Daniel and Jessica, along with their three kids and a core team, planted City Parish 5 years ago. It’s been a joy-filled, painstaking, worthwhile journey—and this year feels especially important given all that it signifies.

Josh von Damm represents so much that excites us about Gen Z. His faith is fresh, real, humble, and committed. He’s an eager learner and quick to serve. We’re so thankful he’s a part of the family of City Parish.

There is no parallel anywhere else in the world’s religions to the sympathetic presence of God in Christ sharing our human struggle with us. Our God was not immune to human suffering. Therefore, ‘Christmas can only be understood as a wonder’ — Karl Barth.

We’re so excited to announce that City Parish has qualified to receive a matching grant of $21,500 from TBC! Would you prayerfully consider helping us meet our goal of turning that into $64,000?

No one had ever seen God in a full/complete way until Jesus revealed him (1:18) — The world still cannot see God except through Jesus’ through his witnesses (i.e. his Church/disciples) modeling their lives after the character of Jesus (John 13:35, 17:21-23; 1 John 4:12).

Jesus is eternally one with the Father—the very Word of God (John 1:1–2), God’s agent in creating all things (vv. 3–4). And as he spoke light and brought life into the dark void of pre-creation chaos, so Jesus brings light and life into the dark world of sin and death.

What we see in Jesus, the creator of all things, is both the joy of creating itself and the love of sharing it with others. Our understanding of and belief in Jesus as the Creator is an indispensable attribute to our ability to mirror his creativity as image bearers.

In vv. 1-2, John is saying the gospel reveals that the meaning of life isn’t an abstract idea or to “find what makes you happy and do it” (like the Greeks believed), but to be in a relationship with the creator of the universe — an idea as mind-boggling as it is wonderful!

“The sermon, therefore, is not a list of requirements, but rather a description of the life of a people gathered by and around Jesus. [The] Church, then, forms the context for the ethic of Jesus.” — Stanley Hauerwas