The Life and Way of Jesus: Defying Expectations

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, June 4, 2023

As we’ve just learned in our Emotionally Healthy Relationships series, unmet expectations are the root of all disappointment. And boy, were people ever disappointed with Jesus. This week, Ryan opens a new series in the book of Mark, which shows a Jesus who is a lot different from the warrior king that people expected in the first century – and also a lot different from how we think of Jesus today.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Gospel Jesus Preached

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, June 18, 2023

Each of us probably has something slightly different come to mind when we hear the word gospel. What was the gospel according to Jesus? And what did He mean by the Kingdom of God? Ryan continues our series in Mark with an in-depth look at Jesus’ words as He began His ministry.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Discipleship According to Jesus

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, June 25, 2023

If you grew up in the church, the word “Christian” might mean something very simple to you – praying the Sinner’s Prayer, believing certain things, trying to be good most of the time, going to church now and again. But the word “Christian” is not used very often in Scripture, and never by Jesus; he didn’t have Christians. He had disciples. Today, from Mark 1-3, Ryan helps us understand what discipleship meant to Jesus.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Life in the Kingdom

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, July 2, 2023

From Mark 1:21-34, Ryan continues our series in Mark (The Life and Way of Jesus) with a look at what life in the Kingdom of God actually looks like.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Prayer and Leprosy

Bryan Cobley | Sunday, July 23, 2023

Bryan Cobley continues our series on The Life and Way of Jesus with a message on Mark 1:35-45.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Healing Authority

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, July 30, 2023

From Mark 2:1-12, it’s the story of the paralytic lowered through the roof to Jesus, and what it means to rest in Jesus’ healing authority.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Seeing Others Like Jesus Does

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, August 6, 2023

From Mark 2:13-17, it’s the story of the calling of Levi, how easy it us for us to see others through labels and groups, how Jesus saw people differently, and how we can too.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Embracing the Change Jesus Brings

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, August 13, 2023

In Mark’s gospel (2:18-22), Jesus explains why his disciples don’t fast, and then … launches into a series of metaphors about old and new things. What’s He talking about? Pastor Ryan explains.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Problem with Spirtuality Drift

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, August 20, 2023

Today, the final two conflict stories between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day – and a prime example of what it looks like for a group of people to drift away from their original purpose. From Mark 2:23 - 3:6, Ryan continues our series The Life and Way of Jesus.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Unforgivable Sin

Bryan Cobley | Sunday, September 3, 2023

Bryan continues our series on The Life and Way of Jesus with a message from Mark 3 about the one sin that Jesus said was unforgivable. What is it… and could we be guilty of it?

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Parable of the Sower

Scott Hetherington | Sunday, October 8, 2023

Scott brings us back to the book of Mark with a message resuming our series The Life and Way of Jesus. Today, from Mark 4, it’s the parable of the sower, and some tough questions about whether we’re letting Jesus tell us who He is … or just trying to recreate Him in our own image.

The Life and Way of Jesus: A Lamp, a Seed, a Grain of Mustard

Bryan Cobley | Sunday, October 15, 2023

Bryan Cobley continues our series The Life and Way of Jesus with a message from Mark 4 and a series of parables: a lamp under a basket, a seed growing, a single grain of mustard.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Autostereograms, Storms, and Jesus

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, October 22, 2023

The story of Jesus calming the storm is often thought of as a metaphor for the way He can calm storms in our lives. But, like a Magic Eye image, the details tell second story, too, bigger than the first. Ryan explains in today’s message on Mark 4.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Legion

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, October 29, 2023

This week, a story that couldn’t be better timed for Halloween, featuring a graveyard, chains, blood, a legion of demons, and a man who proves that absolutely no one is beyond Jesus’ redeeming power.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Authority of Jesus

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, November 5, 2023

Today, the story of two incredible, and parallel, healings, and one question: if this Jesus is who He says He is, how then should I respond?

The Life and Way of Jesus: Trust in Jesus

Bryan Cobley | Sunday, November 19, 2023

To some Jesus is a stumbling stone; to others, He is the Cornerstone. Today Bryan Cobley continues our series The Life and Way of Jesus with a message from Mark 6 and asks the simple question: are you trusting Jesus?

The Life and Way of Jesus: Jesus Does a 5K

Alison Acone | Sunday, November 26, 2023

Alison continues our series The Life and Way of Jesus with a fresh take on the familiar story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 – the only miracle, other than the Resurrection, to be recorded in all 4 gospels.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Trouble with Tunnel Vision

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, February 4, 2024

From Mark 6:45-52: the story of Jesus walking on water. If you’ve been going to church for a while, you’ve probably heard this story a thousand times. But … why did Jesus walk on water? And how did the disciples keep missing the point? And why do we? Ryan explains.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Jesus and the Law

Alison Acone | Sunday, February 11, 2024

Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? […] What comes out of a person defiles him." – Mark 7:17-20

From Mark 7, Alison speaks about Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees, the Law, legalism, our hearts, our insides, our outsides, and (of course) Taylor Swift.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Gatekeeping

Bryan Cobley | Sunday, February 18, 2024

Today, Bryan challenges those of us who can be controlling, tells the story of how Jesus confronted some gatekeepers, and answers a very difficult question: did Jesus really call someone a dog?

The Life and Way of Jesus: Spiritual Deafness

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, February 25, 2024

In today’s message from Mark 7:31-37, obstacles are encountered, obstacles are surmounted, Ryan makes the mistake of flying on Spirit Airlines, and Jesus heals a deaf man.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Importance of Seeing Reality Rightly

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, March 3, 2024

Today’s message, from Mark 8:1-21, is about how the disciples repeatedly failed to see reality as it really was, and why … sometimes … we do too.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Defying Expectations, Part 2

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, March 10, 2024

We opened the Life and Way of Jesus series with a message about Jesus’s tendency to defy everyone’s expectations. Today, Jesus is back at it… healing a blind man with some spit (and only … halfway healing him at first?!), saying Get behind me, Satan! to the man who had just made the most famous confession of faith in history, and telling everyone not to tell anyone who he really is.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Take Up Your Cross

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, March 17, 2024

Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and because of the gospel will save it."

– Mark 8:34

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Transfiguration

Alison Acone | Sunday, April 7, 2024

From Mark 9:2-13, Alison shares a fresh perspective on Moses and Elijah’s appearance at the Transfiguration, and how, in our deepest valleys, it can build our faith.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Life in the Valley

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, May 5, 2024

Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!"

– Mark 9:24

Today, from Mark 9:14-29, a valley follows the mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration. Can we bring our doubts to Jesus? … And what happens when following Jesus feels like it’s making things worse?

The Life and Way of Jesus: Disorientation

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, May 12, 2024

This week in the book of Mark (9:30-37), the disciples hear Jesus plainly foretell his own death, and they respond to this shocking news by … arguing about which of them is the greatest. They were, in a word, disoriented. What can we learn from periods of disorientation in our lives?

The Life and Way of Jesus: On Jesus' Side

Bryan Cobley | Sunday, May 19, 2024

From Mark 9:38-50, the story of the disciples’ confrontation with others who were casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and Jesus’ warning for those who would lead others to sin.

A brief portion of Brian’s message is missing from the beginning of the podcast due to technical difficulties. The Management apologizes for the error.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Divorce

Scott Hetherington | Sunday, May 26, 2024

Then some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

– Mark 10:2

The Pharisees tried to trick Jesus into taking sides on the topic of divorce. It was a contentious matter in Jesus’ time, and, in the two thousand years since, it hasn’t gotten any easier. Today, Scott tackles this tough subject with love and humility.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Discipleship According to Jesus

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, June 2, 2024

*“Now as Jesus was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

From Mark 10:17-31, the story of a man who seemed like he had absolutely everything he needed to enter the Kingdom of God – humility, obedience, religious piety, and sure proof of God’s blessing in his abundant wealth. This week, Ryan helps us understand what this question meant for first-century Jews … and what questions we can ask about our relationship to money today.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Thrones and Crosses

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, June 9, 2024

They said to him, “Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking!"

– Mark 10:37-38

Today, Ryan speaks about the hard truth that the Disciples confronted in Mark 10: how we so often prefer the security of the throne over the sacrifice of the cross.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, June 16, 2024

On this Father’s Day, a message from Mark 10:46-52, on another healing of a blind man – and this man is one we can look up to as a shining example of how to follow Jesus.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Fig Tree

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, October 6, 2024

We continue our series in Mark on The Life and Way of Jesus in Mark 11:11-26 with the fig tree and the temple.

The Life and Way of Jesus: From Man or God

Bryan Cobley | Sunday, October 13, 2024

In Mark 11:27-33, Jesus is questioned by religious leaders about His authority while teaching in the temple. Bryan Cobley is back as a guest preacher and challenges us to reflect on what might be preventing us from seeing Jesus for who He truly is.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Resurrected Life

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, October 20, 2024

In Mark 12:18-27, the Sadducees question Jesus about the resurrection, attempting to trap Him with a hypothetical scenario. Jesus responds by teaching that life after the resurrection is different, and affirms both the power of God and the reality of the resurrection.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Greatest Commandment

Garrett Shelp | Sunday, October 27, 2024

What is the greatest commandment? Garrett joins us to look at Mark 12:28-34 and this question that one of the teachers asks of Jesus.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Be Watchful

Scott Hetherington | Sunday, November 3, 2024

“But as for that day or hour no one knows it – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son – except the Father. Watch out! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time will come.”

– Mark 13:32-33

Today, Scott Hetherington teaches from Mark 13, and helps us find the main thing (which is also the plain thing) and the plain thing (which is also the main thing) in this difficult passage about the end times.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Cost of Devotion

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, March 9, 2025

From Mark 14:1-11, Ryan enters the final stretch of the Gospel of Mark, where a story of calculation, scheming, and betrayal unfolds around a beautiful act of extravagant love.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Faith Under Pressure

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, March 16, 2025

In Mark 14:12-31, Jesus shares the Last Supper with His disciples, confronting them with the question: ‘What will happen to your faith when the pressure is on?’

The Life and Way of Jesus: Surrender or Resist

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, March 23, 2025

Ryan takes us into the final stretch of Mark’s Gospel, where we witness how the disciples respond to the stress and chaos of Jesus’ final days in Mark 12:32-72.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Kingdoms in Conflict

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, March 30, 2025

Pilate asked Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ He answered him, ‘You say so.’ – Mark 15:2

As we near the end of our study in the book of Mark, the text reveals a showdown between two opposing kingdoms. As Jesus stands trial before Pilate, we see the kind of kingdom He represents.

The Life and Way of Jesus: The Crucifixion

Garrett Shelp | Sunday, April 6, 2025

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The king of the Jews."

– Mark 15:25-26

This week, guest speaker Garrett Shelp brings us towards the end of our time in Mark with a deep reading of Mark’s account of Jesus’ final hours.

The Life and Way of Jesus: A Memorial For Jesus

Alison Acone | Sunday, April 13, 2025

In the space between the crucifixion on Good Friday and the resurrection on Easter Sunday, Alison reflects on how—even in this in-between moment—there were those who honored Jesus with a memorial as they prepared His body for the tomb.

The Life and Way of Jesus: Easter Sunday

Ryan Plantz | Sunday, April 20, 2025

Celebrate Easter at Arbor! This week, the story of the expectation-defying Jesus that we started almost two years ago reaches its conclusion with Jesus’ triumphant resurrection from the dead, and the hope, invitation, and challenge it brings to us today.