Pastor Chris Seay shared his reflections on the film and story of Les Misérables, which depicts God's welcoming arms and loving mercy with truth and beauty. We are recipients of radical and undeserved grace. Will our hearts harden in shame like Javert, or like Jean Valjean will our lives be transformed as we turn our will over to God, humbled by the enormity of this gift? 

Our deep gratitude to Josh Carney, who shared a number of stories from his family life and taught through the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. In Christ, we are recipients of extravagant, cosmic forgiveness. Can we truly receive that love and mercy as a gift, and will it transform our own capacity to forgive others? 

Pastor Sean Palmer asked us to consider what the psalms of lament and the film Bruce Almighty have to say about the nature of prayer and our relationship to a Creator who invites us into intimate friendship. Whether in rejoice or in anger, we are called to relate to God in honesty as a Divine Friend; a friend who knows our needs better than we do; a friend who longs for us to align our prayer and actions in joyful submission toward God's redemptive movement.

It's always a joy to have Scott Erickson back with us. He shared a beautiful and personal message about the dangers of comparison, the vitality of true contribution, and how loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves with genuine abandon can be infectious. 

We were overjoyed to welcome Pastor Ed Seay (Chris' father) this weekend. Ed invited us to return to the familiar and vital parable of the Prodigal Son. Whether we have squandered the goodness of God's provision, or are holding on to rigid resentments, all of us are welcomed back into the Father's loving embrace, and a seat at the feast. 

Pastor Chris Seay shares with us about the importance of embodying our six Rhythms of Ecclesia globally. As a church we believe in being a community in Houston that is real, kind, seeks God, seeks beauty, serves others, and is hospitable. Pastor Chris shares stories with us about the ways Puerto Rican brothers and sisters are living out the Rhythms in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Our guest and dear brother, Dave Gibbons, joined us to share a word of profound encouragement about our identities as image bearers of God and those called to sacrificial service. From thoughts on freedom, fatherhood, healing, and the Holy Spirit, Dave invites us to embrace the power granted to those in Christ. 

Pastor Chris Seay invites us to consider what the Sermon on the Mount and The Princess Bride teach us about the great challenge of loving our enemies. Jesus calls us to end the cycles of anger, violence, and retaliation in the world; laying down vengeance in favor of the kind of forgiveness and blessing that can transform our communities, relationships, and our own hearts.

Pastor Sean Palmer taught on the "Hero's Journey", and what Batman has to do with spiritual formation. God has given his people a call to action and to discipleship; modeled to us by a Savior who came to us incarnate in a most unassuming and unremarkable form. 

This weekend, we had the honor of hearing from Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms. Jamie shines a spotlight on mental health and our call to freedom as children of God. We were created to be free and this freedom includes the freedom to be honest about where we are at in our journey.

Pastor Chris Seay calls upon all in our Ecclesia family to serve in some particular ways as we continue to grieve with all those touched by the shooting at Santa Fe High School. We are called to respond as those covered in the grace and mercy of our Savior, to transform shame, especially in the lives of young people in vulnerable circumstances. 

Guest preacher Ines Franklin shared a powerful message following our Exodus series and the tragic killings at Santa Fe High School. In times of trial, we often forget our rescue. In remembering, we are re-centered in the hope and endurance that sustains us through trauma and grief. 

Pastor Sean Palmer concludes our Exodus series by asking the important question; once we have freedom, what do we do with it? Will we use our own freedoms to oppress others, or use them to contribute toward the freedom of those still held in all manner of bondage? Will we continue to sing of what God has done? 

Pastor Chris Seay closes our series in the Exodus as we examine how we can miss out on life by hardening our hearts to God. When we allow our lives to become routine, we do not stop to mourn or celebrate and we lose empathy. Our call to action is to rely on God daily, pursue daily adventure, live well, chase our passion and feel the joy & pain of others.

Pastor Chris Seay continues our series in the Exodus; reminding us of the importance of a grateful heart and the danger of an ungrateful one. When we focus on what we don't have and complain about what we do — like the Israelites grumbling over meat and manna — we undermine our faith in God's wisdom and provision. Our call is to receive with a joyful spirit; reminded that God knows, better than we do, what it is we need. 

Pastor Sean Palmer returned to our ongoing series in the Exodus. He invites us to consider the excuses we make and the ways we settle for just "good enough", when God is calling us to more; the true promised land that can only be entered when we're willing to commit through the inevitable hardships along the way. 

It's always a deep blessing to be joined and taught by our brother, Gideon Tsang. Gideon shared a message on the ways we cling to judgement and keeping score, and in doing so, forget the very nature of Jesus' definitive act of reconciling love for all people, and our call back to the table which serves to remind us.

Pastor Chris Seay shares a message from the home of our World Champion Houston Astros; casting vision for the season ahead, and the opportunities we have to cultivate and deepen relationships as we provide hospitality and invite others into the stories that God is writing in our midst.  

Pastor Chris Seay offers an Easter message from Magdala on the Sea of Galilee about the vital roles of women in the Resurrection narrative. What do the experiences of Mary the Mother, Salome, and Mary Magdalene have to teach us about strength in trauma, the support offered by women in our own lives, and our call to pass on our stories of faith? We're also joined by writer/speaker Amena Brown, who shares a story of an important woman in her life, and the profound gift of her spoken word poetry.

Pastor Sean Palmer continues our Lenten series as we begin our walk through Holy Week, teaching about the ways we've allowed the world to twist our definition of success. Like Moses, we are consumed with comparison and how we're viewed by others; more concerned about seeming impressive than we are with simply being faithful to what God has placed before us.