Living Hope

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

We assume people get what they deserve. We assume that what goes around comes around. We assume God helps those who help themselves. Those assumptions are false. God does not operate on the principle of merit but of grace. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. God never turns it off. At the entrance of God’s open door is not a Father looking to condemn us, but a Father who has eagerly longed for our return. When we do, he takes us in his loving arms and assures us we are still his child.

2 Samuel 12:1-13

When King David grievously sinned, the Lord and his prophet Nathan cared enough to call David to repentance. And even though David had done such wicked things, still God kept the door of grace and forgiveness open for him.

Luke 20:9-19

In God’s family, the things the world prizes and pursues are counted as worthless. Conversely, what the world rejects and discards is considered priceless and worth pursuing.

The best example of this is Jesus himself. The Father sent his greatest treasure—God the Son—to earth. And many considered Jesus to be trash that needed to be taken out. . . a troublemaker that needed to be killed. In truth, Christ is the precious cornerstone that God used to build his house, the one with the open door.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus is able to sympathize with us because he became one of us—took on our human flesh and was tempted like we are. But he is even better than just a sympathizer because he actually defeated every temptation then went on to suffer and die in our place on the cross. Now we

can approach our God with confidence through Christ. Today we welcome Pastor Michael Zarling from Water of Life Lutheran Church in Racine, WI, as he shares a message about our better sympathizer, Jesus!

Luke 9:28-36

There are places and moments in life that cause us to say, “It is good to be here.” But for every high point in life there is always a painful loss or trouble right around the corner. We crash back to reality. Glory doesn’t last forever here on earth. It only comes in glimpses. The glimpse of glory on the Mount of Transfiguration made Peter want to pitch a tent and stay forever. But

they couldn’t stay. Jesus had work to do. He had to take up our cause on another hill called Calvary. This was the only way to give us glory that lasts. In heaven we will say, “It is good for us to be here.” And we’ll never stop saying it.

Genesis 45:3-15

When you forgive the love Christ has for you is reflected to others. Forgiving someone will allow you and the person you’re in conflict with to move forward instead of being stuck in the past. Forgiving someone will break the mold of this world that expects righteous revenge

instead of unexpected kindness. The things that change the narrative of this world the most are the things that Christ brings to us – and then allows to shine through us: Unexpected kindness and unexpected forgiveness.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

We love playing to our strengths. We live in a world where hard work, resourcefulness, and strength bring success. Weaknesses, on the other hand, we try to cover up or

get rid of. But then God comes along and tells us the opposite of what the world tells

us. God says, “Power is made perfect in weakness. When we are weak then we are

strong.” Today, learn to embrace weakness and look to God’s grace for your true

strength.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

The apostle Paul charged young pastor Timothy with 9 tasks as he served in ministry. As much as these charges seem like something only given to pastors, as God’s people all of us share in the work of proclaiming God’s Word, which alone has the power to make people wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Acts 4:23-31

The believers in the early church faced rejection and opposition to the message of the risen Christ from the very beginning. But their first reaction to that rejection was simply to pray to God and ask him for boldness to keep proclaiming his Word. We aim for that to be our same knee-jerk reaction to rejection too as we learn to live as people whose true home is not here in

this world.

Isaiah 62:1-5

Our names tell a story. A story of loss and sin and shame that Christ turns into a story of vindication, salvation, and the delight of the Lord.