How do we deal with those little deaths that we experience each day, let alone the big losses in our lives? 

It’s critical that we have a worldview strong enough to hold us through the ups and downs and uncertainties of life, one that is both dazzlingly hopeful and critically honest.

When Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he shows us that there is new life even in the midst of dead ends.

How do you respond when your life feels like a boat that’s taking on water, when things aren’t getting better, and when there’s no end in sight? How do you deal with the feeling of not having it all together or of living in what seems like a storm in the open ocean? 

Jesus promises, “ I will walk toward you in the midst of the storm, I will walk with you, and I’ll even get in the boat that’s sinking.”

The feeding of the 5000 shows us that God has compassion for us in our lack. Jesus chooses to demonstrate his power by moving toward those who are hungry and by giving them what they need.

Jesus sees the pain and hardship in our lives and enters into our story to help us carry our burdens. Not only that, but he also transforms us and sends us out to help heal the brokenness of a hurting world. 

In this scene, Jesus finds the man by the pool. Jesus sees him and goes to him, even though the man doesn’t exhibit any faith. 

The principle that Christianity presents to us in this story is that the spiritual life is not so much your journey of finding God; it’s the realization that God has been looking for you. 

Like a shepherd in search of a lost sheep, here we see Jesus — the Good Shepherd — going after this man even as he’s giving up.

Where do you need to see that Jesus is pursuing you right now?

Because Jesus is the Son of God, we can have hopeful, buoyant comfort in the midst of the difficulties we’re going through right now. It also means we have an avenue to pursue peace with anyone, especially those we can’t stand or disagree with, and even those who’ve wronged us.

Jesus brings the joy the experiences in our lives can’t bring us. Rather than mere happiness that is dependent upon our circumstances, he gives us joy like an oak log burning in our core. We can face heartache and uncertainty from a place of hope, honesty, and resilience.

God comes to you and says, “I see you, I know you, and I love you, and I’ve called you my own.” An identity that can never be taken away, no matter what. What if you received that as the truest indicator of who you are?

The wise men were educated outsiders and the shepherds were uneducated insiders. In the birth of Christ, “God with us,” people who don’t belong together gather to meet God. 

The thing that holds our church together is that people who don’t belong together gather around Jesus for the sake of those who don’t belong. 

Join us Sunday mornings at 9:30 as we gather as an Unlikely Coalition around Christ, who honors our differences and draws us closer together.