Redemption Hill Church

This Sunday we begin at the beginning, with Hebrews 1:1-4. It is profound that we worship a God who speaks. God has spoken, continued to speak now, and will speak into eternity, and God’s Word has power. We will take a look at the context for the book of Hebrews, the major themes throughout, and we will look into the different ways that God speaks. Ultimately, God has spoken in and through Jesus Christ, the true Word of God.

This Sunday we will bring our series, Ecclesiastes: Life is a Vapor, to a close. As we look into Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8 gives us the final teachings of Qoheleth that bring a kind of summary to the entire book. 12:9-14 bring back the voice of our narrator. Ecclesiastes closes with an evaluation of Qoheleth’s teaching, a final word on the fullness of human knowledge and wisdom under the sun. The goal of Ecclesiastes is to serve as a goad, poking us and prodding us, making us address uncomfortable truths and go down paths we otherwise might never choose to explore. I hope it has done so for you, and that this final sermon will bring one final push to impress deeper truths into your heart.

This is the penultimate sermon in our series. So, our journey with Qoheleth comes to a close next week. This Sunday we will cover Ecclesiastes 9:18-11:6. It’s an extended section that includes a lot of practical wisdom and proverbs to help us better work, speak, lead, invest, and live life. We will work our way through the Preacher’s advice as we consider what it is to live this life under the sun in a way that sees past the vanity of it and clings to what is more secure. 

We celebrated Easter Sunday in the book of Mark this year. Pastor Bill walked us through the historicity, significance, and response of the resurrection and how we are invited to live in the newness of life. 

This Sunday we will continue our series with Ecclesiastes 9. This chapter challenges us to consider whose glory we are seeking in our lives. We rely on building our own reputations and listing our accomplishments as the pathways to glory and leaving our mark on this world. Qoheleth has challenging truths to confront us. We will see on Sunday, though, that our pursuit of glory ought not be limited to what we can accomplish before death. We have a greater King to whom we cry, “Hosanna!” 

On Sunday we will dig into Ecclesiastes 8:1-15 where we see the Preacher’s roaming path touch on our approach to kings and rulers, teaching on government and power. In this sermon I will work to accomplish the following:

• provide a theological foundation for understanding the varying roles and responsibilities of the Church and the State
• get underneath current partisan narratives and to expose deeper, more lasting realities and foundations for truth
• cast a vision for the place of the church gathered and the calling of individual Christians as the church scattered.

Chapter 7 is a curious one. The first half is a series of proverbs that seem upside down from the reason or wisdom we might typically have – a funeral is better than a party?! The second half of the chapter is widely regarded as the most difficult section to interpret in Ecclesiastes, one of the most difficult books of the Bible to interpret. So, this will be fun! In our exploration of the text we will see that there is a way to find straight thinking in a crooked world.

These two stories show what it looks like to trust in God's promises and God's character when obstacles seem insurmountable, and the way forward is unknown. How do we respond when we come to places in our own lives where we can’t see a way out or a way forward? Do we trust God with our lives and story? Join us as we explore both the faithfulness and power of God who works on behalf of His people to accomplish His good purposes, and the role of faith in the response of obedience for God's people as we walk through life. In all things, we'll find our hope and our peace in Jesus.

This chapter starts the third major section and a shifting focus to life under the sun in light of God’s sovereignty over all things. Our time in chapter 6 will be specifically spent looking into the issue of money, how we use it and how it uses us. Why is it so often the case that when we get exactly what we want, the joy from it fades quickly? We will see on Sunday that there is hope for true joy in our lives, and that freedom is when we can say, “I don’t care too much for money, cuz money can’t buy me love.”

This Sunday we resume our study in Ecclesiastes together. Among the topics raised in Ecclesiastes 5, we will focus our attention on the cautions about how we approach God. The Preacher, Qoheleth, warns us to guard our steps before God. Sunday will provide us the opportunity to explore true and false religiosity. Why is it that our approach to God and our spiritual lives can feel like a drag? Many of us have had moments of the overwhelming sense of God’s presence and power at some point in our lives, why doesn’t that stick around perpetually? What will it take for a church to be filled with joy and be a life-giving pursuit as we work together for the glory of God and the good of all people? We will work to answer those questions and more as we gather together on Sunday. 

One year ago, we started a journey together to pursue God’s call to us as a church to Dwell as An Enduring & Faithful Presence in DC. The Dwell initiative is really an extension of what we have always wanted to be about – joining God in His good work in our city and throughout the DMV. We are in the midst of a Midpoint Refresh of that journey. Here's what we covered on Sunday:

- The chance to gather, sing, pray, hear God’s Word, and share in the Lord’s Supper.

- A sermon rooted in 1 Peter 2:4-12. We will see the calling of all Christians as sojourners and exiles, worshiping together as God’s people and living lives in community that make an impact wherever we are.

- Clarity on the vision for our church in the days ahead.

- A better understanding of the Dwell Initiative. What do we mean by 100% Engagement? Why did we set the financial goals we did?

This Sunday we continue our series with Ecclesiastes 4:4-16. This chapter raises the problem of loneliness and the importance of companionship. We are in the midst of a loneliness epidemic in our nation. The Surgeon General has issued warnings, HHS is doing studies, and it’s all being reported across news outlets. Loneliness is crushing and can become legitimately life-threatening. 
As we have seen so far, Ecclesiastes won’t allow us to look away from the truth of human existence and experience. Qoheleth, the author, will continue to poke at us an make us uncomfortable. On Sunday we will address loneliness. We need to take a realistic look at our world and our own lives, and then look for signs and pathways of hope. God’s Word can guide us there.

This Sunday we continue in our series with Ecclesiastes 2:1-26. Last week we were introduced to Qoheleth, the Preacher, and an overview of the book that highlights his teaching concerning the extent of human experience and wisdom under the sun. This week we will see him explore specific pursuits, assessing the ultimate value and end-goals of pleasure, wisdom, and work. Our teacher has had a full life and limitless resources and opportunities to push to the fullest end of each pursuit, trying to find meaning and purpose. We will follow him down those paths to see where they end. By the end of the chapter we have already come to the end of section 1 of the book, and verses 24-26 give us the conclusion of the matter. It is possible to find joy and purpose even in the midst of the vaporous reality of our lives. 

I love the book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through it feels like it could have been written directly to DC in 2024. With the uncertainty of the year ahead, anxiety that many are already carrying into another election year, and the difficulty of navigating life in general, we all long for something solid to stand on, something that is unmoving that we can trust. Ecclesiastes helps us by exposing the fullest measure of every pursuit under the sun. This Sunday we begin with Ecclesiastes 1:1-18.The sermon title is Everything is Meaningless. If you read chapter 1 you will catch why that’s the title! I’ll take some time to introduce the book, talk about who the Preacher might be, and then we will jump right into what amounts to be a summary of the Preacher’s teaching. The Preacher shows us that all things under the sun, in the end, are a vapor, a mist, a chasing after the wind. In the end we will also see what is fixed like nails for us to hold onto in the end.

As we close our series, Abraham: Journey of Faith, we come to Genesis 25:1-11, Abraham’s death. Like Sarah’s death, it feels kind of sudden after so much story and time together. There are some interesting details in the passage that we will look into. Most of our time, though, will be spent looking at Abraham’s life. We will look at his importance and place in Redemptive History, God’s plan for redeeming humanity and renewing and restoring all things. And we will see how Abraham points us to Advent, the longing, waiting, and anticipation of what God would ultimately accomplish in the coming of Christ.

This is a long chapter, but we’re going to cover it in one go. I encourage you to take the time to read it between now and Sunday so you can come in with some familiarity. After Sarah’s death, Abraham realized that it was time to find a wife for his son, Isaac. He sent his servant on a journey that led to an intriguing encounter at a well with a young girl name Rebekah. 

The chapter shows us something of God’s care and will for us. In Abraham’s Journey of Faith there have been a lot of ups and downs. He finally came to the point of complete surrender and God was faithful to provide exactly what was needed. Everyone else in the story shows steps of faith as well, showing us the beauty and freedom we can have in self-surrender. 

This chapter details the legal negotiations and contract for a piece of land containing a cave in Hebron. At first reading it might feel boring to most. With a closer look, though, we can come to realize that this is the first piece of the land God promised to Abraham that was secured as Abraham’s own, and at a high price. Our focus on Sunday, though, will be Sarah. The reason Abraham bought the land with the cave was to bury his wife, the Matriarch of the Promise, after her death. On Sunday we will take a look at Sarah’s life as a whole, and lessons we can learn from her, in a kind of Eulogy for Sarah. 

On Sunday, Pastor Eric walked us through Titus 1:5-9 and walked us through the ecclesiastical need for shepherds in the church, the distinctives of qualified, godly shepherds, the source of empowerment for every godly leader, and the response as God’s people.

This Sunday we continued our series, Abraham: Journey of Faith with what might be the most famous story in Abraham’s entire life. In the ultimate test of faith, God called Abraham to offer up his son, Isaac in Genesis 22. At this point Ishmael had been cast out. After 25 years of waiting, God finally brought the promise of offspring to fulfillment in Sarah bearing Isaac. That one boy carried the fullness of God’s promises to Abraham – that his name would be great, that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the sky, that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. Now the same God who made those promises was demanding that Isaac be given as an offering. 

This story is gripping and powerful. It presents a devastating ethical conundrum. As we read through and study the text, we will work to enter into the tension and anguish of the story. It’s only when we are able to experience the tension and anguish of questioning God’s goodness in the midst of His justice, that we can experience the explosiveness of His grace. 

After 25 years of waiting, longing, and anticipation, Abraham and Sarah finally see God’s promise of a baby fulfilled. Genesis 21 is filled with laughter and feasting and joy, and then the difficulty of family conflict and relational turmoil. In all of this, we see God’s sovereignty on display. At the very end of the chapter we read a new name for God, El Elyon, the Everlasting God. We will see that this characteristic is crucial to make sense of the three major stories – Isaac, Ishmael, and Abimelech – weaving them together under God’s sovereignty and work. 

This Sunday we return to our series, Abraham: Journey of Faith with a fascinating story about Abraham and Abimelech. It is possible for us to live our lives day to day without any real sense or awareness of God’s active work in our lives and in the world around us. The more busy and focused we become on what is happening immediately in front of us, the more tempting it can be to forget that there really is someone working at all times, in all circumstances, and in the lives of every person; that God is sovereign, knowing, present, and active. Genesis 20 is a good example of human efforts that are exposed as failures on every side, and God’s faithfulness in the midst of it. 

Our study brings us to a devastating moment that the rest of Scripture points back to – the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We will face big questions of God’s righteous judgment, human responsibility, divine intervention and salvation, the power of prayer, and the fickleness of the human heart. Sodom and Gomorrah’s wickedness was well known at the time of Abraham, and the names of those cities became euphemisms for depravity. In the midst of the chaos and destruction, we will see God working, remembering His promises, and saving people even in spite of their reluctance. In the darkness there is the light of hope.

Pastor Eric preached from Acts 16 on Sunday. This chapter tells the story of how the Philippian church was born, and it all starts with God saying ’NO’. As the story unfolds, take note of all the good that comes from God saying no. We will take this scripture in sections, pausing long enough in each section to see God at work & let it stir us to worship.

It is so easy to feel like God doesn’t hear us when we pray. There are times that we wonder if our prayer even means anything, whether what we do, say, pray, or pursue don’t matter. If God is the sovereign Creator of all things, why would we matter anyway? This Sunday we are going to dig into Genesis 18 where we will see Abraham and Sarah both interact directly with God. We’ll see Sarah in a quiet moment, thinking she is unseen, unimportant, and unheard, and we’ll even see Abraham… negotiate? … argue with God? Over and over our time with Abraham in this Journey of Faith helps us to see who God is, through every hill and valley along our path.

This is another critical moment in Abraham’s life and in the storyline of Scripture. God came to Abram again, and this time changed his name to Abraham. Every time God has come to Abraham so far, the promise was clarified and made more specific. Chapter 17 is no exception. We will see a name change, a call to circumcision as a mark of the covenant (!?!?), and a man who laughed at God – we will look together and see the Absurdity of Grace.

Decisions are part of the human experience. Making plans & deciding the path we want to take is all part of what it means to be alive. It can be fun, but it can also be debilitating depending on where you’re at in life. Sometimes it feels like we’re always being presented with big, life-altering decisions. And with those decisions come questions like: What do I do? What’s God’s will for my life? We don’t want to get it wrong and then be set on the wrong path forever… we just want to know, how can I make good decisions?

In this sermon, Pastor Eric will walk us through Proverbs 16 as we pursue Jesus. There we find a clear theme of wisdom for our plans & ways (our decisions) that is woven throughout.

We have already seen ups and downs in Abram and Sarai’s journey. We have seen Abram follow God’s calling and promises with bold faith and obedience. We have also seen him run in fearful faithlessness. We have seen Abram at his peak as he led a campaign to rescue his nephew and the people of the cities of the Jordan River Valley, and as he refused to leverage his victories for political gain but received a blessing from Melchizedek. Last week we saw Abram receive God’s promises again, but this time as a covenant – in a mysterious passage that shows that God’s promises to Abram are not contingent in the least on Abram, but only on God to come through. 
Just when everything looked like it was headed in the right direction, chaos descended. Abram, who had “believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,” turned back again to his own solutions and plans. He and Sarai took God’s promises into their own hands, with the best of their ideas for how to bring them to fulfillment. The best of their efforts, though, were not what God had called them to. In truth, they showed a lack of faith, a lack of trust in God’s ability to do the seemingly impossible. Genesis 16 is a dramatic, made-for-Netflix story that reveals impatient hearts that reflect our own more closely than we would like to admit. And still there is hope in the midst of chaos.

Back in chapter 12 God called Abram with the promise that He would make Abram a great nation and bless all people on Earth through him. We’ve traced some ups and downs that bring us to this point. While God made some promises to Abram along the way, this chapter formalizes a covenant between God and Abram. What may seem a little bizarre to us – cutting some animals in half and laying them out on the ground – follows the pattern of covenant ceremonies in the Ancient Near East. 
Genesis 15 is a key point in the entire storyline of the Bible, God’s plan of redemption for all people. We will explore exactly what a covenant is, and why the specifics of this chapter are important to help us understand God’s character. We will also see our place in the story, and the importance this covenant has for all who follow Christ. 

This Sunday we continue our series, Abraham: Journey of Faith, with Genesis 14. This chapter shows Abram at his best. It’s a dramatic chapter that would make for a great movie or miniseries - a riveting plot, villains, a crisis and a hero, strategy, battles, a surprise twist, and character development. We see the man of faith act in great faith both in the risks he took and in the opportunities he passed up. By the end we are also introduced to one of the most mysterious figures in all of Scripture: Melchizedek, the King of Salem. This Sunday we will see a profound example of the ways that the whole Bible holds together with strong threads of a narrative tapestry.

This Sunday we were in Genesis 2-3 looking at vocation and how we view each other. My hope, as we walk together through Scripture today, is that God will soften every one of our wills to reimagine why we do what we do for work, and open our eyes to see ourselves & others as individuals who possess an inherent dignity & value not because of what we DO but because of who we are as people made in the image of God.

When we started last week, his name was Abram. God came to Abram and called him to go to a place that God would show him, promising to make his name great and to bless all the families of the earth through Abram. In an incredible step of faith, Abram followed God’s call! Sadly, he also was overcome by fear in short order as a famine hit the land. And so we saw the factors that lead us to stretches when our faith fails. Praise God that His promises aren’t reliant on us! This week we continue with Genesis 13. Abram showed faith again, this time in repentance, as he retraced his steps to go out of Egypt and eventually, he came to Bethel. Bethel is where Abram had set up an altar to worship God. His trust in God was renewed and led him right back to old pathways he had left behind. His nephew Lot, on the other hand, had ambition that drove him. We will see the beauty of repentance and the dangers of ambition as we hear from God’s Word together.

In the coming weeks we will embark on a journey into Genesis 12-25 and trace Abraham’s life. Abraham is the Patriarch for the world’s three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Abraham is called the “man of faith” because he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Abraham believed the promises of God enough to leave his place and people to go to the place God promised to show him. It wasn’t easy, though. Throughout Abraham’s journey we see times marked by fear and failure, long-suffering anticipation and sorrow, and times when he tried to make God’s plan happen in his own strength. For all who follow Christ, Abraham’s story is our story. Abraham is a key figure in Redemptive History, the one God called to be the father of nations, and through whom all people would be blessed. Scripture often calls him “the man of faith,” and he is the father for all who believe (Gal. 3:7-9). And so, Father Abraham is our shared ancestor we are sons and daughters of the man of faith. On Sunday we begin with Genesis 11:27-12:20. As our story begins, we meet Abram and Sarai (their names get tweaked later on). In a major step of faith, Abram and Sarai heard God’s call to leave all they had and all they knew to go to a place that God would show them, with the promise that God would do great things through them. Their faith in following God’s initial call didn’t hold up perfectly, though. When famine hit, Abram spiraled into a series of bigger and bigger mistakes. Right at the top of this Journey of Faith, we are confronted with the competing tension of faith and fear. Like Abram and Sarai, we have heard God’s promises, but reality can make it hard to believe.

This Sunday we will close out our series on the Virtues of Ephesians 4:1-3. Each of five Virtues listed in this passage show us what it means to walk in a manner that is worthy of our calling in Christ, and to maintain the “unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.” Now that we have explored Humility, Gentleness, Patience, and Forbearance, we will close it out with Love. Love is what binds all the virtues together. Without it, nothing we do, none of our talents or gifts, and our greatest accomplishments amount to nothing. This is the one virtue that we are told is essential to the character of God – God is Love. The idea that God is love and that we need to love people around us isn’t hotly disputed in our world. In fact, most people who can conceive of the idea of God are very comfortable with God’s love – at least as they understand it. The problem is that the way we think about Love tends to be sappy and sentimental, and completely apart from the biblical framework. This Sunday we will see what Love is and is not, what it means that God is Love, what we’re called to, and how God has shown us His Love.

This Sunday we will continue our series on the Virtues of Ephesians 4:1-3. Each of five Virtues listed in this passage show us what it means to walk in a manner that is worthy of our calling in Christ, and to maintain the “unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.” Now that we have explored Humility, Gentleness, and Patience we turn our attention to Forbearance. While Humility shows itself in relationships with others through Gentleness, Patience shows itself in relationships with others through Forbearance. We saw last week that Patience is used throughout Scripture to indicate long-suffering endurance. One of the most immediate and practical places we have to practice it is with other people. No matter who you are, proximity with others brings friction at times. In fact, it’s typically the people we are closest to, who we love most, that we struggle most with as well. At the core of what it takes to bear with each other in love is the need to forgive. In a world that has come to question the legitimacy and value of forgiveness, it is the call of every follower of Christ to forgive. This week will dig into what it means to practice Forbearance and look at practical pathways into it.

This Sunday we will continue our series on the Virtues of Ephesians 4:1-3. Each of five Virtues listed in this passage show us what it means to walk in a manner that is worthy of our calling in Christ, and to maintain the “unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.” Now that we have explored Humility, and Gentleness, we turn our attention to Patience.

We live in an impatient place. For some of us the hustle and pace of life in DC is invigorating, while for others it is exhausting. No one would accuse this place of being patient, though. What is true patience, though? It has to be more than just moving slowly. Patience, like humility, is an internal posture and characteristic that will shape the way we see and interact with the world, with others, and ultimately with God.

This Sunday we will continue our series on the Virtues of Ephesians 4:1-3. Each of five Virtues listed in this passage show us what it means to walk in a manner that is worthy of our calling in Christ, and to maintain the “unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.” Last week we spent time exploring Humility, and the importance of lowliness in our hearts. This week we continue with a study on Gentleness.

Gentleness is sometimes translated in our Bibles as Meekness. While the language of humility was offensive to the Greco-Roman world, and not once used in a positive light, the virtue of gentleness and meekness was very positively considered. It presents a “golden mean” in dealing with emotion – not too angry, but also not never angry. To recognizing someone or something’s gentleness, we also must see their power. Meekness has been defined by many as power under restraint. As we explore the Biblical perspective on Gentleness, we will see it come up in the lives of some of the leaders in Scripture. Ultimately, we will see the beautiful Gentleness and meekness of Jesus, and what it means for us.

This week we begin with a look at Humility, which is also sometimes translated as Lowliness. It’s been said that humility is shy, because as soon as it is brought up, it’s nowhere to be found. Humility was not a positive attribute in the Roman world that Paul wrote into. In fact, it was despised. The idea that people would choose a posture that would honor others above their position, station, or rank was ridiculous. While our culture looks for at least a veneer of humility, pride still reigns in human hearts. This Sunday we will explore what humility is. If it’s not mere self-deprecation or sadness, then how do we define it, and why is it so important? 

We round out our pstudy in psome pselected Psalms of Ascent (see what I did there?) with Psalm 126. This is a psalm that is perfect When We’re Wanting God to Do Great Things. In light of God’s past miraculous, mighty acts for His people, this song stirs praise-filled acknowledgment of God’s great deeds and a provokes the prayers that God will do them again. “Do it again, God” has been the softly muttered prayer by generations of God’s people. This Sunday we join with the pilgrims ascending the steps as we affirm “God has done great things for us”, as we revel in God’s past faithfulness & promises, and as we implore Him to do it again.

The song of Psalm 124 begins with a question: “What if the LORD had not been on our side?”
“What ifs” are a part of our daily realities whether we consciously entertain them or not. More often than not, the what-ifs we entertain are negative: What if I lose my job? What if I didn’t lock the door before leaving for vacation? What if I take this step of faith and God doesn’t provide? What if, what if, what if.
Psalm 124 is written to those who are wrestling with what-ifs. It’s written by King David who has come through to the other side of his what-ifs and now turns to comfort, encourage, and exhort others of God’s goodness, presence, and deliverance in the midst of theirs. Join us as we read Psalm 124 and fix our eyes on Jesus in the midst of our what-ifs.

On Sunday we will begin a short series through some of the Psalms of Ascent. This collection of Psalms (120-134) was sung by God’s people as they made pilgrimages to Jerusalem, on the road up to the city, as well as the journey into the Temple to worship. On Sunday morning we will hear Psalm 120, the opening Psalm of Ascent. Psalm 120 helps us to learn how to pray when we are wrestling with being in places and circumstances that we don’t want to be in. Take some time to read the Psalm as you prepare your heart for worship.

This Sunday we close our series with Jonah 4. We left off at the most unlikely of responses – the people of Nineveh, even the King himself, repented, turned from their wickedness and violence, and pleaded with God to relent. God did relent. He didn’t bring disaster on Nineveh, showing His mercy and kindness to them all. Any prophet would be thrilled to see a whole capital city turn to God in repentance, right? Well, no prophet except for Jonah. 

The final chapter of this short story frames the rest of the story for us. Now we see Jonah’s heart and motivations on full display. Now God addresses Jonah directly. And as God’s voice closes the story, we will see the only book in the entire Bible that ends with a question. It’s a question that ought to hit us, cutting deep into our hearts. 

God’s Word came to Jonah a second time. Just like the first time, God told Jonah to arise, go to Nineveh, and call out. Would Jonah obey with a second chance given? How will the Ninevites respond to him? As we explore the story this Sunday we will see what it looks like to truly hear and respond to God’s Word.

This is probably the part of the story that jumps to mind first when we hear Jonah’s name. When we left off last Sunday, Jonah ran from God and ended up being thrown into the sea. In Jonah 1:17-2:10 our man is swallowed by a great fish. As Jonah continued his descent to the roots of the mountains he prayed. We learn a lot about Jonah through his prayer. Read it carefully, all may not be what it seems to be.

This week we begin with Jonah 1:1-16. This story wastes no time before jumping right into it. In this passage we will see three commands that came to Jonah from God: get up, go to Nineveh, and call out. Jonah didn’t really want to go to Nineveh because he didn’t like the people in Nineveh. So, he took off in the other direction and tried to outrun God. For real. On Sunday we will work to get underneath the story to understand what it has to teach us about who God is. I think we’ll all see that we have more Jonah in our own hearts than we want to admit.

At the end of last Sunday's sermon, we explored some of the implications of Jesus' resurrection. One of which, was that because Jesus is risen, we can walk in newness of life. "Newness of life" speaks of a living with new allegiance as a people made new by God's grace in Christ. This new allegiance is not to self or sin, but to the word & ways of Jesus, and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The expectation of God, of Scripture, is that we would move on to spiritual maturity in our walks of faith. Not content with a steady diet of milk-only, but learning to eat solid food: what Scripture refers to as meat. If milk is the basic teachings of Scripture, then meat is the more complete, deeper doctrines of Scripture.

As people who have been made new because of Christ's death & resurrection, we should be actively pursuing spiritual maturity. This is God's good design for His people. Join us in Hebrews 5-6 as we learn how we live into the fullness of life that God has given us in Jesus.

In Christ, every Sunday is Easter Sunday. He is still risen! This week, we'll be in chapter 24 of Luke's gospel looking at the resurrection story. It's a narrative woven around 3 women, 2 angels, and 1 question. The question asked is one that has reverberated for centuries since it was first uttered: Why do you seek the living among the dead? This is a question that remains relevant for our time, our culture, our very lives. Where are we seeking to find life, fulfillment, value? How are those pursuits really going?

The hope for every soul is found in the words immediately following that question: "He is not here. He is risen." The resurrection of Jesus puts our pursuits into proper perspective. Join us Sunday as we learn to identify where we might be seeking life among death and how to get our eyes onto Jesus, in whom true life is found.

This Sunday we finish the Gospel of John with chapter 21. This chapter brings the third time that Jesus appeared to His disciples. This time, though, they were up in Galilee and had gone out fishing. In the gray twilight of dawn, as they were coming in to the shore, Jesus came. As the scene unfolded, Jesus helped gave them a miraculous catch of fish, but also had a small charcoal fire with fish laid out on it for breakfast as they came in. After breakfast, Jesus turned to Peter and lovingly brought him close, restoring him in his calling and closeness.