Hope for the Future
The Church in Formation
The Recovery of Wonder
Links:
Tish Harrison Warren, “If Easter Is Only a Symbol, Then to Hell with It,” Christianity Today, April 9, 2020.
David Robson, “Awe: The 'little earthquake' that could free your mind,” BBC, January 6, 2022.
A Mountaintop Experience Like No Other
You are the Light of the World
Seek the Good
We have been Surprised by God's Glory
God's Incredible Plan
In the build-up to the most famous verse in the Bible (John 3:16), Jesus tells a very religious person, “You must be born again.” This morning we explore what Jesus meant by being “born again.” How can a person be born again?
God is Able
This morning Ron Bouthillette offers a straightforward, encouraging message: God is able. When life seems bleak or hopeless, and when we’re at the end of our rope, Ron encourages us to look not to our own strength, but to God. Because God is able.
One Thing I Ask
This morning Rev. Doug Birdsall challenges us with a simple question: what one thing do you want, more than anything else? In Psalm 27 King David sings, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and to seek him in his temple.”
Faith Like a Child
Jesus didn’t only tolerate children; he welcomed them and sought them out. And to those who thought they were too busy for children, he had some sharp words: “The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
What does Jesus call us to, when he calls us to receive the kingdom of God like a child?
What is that in your hand?
When God calls Moses to be his emissary to Egypt, Moses knows how completely unqualified he is for the job. God responds and asks Moses, “What is that in your hand?”
God doesn’t call us to serve him after we’ve got everything perfectly in place; he calls us and gives us the tools we need, which are usually right in front of us. The secret lies in receiving God’s call with open hands instead of with clenched fists.
How Not to Build a Kingdom
When you examine how Jesus begins to build his kingdom after he is raised from the dead, you quickly notice that he does not follow the expected paths or best practices. In fact, he seems to stack the deck against himself. Why would he assign himself such a competitive disadvantage? As we celebrate the resurrection, we see just how unexpectedly perfect God’s plans are.
Hope is Not Wishful Thinking
When we talk about hope, we often mean something too anemic. Hope is not man-made, wishful thinking. Hope is not a sense of denial or passivity. Christian hope is something deeper—stronger—far more durable that we understand. This morning Doran Morford helps us explore a more resilient hope.
The Lord Will Provide
It’s one of the most chilling stories in the Bible: God tests Abraham and asks him to sacrifice his own son. How does Abraham respond, and what does it demonstrate about Abraham’s relationship with God?
Grace Changes You
In Luke 5 Jesus causes Simon, a fisherman, to haul in the catch of a lifetime. So many fish that his boat begins to sink. Then Simon leaves the catch of fish on the shore to follow Jesus.
If you had just landed the catch of a lifetime, what would motivate you to leave it behind?
Related
Rejoice—with joy! Very large! Very much!
The story of the magi (wise men) is often told as part of the Christmas story, although it probably occurs at least a year after Jesus was born. Far from being distant and irrelevant, we see in their story our own story—of people far from God, who almost unintentionally find God and can’t help but worship.
Something Good Is Going On Inside
At one point Luke describes a group of friends who are willing to cut a hole in the roof of a house where Jesus is staying, just to lower their paralyzed friend through the ceiling to Jesus can heal him. To what lengths would you go to encounter Jesus? Listen as Ryan Tankersley, a pastor from our sister church, New Hope Baptist Church, challenges us to seek God no matter what.
The Courage to Wait
Psalm 27 strikes us with an unresolved ending, like a dissonant jazz chord: Wait for the Lord. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. This morning we explore what it may look like to wait for the Lord, and how remembering his faithfulness in the past gives us courage to wait well.