In John 3:16, we are reminded that God loves us and that's why He sent Jesus. And towards the end of the chapter, we are reminded that the Father loves Jesus, too, and has given all things into his hands. So the one the Father loves enough to give everything to...has been given to us. Kyle dives in to some of the words used in scripture to describe to us God's love and we land on Communion as a reminder that we take in God's gift, which gives us life.

In Deuteronomy 8:10, we look at Moses’ sermon on the verge of the Promised Land. He won’t be continuing the journey, so he’s reminding his people of their history, of God’s law, and where their hope lies. In the middle of chapter 8 is quick reminder of how essential giving thanks is to their future. Giving thanks looks back on what God has done, both blessing and discipline, and fosters the kind of humility that embraces who we are without getting too prideful. After considering these things, we open the mic to the congregation to praise God by giving thanks.

In Matthew 21:1-27, we see Jesus doing a funny thing. Good jokes rely on context and cultural references to setup the punchline. In this passage, Jesus tells a very serious joke, not so much full of humor but full of joy and controversy. “A poor rabbi rides into a capital city on a donkey…” Those who knew the scriptures and the cultural context got the joke: Jesus was saying he is King of the Kingdom! What’s funny about it is he didn’t look like any kings most people know of; in fact, he was almost an anti-king. So what did Jesus do that declared him to be King? And what might it look like to let him rule your life?

In Matthew 20:29-34, Jesus and his group are on the move, and two blind men are bothering everyone with their calling out to Jesus. The crowd tells them to be quiet, but they disobey, and keep calling out to Jesus. Jesus’ attention is captured and he yells back to them, not to finally shut them up, but to give them permission to approach. When they tell him they hope for sight, it says he had compassion and touched their eyes and healed them. So are you a yeller or a shusher? How badly do you want Jesus’ compassion? How annoying are you willing to get to receive his touch? Or do you care more about people’s opinions than an opportunity to be near Jesus? Today we are encouraged to pray until we pray and receive Christ’s healing.

In Matthew 20:17-28, Jesus predicts his death. He knows what is ahead, and as a good leader, he’s preparing his disciples for the reality of his ministry. This is contrasted with the next story of a mom trying to get some special treatment for her sons. Is Jesus annoyed? Humored? His response gives us a lot of information about his relationship with the Father, about the cost of being a disciple and the true nature of leadership, which is sacrifice. Giving your all for Jesus may take your life. But there’s no better way to live.

In Ephesians 1:1-14, Paul lays out one of the most joyful descriptions of the benefits the Trinity has provided for us in the working out of the Gospel. Yet, this passage pulls the curtains back on a window that peeks into the outside-of-time mechanics of God's plan of salvation. In a couple of sentences, Paul touches on some concepts that will take an eternity to understand and unpack, namely predestination and our faith. Today, Pastor Steve helps us unpack these two tensions and lands where good theology often does: both/and. God has chosen us AND we choose to believe.

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells us a story that is ultimately about the generosity of God. It’s provocative, though, because from our small, selfish perspective, God’s generosity to someone can seem like shortchanging others. God is a God of justice, but he will make exceptions to show mercy or grace. In our backwards thinking, we can see mercy or grace as unfair or unjust. So who should change? Should God become more fair? Would that be better for everyone? Or should we change, and try to be the kind of people who are happy for those whom God blesses, rather than resentful? And can we be content with the grace God gives to us?

In Matthew 19:13-16, we are reminded that Jesus loves kids, and that kids are an example for adults. Then in verses 17-30, a young man approaches Jesus with a big question, and in his reply, Jesus uncovers a deeper issue that is holding the young man back. Jesus tells him that if he “wants to be perfect”, go and sell everything you have and give to the poor, then come follow me. In the game “trading up”, a person offers to trade what they have for something more valuable and see how far they can go with it. For example, a person may trade up a paper clip for a dime, then a dime for a pen, then a pen for a dollar, etc., until…? A car? A house? Jesus is playing a game of trading up with this young man, but Jesus is saying that a life of discipleship offers more joy and freedom than great wealth. The man goes away sad, because he doesn’t agree. Do you?

In Matthew 19:1-12, we see that those looking for a way to make divorce easier completely miss the heart of God. Marriage is an incredibly valuable, costly, and powerful gift from God. It’s a carry-over from the Good Garden and the solution to the one imperfection: the loneliness of man. Therefore, we should regard it highly, work at it intensely, and guard it from anything that would diminish or end it. Jesus is not unaware of the difficulty of staying married, but he refuses to approve of divorce. While the technical, legal handling of this issue (especially in our current culture) is challenging, if we start and end with God’s heart in the matter, we will find ourselves empowered to keep both the spirit and letter of the law.

In Matthew 18:21-35, we have another provocative teaching where Jesus pushes our limits by explaining to Peter that his view of forgiveness was way too small. In Jesus’ view, it essentially has no end. "But I won’t be a door mat!" we think to ourselves (maybe out loud). So what does it mean to be willing to forgive someone 77 times (or 490 if you go the 70x7 route)? Are there any caveats or boundaries? And what might happen if we let ourselves become the kind of people who will forgive indefinitely? Let's find out.