New Life Downtown

How do we bring hope to someone who is not looking for it? Pastor Glenn Packiam describes the the 'closed roof' for those who are not looking for God. But moments of joy-from art, from the story of reconciliation and forgiveness- are always surprising and can make us look up. The 'seams' in the closed heavens are hints that there is more, and can help us find that places where we have come to the end of ourselves. It is there that we see that Jesus brings new life from dead ends, green shoots from tree stumps.

Pastor Brady Boyd asks if we are willing to wait for God to do what He promised, and if we?re willing to be surprised by the way God does it. If hope is believing that God is at work, then joy is about seeing that God is at work. While the evidence of God at work may be dim at times, we can look to Jesus as the ultimate demonstration that joy has come and that joy will come in fullness.

Our peace is secure when our hope is sure. So, how can our hope be sure? Teaching from the story of Simeon seeing Jesus for the first time, Pastor Glenn Packiam helps us believe that God is working even when we can't see it. But when we look at Jesus, we see God's salvation. And when we believe in the God who saves, we can live with peace.

In Advent, the Church stands between two proclamations: "God has come!" and "Come, Lord Jesus, come!" On this first Sunday of Advent, we examine what it means to live with hope in the in-between. Preaching from the lectionary texts, Pastor Glenn Packiam calls us to work for justice and reconciliation, to watch for signs of God at work, and to wait for the great 'Shalom' that only God can bring. In light of recent unrest and racial tensions resulting from the Ferguson decision, we find Advent to be the a way of giving voice to our lament over the brokenness of this world, and a way of reminding ourselves of the hope of the gospel.

Using humor about the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday, Dr. Steven Todd then takes us through a look at Psalm 136, a "Thanksgiving Psalm," where the repeated anthem, "His steadfast love endures forever" is found in every verse. The Hebrew word, "hesed," translated 'steadfast love' means so much more! God's 'fierce,' unwavering loyalty to us through all of life's challenges is examined in the three 'movements' of this Psalm.

Prayer can often be the place where we feel least like the beloved; unanswered prayer can leave us feeling confused and discouraged. So why would John wrap up his letter with a call to prayer? Pastor Glenn Packiam helps us see where our confidence in prayer comes from, and how prayer can turn us outward to our brothers and sisters. In prayer, we rehearse the gospel, living out both our belovedness and our love for one another.

What motivates fear? Pastor Joey Jimenez helps us see that our paradigm of fear is built upon by an incomplete picture of who God really is. Fear is also the result seeing ourselves differently than how God sees us. While we can approach God in love and reverence simultaneously, it is impossible to approach Him in love and hide from Him in fear at the same time. In order to see and to know the perfect love that casts out fear we need not look further than the Person of Christ. Jesus breaks the cycle of our fear by revealing the Father.

Our love for one another flows from the reality that God is love. The most radical expression of love is forgiveness. Forgiveness is neither a diminishing of the wrong, nor permission to the wrong-doer. It requires naming the wrong and then choosing to bear the weight of it. Yet, how can we bear the weight of someone else's wrong? We can't; but Jesus has. Exploring the events of the ancient Israelite 'Day of Atonement', Pastor Glenn Packiam shows us how God has dealt with both the penalty and the blame of our sin. Our love for one another, then, comes from knowing that we have been loved by God. After all, the same door that lets forgiveness in is the door that lets it out to others.

What would your life look like if you did not fear death? As we turn toward John's great command to love one another, Pastor Glenn Packiam helps us locate where we are: we have moved from the land of death- the world that Cain built- to the land of Life- the world that Jesus is making. From the way early Christians cared for each other during epidemics of the 3rd century to the way Christian missionary doctors rush to aid in the Ebola crisis in West Africa, we discover that only those who have the 'Life of the Age to Come' in them are free to fully love one another.

Who are you, really? A sinner or a saint? Does this change based on how we're dealing with sin in our lives? Teaching from 1 John 2:28-3:10, Pastor Glenn Packiam reminds us that we are already children of God now, and that one day we will be fully like Jesus. This present identity and future hope give us confidence as we join our will to God's work in us and move from the ruts of 'practicing sin' to the new practice of righteousness.