Ekklesia Church at Raleigh
Our highest hope is embodied in Jesus’s prayer: ‘Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ These words remind us that God’s Kingdom is not a distant future but present reality, calling us into discipleship.As Luke Timothy Johnson writes, the Church is to be ‘a sacrament of the world’s possibility. A sign of what the world can be.’ We aspire to fulfill this by loving radically, inclusively, and generously—embracing all regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, ethnicity, marital status, or disability.
The Ten Commandments: Part 1 - No Other Gods (4/27/2025)
Today we begin our new sermon series on the Ten Commandments with a discussion about "covenant" as well as the first commandment. Is having no other gods before God an ancient and irrelevant command? Or is it still as relevant as ever?
Seven Last Words: Part 7 - Easter Sunday! (4/20/2025)
What does it mean to 'proclaim Christ's death' on a day when we celebrate resurrection? This Easter message explores how the cross and empty tomb challenge us with what should — and should not — be resurrected in us.
Seven Last Words: Part 6 - It Is Finished (4/13/2025)
Jesus’s last words on the cross in the gospel of John are, “It is finished.” In Greek, this is just a single word: tetelestai. What can this word, along with a tree in New York City, teach us about the Gospel?
Seven Last Words: Part 5 - I Thirst (4/6/2025)
Jesus' words from the cross, "I thirst," fulfill a vengeful Psalm of David in an unexpected way, bringing humanity's storyline of violence and retaliation to an end. Through the cross, Christ forges a new path — one of reconciliation and healing. How can we step deeper into this new path?
Seven Last Words: Part 4 - Here is Your Son, Here is Your Mother (3/30/2025)
Today, our saying from the cross is, "Here is your son, here is your mother." This saying can feel out of place among the other quotes from the psalms, symbolic statements, and deeply theological words from the cross. But it’s that simplicity and domesticity that actually makes it so important. Additionally, we shone a spotlight on one of our campus partners, The Bridge International, to learn about their important work with survivors of human trafficking.
Seven Last Words: Part 3 - Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit (3/23/2025)
When Jesus said "Into your hands I commit my spirit" from the cross, he wasn't improvising — he was drawing on prayers that had shaped him his entire life. Our daily practices aren't just things we do; they're shaping who we become and how we respond to what life throws at us.
Seven Last Words: Part 2 - Today, You Will Be With Me in Paradise (3/16/2025)
This Sunday we discuss Jesus’s words to the “criminal” being crucified next to him. This interaction has many historical, spiritual, and theological resonances. But perhaps the thing we need to hear most from this is the intimate and personal.
Seven Last Words: Part 1 - Father, Forgive Them (3/9/2025)
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." These words from Jesus on the cross invite us into a deeper understanding of both the grace and challenge embedded in authentic forgiveness.
The Lord's Prayer: Part 9 - The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory (3/2/2025)
This Sunday, we conclude our series on the Lord‘s prayer with the doxology. What does this section about the kingdom, the power, and the glory, which appears in some versions of the Lord‘s prayer but not others, teach us about the church and ourselves?
The Lord's Prayer: Part 8 - Deliver Us From Evil (2/23/2025)
From movie villains to social media algorithms, evil takes many forms. In this exploration of the Lord’s Prayer’s plea for deliverance from evil, we examine how Jesus’ wilderness temptations reveal evil’s true nature and favorite temptations. What does this ancient prayer teach us about modern struggles with power, influence, and the seductive promise of Kingdom without cross?
