Lift Up Your Hearts: Learning to Ascend

God is Our Safe Place

Today’s main point at Summer Celebration, our annual VBS here at COOS, was “God is Our Safe Place.” We want to instill in our children a deep sense of God’s love and mercy so that they can always feel like it is safe to turn to God. We also want that for ourselves as adults, however, and sometimes we struggle with images of God from our childhood which are angry, judgmental, and hurtful. It’s good to be aware of such deeply ingrained ideas of God so that we can bring them to light and pray for the Holy Spirit to heal us and fill us with a sense of the God Jesus reveals, a good and loving God – a God who is always safe for us to turn to. Watch the video HERE. [https://youtu.be/93SA4I6aN4s]  Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/]

A Different Way to Carry the Weight

Jesus' invitation to the weary is more surprising than it first appears. Rather than removing every burden, he offers us a different yoke—a different way of carrying the weight of life. As we learn from the One who is gentle and humble in heart, we discover that God  meets us in our weakness and gives us rest for our souls. Watch the video HERE [https://www.youtube.com/live/TfQAkJpsBKU] (sermons starts at 33:13) Read the sermon HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/blog/20260705sermon] Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/]

Trust

Life is often hard for people, but our faith assures us that life in this world is good and meaningful. All that we experience here is preparing us for even deeper love and greater bliss. But the journey can still be agonizing at times, and cultivating trust is one of the ways we mature in faith. Trust is an active virtue which we can practice.  Watch the video HERE. [https://youtu.be/Sm614cZQoDk] Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/]

Expansive Love

Baptism initiates us into a life of expansive love. While the love of family and friends is beautiful and crucial, we are led by the Spirit to grow in love. Our experience of God should always expand our spirits and enlarge our hearts to include all people. The Apostle Paul assures us  that “Christ is all and in all.” We only love Cjrist above all things by loving Christ in all things. Watch the video HERE [https://www.youtube.com/live/EVMv2OeLKrg] (sermon starts at 38:32) Read the sermon HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/blog/20260628sermon] Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/]

When We Love God Most, We Love Best

The words of Jesus can sometimes surprise us, especially when he calls us to examine what holds our deepest loyalty and love. Yet beneath these difficult teachings is an invitation to discover the freedom that comes from placing God at the center of our lives. When we love God most, we find that we are able to love everyone else more deeply. Watch the video HERE [https://www.youtube.com/live/lWVg9RVPPaQ] (sermon starts at 34:10) Read the sermon HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/blog/20260621sermon] Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE [https://www.coosonline.org/]