Following Jesus is the greatest thing you could ever do. In theory, we all agree on this. But there are places in Jesus’ ministry where He describes the cost of doing exactly that. If we’re honest, we’d like to ignore the price we are called to pay to be a Christian. More than that, we probably do not fully understand what Jesus is saying as He talks about what we will give up or lose when we choose to belong to Him. How can we believe this is the most wonderful life to live when it costs so much? Maybe we should tune into our Savior who chose this type of life first and see what He’s trying to show us as He talks about the cost of following Him.

Many people throughout history have claimed to be ‘great.’ Names that come to mind are Catherine the Great, Peter the Great, and of course, Alexander the Great. A boxer claimed to be ‘the greatest.’ Each time, the understanding of greatness was based on the idea of domination, power, influence, and fame. That is our default understanding of what it means to be amazing as a human. As Jesus teaches the apostles, especially James and John, He confronts this idea and corrects it. True and eternal greatness is not defined by the things we generally assume make us great. Instead, Jesus points to different ideas, different responses, and a different economy surrounding what it means to be great.

Power outages are quick reminders of how much we depend on electricity. If it happens at night, we are a bit overwhelmed by the darkness. Our food might go bad. If it’s in the summer, the house will probably get unbearably warm. We take power for granted until we don’t have it. As we continue studying Luke’s eyewitness account of Jesus’ life and ministry, we are pointed to the power in Jesus. Often, believers take this power for granted too. In a dark world, we may not realize how much we need the light and power of Jesus until it seems like it has been turned off. Maybe God does that sometimes to remind us of how much power He has and how much we need it! And maybe, real power comes from circumstances that feel humble and weak. Let’s see how Luke connects a demonstration of power to Jesus’ word about what He will do to unleash the greatest power ever known.

Raising children is not for the weak. With each passing day, what the world throws at young people is more and more difficult to deal with. Children naturally recognize their need for protection, provision and most times, guidance. Today, we will look at how Jesus invites children into his presence and how they model the faith He is looking for from all of us.

We are embarking on our favorite week of the year. We love spending time with all of the precious children that join us. We love the music, the games, the laughter, the friendships, the energy and everything else that comes with being a part of VBS. But we don’t do all of this for the experience. We do it for a bigger and more enduring reason. What we’re doing this week reflects the very essence of who we are. We are witnesses. Jesus has done an amazing and powerful work in our lives and we want to share that with everyone we can. This morning, as we kick off the week, we’re going to remind ourselves about what we’ve witnessed, who we share it with, and what it does for others!

Today’s world is filled with power struggles. They think that the way to win is have and use more human strength than the next person. Wars are fought with this understanding. Political campaigns often run in this mindset as well. Most people generally accept that the person with the most power wins. Then the God of the Universe shows up in human flesh and sets His power aside. How do we make sense of that? Maybe He wasn’t telling the truth about who He was? Today, we’ll look at a moment when God made it clear who Jesus was and what He was here to do. This episode had a huge impact on those who witnessed it. And its message still matters for us today. God still chooses something different than overpowering others. His way still works!

Many people today call themselves Christians. Basically, they are saying that they follow Jesus. But do we know what it means to follow Him? Jesus describes it in these verses, and it seems like most “Christians” would be shocked at what He says. Instead of talking about what someone gets, He talks about the price someone has to pay. He describes a seemingly impossible situation where a person loses their life to save it. What can that even mean? It seems like being a follow of Jesus demands that we give everything we have. Let’s reset our minds and hearts and respond to the call Jesus gives to come and follow Him.

Have you ever thought you saw someone you knew only to realize when you approached them that you were mistaken? Something about what they looked like resembled your friend so much that you were sure it was them. While those misunderstandings are generally low-stakes, the passage we read today is about the highest stakes. Do we recognize Jesus? Some people think they know who He is, but they are mistaken. We will remind ourselves from Luke’s reporting of who Jesus claimed to be and what He came to do.

Planning a party can be stressful. Imagine that you are hosting something and you don’t know how many people are coming. What if it could be 50 people – or 100 people – or 1000 people. How do you get ready for something like that? In this story, the disciples didn’t even know that a party was coming – and then Jesus told them to feed everyone. It seems like the disciples thought Jesus was joking at first, mostly because there was no way He could be serious! But Jesus goes on to demonstrate something that echoes into all the places where we feel like we have too little. It is never about what we have. It is always about the One who has us!

Being a father is a high calling. It takes courage, strength, integrity, and honor. Unfortunately, many of these are in short supply today. But perhaps the greatest secret is that most fathers wonder if they have what it takes to step into all that they want to be as a dad. The ache in our soul is there, but is it possible to find a way to be all of that? What we read today teaches us that Jesus empowers those that He calls. He sends His disciples out on a mission. These men are not Jesus, but they go out and start unsettling everything as they act under His direction and trusting in His power through them. These realities will bring life into the soul of any person overwhelmed with their calling in life.