Hope Christian Fellowship

As we set aside a day to celebrate and give thanks for the mothers in our lives, we recognize that the One who came up with the whole idea of motherhood is God Himself. Most moms feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for a precious child. Likewise, it is not unusual for dads to feel unprepared and unqualified. But what we’re going to see in Scripture today is that this feeling is a reminder of a very important truth. Jesus told us that the truth would set us free, and this concept can definitely do exactly that. There is rest and peace for parent – even parents with wayward children – that comes from the truth we are looking at this morning. And this idea is applicable to any and every calling in our lives, no matter how big or small. Let’s see what we can learn from a mother who desperately wanted a child and then made a very unusual choice. We may not take exactly the same action, but we can make the same choice in our hearts by faith.

(Hosea 1:2-3, 5:4, 6:6, 7:11, 2:14-20, 3:1-3)Golden calves, statues of giant bulls, some guy named Baal: it can be all too easy to laugh and belittle the idol worship of the Old Testament. How could anyone bow down or devote themselves to a man made thing? Meanwhile we nervously check our bank accounts, meditate in front of endlessly scrolling social media feeds, and evangelize our politics online. Idol worship hasn’t just changed, it’s evolved, taking on devious forms designed to distract us, misdirect us, and put our hope into hopeless things. If we aren’t careful we can sleepwalk into idolatry, idly worshipping our bank account, our reputation, our political sphere, or anything other than God. Today we are going to look at the book of Hosea and how he confronts an idolatrous Israel. While we may not be exhibiting the exact same sins as Israel, we can learn a lot from how Hosea depicts idolatry and how God seeks to remedy the issue in his people, and in us.

Many people come to Hope and talk about how it feels to come for the first time. We love the feedback that our church feels welcoming and warm. We are thrilled that Hopers own the calling to step towards someone they do not know and try to help them feel like they belong. But this feeling does not happen by accident. It is something we intentionally build. We are going to have a different service today. We will worship as usual. Then we’ll look at some Scripture like we always do. But we’re going to have some time at the end of the service to respond. We want everyone fully involved in serving at Hope. We’re going to talk about what that accomplishes, but we’re also going to invite you to serve at Hope. If you’re not serving, this is your on-ramp to start. If you are serving, but you need to step in more, this is the day for that step. Pray with us that we will all be able to see God lead us into serving exactly how He wants us to!

Can you imagine if you were sick and needed some life-saving treatment, but had no way to pay for it? It would be torture to feel doomed while knowing that it was just money in the way of having what you needed. Now imagine that some person with lots of money stepped in to pay for everything. You receive the treatment and you are saved. How grateful would you be? When the stakes are high and but rescue seems impossible, a person who steps into the gap is someone you will naturally love very much. Jesus says almost exactly this when He is at a dinner with a religious man who does not like what Jesus allows to happen. But Jesus’ explanation is that people who have been forgiven much love much. Let’s see if we are living like we’ve been forgiven much!

Communicating with others is a challenge. They don’t think like you do and they don’t express themselves in your ways, so it can be hard to hear them and for them to hear you. Misunderstanding is at the root of so much of the conflict that happens in our lives. Mature people know how to backtrack and figure out where things got disconnected and misconstrued. As we celebrate Easter, we are going to celebrate together that Jesus is alive! But we’re also going to take a look at how badly those around at His crucifixion misunderstood what was happening. Maybe you think being a Christian is about power or about being rescued from problems. The amazing truth about Jesus’ death and resurrection is that it brings so much more to those who believe.

As we begin Passion Week, we are coming into our celebration of the most important events in the history of the world. The death and resurrection of Jesus demand response. Jesus confronted people all through His ministry on their need to respond to Him. In this episode, we see two different responses. One group embraces Jesus and the other rejects Him. Jesus points out the hypocrisy of their rejection and makes it obvious that they turned away because they wanted to, not because they did not have enough information or clarity. This choice remains for us today. Will we put our trust in Jesus? Will we live trusting Him? We have to choose one or the other.

Falling as an infant or toddler is a part of life. Falling as an elderly person can mean the end of your life. Not all falls are the same, but all of them stop our forward progress. Jesus uses the picture of stumbling to describe what can happen when a person looks at Jesus but misses out on the Good News. That is the most catastrophic fall of all time. Instead of recognizing the One who can save and heal, they mistake Him for just another teacher or (even worse) a mythological figure from ancient times. Some in Jesus’ day were in danger of tripping. In fact, John the Baptist sends messengers to Him. John and his followers are trying to sort out what they are seeing and figure out what they need to do because of it. Let’s learn from their question and Jesus’ challenge.

Everyone knows what it feels like to be hopeless. All the way back in school, there were times we felt like we’d never understand what we were supposed to be learning or we’d never remember what we studied for the test. Throughout life, we are faced with too little time, too little money, too much conflict, and too much hurt. Hopelessness is almost an old friend, or it would be if it weren’t so poisonous. Jesus came with authority, but it wasn’t to dominate others. Instead, He came to use His power to help. This story is one about hopelessness and Jesus’ authority over it.

Who is in charge? In any formal situation, that is a question that demands an answer right away. At work, you need to know who is in charge of what you will be doing. In homes that effectively raise children, it must be clear that the parents are in charge. When people reject this concept, chaos reigns. For God’s people in Jesus’ time, they believed that they were acknowledging God’s authority by taking His law seriously. But then God Himself in human flesh shows up and they try to bring Him under the authority of the law as they understood it. This ultimately led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Luke takes a chapter here to demonstrate the authority that Jesus actually has. In this first episode, we see that surrendering to and honoring Jesus’ authority in our lives – even in matters of huge importance – will bring God’s power into our lives.

In so many parts of our lives, titles are given to define roles, assign responsibilities, and maintain a sense of order. Navigating life and the many lanes that we operate in can feel overwhelming, whether it be with family, friends, work, church, or even in our neighborhood. Jesus, by his life, gave us a road map on how to live a life that is worthy of our calling, in whatever space we occupy. Through our time in the Word together, let's see how we can honor the Lord in our walk through this life.

Whether it is fair or not, we tend to evaluate a person’s character by what they say. The words that come out of our mouths are thought of as a good indication of what we are all about. Jesus has some comments about how words can both expose what is inside of us and/or can be an attempt to deceive others about what’s inside of us. For all of us who follow Him, His words here are convicting. They also help us look honestly in the mirror and bring us to a conscious decision about the things that we say.

Most people assume that being color blind means that a person only sees in black and white. But the truth is most colorblindness is about being unable to distinguish between reds and greens. There are glasses that can correct this issue and enable someone to see the full spectrum. Imagine what changes in a person’s mind when everything they have been looking at suddenly looks drastically different. Following Jesus has that kind of effect too. You look at the same people and situations you’ve been seeing all your life, but suddenly you see it all so differently. In this chapter, Jesus has been using different ways of talking about the changes that come from being His disciple. God’s people have their vision fixed in the best possible way.

When people don’t like you, it is normal to not like them back. When someone makes you their enemy, the natural response is to defend yourself and to fight back. Somehow, Jesus has an entirely different take on all of this. For those of us who choose to follow Him, we will need to pay attention to the instructions He gives. But we need to pay even more attention to the reasons He gives because we will not be able to embrace His mindset unless we understand where it comes from. Ultimately, we are the children of Almighty God. That has implications that spill over into our reactions to those who are against us.

We can go to churches or watch online and hear all kinds of ideas about God’s blessings. It seems like most people think that blessings are when God makes your life exactly like what you want. Bills are paid. Loved ones are healthy. Problems are far in the rearview mirror. But Jesus talked about those who are blessed in a very different way. In fact, His description is so shocking, it is hard to really process without the help of the Holy Spirit. Let’s take some time today and open our hearts to what Jesus is teaching His disciples and us in this interaction. And then let’s allow the Lord to shift our mindset about what a blessed life looks like.

Jesus’ mission on earth was the most important ever undertaken. He came to give His life for our redemption, but He also came so that people would know the way to the Father. His plan included appointing twelve men to be apostles. With so much at stake, it would be wise for us to look at how Jesus made these selections. What do we learn about the kingdom of God from the men that Jesus chose and the process he used?

Communication is always a challenge. Every person you talk to is different than you are. We generally do better when we know each other, but our conversations can go off the rails anyway. Throughout time, humans have struggled to understand our Creator. Some people try to build their understanding of God from what makes sense to them. Others actually read God’s Word for themselves, but they don’t quite get the message straight. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time were like this. They were serious about reading, knowing, and following the Law that God had given. Unfortunately, they had missed what God meant. Jesus tries to show them their mistake, but they can’t see it. Perhaps we can learn from what He says to them.

“This is the way we’ve always done it.” How often have you heard something like that to reject a new idea? It can be frustrating if you are the person most affected by the unwillingness to consider change. Of course, all of us get stuck in old ways. This is true even in religion and in church. Jesus came to Israel with the Good News, but many of them saw it as something to fear or to silence. They were not ready for something “different”. Jesus makes that point in this passage and Luke uses it to sum up the events of this chapter. Jesus has included those who would normally be excluded because of the presumption of their sinfulness. Instead, Jesus talks about bringing sinners to repentance. The grace of God is amazing, but sometimes it is also scary. Can we allow God to change the way we’ve always done it?

Whoever said that God never gives you more than you can handle has clearly never read the Bible before. God’s story is full of situations where his people are faced with overwhelming odds, and if we are honest, our lives mirror that pattern. Whatever challenge or calling God has placed in your life it is all too easy to feel unprepared and unqualified. We can compare ourselves to others or look at our past mistakes, and before too long the hill God gave us to climb may as well be Mount Everest. In the book of Joshua though we find good company. Not only does Joshua have big sandals to fill after the death of Moses, he also has to do something he has never done before, invade and conquer the land of Canaan. When God gives this quest to Joshua, however, he does not equip him with great battle plans, a massive army, or a secret weapon. Instead, God calls Joshua to be strong and courageous. This week we will look into how God calls Joshua to courage and what we can learn about God and our own callings in the process.

Most of us know the pain of following someone that proved to be untrustworthy. Humans struggle with power because it seems to always grab the part of us that is self-centered and ready to use whatever power we have for our own purposes. Whether you agreed to follow that person or not, the feeling of injustice is unbearable. Those in power can take our money, our freedoms, and bring unwanted change to our lives without our consent. What does our Creator think of this? As we celebrate Christmas, we should know that our God sees and that He has an answer for those who use power to do evil. In fact, a prophet hundreds of years before Jesus was born had something to say on this very topic. It turns out that Jesus’ birth was the start of God’s answer to those in charge who use their power to do what is wrong. One reason we celebrate Christmas is because God Himself will address wicked leaders and step into their place as the Good Shepherd.

When a child is born, there is a sense of all the possibilities that their life can hold. All of their days lay before them unwritten and full of potential. Many know this feeling from their own experience even though they would struggle to put it into words that fully express it. Can you imagine how much harder it is to put into words what it would mean for God Himself to come to earth as a baby? Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, a prophet gave it a shot. He used some terms packed with meaning to describe this birth and the person who would come. We see a glimpse of that truth in the Gospels and in the life that Jesus lived. We see it more fully in the death that He died and in His resurrection. But there’s more to the story than even that. Jesus even said as much when He left. He told His followers that He would come back. What does all of this mean? Let’s look at the words of the prophet and try to get our heads and hearts around what they mean as we celebrate Jesus this season.

When we are little, we struggle with the fear of noises in the dark and the monsters we imagine. Almost always, the thing that calms the fears of children is the presence of a parent. We grow up and we grow past our childish fears. But life still brings us plenty of reason to worry, stress, and fear. What we thought was a reason to be afraid as a kid gives way to the real-life experiences of betrayal, frustration, loss, and struggle. Some mask it while others build their identity on it. But no one really solves it on their own. In fact, Christmas is the story of our Creator both seeing our troubles and coming to be with us in the middle of them. Part of the story we read at Christmas refers back to something said hundreds of years before Jesus was born. We’re going to look at this prophecy that gave hope to God’s people for all of those centuries. And we’re going to see that its fulfillment was better than they ever imagined.

Did you ever have big dreams for your life? I know I have!! While we make so many plans for our family, career, and wealth, we often end up in situations that we didn’t plan for or never saw coming. Do we allow our faith to look past our challenges and still pursue the Lord? In this text, we see Jesus in a tough place facing tough decisions.  No better time than now to look to the example of Jesus for how to walk through the wilderness, face temptation, and still choose obedience to our Heavenly Father.

The last holy habit we’re going to look at is the practice of giving. There are plenty of ways to give away what has been given to you, but we are going to focus on the Biblical teaching about money. It is ironic that the vast majority of Americans have more than almost anyone else in the history of the world, but we all feel like we need a little bit more to be OK. Perhaps you can feel the trap of the enemy in that reality. Money quickly turns into a source of stress and anxiety even for believers who try to put their trust in the Lord. What can we do to live at peace in this area? We have to see that what we have is not ours but God’s. He gives it to us and He directs us to use it according to His plan. If we can learn this, we can resist the pull to put our trust in our bank balance. Instead, we can follow Jesus as true disciples.

People generally do not see serving as an upgrade to their lives. If anything, it carries a feel of being made lower than others. But Jesus said that He came to serve. If serving is a bad thing, why did Jesus choose to do it? The truth is that serving is central as a habit for those who are disciples of Jesus. If we are following Him, then we serve. It truly is that simple. In order for serving to become a habit, we have to do what we do with any part of our life that is a priority: we schedule it. If you want to follow Jesus in serving, our church can help. We schedule people to serve all the time. The reality is that we can say we will form a habit of serving others as the opportunity arises, but we won’t become habitual servers unless we choose to be devoted to regularly doing it. The best part about serving is that it actually expands our ability and tendency to love. Life doesn’t have much depth or meaning without love, and love is fostered when we serve. So let’s make Hope a place where we intentionally and habitually serve others.

Those who follow Jesus worship Him. What does that mean? The Bible talks often about a physical response to Jesus like bowing down and worshipping or singing songs of praise to Him. Ultimately, it means living a life that brings glory to Him, testifying by our decisions and choices that He is right about what is good and that He is worthy of following and of our devotion. Too many believers think worship is just something we do with music during a service. In truth, that singing is a reflection of hearts that bow before our King and live for Him. We need to be sure that we are not living like something other than Jesus is worth following or trusting. Regularly worshipping tunes our hearts to the only One who is worthy of our worship!

There was a time before everyone had a smart phone with a map app that it was possible to get lost. You would have some directions in hand, but eventually, you would find yourself unable to figure out where you were and how exactly to get back on track. Truly it is easier to stay on the path than to get back on it once you’re off. One of the holy habits of disciples is to become regular readers of our roadmap. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 119 pictures the Bible as a lamp and a light for our path that helps us know which way to go. The very first psalm pictures it as a stream that constantly refreshes and nourishes our souls allowing us to be healthy in every season. It may be that the same culture that gives us smart phones and instant directions is also part of the reason so many of God’s people are losing their way. This morning, we will remind ourselves of the truth that God’s people read God’s Word faithfully, regularly, and so that they can respond to what they learn.

Some people think the world is divided into leaders and followers. But the truth is that many people don’t realize that they are already leading. They may be leading in an unhealthy or dysfunctional way, but they are having an influence over those who are following them. Most people are both followers AND leaders. We submit ourselves to those in charge in some areas, and we find ourselves setting the tone and direction in other areas. When we do lead, do we adopt the world’s way of leading? Do we lead in whatever way we think is best? What does following Jesus have to do with leading? All of us are called to ‘lead others to Christ,’ so in one sense we are all called to lead. In addition, Hope needs more leaders who know how to lead like a Christian walking by faith and living for eternal things. Jesus was pretty clear on how we should lead. What does that look like for each of us?

Sometimes, there are too many choices. Have you ever been paralyzed by an array of options because there are just too many of the choices that you like? Or maybe your health journey has suffered because you have too many options to choose from for eating and exercising, so you wind up never really committing to anything. Being a disciple requires certain holy habits that you choose and to which you are devoted. We’re going to talk about this reality that has always been a foundation for God’s people. In the Old Testament, Israel consistently made choices to move away from God and towards the idols of those around them. Even though God saved them, they kept taking the opportunity God gave them in their free will to choose something else. Today, a disciple must choose who to follow and to recognize that their choices have a harvest. If you don’t like the crop you’re getting, it’s time to look at the seeds you’re choosing to plant!

Are you tired? Exhausted? Do you regularly feel like you don’t know if you can keep up the pace at which you are living? All of us live in a very hurried world. It is hard to imagine a life that is characterized by peace and rest. This makes the invitation of Jesus to come and find rest for our souls seem wonderful and out of reach all at the same time. We think of rest as stopping from all our activity. We’d like to go somewhere and have nothing to do for a while. That is what seems like rest, even though honestly it is more like recovery than rest. Is it possible to live productively in this life and live in rest? Jesus says that this is the very nature of what it means to follow Him. Perhaps we’ve missed something really important. What if all of God’s people were able to understand and live out Jesus’ words? Let’s see if we can start learning what it means to live a life of rest.

From the very beginning, God’s people have prayed. There are many different approaches that have been taken. Some beg for mercy over and over while others barely do it at all. Some repeat the same prayers endlessly and others find a way to bring every single event to the Lord throughout their day. One of the big challenges for people is knowing HOW to pray. Or at least that’s often the thing that gets in the way of someone actually doing it. But when we look at Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, we find a simple invitation, a pattern given, a logic to the trust behind prayer, and even an outcome to our prayer life. What we learn is that prayer is a Holy Habit for those who are living as disciples of Jesus.

As we continue looking at Holy Habits, there is one that we have been emphasizing for well over a year. Isolation and loneliness are our enemies. Whether you feel alone or not, our calling is to make sure no one who is a part of Hope is vulnerable to being disconnected from our church family. Paul uses a picture of a body to teach us how we are supposed to function together. We cannot follow Jesus and be disconnected from one another. What will we do to choose community and connection?

Following Jesus is not a light or easy thing. It is quite simple, but it is completely against our human way of living. We always think of ourselves as being in the center of the story. But when we follow Jesus, the story isn’t about us anymore. Instead, we are living for things that last forever. This allows us to follow Jesus into a life of faith that may look a little crazy or ridiculous to others. Embedded in Jesus’ words about what it means to follow Him is a call to see our lives and this world from an entirely different point of view. We cannot follow Jesus without being asked to radical trust in His goodness and faithfulness.

As we begin our series, we look at one thing that is an inescapable outcome of receiving Jesus. Those who are saved want others to have it too. We don’t lose anything by giving away the Good News. In fact, we are explicitly following Jesus who came to “call sinners to repentance.” It is normal to think about Christians being “good people” and non-Christians as people who are sinful. But Jesus makes it clear that anyone who truly belongs to Him is a person who desperately needed help. There is perhaps no more obvious example of this than Levi who became a disciple of Jesus after being a tax collector. We will see the way this surprised and offended the people of Jesus’ time. And we will be reminded that if we are disciples of Jesus, we will share Him with as many as we can!

It can certainly feel challenging to love like Jesus amidst a highly polarized and emotionally charged atmosphere. However, as followers of Christ, we are called to find our voice and engage with the world in a way that reflects His character. In this passage, Jesus calls His followers to a radical kind of love – one that goes far beyond natural human instincts. As we go through the text together, may we open our hearts and minds to living out this challenging call that is set before us.

(Hebrews 11:1-13, 32-40; 12:1-2)Faith is a mysterious thing. There’s an element of belief in it, but also trusting in things that never happen, and seeking to know things that can’t be known. If we look back at the giants of faith in the Bible, as the author of Hebrews does in chapter 11, we can see that their lives reveal a faith that goes far beyond belief—a faith that calls to action, to sacrifice, to fearlessness and even recklessness! Let’s meditate together on the great examples of faith throughout Scripture, and how we can walk that same path in our own lives.

Have you had someone in your life as a friend who was actually a bad influence on you? Maybe they were the reason you made choices that you still regret. Or maybe they just offered some moments of fun that turned into a distraction from the life you actually wanted. We see the impact of friendships in our own lives and in the lives of those we love. On the flip side, some relationships are grounded in Jesus and serve to open up our lives to His power. That’s exactly the story Luke tells in this passage. A nameless man has some nameless friends, but the story of their friendship and faith have a lasting impact thousands of years later. Let’s see what Luke wants us to know about how Jesus included those who would have normally been on the outside looking in and honored their simple faith.

We are working our way through the Gospel of Luke. These stories are about the life and work of Jesus. Luke took time to interview eyewitnesses and to investigate times and locations so that he would have an accurate record of what Jesus said and did. In this story, we find a very interesting interaction between Jesus and a man that no one would be even allowed to touch by the Law of Moses. It would seem that this story is about physical restoration and healing. In some sense, that’s true. But this story is near the beginning of Luke’s story of Jesus’ work so it has more to it than just a man with leprosy being healed. In fact, the reaction of the people and Jesus to this event tell us that people missed what Jesus was trying to show them. Let’s take a look at what happened and how that invitation is still available to us today!

If you know someone who loves to fish, you realize how much it takes to be successful at fishing. Some days, it seems like “the fish are biting” and others days it seems like all the fish have vanished. Jesus’ calls some disciples – including the three in His inner circle – from this career. And He uses that imagery to describe what He wants to ask them to do. Instead of fishing for fish, He wants them to become fishers of men. But before He says that in Luke’s Gospel, we get a story that demonstrates some things about how it works. These truths are still valid today. As we get ready to share Jesus with hundreds of people, let’s remember how all of this works!

When you or someone you love is sick, you ache for them to be healed. If it is an infant who cannot sleep because of a cold, you wish you could make them feel better immediately. If it is something like cancer, you pray that God will heal and that the doctors will be able to remove it all. Our bodies are quite fragile and we are significantly powerless to determine our own well-being. So, we pray for God’s healing power. Jesus did a lot of healing throughout His ministry. Luke records many miracles of healing. In this first batch, we see that Jesus was pretty liberal with His power, healing everyone who came to Him. Does He still heal today? Does He heal everyone who asks? What kind of healing should we want – or maybe more specifically, what kind of healing do we truly need? Let’s see how Luke describes these healings and their impact on Jesus’ ministry.

Sometimes life can make you think that a dark cloud hangs over you. Nothing seems to go right, and you get bad news on top of bad news. This kind of pattern often causes people to think that someone is out to get them – maybe even dark spiritual forces. As Christians, we should know about the spiritual enemies that we face. In Jesus’ ministry, He often demonstrated His power to set people free from demonic work and influence. But we should be careful assigning every hard thing to Satan. As Jesus begins His ministry, the very first miracle that Luke records is the casting out of a demon. Let’s see what it tells us about our spiritual battles and about the power of Jesus.

The end of World War 2 was good news for the world. After all the battles and the lives lost, there would be an end to the fighting. No matter which side a person was on, this had to be good news in that respect. However, it is documented that one Japanese soldier kept fighting until 1974. He simply did not believe that the war was over. For almost 3 decades, he spent his life fighting a war that had long been over. It is baffling sometimes when people reject good news. For Christians, it is hard to imagine than anyone does not want the Good News of Jesus. But as Luke records the first parts of Jesus’ ministry, he notes that Jesus’ hometown rejected Him as the Christ from the very start. In fact, they tried to kill Him before He even really got going in His work and ministry. Why would they do that? Jesus explained it to them, and we can listen in as well. Let’s make sure we don’t fall into the same trap that kept them from putting their trust in Jesus.

If you’ve ever started a diet, you know that there are so many messages about food – especially food you shouldn’t eat – that saturate your daily life. You are helpfully reminded that the local fast food restaurant has a sale on their quick lunches. The donut stand near your workplace is always ready to serve. And the evening munchies sneak up on you every night. Temptation is a battle that we know well. Spiritually, it is very much the same. We are pulled by our desires into choices that we should never make. God promises a way to escape, but how can we find it. And how can we WANT to find it? Jesus underwent severe temptation to show us the way. As we read about His experience, we can take heart in the battles we face with temptation!

At the start of any project, there is a key moment when the thing you are doing moves from something that COULD happen into something that IS happening. At lot of people get stuck in the dreaming phase and never really begin anything of substance because they cannot imagine going from the “anything is possible” part to the “this is what I’m going to actually do” part. Thankfully, Jesus’ ministry did not just stay in the design board. He has a specific place and time to start the mission that He came to fulfill. As Jesus begins His ministry, He gets baptized by His cousin, John the Baptist. Other Gospels include more detail on this event, but Luke mentions it to show how God made it clear that Jesus was about to get to work. In this event, there is a real symbol (one we still use today) for what it means to be saved. And of course, Luke makes sure to capture all the details that make it clear this Man is going to fulfill the salvation prophecies that the Jews had been reading all their lives.

If you have been alive for any length of time, you will know the weight of your mistakes. Whether they are premeditated or reactionary, the result of misplaced intentions, or flat out selfishness they all pile up. We can lie awake at night wondering how we could have done things differently, tip toe around relationships we once thought we were secure in, or feel that desire to do enough good to outweigh our wrongs. Jesus brought a change to this kind of hollow living, salvation that would see not only life return, but also forgiveness and joy. It is this attractive alternative to our own efforts that often draws people to Christ, but there was one who would prepare a way for Jesus, and preach a message of repentance. John the Baptist would pave the road for Jesus’ ministry with a series of hard hitting sermons that called for repentance, the basic principle of turning away from sin and toward righteousness. And whether you have been a follower of Christ for decades or are just beginning to wonder if Jesus might be the answer you are looking for, John’s call for repentance remains compelling and applicable even two thousand years later.

Everyone has someone they need to forgive. And everyone needs to be forgiven. That is not new; in fact, it has always been this way. Some people think they don’t need forgiveness, and others don’t want it. But with God, forgiveness is necessary for any hope of a future that we want. John the Baptist bursts on the scene in Luke’s Gospel and he is baptizing people and calling them to the pathway that brings forgiveness and reconciliation with God. His words and mission are still for us today. What John preached is always a part of the work of God to bring salvation to anyone who puts their trust in Him. Where does it start? Let’s see what John was doing and whether or not we’ve taken these steps with the Lord.

So often, we think we know what God is doing (or what He should be doing) in the situations we face. Most of our misunderstanding about God’s plan comes down to thinking that the story unfolding in our lives is all about us or all about ‘right now.’ Luke includes a story – the only one we have – from Jesus’ childhood. In these events, you might be surprised to see that Mary and Joseph had normal parental jobs in raising Jesus, and even normal panic attacks. But as Mary recounts this story to Luke many years later, she has a different perspective about what God was doing. It turns out that God was doing something bigger and more long term than what they saw in this moment. It wasn’t about them, it was about God’s plan. And in that plan, everyone could take their role without trying to make themselves more important or central than God’s calling in their lives.

As we celebrate all of our Moms today, we’re going to take a look at the treasured memories of Jesus’ Mom. As Luke interviews the eyewitnesses, he gets these stories from Mary about some of the early interactions she had with people who reinforced the promise of God in her Son. Mary and Joseph go about their parental duties and God uses those faithful acts to show them (and us) that, just like waiting to be a mother, it is normal and a well-established pattern for God’s people to wait for the promise of God to come to life. As we wait for God’s promises in our lives, we can be encouraged as we witness the fulfillment of God’s promises to these two faithful people who had waited a long time to see what God had said would happen.

For most of us, the social dynamics of middle school and high school are really hard to navigate when you’re living through them. Trying to fit in when you don’t even really know who you are is an experience of real struggle and trial. There are few things more painful than being left out of a group to which you’ve tried to connect. It tends to send the message that you are unworthy and that you always will be. But the Gospel invites the outsiders to come in and belong. Churches are actually supposed to do that too! We’ll see this message directly from God from the very beginning of Jesus’ story. And we’ll celebrate HOW God made it possible for even the most isolated or rejected person to become a part of God’s family.

Some of us consider ourselves to be ‘control freaks.’ But all of us actually would prefer to be in control of many of the things that happen in our lives. We’d like to decide if we get the job or don’t, if we’re able to have kids or not, if tragedy skips over us, or if people like us. The list goes on. And each of us have our own. The problem is that we don’t get that kind of control. And as long as we keep assuming we need control to be happy, we’re frustrated and discouraged. We’re going to look at a very familiar passage in Scripture today, but we’re going to look at it more from Luke’s purpose than from the season to which we connect it. The story of the greatest hope of all time starts by showing us that when we are not in control, but we’ve entrusted our lives to God, He is in control to do miraculous good. Let’s see what encouragement we can take from these words today!

Today, we know that the resurrection of Jesus is the most well-established fact in ancient history. But for those who lived through those days, His resurrection was unthinkable. Jesus’ followers were left crushed and confused by His crucifixion. Before they even had time to process that loss, there are reports that Jesus was alive again. Can you imagine what it felt like to live through that? Today, we’re going to skip to the end of the book of Luke and see an episode that only Luke records. Jesus is alive. What does that mean? Jesus Himself takes the opportunity to explain it to a couple of His followers and we get to listen in. Let’s see what comes in the aftermath of the Resurrection!