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This week has been a very difficult and very significant week. It’s been a week of much pain, sorrow, heartache, confusion, bewilderment. It’s been challenging. I can’t help but think how much I hate times like these, how much I detest these gut wrenching feelings. Words certainly cannot describe all…

Grief in a Festive Season Needful and timely topic Hoover Dam: hold back the waters to build the structure, make the inevitable useful Message for many who struggle with not knowing what to do with negative emotions. kids playing with play-dough: all the bits get incorporated into the pure lump Biblical…

God’s faithfulness is still great.” This is where biblical lament is transformative. It not only gives voice to the pain you feel but also anchors your heart to truths you believe— or are trying to believe when dark clouds linger. Something bad may have happened in your life, which is why you are reading…

Reminder: Life is unfair . I don’t like. You don’t like it but it is true. This is one of the fundamental realities of the world we live in. What do we do when our expectations are not met? This is a key question we must ask ourselves often. What role does suffering play in our faithfulness? This is…

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Mourning Myself When looking throughout my life and sharing my testimony, it begins for me to recognize that I was separated from God first. This separation for me allows me to understand what caused that separation in the first place.…

Introduction Audience: Written to Judah, but the conversation is between the prophet and God. Date: 626-590 BC. It was most likely written after the destruction of the northern kingdom, but before the Judaen exile. This was a period of decline and rebellion in Judah before they were judged. Author: Nothing…

Let us pray…Gracious and ever-loving God, as we come to the end of our Lenten season, we come before you this afternoon looking for your guidance and comfort. We come with hearts heavy by the load we have carried for the last year and laden with the burdens that we have carried all this time. In this…

1 Why, O Lord , do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord…

What comes to mind when you hear the word Lament? Lament as a noun is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow or an expression of regret or disappointment; a complaint. Lament as a verb is the action of expressing ones regret or disappointment over something considered unsatisfactory, unreasonable,…

Sin is Real, and Jesus is the Solution

One of life’s most puzzling problems has been the enigma of the presence, persistence, and power of the evil, pain, and suffering experienced by mortals. ‘Why’, we all seem to ask, ‘is this happening to me? Why is all of this necessary? Will there never be an end to the mental distress which comes from…

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1 How long, O Lord ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light…

Trust is only proven in suffering. To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1 How long, O Lord ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider…

Let us pray…Gracious and always loving God, as we enter this season of Lent, we come before you this day/night asking that you would join our hearts with yours, help us to remember that your love for us knows no boundaries, and that this season, a season that has lasted for over a year now, will come…

I took God my Grief 3 The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. The psalmist declared that the pains of death surrounded him. The word “pains” refers to chords that can be used for a trap, like trapping animals. He expressed that the situation…

This Week’s Theme: Praise God for His Blessings Memory Verse: Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This Week’s Word is Blessings : Spiritual and material benefits given by God to be enjoyed. Blessing the name of God is…

13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their…

Grief & Mourning “Grief is the painful emotion of sorrow caused by the loss or impending loss of anyone or anything that has deep meaning to you.” Biblical Counseling Keys on Grief Recovery, June Hunt. Be gracious to me, O Lord , for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body…

Mark 16:9-14 Some Bible scholars do not believe that these verses were not actually written by Mark. They believe they were added at a later date by some other author. The reason they believe this is because the language used in these verses is different from the language used in the rest of the Gospel…

Sadness and sorrow are inherent features of this fallen world. Romans 8:18-25 captures this. If we cannot feel sadness then we are somehow disconnected from reality. Sadness should motivate us to press into Christ in the hope of the new creation, and to share God's love with all around us. The Inside Out clip mentioned in the sermon can be found at: https://youtu.be/M5pfng5S8tQ

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the…

Are you willing to learn from the pain in your life? Lament allows you to hear the lessons God intends to teach you through pain. (p. 89). Suffering— at every level— is an opportunity to learn. However, we must be willing to listen. (p. 90). Lament can be a prism through which we see a path for growth.…

1. Totuus: Jumala rakastaa meitä. 1 John 4:10 (R19331938) 10 Siinä on rakkaus—ei siinä, että me rakastimme Jumalaa, vaan siinä, että hän rakasti meitä ja lähetti Poikansa meidän syntiemme sovitukseksi. Syyllisyyden tähden ja riittämättömyyden tähden On olemassa käsitys, ettei Jumala ole tyytyväinen minuun.…

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and from our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. One of the joys of being your Pastor is the privilege of being around so many children almost every day. They all have the unique personalities, and yet they are all a joy to be around. But though their…

One of the mysteries of life is what happens after the death of the body. As a rule, Gentiles in Paul’s day did not believe in a resurrection and even some Jews didn’t. No wonder there was confusion about this teaching among these new believers. Was it physical or only spiritual? Had it already happened…