In 2026, we’re taking on the commandment that Jesus called the greatest
In 2026, we’re taking on the commandment that Jesus called the greatest—but we won’t settle for clichés or shallow answers. What does it really mean to love God with everything we are, to love our neighbors in a fractured and polarized world, and to love ourselves in a way that is holy, not selfish?
We will get real about love—naming why it’s so difficult to give or receive it. Fear, shame, anxiety, pride, and even misplaced humility can sabotage us. Whether we avoid love because it feels too vulnerable or twist it into control, guilt, or performance, Jesus calls us beyond all of that into a love that is freeing, costly, and transforming.
Along the way, we will grapple with tough questions: What happens when “loving yourself” requires undertaking deep inner work, or seeking the guidance of mental health professionals? What happens when humility becomes self-erasure, or when self-confidence tips into pride? Where is the balance that sets us free?
And we won’t stop with the self. We will push into what it means to love people together—to build authentic community in a culture of division, to stand firm in compassion when outrage feels easier, and to embody a love so radical that it reflects the heart of God. Our prayer is that we will not only understand the greatest commandment but live it—risking real, vulnerable, transformative love in every direction: upward, outward, and inward.
The Greatest Commandment: Love God. Love People. (Love Self)
Recalibrating: Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak
Everyone is talking. Nobody is listening. In a world of hot takes, outrage cycles, and endless noise, we’ve never been more connected — and never felt more alone. Scripture offers something radically different and desperately needed: be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. (James 1:9) This fall, we’re diving into one of the most practical and countercultural ideas of our day — learning to recalibrate the way we communicate with God, with each other, and with a world that is starving for someone to listen finally. Whether you’re exhausted by the noise, longing for real connection, or just ready for something different — this series is for you. Join us beginning August 9.
Rooted: Five Ways We Say Yes
Every relationship worth having requires a yes. Not a perfect yes — just an honest, open-handed one that says: I’m in. I want to be part of this. I’m willing to show up, give something, and let this community matter to me. That kind of yes has a name. It’s called a covenant. And this fall, we’re exploring five ways it comes to life — through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. These aren’t obligations or membership requirements. They are a description of what it looks like when love takes root in a person and in a community. If First Church is the place you’d call in a crisis or celebrate in joy — this series is for you. Join us beginning September 27.
Fully Alive: Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
Jesus called it the greatest commandment: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. But what does that actually look like — in real life, with real people, in a world that pulls us in every direction? This November, First Church is spending four weeks unpacking four dimensions of one fully alive life. We’ll ask what it means to love God with the part of us that feels everything, the deepest part no one else sees, the thinking life that shapes everything else, and the everyday strength of a life offered as worship. All year, we’ve been asking what it means to love God, each other, and ourselves. This series is where it all comes home.
Flesh and Blood: God's Heart for Humanity
We have spent a whole year asking what love looks like — and this Advent, we arrive at the deepest answer of all. Not what God requires of us or expects from us, but what God feels toward us. The incarnation is God’s most irreversible, costly, tender declaration: I am for you. All of you. Flesh and blood you. Through four ancient Advent themes — hope, peace, joy, and love — we’ll explore what it means to receive a love this personal, and how it changes the way we see the human beings around us when we understand that God’s heart beats for them, too.
November 1
All Saints Sunday
at 9am & 11am
December 20
Cantata
at 11am
December 20
Blue Christmas Service
at 5pm
December 24
Christmas Eve Services
at 4pm & 6pm
December 27
One Worship Service
at 11am
Suggested Sunday School or Small Group curriculum to go along with the sermon series.
- Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better (6 sessions)
Includes videos and a leader’s guide.
This resource can be purchased on Amazon or online.
- The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life by Adam Hamilton (6 sessions) includes videos and a leader’s guide.
This resource can be accessed on amplifymedia.com[1]
- The Generosity Project by Tony Payne (6 sessions)
Includes free online videos and a leader’s guide.
This resource can be accessed at thegenerosityproject.com - Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg (6 sessions)
Includes videos and a leader’s guide.
This resource can be purchased on Amazon or online.
ADVENT (starts Nov 29):
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Voices of Advent by Matthew L. Skinner (4 sessions)
Includes videos and a leader’s guide.
This resource can be accessed on amplifymedia.com -
Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience by various authors (4 sessions)
Includes videos and a leader’s guide.
This resource can be accessed on amplifymedia.com
NOTE: If you need help accessing or purchasing curriculum email seniorpastor@firstchurchenid.com
To use Amplify Media, go to https://myamplifymedia.com/amplify/register
Enter access code: PHNLRS and click verify.
On the next screen enter a name, email address, create a password and click “Start a Free Membership”
FYI: Amplify can be accessed from a Roku streaming device.