What if true renewal begins with surrender? John Wesley’s prayer for covenant renewal is a powerful reminder to shift our focus away from ourselves and toward obedience and surrender to God.  Reflection Questions:1. What w...

This week on Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho kick off our new series on history’s most powerful prayers by diving into the Wesley Covenant Prayer—a bold act of surrender that still hits hard today. They reflect on how this...

What if God’s intent is to deliver us from evil, not use it? The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that God stands against evil, desiring our deliverance. The final line is a benedictory alleluia, declaring that all of who we are belongs to God, for all...

This week, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho wrap up our series on the Lord’s Prayer by asking a surprising question: why do we say a final line that doesn’t actually appear in scripture? They explore how tradition, worship, and scripture have...

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Mat Hotho and Pastor Magrey deVega reflect on Sunday’s message and get personal about their own prayer lives. What does it look like to pray when you’re not sure what to say — or when you’re not even sure y...

What if everything we need is already provided? God guides us away from anything that hinders our relationship with Him. These words remind us of God’s providence and His call for us to co-create with Him.Reflection Questions:1. Whi...

This week, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho kick off a new worship series exploring the Lord’s Prayer—one of the most familiar, yet deeply profound, prayers in scripture. They reflect on how this short prayer invites us to see God more intima...

The Lord’s Prayer reminds us of this critical but often forgotten truth: It’s not about us. We are not the center of the universe, and all we are and do should be centered in the worship and praise of God. Reflection Questions:...

What if the church is more than a destination? On Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel, saying that young people would see visions and older ones would dream dreams. That dream lives on in us as we carry out God’s mission in a changing world, reminding...

This week, Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans and Mat Hotho reflect on the meaning of Pentecost—a celebration of the Holy Spirit’s power to comfort, challenge, and send us into the world with boldness and love. From vibrant symbols of global unity to ...

This week, Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans and Mat Hotho reflect on the meaning of Pentecost—a celebration of the Holy Spirit’s power to comfort, challenge, and send us into the world with boldness and love. From vibrant symbols of global unity to ...

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho kick off our new series Hearts of Fire by exploring how spiritual practices help us stay balanced in seasons of change. From the disciples watching Jesus ascend, to becomi...

What if we all embraced the power to be witnesses? On Ascension Sunday, we hear Jesus’ promise to the disciples: they would receive the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses, near and far. This service invites us to reclaim that evangelical spirit, w...

In this final episode of our series on emotions, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho explore the complex emotion of nostalgia—how it helps us remember, reflect, and grow. They unpack the biblical tension between “remembering” and “listening,” an...

The character Nostalgia does not get much screen time in the film Inside Out 2, but it is a significant and regular aspect of our personality and emotional makeup. The capacity to remember the past with fondness can be a gift. Indeed, the Bible...

“Anxiety” is the newest character addition to the Inside Out films and is the one that most resonated with people who viewed it. Throughout the Bible, people exhibited worry, from the Israelites wandering in the wilderness to the disciples who ...

Go behind the scenes of a powerful moment from our recent event with psychologist Dr. Erica Clarke. In her talk "Decoding Your Emotions," she unpacks how understanding our feelings can lead to healthier relationships, stronger self-awa...

What do you do when something makes you angry—not just annoyed, but deep-in-your-body angry? In this week’s episode, Justin and Mat unpack what it means to recognize and work through our anger without letting it consume us. Mat shares ...

What if anger isn’t the issue, but how we channel it? Anger itself isn’t sinful. The key is being angry at the right things and directing it toward positive action, just as Jesus and the Bible show us. Reflection Questions:

This week, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho open up about their personal experiences growing up with emotions like fear, sadness, and anxiety. From emotional suppression to learning how to feel and express emotions in a healthy way, this epis...

What if grief is not something to escape but something to navigate? Grief is the shadow side of love—we only grieve what we have loved. Avoiding grief means avoiding attachment, which is not an option in the human experience. The question isn’t...

In this joyful episode of Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho celebrate Holy Humor Sunday, a tradition rooted in the idea that Easter is God's ultimate "gotcha" moment against evil. They kick off a new series on emotions by di...

What if joy isn’t about circumstances but about strength? True joy is anchored in the unwavering truth that God is our strength, no matter what we face. Reflection Questions:1. What does it mean for you to have healthy emotions...

In the most personal and poignant resurrection encounter in the gospels, Jesus appeared to Mary in the garden and revealed himself once he spoke aloud her name. The work of resurrection in us begins with recognizing our identity in Christ as a ...

Journey into the drama of Holy Week through "Sarah's Story," a dramatic re-imagining of the last days of Jesus' life through the eyes of Sarah, a first-century woman who was close to the events of Good Friday and Holy Saturday.