While Christmas has inspired the writing of many songs throughout the centuries, one song that is often overlooked is a biblical one—namely, that of Zechariah, whose words were inspired by the birth of John the Baptist. It talks about three ordinary objects and how they can help us better apprehend the meaning of Christmas. In this message from Luke 1, Pastor J.D. walks through Zechariah’s song to explain the first of these objects, the horn. At first glance, it may seem a curious image to use—but its rich symbolism serves to point us to Jesus, the ultimate horn of salvation.

Though the first few chapters of Acts are filled with baptisms and miracles, the pivotal point of the book—the stoning of Stephen—shows how God uses ordinary believers to display his power and accomplish his mission amidst persecution. In today’s message from Acts 7 and 8, Pastor J.D. encourages us to consider how God might be calling us to advance the mission of the gospel. It won’t look the same for everyone, of course. But the worth of Jesus and the truth of the gospel should compel us to share with a lost and dying world, whether here or overseas.

As we finish our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. walks us down the path to Jesus’ tomb. We’ve all walked that lonely path in one form or another over the past 12 months, wondering where life is headed. The bad news? It’s headed to the grave. The good news? It doesn’t have to stay there. Because of the resurrection, the path to true life doesn’t end at the grave. It begins there.

As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. takes us along the road to the cross, where we will meet a handful of different people—each of whom has a different response to Jesus’ sacrifice. Luke doesn’t just record their stories because these people were there; he records their stories because in them, we see ourselves. Their stories are our stories. They prompt the question, “How will you respond to Jesus?”

As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. preaches about the most famous parable Jesus ever told—the story of the Prodigal Son. There’s a reason this parable is so popular: In it we see the biography of all of human history, the story of every single one of us. And we see a picture of God’s extravagant love that is more astounding and more surprising than anything we had ever dared to hope.

As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. preaches about the most famous parable Jesus ever told—the story of the Prodigal Son. There’s a reason this parable is so popular: In it we see the biography of all of human history, the story of every single one of us. And we see a picture of God’s extravagant love that is more astounding and more surprising than anything we had ever dared to hope.

As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. invites us to view Jesus the way his original disciples did: with overwhelming awe at his radical love. Because when we see the radical love of Jesus for us, we will respond with radical surrender to him. Our lives—and the world—will never be the same.

As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. teaches about a defining feature of those who follow Jesus: They care for the vulnerable, the weak, the helpless, and the forgotten. Followers of Jesus care for the vulnerable and the helpless because, before God, we are vulnerable and helpless, too.

As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. talks about the cosmic struggle between God and Satan, a struggle that bears on our lives every day. We’ll see that apart from God’s power, even the best attempts to change are ultimately doomed to fail. But with God’s power, not only can we survive, but we can actually plunder the Enemy.

As we continue our “In Step” series through the Gospel of Luke, Pastor J.D. teaches about a paralytic man and his friends, all of whom were desperate to get close to Jesus. But as we’ll see in this story, as eager as they were to get to Jesus, Jesus was even more eager to extend forgiveness to them. And to us.