Joshua 7:1-26 | Andrew Murch | As Israel approaches their next adversary, Ai (not to be confused with artificial intelligence), all indications are that this should be a cake walk. Picture a sense of pridefulness and a bit of arrogance here. The recommendation is to only send a small squad, maybe the JV team (don’t bother the whole group with such a small town.) Then, something goes horribly wrong. What happened, why did it all go south? What can we learn from this defeat? What can we learn from Joshua’s response? What can we learn from the consequences of sin? Let’s explore Joshua 7 together and course correct where we see areas in our own life that might need transformation.

Joshua 5:13-6:27 | Josh Lane | This week we have a familiar story of Joshua leading the Israelites against the fortified city of Jericho. They had just miraculously crossed over the Jordan River, set themselves apart by circumcising all the men, and now Joshua experiences a conversation with God. At this point Joshua is clearly set apart for the task of leading Israel against the city of Jericho. This is an impossible task done in an improbable way. God gave Joshua instructions to take the city, however not by force, but through obedience.

Joshua 4:1-24 | Andrew Murch | Do you have something that brings up memories or starts conversations with others? Maybe a tattoo, a scar, or something hanging up in the house that stands out from what you’d normally see in someone’s house? We tend to put things out on display for ourselves but usually it catches the eyes of others and sometimes leads to discussions. For the Israelites, God had instructed twelve men, one from each tribe, to take up a stone from the riverbed of the Jordan and place it where they were to camp that night. Having witnessed a miraculous display of God’s complete control over nature, God instructed Joshua to display a monument to be seen and cause people to ask, “What do those stones mean to you?” These stones were just stones, yet, when the children and later generations would see them, they would ask what they mean. “What do these represent?”

Joshua 3:1-17 | Andrew Murch | Years of wandering are about to end. It is hard to imagine what’s on the minds and the hearts of the people. You might remember Joshua had been to the Promised Land forty years earlier. As a spy he came back to Moses with a positive report and encouragement to go in and possess the land, only to be shouted down. The crowd won the day, with their fearful disobedience earning them exile in the desert until that generation’s death. Joshua was a young man and now he is old. He is the new leader of God’s chosen people. There would be many battles ahead. Strong leadership would be required. God would again remind Joshua that he was not alone. It was time to cross the Jordan.

Joshua 2:1-24 | Andrew Murch | Joshua 2 introduces us to someone, who is quite honestly, unexpected as someone God would use. Her name is Rahab. She is mentioned alongside towering figures of the faith such as Abraham, Moses, Noah, Gideon, and King David in Hebrews Chapter 11. How is this possible? Why is it so shocking and unexpected? It’s surprising because Rahab is a prostitute. And almost every time her name is mentioned in the Bible she is known as Rahab the prostitute. Not a religious giant as you would expect but a person most people would be ashamed to be associated with. But God saw things differently. God saw a heart of faith and someone who believed in Him wholeheartedly.

In this first chapter of Joshua, God calls Joshua to lead the people into the land, the land he has given them. But it will take strength, courage, and commitment to follow God’s law as well as trust that God is with them always. The Israelites will need this as they conquer the land.

Luke 17:11-19 | Nathan Noorlun | “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?" In this week's passage, Jesus encounters and heals 10 men afflicted with leprosy. When only one man returns, we discover all the men were healed, but only one was truly healed.

Isaiah 40:12-17 | Todd Miles

1 Timothy 1:12-17 | Andrew Murch | "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (v. 15). The good news of Christmas is that God himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, came to rescue and redeem sinners to his own eternal glory!

John 9:1-41 | Stephen Collins | "Jesus said, 'For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind'" (v. 39). Some of the sayings of Jesus can be difficult for sinful human beings to understand and—often—even harder to accept. However, the idea of judgment is critical to understanding the person and work of Jesus Christ. For the one who trusts in Christ, there is great hope in the final Judge.