Church of the City New York

This Advent Season, we have been exploring Christmas through different characters in the story of Jesus' birth, and this week, Pastor Suzy took a closer look at Mary in her sermonette for Lessons & Carols. Through Mary, we see a beautiful picture of what happens when the deep longings of both a people, and an individual, are fulfilled. The core longing of each person is to be loved, and at the end of the day, the Christmas story is a love story that we are invited to recognize, respond to, participate in, and witness about to the all the world.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon explored the curiosity Christmas stirs up in the human heart through the story of the Wise Men in Matthew's gospel. In their journey we see the importance of humbly seeking answers beyond ourselves and actively evaluating and deciding what is worth our whole life devotion.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Advent series by examining the story of Joseph and what he teaches us about embracing a spirit of peace in contested spaces. Pastor Jon explained that peace that relies on perfect circumstances is actually no peace at all. Instead, Joseph's life shows us that true peace is disruptive and anti-fragile, is found in the miraculous ordinary, and comes through costly obedience.

This past Sunday, Pastor Olivia kicked off our Advent sermon series with a message on deferred longing being an invitation to hope. Jesus knows that desires lurk within us, both pure and unpure, and that it is much safer to open up these desires in His presence. Once we acknowledge these longings, we are inevitably led into the reality of waiting and hoping for these longings to be fulfilled.

This week, Pastor Ashley concluded our "The Way of Jesus" series with "The Way of Justice." When Jesus inaugurated His ministry, He announced Himself as the same God of the Old Testament who defended the fatherless, the widowed, the poor, and the oppressed. Ultimately, she taught that Jesus' biblical justice requires us to sacrifice privilege with suspended judgment for the restoration of others.

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy continued in our "The Way of Jesus" series by teaching through "The Way of Gratitude." She focused on a story in Luke's gospel of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy, only to have one of them return and thank Him, and pointed out that we often suffer from a similar lack of gratitude when it comes to Jesus. She encouraged us to create rhythms of gratitude, so that we will be able to give thanks in all circumstances and not forget who God is and what He has done for us.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about the personal and intentional steps he routinely practices to encounter the Lord. He used the acronym of T.I.M.E to explain his process which consists of identifying Truth, asking for Insight, going on Mission, and the resulting experience of true Encounter. Through the devotion of our time, patience, and obedience we continue forward on our journey into understanding and the living out of the depths of joy and freedom our heavenly Father has to offer us.

This week, Pastor Jon continued our Fall series with "The Way of Prayer" by preaching about how to become a people of peace in the midst of anxiety. When we look to the example of Jesus, we see that He pursued the promised peace of God by committing to a life of consistent prayer.

This past Sunday, guest speaker Pastor Ralph Castillo preached on "The Way of Mercy," showing us from the story of Jonah how God orchestrates moments of mercy in our lives to draw us closer to Him. Though we may often believe our way is better than His, God reminds us through his kindness that His ways are higher than our ways, and no matter how far we stray, He is always able to redeem our lives and use them for His glory.

This past Sunday, Pastor Ashley continued in our The Way of Jesus series by examining "The Way of Dependence." She broke down how we define abiding, how we know if we're abiding, and why the invitation to abide is good news.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our The Way of Jesus series with "The Way of Remembrance." He taught that remembering who God is and what He has done is one of the most important parts of our discipleship, while one of the enemy's greatest schemes to destroy our faith is to have us forget. Pastor Jon urged us to remember Jesus, our salvation, and our mission as believers by setting the Lord before us in every moment, always thinking of Him, just as He is always thinking of us.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our "The Way of Jesus" series with "The Way of Confrontation." The work of God's formation in us unsurprisingly takes place at the points where we are not yet formed in Christ's image. One of the first steps in formation is that of confrontation: a challenge and call to come out of our brokenness and into the fullness of Christ.

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy continued "The Way of Jesus" series with "The Way of Devotion." She pointed us to two of Jesus' parables about the Kingdom of God being a treasure of immeasurable value that is worth sacrificing for. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He requires us to give our whole selves, just as He joyfully did for us, to live a life devoted to His Kingdom cause.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our "The Way of Jesus" series with "The Way of Self-Denial." The greatest challenge to our discipleship is the centrality of our self and our desires. Jesus extends us an invitation for a transformed life by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him. We must not soften sin to the point of pain management, but rather kill it completely in our pursuit of Jesus. Only His love breaks the spell of our own self.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon kicked off a new sermon series called "The Way of Jesus." He warned us against the ways our fallen world can trap and form our hearts through lusts, pride, and toxic religion, and instead spurred us to follow in the way of Jesus so that we can be formed, transformed, and conformed to His likeness. We were created to enjoy God and walk with Him, imaging our Creator, and living in the way of Jesus fulfills our ultimate destiny of experiencing the our fully formed selves living with Christ in us.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy finished out our Summer Colossians series by teaching about the "Movement You Long For." She reminded us that, as believers, we have all been called into the God's movement to bring His Kingdom by spreading the good news of the gospel and making disciples.

This Sunday, Pastor Adam Durso continued our series through Colossians by diving into "The Mission You Long For." He broke down Paul's exhortation for the church to be devoted to prayer, watchfulness, and thankfulness as the starting point for living on mission in our daily lives. He pointed out that this heart posture brings an awareness of where God wants us to partner with Him, and that often times our mission field is at the intersection of our pain and in the comfort of the Gospel. It is out of the overflow of how God comforts us, that we can begin to comfort others.

This Sunday, Pastor Olivia continued our Summer series by breaking down the relationships in the home mentioned in Colossians with "The Family You Long For." She reminded us that we are called to live like Jesus, who came "not to be served, but to serve," and by taking this posture into our familial relationships, we can present a redemptive vision of families to the world.

THE PEACE YOU LONG FOR: This Sunday we continued our journey through the book of Colossians with "The Peace You Long For" from guest Pastor Ralph Castillo, who implored us to let Jesus and the peace only He can provide reign supremely in our hearts.

This past Sunday, Pastor Ashley continued our Colossians series with "The Transformation You Long For." When Paul wrote his letter to the church at Colossae, he urged them to stay true to the Christian story, which starts with a funeral and ends with a wedding. The path to true transformation only comes through death, resurrection, and return.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy continued our Colossians series by preaching about the freedom we long for. Culture tells us that freedom is found in expressing ourselves and satisfying our cravings, but the scriptures reveal living this way actually enslaves us to addiction and sin. Instead, freedom can only be found in Jesus by accepting His death for our sins and receiving a new Spirit that will allow us to walk in true freedom in His love.

This past Sunday, Pastor Phil Manginelli from The Square Church in Atlanta continued our Colossians series with "The Victory You Long For." There is an inevitable human ache within all of us for victory. When victory is pending, we have to figure out which voice we're going to trust and whose call we're going to respond to. Victory is in Jesus's essence, and He's the only one who can get us through sin and death.

THE STABILITY YOU LONG FOR - This Sunday, Pastor Suzy continued our Summer series on Colossians by preaching about "The Stability You Long For." Often, we look for stability in a multitude of places so that we can feel free and self-actualized. In reality, we only find true security in the person and promise of Jesus Christ, our hope of glory.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Colossians series with "The Maturity You Long For." He addressed the tragedy of rampant immaturity in the culture and the church, and revealed that God wants to show us a better way by developing spiritual maturity.

This Sunday, we continued our summer series on Colossians with "The Holiness You Long For." Pastor Jon broke down last week's meta-level teaching on our beautiful salvation with a more practical understanding of what salvation means for us in our culture today.

This Sunday, Pastor Olivia continued our summer series on Colossians by preaching about "The Savior You Long For." She dove into the importance of knowing who Jesus really is and having an accurate theology of Him so that we can have a true understanding of the Gospel message.

This Sunday we heard from guest Pastor Ralph Castillo, who admonished us to root God's power in our hearts through patience, long-suffering, and joy as we continue our series in Colossians with "The Power You Long For." If we earnestly seek His power, we can praise the Lord in the midst of any trial, because we will be able to see His fruit in our lives; His kingdom, our redemption, and the forgiveness of all our sins.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Summer sermon series on Colossians with "The Good News You Long For." The gospel of Jesus still holds power in our time because it's a message that explains our current reality and condition and transforms our lives, addressing profound questions about the world and ourselves. We as the church are called to build an authentic community of love that bears good fruit and sees the story of Jesus spread throughout the world.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon kicked off our Summer sermon series called "The Life You Long For". Pastor Jon set up the context of the book of Colossians and revealed that Paul wrote it with the purpose of reminding and encouraging the church at Colossae that they need to be faithful to Jesus above all else, because He is the only one who can bring true freedom, maturity, and community.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon closed out our Unexpected Jesus Series by teaching on the unexpected change we can experience when we encounter Jesus. By laying down the pursuit of external righteousness, and instead going to Jesus with a broken spirit and contrite heart, the grace of God can render deep, noticeable change in our hearts and our lives.

This Sunday, Pastor Ashley took an in depth look of Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well, and revealed how His example of unexpected inclusion led to intimate revelation of the gospel and widespread revival.

This Sunday, Pastor Jon pointed us to Jesus' unexpected faithfulness in the face of criticism, cultural pressures, disappointments, and suffering. He reminded us that as Jesus' disciples we must follow His lead, not losing the nerve to stand apart or hearts that freely love through seasons of hardship.

UNEXPECTED PEACE - This Sunday, Pastor SUZY preached through the story of Jesus calming the storm and ushering in unexpected peace in the midst of fear. She encouraged us to learn from the disciples, and instead look to Jesus with eyes of faith, trusting that He is who He says He is, and that His heat and plan are always good.

UNEXPECTED VISITATION - This past Sunday, guest Pastor Rafael Castillo preached about the power behind the resurrected Jesus' encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. He taught that, like He did for these disciples, Jesus can defy our expectations, bring revelation, inspire a spirit of hospitality, and set a fresh fire in our hearts.

NO QUID PRO QUO - This Sunday Pastor Dr. Bryan Loritts, called on us to follow the command of Jesus to give up our rights, love our enemies, and be reconciled to each other.

UNEXPECTED EXTRAVAGANCE - This past Sunday, Pastor OLIVIA preached about Mary of Bethany pouring out a year's worth of wages onto Jesus' s feet. Just like King David before her, Mary became undignified before the Lord, washing His feet with her hair and sitting on the floor to listen to Him speak, all because she was able to recognize the presence of God and the beautiful opportunity she had to worship Him.

UNEXPECTED KINGDOM: This past Sunday, Pastor Jon Tyson kicked off the Unexpected Jesus series by exploring Jesus as an unexpected king bringing about a new kingdom, and challenged us to reorient ourselves toward the true Gospel.

SIN: FALLING SHORT - This Sunday, as we enter into Holy Week, Pastor Suzy preached on sin as falling short of God's perfection, by reflecting on Jesus's suffering in the garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. While many of us may want to skip from Palm Sunday straight to the victory of Easter, Holy Week is an invitation for us to look at our sin, recognize everything it cost Jesus to forgive and to redeem us, and enter into his suffering with him.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about lawlessness — an utter disregard for God and his laws. Lawlessness manifests as rebellion and causes devastation, not fulfillment, keeping us from being apostles of love and instead dragging us into the world's toxic, selfish culture.

SIN: ADULTERY - This past Sunday, Pastor Ashley preached on sin as adultery. Adultery can be defined as not only violating a law, but also as breaching our relationship with the God who loves us enough to tolerate no other lovers in our lives. Just like the Israelites, we can fall into the sin of adultery in three ways: 1) distrusting God; 2) not sharing in God's purpose; and 3) forgetting God's faithfulness. Even though we still break His covenant today, God has paved a path of mercy and restoration for us through the life of Jesus and the price He paid on the cross.

SIN: IDOLATRY - This past Sunday, Pastor Olivia preached on how idolatry can creep deep into our hearts without us even knowing something has become an idol until we actually sin. If we are not careful to guard and examine our hearts, our impatience with the Lord can lead us into idolatry, which can then lead to immorality and consequently, independence from God.

SIN AS REBELLION: This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our sin series, defining sin as rebellion against God and as sovereignty of the self. The same lies that Adam and Eve believed in Genesis 3 still haunt us today, but God pursues, covers, and restores us, just as He did for them. It is only through His divine mercy and Jesus's death and resurrection that we can be more than conquerors of sin.

SIN: AN OVERVIEW - This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy dove into the topic of sin, how it affects us, and why it's so insidious. Identifying sin is the first step in understanding the gravity of Jesus's sacrifice.

CREATIVE MINORITY: PARTICIPATION - This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about the importance of the way we as Christians participate in our culture. We must show up in hard places with the presence of Jesus Christ and welcome the vulnerable to push against the darkness with light and faith.

This past Sunday, Pastor Suzy challenged us to ponder what we do when our narratives, ethics and practices as Christ-followers come into conflict with the many authorities of the world. She exhorted us to remember that as Christ-followers, our one true allegiance is to God, and when we live as a creative minority and choose to be exiles, we can be light in dark places, in the world but not of it.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon preached about examining our own tangible practices as we continue to develop into the likeness of Jesus. We can continue to form as disciples by developing our practices of abiding in Jesus, discerning where He wants us to move, and interceding on behalf of others privately and publicly.

This past Sunday, we continued our Creative Minority series, and Pastor Olivia challenged us to consider ethics and how we make decisions in our lives. Christian ethics must be a response from our hearts to the grace, character, and love of God, putting a spotlight on our Savior, and forming us in a way counter to our culture, especially in the areas of money, sex, and power. As Christians, we must ask ourselves: how can I love generously, faithfully, sacrificially, and humbly so that the world is enticed to ask follow-up questions for which the gospel is the answer? Ultimately, the Christian ethic is love from beginning to end.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Creative Minority series by talking about the importance of the stories we believe in. Living in a time of warring narratives, we must deeply root ourselves in the one, true narrative that Jesus Christ is Lord. By routing our actions, thoughts, and expectations through the person of Jesus, our lives will become compelling stories that display the Gospel, and shake the world from spiritual sleep.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon launched our new sermon series, A Creative Minority, and laid the groundwork for how we can begin to grow a new kind of community in our current moment. If we build a web of stubbornly loyal relationships, we can then knit them together in a living network of persons who are committed to practicing the way of Jesus for the renewal of the world. Communities built on covenantal relationships like this can create nets that have the power to capture the hearts of those around us and reveal Jesus like never before.

This past Sunday, Pastor Jon cast a vision for where our church's confidence needs to be rooted going into the new year. When we go beyond stating our belief in God and place our trust in Him, we develop an unshakeable confidence in His divine ability. Setting our hearts rightly before God, and prioritizing His presence in our habits, will allow us to attain a hidden source of life that will enable us to flourish no matter our circumstances.