Real Peace. Real People.

Repenting before a judge would normally be intimidating. Being that bare, that vulnerable with someone that sits in a place of power over you is rightfully scary. It makes you want to hide and conceal the worst parts of you. But not with the Loving Judge. No, he allows us to be completely open with him in repentance and gives to us a gift that most judges wouldn’t give: FREE and FULL forgiveness.

Our Advent season kicks off with a bang as Jesus Christ, the King of all and Lord of Nations, comes to his people. But he doesn’t come as some vengeful, terrifying monarch. Instead, he comes for a different reason: to bring peace. But this peace is not a peace the world has known before. It is life giving, eternal peace for all of God’s people.

There are times in our lives in which we look around and it is difficult to find things for which we can be thankful. In our sermon reading, we’re shown that we shouldn’t look around at current circumstances as the main source for our thanksgiving. Instead, we ought to look back, see how our God rescued us, and how he has blessed us throughout our lives.

Dealing with the challenges of the world can feel downright impossible. What makes that struggle more difficult is when we go into it blind. We become more afraid of situations when we are left with questions. “Will I get through it?” “How long will it last?” “What will ultimately fix the problem?” Jesus impresses upon his followers the fact that worldly problems will constantly be with those who live in his name. At the same time, he places tools in our hands to stand firm when we are forced to stand up under the crosses of our lives.

In a world of sin and corruption, it’s no surprise that we struggle. We deal with the wicked things done to us and the consequences of the wicked things we do to others. Sometimes, life gets so overwhelming that we want to throw our hands up and finally say, “enough already!” But it’s then that God calls us to look forward and see what John saw in his vision: a powerful God bringing to an end all heartache and suffering for his people.

When we live away from the truth, there are consequences: we see God differently and we see our relationship with him through a warped lens. In John, Jesus reminds his people that holding close to his teachings, trusting in his Word above all other words spoken here on earth, cause us to live according to THE truth. And that truth, the truth that God speaks upon you, gives us freedom from guilt and sin in this life.

In Luke 18, we see Jesus address the age old question. It’s a question that every religion, every nation of people have wrestled with: What must I do to be saved? Jesus causes us to rethink this question as he crushes our hearts with the law and restores our hope with his life giving Gospel.

Prayer can be an intimidating blessing. When bow our head in prayer, we become all the more conscious that we are addressing the divine. Our prayers escape our mouths and directly hit the ears of God… so they better be good. Is that how you think of prayer? Does it seem like something you have to get just right so as to convince God that you actually need what you are asking for? We’ll explore how the redemption of Jesus COMPLETELY shifts the way in which we approach our divine Father. 

The bigger the gift, the bigger the thanks. There’s something special about getting a gift that you wouldn’t or couldn’t get for yourself. When Noah climbed on the ark, it must have been difficult for him to imagine what kind of thanks he would owe to God when the flood was over. But when he disembarked from the ark, he realized just how spectacular God’s gift of life for him and his family really was. This text causes us to ask ourselves, “What kind of gift has God given me?”

Giving is one thing. Joyously giving… now that’s something else. It is easy to see giving of ourselves as a task we need to check off the list. How often does giving become tedious? Do you sometimes wish you would give of yourself a little less? In 1 Chronicles, King David shows us the joyful attitude with which we are to give to God. But he doesn’t stop there. He reveals to us the source of his joy that never wears out.