Waves Church

Writer Anne Lamott says there's only three basic prayers: Help, Thanks, and Wow. We started 2025 with a lot of Help prayers in the devastation of the Palisades Fires. The end of this year affords us the opportunity to offer God some Thanks and Wow prayers from Psalm 100.
Speaker: Taylor Walling
A sermon from Waves Church, a local church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.
In Community, On Campus, For the Kingdom
www.waveschurch.com

When people think of Christmas, they usually picture a nativity scene. That's where the Christmas story happens, but not in John's Gospel. John 1 reminds us that the Christmas story doesn't start at the manger, but in the heavens. The story begins not in ancient Israel, but in eternity past. And in the opening words of John's gospel, we meet at God who has always lived in relationship, and who invites us into relationship with him.
About this series: Christmas is a reminder that no matter what our story looks like, God can write a new chapter. That's what He did for the people of Israel, bringing a Messiah out of circumstances we wouldn't have expected or chosen. God writes a new chapter for the world, bringing a savior who will extend the hope of salvation to the end of earth. God writes a new chapter in His relationship with humanity - joining us and becoming one of us through the incarnation. This Advent season, let God's new chapter offer you hope no matter what your story looks like.
Speaker: Taylor Walling
A sermon from Waves Church, a local church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.
In Community, On Campus, For the Kingdom
www.waveschurch.com

Main character energy is not a new phenomenon. People throughout history have gotten caught up in their ideas of how life should go. We want to live in a certain kind of story. But encounters with God draw us into a bigger story in which we're not the main character at all. That was the reality for Joseph, a husband-to-be trying to figure out what to do with the plot twist of Mary's pregnancy. And that's when God sends an angel to invite Joseph into a story far better than he could have imagined.
About this Series: Christmas is a reminder that no matter what our story looks like, God can write a new chapter. That's what He did for the people of Israel, bringing a Messiah out of circumstances we wouldn't have expected or chosen. God writes a new chapter for the world, bringing a savior who will extend the hope of salvation to the end of earth. God writes a new chapter in His relationship with humanity - joining us and becoming one of us through the incarnation. This Advent season, let God's new chapter offer you hope no matter what your story looks like.
Speaker: Coby Dolloff
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

When the angel comes to a young girl in a backwater town, Mary's response does more than submit to God's will - she sings God's praise. Faith gives us the ability to sing, to worship God - something we were made for. Encounter the upside down means by which God works in this message from Luke 1.
About this Series: Christmas is a reminder that no matter what our story looks like, God can write a new chapter. That's what He did for the people of Israel, bringing a Messiah out of circumstances we wouldn't have expected or chosen. God writes a new chapter for the world, bringing a savior who will extend the hope of salvation to the end of earth. God writes a new chapter in His relationship with humanity - joining us and becoming one of us through the incarnation. This Advent season, let God's new chapter offer you hope no matter what your story looks like.
Speaker: Jessica Hooten-Wilson
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Jesus had a family tree - just like you and me. His family tree wasn't full of perfect people - it was full of real people. Messy people. The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy, tracing three sets of generations, two divine promises, four noteworthy women, all leading to one messiah. On one hand, it's a list of names. On the other, it's an invitation into the story of God.
About this Series: Christmas is a reminder that no matter what our story looks like, God can write a new chapter. That's what He did for the people of Israel, bringing a Messiah out of circumstances we wouldn't have expected or chosen. God writes a new chapter for the world, bringing a savior who will extend the hope of salvation to the end of earth. God writes a new chapter in His relationship with humanity - joining us and becoming one of us through the incarnation. This Advent season, let God's new chapter offer you hope no matter what your story looks like.
Speaker: Taylor Walling
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

There is power in naming what is true (and what isn't). Jesus names what is true in Matthew 6 when he points out all the things people chase after - food, clothes, the worries of life. And Jesus names the truth that there is nothing more important to seek than the kingdom of God.
Speaker: Billy Coull
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

In John 6, Jesus calls himself the bread of life. What did he mean, and why does it matter for us today? This sermon helps us wrestle with what we turn to instead of the bread of life and to see that Jesus invites us to come to him for the answer to the hunger pangs of our soul.
Speaker: Taylor Walling
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Jesus instituted a meal for Christians to remember him by. Some call it Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. When Christians take this meal, what does it mean? What are Christians declaring to Jesus and one another when they take the bread and the cup? In this sermon, guest speaker Tim Spivey helps us uncover powerful declarations in this simple meal.
Speaker: Tim Spivey
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

When God gave us life, He entrusted us with a miraculous investment. And one day we will have to answer for what we chose to do with the life, the energy, and the resources God has given us. That's at the heart of the parable of the talents. It's a story that reveals how our view of God will impact what we do with the talents we receive. This message from Matthew 25 concludes the Parables series.
About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”
Speaker: Taylor Walling
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Do right and wrong really exist, or is it all just a matter of perspective? How should Christians think about and interact with people who don't live their lives for God? Is God going to do something about the evil in this world? Jesus tells a parable and gives an explanation to his disciples in Matthew 13 that help us address these questions - and his words help us see the heart of a patient, compassionate God.
About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”
Speaker: Jeff Walling
A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.