October 04, 2026
Sermon Series: Spaces
Pastor Jeff Manion continues our Spaces series by exploring the Wilderness. As Israel faces three crises in the wilderness, we see how the wilderness can become a place where faith grows or goes to die. We discover that Jesus entered the wilderness in Luke 4 and obeyed where Israel failed, and his faithfulness is credited to us. Whether we're grieving, waiting, or facing an unexpected season, we're challenged to guard our hearts against complaint and replace it with gratitude, anticipation, and trust. The wilderness can be the very place where God does some of his greatest work in our lives.
Continue the conversation by exploring the Sermon Guide for reflection and practical next steps, or spend time with our Devotionals to carry God's Word with you throughout the week.
Pastor Aaron Buer begins our Spaces series by exploring what it means to trust God in unfamiliar spaces. We discover that faith isn't a blind leap but confident trust in God's unchanging character and promises, even without knowing every detail of the path ahead. We learn that God calls us to radical dependence on him rather than self-reliance. We are challenged to trust and depend on God in the unfamiliar spaces we find ourselves.
Pastor Aaron Buer continues our Spaces series by exploring Jeremiah's powerful imagery of the spring, the cistern, and the river to answer one question: where do you get your water? We discover that those who trust in the Lord are like a tree planted by streams of water, remaining fruitful and unafraid even in seasons of drought. We learn that our hearts are prone to forsake God, the spring of living water, and dig our own broken cisterns that can never hold what we need. We are challenged to sink our roots into God through his Word, trusting that Jesus alone offers the living water that transforms everything it touches, even turning dead places into places teeming with life.
Pastor Aaron Buer continues our Spaces series by exploring three encounters on the road—the lake path, the desert road, and the Damascus road—to reveal what it truly means to follow Jesus. We discover that Jesus doesn't invite us to bring him along on our journey but calls us to leave our path and follow his, becoming disciples who think, talk, and live like Jesus. We learn that God relentlessly pursues outsiders, moving toward anyone who takes even a small step toward him, just as he did with the Ethiopian eunuch on the desert road. We are challenged to embrace our identity as both disciples and witnesses, recognizing that wherever we are and whatever we do, our role in Jesus's mission is to serve and testify to who he is.
Pastor Aaron Buer continues our Spaces series by exploring The Sea, the space of fear, through three scenes from Mark's Gospel. We discover that when a furious storm leaves seasoned fishermen feeling powerless, the answer isn't to stop the fear but to remember who is in the boat with us. We learn that the same Jesus who calms the chaos also has power over spiritual darkness and over death itself, freeing a man held by a legion of demons and raising a little girl to life. We are challenged to respond to Jesus with reverence and awe by trusting him, worshiping him, and obeying him, even when fear feels overwhelming.
Pastor Aaron Buer concludes our Spaces series by exploring The Temple, tracing God’s heart to dwell with his people from Eden to the cross and beyond. We discover that Adam and Eve were created first to know and enjoy God in the garden, and that God later asked for a tabernacle and temple so he could “dwell among them.” We learn that sin brought “access denied,” but when the temple curtain tore from top to bottom at Jesus’s death, it became “access granted” to everyone who trusts him. We are challenged to live as the temple of the living God, turning from whatever doesn’t reflect his presence in us.
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Following Jesus isn’t a single moment. It’s a lifelong journey. In this three-week series, we’ll explore what it looks like to trust and surrender to Jesus, become more like him in community, and live generously, serve one another, and share the gospel. Wherever you’re starting from, there’s a next step for you.
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