Community Brookside

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

This morning, we are looking at a familiar story where Jesus meets his disciples after the resurrection on the shore of a lake.

There Jesus feeds them and restores them.

Join us for worship and the word this morning.

09/06/2026

Following the Jesus Who Shows Up

It is easy to follow a Jesus we have shaped to fit our preferences. A Jesus who affirms our choices, stays quiet when we are comfortable, and only speaks when we ask Him to. But that is not the Jesus of the Gospels. The Jesus we follow is one who walks into difficult rooms on purpose. He sits with people who oppose Him. He speaks truth when silence would be easier. He disrupts what is broken so that something whole can grow in its place. He confronts those in power not out of anger, but out of love, because He wants everyone to experience the freedom that only He can give. This is the Jesus we are called to follow today. Not a tame or predictable one, but a living, active, truth-telling Savior who is still showing up at hard tables and still speaking grace into complicated lives. Following Him means being willing to go where He goes, to sit where He sits, and to carry His love into the rooms that need it most. It is not always comfortable. But it is always worth it. The same Jesus who walked into that Pharisee's home is walking with you today. Trust Him. Follow Him. He knows exactly where He is going.

Bible Verse
"When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with Him; so He went in and reclined at the table." - Luke 11:37 (New International Version (NIV))

Reflection Question
What would it look like in your daily life to follow the Jesus who shows up at hard tables, rather than a version of Jesus who only confirms what you already believe?

Sermon Quote
"That same Jesus of this radical gospel story is the same Jesus that we follow today."

Prayer
Jesus, thank You for being a Savior who does not stay at a safe distance. Give us the courage to follow You fully, into the hard places and the honest conversations, trusting that Your love leads the way. Amen.

09/05/2026

A Table With Room for Everyone

One of the most remarkable things about Jesus is where He chose to sit. He did not reserve His presence for the people who had life figured out. He did not wait for the right crowd or the comfortable setting. He sat at tables with critics, enemies, and people who were actively working against Him. He sat with people carrying burdens they could not name out loud. He sat with people hiding behind appearances, pretending everything was fine. He sat there because that is exactly where He was needed most. This is a profound picture of what the church is called to be. Not a gathering of people who have arrived, but a community that makes room for people right in the middle of their brokenness. A place where you do not have to have it all together to belong. If you are carrying something heavy today, that is not a reason to stay away. It is actually a reason to draw closer. The table Jesus sets is wide enough for all of it, and for all of you. You are welcome here, not because you are perfect, but because He is.

Bible Verse
"When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with Him; so He went in and reclined at the table." - Luke 11:37 (New International Version (NIV))

Reflection Question
Is there someone in your life who might feel like they do not belong at the table, and how might you help them experience the radical welcome of Jesus?

Sermon Quote
"Jesus's table is probably the biggest table in all the universe where Jesus invites us. People of different skin color, people of different backgrounds, people who've grown up Catholic, people who've grown up without faith. And Jesus invites us, no matter what our sins, to be together with Him."

Prayer
Lord, make us a people who reflect Your wide and generous welcome. Help us to create space for others the way You have created space for us, with grace, truth, and unconditional love. Amen.

09/04/2026

When Grace Disrupts the Room

We tend to think of grace as gentle and quiet, something that soothes and settles. And it is those things. But sometimes grace has to shake the room before it can heal it. Jesus did not play along with the Pharisee's dinner performance. He spoke directly into the dysfunction, naming the ways religious practice had become a burden rather than a blessing. He called out the love of status, the neglect of justice, and the habit of loading people down with rules while offering no real help. That kind of honesty can feel uncomfortable. But consider what Jesus was actually doing. He was refusing to let people stay stuck. He was too committed to their freedom to let the moment pass in polite silence. This is what love looks like when it is fully alive. It does not always tell us what we want to hear. It tells us what we need to hear, because it is oriented toward our wholeness, not just our comfort. If you have ever experienced a moment where truth landed hard but ultimately set something free in you, you have experienced this kind of grace. It disrupts so it can heal. It exposes so it can restore. And it always comes from a place of deep, relentless love.

Bible Verse
"When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with Him; so He went in and reclined at the table." - Luke 11:37 (New International Version (NIV))

Reflection Question
Can you think of a time when an uncomfortable truth ultimately led to growth or freedom in your life, and what did that experience teach you about grace?

Sermon Quote
"Jesus intentionally ruins this dinner. He does it on purpose because sometimes grace has to disrupt the room before it can heal the room."

Prayer
Father, give us the courage to welcome Your truth even when it disrupts our comfort. Remind us that Your grace is always working toward our freedom and restoration, not our shame. Amen.

09/03/2026

More Than a Clean Cup

Most of us are pretty good at appearances. We know how to look like we have it together, especially at church. We say the right things, show up on time, and keep the messier parts of our lives tucked safely out of sight. But Jesus has never been impressed by a polished exterior. When He sat down at the Pharisee's table, He did not ease into the conversation with pleasantries. He went straight to the heart of the issue. He told the Pharisees they were cleaning the outside of the cup while the inside was full of greed and wickedness. That is a confronting image, but it is also a compassionate one. Jesus was not trying to humiliate them. He was trying to reach them. Here is the good news in that hard truth: Jesus cares more about what is happening inside you than what you are projecting on the outside. He is not fooled by the performance, and He is not put off by the mess underneath it. He sees both, and He loves you completely. The invitation today is to stop polishing the outside and let Jesus work on the inside. That is where real transformation happens. That is where grace does its deepest work.

Bible Verse
"When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with Him; so He went in and reclined at the table." - Luke 11:37 (New International Version (NIV))

Reflection Question
What is one area of your inner life that you have been keeping polished on the outside but have not yet allowed Jesus to truly touch?

Sermon Quote
"Jesus says, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness."

Prayer
Jesus, You see past every surface and into the truth of who we are. Help us to stop hiding behind appearances and to trust You with the parts of ourselves we are most afraid to show. Amen.