Current Series

Faith

8.18 - 9.15.2024

Faith is a common word that gets bandy around in a variety of contexts. For Royals fans, our faith in the team has waned over the past decade. However, this year, the club is playing better and our faith is rebounding. Because of the success of the Chiefs, some of us might have faith in their prospects of making a third straight Super Bowl. We have faith in our sports teams.


In the church, we use the word faith as well. In the letter to the Hebrews, chapter 11, the author says that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The Oxford Dictionary defines faith as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Of course, in religious circles, we have faith in God’s love for us that creates, redeems, and sustains us now and in the life yet to come. So how do we demonstrate that we have faith? How is faith expressed beyond mere words? 


Thanks to pastor and author Olu Brown, we will discover the tangibles of faith. As Pastor Brown says, “The goal is to live your faith boldly and accept that when you understand or see your faith, you have it.” Using his structure of the four essential practices of faith, my hope is that we might see our own come alive, be strengthened, or maybe even be renewed ~ Rev. Dr. Jim Hoffman. 


We live in a world that is taxing the core of our very beings. The negativity and division is palpable. Despite the political promise of things getting better, the majority believe it has gotten worse. Claiming the words of God who sits on the eternal throne and John Wesley’s historic questions, we reclaim the idea that God is at work now making all things new now! This is not simply something from an ethereal future. Rather it is God’s work today!


I am encouraged by the prospect of us focusing on God’s transforming power. We will discover how God is making new our attitude, spirit, purpose, and vision. I encourage you to invite a friend to come and share in our time of worship and learning. We are not the only ones who need to hear how God is making all things new. - Rev. Dr. Jim Hoffman


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Previous Series

All Things New

6.30 - 7.28.2024

One of my favorite scriptures comes from the end of Revelation.  In chapter 21, John has a vision of the new heaven and the new earth.  In his vision, he hears a loud voice speaking from the throne.  In the proclamation the one seated on the throne says, “See, I am making all things new.”  The English translation of the Greek leads us to believe this is a process.  The Triune God does not wave a magic wand and poof makes everything new.  God does not twinkle his nose (e.g. Samantha Stevens) and everything returns to order.  Rather, the task of the Holy Spirit was to work within each heart and life for transformation.  In the historic questions asked at ordination, John Wesley had two in particular geared toward affirming this.  His first question was actually, “do you have faith in Christ?”  He followed that with, “are you going on to perfection?”  Then “do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?”  Wesley also wanted to know if the candidate was “earnestly striving after it.”  Submitting to and pursuing after transformation; Wesley expected it not only of candidates for ministry, but of every person who called themselves a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 

We live in a world that is taxing the core of our very beings.  The negativity and division is palpable.  Despite the political promise of things getting better, the majority believe it has gotten worse.  Claiming the words of God who sits on the eternal throne and John Wesley’s historic questions, we reclaim the idea that God is at work now making all things new now!  This is not simply something from an ethereal future.  Rather it is God’s work today!

 

I am encouraged by the prospect of us focusing on God’s transforming power.  We will discover how God is making new our attitude, spirit, purpose, and vision.  I encourage you to invite a friend to come and share in our time of worship and learning.  We are not the only ones who need to hear how God is making all things new. - Rev. Dr. Jim Hoffman


Did You Miss This Message?  Live Worship Replay circlerightarrow