Is doubt something that we should be afraid of or avoid? Does doubt disappoint God? If we find ourself doubting our faith does that mean that God will exclude or sideline us? When we look at Jesus and his interaction with Thomas we actually see that doubt can lead us to greater faith if we let it. Jesus has always been a friend to those who search and long to believe.

What you look for you will often see. After Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to many, but they found it hard to believe. They didn't truly SEE that Jesus was resurrected. And the same goes for us – Jesus can be walking alongside us. The power of the resurrection can be right in our midst, yet we miss it because we are focusing on the wrong things. Being a resurrection people means looking for Jesus in our midst.

We take a deeper look at the two criminals on each side of Jesus as he hang to die. One scoffs at Jesus, mocking him, while the other is a lesson in receiving grace.

You may have heard of Zacchaeus, the wee little man…but he is better described as the mean little man. In fact, he was the worst guy in town. But when Jesus shows up on the scene with his unexpected grace everything changes. In Zacchaeus we see that Jesus always leads with grace, but it doesn’t result in a blasé attitude toward sin but to true repentance.

We have all been taught that sin separates us from God, and from there is it not a huge leap to believe that sin makes it so God is repulsed by our presence. Many have been taught that because of sin there is nothing good to them at all, and if not for Jesus they would be worthless. But is this what we see when we look at Jesus? He doesn’t seem repulsed by sinners but drawn to them, and them to him. In Jesus we see that God’s heart has always been to set us free from sin, not to punish us because of sin.

God told humanity to be fruitful and fill the earth, and instead they decided to stay in one place and build a tower. Their fear of scattering and insignificance caused them to settle out of fear, settle into pride, and ultimately settle for less. But God did not want to scatter them for punishment but for blessing. And often we too fail to trust God’s goodness and make plans for ourselves that give us a false sense of stability and control. But Jesus tells us that following him means not to stay on one place, but to join him in filling the whole earth with his good news.

What does the flood narrative teach us about God? Does God love creation or is he angry and quick to destroy? And what does the flood say about the state of humanity? Are we precious image-bearers or subjects of wrath? While it is one of the more challenging stories in Genesis, the flood tells us the truth about God’s judgment and how the hope is always that it will result in salvation.

When Cain kills his brother he unleashes the power of hatred into the world. And while we may not relate to the impulse to murder, none of us are immune to following the way of Cain. Once we make someone an enemy we naturally fall into blame and eventually we begin to give ourselves over to hateful thoughts and hateful actions. But Jesus has come to set us free from the power of sin so it is no longer our master. As he does this he teaches us that yes, we are one another’s keeper, and when we remember this we stop seeing others as enemies.

The idea of sin has become highly individualized in the Western Church. Many believe that sin is all about the bad choices individuals make and the consequences that come as a result. But the truth about sin is that it is cosmic. Its effects can be seen in all of creation. God is the initiator of our salvation. Because of Jesus, we are free from the bonds of sin. In Jesus, humanity is restored.

We are made in the image of God, and Genesis tells us what that means:

- We are created to govern (like God)

- We are essentially communal (like God)

- We are foundationally good (like God)

- Jesus fixes what we break - by God becoming human.

Also in this teaching, a surprising deep dive into the Hebrew of male and female creation in Genesis 2!