Mark 6:45-56 Fear Not, for the Lord Is With YouShortly before he ascended, Jesus told his followers they were to engage in meaningful ministry—to work their way through the world, sharing the good news of salvation. Our loving Lord knew that was a big and often intimidating task. So, his next words were a promise. “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). God’s people still need to hear that promise. For several weeks, we have been discussing the reality that the Lord of the Church has called all believers to meaningful ministry. Ministry will come with challenges. It can cause fears to arise: the fear of rejection, the fear of inadequacy, the fear of persecution. So, listen again to your Savior. “I am with you always.” We conclude our series on meaningful ministry empowered by that gracious promise.Aug 04, 202416:542 Corinthians 9:8-11 God Meets Our Need to Meet Other’s NeedsKing David explains, “The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). That word “everything” doesn’t leave any wiggle room, does it? That word “everything” means that your home and all its furnishings, your vehicle and all that’s in the trunk, your bank account, the twenty-eight dollars in your wallet, the wallet itself, and the pocket in which you carry your wallet all belong to God. Everything you have was given to you by your good and gracious Father. We need to understand that. But it is just as important that we understand why God provides for our physical needs. As we have seen throughout this worship series, God has called us to ministry. He asks us to reflect his love in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of others. Believers want to serve others in those ways. By providing for us, God meets our need to meet others’ needs. This week, Jesus promises that he will provide the resources necessary to conduct meaningful ministry.Jul 28, 202412:15Hebrews 13:7-8, 17-21 Jesus Models a Compassionate Shepherd’s HeartIn the ancient Middle East, a shepherd needed certain skills to do his job well: knowledge of edible grasses, ability to trim hooves, capacity to fend off predators, and competency to birth lambs. However, the greatest qualification of a shepherd is much simpler. A good shepherd needed to care for his sheep. Without that, none of those other skills would be fully utilized. In Scripture, meaningful ministry is often pictured as a compassionate shepherd caring for his sheep: Jesus’ care for us; a spiritual leader’s care for his “flock.” Certainly, gospel ministry requires specific skills: the ability to actively listen to people, the aptitude for applying the gospel to someone’s situation, etc. Ultimately, meaningful ministry requires a compassionate heart and profound care for others. An individual might know God’s Word backwards and forwards. But if they lack compassion, they will not fully perform meaningful ministry. Today, we ask the Spirit to see how Jesus models a compassionate shepherd’s heart so we might be filled with that same compassion. Jul 21, 202414:54Amos 7:10-15 Sent with God’s Own AuthorityWhen a child asks a sibling to do something, there isn’t much certainty as to the results. The sibling might simply ignore the request. However, if that same child goes to a brother or sister with “Dad said so,” it’s a very different story! Now, the father’s authority is behind the child’s request. As believers carry out gospel ministry, encouraging others to turn to Christ in repentance, people might push back. “What gives you the right?” Maybe we ask that question ourselves. “I’m far from perfect. So, what gives me the right to talk about things like sin?” This week, we are given the answer to that question. “Dad said so.” When our God calls us to do ministry, he also gives us authority. In calling us to ministry, God isn’t asking us to share our advice or our opinion or even our values. We are sharing God’s own authoritative Word. Gospel ministry is conducted by believers but with God’s own authority behind the effort.Jul 14, 202417:15Ezekiel 2:1-7 Not Glee and Gratitude, but Rejection and ResentmentIf ministry involves serving others with love and compassion, you would think that people would respond only with glee and gratitude for the help they received. Sometimes, but not always. If you offer to help a family member who is having trouble paying his bills, he might be offended, wondering if you are implying that he is not a good provider. Likewise, if you try and share the gospel with someone, he might resent the message that he is a sinner in need of salvation. You are trying to minister to this man’s greatest need. Your intentions are loving. Yet he responds with rejection and resentment. When our ministry efforts are met not with glee and gratitude but rejection and resentment, we are in good company. The prophets, apostles, and even Jesus himself all had those who responded negatively to their ministries. When that happens to us, it doesn’t mean our ministry is no longer meaningful. For if others do not appreciate our efforts to serve them, God still appreciates our efforts to serve him.Jul 07, 202416:45Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43 The Living Lord Completely Changes Our View of DeathMost people fear death to some degree. Some fear death because they assume it is the end. Others fear death because they assume it isn’t the end at all but that there is some sort of reckoning after death, which might not go well for them. And have you seen what happens to a dead body? It is far from pretty. So, it is understandable that most people would fear death. Not so for those to whom God has given a top-down faith. Christianity teaches that for God’s children, death is not discipline but deliverance. The living Lord gives Christians such a radically different view of death that they can have the confidence to face death in their effort to give Christ glory. They understand that death does not cut us down but only raises us up. Finally, the Christian has been given the top-down faith that believes Jesus can wake us from death as easily as we can wake a sleeping child from his nap. Jun 30, 202414:41Mark 4:35-41 Our Gracious God Is with Us Through All the Storms of LifeA powerful tornado rolls through your neighborhood. A massive hurricane heads straight for your city. A bolt of lightning sends 300 million volts to earth. The raw power and unpredictability of storms can inspire both awe and terror. We cannot stop storms from coming. We can only hope to survive them. However, we know the Almighty God can stop storms. He can calm literal storms. He could remove metaphorical storms and other types of troubles and trials. So, if he can, why doesn’t he? Well, would you rather have a God who was distant from you but removed all the storms of life? Or would you rather have a God who allowed some storms to come but promised to be right there by your side within them, holding you close? May God give us the top-down faith that sees that the latter is by far the better option. God promises to be with us through all the storms of life. Sometimes, he removes them. But when he doesn’t, it’s only because he has plans to use even storms for our eternal good.Jun 23, 202414:01Mark 4:26-34 From the Tiniest Seed Grows the Largest KingdomUsually, a kingdom advances and is secured through things like military might, political force, or worldly wealth. It can be tempting to believe the same holds true in the kingdom of God. Perhaps we think churches would flourish if we had the right rulers passing and enforcing the right laws. Or we believe that for a church to do good, it requires a robust budget. Political force. Worldly wealth. This way of thinking is breathtakingly wrong. We need God to give us the top-down faith that grasps the fact that the kingdom of God advances in imperceptible ways. Through something that seems insignificant to most—the gospel—the King of kings establishes his reign in human hearts. Even Jesus taught that the gospel seems unimpressive, for he often compared the gospel to a tiny seed. Yet within a seed is hidden life. As the seed of the gospel is planted, the largest of all kingdoms grows. Jun 16, 202417:19Genesis 3:8-15 The Devil Does His Worst, Yet Jesus Always WinsLook at our lives—the problems, the pains—and it’s easy to conclude that we are losing. Look at the world—the brokenness, the bedlam—and it’s easy to believe that the devil is winning. It all can lead us to despair. Yet this turmoil is exactly what God said would happen in the Garden. There, God declared that until the end of time, enmity would prevail between the devil and mankind. But God promised more than that. He promised that from humanity would rise one who would completely defeat the devil. We need a top-down faith to understand that things are not what they seem. Yes, the devil and his allies are constantly doing their worst. Their work always brings pain. Yet, ultimately, Jesus always wins. And his victory is our victory. Jesus’ victory is so complete that even when Satan continues to cause chaos, Christ uses it to reveal his glory and grace to those gifted with top-down faith. Jun 09, 202416:54Mark 2:23-3:6 Rest Is a Gift, Not Something to Be EarnedAfter a long day of work, you have earned the right to sit in your favorite chair, put your feet up, and watch your favorite program. After a hard week on the job, you have earned the opportunity to relax a bit that weekend. After doing your job well for many months, you have earned those two weeks of vacation at the beach. This is how everyone thinks: rest is something you earn through hard work. We even teach that to our kids: no gaming until homework is done, no playing with friends until chores are complete. Since the concept of rest being earned is deeply engrained in us, properly understanding spiritual rest requires a top-down faith. God needs to send us the Spirit so that we can grasp this truth. True spiritual rest cannot be earned. In fact, the harder you try, the more restless and the less peaceful you become. Spiritual rest is a gift that God gives. The rest we need most—from guilt, from worry, from shame, from hopelessness—is graciously given to us by the Lord of the Sabbath. Jun 02, 202418:54Romans 5:6-11 A Restored RelationshipChristianity, at its heart, is all about relationships. It’s about our relationships with God and with one another. And it’s about how, even though we have broken these relationships with our sins, God has fixed them by sending his Son Jesus into the world to accomplish the work of our salvation by his death on the cross.May 26, 202415:13John 15:26-27; 16:4b-11 Christ Has Not Left Us AloneJesus told his disciples that, though he was going to ascend into heaven, he wouldn’t leave them alone. He would send “the Advocate,” a title for the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wasn’t sending the Spirit to keep us company. Jesus would have the Advocate give us spiritual power so that we might participate in Christ’s saving work. Here is the final resurrection reality. The Spirit gives us the ability to raise the spiritually dead to life. We see this happen on Pentecost. The festival of Pentecost was held fifty days after the Passover. (Pentecost is Greek for “fifty.”) It was a time to thank God for the harvest. But on that day, through the Church at work, the Holy Spirit gathered another harvest, a harvest of souls. Therefore, Pentecost is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. With the Festival of Pentecost, the festival half of the Church Year comes to a close.May 19, 202416:40Acts 6:1–9, 7:2a, 51-60 We Will Overcome This Broken WorldThis world is broken. Oh, certainly, we still see beauty in nature. By God’s grace, we have plenty of happy moments. But that does not change the fact that this world does not function as God designed it to. It is dangerous, especially for God’s children. Jesus once promised that those who live for him will be hated (just as Christ was hated) by those who live for the world. The even greater danger is that the priorities prompted by this broken world tempt the careless Christian to devalue what truly matters. This world is very broken. For that reason, our gracious, living Lord promises that one day, soon enough, he will take us to a better world. Moreover, he promises that until that time, his Father will protect us, preserving our faith through the truth of his Word. This is the resurrection reality. By God’s grace, we will overcome this broken world.May 12, 202418:21John 15:9-17 Jesus’ Business Is Love; Therefore, So Is OursGod’s Word can be summed up in one word: love. God’s Law is all about love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37,39). The gospel is all about love: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16). From his compassion for the sick and broken to his sacrificial death on the cross, to the peace he provided after his resurrection, Jesus was the perfect embodiment of love. Love is his business. Therefore, love is our business, too. The resurrection reality is that with the same supernatural power by which God raised Jesus from the dead, God now enables us to live a new life, one marked by radically selfless love. The motivation and ability to do this come from seeing the endless love Christ has for us. We love only because he first loved us.May 05, 202414:401 John 3:18–24The Living Lord Produces Active FaithGenerally, our actions are shaped by our beliefs. People who eat low-carb diets do so, probably not because they hate pasta but because they believe it is the healthiest. If a man buys stock in a company, it probably is because he believes in its business plan. Our beliefs shape our behavior. This is true of Christians’ belief in the resurrection. We believe Christ’s resurrection guarantees our resurrection to a glorious eternal life. That inevitably shapes how we will act now. However, not simply the facts of the resurrection shape our behavior. It is the person of the resurrection. Jesus is not some wise, dead sage whose advice is in dusty books. Jesus lives! Therefore, he can work on our minds and hearts through His Word, molding them to his perfect will. Here is a resurrection reality. Jesus fills us with his Spirit, not only so that we have faith but also so that we produce the fruits of faith he seeks.Apr 28, 202415:33John 10:14The Risen Savior Provides Good ShepherdingScripture frequently pictures spiritual care in terms of a shepherd watching over sheep. Even folks unfamiliar with shepherding can grasp the meaning. Sheep are helpless animals—an easy meal for predators. For sheep to survive, they needed a shepherd who not only leads them to sources of food but who also is willing to tangle with a pack of wolves. Jesus is such a shepherd. He proved he was willing to lay down his life for his sheep. The word “pastor” comes from the Latin word for “shepherd.” Today, there are plenty of people— pastors, religious leaders, etc.—who claim they can provide healing for your soul. Yet, Scripture warns that “many” of these are “false prophets” (1 John 4:1) who “distort the truth” (Acts 20:30). Many! But the resurrection reality is that our Good Shepherd is faithful. He will raise up true sub-shepherds who know Christ and proclaim the truth of his gospel.Apr 21, 202417:04Luke 24:36-49We Have a Meaningful Message to ShareA platitude is a statement aimed at helping soothe some sort of emotional unease. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Or “Life is a mystery.” Or “Good things come to those who wait.” While platitudes may be well-intentioned, at best, they come off as trite. And since platitudes provide no real help, they can actually make a situation worse. Tell the one whose heart is shattering, “Life is a mystery.” They won’t appreciate your platitude or you. The resurrection gives believers the ability to offer more than platitudes. We have a meaningful message to share—of repentance, of forgiveness, of peace, of power. The reality is we have something important to say to every single person that God brings into our sphere of influence. And our risen Savior gives us the courage and power to share that meaningful message.Apr 14, 202417:221 John 1:1-4The Living Lord Gives Proof and PeaceIn most world religions, the alleged foundational event was experienced by only one person. A self-proclaimed prophet would allege he alone had some special encounter with God. “No, really! Just trust me. It really happened.” The resurrection reality is so very different. In the Great Resurrection Chapter (1 Corinthians 15), St. Paul writes an entire paragraph listing all the people to whom Jesus appeared after he rose, including a group of over five hundred at one time. It is like St. Paul is telling skeptics, “You don’t need to take my word for it. Hundreds of us saw Jesus back from the dead.” The proof of Jesus’ resurrection brought peace and strength to those early believers. They knew there was more to their existence than their time on earth. They knew the reality that eternal life was theirs, a gift from their living Lord. It gave them incredible joy and courage. May the resurrection reality give us the same.Apr 07, 202415:42Mark 16:1-8 All Will Be Made AliveThe film director Woody Allen once said, “I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Studies have shown that most people fear death to varying degrees. This fear is so common that there is even a field of psychological study called thanatology. It examines human reactions to death and dying. One of the biggest reasons people fear death is the perception of its permanency. In the normal realm of human existence, dead is dead. Someone dies, and all you have are pictures and memories. That is how people typically think, but it is far from reality. Today, Christ proves to us that death is not final at all! Easter teaches us that Christ is the first fruits of those who have died. Just as Christ rose, “so in Christ, all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). That changes everything: the way we grieve the death of a Christian loved one, the way we feel when our health fails, the way we look at the purpose of life right now. Let us rejoice in this resurrection reality: All will be made alive!Mar 31, 202416:50Zechariah 9:9-12Rethinking Real StrengthMost religions believe in a powerful God. It is assumed that God will use that strength to benefit his followers. That is a reasonable assumption, but it begs the question. What is real strength? It is easy to assume that real strength means exerting your will over another using any necessary means, including force. But this week, we see Jesus Christ demonstrate a different kind of strength. We have come to Holy Week. It begins with Jesus humbly riding a donkey colt straight into the hands of his enemies. As the week progresses, it will appear that Christ’s adversaries are the ones in a position of power, and Jesus is in a position of weakness. Yet what Christ does this holy week—setting his divine strength aside, being passive in the face of death—would change the world. To do what Christ did for us and our salvation took real strength.Mar 24, 202414:35John 12:20-33Rethinking Devoted CommitmentReligious sociologists sometimes divide Christians into two groups: committed Christians and cultural Christians. The former are usually defined as those who are active in a congregation, pray regularly, and read Scripture. The latter are those individuals who call themselves Christian and perhaps have some Christian beliefs. Yet, they do not strive to live a Christian life. They are not interested in church involvement. Those definitions are interesting when trying to understand shifts in American Christianity. However, they demonstrate a false assumption about the Christian religion. There is indeed a devoted commitment at the center of Christianity, but it is not man’s commitment to God. Even believers will, at times, demonstrate lukewarm commitment at best. Instead, at the heart of Christianity, we find God’s devotion and commitment to us. It is a devoted commitment so strong that it puts God on the cross.Mar 17, 202416:28Numbers 21:4-9Rethinking the Solution to SinWhile not every religion uses the word “sin,” they all embrace the concept. Every religion acknowledges that mankind’s flawed attitudes or misguided actions are a source of pain, both now and potentially in eternity. So, every religion offers a solution: a set of laws, a moral code, a path to more enlightened behavior. What do they have in common? We are to solve sin through human effort. Be better! Try harder! This is the heart of every false religion. Those who correctly understand they will never overcome their sin are crushed by guilt. Those who ludicrously believe they have defeated their sin are killed by pride. True religion offers a better way—one that frees us from guilt and has no room for pride. Jesus teaches that the solution to our sin is not to work harder. It is to trust in the work he has done for us. Salvation comes through Spirit-wrought faith in Christ.Mar 10, 202418:12John 2:13-22Rethinking the Worth of WorshipPerson A never attends worship. He can’t see the point. Person B attends every week out of a slavish sense of obligation. Her mind wanders during the services, for she views the activities of worship merely as tasks for her to complete. Who is worse off? Rather than debating the point, let us just admit neither understand the true worth of worship. And that is exactly what Satan wants. Many think worship is about what we do for God. It is the other way around. As we gather around Word and sacrament, the Spirit moves us to love and trust in God above all things. Moved by the cross of Christ, we bow down before our God. We commune with him. And that’s exactly what God wants.Mar 03, 202417:07Romans 5:1-11 Rethinking Suffering Under the CrossWe know that the cross was an instrument of torture and execution. However, Scripture also uses the term “cross” to refer to any suffering that one endures because he is a believer: the painful denial of the desires of the flesh, ridicule and persecution from unbelievers, etc. This is one reason people reject religion. They see Christians struggling in life with these crosses, while non-Christians often seem perfectly happy. Even the prophet Jeremiah asked, “Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (12:1). Today, Jesus asks us to rethink suffering under the cross. It is not pointless pain. Our crosses are not how we pay for sin. Jesus already did that on his cross. Our crosses are not redemptive, but they are constructive. Any suffering unbelievers face is only bad, a foretaste of worse to come. But the suffering believers face under the cross is only good, a way Christ connects us tightly to himself with fire-tested faith.Feb 25, 202415:07Genesis 22:1-18 Rethinking Trials, Tests, and Temptations“If God loves us, why doesn’t he remove all the trials, tests, and temptations we face?” That question demonstrates the religious assumption that those things are bad. They aren’t. In the hands of a loving God, they are tools by which he refines our faith. He uses tests as a way to compel us to be less self-reliant and instead trust in his strength. He uses trials to teach us that this broken world is not our true home. God even takes Satan’s temptations and uses them for our good. Trials, tests, and temptations are not exceptions to God’s love. That’s a false assumption! These are examples of God’s love. Proof that God allowed his beloved Son Jesus to face trials and temptations so that he might be our perfect savior and substitute.Feb 18, 202418:16Mark 9:2-9A Glimpse of His True GloryWe began this worship series in the Jordan River. At his baptism, Jesus heard his Father’s glorious voice: “You are my Son, whom I love” (Mark 1:11). From that day, in word and deed, Jesus began to reveal more about himself. He demonstrated the extent of his authority, power, and love. Along the way, we had an epiphany. Jesus has to be the very Son of God! Yet, Jesus looked so normal, like an ordinary carpenter or your average rabbi or just another prophet, until today. We have traveled from the river to the mountain. Today, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus gives us a glimpse of his true glory. As we see him in his dazzling brilliance, the Father speaks again, this time to us: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” This final epiphany prepares us for the journey of Lent, where we will witness the most glorious work that Jesus would do when he came down from this mountain.Feb 11, 202418:261 Peter 5:6-11The Devil’s Work UndoneMartin Luther once said, “Where God built a church, there the devil would also build a chapel.” Satan and the other demons hate God. They demonstrate hatred by hurting those that God loves in any way they can. The epiphany Christ wants us to have is this: demons are real, they are plenteous, and they are dangerous. But Christ would also have us see that he is continually undoing the devil’s work. More, through his Word, Christ Jesus gives us the power to resist the devil and stand firm in the faith.Feb 04, 202418:13Hebrews 3:1-6Absolute AuthorityAuthority is the power to determine what happens, the ability to give direction or even commands. Authority is limited. Authority is limited in duration. Parents have authority over their children until they grow up and move out. Authority is limited in scope. A governor has authority over the people of his state only, not the neighboring state. Authority is limited by levels. A manager has authority over employees unless the company owner—a higher authority—demotes him. Authority is limited in duration and scope. It is limited by higher levels of authority. This week we see that there is one man—only one!—who has absolute authority. There is no one, not even the demons, who is outside his authority. As the Son of God, there is no higher authority than Jesus. And his authority is everlasting. But here is the best part of this epiphany: Jesus graciously uses his absolute authority for our benefit and blessing.Jan 28, 202416:35Mark 1:14-20 Committed to a Lofty ChargeTo whom does the work of salvation belong? Simple question. There is only one Savior. But this is how good Jesus is. So that our lives might have profound meaning and eternal purpose, he shares some of that work with us. He calls us not just to be followers, but to be follower-makers. Jesus asks some — prophets, apostles, pastors, missionaries, teachers — to do this full-time. But ultimately, Jesus asks all believers to serve as his ambassadors, sharing the gospel with whomever he brings into our sphere of influence. This lofty charge requires commitment — a willingness to abandon everything else should faithfulness require it. This is the life-changing revelation for this week. Jesus has committed us to a lofty charge: the privilege to play a role in his saving work.Jan 21, 202417:091 Samuel 3:1-10The Kindness in His CallingWe try to hide our faults and failures from others. We want people to see us at our best. Perhaps we assume that if people knew what we were really like, they would want nothing to do with us. There’s no hiding anything from God. He is all-seeing and all-knowing. Christ Jesus has witnessed our very worst, even the sins that only occurred in our heads. The psalmist says, “You perceive my thoughts from afar. You are familiar with all my ways” (139:2,3). Yet even though Jesus knows all our faults and failures, he badly wants something to do with us. So, he calls us to follow him. He wants us to be with him, secure in his love of forgiveness. Here is this week’s epiphany: Jesus shows kindness when he calls us to discipleship. More, he shows kindness by giving us the ability to answer that call, so that we might always be near him and his blessing.Jan 13, 202418:45John 4:1-9, 28-30, 39-42: Jesus Goes Where He Shouldn’tGuest Preacher: Pastor Bounkeo Lor, Hmong Asia Ministry CoordinatorThere are various needs we have in this life. Needs for things like food, shelter, and water. In our Gospel reading for today we hear of a Samaritan woman who had needs she hoped would be filled by Jesus as she was drawing water from a well. But Jesus didn’t give her what she was looking for. No, he instead elevated the conversation to the one profound need she had. Jesus led her to see that he is the water of life. He used the mirror of the law to incite in her a thirst for mercy that only he could provide. And this woman who saw Jesus for who he was and what he provided then couldn’t help but go and tell others about the one she believed to be the Christ!Jan 07, 202421:32Luke 2:22-40Peace on EarthOn Christmas Eve a choir of angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” So, where is this peace on earth? Between nations? There are always wars going on somewhere. In our country? Disagreements have only grown more contentious, one group screaming angrily at another group. We might not even have perfect peace in our homes! So, what were the angels singing about? They were singing about peace between a holy God who hates sin and human beings who sin every day. Because of what Christ did as our Savior, there is no hostility between us and God, only peace and love. We have the peace of salvation in our hearts. As we draw near the end of life, like elderly Simeon or Anna, we have the peace of knowing the glorious eternal life that is to come. As this peace with God fills our hearts, it moves us to live in peace with each other too.Dec 31, 202318:18Galatians 4:4-7 Good News of Great JoyHow can an omnipresent God be held in his mother’s arms? How can an all-powerful God be too weak to walk? This is the mystery of the incarnation—that God took on human flesh. We cannot understand how it can be so. But the Spirit enables us to grasp that this incomprehensible truth is very good news. This is the Savior we need! As true man, he was born under God’s law, all the commandments that we have broken. Where we have failed, Jesus was perfect. As true God, when he laid down his perfect life, it was a sacrifice valuable enough to pay for the sins of the world, so that we might be adopted as God’s children. Christmas Day fills us with wonder—that the Creator God could become flesh and dwell among us and that, in his great love for us, he would do such a thing. Let us marvel at this good news of great joy!Dec 25, 202310:12Luke 1:26-38Just as God PromisedIn Eden, mankind fell into sin, bringing death and despair to Paradise. God immediately promised to send a Savior who would undo that devastation. This Savior would be a descendant of Adam and Eve—a human being. Century after century, through the prophets, God reiterated and expanded upon that promise of a Savior-King. In a manger in Bethlehem, on that first Christmas, God’s promise was fulfilled. The perfect faithfulness God demonstrated in keeping all his promises about Christ’s first coming at Christmas is what gives us the certainty and comfort that God will keep his promises about Christ’s second coming on judgment day. The King shall come!Dec 24, 202315:37Isaiah 61:1–3,10-11 He Is Bringing Perfect JoyThe historic Christian Church gave Latin titles to each Sunday. They titled the Third Sunday in Advent “Gaudete,” which means “Rejoice!” As we reach the midway point of Advent, we remember that when the King shall come, he will bring us perfect and everlasting joy. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is an emotion. Joyfulness is a condition. Happiness comes from your circ*mstances. Joyfulness comes from your King entering into your heart and assuring you of his abiding love and your glorious future. Therefore, happiness is fleeting. Joyfulness is enduring.Dec 17, 202315:142 Peter 3:8-14Prepare To Meet HimScriptures teach that King Jesus is the Son of God in flesh and the only hope for salvation. Jesus himself claimed that he is the only way into the glorious kingdom of heaven. You do not approach meeting someone like that casually or carelessly. You prepare meticulously. What does that mean? What does a life of readiness—ready to meet such a King—look like? In one word: repentance. If we insist on hanging onto our sins, how can we receive the One who came for the very purpose of taking those sins away? Throughout history, God has raised up called servants—like John the Baptist—to preach a message of repentance. This repentance is central to our preparation for the Lord’s coming. Without repentance, the King’s coming only terrifies. But all those who believe and repent look forward to the coming of the King and the consummation of his everlasting kingdom.Dec 10, 202318:03Mark 11:1-10He Is Coming To Save UsRulers plan, administrate, and govern. They typically do not save. If your house is on fire, it will not be the mayor who shows up to save you from the flames. If America were attacked, the President would serve as the commander in chief of the armed forces. The President would not pick up a weapon, go to the front lines, and fight to save you from the enemy. Jesus is different. He is both infinitely greater than all other rulers, yet also infinitely humbler. He does not consider it beneath his rank as King to risk his life for his subjects. He is willing to fight for us. He is willing to die for us. For King Jesus came into our world for one reason—to save us.Dec 03, 202319:06Matthew 25:31-46A Time to Yearn for the EndConsider the Christian man whose body aches from both the cancer and the chemo. Look at that faithful old woman, back arched by time, fingers twisted by arthritis, eyes close to blindness. These believers may pray for death, precisely because they know that for the children of God, death is not the end of life. Death is the end of sorrow and pain. They yearn for the end of those things, and the beginning of their perfect eternity with Jesus. We have come to the end of the Church Year. It is time to talk about the end of this world on Judgment Day. That day does not scare the believer. The first time Christ came he saved us from our sins and the accusations of the devil. The second time Christ comes, he will save us from everything else. On that day, disease, gone. Abuse, gone. Heartache, gone. Even death is ended. None of those things will exist ever again. But we will exist forever with our Lord Jesus. Until then we live in the time in between. As we look at all Christ did at his first coming, we yearn for him to come again to end this broken world and to usher all the saints into everlasting glory.Nov 26, 202317:502 Samuel 7:18-22 Give Thanks to GodOn Thanksgiving Day people love to talk about being thankful for the wealth and possessions they have. Yet people are often thankful with the mindset, “I’m thankful for everything that I have done and for all of the things I have earned through the work of my hands.” Our readings this morning remind us that every good and perfect gift has been given to us by our heavenly Father. Since God is the one who blesses us with everything we need for body and soul, let’s give thanks to the God who has blessed us so richly.Nov 23, 202311:41Isaiah 1:10-18 A Time for Faithful ServiceAs we wait for Christ to return, we are not to be sedentary. The reason Christ has not yet returned is that there is still work to be done. And Christ carries out his good work through us, his Church. So, until Christ comes again and says, “Stop!” believers will be busy with faithful service. Christ has given every believer gifts and talents. And when Christ entrusts us with those gifts and talents, he calls us to use them all for his glory. In the time between Christ’s first and second coming, we use everything the master has given us to live according to his will and to carry out his mission.Nov 19, 202317:49Matthew 25:1-13A Time for WatchfulnessImagine you are planning to take the family out to dinner. You all have to wait for someone to get ready. Minute after minute passes. What can happen in that situation? It is easy to focus on something else and completely forget the original goal. When that family member is finally ready, you’ve become immersed in a movie. Or perhaps, as you were waiting, you grew drowsy and fell asleep. As we wait for Christ to return, as day after day passes, it can be easy to get distracted, to lose vigilance, to become spiritually drowsy. God forbid that Christ should return and find us spiritually asleep. Today we are reminded that the time in between Christ’s first and second coming is a time for watchfulness. The Church prayers, “Lord God, keep us ever watchful for the coming of your Son that we may sit with him and all your holy ones at the marriage feast in heaven.”Nov 12, 202317:35Revelation 7:9-17A Time to Focus on Future GloryChildbearing is an excruciating process. Yet each day countless women, wanting a baby, willingly become pregnant. This shows that pain can be endured if we know it is temporary and that happier times come immediately after. Likewise, the time in between Christ’s first and second comings are going to be full of hardship, especially for believers. How do we bear it? We remember that this is temporary. Happier times are coming! That truth is made crystal clear on this All Saints’ Day. On this day we remember every saint who has gone before us—all those who had faith in the Lamb of God: the heroes of faith in Scripture; our faithful Christian family members, now fallen asleep. They all endured hardship and pain. But no more. Now they enjoy perfect glory, peace, and joy. As we journey through this time in between, how do we endure? We remember all the saints. We focus on the future glory that waits for us.Nov 05, 202317:37Daniel 6:10-12,16-23 A Time for Steadfast FaithIn the great timeline of human history, there are only two ultimately significant points: the first time Christ came to our world to win salvation by his life, death, and resurrection; and the second time Christ will come to consummate his everlasting kingdom. We live in the time in between those two points. It is a time of tension. We know that peace and perfection are ours already because of what Jesus did the first time he came. Yet we do not enjoy a peaceful and perfect existence now already. We will not know such a life until Christ comes again. And so we wait and watch, living in the time in between. As the church year draws to a close, Scripture points us toward the end of time when Christ will come again. Until then Christ teaches us how to live in the time in between.Oct 29, 202320:25Romans 13:1-7Godly Government“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1). Note the absolute language: no authority. None. Stated positively, every government and all government authority figures have power only because God gave it to them. Therefore, as citizens of the United States, we don’t support the government because those we voted for were elected, because we approve of the current tax policy, or even because freedom of religion is enshrined in the First Amendment. We support our government simply because it was instituted by God. Jesus himself taught that we owe respect and obedience to our government, even when it doesn’t align with our political preferences. Christians sometimes struggle with this. We see that government and rulers can be evil. Certainly, if government asks us to sin, “we must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:29). But the existence of corrupt government and evil rulers does not negate what Scripture says to be true. “There is no authority except that which God has established.” Therefore, when we talk about “godly government,” we are not saying that the only legitimate governments are those who do what is perfectly godly. We are confessing our belief that the King of kings is in perfect control of all the governments of this world and that he works in all things—including tyrants and dictators—for the eternal good of his dear children.Oct 23, 202315:33Matthew 22:1-14A Story of Insane RejectionThere are invitations we might be tempted to reject: an invitation to an event you are not interested in, an invitation to a party that takes place at the same time as something else you want to do. There are other invitations that people would say you’ve lost your mind to reject: an invitation to go on a free tropical vacation, an invitation to go backstage and meet your favorite musical group, or an invitation to the Super Bowl. We get so many invitations. Some we accept; others we reject. Where does God’s invitation to participate in his heavenly banquet rank? Scripture often pictures eternal life as a joyful party, full of friends and family, laughter, and the finest foods. Through a story, Jesus teaches us how insane it would be to reject God’s gracious invitation to that eternal celebration. More, Jesus tells us what we need to get into that best of all banquets.Oct 15, 202318:15Matthew 21:33-43 A Story of Reckless PatiencePatience is a virtue. But can too much patience be a vice? If you are too patient, waiting to see if that pain in your stomach goes away with time, you might make a problem worse. If you are too patient with an incompetent employee, you will lose productivity before the inevitable—his firing—occurs anyway. Too much patience would seem not to be a virtue, but reckless behavior. Yet that is exactly what God demonstrates to a rebellious human race—reckless patience. Through a story, Jesus teaches exactly what God’s patience means for us.Oct 08, 202319:59Matthew 21:23–32 A Story of Spiritual InsincerityYou have maybe heard the accusation or perhaps even made it yourself: “He’s so fake!” That charge claims someone’s friendliness or kindness is a sham. Such insincerity bothers us. We would generally rather someone be honest about how they feel about us than be fake. Through a story, Jesus teaches us that God feels the same. God doesn’t want us to simply go through religious motions like some sort of show. He sees right through that. God’s desire is that our repentance would demonstrate sincere sorrow over sin. God wants us to see the grace and forgiveness he has shown us in Christ, and in response, to love him back deeply and sincerely.Oct 01, 202320:19Genesis 50:15-21A Church That’s Quick To Forgive“Pay it forward.” That phrase means that when someone does something for you, instead of paying that person back directly, you pass along kindness to another person instead. Doing something kind for someone else is a way of thanking the person who originally did something kind for you. Today, God applies that concept to forgiveness. God forgave our countless sins. He was willing to pay an incomprehensible price—the death of his Son. Obviously, we will never have the occasion to do the same for God. We will never have to forgive God because everything he does for us shows perfect love and care. God never wrongs us. But others may do us wrong. Others may cause us pain. And when we are quick to forgive, it is one way we thank God for being so quick to forgive us. This is what God wants in his Church—people who, like him, are quick to forgive.Sep 17, 202317:16Galatians 2:11-16A Church Willing To Say Hard ThingsImagine, late one night, you notice the house across the street is on fire. You see no activity inside. You say to yourself, “Pounding on the door in the middle of the night might scare the family. I’m sure they’ll realize what’s going on eventually.” Ridiculous! You would never do that! To let a family sleep while flames surround them would be cruel. Your inaction would make you a killer. The truth is you would pound on their door at 3:00 AM, screaming. You would throw a brick through their front window if that was what it took to warn them. You would not care if it startled the family. This is a matter of life and death! Love compels you to do whatever it takes. God wants the people of his church to be willing to say hard things to people when that is what is necessary to save them from an even worse type of fire. Warning against sin is not easy. It upsets people, even offends them. But saying hard things is the loving thing to do when it is a matter of eternal life and death.Sep 10, 202317:40
