Good News Weekly Message

How can you possibly be prepared for anything life might throw your way? The things that can knock us down and drag us under can come at any moment and from any direction. Nevertheless, it’s possible to withstand anything so long as you have one thing: Easter. This week we see that just Easter is able to help us withstand deception. There are many spiritual influences that try to lead us in all kinds of different directions. Nevertheless, the voice of our Good Shepherd is distinct among all the rest. His voice does not call us down a path on which we must live up to his expectations for us. Instead, his voice proclaims his desire to lay down his life for us and invites us to put our whole confidence in him. We can withstand the deception of false shepherds because Jesus’ voice is so distinct.

How can you possibly be prepared for anything life might throw your way? The things that can knock us down and drag us under can come at any moment and from any direction. Nevertheless, it’s possible to withstand anything so long as you have one thing: Easter. This week we see that just Easter is able to help us withstand guilt. Although the light of God’s law exposes our sin, Jesus’ resurrection means that forgiveness can be found in his name. His death was a sacrifice that made sufficient payment for the sins of the whole world. He now lives as our advocate, pleading our case at God’s right hand. Rather than holding our guilt inside, we can confess it before God and know he will forgive.

How can you possibly be prepared for anything life might throw your way? The things that can knock us down and drag us under can come at any moment and from any direction. Nevertheless, it’s possible to withstand anything so long as you have one thing: Easter. This week we see that just Easter is able to help us withstand doubt. A bodily resurrection from the dead is probably the most doubt-worthy claim that has ever been made. Nevertheless, many different individuals and groups saw, touched, and spoke with Jesus following his resurrection. Their eyewitness testimony is the basis for our faith in Jesus’ resurrection–and his resurrection is the assurance that we have peace with God.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This evening we reach the finish line of Jesus’ collision course with the currents that pull us away from God. That finish line was located at the top of a small hill outside Jerusalem where his cross was placed in the ground and he was lifted up from the earth. As the hours dragged on and his life slowly faded, Jesus was completing—fully and finally—the work of our salvation. When he crossed the line from life into death in our place, the unseen reality was exactly as he said: All was finished.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This evening we reach the finish line of Jesus’ collision course with the currents that pull us away from God. That finish line was located at the top of a small hill outside Jerusalem where his cross was placed in the ground and he was lifted up from the earth. As the hours dragged on and his life slowly faded, Jesus was completing—fully and finally—the work of our salvation. When he crossed the line from life into death in our place, the unseen reality was exactly as he said: All was finished.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This evening we celebrate the institution of Holy Communion and the blessings we receive through it. No matter the journey, proper nutrition is important. The last meal someone eats before embarking on a difficult course will sustain them during their most trying moments. In the same way, Jesus has established for his people a last meal for their journey with him through life. In Holy Communion he gives us his body and blood to sustain us until his return.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This week we arrive at the home stretch of the collision course of these opposing currents. At the start of Holy Week, Jesus willingly rode into Jerusalem where the forces that opposed him were waiting for him. When his course reached its final stages, he persevered to the end. In so doing, he became both the pioneer and perfecter of the path he asks us to follow him down. He made its beginning, and he has successfully reached its end.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This week we examine the collision between the worldly current of behaving and Jesus’ pattern of believing. Apart from Christianity, every religion in the world is built on the assumption that human beings must act in such a way so as to win God’s favor and earn eternal life. The good news that Jesus brought down from heaven, however, is that we are saved by grace and through faith. Simply by looking to and trusting in what Jesus has done for us God’s gifts of forgiveness and life are ours.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This week we examine the collision between the worldly current of escape and Jesus’ pattern of obedience. When Jesus was aware that the hour of his suffering had arrived, he submitted to his Father’s will rather than seeking to be rescued from it. Through his perfect obedience, he became the source of our salvation. Now he invites us to embrace a similar pattern in our lives. Those who follow Jesus trust that God is with us in our suffering, even when he doesn’t deliver us from it.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This week we examine the collision between the worldly current of intuition and Jesus’ pattern of revelation. While it is true that God has given testimony of his existence both in the created world and in our hearts, full knowledge of God only comes through revelation. That revelation takes the form of apparent weakness and foolishness in the message of the cross. That seemingly weak and foolish message, however, is the message God uses to save.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This week we examine the collision between the worldly current of gratification and Jesus’ pattern of denial. Jesus instructs his disciples that the cross is not just the specific instrument of his death for us. It is also the symbol of our death-to-self as we follow him. His invitation to take up our crosses and deny ourselves is accompanied by his promise: whoever loses their life in this way for him will surely find their life in him.

When everyone is going the same direction, it’s easiest to just “go with the flow.” But Jesus came to pioneer a path that runs opposite of worldly currents. His life and death for us did not conform to the pattern set by the world but established a new, transformative pattern instead. This week we see how the collision between these two opposing currents begins and ends with a head-to-head battle. Because we are by nature helpless to resist Satan’s pull on our lives, Jesus came to battle and defeat him one-on-one and in our place. Because his victory was as one of us and for all of us, this is the good news of his kingdom: repent and believe in him.

If something is for all, you might lack assurance that it’s for you. If something is for you, you might wonder whether it’s for all. Thankfully, God's gift of a Savior is both. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world, but the blessings he won for the world are delivered in specific and personal ways. This week we conclude the season of Epiphany by seeing how all the ways God uses to shine his light into each of our hearts have one thing in common: God conceals his glory in order to reveal it. Whether it’s in the waters of baptism, the sounds of the gospel, the mouths of God’s messengers or the suffering that characterizes Christians’ lives, the unapproachable light of God’s glory is dimmed to illumine our hearts.

If something is for all, you might lack assurance that it’s for you. If something is for you, you might wonder whether it’s for all. Thankfully, God's gift of a Savior is both. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world, but the blessings he won for the world are delivered in specific and personal ways. This week we see how God strengthens his people through suffering. When we suffer either because of external circumstances or because of the devil’s trials and temptations, it’s easy to feel helpless and alone. But God points us to his strength in our weakness and to our fellow Christians in our solitude. With him and each other by our side, God promises us strength and perseverance even as we suffer.

If something is for all, you might lack assurance that it’s for you. If something is for you, you might wonder whether it’s for all. Thankfully, God's gift of a Savior is both. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world, but the blessings he won for the world are delivered in specific and personal ways. This week we see how continually implores people through the ministers he calls. The reconciliation with God that Jesus won once and for all is a gift God wants us each to enjoy every day. Whether we are called to full time gospel ministry or are given a different station in life, God gives us the blessing of ministering to others by sharing the good news.

If something is for all, you might lack assurance that it’s for you. If something is for you, you might wonder whether it’s for all. Thankfully, God's gift of a Savior is both. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world, but the blessings he won for the world are delivered in specific and personal ways. This week we see how God uses baptism to identify his children. When it come to our biological families, we are identified not just by the names we give ourselves or the family traits we perhaps display. There is formal, external documentation that identifies us. In the same way, our status as God’s children is not contingent on our own self-declaration or our ability to resemble our heavenly Father in our conduct. Rather the formal, external act of baptism is the means by which he marks us as his own.

If something is for all, you might lack assurance that it’s for you. If something is for you, you might wonder whether it’s for all. Thankfully, God's gift of a Savior is both. God sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world, but the blessings he won for the world are delivered in specific and personal ways. This week we see how God brings his salvation to all nations, ethnicities, and classes of people by any means necessary – including by means of rejection. Though the Savior was largely rejected by the nation into which he was born, that rejection meant the Savior’s gospel was taken elsewhere. Through the spread of the gospel, God has reconciled all peoples to him and to one another by making them his own through faith.

We wish each other a merry Christmas, a joyful Christmas, a peaceful Christmas. But a disruptive Christmas? That might be the last thing we need this December. And yet, whenever God shows up in our world and in our lives, that’s exactly what it is: disruptive. His arrival upends everything. Today we see how the incarnation of Christ has forever changed the way that God is present in our world. Before Christ’s arrival, God’s special, saving presence was focused on visible structures, including the temple in Jerusalem. During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, his body was God’s temple on earth. Now that he has ascended to heaven, Christ remains present among us through his Word. Through that Word he continues to dwell among us and his peace rules in our hearts.

We wish each other a merry Christmas, a joyful Christmas, a peaceful Christmas. But a disruptive Christmas? That might be the last thing we need this December. And yet, whenever God shows up in our world and in our lives, that’s exactly what it is: disruptive. His arrival upends everything. Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus by pondering the mystery and miracle of the incarnation. At Christmas, God’s Son ended the separation between God and man by becoming God and man in one. Through the incarnation of Christ, humanity gains even more than we lost in Adam’s fall. Our very humanity is taken into God, and we become brothers and fellow heirs with God’s own Son.