Church of the City New York

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Emily Lindquist Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Lindsey Arcaro Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson closed out our Advent series, To Us a Son is Given, with a teaching on Jesus as the Son of God and the true story of Christmas. Jesus' life fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah, His ministry was marked by power and the miraculous, and even His suffering on the cross revealed His divine nature. This is the cornerstone of the Christmas story, that God's one and only Son took on flesh and came to earth to be with His people.

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Emily Lindquist Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Emily Lindquist Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Isle'r Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our Advent Series with a teaching on Jesus as the Son of Man. During the Christmas season, we often tell stories of hearts changing for the better, but what does it take for a heart to truly change? In our teaching text from Matthew's gospel, two disciples' mother ask Jesus to grant them seats of honor in His kingdom, but Jesus disrupts their understanding of greatness, servanthood, and sacrifice by showing them the path to true greatness—through hearts that are changed through humility.

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Isle'r Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Emily Lindquist Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Lindsey Arcaro Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk kicked off our Advent series, "To Us a Son is Given" by calling us to reflect on two questions over the next few weeks leading up to Christmas Day: What kind of Son has been given to us? What is His name? Pastor Suzy invited us to consider one of Jesus' prophetic names, the "Son of David," and how it highlights Jesus' ministry of mercy. Click here if you would like to partner with us and give to Living the Liturgy this year.

Welcome to Church of the City New York's Advent Devotionals. Jesus was good news in the first century, and He is still good news today. One of the most iconic passages read during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 9, where the Prophet proclaims the light has dawned for those living in darkness, a child will be born, and a son will be given, the Messiah, who will bring peace with God and with mankind by ruling on David's throne. We hope that during this season everyone listening will gain a renewed desire to walk in intimacy with Jesus and to boldly proclaim the story of God's Son to others. Song Credits: Isle'r Written By: Church of the City New York Editorial Team

This week, pastor Tim Brown closed out our Formed series with a message on the importance of multiplication laid out in the Great Commission (Matthew 28), in which Jesus tells His disciples to go and make more disciples, baptizing them in His name, and teaching them to obey His Word. This encompasses Jesus' plan for His Gospel spreading on the earth, and is a call to action for all believers still today.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our Formed series with a teaching on participation, challenging us to move beyond head knowledge and into the active, daily practice of discipleship. It is only through proactive participation in our discipleship that we can overcome the massive gap between mere resonance towards teaching and active obedience. By living with intentionality—abiding with God, joining in His work, and contending for His will on earth— we can find true rest, health for our souls, and an eternal identity. Click here if you would like to partner with us and give to Living the Liturgy this year.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our Formed series with a teaching on vivification. Vivification is the process by which the Holy Spirit imparts new spiritual life to a believer, animating them with the life of Christ and empowering them to live in obedience, faith, and love. It's the positive aspect of sanctification, where the individual is not only turning away from sin (mortification) but is also being energized and renewed to live a life of righteousness and holiness. As Christians, we want to build an inner world that can handle the pressure of anything happening in the outer world.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Formed series with a teaching on mortification, the practice of subduing one's sinful impulses, desires, and passions to grow closer to God and lead a life of holiness. Mortifying our sin is not self-hatred, but rather an embrace of God's love that purges impurity through the conscious denial of sin, the deliberate restraint of the flesh, and the nurturing of one's spirit to align more closely with the will of God.

This week, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our series on being Formed into the image of Christ with a teaching on affliction. Affliction is suffering that we undergo, often not of our own volition, but that the Holy Spirit can use to further His purposes in this world. The Bible tells us that while suffering is an inevitable part of this life, Jesus also suffered greatly for us so that we would not have to suffer forever. The goal of this life is to be transformed into the image of Jesus, the Suffering Servant, we need to understand not only the concept of affliction, but how to respond to it.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our Fall sermon series, Formed, with a teaching on the doctrine of sanctification. Sanctification is the ongoing process by which believers, through the work of the Holy Spirit, are progressively transformed into the likeness of Christ (Titus 2:11-12). God faithfully sanctifies His people because He wants us to reach our full potential in Jesus.

This Sunday, guest teacher, Pastor Guy Mason from City on a Hill church in Australia, continued our Fall sermon series, Formed, and explored the doctrine of regeneration as outlined in Ephesians 2. By believing in Jesus, we are made alive through Him; the Holy Spirit takes what is decaying and breathes new life into our spiritual deadness. This renewal fulfills our deep hunger for true life—significance, peace, and belonging—which can only be satisfied in Christ.

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our Fall sermon series, Formed, with a teaching on the doctrine of justification and being made righteous before God. The reality is that there is nothing we can do to justify ourselves or make ourselves holy. We are unable to perfectly follow the law, and therefore unable to earn our own righteousness. Only by faith in Jesus Christ can we receive the righteousness He won for us, and freely come before the Father.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our Fall sermon series, Formed, with a teaching on how the act of confessing Jesus is Lord and believing in His resurrection in our hearts forms the foundation of salvation for Christians. Pastor Jon unpacked the heart of the Gospel story and its profound implications for our lives today. The Gospel reconnects us with the God we were made for, explains the beauty and brokenness of the human story, deals with the deep problems of sin that we cannot solve ourselves, and gives us hope for the future. Our salvation allows us to be formed in Christ's image, and live our lives in a way that brings the Kingdom of God into this world.

This Sunday, we had the opportunity to hear from guest teacher, Mark Sayers, with a teaching out of Revelation 3 on how to become a pillar for God despite living in a "platform society", and our culture's need for spiritual revival.

This Sunday, Pastor Tim Brown continued our Fall sermon series, Formed, an exploration of the key doctrines surrounding a believer's transformation from being dead in sin to being alive and formed in the image of Christ, with a teaching on election. This has been considered one of the most controversial and unsettling doctrines of the Christian faith, but Pastor Tim's goal was to present the Scriptures with clarity, and allow his teaching to orient us around what God says instead of human opinion. Being rooted in truth, he encouraged us to go forth and seek God on this topic for more understanding.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson kicked off our Fall sermon series, Formed, where we will be journeying through the key stages of a believer's transformation process from dead in their sin to being formed into the image of Christ and sent out as His image-bearers. We are all being formed in one way or another into someone, and Pastor Jon called us to begin this season by leaning into intentional, not accidental, formation in the way of Jesus. Out of His love for us, Christ invites us into a life long journey of being transformed into His image by His power, not our own.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson closed out our Come & See series with Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11 to come to Him. After spending a whole Summer unpacking the seven I AM statements of Jesus and the signs He performed to back up His claims in the Gospel of John, Pastor Jon extended Jesus' call to come and receive everything our souls need in Him. In a world full of pressure and exhaustion, Jesus is the only one who truly cares for our souls, offering us true rest and satisfaction at His table of grace and mercy.

This Sunday Pastor Suzy Silk continued our Summer sermon series on the words and deeds of Jesus in John's Gospel with a teaching on the ultimate sign Jesus preformed, His Resurrection. In John 2, Jesus declares that He is the new temple, meaning He is the new primary way for people to access God. It is only through belief in His words and following Him that we can have a relationship with God and spend eternity with Him. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus demonstrates that He has full authority over life and death and is the only way to true, eternal life.

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our Come & See sermon series with a teaching from John 11 on Jesus' sixth miraculous sign — raising Lazarus from the dead. Similar to Lazarus' story, we are deeply loved by Jesus, but spiritually dead and unable to save ourselves. Yet, Jesus was willing to die for us and save us from our sins and transgressions. By hearing and receiving the good news of salvation, we, as children of God, are brought back to life in Christ. Just like Lazarus, our new lives in Christ become our defining characteristic and should ultimately point to glorifying God. When troubles arise in the world we live in, we can rest in Jesus' loving presence, knowing that we are deeply loved by the God of all creation who has conquered the grave.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Come & See series by teaching through the healing of the man born blind in John 9. We live in a world obsessed with trying to see things rightly. From identity and sexuality, to justice and sustainability, humanity has looked to all forms of science, religion, and psychology to explain the world around us and the longings inside us, but everything seems to come up short. In this story, we see Jesus claim to be the light of the world, the only one able to give the sight we are longing for.

This Sunday, Pastor Tim Brown continued our Come & See series with a teaching on Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. This sign concludes with Jesus declaring, "I am the bread of life," emphasizing that Jesus does not only provide physical nourishment, but offers eternal, spiritual sustenance. While all other sources of fulfillment will ultimately fail, His true bread provides lasting satisfaction.

This Sunday, Pastor Ralph Castillo continued our Come & See sermon series with a teaching on Jesus' healing of a nobleman's son in John 4. The story of this sign hinges on steps of faith taken by a desperate father as he moves from despair to hope, seeking a sign to seeking Jesus, and finally from unbelief to belief. Breaking down the nobleman's journey, Pastor Ralph encouraged us that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, there is always an invitation before us to take a step of faith.

This week, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our Come & See series by teaching on John 5:1-18, where Jesus heals a man at the pool of Bethesda. This controversial sign is still relevant in our world today, and calls us to ask the question, who has the authority and the ability to bring healing to humanity? Whether it's physical healing, healing of our hearts, or healing in the world around us, we don't have to earn it on our own strength or efforts. Jesus calls us to surrender to Him, receive His healing, and join in His mission to restore the broken world.

This Sunday, Pastor Keithen Schwahn brought us into part two of our "Come & See" sermon series with a teaching from John 2:1-12 on Jesus' first miraculous sign—turning water into wine. Reinforcing the first half of the "Come & See" series, anchored in what Jesus said about Himself through His seven "I am" statements, the second half of this series focuses on what Jesus did by considering His seven miraculous signs as recorded in the Book of John. Though the hour of His death had not yet come, Pastor Keithen called us to consider that Jesus was looking beyond the present moment to His own wedding in eternity, and the price that would have to be paid for that celebration to come to pass. Jesus gives this sign to give a glimpse of the joy, union, and abundance offered to all who will believe in Him.

What if there is more to life with God than we expect? This Sunday, Pastor Ashley Anderson continued our "Come and See" sermon series with a teaching from John 15 on Jesus' statement: "I am the true vine." Jesus expects His disciples to walk in the same power and do the same works that He did. We bear fruit like Jesus did by abiding in His love; and we remain in Jesus' love by obeying His commands to love each other as He has loved us, and to lay down our lives for our friends.

This week, Pastor Sam Gibson continued our "Come & See" series with a sermon on Jesus's statement found in John 14:1-14, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Pastor Sam began by addressing the common feeling of being lost, which often manifested as a lack of purpose and direction. This state of confusion is an indication that it is time to recalibrate the internal state of one's soul back to who Christ says He is.

This Sunday morning, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our "Come and See" sermon series with a teaching out of John 11 on Jesus' declaration, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." As Christians, we can stand firm on this central claim of the Christian faith, knowing that we no longer have to fear judgment because judgment already happened on the cross. We don't have to fear death because of Christ's resurrection. We can experience a taste of the life and peace that Jesus promises us now, and join God in the renewal and healing of shalom in the world today. Listen to Church of the City New York's first live album, Where He's Wanted, on all streaming platforms Friday, June 28th. Spotify Apple Music

This week, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our "Come and See" sermon series by teaching on Jesus as the Good Shepherd out of John 10:1-42. With this statement, Jesus directly references the prophecy that there will be a coming Messiah who will lead God's people and that God Himself will shepherd them. In doing so, Jesus not only claims to be the best leader, but God Himself, demanding a response to either reject Him as a crazy man or follow Him as a sheep into the fold of God.

This week, Pastor Ashley Anderson continued our "Come and See" sermon series by teaching on Jesus as the door in John 10:1-10. Jesus makes a radical claim to be the only entry point through which all people can access God and experience abundant life through Him.

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our Come & See sermon Series with a teaching on Jesus' I AM statement, "I am the light of the world" out of John 7 and 8. Each of Jesus' I AM claims were incredibly radical for the original audience, and because we live in a world where light is a resource readily available to us, we can easily miss the weight Jesus' words should still carry for us today. Jesus calls us to believe that He is the true source of light and to follow Him into whole life discipleship. When we walk in step with Jesus, we are able to possess His light, be transformed into children of light, and share in being the light of the world with our Savior.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our new Come & See series with a teaching on Jesus' first "I AM" statement, "I am the bread of life." Jesus has shaped history and radically transformed lives, but our modern understanding of Him often leaves us bored and disinterested. The Christian religion has been reduced to following rules and restraining desire, but following Jesus is meant to be a life of passion, freedom, and deep satisfaction.

This Sunday, Pastor Tim Brown kicked off our new series, Come & See, an in depth study in the Gospel of John of Jesus' words about Himself and the deeds He performed to prove these words. Pastor Tim began towards the end of John's Gospel, where he states his reason for writing was that people might believe in the good news of Christ being the true Messiah who offers us new life in His name.

This week, Pastor Jon Tyson and Pastor Suzy Silk wrapped up our sermon series on Controversial Faith with a Q&A to answer some of the common questions and objections skeptics and seekers have regarding Jesus, the Scriptures, and living as a Christian in our modern world. Pastor Jon framed this time with 1 Peter 3:15-16, and claimed it is more important than ever for Christians to deal with their controversial faith.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Controversial Faith series with a teaching on Biblical sexuality. We live in sexually confusing and chaotic times, and as we begin to examine the effects the secular sexual ethic has on individuals and our culture at large, instead of flourishing, we find decay, pain, and brokenness. However, we are called to honor God with our bodies by faithfully stewarding our sexuality, because we were bought with a price, and one day we will be with Christ forever in a soul satisfying union that is a fulfillment of every desire we've ever had. Additional resources: Making Sense of the Church: Marriage - Jon Tyson Listen The Controversial Jesus: Sexual Formation - Jon Tyson Listen / Watch The Controversial Jesus: Jesus and the Gay Community - Jon Tyson Listen / Watch The Controversial Jesus: Jesus, Gender, and the Trans Community - Jon Tyson Listen / Watch

This Sunday Pastor Suzy Silk continued our Controversial Faith series by asking the question: How can a good God allow evil and suffering in the world? The tension between the sovereignty of God and the realities of suffering often hold people back from experiencing and accepting the person of Jesus, or eventually drive people away from Him. In an effort to address this problem of pain, Pastor Suzy laid out five reasons not to turn away from Jesus when faced with evil and suffering.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our series on Controversial Faith with a message on how we, as Christians, should engage with politics. As people of God, we can participate in politics with eschatological hope and humble conviction instead of despair. Ultimately, we pray, vote, protest, and practice principled pluralism because we know the solution to the problem of politics in our modern world: declaring Jesus is Lord.

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our series on Controversial Faith with a teaching on why we can trust the Bible. Translated into 698 languages, the Bible is the best-selling and most influential book in world history, and is worth reading based on these merits alone. Pastor Suzy then provided context on why the Bible is different from all other books through analyzing the genre and style, the authorship and preservation, and how we should respond to reading the text as followers of Jesus.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon kicked off our new series on Controversial Faith by addressing Jesus' scandalous exclusivity. The claim, "Jesus is Lord", has been highly contested throughout history, and it is no different today. However, as His followers, we must acknowledge our own sinfulness, lead with with gentleness and respect when sharing our beliefs, and be willing to be misunderstood as we publicly witness about Jesus Christ, the only name that can save.

This Easter Sunday, Pastor Jon taught about how we come to believe in the resurrection from the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus from Luke 24. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus is a key belief for salvation, and the Apostle Paul goes so far as to say that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is useless and futile. Pastor Jon laid out the three things it takes to believe in Jesus' resurrection: evaluating the historical facts, gaining a theological understanding, and having a personal encounter with the person of Christ.

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk closed out our sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins with a teaching on envy. A prohibition against coveting, or envy, is included in the Ten Commandments, because it is a slippery slope that begins in our thoughts and quickly leads to death. Holy Week reminds us that Jesus Himself demonstrated costly trust and costly obedience in the Father's plans for Him, and costly love towards even those who took part in His death. We can choose to turn away from envy because we have the better thing—the presence of Jesus, now and forever.

This Sunday, Pastor Ralph Castillo continued our Lenten series on the Seven Deadly Sins with a teaching on pride. Our current culture has a way of turning vices into virtues and praising disordered loves, making it difficult to identify pride, and can result in practicing righteousness as a way of being seen and honored by others. However, when we choose the way of humility, and practice our righteousness in secret, we recieve the better reward because the Father Himself is rewarding us.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson continued our Lenten series over the Seven Deadly Sins by exploring the often unnoticed dangers of sloth. Originally, the Desert Father's understanding of sloth was less akin to laziness and more in line with acedia: spiritual resistance to spiritual progress. As followers of Jesus, we must push back against the spirit of acedia through the power we have received in the Holy Spirit and make every effort to persevere in our faith.