This Weekend's Message: The Wrong Side of History

“The wrong side of history” has become a common phrase in recent cultural and political conversations. It is used to describe people who cling to a way of life, a system of beliefs, or a moral code that is fading out of existence (or at least out of favor). The threat of being on the wrong side of history can seem daunting. It can feel like being an aging, broken-down boxer, while the young up-and-comers begin to take over. All of us want to be the kind of people who, when our grandchildren look back on us, will be viewed as being on the right side of controversial and divisive issues.
           
It can often feel like Christians are on the wrong side of history. In our culture, many Christian beliefs are viewed as unenlightened. Many Christian moral beliefs are viewed as outdated. Many Christian movements can feel like they are fading. At a global level, and at an individual level, it can be intimidating to feel like many Christians are viewed as the aging boxer who refuses to hang up his gloves.
           
If you are a Christian, do you ever struggle to feel that you are on the wrong side of history? If you are not a Christian, do you tend to view Christians as people on the wrong side of history? This Sunday, in some of his last words to His disciples, Jesus gives a different perspective—and a different grid—for understanding what it looks like to be on the right side of history.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Stay Connected

When was the last time you were about to embark on some task that felt utterly overwhelming? Whether it was a work project, a school assignment, a family problem, or some physical challenge, you probably – at some point – started to wonder if you had what it took. This is what we all wonder when we face something daunting. Do we have what it takes? Is what is inside of us – our intelligence, our skills, our experiences – enough to make us sufficient for what is before us?
           
Many of us feel overwhelmed when we think of what it means to follow Jesus fully. We need the strength to fight against sin, the courage to speak boldly to others, the compassion to sacrifice for those in need, and the love to pour out to those around us. Do we really have what it takes? The answer, according to what Jesus says in John 15, is "No." We don’t have what it takes. But we have access to the one who does.
           
This Sunday we will explore Jesus as the one and only source and we will explore how we stay connected to Him.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: The One That Got Away

If you watch enough baseball, you will occasionally see a pitcher dramatically lose control of one of his pitches. Everything will seem to be normal and then suddenly the pitch will get away from him and sail over the catcher’s head, or past him toward the backstop, or—even worse—directly at the batter. It is dramatic to watch him as he—at one moment—seems to have complete control over where the ball will go, and then as he—the next moment—seems to have no say in the matter.

Have you ever had a situation get away from you? Have you ever—at work or at home or in your personal life—had something that you thought was under control, spin dramatically out of your reach? Have you ever had that helpless feeling that a significant situation had gotten away from you and that you have no power to fix it?

What do we do when a situation gets away from us? And how does the dramatic story of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas help answer this question?

Dan