Hebrews tells us that by showing hospitality to strangers, some have entertained angels unaware. Angels appear many times throughout the Bible as messengers of God, and even to minister and strengthen. Are there angels still among us today? And if there are angels appearing as strangers, how should we treat them? And is it any different than how we would treat strangers who are not angels?

In His death, Abel's blood cries out to God from the ground. Abel's blood speaks. In Hebrews, we hear that the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel's. Jesus' blood speaks. It doesn't speak out for vengeance, cry out against death, or call for justice, like Abel's. His blood speaks forgiveness and life, even in His death.

We continue looking at Hebrews and the heroes of the faith, focusing specifically on Abraham and Jephthah. Two stories deal with sacrifice, and each story has a different outcome. One leaves us asking why God does certain things at certain times for certain people, but not for others. We will look at how God interceded in each of these stories, what it means for us today, and what God does for each of us.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Believing without seeing. In Hebrews, we see many people regarded as heroes of the faith, because they are commended for their beliefs and how they lived their lives. As we look at these examples, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, we will see how their faith can be connected to our own lives today and to our faith as well.

We are called to set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, storing up for ourselves treasures on earth. In this, we talk about stewardship, and we look at being managers of all that God (the true owner and master of all things) has given us. And so, the question becomes: how can we be good stewards of all that God has given us?

How far are you willing to go for the sake of others? In Genesis, we see Abraham talking with God about the number of righteous people in Sodom and how many it will take to save the city. Eventually, the number goes as low as 10. But no lower. Why didn't Abraham go any lower than 10? Maybe because there wouldn't even be 1 righteous person found in Sodom. As we think about our current condition, the question isn't how many righteous people will be found where we are, but how far is the (only) 1 righteous person in the world willing to go for you?

Sermon from NYG 2022 President: Rev. Timothy Teuscher.

Guest preacher Rev. Randy Heide talks about God's Mission.

Many people who were following Jesus were sent to go and proclaim the Word of God. In the Gospel reading, we see what can happen to those who hear the Word of God and believe and those who hear the Word of God and reject, and what it means for us today.

Many people have come along and wanted to follow Jesus. In the Gospel reading, as Jesus sets His sights on Jerusalem, He lets everyone know just what the cost of following Him means. What's the end result of those who wanted to follow Him? How does this impact us today?