Continuing our series through the beatitudes, Kingdom Come, Pastor Caleb takes a look at two interrelated promises from Jesus. He tells his disciples that the merciful will find mercy and that the pure in heart will see God. Walking through the biblical witness, we find that God sees us long before we can see Him, and from His compassion flows mercy that clears the eyes of our heart to begin to witness the glory of His work in us and around us. Far from a one-time experience, we find that in faith we step into a state of salvation, where we depend daily on the mercies of God and are shaped more and more into sharers of the life we receive with Him. As we see God in the depths of our need, so we will show God where others look deeply for His rescue.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1 John 3:1-3, 16-18⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

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In part four of our series Kingdom Come, Pastor Caleb looks at Jesus' fourth beatitude, where he tells his disciples that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. The context of Jesus' words involves a physical hunger, with many in his audience suffering from Roman oppression and the corruption of religious leadership, but the yearning Jesus is speaking to goes far deeper than a growling stomach. The promise of being filled is for those who are starving for God's presence, who need Him to order and to heal and to reconcile and to redeem. To those who bring their deepest hunger to God comes a love eternal and overflowing, one that pours out daily on the desperate and faithful, and through them to a dry and broken world.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Psalm 63:1-8⁠⁠⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

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Continuing Kingdom Come, our series through the beatitudes of Jesus, our pastoral resident Nate Garza looks at the kind of meekness God blesses and what it means for followers of Jesus to rely on the strength of the Lord at work – in us and in the world he calls us to.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Psalm 37:1-11⁠⁠⁠ (NIV)⁠⁠⁠

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Our series through the beatitudes of Jesus, Kingdom Come, continues with God’s promise to comfort those who mourn. Pastor Caleb walks through this vow, echoed throughout scripture, and shows how hope in the Lord yields comfort not just in a far off, eternal reward, but here now in the presence of a God who weeps and works for us. Even more, so abundant is the comfort we find in the depths with God, that those who receive it become those who provide it to a world in mourning, awaiting His redemptive work.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matthew 5:4⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

Psalm 139:7-10 (NRSV)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠2 Corinthians 1:3- 5⁠⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

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Pastor Caleb kicks off Kingdom Come, our new series through Jesus' beatitudes, with a look at what it means to be poor in spirit. Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount, a stunning and encompassing work describing the character of the Kingdom of God, with a promise to fill those whose only hope is the Lord. Jesus calls these poor in spirit blessed, and those who follow him can take comfort not just from his words, but from the example of his life and the presence of his spirit.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matthew 5:1-3, 13-16⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

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Four Sundays a year, we invite a friend and ministry partner to discuss one of The Garden's four core values, which are really values for every believer and community in Christ. This weekend, we had the blessing of hearing from Jonathan Kagimu of African Renewal Ministries, who shared a word on the value of Presence, based on the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke. As Jonathan shows, there is no place more beautiful than a moment spent with a good and loving God, and every day presents us with great opportunities to take His invitation and abide with Him.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)⁠⁠⁠

For more resources and ways to connect with us, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And for information about how to partner with Africa Renewal Ministries, check out africarenewal.org today.

Concluding our series, Pastor Caleb looks at the final fruit of the Spirit Paul lists in his letter to the Galatians: self-control. Paul is not encouraging believers to greater feats of personal strength or moral performance. Rather, Paul defines this fruit as yielding the growth and guidance of the new self to the Holy Spirit. What we need to experience this kind of holy self-control is to put on the new self and move forward with great self-awareness and trust in God. It's only in pursuing Jesus that we'll begin to yield the fruit of self-control before a watching world.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Galatians 5:16-25 (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

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Happy Easter! Our series through the fruit of the Spirit continues with a look at Gentleness on Resurrection Sunday. Before a crowd in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus does something in prayer that was totally unprecedented. He speaks of knowing the Father in intimate relationship, as His very Son and more, as the only means of seeing the Father. This claim of exclusivity and authority was considered heresy by the religious leaders of Jesus' day, but even now, many struggle with the idea that there is but one way to God. Jesus says this difficulty of seeing him as Savior and Lord is a product of the world's wisdom, built on pride and the illusion of self-sufficiency. Jesus is the Way to the Father, and the path is open for those who come to him in need. It is these beloved children who see in this gentle and lowly shepherd the true glory of living in the abundant love of God.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matthew 11:25-30⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

If you missed it this season, The Garden's Lent Guide is available for download at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Additionally, our Good Friday Liturgy is available here. For more resources and ways to connect with us, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ today.

Continuing In Season, our series on the fruit of the Spirit, Pastor Caleb looks at faithfulness – a timely subject for Palm Sunday, commemorating the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to a crowd welcoming Him in, just days before he would be put to death by Rome at the behest of a very similar crowd. We know today the value of faithfulness, of loyalty, but as this week in Jesus' story shows, we struggle to maintain our loyalty and keep our vows. Scripture tells us that while we are born looking for something to believe in, we must learn how to be faithful by receiving and sharing the faithfulness of God. He extends and fulfills His promises to us, and we become like Him, faithful and true, when we stand on His work, stay by His side, and share His life with the world He redeems.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Romans 5:1-10⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (NRSV)⁠⁠⁠

The Garden's Lent Guide is available for download at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For more resources and ways to connect with us, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ today.

Our pastoral resident Nate Garza continues our fruit of the Spirit series with a look at Goodness in the life of Saul. As Nate shows us, the goodness of God doesn’t quit on even the worst of us, and when that goodness confronts us, everything changes. And for those who see the light as Saul did, goodness experienced becomes goodness expressed.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Acts 9:1-19⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (ESV)⁠⁠⁠

The Garden's Lent Guide is available for download at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For more resources and ways to connect with us, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegardensa.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ today.