(Now teaching · 6 sermons)
Create the Culture.
(The sermons)
- 06Oct 11, 2026
Become Like Jesus
Pastor Abbie teaches from Luke 11 and asks two questions. How did I get here? Who am I becoming? Jesus tells the Pharisees that the outside of a cup can look clean while the inside is not. He is not against their practices. He wants those practices to form hearts of love. Abbie names four ways we are formed: what we hear, how we live, who is around us, and what happens to us. The stories we believe, the habits we repeat, our family and community, and our pain and suffering all shape us, whether we notice or not. Being and doing are not in competition. Our being shapes our doing, and our doing forms our being. Look at your story. Look at your habits. Bring your pain to Jesus. Abbie closes with Psalm 139 and invites us to pray the examen every night.
Luke 11:37-54 · Pastor Abbie Sawczak
All 8 passages
Read the full transcript →0:00 / 0:00 - 05Oct 4, 2026
Be With Jesus
Ashleigh teaches from Luke 11, where Jesus says we are lamps meant to shine in the dark. What we take in through our eyes shapes who we become, and the word for a healthy eye, haplos, can mean simple, single, or whole. So the question is whether our time with Jesus has our whole attention. Martha and the older brother in the lost son parable both served hard and ended up bitter, because they lost sight of why. We come back to Jesus first and serve from the overflow. Being with Him does not need a formula. A few words, like the Lord's Prayer, carry a lot of weight.
Luke 11:33-36 · Ashleigh Jurosic
Read the full transcript →0:00 / 0:00 - 04Sep 27, 2026
Practicing the Ways of Jesus
A group of kids at Devil's Lake goes from joy to "you're in my territory" in a few minutes, because they are listening to the people around them. We are always being formed. The culture of Christ is a culture of withness: Jesus left heaven to commune with us, so we live with God, not under, over, from, or for Him. Martha opened her home and then lost herself in the work, while Mary sat at His feet and, looking up, saw only Jesus. A Rule of Life is how we practice that together, as practice and not performance.
Luke 10:38-42 · Pastor Abbie Sawczak
Read the full transcript →0:00 / 0:00 - 03Sep 20, 2026
Community
Abbie reads the Good Samaritan and notices the order nobody preaches: the man was hurt by people, rejected by people, and then healed by people. Community is required, going back to a God who said let us make and then said it is not good for the man to be alone. It is also risky, because rejection registers in the brain the way physical pain does, which is why we would rather ask a search bar than a friend. The Samaritan crossed a road that cost him something and got close enough to pour oil and wine into the wound, which is what Jesus did for us.
Luke 10:25-37 · Pastor Abbie Sawczak
All 6 passages
Read the full transcript →0:00 / 0:00 - 02Sep 6, 2026
The Harvest Is Plentiful
Madison keeps winning best-place-to-live lists, and the harder question is who it is best for. Nehemiah heard that a city he did not live in was in ruins, and he asked more questions, wept, prayed, then helped rebuild the wall. Jesus sends the 72 out in the same order. The harvest is plentiful, so ask the Lord of the harvest, then stay long enough at one table to know the people there.
Nehemiah 1:1-11 · Pastor Abbie Sawczak
All 4 passages
Read the full transcript →0:00 / 0:00 - 01Aug 30, 2026
One Person, One Place at a Time
Jesus sees the one person the crowd walked past, stops for her, and then hands his people the work of feeding everybody else. One person, one place at a time.
Luke 8:40-56 · Pastor Abbie Sawczak
All 4 passages
Read the full transcript →0:00 / 0:00
(Read along)
A reading guide.
A week-by-week way to sit with Create the Culture on your own or with your community. Read the passage, reflect, and practice being present to God.
01In MadisonMidday prayer & intercessionAugust 31 to September 6 · Read Luke 1
Read
Supporting scripture
“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city… pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Reflect
Flourishing isn't abstract. Flourishing has a zip code.
Practice · Midday prayer & intercession
Pause in the middle of your day to be with Jesus. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes at midday to become aware of God's presence and pray for the people, places, and situations God brings to mind. As you pray, begin to notice your actual city. Your neighborhood, your coworkers, your schools, your local businesses, and the people you encounter every day.
Pray
Jesus, where are You at work around me today? Who are You inviting me to pray for?
02In MadisonPray as you walkSeptember 7 to 13 · Read Luke 2
Read
Supporting scripture
“Who is my neighbor?”
Reflect
The lawyer's question in Luke 10 was an attempt to limit love. Jesus' answer expands it. Neighbor isn't defined by proximity or comfort, but by need and opportunity.
Practice · Pray as you walk
Take a walk around your neighborhood this week. As you walk, pay attention to the people, homes, businesses, schools, parks, and places around you. Pray for the people who live around you and ask God to bring His peace, presence, and kingdom to your neighborhood. Then take the next step: sign up for the Madison Good Neighbor Gathering on September 13.
Pray
Jesus, help me see my neighborhood the way You see it.
03TogetherShared mealsSeptember 14 to 20 · Read Luke 3-4
Read
Supporting scripture
Reflect
Acts 2 wasn't a one-time spiritual high. It was ordinary, repeated life together. Meals, teaching, generosity, prayer. Community was structural, not incidental.
Practice · Shared meals
Share a meal with someone this week. Invite someone over, grab coffee, eat lunch with a coworker, or make space at your table for someone you don't normally spend time with. The goal isn't a perfect meal. The goal is shared life.
Pray
Jesus, who are You inviting me to make room for?
04TogetherCovenant communitySeptember 21 to 27 · Read Luke 5-6
Read
Supporting scripture
“…spurring one another on toward love and good deeds…”
Reflect
Loving our city well isn't sustainable alone. Covenant means showing up when it's inconvenient and staying when it's hard.
Practice · Covenant community
We aren't formed alone. Take a next step toward deeper community this week. Sign up for a Formation Group or a Community. Choose consistency over convenience. Choose people who can know you, encourage you, challenge you, and walk with you.
Pray
Jesus, who am I committed to doing life with?
05Create the CultureCreate a Rule of LifeSeptember 28 to October 4 · Read Luke 7-9
Read
Supporting scripture
“You are the salt of the earth… the light of the world.”
Reflect
Culture is the sum of a community's practices, values, and rhythms. If we don't intentionally create a culture shaped by Jesus, we'll default to the culture around us. Hurry, individualism, consumption, outrage.
Practice · Create a Rule of Life
A Rule of Life is a trellis, not a cage. Use our website and daily rhythms resources to build yours this week. newculturechurch.com
Pray
06Be With JesusSilence & ScriptureOctober 5 to 11 · Read Luke 10-12
Read
Supporting scripture
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you… apart from me you can do nothing.”
Reflect
Before Jesus asks us to do anything, He asks us to be with Him. You cannot become like someone you don't spend time with.
Practice · Silence & Scripture
Set aside intentional time to simply be with Jesus. Put away your phone. Find a quiet place. Sit in silence and slowly read Luke 10 to 12. Resist the urge to accomplish something. You don't have to produce anything. Just be with Jesus.
Pray
Jesus, what am I noticing as I slow down and become present to You?
07Become Like JesusFastingOctober 12 to 18 · Read Luke 13-17
Read
Supporting scripture
“…conformed to the image of His Son.”
Reflect
Formation isn't about becoming a generic good Christian. It's about becoming more fully who God made you to be, with the character of Christ growing in you.
Practice · Fasting
Pay attention to what Jesus is forming in you. As you read Luke 13 to 17, notice the attitudes, desires, reactions, and relationships Jesus is inviting you to surrender and reshape.
Pray
Jesus, make me more like You. What part of my character are You inviting me to grow in?
08Do What Jesus DidFastingOctober 19 to 25 · Read Luke 18-21
Read
Supporting scripture
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
Reflect
Being with Jesus and becoming like Jesus were never meant to stay private. They lead somewhere. Out into the world, to the people around us.
Practice · Fasting
Practice fasting this week. Choose something to fast from and use hunger, discomfort, or desire as an invitation to turn your attention toward God. Fasting isn't just about giving something up. It's about making space to hear and respond to Jesus.
Pray
Jesus, what are You sending me toward?
09Do What Jesus DidCommunion & missionOctober 26 to 31 · Read Luke 22-24
Read
Supporting scripture
“…go and make disciples of all nations…”
Reflect
Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus is alive. And we are sent.
Practice · Communion & mission
Slow down and remember the story we're a part of. Reflect on Jesus' death and resurrection. Receive Communion with your community and remember that the risen Jesus sends His people into the world.
Pray
Jesus, where have You sent me? Who are You inviting me to love? What would it look like to carry Your love into my city this week?