New Beginnings Lutheran Church

Can you love those who hate you? Frederick Buechner wrote: “And then there is the love for the enemy--love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. This is God's love. It conquers the world.” MATTHEW 27:27-31 // Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. Check out today's worship playlist here: bit.ly/3aKBhce

Every day is an altar call. Make a decision for Jesus, we’re told. Well, “We are the angry mob…. We like who we like. We hate who we hate. But we’re also easily swayed.” Who do you choose? Just consider who you last voted for! What does that mean? Watch and find out! MATTHEW 27:11-26 // Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had del

Imagine you’re in a crowded line with a shopping cart brimming over and you have no cash. You plug your credit card into the device only to hear that your card has been denied. The shame! The embarrassment! And if it was a system error and no fault of your own, the rage! Or none of these. MATTHEW 26:69-75 // Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the roo

Guilty until proven innocent. That is the case, isn’t it? We’re all guilty. We all stand accused and we’re guilty as sin! Only one stands before the judge blameless, and he was killed! What is our fate, then? Life! Abundant life! Justice is served and we guilty ones go free!

Sometimes it feels like we’re set up for failure. People betray us. Finances turn against us. Our own bodies hand us over to the grave. Being paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not all still out to get you, right? So what is the script? How do we live in the face of these treacheries?

Our world is broken. We are, too. What does it mean to live fully human lives in the face of all our temptations? The best human ever—Jesus—did this. He was tempted in every way as we are, but lived a perfect human life.

The season of Lent (which leads up to Easter) begins on Ash Wednesday. We place ashes in the form of a cross on our foreheads to remind us that we are sinners and in need of a Savior. Our Savior, Jesus, comes to us through His Word and Baptism. We remember God’s grace and our baptisms as we wash away our ashes with the Living Water of God.

Have you seen that YouTube video when a colorblind man receives glasses that allow him to see color for the first time? Or have you seen the one where the deaf child receives a hearing aid and hears her mom’s voice for the first time? Likewise, you’ll never see the world the same after this.

Why you do something is more important than what you do. Just ask any dating couple: did your date act out of compulsion or desire? Love is always more fulfilling than guilt. At New Beginnings, we use the words “so that” vs. “because” to reinforce this fact.

What is the most extravagant gift you ever received? Now imagine the person who gave it to you. When you see that person’s name on Caller ID, do you hesitate to answer the phone? If that person asked you for a small favor, how would you respond? What would it take for you to say “no” to that person?

You ever worry about your future? You ever wonder if you’ll have enough when the time comes? What if I told you that you were going to inherit greater riches than you’ve ever known? What if I told you that your future was secure? How would you live now?

Would you do it if everyone else was? Thomas wouldn’t. Even though the other disciples were telling him they’d seen the resurrected Jesus, Tom needed proof. Some people just will not believe unless they see with their own eyes. This faith struggle is found in John 20:24-31.

For some faith is a bet like Pascal’s wager: If you believe and you’re wrong, you lose nothing; If you don’t believe and you’re wrong, you lose everything. So what’ve you got to lose by believing? Some argue that this is a cheap faith, but Jesus didn’t let that stop Him. This doubter’s dialog can be read in Mark 9:14-32.

What if Stephen Hawking’s journal revealed that he thought science was wrong? Consider if Mr. Rogers was found to be irritated by children? Imagine if Bugs Bunny didn’t like carrots! That’s the shock of hearing John the Baptizer ask if Jesus was the one. Read Matthew 11:1-19 to see how faith wrestles with doubts.

It all began with a seed of doubt. We cannot afford to forget our family history for we are all sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. And we are just like our parents: we struggle with faith and doubt. But what if the ‘and’ is the most important word in that last statement? Genesis 3:1-23 shows the root of our struggle.

Are you ready for joy-graduate-classes? The Joy Story continues this week, but now we’re getting into a joy like no other--a pure joy that comes in the form of trials and difficulties of life. You want to know joy that demonstrates true grit--a joy that perseveres?

Feelings are an inside job. For example, if someone steals your parking spot, you become livid, but if a cow meanders into your spot and lies down, you’re bemused. Likewise, when shepherds encounter an angelic host, the story begins with fear, but turns to joy. It all depended upon the meaning of the encounter.

God gives us joy in Jesus, but also in one another. If you want joy, give joy. The people you give yourself to will become your joy. This is a theme of the Bible, actually. Our personal joy in symbiotically connected to the body of Christ and finds its culmination with the coming of Jesus.

Nothing says Christmas-time like singing our favorite carols in candlelight. This is how we’ll celebrate that God has fulfilled His promise to shine forth light in the darkness. Invite family and friends for a rich evening of praise and to grow in the joy that Christ can give—even during difficult seasons.

Merry Judgment Day! You’ve probably never considered Judgment Day topic for the holidays, but Advent is all about the coming of Jesus—both that first Christmas and at the end of all things. And we are told that when Christ comes, He will judge the world—which happens to be the basis for the song, Joy to the World—no kidding!