So, since we have such a hope, we act with great confidence. 2 Corinthians 3:12)
The Transfiguration reminds us that we have hope in Christ and the confidence to follow Christ even when the world as we know it comes to an end, and we must trust God’s promises. The message of Revelation is one of hope and confidence in God, and is placed at the end of our scriptures to give us confidence that as God is glorified in Jesus, and in us, the world will change for good.
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Those who had been scattered moved on, preaching the good news along the way. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and began to preach Christ to them. (Acts 8:4-5)
Philip was the first of the disciples to go on the road, and he was followed by many, especially Paul, Barnabas, Luke, Silas and eventually Timothy and others. The church grows when we leave the building, the spaces where we are comfortable, and the world is waiting to hear our witness of Christ.
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Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples and said:“Happy are you who are poor, because God’s kingdom is yours. Happy are you who hunger now, because you will be satisfied.
Happy are you who weep now, because you will laugh. (Luke 6:20-22)
Jesus said the most enigmatic things, possibly none so enigmatic as the Beatitudes. This sermon will explore a variety of things Jesus says, and what we should make of them, based on the teachings in Luke called the Sermon on the Plain.
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He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.” (Luke 4:21)
The gift of Jesus is the foundation of all we are as Christians, the culmination of all scripture up to that point, the vision for a future with God.
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Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said o me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms. (Jeremiah 1:.9)
Who were the prophets of Israel and just what was their commission to share the vision of God? Our journey through the Bible continues as we discover just what the prophets said, how they said it, and how our response today is important.
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The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple, the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes… (Psalm 19:7-8)
An overview of Ecclesiastes, Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Solomon.
The sages had two sources of information about life: the natural world and their Wisdom tradition. Unlike prophets and priests, the sages believed that God wove important principles into the fabric of the universe, which careful observation could discern. The sages believed that things happen for reasons and that humans are able to figure out the workings of the universe. The prophets, in contrast, believed that God gives divine knowledge to select humans thorough dreams, visions, ecstasy, and divine appearance. Yet some of the sages felt outrage because their expectation was that the universe should make sense, but in their experience it did not. So these sages challenged the rationality of their universe and even the justice of God.
“For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, turning aside from the way that I have commanded you. In time to come trouble will fall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.” (Deuteronomy 31: 29)
From Israel’s HeyDey with Saul and David to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, the story of Israel hinges on how well they follow the way of God. Could this perhaps be a parallel of the dangers all nations face when they do not stick to the statutes that make them great? Today we look more deeply into God’s ways for God’s people.
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You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statues! (Psalm 119 4-5)
The importance of the Torah in the foundational story of the Hebrew people cannot be overestimated. Just like the story that led Israel to the Promised Land and the crossing of the Jordan, baptism is our symbol of crossing into the Promised Land of God’s presence.
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For surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words. a reading which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. (Ephesians 3:2-4)
The Bible was written to reveal the mystery of Christ, the way God is at work in the world. This first week of the series will give insight into the origins of the Bible, and what it means for us today.
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Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a [betrothed] beautifully dressed for [their beloved.] I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. [God] will dwell with them, and they will be [God’s] peoples…Then [God] said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the lifegiving
spring.” – (Revelation 21: 1-6)
The story continues. Even though we feel as if the Christmas “season” is over and the tree is quick to come down, the real story begins again in the renewal of our very souls as God nudges us toward new life and possibilities in the new year. What is being born within us?
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