Awaken Community
Teachings from the weekly worship gatherings at Awaken Community. A safe place to journey with Jesus at the center.
Episodes
Lost in Transition: Jesus & the Disciples
This week we begin a new series focussing on moments throughout scripture of significant transition. Pastor Micah start our series by looking at the instructions and encouragements that Jesus gives to his disciples in the final chapters of Mark's gospel: Love one another, remain in me, and take heart.
Beyond the Map: Beyond Barriers
Pastor Micah finishes our series going Beyond the Map by looking at Acts 10 and the story of Peter and Cornelius. In this encounter, Peter is directly confronted with the definition he has been given of what it means to follow God, and called to walk beyond it into a new, more inclusive, definition.
Beyond the Map: Be Reasonable
We welcome Benny Roberts, Executive Director of Halle Q. Brown Community Center, to share with us today. Benny speaks on Romans 12 and Paul's comments that, in light of all that God has given to be in relationship with us, giving all that we are in-kind is simply the most reasonable course of action.
Beyond the Map: Do You See the Refugee?
Guest Speaker Tom Albinson joins Awaken to discuss Acts 18:1-3, when the Apostle Paul visits one of the Jewish people that were forced to leave Rome. Tom shares stories from his work assisting refugees and invites us to consider how the greatest commandment can help us stay rooted in the work of seeing those displaced persons around us and abroad as our beloved neighbors.
Beyond the Map: Holding Back
Pastor Micah observes Acts 4:32-5:11 when Ananias and Sapphira drop dead for withholding resources from the community. He explores some of the reasons we might hold ourselves back from participating fully and vulnerably in sacred community.
Beyond the Map: By Whose Power?
Pastor Micah continues an exploration of Acts by looking at a moment where Peter and John face imprisonment for healing a man at the temple. How might our perception of power and authority shift when we consider how Jesus and his followers interact with the leaders in the temple?
Beyond the Map: Towers, Tongues, and Brad Pitt
Awaken begins a new series called "Beyond the Map" where we will explore places in scripture where the Spirit seems to be leading the followers of Jesus outside their categories for understanding God into a more expansive way of thinking and behaving. Pastor Micah starts with Pentecost Sunday and Luke's reworking of old stories in a new context.
The Long Road: Be With Me
Pastor Micah discusses the another aspect of faith that can be helpful along the journey; the practice of being WITH Jesus. In Mark 3:7-14, Jesus calls his disciples to “be with him” and THEN he sends them out. How do each of us uniquely experience the divine? Micah invites us into a practice of being present with God in whatever ways are most accessible to us.
The Long Road: We Make the Way by Walking
Pastor Micah explores Luke 24:13-35 and the moment the disciples become aware of Jesus presence in their midst. They are made aware because of their lived experiences with an embodied Jesus, not because they had all the right answers about God. This is the life of faith - taking one next right step, in community, leaning on our past experiences, in the hope that healing and incarnation will draw c
The Long Road: The Plumb Line
Guest speaker Stephanie Spencer visits Awaken again to discuss the concept of justice by looking at a plumb line and how it is used in tandem with a measuring line and a cornerstone to build structures in the ancient world. How do these simple building tools help us understand what it looks like to reconstruct our spiritual lives?
The Long Road: A New Pair of Glasses
Pastor Micah discusses the parable of the mustard seed and the fact that this particular plant was considered a weed. How might this context change the way we view the journey of faith...and weeds.
The Long Road: Community & Generosity
Pastor Micah continues the series by looking at Numbers 2 and the tabernacle to understand the importance of living in connected community. People gathered around the tabernacle in a circle wherein they could see the one another face to face with the spirit of God between them at the center. They would bring whatever they had to offer with a glad heart for the sake of the collective. How might we
The Long Road: Sin and Brokenness
Awaken begins another series focused on rebuilding the foundations of faith after an unburdened series that unpacked unhelpful ideas within the evangelical tradition. Pastor Micah kicks things off with a discussion on sin and brokenness.
Unburdened: Letting Go of Scapegoat Theology
Pastor Micah delivers his final Easter message by looking at Jesus as the last scapegoat, breaking the cycle of redemptive violence that has become so normalized throughout human history.
Unburdened: Letting Go of Comfort
Awaken's Director of Spiritual Formation, Cathy Solomon, delivers a refreshing exploration of the ways comfort has been used within white evangelical religious spaces as a means of avoidance. What does it look like to enter into discomfort for the sake of spiritual growth and connectedness to ourselves and our neighbors?
Unburdened: Letting Go of American Exceptionalism
Pastor Micah unpacks the consequences of American Exceptionalism and Colonialism embedded within the Christian church. What does it look like to unearth, address, and let go of colonialism within our religious context?
Unburdened: Letting Go of the Rapture
Pastor Micah discusses yet another major belief in modern western christianity, the rapture. He unpacks what it is, where it's found in scripture (if at all), and how it gained such a significant following. By looking at the real world implications of such a belief, Micah encourages us to let go of escapism and be reminded of partnering with God on this earth here and now.
Unburdened: Letting Go of Purity Culture
Pastor Jenna and Micah are co-teaching for the first time in Awaken's history on the impact of purity culture in the evangelical landscape. They unpack the shame and guilt that came with viewing our bodies as sinful first, while inviting us to consider what it would look like to let go of the binaries that exist within that framework.
Unburdened: Letting Go of Evangelism
Awaken begins a new lenten series called "unburdened" that explores concepts in faith that have been given to us that we are encouraged to unpack and consider releasing from our experience of Christianity. Pastor Micah kicks off the series by discussing how we might let go of a version of evangelism that places so much emphasis on certainty, the after life, and our personal responsibility for anot
7 Days of Creation: Day Seven - Rest
Pastor Micah closes out the series by discussing day seven, the first day humans exist; a day of rest. Day seven symbolizes completion, celebration, and renewal. Rest is not the end but the rhythm that allows everything else to begin again.
7 Days of Creation: Day Six - Humanity and Animals
Pastor Micah discusses our series of the seven days of creation by looking at day six, Genesis 1:24-31. Day six represents relationship and purpose. Creation becomes relational. Within God is the fullness of all humanity and we are invited to embrace it for ourselves and see it in one another.
7 Days of Creation: Day Five - Birds and Fish
Pastor Micah unpacks Genesis 1:20-23 and the way it can symbolize creativity, movement, and abundance.
After four days of preparation in the hope God would move, life flourishes in day five when we participate with God in creating beauty.
7 Days of Creation: Day Four - Sun, Moon, and Stars
Guest speaker Steph Spencer from 40 Orchards delivers a deep dive into the significance of day four during a season in the world where the need for people to participate is so important. How do we engage from a place of grounding rooted in love for our neighbors?
7 Days of Creation: Day Three - Land and Vegetation
Pastor Jenna unpacks the third day of creation in Genesis by looking at the generative nature of good in a world that seems desolate and void.
7 Days of Creation: Day Two - Sky and Water
After a difficult week in MSP, Pastor Micah continues our exploration of the seven days of creation by looking at day two symbolizing separation and space-making. New life often requires creating space — between old and new, chaos and order, what was and what’s coming.
7 Days of Creation: Day One - Light
January 4th, 2025 - Awaken begins another new series on the first seven days of creation. Pastor Micah opens the series by looking at Genesis 1:1-5 and light being named into existence. Every new beginning starts when the lights come on and you begin to see something you couldn’t before — about God, yourself, or your situation.
December 24_Advent as Resistance: Light
Pastor Micah delivers his last Christmas message to Awaken by taking a look at the theme of light throughout scripture. It's a promise in the midst of darkness, but what would it look like if we received light as the gift that it is and saw ourselves as a light worthy of sharing with others? Merry Christmas to you all!
December 21_Advent as Resistance: Love
Pastor Jenna discusses how love can be a response to fear and hate by looking at some of the complexities facing our city today. In the same breath, during this holiday season, how can we view love as action, choice, and a simple acknowledgment of God's presence in each of our lives.
December 14_Advent as Resistance: Joy
Pastor Micah continues the Advent as Resistance series by looking at the complexity of joy in a world that seems absent of it.
December 7_Advent as Resistance: Peace
Pastor Micah traces the threads of two Hebrew words, shamar and shalom, as they appear throughout scripture. Their significance and connection can be found in the simple, yet deeply consequential question, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
November 30_Advent as Resistance: Hope
Pastor Micah discusses hope as resistance to empire by looking at the complexity, difficulty, and necessity of hope in a world that seems lost in brokenness and violence.
November 23_Song of Blessing: All Around and Deep Inside
Pastor Micah closes out the series on the song of blessing by looking at the ways God surrounds us and can be found within us at all times if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
November 16_Song of Blessing: Ears to Hear Their Loving Voice
Pastor Micah continues the Song of Blessing series by discussing the next stanza, May God give you ears to hear Their loving voice. He uses 1 Samuel 3:1-10 & Matthew 3:13-17 to unpack God's heart towards us and their desire speak to us alongside our desire to hear more intently.
November 9_Song of Blessing: Courage for Anything
Pastor Micah elaborates on the song of blessing series by discussing Joshua in the Bible. Joshua inherits an impossible task — leading people into the unknown. God’s command, “Be strong and courageous,” isn’t about muscle; it’s about trust. Courage doesn’t mean not feeling afraid. It means choosing love over fear again and again.
November 2_Song of Blessing: May God Give You Eyes to See
Awaken begins a new series looking at the lyrics and significance of the Song of Blessing that we sing over the kids each week. Pastor Jenna kicks off the series by looking at the first stanza, "May God give you eyes to see all that is good." She points us to Genesis 13:10-18 when Abram and Lot look out over the land.
October 26_Theology of Place: Jonah and Nineveh
Pastor Micah discusses Jonah 1:1-17 and the idea that God’s love extends even to the places and people we’d rather exclude.
October 19_Theology of Place: Watch the Party Die
Guest speaker Tamice Namae graces Awaken with her presence and looks at Jeremiah 29:1–14
through the lens of the Kendrick and Drake beef.
October 12_Theology of Place: "Here I Am" an Update from Pastor Micah
Pastor Micah discusses Exodus 3 and Moses saying Here I Am. He provides an update to the congregation with his own experience of Hineni.
October 5_Theology of Place: How Geography Shapes Faith
Awaken begins another new series exploring the impact that geography has on communities of faith. Pastor Micah begins by looking at Acts 17:16-34 and the apostle Paul engaging with different cultures. The gospel is spacious enough to engage culture with respect, curiosity, and creativity.
September 28_Mission Statement: Renewal of All Things
Pastor Micah closes the series by looking at 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 where newness in Christ brings reconciliation to the world around us.
September 21_Mission Statement: Partner with God
Awaken begins its new series on the church mission statement: We exist to partner with God in the renewal of all things. Pastor Jenna continues the series by tethering us to the practicality of partnering by looking at how the Israelites were invited into partnership with God through the formation of the tabernacle in Exodus 35.
September 14_Mission Statement: We Exist
Awaken begins its new series on the church mission statement: We exist to partner with God in the renewal of all things. Micah kicks things off by digging into the purpose behind our existence and the why behind what we are doing together.
September 7_Lost in Translation: Flint Knives and Foreskins
Sheesh, how's that for a title? Pastor Micah takes on a weird story in Exodus 4:18-26 where Moses finds himself in a threshold moment of leaving behind who he's been, to walk into the new thing that God has invited him into.
August 31_Lost in Translation: Penal Substitutionary Atonement
Pastor Micah tackles penal substitutionary atonement this week by looking at Hebrews 9:18-22.
August 24_Lost in Translation: Pruning
Awaken gathered in Highland Park this Sunday and Pastor Micah discussed John 15 and a framework for pruning that involves love and care for the growth that we all are invited to.
August 17_Lost in Translation: Sabbath
Pastor Micah is back from sabbatical to discuss Mark 2:27-28, "Man is not made for the sabbath but sabbath was for man. What does it mean to rest and "sabbath"? "
July 27_The Questions of Jesus: "How Many Loaves Do You Have?"
Pastor Jenna discusses Matthew 15:29-39 when the disciples are finding there is not enough food to provide for the crowds that are gathering. Jesus asks a simple question that carries weight when given a deeper look.
July 20_The Questions of Jesus: What Are You Looking For?
Guest speaker Steve Wiens takes the stage by exploring John 1:35-42 when Jesus asks, "What are you looking for?"
July 13_The Questions of Jesus: Do You See This Woman?
Guest Speaker Julia Holtze discusses Luke 7:36-50 and the question "Do you see this woman?". Julia eloquently discusses the importance of "seeing" others through a lens of forgiveness, grace, and mercy.
July 6_The Questions of Jesus: What Reward Will You Get?
Pastor Jenna brings us into an exploration of Matthew 5:43-48 where Jesus asks, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?" Jenna tells beautiful stories of her peacemaking training in Ireland and the importance of breaking the cycles of dehumanization that have existed throughout human history.
June 29_The Questions of Jesus: Who Do You Say That I Am?
Guest speaker Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs addresses the question Jesus asks in Matthew 16, "Who do you say that I am?"
June 22_The Questions of Jesus: Faith Beyond Zealots and Heretics
Judy Howard Peterson is with us for a part two discussion of last weeks message. This week she looks at Matthew 26:47-56, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?". There are so many biblical interpretations of this passage leading to every different aspects of theology. How do we hold the reality that Judas was one of the twelve that Jesus specificall
June 15_The Questions of Jesus: Life Beyond Text and Tradition
Guest speaker Judy Howard Peterson brings a prophetic word in the midst of a tumultuous season across the globe. She addresses Jesus question in Matthew 12:1-14 "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath will you not take hold of it and lift it out?" She invites us to experience life beyond the text and tradition.
June 8_The Questions of Jesus: What do you want me to do for you?
Awaken's own Cathy Solomon delivers her first Sunday morning sermon in a perfectly Cathy way. She addresses Mark 10:46-52 when Jesus asks the question to Bartimeaus: "What do you want me to do for you?"
June 1_The Questions of Jesus: Do you love me?
Our guest speaker this week is a former Awakenite Jae Bates who unpacks John 21:15-19 by looking at the narrative of Peter's life and the ways he has denied those parts of himself that Jesus has invited him to lean into and accept. In what ways are we invited to step into who we truly are?
May 25_The Questions of Jesus: Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy
Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy discusses John 5:1-9 and the question "Do you want to be made well?" She navigates the complexities of healing work as someone with indigenous roots and brings emphasis to how we hold, honor and move through sacred wounds in colonized spaces.
May 18_Encounters: Feed My Sheep
Pastor Micah closes out the Encounters series by bringing us to John 21:1-17 and the moment Jesus meets Peter on the shore after resurrection. Peter, in the aftermath of his failure and shame is brought back into the mission Jesus invites all of us into; feed my sheep.
May 11_Encounters: Some Worshipped, Some Doubted
Pastor Micah continues the Encounters series by looking at Mattew 28:16-20. The disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to see Jesus and when they saw him, some worshipped and some doubted.
May 4_Encounters: The Road to Damascus
Pastor Micah continues the Encounters series with Acts 9:1-19 where Paul is confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. Micah discusses the context of Paul's conversion and the significance of Ananias's actions and our invitation to embody peacemaking in a similar way.
April 27_Encounters: Mary at the Tomb
Awaken opens up a new series called Encounters where we look at examples of people's interactions with the resurrected Christ and unpack what it means for us as a community. Micah begins with John 20:11-18 and Mary's interaction with the gardener who is revealed to be Jesus.
April 20_Easter: Resurrection is Interruption
Awaken gathers for its first Easter Sunday in the new building. Pastor Micah discusses Matthew 27-28 and the subversion of expectations throughout the resurrection story, including the many holy bodies that are raised to life in verses 51-53.
April 13_Lectionary: Letting Go
Pastor Micah discusses Philippians 2:1-11 and the importance of love within a community. This passage connects back to the Garden of Eden and the posture of letting go as we enter into continued relationship with God and one another.
April 6_Lectionary: The Wilderness, the Wanderer, and the Way
Wild Fig Network's Executive Director, Eugene Kim visits Awaken to walk us through the Israelites experience of empire in Isaiah 43. He points us to examples of resistance that have formed the basis of christian thought and God's heart towards all marginalized people.
March 30_Lectionary: The Prodigal Son
Pastor Jenna takes the stage again to walk us through Luke 15 and the story of the prodigal son, this time highlighting the complexities of repair work when we experience brokenness in relationship.
March 23_Lectionary: Prophecy
Micah takes us through Isaiah 55 and the prophets reminder of the vision God has for the world around us, one of abundance and partnership in making that vision our reality.
March 16_Lectionary: Covenant
Micah explores Genesis 15 and the meaning of the word "covenant" and why this word/idea is so important to the biblical story. Where can we find significance in the fact that God chooses to be in committed formal relational partnership(s) with humanity despite knowing the outcome and tendencies.
March 9_Lectionary: Jesus in the Wilderness
Awaken enters the season of Lent by bringing us into the wilderness experience Jesus has in Luke 4.
March 2_Where the End Begins: Altars - Part Two
After a six week hiatus to focus on the big move, Awaken is meeting again on Sunday mornings. Micah brings us back to the story of Jacob and invites to consider how hope and imagination can pull us into a future we might not be able to see at the present moment.
January 19_Where the End Begins: Altars
Awaken ends its time at St James by discussing the role and significance of the altar in Jacob's story. What does it mean to mark a moment in time and how does God meet us as we set up our own altars in this time of transition?
January 12_Where the End Begins: God Can't
This is the second to last Sunday at St James and Micah takes another approach to Genesis 28 by discussing the significance of being surprised by God's presence and staying curious about the places and people we will come into contact with in our new church home.
January 5_Where the End Begins: Jacob and Fish
Micah kicks off a final series for our time at St James. He opens by discussing the ways God is with us in the midst of transition by looking at Jacob's life. Also, in classic Micah fashion he gives a beautiful illustration of fish.
December 22_Awake in the Waiting: Longing
Pastor Jenna brings our Advent series to a close in preparation for Christmas Eve. She walks us through the ways the evangelical understanding of longing can be counter productive to an otherwise important revealing that can happen through our longings.
December 15_Awake in the Waiting: Waiting
Micah processes the importance of waiting and the through line that we can see through scripture. It's in the waiting that things are exposed and produced within us.
December 8_Awake in the Waiting: Crying Out
Micah discusses Exodus 1:1-18 & 2:23-25 when the Israelites cried out and God heard, saw, listened, knew them. In the same way that Jesus modeled what it means to be human, we are met by God in the moments when we can acknowledge and embrace our limitations and struggles.
December 1_Awake in the Waiting: Darkness
Awaken begins a new series through our last Advent season at St James. Micah kicks the series off by discussing the significance of darkness and the ways God shows up alongside us as a midwife is present to those birthing new life into the world.
November 24_Take Heart: Searching the Psalms
Micah closes out the Take Heart series by looking at Psalm 27 to help us navigate the difficulty of balancing hope for the world and the harsh realities we have to be reconciled to.
November 17_Take Heart: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Micah talks through the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3 and invites Awaken into the work of civil disobedience in the name of sacrificial love for others.
November 10_Take Heart: Calm in the Storm
Micah brings us to Mark 6:45-52 when Jesus appears to the disciples in the midst of a storm on the sea. He points us to the ways that Jesus has proven himself a presence of peace and comfort to those in distress.
November 3_Take Heart: I Have Overcome The World
Awaken starts a new series this month as we find ourselves in a tumultuous political season. Micah kicks things off by adding context to Jesus words in John 16:33, "take heart for I have overcome the world". What does it mean to find peace in the midst of anxiety and uncertainty?
October 27_Wells and Fences: Peacemakers
The Wells and Fences series comes to a close with a powerful message from Micah as we near Election Day. What does it mean to be a peacemaker? How do we do this for even those we might find ourselves at odds with? We can't make peace in the world if we haven't made peace within ourselves.
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