In contrast to the teachings of the New Age movement, God's new age centers in Jesus Christ, in whom there is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Isaiah's vision of God's new age points us ahead to the coming of Jesus - during his earthly life and ministry, and ultimately as King and Judge of all creation when Christ shall come again.

Jesus is the one true King, the beginning, end, and beginning for his people.

Jeus' description of what will come before his return are ominous and threatening: wars and insurrection, natural disasters, persecution of believers. The immediate fulfillment of Jesus' words came with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; however, in a larger sense Jesus is pointing us ahead to the end of the world. How then are we to live? "By your endurance you will gain your souls," Jesus tells us. He calls us to hang in there by keeping our eyes fixed on him, running with endurance the race that is set before us.

What does it mean to be a saint, experiencing the reigning of Christ in life even now?

Consecration Sunday sermon

"We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done" (Luke 17:10). With these words, the Lord Jesus makes clear to his disciples that doing what He commands does not entitle us to a reward. We cannot put God in our debt, as though God owes us something. We look to Jesus, who for our sake "became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). In response to Jesus' willing obedience and his sacrificial death for our sins, we dedicate all that we are and have to his glory and praise, and for the good of his kingdom. We affirm the truth that as God's consecrated stewards we are called to be obedient stewards, faithfully managing all of God's gifts.

Jesus' parable of the dishonest manager calls us as the people of God to faithful and wise stewardship of all God's gifts, not begrudgingly or under coercion, but freely and joyfully in response to all that God in Christ has done for us.

The absolution that God gives through Christ delivers freedom from sin, guilt, and despair