We know what often happens when people gain power: sooner or later, they start asking how it can benefit them. Ephesians 1:22–23 says everything is under Jesus’ feet and presents Him as head of the church, but he’s not seeking to use power the same way as those others. Just what kind of King is He? What does His reign mean for those who belong to Him?
We want hope, but we want to know it isn’t empty—especially when other powers seem to have the final say over our lives. In Ephesians 1:20–21, Paul points to God raising Jesus from the dead and seating him above every rule and authority, but do we live as if we believe that?
We can be full of hope and still put that hope in plans, forecasts, and outcomes that never arrive. When disappointment turns us into expert worriers—or convinces us that life will only get worse—we’re reminded to look to our true hope and the Power behind it.
Pastor Tim reflects more on snow and God’s Grace.
When wise men arrive in Jerusalem asking where to find the one born king of the Jews, Matthew 2 says Herod was deeply disturbed—and all Jerusalem with him. It's a strange reaction to the fulfillment of a centuries-old promise, and it looks a lot like what we do when God's work threatens the status and stability we've been quietly building our joy around.
Pastor Tim reflects on the power of snow and how it impacts us — and what that tells us about God.
With fireworks, the best ones are not necessarily just the ones with the best packaging. Likewise, Agur reminds us that the strength the world focuses on isn’t always the most impressive.
We all love a good story of a “reversal of fortune,” but are they always good? What makes them good? Agur helps us to consider that in the next verses of Proverbs 30.
In our hurry to be accepted by culture, have we lost the power of what is supposed to set us apart from the culture? The power of the church isn’t in degrees or pastors or business strategies, it is in the Holy Spirit. If we’re going to be a 21st century church that leads people to find and follow Jesus, we may need to bring back “That Old Time Religion,” meaning that we look at the exciting growth and example of the 1st century church as we see it in Acts.
