Preparing with purpose
In the years and months before Jesus’ arrival in the world, John the Baptist preaches with intensity and urgency, but his words are a call to a real, joyful transformation. Today, John lays out for us three ways to prepare this Advent with purpose: through repentance, generosity, and hope.
The dawn of a new day
During long nights with a baby that just won’t sleep, it can be difficult to see the end of it. But, when the dawn starts to break, there is hope that it’ll all be OK. There will still be a new day in front of us. There will be a tomorrow, and there is a chance it’ll be better than today was. This is the kind of hope that Jesus brings into the world.
You can’t choose your family…
Before we call others crazy, Jesus calls us to take a look at ourselves first. He reminds us that Satan is powerful, but he has been defeated by an even stronger opponent who then freely and graciously invites us into His family.
The bigger picture
As we continue in this season of Easter, we celebrate the victory that Christ has won for us over death and reflect on what that means for how we live our lives here on earth. The apostle Peter delivers a sermon which describes how the people denied Jesus and had him killed, yet somehow it was all according to God’s plan to bring life to the world.
The Cross, the Crux, and the Call
As we continue on our Lenten journey of repentance, we are faced with quite a challenging word. As Jesus explains the path of suffering ahead for him and asks the disciples to follow him straight into the furnace, Peter’s response of confusion reveals something about the human heart.
Baptism, Wilderness, and Repentance
During these forty days of Lent, may you hear Jesus’ call to repent not as a threat, but with the promise of forgiveness that he will make possible for us on the cross.