Hope Alliance Bethlehem

At Hope we believe it should not be hard to meet Jesus, but it is hard to stay with him.  So, we are guided by a key priority we call casual depth.  That means we want to create environments were everyone is welcome without expectation.  But when we gather, we also intend to to go deep in the gospel and in relationships to find the true life that Jesus offers.

At Hope we value gospel saturation.  Everything we do is saturated with the gospel because it is our true message and the only way we can bear fruit.  The gospel is not just an entrance into faith, it is the ongoing basis of faith.   

At Hope, we are defined by the statement Simply Jesus.   Jesus is first.  Everything else is second.  It's that simple.  The story of the transfiguration helps remind us that our role is to point people to Jesus only and avoid the common pitfalls and traps of religion.

Everyone has a shepherd.  In Psalm 23, David is telling us that God is the best shepherd.  Why?  He lead us to true contentment.  He nourishes our soul and gives it true rest.  He directs us toward God, even through dark seasons.  And he is a covenant companion with us.  

The psalmist says that one day in God's presence is better than a thousand elsewhere.  Why?  Because in God's presence we find strength.  The presence of God is our true home where we experience his genuine care, are restored by his grace and are redirected to worship.  In God's presence we are immersed in his goodness and even the valleys of weeping become blessings.

The psalmists love to remind us that God is our refuge.  That amidst the darkness of the night and terror of the day, God is our shield and protector.  However, this is not simply a call to hide in fear, but rather an assurance to keep moving forward.  And as we engage the world around us, we do so with God as our refuge when we trust, love and call on him.

When David says that God is compassionate, he is reminding his forgetful soul of what God has done and who God is - his character and his covenant.  This is the God who forgives and restores us. The God who redeems and rescues us.  The God who crowns us with his love and adorns us with his goodness.   This is a God to be feared and praised.

In the course of life, just like David, we run into fears, pain, loneliness, guilt and uncertainty.  Often beneath these feelings are deep questions in our soul.  David asked those same questions.  Will I be ashamed?  Can I trust God?  Is God good?  But he knew the Lord was good because he had experienced his guidance, his forgiveness, his protection and his comfort.

The holiness of God represented by the ark of the covenant was an anchor for the people of God.  No matter their circumstances or the powers that threatened them, the holiness of God meant that his just and equitable reign not only existed but would prevail.  How do we live in a broken, unjust and inequitable world today?  The resurrection of Jesus is our anchor, a fulfillment of the ark's pr...

Psalm 95 reminds us that the LORD is God.  He is the God far above any would be gods and he is our God who shepherds us through this life.  Our only response, no matter the current circumstances of life, is worship.  Worship is both an emotional and a volitional response to the realization that God is both the God and our God.

Paul tells the church at Ephesus to walk in the way of love.  What does this mean and how can we do it?  Perhaps the best answer comes from another letter of Paul to the church at Corinth.  In his famous poem on love, Paul shows us the volitional and active nature of love that we have experience from God and that we are called to exhibit in our lives.  

Central to loving another person is listening to them.  When we genuinely listen to each other, we affirm our shared humanity.  In an age of shouting over each other and the polarization that brings, Christians ought to lead the way in loving by listening.  We listen to understand.  And we listen to prepare ourselves to speak well if prompted.  In so doing, we follow the example of Jesus.  

Love engages other people, no matter their ideology or worldview.  It means getting proximate and embracing a posture of hospitality that humanizes everyone.  Jesus shows us exactly what this looks like and the societal impact it can have in his relationship with Zacchaeus.  May we go and do likewise!

As Christians we are people who have been radically changed by love.  God's love, ultimately displayed in the gospel, is transforming us.  We cannot manufacture love on our own.  Instead, we love others because we know God and have an ever deepening understanding of the gospel.  And when we step out in love toward others, we join in God's transforming work of our own hearts, helping to b...

How should Christians engage in politics, especially in this season of utter divisiveness?  For us at Hope, it means the church is necessarily apolitical, while individual believers engage as best as they can following their consciences.  But as a church and as individuals, we are governed by our mission to make disciples, our message - the gospel, our call to love God and others, and Jesus deep d...

Humanity tends to react to our polarized world by building towers.  Whether by fear or pride, we build towers around what we believe to be true and right in order to separate ourselves from the world.  Towers have never been God's design.  Instead, following Jesus and his calling on our lives, believers are called to be temples - bringing God close to humanity in loving pursuit.

If we are going to put on the new clothes of God's family, we have to embrace our true identity.  In order to help us do that, Paul offers some important rhythms to include in our personal and corporate lives as the people of God.  These rhythms foster a new creation culture for the family of God in Jesus.

As part of God's new family in Jesus, we have been given a new identity.  On the basis of this identity, we are called to live a different way.  Paul uses the analogy of putting on new clothes - compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  This is the ethos of our new family.  And we've been given the vocation of revealing God's character to creation by living this way.

Jesus is clear with his followers: if they want to be his disciples then they need to give him their highest love and loyalty.  This always means reordering priorities as well as leaving behind our past ways of doing things.  To fully embrace the new family of God in Jesus means to necessarily leave behind our family of origin.

To be adopted into the family of God through Jesus means we are adopted out of the family of Adam.  We are set free from the shame, rebellion and violence that characterize so much of humanity.  So, the only right response is to leave behind the ways of Adam and embrace the true life found in living God's way.

To be a Christian means to be adopted by God as a son or daughter.  This reality of adoption shows us God's heart of love and gives our lives a whole new trajectory.   God's love and grace flow lavishly on us and we respond by reflecting his glory in how we live.

God has always seen his people as a family.  But sin and rebellion have invited all sorts of blame and violence into our world.  The incarnation and ultimately the resurrection of Jesus is all about new creation.  It welcomes again the possibility of God's intention for humanity and our world.  And thus the resurrection launches a new family.

James finishes his letter with a warning about wandering from the truth - Jesus, the gospel and its implications.  Knowing that wandering can lead to death, James urges the whole church community to be alert and involved in the perseverance of the saints.

No matter the circumstances of life, our right response is prayer in dependence on God.  In particular for the weary and those who are sick, James urges them to call for the elders to pray for them that they might find healing.  Prayer offers healing by catalyzing God and by conforming us to his will and image.

A big part of the Christian life is patience, derived from an expectation of the imminent return of Jesus and the very character of God.  On the basis of this, James reminds us to be people who wait expectantly and persevere.  In order to do so, James reminds us to strengthen our hearts and be careful to groan properly.   In so doing we walk the way of Jesus.