Thank you for those of you who were able to participate in our First Impressions Gathering (and thank you to everyone who helped with childcare!). If you were not able to attend, or if you were upstairs helping with little ones, I have 3 favors to ask of you ..read more

Traditional identities are rooted in an over-identification with the family to the detriment of the individual. Modern identities are rooted in the self and demand that all expressions of human community subordinate themselves to the rights and desires of the individual. Both the traditional and modern expressions of identity attempt to provide a stability and security that will endure. And yet both are deeply fragile. Neither can ultimately deliver on their promises. Both demand your constant best efforts in order to receive their benefits. Over time this proves to be exhausting ..read more

Modern life is disorienting. We feel the need to organize our time around life-giving practices like life-hacking, habit-stacking, mindfulness, diet, exercise, and technological limits. We live in the age of “Project Self”, and while these self-edits can be a tremendous help in moving us toward greater health, many of us come to see that they require a significant amount of self-discipline ..read more

In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a declaring that the United States is suffering from an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation.” In his report it was stated that “half of Americans (49%) in 2021 reported having three or fewer close friends,” an increase from 27% in 1990. Twelve percent of respondents said they had no close friends at all. Suffice it to say, community is something that almost everyone is hungry for, yet many have overly romanticized views of. It often doesn’t take long for us to realize that the church is full of people that are just as flawed an ..read more

Modern culture’s rejection of a dominant meta-narrative results in the tragic loss of a shared understanding of the purpose of life. Individuals are subsequently left to generate their own personal sense of purpose. Where is that purpose to be found? Work? Pleasure? Health? Wealth? Positive impact on the world? Social justice causes? Concurrent with the loss of a shared purpose is the increase in meaningless work - work that serves no greater purpose than to generate profit and pay salaries. Such flimsy purposes can rarely withstand the rigors of life’s disappointments, trials, and pains ..read more

The transience of modern life is one of the variables that actively works against our best efforts to practice the missional presence of Jesus in Richmond. Many of us have the option to leave our current context whenever a new job opportunity presents itself or the dream of a better life begins to materialize in a new locale. The Christian commitment to incarnation is a radical response to this impulse. When we choose to stay and live more deeply into the communities we are a part of, we experience the unique fruit that can only be produced through love over lengthy amounts of time ..read more

In the same way art appreciation was superseded by the demand for easy entertainment, so now our entertainment culture is being devoured by a cultural addiction to distraction. While the algorithms at work behind our content consumption may technically be amoral, their effects are anything but; the human imagination is actively being hijacked and suffocated in pursuit of financial profit. How can we reflect the selfless love of Christ when the predominant forces shaping our imaginations are gaming, pornography, clickbait, newsreels meant to invoke political outrage, and 15-second video clips ..read more

We are creatures who live by our stories…Narrative is the ‘central function of the human mind.’ We turn everything into a story in order to make sense of life. We dream in narrative, day-dream in narrative, remember, anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticize, construct, gossip, learn, hate, and love by narrative. In fact we cannot avoid it ..read more

The nursery at Redeemer is growing! Over the summer, we have had 40 babies in regular attendance between the ages of 6 months-3 years old. With that growth, we are making changes to extend the spiritual formation we practice in Redeemer Kids to our tiniest parishioners. From the moment they are born, we want to build their sense of belonging in the context of the church and God’s story and help them develop a sense of wonder in the beauty of their identity in Christ ..read more

At Redeemer, we describe our life together with the phrase "Gospel Formation for Missional Presence," and because our Youth Fellowship is an integral part of the whole of Redeemer, this is true for us as well ..read more