Hope Has a Name
I’ve been thinking a lot about hope lately, primarily because hope is slippery. I have to be honest; I’ve put a lot of hope in our church being able to meet inside in our newly renovated Worship Center soon. Very soon! However, that hope seems to be perpetually pushed back by circumstances that are completely outside of our control. Lights that are taking longer to come in than expected, doors that are on backorder, and the reality that construction takes longer than we often anticipate. This project has reminded me that putting hope in circumstances is a futile exercise at best.
Peter wants to help followers of Jesus ground their hope in something that will never let them down or leave them wanting. Listen to what he wrote in 1 Peter 1:3,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
There are a few things that Peter packs into this one verse that serves as a pathway for hope. First, he claims that the Father has caused us to be born again. This means that the hope we truly long for and were created to experience is not a natural outflow of life, but rather it’s a supernatural gift from God. We must be born again in order to be awakened to true hope.
The second thing we see is that ultimately our hope springs forth from an event – the resurrection. Early followers of Jesus were so transformed by the resurrection that it became the center point of their faith. Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:14) The resurrection is the guts of Christianity. Without resurrection, there is no church, no Christianity, no hope. However, the opposite is true also. Since Jesus walked out of the grave, HOPE IS ALIVE.
The resurrection of Jesus brought hope because it declared that God had not given up on his creation. When Jesus walked out of the grave, it meant that sin, evil, and death had been defeated. The early followers of Jesus saw him as the “firstfruits” of what we will one day become. He was raised immortal and one day we will too. When Jesus walked out of the grave, it was God’s guarantee that he would one day make all things new (Rev. 21:5) - and that guarantee is the reason for our hope.
As followers of Jesus, our hope is not in our circumstances, it’s in the conviction that God will be good on his promises – and all of his promises are “yes and amen in Jesus.” (2 Cor. 1:20) Take some time today and remember the resurrection and allow it to fill your mind and heart with hope.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
Hope Grieves
“Into every life some rain must fall.” So wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Perhaps no group of Christians who had walked the face of the earth knew that truth better than did those to whom this letter was written.
As Peter sits down to compose this epistle, historians tell us that the Roman Emperor Nero is whipping up a plan to blame the great fire of A.D. 64 on Christians. Seeking scapegoats to divert public suspicion concerning his role in the blaze which devastated Rome, he looks no further than this group of infidels who worship none but Christ. It is the first great outbreak of state-sponsored persecution, and it results in Christians being encased in wax and burned at the stake to light Nero’s gardens, in crucifixions, and in believers being thrown to wild beasts. While the official persecution seems confined to the vicinity of Rome, attacks on Christians spread to other regions. As Peter anticipates the future, he sees that a whole lot of grief and pain is on its way, so he puts pen to paper and produces this passage.
While their trials are not yet ours, their grief most certainly is. Like our first-century brothers and sisters, we will lose loved ones sooner than we would have wanted (perhaps first to disease and then later to death), we will see parts of our preferred future blow up and disintegrate into a million pieces, and we will be disappointed by what God allows to happen to us or those we love. Because we are human, all of this will produce grief.
Yet in the middle of these grief-producing trials, Peter writes and calls us to rejoice. How can he do that? He can because he knows we have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3) If part of our future includes grief, and if we have been born again to a living hope, then that means that hope grieves. Perhaps it’s better to say that true hope allows us to truly grieve, or that if we don’t hope well then we can’t grieve well. Hope and grief are not mutually exclusive, and many of you reading or listening to this devotional know that way better than I.
If you are like me, there is at least one thing going on right now, either in your life or the life of someone you love, that is causing you grief. But, because of the resurrection of Jesus (verse 3), we can face that grief with hope - hope that we have an imperishable inheritance waiting for us (verse 4), hope that we are protected by the power of God (verse 5), hope that there is a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (verse 5) which will allow us to finally see and be with Jesus (verse 8). So while it’s true that living in this world will cause us to encounter grief, it is not true - because of Easter - that we have to encounter it from a place of hopelessness.
As a pastor friend of mine used to say, “Who’s this for?”
Pastor Scott Smith
Connections & Growth Pastor
Hope Dashing
If you’ve met me before, you’d notice I use a walker, and understanding my speech has a bit of a learning curve to it. I have had something like cerebral palsy since my near-drowning accident at 18 months old. Ever since I can remember people have told me that I would be healed physically. I certainly knew God could, I just didn’t know if he would. I asked the Lord many times to heal me, and many people have asked on my behalf. One such time, I was with friends at a bible study and they wanted to ask for my healing again. They gathered around me to pray as had happened many times before
To my surprise, my body felt all tingly and I just had to stand up. My legs were strengthening, my knees were straightening and I was standing tall under my own weight. My childhood hope was reignited and I joined my friends in collectively flipping out. Then as quickly as it came, it went. I sat back down in tears. It initially seemed to be an uncharacteristically cruel trick for God to play on me. Later I came to realize he was rewarding my confidence in his power. It’s kinda like he said, “Hey, you’re right, I can heal you! But I want you like this.”
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’” - 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
I didn’t realize I had a huge amount of hope placed on being healed. Boy did it hurt when it was dashed. God’s answer to Paul is key, “My grace is sufficient for you”, whether or not you have a thorn in your flesh. Turns out, you don’t need an able body to revel in God’s grace. We all need to intentionally place our hope in the sovereignty and grace of the Lord. There's never any disappointment there… ever!
Jonathan Duncan
Take Up Your Cross
Growing up the oldest of three daughters, you might think I was the outspoken one, but it was my younger sister who seemed to be the one in moments of tension or crisis in the family that spoke the words I was thinking. The night my parents told us they were getting divorced it was my younger sister who said through tears “it will be all better tomorrow.” Exactly what I was thinking but was too deep in fear and confusion to voice.
When Peter speaks up in Matthew 16 and Matthew 26, he gives voice to what his fellow disciples were most likely also thinking. (See Matt. 26:35) Peter was the first to confess Jesus as the Messiah and son of God. But in Matthew 16:22, after Jesus explained his coming suffering, death and resurrection, we see Peter rebuking Jesus . . . “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Peter quickly goes from Jesus’ friend to his enemy. We can very easily do the same if we depend on our own understanding rather than what Scripture tells us. Peter and the disciples were horrified when Jesus spoke of his upcoming suffering and death in Jerusalem. They seem to understand Jesus’ identity or who he was, but their understanding of his mission was confused and influenced by the expectations of their culture.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? (Matthew 16:24-26, NLT)
What does it mean to take up our cross anyway? Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 that even though we have been crucified with Christ, we will live on, forever changed, with Christ living through us in the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers are called not to be self-seeking but to serve others, daily dying to self and relying on God’s grace to guide us and bring glory to God. This is a life-long process of learning, a hard lesson to be relearned every day. Peter’s life reflected some learning of lessons the hard way. Then he met the risen Lord in Galilee and experienced restoration and ultimately had a powerful ministry that is still teaching us the importance of gaining knowledge about Jesus Christ. (Read 1 & 2 Peter)
It isn’t easy for some of us to fully embrace or understand the horrendous suffering Jesus experienced for our salvation. Even more difficult for some is the idea of taking up our own cross, doing the hard work, being willing to face persecution and trials while being completely dependent on our Savior. And to do it all without expectation of any reward or recognition from our fellow humans, but with the assurance that someday the Son of Man will come with his angels … and judge all people according to their deeds. (Matt. 16:24-27) What does that mean for you and me today? Do we want the glory of the crown without the suffering of the cross? Do we want things our own way or will we take up our cross and follow the risen Lord Jesus?
Deb Hill
Senior Administrative Assistant
April Fools' Day
Today is April 1st, or April Fools' Day and you better believe I cycled through all kinds of ideas to write on. Instead of engaging in playful misdirection for a hopefully comical payoff at the end, I thought I’d go for the fool's angle . . .
Today is also “Maundy Thursday” which I’ve heard of before. Turns out it’s a day to commemorate the Lord Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Personally I’d echo Peter’s reaction, I should be washing your feet Lord! The God-man, for whom everything was made, commandeered a monotonous personal hygiene practice to make a point. Nothing is too disgusting or too ordinary or too personal for his love. We see our Lord clean twenty four feet, despite protest.
Now, consider the cross. Here he outdoes himself in every way, he’s cleaning our very hearts! What is more unclean, a man’s feet or a man’s heart? With his constantly cleansing love, we are shown how to love others in the same vein. From our confidence in God’s love for us, we can give of ourselves with reckless abandon.To the natural way of thinking, this is foolishness! Luckily, it’s April Fools’ Day, so go love someone in some meaningful way at cost to yourself, you know, like a “fool."
Jonathan Duncan
Spy Wednesday
This devotional is written for one of the lesser known days of Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. Today is the day known as Spy Wednesday! Oh, yes, there is an International Spy Day, and that day is upon us. A day like this may conjure up all sorts of ideas about espionage and international intrigue. You may think that celebrating such a day would involve watching “007” or “Mission Impossible” movies all day. If so, then you are actually sort of on the right track, even if your movie choices are a little cliche. The fact is that the word “spy” in Spy Wednesday means just what you think it means. It isn’t some secretive Latin or Greek word that has a deeper meaning. However, the type of spy that is commemorated on this day is not the kind of spy that anyone would ever aspire to become. This is the day that the church has traditionally remembered that Judas chose to double cross Jesus and “began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus” (Matt 26:16), or when Judas became a spy for the religious leaders of his day.
Now, why would we commemorate this day? Why would we want to remember that Judas was a spy? Let me give you a hint… it isn’t out of a sense of celebration that we remember this day. Instead, we need to remember this day out of an honest sense of self-reflection and humility. Because, while none of us want to be like Judas, all of us are just one really bad decision away from doing something that we would equally regret.
Judas always gets a bad wrap (mostly because he deserves it), but you have to remember that these few days leading up to Easter were not good days for followers of Jesus. Judas may have been the worst of them, but Peter wasn’t really that much better. He got rebuked by Jesus, called “Satan,” and then a few days later he denied Jesus three times. Let’s also not forget that the other 10 disciples weren’t exactly heroes. None of them were willing to show their faces after Jesus died. This was definitely a low moment in the history of Jesus following.
We need to remember Spy Wednesday to remember that we aren’t that much better than these. This is a good day to ask yourself the question, “Where in my life, do I act like a spy, like a traitor, like a double crosser?” This is a great day to confess your lack of trust in God’s plan and to cry out to Jesus with the words of scripture, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). The journey of those original disciples is our journey. Let us not forget.
Josh Rose
Teaching Pastor
Jesus’ Powerful Words
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple...” Is that you?
If so, Jesus said that they must “deny themselves…” What does that look like for you today?
He went on to tell disciples to, “take up their cross and follow me.” What is Jesus inviting you to take up today?
Finally, he says these words: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Spend a few minutes just repeating that phrase. What is Jesus saying to you?
Jesus' Powerful Words
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple ...” Is that you?
If so, Jesus said that they must “deny themselves …” What does that look like for you today?
He went on to tell disciples to, “take up their cross and follow me.” What is Jesus inviting you to take up today?
Finally, he says these words: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Spend a few minutes just repeating that phrase. What is Jesus saying to you?
The In-Between
Today is Monday of Holy Week; a time to reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross. A journey that did not end in death, but in resurrected life, a triumph over the grave, eternal victory. We know and rejoice in how the story ends, but why the in-between? Why the pain and suffering? Why the seeming hopelessness?
I don’t know about you, but there have been many times in my life when I have been able to say, “God, you are good. God, I trust you. But why in the world did THAT have to happen??” Have you ever felt that way? You may know in the depths of your soul that God is loving, compassionate, holy and pure. You believe in the truth of Romans 8:28 and you have seen God work all things together for good. But…
Could that be what the disciples and Jesus were thinking as they approached Holy Week? On Monday, Jesus entered the temple and let it be known how he felt about the atrocities that were occurring in his Father’s house. The holy temple that was intended for worship and reverence was being used as a market to increase the wealth of sinful human beings. Jesus was done! Why did something so despicable have to occur as Jesus was pondering the path to the cross?
I struggle at times with the words in Isaiah 55. Starting in verse 8 it says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Why would a holy, perfect God, allow his son to humble himself to become obedient to the point of death on a cross? Why the pain? Why the suffering? Why the in-between?
What are you facing today that seems pointless or hopeless? Is your heart in anguish or despair? Are you crying out to God every day for help; longing for healing or even just the answer to the “why”?
What we do know is how this story ends. Jesus was brutally beaten and then suffered a painstaking death. Why? Because he loves you and he loves me. He knew the suffering would be intense, but he also knew how the story would end.
We too have the promise of knowing how each of our stories will end. Trials on this earth seem absurd, nauseating and pointless and yet, we know the Victor and we know his character. He has many names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Resurrected King, Abba. What is your favorite name for the one who offers you hope, peace, healing, and freedom?
As you continue through Holy Week, pick a different name each day on which to dwell. Ask God to show you his character of love, majesty and omniscience. God is good. Even in the in-between.
Lynette Fuson
Director of Counseling & Soul Care
Live it Out
I know a lot of people who say, “I like Jesus, but not the church.” That phrase has always struck me as strange. If you told me that you like me, but not my wife, I’m not sure we’d be great friends. I wonder how Jesus feels about people who like him, but not the church? After all, the local church is the bride of Christ – and he loves His bride in all of her brokenness and in all of her beauty. I’m convinced that being part of a local church is a great privilege and responsibility.
God desires for us to be connected to a local church family. It is one of the Lord's greatest blessings to us in this life, but sometimes it can be difficult to connect. In the following paragraphs, I’d like to unpack four ways that you can be a faithful and fruitful member of a local church community.
First, commit to attending regularly. Attending worship on Sunday is a Saturday night decision and one that I hope you prioritize. Whether it’s in-person or online, my encouragement to you is to commit to being a part of a church and attending weekly. In addition to attending, spend some time before the service praying and asking God to speak to you during the gathering and then come ready to hear from the Lord. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Second, offer hospitality. Most people are waiting for someone else to make the first move. What if we became a church where everyone felt at home? Where people were invited to lunch or dinner with other church members on a regular basis? Another way you can do this is by arriving early and sharing life with people who are a part of the gathering. Find ways to open your life and your home to other church members. (1 Peter 4:9)
Third, find a way to serve in the local church. You are a unique creation of God, and because of that, God has a unique role for you to play. He has gifts that he has given you that the church needs. If God has called you to be a part of a church, they need you to play the part that only you can play. There is no such thing as a sideline Christian, we are all called to be in the game. (Romans 12:6-8)
Finally, extend grace regularly. There is no perfect church; in fact, if you find the perfect church, don’t join it because you’ll mess it up. Every church is imperfect because it is made up of imperfect people like you and me. This is why your church family, including your pastors and leaders, need your continual grace. It’s easy to find faults and lack, but growing believers trust the Lord and extend grace to their congregation, just as Jesus has shown us grace upon grace. (Ephesians 4:29)
This COVID season has reminded us of two central truths about being the church. First, the church is the people, not the building. As we’ve been meeting outside because of the restrictions and the remodel of our worship center, I’ve been reminded just how sweet it is to be together. It’s been low tech, but high praise – and God has done a great work. Second, I’m reminded that we need each other. The church is essential – that’s why we’ve been holding in-person worship gatherings since May and will continue to do so as we move into the future.
My hope is that your heart is stirred with affection for the church and that you put these four challenges into practice.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor