Our Lenten Series kicks off today with a deep dive into the days of Holy Week.  As we get close to Easter, we start to see articles and news pieces exploring the identity of Jesus -- who is this guy who changed the world?  Today, as the crowds line the road to Jerusalem, and see Jesus ride in on a donkey, we learn he is the King Coming Home.

When you're on the run, you can sometimes feel like you've run right off the edge of the earth.  Nobody sees you; nobody knows you, or cares.  But when we run from God, we find that he is never so far away that we can't come back.  In fact he invites and empowers us to come back to him.  Join us today as we wrap up our series on Deuteronomy.

Some people describe themselves as cursed.  They have wandered very far from God, and they feel as if they're in spiritual exile with no way back.  It is true that when we follow God's law we are more likely to find blessing than not.  But it'a also true that God has provided a way out of our sin-cursed lives through the gracious work of Jesus. 

The 8th commandment tells us not to steal.  Many of us think we're pretty good at keeping that one, but when we look at Moses' expanded version of this command, we find that it also touches on issues of economic justice.  Do we promote the welfare of the poor?  Do we see them as people?  Do we care about those trafficked?  Once again, Deuteronomy strengthens the law and surprises us with its modern relevance.

Is the Bible for women, or against women?  The modern narrative tends towards the latter answer, namely that the Bible is oppressive.  At first glance it might appear that today's passage confirms those suspicions, but when we dig a little deeper, we find that the Bible is again ahead of its time in its support of women. It does more to protect them than our current cultural "rules" surrounding sex and commitment.  Join us for our continued exploration of God's laws in Deuteronomy.

When we "do right by" someone, we treat them fairly, as they ought to be treated.  Today we see how the seemingly disconnected commands in Deuteronomy 21 are actually linked together by the idea of doing right by someone.  Do right by your neighbor; do right by yourself; and do right by the creation.

It seems surprising that the Bible has an entire chapter devoted to the practice of war.  But war is a human reality, and the Bible deals with the world, not as we wish it to be, but as it actually exists.  Join us today as we see God's law mitigating the worst excesses and human cruelties of war.

In the face of crime, it's easy to go all "law and order."  And the Bible does tell us, as we learned last week, that the guilty are to be brought to justice.  But today we learn that the accused and the guilty are also given a fair shake in the Bible.  They deserve a fair hearing of the facts and a punishment that fits the crime.  Join us for our ongoing study of God's law in Deuteronomy.

God's law often gets a bad rap--many view it as negative and oppressive.  But as we get into the latter part of Deuteronomy, we get a chance to take a closer look at the law, and we find that God's law is concerned with just treatment for both victims and the accused.  Join us this week as we learn why motive and intent matter when it comes to breaking the law.

In our mini-Advent series, we look at Christ, anointed to be a prophet, a priest, and a king.  Join us this week for our second sermon in this series, Christ Our Priest.  (Note: due to audio problems, the third and final sermon in this series did not get recorded.)