Claim OwnershipHoly Cross Lutheran Church
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Walking with everyday people every day as we live out the abundant life of Jesus.
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Jesus is really clear: life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. The surprisingly better life is NOT one in which we simply get more. Rather, the life and way of Jesus is to give one’s whole self: possession, time, love, money, etc. We give in order to have life. AND, we give, in order to share life. As the Psalmist reminds us, God “…released those condemned to death...so, write it down…[that] a people yet created can praise the Lord.” The Life of Jesus is for us and for Generations to Come.
Jesus is really clear: life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. The surprisingly better life is NOT one in which we simply get more. Rather, the life and way of Jesus is to give one’s whole self: possession, time, love, money, etc. We give in order to have life. AND, we give, in order to share life. As the Psalmist reminds us, God “…released those condemned to death...so, write it down…[that] a people yet created can praise the Lord.” The Life of Jesus is for us and for Generations to Come.
Jesus is really clear: life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. The surprisingly better life is NOT one in which we simply get more. Rather, the life and way of Jesus is to give one’s whole self: possessions, time, love, money, etc. We give in order to have life. AND, we give, in order to share life. As the Psalmist reminds us, God “…released those condemned to death...so, write it down…[that] a people yet created can praise the Lord.” The Life of Jesus is for us and for Generations to Come.
The Church is a community unlike any other. It is the only community designed to help us walk with Jesus; to be a place of both encouragement and accountability to the life Jesus offers. In our Christ-centeredness, in our mission-sentness, in our rhythms together, permeating through it all is LOVE. Love is what binds us together, it’s what shapes us, it's what compels us, it’s what sends us. Love is the journey we’re on- a journey toward the surprisingly better life.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the birth of the New Testament Church…now fueled by a God who dwells NOT in a temple, but in the heart. Like God’s people of old, the New Testament Church knew that their life together, and the rhythms of that life were formative both as individuals and as a community; we are shaped by the things we do…and do often. Our life together is shaped by the rhythms and disciplines we share.
When we join with saints around the globe and through history to profess faith in the words of the Nicene Creed, we boldly say together I believe in one holy, Christian and Apostolic Church. In other words, we believe the Church is HOLY, CHRIST-CENTERED, and MISSION-SENT. The Church is only Christian when it not only looks up to Jesus BUT OUT to the world.
When we join with saints around the globe and through history to profess faith in the words of the Nicene Creed, we boldly say together I believe in one holy, Christian and Apostolic Church. In other words, we believe the Church is HOLY, CHRIST-CENTERED, and MISSION-SENT. The Church is only Christian when it is built on the confession that Jesus is the Christ.
Promises are often made and just as often…broken. In fact, our experiences with broken promises have created a kind of chronic distrust. God is a promise-maker…and more importantly, a promise-keeper. If we are to understand the nature of the Church, we must accept that it was begun with a promise…His promise. And it is a promise that he has, is and will keep until he comes again.
What do you want? It feels like a rather simple question. And yet, it is a question that gets to the very depth of one’s heart and spirit. Jesus came to bring us an abundant life…that we know. But, do we WANT the life Jesus came to bring us? Do we want what Jesus has to offer? Even if it means dying to myself? Even if it means saying no to things I “love?” What do you want - this is the question Jesus asks today and it is the question we must answer.
Someone once said, “Everybody ends up somewhere, some people end up there on purpose.” We are all walking toward something: pleasure, financial success, social prominence, influence, and/or power. Some of us are walking away from something: trauma, broken promises, embarrassment, fractured relationships, disappointment, and/or shame. Whether we’re walking toward something or away from something - an encounter with Jesus will redefine that journey as something surprisingly better.
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