Today, we approach the difficult topic of grief and loss. We all experience heartache and anguish over losing someone that is dear to us. It is not just losses of lives but also cherished relationships that take us to places where we are left disoriented and despondent. While embracing that grieving may never end, we want to learn what it means to navigate through grief and loss with our faith in God.

The Prodigal Son is one of the most famous parables that Jesus shares in the Bible. A lot of us are familiar with the story of the younger son, who returned home from living a reckless life. But today, we are going to focus on the older brother, who lived under the love of his father, yet failed to experience that love in his life. We are going to compare ourselves with this older son and see what we can learn from his broken life.

Our focus for this year is being Gospel-Centered. The goal is twofold: (1) experience the Gospel for ourselves. (2) Be involved in others experiencing God in the same way. In Luke 6, we see a man who lived with pain and shame all of his life being completely restored by the power of Jesus. We seek for the impact of Jesus Christ to empower us and release us to ministering with Him.

Paul had a singular passion in his life—as the good news of Jesus Christ transformed him, he dedicated his life to share that same news with as many people as possible.  His unceasing passion to preach and share Christ is what we have been called for as well.  In 2024, we commit to encounter and proclaim Jesus Christ.

Ezra 8:21-22

Pastor Roland Lee

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Ruth 4:13-22

The book of Ruth opens up with a woman who has lost everything—her husband and her two sons.  She was dirt poor and had no hope of any significance for the rest of her life.  However, her tumultuous journey was but a backdrop for God’s amazing plan—her futility was merely an impetus to her glory.  For our final time in the book of Ruth, we learn that pain is never the final word for God’s people; and God will do far greater things through us than we could ever imagine. 

Text:  Ruth 4:1-6

Summary:

Boaz’s demonstration of his love for Ruth is at its peak as he is seen redeeming the land, belong to Ruth’s family, that was about to disappear.  Boaz, not only pays the price for the land, but he’s seen assuming the responsibility of caring for Ruth.  This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ—He rescues us from our debt, He restores us onto the Father’s inheritance, He gives us a new identity that is no longer of shame and pity but of honor and power.  Today, we see the redeeming power of Jesus through the story of Boaz & Ruth.

Just how crucial is thanksgiving? What happens if we do not give thanks to God? What does ingratitude look like? How does ingratitude manifest itself in our life with God? Today, we lean in to Paul's letter to the church in Rome as we caution ourselves that we should give thanks as often as we can.

Pastor Scott Oh

Text:  Ruth 2:22-3:5

Summary:

No one can succeed by journeying alone. We all need sages who are committed to guiding us in making decisions that ultimately lead us onto the path of pursuing God. Receiving guidance and direction require us to be humble and fully trusting in God as He sends us some people to speak on His behalf. Today, we lean closely in to the relationship between Ruth and Naomi and see how they rely on each other in their journey of faith.