Renew San Diego

JOHN 21: 1-19

What do we do with deep failure in our lives? What do we do with that voice inside that tells us we are failures? 

Jesus’ disciples failed him in his time of need. They have broken down relationally, ethically, and vocationally, and Jesus moves toward them to show hospitality and welcome. 

We’re encouraged by Lori’s testimony of resurrection hope.

Where has God brought new life out of the dark and hurting places in your life?

JOHN 20: 19-31

We are slow to trust because we have trusted in the past, and we have been hurt or let down. 

Is there a way to have a faith in Jesus that is strong enough to hold us through the storms of life? 

LUKE: 24: 1-12

How do we respond to a world we feel isn’t the way it’s supposed to be?

Is it possible to live in this world, with all its difficulty, confusion, and sadness, and actually face it with buoyancy, joy, and resilience? 

The resurrection is the answer to the meaningless of death: There’s new creation breaking forth in the midst of the old; death doesn’t have the last word; we can have hope in any situation.

MATTHEW 21: 1-17

There is something in the human heart that when it sees something that is captivating has to stop and be in awe. Jesus is coming into Jerusalem in our story, and the people stop what they’re doing and flock to him in amazement. 

They realized they were in the presence of power and greatness that was truly good. 

Jesus is a king unlike any other, who comes in peace for the sake of everyone at great cost to himself.

EXODUS 19: 1-6; 20:1-17

The ten commandments are ancient wisdom for modern temptations. They are rules that, when honored, hold us together both individually as integrated people and communally as a connected society. When they are ignored or broken, we are disintegrated. Today, we explore how the ten commandments lead to greater freedom.

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;

my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

We live in a world of pain, loss, anger, and confusion. Unless we treat these things, we will burn from within.

Where do you go with the sorrow, pain, and disappointment in your life?

“Lament, the ancient art of crying out before God, provides us with a means of honest and raw expression in times when our grief is too much to bear. It does not offer a quick and tidy theological answer; rather it invites us to bring ourselves fully to a God who can handle our pain perhaps more than we’ve ever imagined.” - Rev. Dr. Chuck DeGroat

God can rescue us in one moment, but it can take a lifetime for us to believe it. God takes us through the wilderness for our own good so that we can learn to receive the gift of grace.

This passage from Exodus 12 starts with devastating oppression of God’s people in slavery in Egypt, and it seems like God is not paying attention. Day after day, year after year, the people cry out for justice…

And the punchline of the story is that God is at work to rescue.

What feels like wilderness in your life? We probably don’t have to look too deeply to find a part of our lives that feels uncontrollable, confusing, and chaotic. What if that is the exact spot where God wants to show up and surprise you?