The first half of the hymn to Christ in Colossians 1.15-20 focused on Jesus as Creator, and now the second half shifts to consider Jesus as Redeemer. But why is the first thing the song tells us about salvation the fact that Christ is head of the church? Those of us with an anti-institutional streak can't help but be rubbed the wrong way. After all, wasn't the whole point of the Reformation to get the church out of the way in salvation, which is a personal thing between an individual and God? Well ... Maybe there's more to it than that. "Why Church?" is the fourth part of our series on The Preeminent Christ, exploring the much-maligned role of the church in God's plan of salvation. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Some people followed Jesus, and others didn't. What was the difference? We gain insight into this question in Matthew 13, where Jesus gives the parable of the soils. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org

We've inherited the idea that God set things in motion and then stood back to let them run their course. But the hymn to Christ in Colossians 1 takes a different view: Jesus didn't just make the world, he sustains it. "Apart from his continuous sustaining activity," writes Peter T. O'Brien, "all would disintegrate." Sometimes it feels like the world is falling apart, like our lives are falling apart. But is that really what's going on? "Things (Don't Always) Fall Apart," the third part of our series on The Preeminent Christ, traces the implications of Christ's sustaining work on the universe, our lives, and even our salvation. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The first half of the Christ hymn in Colossians 1 celebrates the cosmic scope of Jesus' power by revealing his central role in the act of creation itself. What does it mean to worship a God who creates life when we live in a world full of death? "Christ, Maker of Worlds," the second part of our series on The Preeminent Christ, contrasts the power of destruction inherent in all things with the power of life in the maker of all things. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

If God wants people to believe in him, why doesn't he show himself? Why are we forced to take so many things -- including his very existence -- on faith? Blaise Pascal once wrote that, even when he reveals himself, what God shows us is that he is a Hidden God. And yet, the first line of the hymn to Christ in Colossians 1.15-20 says that Jesus is "the image of the invisible God." Jesus is what you see when God comes out into the open. "When God Comes Out of Hiding," the first part of this series on The Preeminent Christ, begins a new look at who this Jesus we've been waiting for really is. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready. Like happy endings of old, the Christian story concludes not with a battle but with a wedding feast. In marriage, the Bible teaches, two become one, and the final chapter in God's redemptive plan accomplishes exactly that: Christ and his people are united forever. Yes, we long for his kingdom come. We long for justice and mercy. But the longing that drives us deep down, our inextinguishable hope, is to to be one with Christ the Lamb. "Even So, Come Quickly," the final sermon in the Come, Lord Jesus series, is about the feast of love prepared for Christ's people. We have waited so long for God, and now we find that he, too, is waiting for us. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

When we wait for God, we wait for his mercy. We wait for his covenant promise of everlasting life to be fulfilled. This beautiful hope of salvation inspires our longing. When we pray, "Come, Lord Jesus," this fulfillment is what we have in mind. Yet we have so many questions: Does mercy undermine justice? Are the two concepts in tension, needing to be balanced? Are we saved now, or are we in the process of salvation? What will the world be like when God's promises of mercy have been fulfilled? "Promises to Keep," the third sermon in the Come, Lord Jesus series, is about how the mercy to come will reshape and reestablish the bond between God and his people. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just? This was Abraham's question in Genesis 18, and it's a question we still ask today. The ways of God revealed in the Bible don't always seem fair to us, and the world we live in doesn't seem to bear much witness to an all-powerful God who cares about justice. Considering the injustice we see every day, considering how hard corruption makes even the simplest forms of justice, it's easy to grow cynical. Yet the Bible insists that the God for whom we wait is just. What should those who long for him do in the meantime? "A Change Is Gonna Come," the second sermon in the Come, Lord Jesus series, asks whether God cares about justice, and if so, how we should pursue justice as we wait for him. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

(Note: Due to technical difficulties, this sermon is incomplete, and the audio quality is poor. We apologize for the inconvenience.) Yes, ideas have consequences, but what drives the world is desire. We are all worshippers. We are filled with longing. We are all waiting to see our desires fulfilled. Advent is a season of longing during which the Bible speaks to those who wait. Since Grace has always been a church brought together by longing -- for more grace, more depth, and more community -- we want to understand better what it means to desire the coming of Christ's kingdom. "They That Wait," the first sermon in the Come, Lord Jesus series, will look at how our faith is both tested and strengthened by our long wait for God. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.

Thanksgiving is not about prosperity; it's about perseverance. In 1 Thessalonians 3.6-10, Paul rejoices that the faith of the new church endured despite a period of testing. In a similar way, the most profound gratitude follows times of trial, and celebrates God's faithfulness. Visit us online at www.graceforsiouxfalls.org.