Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church Orlando FL

Last week we discussed how the church was reformed back in the 16th century. This may come as a shock, but we’re not supposed to stay there! A great motto that came from the Reformation was Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda which means “the reformed church must always be reformed.” We aren’t called to be stagnant Christians trapped in the past, but ones who step boldly into the future – a future where we can be certain Christ is present, calling us to grow the Kingdom one act of love at a time.

When we have those, “God moments,” or “mountain top moments,” we think we can run on water with Jesus without hesitation. However, the second we fix our eyes on anything but Jesus – ourselves, our fears, our doubts, etc. – we begin to sink in the storms of our lives. Therefore, it’s imperative that we fix our eyes on Jesus no matter what life throws at us.

We continue our theme of following God’s call…and fish. There are times God calls us to do outlandish things – maybe things we’ve tried before and failed – but it’s amazing what can happen when we do it in the name of Jesus.

Running in a race? Running a business? Running into an old friend? Those are all good things.  Running from God? Not a good thing. Have you ever run away from a calling God has put on your heart? We can learn a lot from Jonah about running from God and in the process we get to see a glimpse of God’s heart.

Isn’t it amazing? The God that breathed existence into…well, existence…not only knows everything about us, but also (and regardless) wants a relationship with us! Scripture says that God is closer to us than we can ever imagine but draws even closer when we call upon God’s name. God is always seeking to draw ever nearer to us. Always.

Last week we looked at God’s definition of, “The Good Life.” This week we find out what scripture says is even better than life.

When you hear, “The good life,” perhaps you picture someone on a beach getting handed some sort of tropical drink. Or maybe someone taking in the view from their corner office on the top floor of their office building. As a Christian, the good life looks quite different than that – yet somehow it is also so much richer.

Hospitality is HUGE in the bible. This week we lift up the art of hospitality, what the bible says about it, and what that means for us!

There’s a good chance you’ve tried to read through the entire bible at one point in your life. You may have gotten through Genesis (well done!) and even made your way through Exodus (great job!) but never has there been a greater wall between the Bible and the once-eager-Bible-reader than the book of Leviticus. It is marked with a great number of lengthy and crazy laws (tattoos are prohibited and…wait…does God really care what something smells like?) that are just plain hard to read through. This week we’ll try to conquer the mighty Leviticus and see what it even has to do with God.

After Moses freed the Israelites from Egypt, God promised them a life of abundance in the Promised Land.  However, because they constantly turned their back on God it took them 40 years to get there. God offers us a life of abundance as well – unfortunately, time and time again, we choose to wander in the wilderness instead.