Gethsemane in the original Greek translates to oil press. It’s in this garden that the weight of Jesus’ sacrifice begins to set in and crush him. It’s here that we can see Jesus’ humanity fully on display and how Jesus being both fully man and fully God was needed to be our sacrifice. His sympathy and deity in this moment further reinforce the trust we can have in someone who truly understands us and is strong enough to rescue us and point us toward the hope of a future garden.

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This week, we are joined by guest speaker Jon Markey Calvary Chapel Ternopil to provide a field update from Ukraine and the work their ministry is doing.

We also look at Romans 8, at a time when Paul sees the church experiencing growing pains of a congregation with Jews and Gentiles. The only requirement to be a Christian was faith in Jesus and that the church should be a place free of condemnation, judgement and division.

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As we continue our series in the 7 signs in John, we look at Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and are reminded of the truths about how Jesus comforts’ us in our times of suffering. We are reminded that what seems like delays don’t mean that we aren’t loved or cared for, but that there are works and preparations happening elsewhere. We also take comfort knowing that Jesus can help comfort and understand us and all who suffer because He experienced the same. In times of suffering, we also need to be mindful that our anger is not misplaced at someone who is not responsible.

Seeing the suffering in the world or happening our own lives, it doesn’t always feel like easy to keep in mind that He has His own plans and purpose. There are situations that don’t feel like we can say that God is off the hook. But we have to remember that God put himself on the hook - that He sent His son to experience the human condition and redeem what was lost.

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Karma and reincarnation push a belief that all personal suffering is the result of specific personal sin, whether in this life or a past one. Jesus and the disciples crossed paths with a blind man, the disciples asked Him who had sinned and caused the man’s condition - himself or his parents. This question inherently makes the same assumption as karma, that personal suffering results from personal sin. But Jesus’ answer is partially yes and no. Today, as we study the healing of the blind man, we explore why suffering is even present in our world, why it’s allowed, and who might benefit from suffering.

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As much as we want to think we are in control of our lives, we may find ourselves powerless in the midst of life’s struggles and difficult seasons. This was how the disciples found themselves while in the middle of a storm out at sea. We can take comfort knowing that not only are we not alone in these moments, but also that Jesus can redeems us and gets us through the storm.

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In our ever changing world, the position of the church and of Christians has also been fluctuating. While we must be wary of moral threats, how do we still live seeking the good for our neighbor? This week, we are joined by Dr. Geoffrey Hsu who points us toward the Israelites exiled in Babylon and the parallels to the modern day church. We are reminded that we are still called to be the means by which God accomplishes His purposes for this world.

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Too many times, we think that if only circumstances changed or something was removed from our lives, we would truly be happy. Whether it came to pass or not, we might be left feeling disappointed or unhappy. In these moments is when we need to remember to not give up on Jesus.

This week, we continue our series through the seven signs in John as we take a second look at the feeding of the 5,000 and it’s conclusion. We look at why Jesus had to flee the people who tried to anoint Him as King and why they shouldn’t have given up on Jesus.

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It's increasingly common to feel stressed and overwhelmed with seemingly no end in sight. When we feel weary and burdened by facing life's challenges alone, Jesus brings us comfort and the promise of truly living, rather than barely surviving. As we continue our series on the Seven Signs in John, we look at the story of Jesus feeing the 5,000 and study the transformative offerings of Jesus. He is our rest in the midst of life's chaos, an eternal purpose to love people and a life experience we can't find anywhere else.

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