Grace

What makes for a healthy church in a large city? What we see at the first-century church at Antioch, the third-largest city in the Roman empire at the time, is a beautiful case study: people coming to faith in Jesus, healthy dedicated leaders, Christians trained to be faithful disciples, and uncommon generosity–all marks of God’s gracious hand at work.

At a pivotal point in his journey, Jesus tells a tale about investments, a returning king, and his subjects–but it’s really about our journey. This story shows us the secret to a life of true joy, fulfillment, and worth.

Just like a mustard seed itself, Jesus’ small parable of the mustard seed discloses a large truth: The Kingdom of God is already here, and new patterns of growth have already begun.

How do we navigate deep and disorienting tragedy? When loss and sorrow shake us, how do we process the pain honestly—and still find hope?

Though familiar to many people, the Parable of the Sower is actually a very complex story about finding both grace and hope while we wait on the harvest of God’s promises.

The final feast of Esther is a culmination of the entire story: a two-day festival devoted to the sheer joy of divine deliverance. We learn a deep truth here—that celebrations are just different on the other side of salvation.