New Beginnings Lutheran Church

LONG SUFFERING LOVEThe very first exhortation of Paul’s letter to the Philippians (and to us!) is to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel. What is a life worthy of the Gospel?

LOVE LETTERAt New Beginnings, we encourage you to read other people’s mail. That’s right. You can learn a great deal about Christ and the Christian life by reading Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

REFLECTING LOVEEvery person who follows Jesus becomes a combination of theology and biography. To know Christ’s love is to live Christ's love─Christ’s story and yours become one.

SEEING LOVEWanna see God? If you want to know what God is like, God is like Jesus. To know Jesus is to know God.

The first miracle of Jesus was a “my mom wanted me to do this” moment. (If mom ain’t happy…nobody’s happy.)

How can we know what eternal life is like?Can you imagine Christians fighting about the meaning of the Bible? You don’t have to imagine! We’ve all done it, in our heads, if not in person.

What is our relationship to others in Eternity?Where are those who die before the resurrection? Will we weep over loved ones separated by eternity? Will we be surprised by seeing old enemies feasting alongside us at the heavenly banquet?

What will we do after Resurrecting?Some think strumming harps on clouds is our eternal future. They fear forever boredom. Similarly, some ask if we’ll “have sex in heaven.” This is akin to the boy who asked if he can still play video games on his honeymoon when he grows-up and gets married.

Where will we be after Resurrecting?What if heaven is a place on earth? Would that disappoint you or excite you? Before the cosmos was bent by sin, God created heaven and earth and called it good.

How will we be after Resurrecting?Will we know everything? Will we have emotions? Will we be naked? Will we be able to sin? The bodily resurrection of Jesus raises lots of questions like these.

The Resurrection Raises Questions.The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the inauguration of our resurrection that will take place at the consummation of all things! The resurrection body of Jesus raises some questions.

All must die; ashes to ashes and dust to dust. But when the dust settles, we find a supernatural surprise! Christ died in order to bear the fruit of the resurrection in us!

Do you want to experience God? Well, the God who is everywhere expressly insists on meeting us somewhere. We were created for places of grace, and/or places of grace were created for us.

Good intentions can easily become a burden when we reverse the “so that” and “because.” We say this refrain so often at NBLC that we do well to pause and remember why this expression is good news. We live by love, not the law.

We are all faced with temptations, but God always provides a way out. Christ never leaves us, never forsakes us. He is faithful and gives us hope in the midst of our despair.

We should not be surprised when we set out on a new path that all hell breaks loose! Many feel at home in a system of dysfunction and to try and set things right upsets the spiritual equilibrium of our lives. Get ready to rumble!

We should not be surprised when we set out on a new path that all hell breaks loose! Many feel at home in a system of dysfunction and to try and set things right upsets the spiritual equilibrium of our lives. Get ready to rumble!

We all know the story of carrying burdens contrary to our best intentions. Like slaves, we kowtow under the weight of our loads. But then God sends us a person of promise. Hoping against hope, we begin to consider we may have a way out after all!

Some would consider a meditation on our death morbid. But Christians have long contemplated our mortality at the onset of Lent--a penitential season focused on working-out the salvation God has worked into us.

The late great planet earth is not just an apocalyptic tale spun by fundamentalist Christians. Science also has become preoccupied with predicting an imminent dystopian future/present. Whether it’s the book of Revelation, or the discovery channel, we know that the end is near!