Whispering Pines Church

One interesting thing to note as we make our way through the parables of Jesus, is that some of His parables will trouble us more than others. You and I may be troubled by different parables. This week we turn to a parable that may be troubling for some – may raise issues that need to be addressed. The Parable of the Sower is one of Jesus’ more well-known parables, but I’m not convinced that it is always well-understood. This story gets into the messy idea of human beings receiving the gospel – as seeds fall upon various types of soil. But what is the point of this parable? What instruction do we gain from it? Join us as we explore the original intention of this parable, and what instruction it has for us today. -Pastor Nate Roschen

“And who is my neighbor?” What does that question mean to you? It’s a question about limits. “How far outside of my bubble must I venture?” “How far am I required to go?” Jesus responds with one of His most famous parables. It’s a parable so-well known that it is well-received and shared far beyond Christian circles – the parable of the Good Samaritan. In order to grasp the weight of this story, we will need to do a deep-dive into the historical background presented here – and we will. But for now, know that through the use of this story, Jesus is going to expand our ideas of hospitality and being neighborly. In fact, He will ask us a far better question than, “And who is my neighbor?” Come and join us as we grapple with Jesus’ instruction! -Pastor Nate Roschen

This week, in our new study of the Parables of Jesus, we turn to Luke’s gospel to find our next pair of parables. Where Jesus asks of us some deep questions on the issue of importance. How important are you? How much does that matter to you? On several occasions, the Son of God, Himself, was “accused” of being a friend of sinners. For the religious leaders of the time, this label was considered a disgrace. Yet, the designation was well-deserved. Jesus was a friend of sinners. How we think of ourselves will often determine the sort of company we keep. Jesus embodied hope for a hopeless world. Who are we? What purpose do we have? Whose company do we keep? Join us as we explore the stories of Jesus! -Pastor Nate Roschen

This week we launch our new sermon series on the parables of Jesus. In the gospels are recorded 46 parables that Jesus told to His disciples and anyone who was there to listen. He most likely told many more. This is how He communicated much of the truth that He came to share with the world. These parables were spoken to the ordinary, using everyday situations that anyone could understand. Jesus shared them along the highways and byways of life. He told stories that surprised, with unexpected heroes and villains. He told of characters that defied expectations. Masters and fathers that surprised Jesus’ listeners with their mercy or wisdom. Jesus was throwing these stories down alongside their everyday lives as they traveled the road together. His audience had no idea what they were in for. Because like little time bombs, these stories would ruminate in their minds. Unexpectedly, they realized who they were in the story. They came to understand that the story was for them, confronting them, challenging the

Join us this Mother’s Day as we celebrate mothers! As a community of believers, we are so grateful for the mothers in our lives who have led a life of faith, inspired us, motivated us, and have demonstrated passionate loving kindness to each of us. Join us as we pause to acknowledge and appreciate mothers in our community! This week we will also be wrapping up our journey through the book of Romans, which will tie in very nicely with our Mother’s Day celebration! Romans 16 is a collection of Paul’s final greetings to individuals in the Roman church that he has known. Paul commends Phoebe to the Roman church as the messenger of the letter and a benefactor of Paul (16:2). Paul uses this chapter as an opportunity to show connections that he has with Christians in Rome as a way to gain credibility. Of the 28 names that Paul mentions, 10 are women. This fact should change the way that modern readers understand the impact, role, and place of women in the early church. Paul closes his letter by speaking again of t

In Romans 15, Paul concludes his commands for the weak and the strong in the Roman church. Paul urges us to be inclusive and to edify one another with our actions. He strengthens his argument by appealing to the attitude of Christ. The Christians of Rome could not glorify or love God without finding unity and love for one another. Paul refers again to the promises made to the patriarchs, connecting to Romans 4. Paul also connects back to Romans 5 by encouraging the Christians in Rome with the hope given to them by God. Paul says that God has given him the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles, bringing them into an acceptable standing before God, sanctified by the Spirit. Paul then expresses his hopeful desire to visit the church in Rome. Join us this Sunday as we continue to apply this letter to our lives! – Pastor Nate Roschen

Romans 14 begins the longest single discourse in all of the Pauline letters. It is Paul’s final instruction to the Roman church. Here Paul speaks of the weak and the strong. Paul identifies himself among the “strong”, which means that the “strong” are not exclusively Gentile believers. Paul is being subtle in his language as a way to encourage both the weak and strong to welcome each other without identifying them by their ethnicity. In this way, he undermines the hierarchy shrewdly. The strong are to welcome and keep from quarreling with the weak, making sure to keep them from stumbling. Paul calls on the strong to sacrifice more than the weak. The Jews and Gentiles glorify God with what they do and are received by God with equal mercy. Neither the weak nor the strong are to be prideful or feel superior because of their beliefs. Their acceptance is to flow from the hope they have found in God. Join us this Sunday as we continue to apply this letter to our lives! – Pastor Nate Roschen

This week we come to Romans 13, where Paul continues his instruction on how Christians ought to live out a faith in Christ. Here, Paul writes the most lengthy passage in Scripture on how Christians should be involved with their secular government. Throughout this chapter, and into chapter 14 and 15, Paul makes it abundantly clear that his primary desire is for followers of Christ to have a strong witness in the world. Paul speaks of submitting to authority, living at peace with others, giving to others what is owed, and being known for love. He gives this message to churches in Rome that have been experiencing (and would soon to a much greater degree) oppression by their government and ostracization from their society. Join us this week for a deep dive into Christian involvement with government and politics. -Pastor Nate Roschen

John us this Sunday as Daniel Martinez leads us through the remainder of Romans, Chapter 12. Here, Paul offers practical thoughts on Christian living as it pertains to life within the church. Paul begins to list off a number of imperatives – commands to follow. Many of these commands are difficult to put into practice, and remind us of Christ’s teachings from His Sermon on the Mount. More is expected of those who follow Christ, because much has been given to us by God. Christ’s love compels us to live lives of radical faith and love.

Before we jump back into Romans next week, April 14th, I want to take a moment to share about the radical nature of the faith Christ leads us in. We can agree that Christ-like love was foreign and strange to the world Christ came to. My question is this: Does this faith still live and breathe? Does this love still define the church of God? In 1 Peter 2, Peter speaks of some of the more radical implications of following Christ. Christ is our model. In Him we see clearly not just right beliefs, but right actions. Join us this Sunday as we examine our hearts, and remember the radical love of Jesus that first gripped our hearts and “seized us by the power of a great affection.” -Pastor Nate Roschen

Easter Sunday Join us this Easter Week for our Good Friday Service (3/29) for a time of reflection on the cross and the significance of Christ’s passion and crucifixion. Then, on Sunday (3/31), join us as we remember Christ’s resurrection, the promise of our salvation! As we remember the passion of Christ, we are humbled by God’s willingness to live a spotless life, die in our stead, and rise again after three days. Christ’s sacrifice is truly extraordinary. No king ever dies for their citizens. No god ever dies for their followers. But Christ came for us. Join us as we reflect on the significance of His sacrifice, and consider our response to Jesus, the Savior! -Pastor Nate Roschen

Palm Sunday 2024: From the Gospel of John Join us this Easter Week for times of remembrance and celebration. We begin this coming Sunday with Palm Sunday, where we remember and reflect on Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the introduction to the events of the Passion of Jesus – leading to His crucifixion and resurrection. On Palm Sunday, we remember the cheering crowds who welcomed into Jerusalem by throwing down palm branches and cloaks before Him. They cheered Jesus on – they welcomed Him as a coming King. Only days later He would be crucified. Palm Sunday is a day to examine our hearts and to consider… What did they expect of Jesus? And what do we expect, today? What has Christ come to do? And what has He come to do, in me? -Pastor Nate Roschen

In Romans 12, Paul commands the Christians in Rome concerning how they are to live. Paul does not have in mind a few minor changes, but complete and total transformation for Christians. Christians are not to conform to the pattern of this age (12:2). The ability to test and approve God’s will (12:2) is a dramatic change from the first several chapters of Rome where Paul describes a desperate and hopeless humanity. Paul then addresses humble service in the Body of Christ by using the gifts distributed by the Spirit (12:3-8). God’s will is for Christians to be Holy and exhibit love in community and toward outsiders. Paul encourages Christians to use their gifts and to see themselves accurately, not in either a conceited or undervalued way. To do this, he uses the analogy of the body, where each part is critical to the life of the whole. Join us as we begin this final section of the book of Romans on Christian Living! -Pastor Nate Roschen

In Romans 11, Paul asks the same question several different ways. The question is: did God reject His people? Paul answers, “By no means” because Paul himself is a Hebrew. He himself is an example of how God has not rejected the remnant of His people (11:1). Paul gives several metaphors to explain that the remnant of Israel sanctifies the whole. The remnant of dough sanctifies the rest of the dough and the root sanctifies the branches. Paul also commands the Gentiles to be thoughtful and kind in their relationships to Jewish Christians because they have both been grafted on to the “olive tree.” Gentile salvation depends on the mercy given to the Jewish people. Paul highlights the grafting of Gentiles onto the Jewish people by using the ridiculous metaphor of grafting wild branches onto cultivated roots. Anyone would have understood how unnatural and strange this command from Paul sounded. Paul says that both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are the branches. The Gentiles remain Gentiles, the Jews r

God seems to highlight throughout the Scriptures instances where Gentiles, people who are on the outside, without knowledge of God – who when given the opportunity, respond to God more readily than God’s own people. We see this with Rahab and Ruth, with the Ninevites in the story of Jonah. We find it in the New Testament, when Jesus highlights an example of a “good Samaritan.” In the book of Romans, Paul is observing the same thing. “The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it” (Rom. 9:30). It seems the Jews, who believed in the necessity of righteousness, struggled to release their grasping attempts to attain it for themselves. While the Gentiles, who had no such barrier, were able to readily accept a Savior. Join us this Sunday as we explore our understanding of grace and receiving God’s promise for ourselves.

Alternatives Pregnancy Center cares for Denver-area women and men in pregnancy-related crisis and offers them a meaningful alternative to abortion. Following the example of Christian love, we seek to meet their emotional, physical and spiritual needs. And we enable and encourage them to choose life every day. The vision of Alternatives is to be a primary life-affirming resource in the Denver area. Through our programs and services, Alternatives educates, enables and encourages those we serve and the Denver community to honor life. We provide a safe place for women and men to make informed decisions regarding unintended pregnancy, sexual health as well as healing from abortion loss. Through our proactive approach to relationship education and life skills, we promote whole-person health education for youth and emerging adults.

Romans 9-11 may seem to be quite the diversion from the main thrust of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. The first 8 chapters of this book explain, explicitly, how people are made righteous, both Jews and Gentiles. The final 5 chapters of this book explore Christian living – how we live into the office of the righteous children of God. In Romans 9-11, Paul returns to one of the primary reasons that he wrote this letter: his concern for the conflict between Jewish & Gentile Christians. Here especially, Paul is writing to express his anguish over the fact that most of his people, Israel, have rejected Jesus, the Messiah. Paul is heartbroken over this fact. God, who established His people, freed them from slavery, provided a wonderful home for them, and maintained a relationship with them unlike any other people, has been rejected by His own. What is there for us to glean from these chapters? Well, does your heart break for those who do not yet know Christ? Are you compassionate or bitter toward those

Romans chapter 8 begins with hopeful encouragement, and concludes with what may be one of the most compelling sections on the assurance of Christ’s love that is found in the book of Romans. It is here that we’re comforted with the truth that the Spirit of God intercedes for us, helping us in our weakness. When we don’t know what or how to pray, the Spirit of God intercedes for us. Beyond this, Paul shares his ordo salutis, his order of salvation, in verses 28-30. These verses require some unpacking to discover their worth. Finally, Paul declares that there is nothing that can separate a follower of Christ from the love of God – proven in the person of Jesus Christ. All of this Paul shares because unity in Christ is so critical for us to embrace and understand as we head into the rest of Paul’s instruction and correction that will make up the rest of the book of Romans. We start here, with a fresh reminder that God is enough for us. Join us this Sunday as we continue our study of Romans!

There are many ways that people perceive God. Some view God as some sort of employer – and so we have quotas to meet, tasks to fulfill, favor to earn. Others view God as a grand therapist – there when we need Him for spiritual advice and helpful hints for life. Others still see God as distant, unapproachable in His holiness – and so He is to be revered from afar, and should not be bothered with our petty concerns. In this middle section of Romans 8, having shared with us that those in Christ are no longer condemned by God, Paul speaks of relationship with God. But he speaks of it here very softly, gently, as a relationship between a parent and His children. Paul says that to God, we can cry out “Abba” Father – a term of intimacy and endearment. How do you understand your relationship with God? What does He expect of you, now that you are adopted to sonship? And what can you expect of Him, now that He is your Abba Father? Join us this Sunday as we explore Paul’s words here, and our relationship with God!

As we take our first steps into the second half of the book of Romans, we move from the human struggle against sin, and our desire to please God through works, to the wonderful and refreshing text of chapter 8. Here we find a most beautiful and comforting truth, that for those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. Paul will continue in this second half of Romans to share with us about the change that is now possible by our faith in Christ. But for now, and for this week, let’s slow down and consider the implications of a life free from condemnation, guilt, and shame. What will this result in? What freedom will we experience? How will we in turn engage a world that is not yet free? Join us this week as we launch back into the book of Romans together!