Psalm 1 - The Two Trees

Psalm 1 - The Two Trees

In the beginning of creation there were two trees at the center of the story holding out a choice to humans: will you trust the Creator to show you what is good and what is not, or will you rebel against Him to try and make yourself king of your own life? Psalm 1 reminds God's people that one of these choices leads to life and the other leads to death. How have the first humans chosen? How have you and I chosen? If we've already gone to the wrong tree, is there any hope to find our way back to the right one?

Psalm 145 - The Truth About God

Psalm 145 - The Truth About God

As we begin our series in the Psalms this summer, we start by looking at four eternal truths about who God is. So far 2020 has been a tumultuous and strange year. These truths about who God is and how He is at work in His world give us anchors during the storm - something to hold onto and to rest in, knowing that no matter what may change in our present circumstance, God is always Good, Great, Glorious, and Gracious.

Know Your Enemy

Know Your Enemy

Paul saw the resistance and opposition that ran them out of Thessalonica and kept them from coming back as a play by the enemy. Not the Jewish religious leaders who actually stirred up the trouble. No, they were just a tool used in the process. The real obstacle came from a different enemy. How do we press on with such an enemy in our way?

Faith, Love, Hope

Faith, Love, Hope

The first letter to the Thessalonians is one of thankfulness for their faith and encouragement to continue in it. The church in Thessalonica was made up of new followers in Christ; converts who had recently turned from their cultural gods to trust in Jesus as King. They seemed to be marked by faith, love, and hope. The first chapter of this letter expresses a gratitude for the work God was doing in them, and how news of them had spread.

Gospel Formation

Gospel Formation

If the story of the Bible really is the True Story of the world, what implications does this have for us? Shouldn’t this True Story then shape and form us as people living in the world? This week we explored together how the God who is writing the True Story has been at work forming a people from the beginning… and won’t stop until it’s done.

True Story

True Story

On the first Sunday of 2020, we began the year by reminding ourselves of the True Story of the whole world. We read a summarized version of the Scriptures beginning with the Creation of all things and moving all the way through to the Restoration of the world. It is out of this Story that we strive to live and shape our lives, by God’s grace and for His glory.

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The God With Us

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The God With Us

The promise that an offspring of the woman would come to crush the serpent’s head, the son of David would establish a kingdom for man and God to live together forever, the suffering servant would take humanity’s pain upon himself, and many other promises of advent, all came together in the birth of one Son. He was named Jesus, YHWH saves, and he was called Immanuel, because God had come to be with us.

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The Suffering Servant

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The Suffering Servant

The king and kingdom of Israel seemed to be something of the past. They were in exile, and every king they ever had failed them - even the best of them had passed away. God continued to speak through prophets to let His people know He was still pursuing them. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord told them that one day the promised Rescuer would come and take away their sorrow and suffering - and that he would take it upon himself. We can have joy because this Suffering Servant has taken our sorrow.

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The Better King

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The Better King

King David wanted to build a house for the Lord. It seemed like a good idea. But God didn’t need David to build anything for Him. Instead, it was the Lord who would build a house for David, all of Israel, and all of those in Christ. Jesus, the better King, came to dwell on earth and has gone to heaven to prepare a home - one for God and mankind to dwell in together forever - one where Jesus reigns as King forever. Welcome home.

The Serpent Crusher

The Serpent Crusher

Advent is a season of waiting expectantly. It’s a waiting that is rooted in hope. And hope is not empty wishing, but something founded in a promise and assured with evidence. At the very beginning of the True Story of the world, humans rebel against their intended purpose of creation. But immediately after, they are given a promise, and that promise is accompanied with assurance, that one day there would be a Rescuer to come and make things right. As we enter into this Advent season leading up to Christmas, may we remember that we too live in a real Advent, waiting, longing, and hoping for this same Rescuer to return to the world and finally and fully make all things right.

Go On Your Way

Go On Your Way

Daniel is given a message not for himself, but for the people of Israel in the coming years. It is confusing to Daniel and he has questions, but he doesn't necessarily get answers. Instead, he's told to pass the message on for those coming later and to go on his way. Go live your life in Babylon, Daniel, as a faithful representative of God's kingdom, just as you've always been commanded to do. We can learn so much from this. We won't always understand God's words or His ways, or how He is at work in His world, but we are called to trust Him and go on our way. Keep living your life in this world as a faithful representative of God's Kingdom until Christ returns.