Holy Trinity Ankeny

Jesus is presented with a false dilemma when confronted with the religious authority in Jerusalem, to choose between the lesser of two evils. He shows us a different approach.

Isaiah 25 contains one of the most beautiful, powerful images of the future God prepares for us. If we have eyes to see, there are glimmers of the feast to come, the future of God already present. It is not yet fully realized, but the signs are among us.

Listen to the full worship service broadcast for the parking lot worship gathering on Oct. 4.

God desires justice for all people. God wonders what more might God have done? And we are called to wonder what more we might do to produce the fruits of justice and righteousness. God’s love remains steadfast as he nurtures us to share God’s love.

While some may think the Biblical story, especially the Old Testament, is about an angry and vengeful God, the truth is quite the opposite. Scripture tells a story of God’s love for God’s people. It is a story of unrequited love, as time and again, God’s love is not returned or accepted. How can God’s steadfast love for us become steadfast love for God?

Jesus tells us that the “last” shall the “first, and the “first” shall be “last.” What does this mean? Are we among the “last,” or are we among the “first”? If we think about that enough, we might find it both comforting and unsettling. The meaning of this phrase and the love of God go deeper than that.

In a world that is filled with division, intolerance, and blame, Paul tells us of a better way to respond to disunity. Through grace we can welcome and love the diverse people and opinions we encounter even when they differ from ours, but we can only do this by knowing that we and all humanity belong to the Lord.

The apostle Paul is very clear throughout 11 chapters of his letter to the Romans: God loves you. You are the beloved of God. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Living in love, however, is not about romance and warm feelings. In Romans 12-13 Paul explains about the obligation to love.

Paul commands us to love the community of faith, but he goes further and describes how to love others in the world; even our enemies. In a world where some love some people some of the time, and others not at all. What would the world look like if the followers of Jesus love all the world all of the time? It's a hard task, but Paul thinks we are up to it. It means swimming against the current. It also means living by grace freely given to each of us.

Paul proclaims, for eleven chapter in the Letter to the Romans, that nothing, nada, zip can keep humanity from God’s love. It is Good news of the most abundant type. Unconditional love revealed in Christ. So what? If the new is so good, why does the world seems so bad? Read on, friends. Paul has some thoughts on the “so what” of the good news and what grace really looks like in our lives.