Part 4: The Praxis of the Cross.

If we are honest, we have to admit there is a basic strangeness to the cross. The pastor and writer Fleming Rutledge said that the cross is the most surprising and irreligious idea ever to make its way into the heart of faith. Before Jesus, no one could have ever projected their hopes and needs onto the death of a crucified man.

Is it possible though, that the cross is actually the only thing that makes sense in an otherwise muddled up world? Or, perhaps more properly, what we want to explore in this series is how the cross is the one thing that makes sense of everything else. Of course, by everything, what we really mean is...

Everything.

Part 4: The Crux of the Cross.

If we are honest, we have to admit there is a basic strangeness to the cross. The pastor and writer Fleming Rutledge said that the cross is the most surprising and irreligious idea ever to make its way into the heart of faith. Before Jesus, no one could have ever projected their hopes and needs onto the death of a crucified man.

Is it possible though, that the cross is actually the only thing that makes sense in an otherwise muddled up world? Or, perhaps more properly, what we want to explore in this series is how the cross is the one thing that makes sense of everything else. Of course, by everything, what we really mean is...

Everything.

Part 3: The Gravity of the Cross.

If we are honest, we have to admit there is a basic strangeness to the cross. The pastor and writer Fleming Rutledge said that the cross is the most surprising and irreligious idea ever to make its way into the heart of faith. Before Jesus, no one could have ever projected their hopes and needs onto the death of a crucified man.

Is it possible though, that the cross is actually the only thing that makes sense in an otherwise muddled up world? Or, perhaps more properly, what we want to explore in this series is how the cross is the one thing that makes sense of everything else. Of course, by everything, what we really mean is...

Everything.

Part 2: The Intervention of the Cross.

If we are honest, we have to admit there is a basic strangeness to the cross. The pastor and writer Fleming Rutledge said that the cross is the most surprising and irreligious idea ever to make its way into the heart of faith. Before Jesus, no one could have ever projected their hopes and needs onto the death of a crucified man.

Is it possible though, that the cross is actually the only thing that makes sense in an otherwise muddled up world? Or, perhaps more properly, what we want to explore in this series is how the cross is the one thing that makes sense of everything else. Of course, by everything, what we really mean is...

Everything.

Part 1: The Scandal of the Cross.

If we are honest, we have to admit there is a basic strangeness to the cross. The pastor and writer Fleming Rutledge said that the cross is the most surprising and irreligious idea ever to make its way into the heart of faith. Before Jesus, no one could have ever projected their hopes and needs onto the death of a crucified man.

Is it possible though, that the cross is actually the only thing that makes sense in an otherwise muddled up world? Or, perhaps more properly, what we want to explore in this series is how the cross is the one thing that makes sense of everything else. Of course, by everything, what we really mean is...

Everything.

A new entry on the Westside menu last year, this series gave us pause to

talk about the various ways we experience a troubled mind. The things that

haunt our realities yet remain uncomfortable to talk about. This January we

are focusing on the state of exhaustion that can come our way, the kinds of

depletion that can easily become “burnout”. We want to talk in transparent

ways, admitting our common struggle, finding hope, and support together.

Here is the difference we hope to make here: as we talk about the things

that trouble our minds, we want to do so in the presence of God, by the

counsel of Scripture, and in the power of real prayer. In this way we may

discover what we see in the above text: that there is a restful peace to be

encountered in God’s love.

A new entry on the Westside menu last year, this series gave us pause to

talk about the various ways we experience a troubled mind. The things that

haunt our realities yet remain uncomfortable to talk about. This January we

are focusing on the state of exhaustion that can come our way, the kinds of

depletion that can easily become “burnout”. We want to talk in transparent

ways, admitting our common struggle, finding hope, and support together.

Here is the difference we hope to make here: as we talk about the things

that trouble our minds, we want to do so in the presence of God, by the

counsel of Scripture, and in the power of real prayer. In this way we may

discover what we see in the above text: that there is a restful peace to be

encountered in God’s love.

A new entry on the Westside menu last year, this series gave us pause to

talk about the various ways we experience a troubled mind. The things that

haunt our realities yet remain uncomfortable to talk about. This January we

are focusing on the state of exhaustion that can come our way, the kinds of

depletion that can easily become “burnout”. We want to talk in transparent

ways, admitting our common struggle, finding hope, and support together.

Here is the difference we hope to make here: as we talk about the things

that trouble our minds, we want to do so in the presence of God, by the

counsel of Scripture, and in the power of real prayer. In this way we may

discover what we see in the above text: that there is a restful peace to be

encountered in God’s love.

In the final part of our series "Until Christmas", Bob Osborne considers the Magi, and how we might know that there is a search worth taking.

For more from this teaching series visit http://www.wkc.org

Before Jesus, life was relentless waiting and anticipating. What is God

doing? How is the story going to work out? Will we be rescued? Year after

year negative answers were o ered to all of these questions and more. Year

after year...

Until Christmas.

And so, year after year, we keep telling this story. The story of how and

when the world began to realize that God was doing something bigger than we

ever could have imagined.