Hebrews 4 presents another paradox of “laboring to enter rest,” and Sarah teaches about how the gods of this world make every effort to keep us from that place of rest. But we are not simply producers and consumers in commodity exchanges. No, we were made for enjoyable relationship with God and one another. Hallelujah that our God isn’t a slave driver, but he actually provides for us with a Sabbath rest as provision for life.

Sarah talked about the mystery of paradox and introduced the kingdom principle of working and worshiping from a place of rest. We were reminded that the Hebrew 4 promise of rest still stands for us today. Next Sunday will be part 2 along the same theme.

On Sunday we heard from Cheryl, who lives in S.E. Asia where she serves people who have never heard about Jesus. Cheryl spoke about the challenges of ministering cross-culturally, learning a new language and living in a different climate. But her joy and passion for the people she serves and for the name of Jesus to be known everywhere far outweigh the challenges. Listen and be inspired to pray, to be a witness, and to live in new expectation for what God can do.

Speaking from Acts 1:8 and 2 Corinthians 5, Ben challenges us to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and to be witnesses of the Gospel. Where there is Holy Spirit power, the Good News and growth follow. May we be a people filled with the Spirit, compelled by love, declaring a message of reconciliation and hope to all people.

In preparation for Utah Global Day of Prayer, Sarah gave a brief introduction on God’s command that we love the foreigner (see Deuteronomy 10, Matthew 25, Mark 11:17, Acts 2), and then three panelists spoke about their experiences being loved by and loving foreigners. We heard some insightful stories from Joe, Kelly and Henry about what we gain from the new Americans among us, as well as what we miss if we don’t love the foreigner.

We continued our series on Matthew 25 where we looked at the parable of the three servants. In this story, Jesus was encouraging his disciples to be faithful in their use of the gifts that the Lord has given them. The Lord gives first and to each of us has been given gifts and faith. There is joy as we partner with Jesus in using what he has given us in ways that reflect his kingdom. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy…” We have been given so much; how can we faithfully serve like Jesus and not become distracted or sidelined by comparison?

When times are dark and we anxiously wait for Jesus’s coming, what do we do? Jesus prepares us for such times by giving us three parables in Matthew 25. In the first story, the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, Jesus encourages us to be prepared for Jesus by keeping oil reserves for our lamps. Sarah talks about what this might look like and reminds us that there’s joy in waiting for the bridegroom.

David was called a man after God’s own heart. There was a long period of around 15 years from the time David was anointed King and he actually became King. During this time David had to flee to the cave of Adullam and live on the run from Saul. How did David live during this time? David hid in the Refuge (Psalms 142 and 57); he gathered the distressed, bankrupt and discontented; he continued to live on behalf of Israel while their king was rejecting him; his Kingdom increased as Saul’s decreased. David lived the Sermon on the Mount and demonstrated the heart of Jesus… “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Are you able to see God in others? Guest speaker Tiffany Buhler spoke about how we can see God’s image (imago dei) in each other and how meaningful that connection can be. She unpacked Martin Buber’s writings on “I-Thou” and “I-It” relationships and encouraged us that when we see and love one another, we have the opportunity to experience God. 1 John 4:12 says "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

After celebrating resurrection power in our lives, we go back to “normal” life with all its challenges. We know the kingdom is here, but we also pray for God’s kingdom to come. Looking at God’s promises to the exiles in Babylon (Jeremiah 29), and specifically the life of Daniel, Sarah speaks about how prayer and worship enable trust and obedience leading to a hope and a future.