Now It Shall Spring Forth, April 7 Worship

After a hard winter every sign of spring is a wonder. We relish every little hint. Isaiah the prophet encouraged his hearers to the expectation that “now it shall spring forth.” As Jesus drew closer to His death on the cross He encouraged hope in His followers that even now the wonder of renewal and re-creation was very close. In this season of Lent we seek this kind of trust, that we see the infinite mercy of our redeeming God always before us.

The Road to Praise, How does the Story End? March 31 Worship

The story is not done until we get to the good part. That is how it works for us who are in God’s grace. If his goodness is not obvious today it is on the horizon. It may be surprising to any of us how easy it is to doubt this just when we might need such hope the most. God’s steady persistence toward goodness is the message of the Prophet Isaiah and is present in one of Jesus’ most well know stories about a son who is lost and yet found. The road leads to praise.

The Shelter of His Grace, March 24 Worship

God’s grace is strong enough to sustain us against every fear, doubt, and in every moment of trouble.  Who among us has not wondered why harsh, grievous things happen and how much more we can bear?  To all of these things, our Lord brings His mercy and grace in the moments of our greatest struggles. From beginning to end, the Scriptures are testament to one basic truth-God is faithful, especially when we need the shelter of His Grace.

No Distance is Too Great for God, March 17 Worship

Jesus laments over those who are far from him. Looking out over the most spiritual city in all the world Jesus sees the emotional distance that is ours, everywhere. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. . . . How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!” (Luke 13:34). The distance between us and God never deters His faithfulness to us. He is relentless in His pursuit of us, longing to gather us in grace and fill our emptiness. Jesus invites you to come to Him. During the season of Lent we can take on the challenge of naming the things that keep us at a distance from God. Together we pray to  move a little closer to Him who longs to gather us together as the children of God under the wings of His strength.

Our Father's Word, March 10 Worship

Jesus goes out into the desert to fast and pray to prepare himself for what is ahead. Somehow He must show the world that He is the Son of God. Out in the desert the devil confronts Jesus with temptations hoping to derail the vital work of Jesus. For everything the devil throws at him Jesus answers by quoting the Word of God. With this simple faithfulness to His Father’s promises Jesus shows us who He is, The Son of the Living God.

The Transfiguration, The Glory that Sustains Us, March 3 Worship

The Day of the Transfiguration of our Lord serves as a transition time from the general ministry of Jesus to the very focused latter part of His life on earth and to the one-way journey to Jerusalem that brings Him to the cross.  There is a sense of urgency at the time of the Transfiguration---something initially missed by Peter the disciple, who wanted to set up tents on the high mountain for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  In dramatic fashion, Jesus reminded His disciples that staying in the glory on the mountain was not an option.  The fulfillment of Christ's mission was down on the plain, among the people for whom He had come to sacrifice Himself. As we relive the moment of Transfiguration on the mountain we celebrate that God can sustain us through the dark, arduous valleys we encounter in life. Jesus alone has revealed the great glory of God which, through the eyes of the disciples, we are privileged to glimpse today, and which we will see forever in eternity.

God's Limitless Love, February 24 Worship

Jesus taught many radical things. Today we hear two of His teachings that can seem nearly impossible: “Love your enemies” and “Judge not.” Left on our own, we think enemies deserve retaliation and words of judgment are often deserved. But Jesus wanted His followers to be inspired to make different choices after absorbing His spirit and character. Once we have seen His abundant mercy for everyone and experienced His love that is without any sort of judgement we are then ready to live out a love far greater then we could ever conceive of on our own.

Jesus Is With Us for Real, Worship February 17

Jesus understands that our lives will include ups and downs. There will be great days of joy, and there will be days filled with challenges. What Jesus wants us to embrace is a faith big enough to see that God is with us for everything. We can look for His goodness and mercy in the unfolding of any and every day. Jesus hopes that we will keep looking for Him at every twist and turn. God is with us for real life.

Let Jesus Lead, February 10 Worship

Jesus jumps into Simon Peter’s fishing boat and asks to go out into deep water. Peter was tired and reluctant. There was no one else who could have inspired Peter to go against his own inclinations and follow such a request. But once out in the deep water Peter and his crew caught such a large number of fish they now feared they might sink. Like Peter and his fellow fisherman God might ask us to go forward in directions that raise our fear and concern. But when we let God lead He will always be good and we will be blessed.

Listening to Jesus, February 3rd Worship

Sometimes a parent will catch their child getting a little too excited and need to ask them to use their “indoor” voice. Each of us have many different voices and we don’t always use them in an appropriate way. In contrast God has a lot of different ways in which He can speak to us, and He always gets it right. In our Gospel lesson we see Jesus teaching in the synagogue, healing a man possessed by an evil spirit, healing Simon’s mother-in-law, healing more of the sick and diseased, casting out demons. In each one of these situations He uses a different tone of voice. If we listen carefully God may use different voices with us, sometimes challenging us to live better lives, and then at other times comforting us with an accepting voice that says we are ok just the way we are. God can speak to us in a variety of ways. Are you listening?