hope on Running from God

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives powe...

series

Psalm 130 | Waiting upon God

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Scripture

Psalm 130:, 1 John 4:8, Exodus 34:6-7, Psalm 107:

ANCIENT LENS What’s the historical context? Historical Background The Songs of Ascents celebrate the journey from Babylonian captivity to freedom in the homeland of Judah, and ultimately celebrat...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Psalm 130

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Scripture

Psalm 130:, 1 John 4:8, Exodus 34:6-7, Psalm 107:

ANCIENT LENS What’s the historical context? Historical Background The Songs of Ascents celebrate the journey from Babylonian captivity to freedom in the homeland of Judah, and ultimately celebrat...

illustration

Surrounded by a Great Cloud of Witnesses

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

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In his book Unshakeable Faith , Max Lucado shares a true story about a friend who competed in an Ironman Triathlon in Lake Placid, New York. You can compete in Ironman races around the world in p...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Malachi 3:1-4

Author

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

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Scripture

Malachi 3:1-4, Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 13:null, Matthew 25:null, Revelation 22:null

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Malachi’s Context The book of Malachi, the last book in the OT canon, is often dated to some time in the first half of the 400’s BC. Th...

liturgy

Heavenly Father, our Savior told us,

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Scripture

Matthew 16:25, Luke 17:33, Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:11, James 1:5

Heavenly Father, our Savior told us, "Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for My sake will gain it." These are hard words. We confess that we oft...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Romans 5:12-19

Author

Casey Clark

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Scripture

Romans 5:12-19

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? All are Unrighteous By the time you get to chapter five of Paul’s letter to the Romans, you’ve heard the argument build: we are unrigh...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Micah 5:2-5a

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Scripture

Micah 5:2-5, John 3:30

Check out our video discussion of the text with Austin D. Hill & Stu Strachan. Click here to view! The small size of Bethlehem reminds one of a common biblical theme: When God is about to do ...

illustration

A Father’s Love brings Hope and Endurance

Author

Wayne Rice

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Scripture

Matthew 28:20

The Barcelona Olympics of 1992 provided one of track and field’s most incredible moments. Britain’s Derek Redmond had dreamed all his life of winning a gold medal in the 400-meter race, and his dream...

lectionary

First Sunday in Lent

Author

Casey Clark

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 5:12-19

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? All are Unrighteous By the time you get to chapter five of Paul’s letter to the Romans, you’ve heard the argument build: we are unrigh...

lectionary

Second Sunday of Advent

Author

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Scripture

Malachi 3:1-4, Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 13:null, Matthew 25:null, Revelation 22:null

Check out our video discussion of the text with the author, Austin D. Hill. Click here to view! AIM Commentary Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Malachi’s Context ...

lectionary

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:1-6, Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 63:1, Isaiah 55:1, John 4:13-14, John 6:35, John 7:37-38, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:14, Revelation 19:13, Exodus 40:34-48, John 1:14

Preaching Commentary A Revelation and a Prophecy The Revelation of Jesus Christ can be overwhelming to read and difficult to understand due to its heavy use of imagery and symbolism. However, the o...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Author

William Rowley

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Romans 4:13-25, Romans 10:8-13

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? The Old, Old Story Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (and perhaps Pentecost) are the resolution of a story that starts with all the way...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 62:5-12

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Scripture

Psalm 62:5-12

Leader: For God alone our souls wait in silence, for our hope is from him. People: He only is our rock and our salvation, our fortress; we shall not be shaken. On God rests our salvation and our glo...

lectionary

First Sunday of Advent

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Scripture

Isaiah 64:1-9, Exodus 19:18, Exodus 20:1-2, Isaiah 63:7-19, Isaiah 64:1-12, Isaiah 64:1-2, Isaiah 64:6, Isaiah 63:15, Isaiah 63:7, Luke 2:25, Luke 2:36-38

Advent 2020: Tear Down the Heavens Tear Down the Heavens Updated & expanded for 2023 AIM commentary Ancient lens What's the historical context? Longing created by exile For the...

lectionary

12th Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 2:4-13, Jeremiah 2:null, Jeremiah 1:, John 4:14

Preaching Commentary Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Passage Context - Divided Kingdom, Common Struggles The prophet, Jeremiah, conducted the bulk of his ministry in...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide Isaiah 64:1-9

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 64:1-9, Exodus 19:18, Exodus 20:1-2, Isaiah 63:7-19, Isaiah 64:1-12, Isaiah 64:1-2, Isaiah 64:6, Isaiah 63:15, Isaiah 63:7, Luke 2:25, Luke 2:36-38

Ancient lens What's the historical context? Longing created by exile For the Israelites, who escaped enslavement and exile in Egypt, the experience at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19 was formative. It...

liturgy

Leader: Lord, how many are my foes!

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Scripture

1 Samuel 17:45–47, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 8:23–26, Acts 16:25–26, 2 Corinthians 4:8–9, Psalm 3:1-7a, 8

Leader: Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me,“ God will not deliver him.” People: But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my he...

liturgy

In the silence, we raise our voice

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Scripture

Psalm 22:1, Isaiah 6:5, Romans 5:8, 2 Chronicles 7:14, 1 John 1:9, Ezekiel 36:26

In the silence, we raise our voice before you. We wonder aloud why you are so far from us when we call. In the agony of our cry, we are reminded that it is we who have wandered from your fold, from th...

lectionary

Second Sunday after Christmas

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Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 31:7-14, Psalm 23:null

Preaching Commentary In Israel’s tribal society, redemption was the act of a patriarch who put his own resources on the line to ransom a family member who had been driven to the margins of society b...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Jeremiah 33:14-16

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Scripture

Jeremiah 33:14-16, Jeremiah 32:1-2, Jeremiah 30:3, Jeremiah 30:16, Jeremiah 31:1, Jeremiah 31:31, Jeremiah 33:17-18, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Matthew 4:17, Revelation 21:null, Philippians 1:6

Check out our video discussion of the text with the author, Austin D. Hill. Click here to view! Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Exile and Catastrophe There is deba...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide Isaiah 61:1-4;8-11

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Scripture

Isaiah 61:1-4, Isaiah 40:null, Lamentations 1:2, Lamentations 1:9, Lamentations 1:17, Lamentations 1:21, Luke 4:18-19

Ancient lens What's the historical context? Living as Captives Our text today matches, at least in part, last week’s lectionary passage (Isaiah 40). Just as in Isaiah 40, a message of comfort...

lectionary

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21, Mark 12:35-37, Psalm 110:1, Matthew 1:1, 6, Matthew 24:36-44, Acts 1:7

Preaching Commentary Introduction to Revelation 21-22 The Revelation of Jesus Christ is a “pulling back of the curtain” to reveal both the unseen realities of the present (what is really going on i...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Jeremiah 2:4-13

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Scripture

Jeremiah 2:4-13, Jeremiah 2:null, Jeremiah 1:, John 4:14

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Passage Context - Divided Kingdom, Common Struggles The prophet, Jeremiah, conducted the bulk of his ministry in the latter half of the...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Isaiah 40:1-11

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Scripture

Isaiah 40:1-11, Lamentations 1:2, Lamentations 1:9, Lamentations 1:17, Lamentations 1:21, Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 3:4-6, John 1:23, Lamentations 1:2, Isaiah 40:null, Isaiah 40:3, Mark 1:14, Isaiah 40:1-11

Ancient lens What's the historical context? Longing created by exile While crises seem innumerable in the OT, none could compare to the crisis of exile. Babylon, in 587 BC, destroys the city ...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 71:1-6

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Scripture

Psalm 71:1-6

Leader: In you, O Lord, we have taken refuge; let us never be ashamed. In your righteousness, deliver us and set us free; incline your ear to us and save us. People: Be our strong rock, a fortress t...

liturgy

Shall

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

The time is now, for you have called, O God The place is now, for you have spoken Yes, it is a wilderness, a desert even So dry, so rough, so uneven Yes, the gap is so very wide between the high and ...

illustration

Hope Can Be Hard to Come By

Author

John Piper

Keywords

Hope

Scripture

Psalm 18:6, 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, Romans 8:28, Psalm 34:17-18, Isaiah 41:10, Lamentations 3:21-23, Philippians 4:13

But hope is hard to come by. I should know. I remember the time when I was once busy dying. It wasn’t long after I had broken my neck in a diving accident that I spent one particularly hopeless week i...

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 25:4-5 (ESV)

Author