Sunday, October 4, 2026
Scriptures: Hebrews 11-12
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In the third sermon of our new series Learning to Listen, Bobbi explores the ancient roots of our faith and how those who came before us shape our understanding of God. Drawing from Hebrews 11, she talks about an "Encomium on Faith" that highlights biblical figures who trusted God despite living through complex, painful, and messy circumstances. Yet, despite their commended faith, these ancestors did not receive the full promise on their own, pointing to a larger story that is completed together with us. Ultimately, Jesus leads us through our own struggles and anxieties by taking us beyond immediate fears toward a deeper, enduring hope.
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Community is shaped by the conversations we share.
These questions are just a tool to help you meaningfully engage with the themes of this week's teaching.Connect: Where we come from and who we come from can have a big impact on us as individuals. Where does your family come from and how has that shaped you as a person?
Share: Bobbi argues that we often take a surprising number of characteristics from our family and from other people who are important to us. When you look at your own life or faith journey, what is a specific value, perspective, or habit you inherited from someone in your past that still strongly influences who you are today?
Reflect: Bobbi notes that many hero figures in Hebrews 11—like Moses and Rahab—had deeply flawed, complicated, or even violent real-life stories that the text glosses over to highlight their faith. What do you think about the tension between celebrating someone's faith and acknowledging their messy or imperfect history? Does looking at biblical figures this way make faith feel more accessible or more challenging to you?
Engage: Consider Bobbi’s words:
“What if the miracle isn't in the moment at the end of the road where it comes together, but in all the choices we've made all along the way to become the kind of person that would find ourselves in the kind of situation we are uniquely prepared to be in?"
How does this challenge the way you think about the overarching story of your life, as well as the individual chapters of your life?Take away: What is one thing that you're taking with you into your week, either from the sermon or our conversation?
Prayer
Loving God,
We pause in your presence to think of a word or image we would like to carry with us today.
Being in this room together, we are given the hope that we are not alone.
And that is true here today
But it’s also true in a way that goes beyond what we can see.
I’m so grateful for a faith tradition that I, along with the people in this room with me, get to shape.
What trust you have put in us, even while we betray what it means to be made in your image.
So today, won’t you remind us that there is beauty and healing on the path of faith.
Spirit of the living God, present with us now, enter the places of our hurt and our traumas and heal us of all that harms us.
Amen. -
Worship Songs
Curated by Rebecca KS
Leeland - Way Maker
Commons Worship - Faithfully
All Sons and Daughters - Great Are You Lord
Mission House - Faith More Precious Than Gold
Liturgy