Journey Of Life Lutheran Church

Using the metaphor of a garden planted with marigolds that have not yet sprouted, Pastor John talks about the passage in James where James writes about showing our faith by what we do.

Easter changes everything! Pastor John, using clips from Disney's "Ratatouille,"draws us back to the central truth that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the guarantee that all of God's promises are true and trustworthy. Then, using an illustration from "Cars 2," urges us to trust God's process for our lives by engaging regularly in worship, fellowship, discipleship and service.

In the scripture reading for this message, Jesus tells us that greatness in the kingdom of God is the exact opposite of greatness in the world. In the world, great people have many people under them... the more the better. In the kingdom of God, a great person serves others and the greatest person is the slave of all. This does not mean that the greatest in the kingdom obey others. It means that great people in the kingdom are looking out for others. Love is the central force in the kingdom of God. So how do we become the servant of all... not just the nice people, but the people who make it difficult to be kind to them? First, remember what Christ has done for you. You are redeemed, adopted, reconciled, chosen, restored, renewed, cleansed, etc. You are right with God becuase of what Jesus has done. Unfathomable love has been shown to you. Loved people love people. Second, remember who is important to Christ. Not just you, but the whole world... including those peo

Receiving the Kingdom like a child does not mean turning our minds off and asking no questions. Nor does it mean that we think God is going to rescue us from our own foolishness. Receiving the kingdom like a little child means that we trust unquestioningly in God's boundless love for us demontrated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Secure in that foundation, we let our minds and spirits come alive, engaging this wondrous and mysterious life, understanding that we have been given freedom to learn, try, fail, succeed and grow.

In the reading for today, many people think Jesus might be Elijah or John the Baptist. When Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is, Peter responds, "You are the Christ." But what does this mean? Explore some predictions about the Messiah and their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the long-predicted, identifiable Savior who is both the Conquering King and the Suffering Servant.

In this Psalm, David praises the God whose anger lasts but a moment, but whose love lasts forever, the God who lifts him up from the pit.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph were far from perfect! Yet, they lived lives of faith and because of their faith were seen by God as righteous. Their faith-keeping as they awaited the fulfillment of God's promises is an inspiration to us to be faithful as we wait for the ultimate fulfillment of the promise of eternal life where there is no more sorry, sickness, suffering, pain or death because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

People who think about the Reformation at all often think of a short timespan around AD1517 — the year Martin Luther posted his "95 Theses." The Reformation really began a couple hundred years earlier and only peaked during Martin Luther's time. This time in history also saw such luminaries as Copernicus, Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo. Walk with Pastor John through this fascinating and pivotal time in history and learn a few life-lessons for yourself along the way.

Everyone wants something. Power. Money. Prestige. Beauty. Whatever. But if you dig down deep enough, that something is really the Kingdom of God. The book of Hebrews tells us that the Kingdom of God is a matter of "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." Those are the things people really need in their core: Rightousness (to be right with God and right with the people around them), Peace (to have deep inner peace), and and Joy (engagement in a meaningful and enjoyable life).

message June 26, 2011 at Journey of Life Lutheran Church.

Jesus brings a whole new way of thinking about and looking at life. "Repent" literally means "turn your mind." Pastor John explores this idea using the Pixar short, Boundin '. The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate demonstration that God is ready to give us great gifts if we have a mind to receive them: power to live on, people to live with, principles to live by, profession to live out, and purpose to live for. Every person is unique. You are created as a unique expression of God's love and creativity. Learn and grow in the unique way that God designed you to paint your life. And be careful of other people telling you how to paint your life. Christ came to bring freedom, not a new set of rules and guilt. You are free to explore life and live in love!

In this message, Pastor John adds depth and meaning to the Palm Cross that many churches hand out on Palm Sunday.

This is the fifth and final message in the Peacemakers series. God wants us to have great relationships. He has given us clear principles and practices for resolving conflict in healthy ways. Take this entire series to heart and you will notice a difference in your life.

Conflict is inevitable. In fact, if you have no conflict in a relationship, the truth is that you are simply not being honest with people. The good news is that conflict doesn't have to be win/lose. If you have your priorities and goals straight, you can be successful in every conflict. This is because the first priority of a Christian is to glorify God and serve other people. The other three G's are: Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye, Gently Restore, and God and Be Reconciled. This message series is based on work from Peacemaker Ministries at www.peacemakers.net

“Who is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?” That was the disciples’ question after Jesus commanded a storm to be still and the storm obeyed. Jesus had been sleeping in the back of the boat when a storm arose – a storm severe enough to make seasoned fishermen frightened for their lives. As the storm raged, Jesus continued to sleep. The terrified disciples woke Jesus, crying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” First Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith, and then he rebuked the storm. The disciples had seen Jesus heal people and cast out demons, but when the very Earth obeyed his command, a new sense of awe overcame the disciples. (Matthew 8:23-27) While people draw many different lessons from this episode, the thing that strikes me is that Jesus was able to sleep in the middle of a storm. If you ever have difficulty going to sleep at night because of some turmoil in your life, you probably (like me) would like to know Jesus’ sec

Left to our own, we could never figure out what's up with life, the universe and everything. But God dropped hints throughout the Old Testament that would ultimately point to Jesus as the one who redeems the world and reconciles creation to creator. The Bible, however, is more than an historical text, it is a centuries-long letter of love from God to his people. God told Isaiah that it was more likely that a nursing mother would forget her child than that God would forget us.

This is message 3 of 6 in the series, "40 Days of Thankfulness." The entire series leads up to what may be the best Thanksgiving ever for those who have been contemplating their gratitude for 40 days. In this message, Pastor John takes you through the entire Reformation in about 30 minutes and shows you why you should nearly break down weeping with gratitude for the leaders of the reformationi (along with all the others in our history — scientists, political leaders, etc. — whose work brought about the benefits we enjoy in our lives.

The book of Philemon is interesting on several fronts. First, as opposed to most New Testament writings, which were meant to be read aloud to the whole church, Philemon is a personal letter from Paul to a wealthy man named Philemon in whose home the church met. Second, it is a letter on behalf of Onesimus, a slave of Philemon's who ran way to Rome, was brought to Christ, and decided the right thing to do was to return to his master from whom he had run way. The book of Philemon is Paul's letter to Philemon urging him to take Onesimus back and not press charges for running away (which could be harsh, up to even crucifixion). In this letter we learn about doing the hard things that go with following Christ, obedience as often a prerequisite to seeing God work, and how love not authority is the true language of the body of Christ.

Pastor John recently received a gift that was so large there could be no paying back and no sense of balancing out the relationship with a gift-in-kind. This amazing gift prompted him to consider the way we think about God and the gift of salvation he has given us in Jesus Christ. We're never going to balance out our relationship with God. Any thought of repayment is ridiculous, plus it destroys the joy of both the giver and the receiver. And there can be no pride for one who simply enjoys a gift received. The only thing left is, "Thank you."

In Psalm 56, the scriptures say that God puts our tears in his bottle. God is not distant in our suffering. He knows what we go through and he is with us. Explore with Pastor John what it means that God puts our tears in his bottle.