Hope

The Advent season reminds us of the coming of a brilliant light that meets us in our darkness. This source of hope, Jesus, offers us presence and wisdom in a way that brings powerful healing and restoration.

Should the church be a place that welcomes outsiders? In this remarkable story, we see Christianity crossing geographic, cultural, ethnic, and national boundaries. But that’s only part of it. It’s also the story of a man who was spiritually curious yet had almost certainly been wounded by religious people.

The church’s inclusive invitation and exclusive truth claims have prompted resistance from religious and secular alike. When it comes time to prove the power of this message, however, the ancient church’s evidence is the same as ours: healed lives.

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.

Esther is a story of reversals, but never more so than in the story’s final twist. In a moment of political intrigue, Esther devises one final counter-decree to secure her people’s future. This moment points us to Jesus Christ, who was God’s counter-decree of love in the face of the powers of death and despair.