue going "Back to Basics" to re-learn some of the basic teachings of our faith.

We begin a new sermon series this Sunday that appropriately aligns with the beginning of a new school year. We are going 'Back to Basics' as we explore some of the most foundational teachings of our Christian education. This first sermon reminds us how to live in the world with the simplest guidance from Jesus and inspiration from the writings of Robert Fulghum and his book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." See you Sunday!