2023-12-03 Wishlist - Part 1: Undeck The Halls, Pastor Dan Bergen by

Jonah is a story that has captured the imagination of children and adults alike throughout history. It’s the story of someone who ran from the call of God. It’s the story of a God who cared too much about a city to let that person run away from their call. The fact that Jonah wasn’t perfect didn’t stop God from using Jonah. We are Jonah.

Jonah is a story that has captured the imagination of children and adults alike throughout history. It’s the story of someone who ran from the call of God. It’s the story of a God who cared too much about a city to let that person run away from their call. The fact that Jonah wasn’t perfect didn’t stop God from using Jonah. We are Jonah.

Jonah is a story that has captured the imagination of children and adults alike throughout history. It’s the story of someone who ran from the call of God. It’s the story of a God who cared too much about a city to let that person run away from their call. The fact that Jonah wasn’t perfect didn’t stop God from using Jonah. We are Jonah.

Many of us use prayer as a last resort when life goes sideways or things don’t go according to plan. But Jesus taught a different posture. He taught that prayer is the first option. In fact, Jesus taught that we (that includes you!) could personally hear God’s voice and that this personal connection would be the source of living life in all its fullness. Join us this week as we conclude our Words To Live By series by ironically ending with the thing we should always do first.

When the first followers of Jesus chose to follow him they knew intuitively they were embracing a life of risk. When hardship and challenges came their way they weren't seen to back down, they chose to buckle down. They chose courage over comfort. Many today see Jesus as the key to a comfortable life. Let’s not confuse the peace that Jesus brings with worldly comfort. May we rediscover the call to risk.

There’s probably one thing that everyone in the world can agree on…there are a lot of problems in the world. But most people assume the “real” problem is out there. Consequently our hope for change often is out there somewhere too. But what if we take the Bible seriously and believe the real problem is in the human heart. If that’s true, then real transformation doesn’t start out there, it starts in me and it starts in you.

Have you ever been so excited about something that you weren’t able to keep it to yourself? Why is it that many Jesus followers say that Jesus is the most important thing in their life, yet they are very reluctant to even talk about him? Jesus was all about breaking barriers and encountering people that were far from him. When his followers "got it" they too began to believe they couldn’t keep Jesus and everything he had done to themselves. Are we willing to follow their lead and break barriers so that anyone can join us on the journey of following Jesus?

Sometimes maintenance is good. Staying on top of your dental cleanings, doctor check-ups, and oil changes is important. We do maintenance when we want something to stay the same as long as possible. But God doesn’t want everything to stay the same. God wants us to experience growth and transformation and for others to experience that too! Jesus invites us not to maintain but to multiply.

Jesus had some very strong words for some people. That’s not surprising. The surprising thing is that his strongest words were reserved for the religious community. They lacked an awareness of their own condition while they were quick to judge the condition of others. This prevented them from receiving the gift God had for them, and it prevented others from experiencing it too. Jesus invited everyone to come and experience transformation…everyone except, perfect people.