Is it worth it? It's a question we ask ourselves every day. We may not even realize it, but we ask ourselves that question about following Jesus too. Is it worth it? That's what this vision from Revelation 5 can help us answer. The answer, very clearly, is yes. Jesus is worth it.

This week we had a guest preacher, Seminary student Ethan Carter. Ethan shared a message with us from Luke 24:13-35, where Jesus appears to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. As we study this story, we pray, "Burn in our Hearts, Lord!"

Happy Easter! Jesus lives! In our Easter sermon, we looked at Luke's account of the resurrection, where we learned something incredibly simple, and yet at the same time completely life-changing: Easter happened.

How are we supposed to feel on Palm Sunday? Are we supposed to rejoice and shout our praises to Jesus like the crowd did that first Palm Sunday? Or should we continue the solemn, reflective mood of Lent as we wait for Good Friday? There's all kinds of tension on Palm Sunday. So what do we do with that tension? Jesus tells us. Praise him in it.

Why doesn't Jesus come down from the cross? It's what everyone wants to know. They mock him. They ridicule him. They say that if he would just come down, they'd believe in him. But Jesus doesn't. Why? Because he didn't come to save himself. He came to save others.

This week we had Pastor Lucas Bitter from Intown Lutheran Church in Atlanta with us. He shared a message based on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. He reminded us that for us as believers, it's always safe to return to God in repentance. When we do, we know we'll be welcomed home with open arms by our Heavenly Father.

Some stories are worth telling over and over again. Apparently, this is one of those stories. It's one of only two parables Jesus tells that gets repeated three times in three different Gospels. So what is it about this story that's so important? There are two valuable lessons here: one about the stubborn wickedness of the human heart, and one about the unexplainable grace of our God.

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. That seems to be the go-to reason to study history. But is that the only reason Paul shows us these examples from Israel's history? While he is warning us to avoid the sins of the Israelites, Paul is also encouraging us to Trust God's Faithfulness.

How do we stand firm as Christians despite the changes all around us? How do we find the strength to keep going even when things get hard? That's what Paul writes to the Philippians about in our text for today. He encourages them to stand firm by following an unpopular example and by focusing on an unseen citizenship.

It's a familiar story: the underdog, David, shows incredible courage and slays the seemingly unconquerable giant. But what application should we draw from this story for our own lives? Do we simply take David as our example? Or is there something else this story is meant to teach us? That's what we learn in this week's sermon from 1 Samuel 17.