Chi Alpha at UVA

What is the cost that Jesus is asking you to give? In this week's message, Dr. Stephanie Nance walks us through Mark 14, where a woman anoints Jesus with costly perfume as a sign of respect and sacrifice. The others around him only focus on the amount that was given, and they mock her for her actions, but Jesus sees and affirms the woman for being willing to count the cost. Listen along with us as we continue our series through the Book of Mark, The Crown & The Cross, where we see Jesus establish the Kingdom of God and serve as our ultimate sacrifice.

As Jesus begins his crossward journey to Jerusalem, He encounters an eager young man with an important question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" This man approaches Jesus at the most important moment in his life and is offered the opportunity of a lifetime; what will he do? There are moments in each of our lives when we are faced with decisions that can change the trajectory of our lives. Moments that require great wisdom and sacrifice. Join us this week as we unpack what it means to choose obedience and life as we stand at a fork in the road.

How are we to live under the "inner-ring" mentality the world brings? We live in a society of pressure, advancement, standards, and evaluation. Some people are considered big, important people whereas others are seen as small. Here, Pete walks us through Jesus' way of seeing the world as described in Mark. We are to give ourselves up and serve others, seeing everyone as big people. This is the ninth message in our series through the Gospel of Mark, The Crown & The Cross, where we see Jesus establish the Kingdom of God and serve as our ultimate Savior.

How frequently do you scale a mountain to spend time with God at the summit? Likely not often. Here, Pete walks us through the story of Jesus' transfiguration and shows us how essential our mountain is to our spiritual growth. This mountain isn't a metaphor for hardship or calamity, but a time and place set aside to meet with the Lord in deep, contemplative abiding. This is the eighth message in our series through the Gospel of Mark, The Crown & The Cross, where we see Jesus establish the Kingdom of God and serve as our ultimate Savior.

What does it mean that God is working for our good? In our last session of 2023 Fall Retreat, Blane dives into Romans 8 and calls us to recommit ourselves to God’s definition of goodness.

If God does nothing else for you, is the cross enough? In our third session of 2023 Fall retreat, Blane challenges us to rediscover the foundation of our faith. Here, we dive into Acts 16, and draw upon the attitudes of Paul and Silas through their suffering and subsequent deliverance.

What does impactful spiritual friendship look like? In our second session of 2023 Fall Retreat, Blane shows us how the faith of the paralyzed man’s friends in Luke 5 was impactful in his healing. Here we’re called to redefine what our friendships look like to spur each other on to Christ-likeness.

How can what we do in community point us closer to looking like Jesus? To kick off our 2023 Fall Retreat, guest speaker Blane Young, director of DC Chi Alpha, dives into Acts 2 where we see how discipline and delight lead us to devote ourselves better to fellowship with others and thus refocus us on Christ.

Have you ever heart that story where Jesus heals a man but it takes two tries? Strange, right?! See what the gospel writer is trying to tell us, and how it relates to Jesus as the suffering Messiah. Here, John walks us through Mark 8, where we see how this same crucified Savior asks each of us to pick up our cross and follow him. This is the seventh message in our series through the Gospel of Mark, The Crown & The Cross, where we see Jesus establish the Kingdom of God and serve as our ultimate Savior.

When was the last time you went to a large party or celebration? The Kingdom of God is like a banquet, and here, Pete draws a contrast between the banquet in Herod's court and Jesus's banquet in the wilderness. We find that God's Kingdom is about love, service, and God's power. This is the sixth message in our series through the Gospel of Mark, The Crown & The Cross, where we see Jesus establish the Kingdom of God and serve as our ultimate Savior.