Title: A Tale of Two Hopes

Series: Restored & Redeemed

Passage: Isaiah 25:1-9

This week, we celebrate the Advent theme of Hope!

But... is hope real? Like for real, for real? Does it actually make a difference? Or is it just a nice sentiment we offer around the holidays to numb the pain and ease our loss? How can we know for sure that there is a better future that is worth longing for? What if this is as good as it gets?

In all honesty... it depends. Join us this week for A Tale of Two Hopes as we see whether or not hope is alive.

Title: Home, Sweet Home

Series: Restored & Redeemed

Passage: Isaiah 40:1-11

Home, Sweet Home! Sound familiar? As Christmas quickly approaches, many of us plan to return to our native homes to be with family. If you're from a good home, the idea of returning can be immensely comforting. That's not the case for everyone.

In Isaiah 40, we see a group of people who are also returning home after being exiled for 70 years. Many of them headed for a home they've only heard of but have never seen. As exiles, their current "home" is not so sweet, but God delivers the most comforting message for them and humanity.

Title: Great Implications

Series: Restored & Redeemed

Passage: Ephesians 4:1-6

No matter how hard we try as human beings, we cannot fix our own brokenness or clean up the messes in our lives. Even the best of us have failings, and let’s be honest… deep down inside we know we’re not the “best.” And yet, in the midst of our greatest failures, as we come face to face with the worst of ourselves, the utterly good news of the Gospel is this: Jesus is perfect. He died for you and for me. His death has repaid every debt that we never could. He loves us. Through Jesus the Christ, we are Restored and Redeemed.

We know that God is a God of vision.

All throughout the Bible, we see that He plans and He creates. Before the foundation of the world, He architected our salvation. Over six days, He spoke things into existence, painting His glory across the canvas of the universe. He is moving all of history according to His perfect will, toward His vision of the future.

And He is inviting us to be a part of it.

Title: A Little Longer

Series: Homefield - Peter's Letter to Exiles

Passage: 1 Peter 5:6-14

Peter closes his letter to the exiled Christians the same way he opened it. He encourages them to hope in the goodness of God and to not lose sight of God’s promise. Soon, he’ll bring us all home and our faith will be sight.

Title: Home Alone

Series: Homefield - Peter's Letter to Exiles

Passage: 1 Peter 5:1-5

When you were a kid, how did it feel to be left Home Alone? Did you enjoy staying behind at the house, feeling an exciting sense of independence and maturity? Or was it scary to have to fend for yourself and be on your own? Do you still find the idea of sleeping in an empty house unsettling as an adult?! Being home alone can certainly leave us feeling anxious and uncomfortable.

Jesus is building a family, a household of faith. We know He will come back for us…but until then, are we home alone? Are we left to fend for ourselves and figure it out until He returns? Peter shows us that Jesus has left more than just some money on the counter and a key under the mat for his people. We discover His plan to care and provide for His family this week in our latest installment of Home Field.

Title: Up, In And Out

Series: Homefield - Peter's Letter to Exiles

Passage: 1 Peter 4:8-19

It’s election week in the USA. Emotions will certainly be running high, and tempers may flare. Things may get a little crazy. However, we find a timely message from 1 Peter 4. We need not get involved in the social media beefs, participate in the water cooler feuds, or engage in the lawn sign wars. Instead, as we head to the ballot box, we must remember that we, as exiles, have been called to a very unique, counter-cultural stance. We’ll break down that stance this week as we gather to pray, serve, and worship as a gospel community.

Title: It's Working

Series: Homefield - Peter's Letter to Exiles

Passage: 1 Peter 3:18-4:6

Every day, Christian students face the risk of ridicule. Christians in the workplace face the threat of getting singled out for their faith. Christian missionaries face the danger of death. At times it may feel like with all the suffering we are failing. But take heart Christian, this week Peter tells us that suffering does not mean failing.

Title: Exiles Beware

Series: Homefield - Peter's Letter to Exiles

Passage: 1 Peter 3:8-17

Exiles Beware - it’s cray-cray out here. Suffering, violence, and hostility are normal experiences for those who have been set apart from this world and who now follow Jesus. So, how will you respond to the hostility aimed at you and the evil around you? What should our response be when we're made fun of for our faith, discriminated against for our values, and opposed because of our convictions?

Peter gives us three practical responses this week that will encourage our hearts and sustain our faith as live for Jesus without the benefit of home-field advantage.

Title: Marriage Restored

Series: Homefield - Peter's Letter to Exiles

Passage: 1 Peter 3:1-7

You've all heard the song. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...a lot of pain, confusion, and disappointment.

Marriage in our world is failing. More and more people in our culture are leaving the idea of marriage behind altogether, as a relic of a bygone era. Others are flooding to it, eager to redefine and recreate it according to their own agenda. Is this as good as it gets with marriage?

As Jesus calls us out and sets us apart from the Home Team, He takes us by the hand. He walks us away from the crowd and the culture of the Home Team into a long-forgotten, yet beautiful part of town. He stops before a huge curtained wall. He smiles at us and says, “Check this out,” before pulling back the curtain to reveal a breathtaking mural, a work of art we’ve never imagined possible; a portrait so stunning and glorious that it causes us to bow down and praise the artist. “Who designed this!” we ask. “Well, I did,” He smiles. "And now it’s yours. Follow me."

This week we see that Jesus is redeeming and restoring marriage, offering hope, and leading His people to rediscover the beauty of His original design. And when we as exiles see it, we will respond, “And it was very good."