Casting Hope

On this Pentecost Sunday, we are going to focus on the gift of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean that God's love has been "poured out" into our hearts?

Luke 15:1–32. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

The life of Jesus depicted in the Gospels is a deep resource for the Christian life. So is the death and resurrection of Jesus. But how many of us are drawing upon the ascension of Jesus on a daily basis? One scholar calls the ascension of Jesus our hidden resource. Let's explore how this Sunday.

Luke 14:25–35. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Exploring our intellectual barriers to belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus.

Luke 14:15–24. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

When we are desperate for change we so quickly run to "religion" (our human efforts at reaching the divine and changing our behavior). It gives us an illusion of control. And in some cases, when our religion is really hard, it provides a satisfying sense of accomplishment, not to mention attention and praise from others. The book of Colossians tells us that even Jesus followers can twist their fai...

Luke 14:1–14. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

The resurrection of Jesus is proof of our future resurrection. But there seems to be a lot of time in between! How should we live as we wait for our future resurrection? Should we expect perfection? If not, what?

Luke 13:31–35. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

The resurrection of Jesus is not just a good ending to tragic story. It changes everything. For the seven Sundays of Easter we are exploring the implications of the empty tomb. This week we will explore what the resurrection means for our daily work, our jobs, our vocations.

Luke 13:22–30. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

The resurrection of Jesus is not just an event outside of us; we are joined to Jesus. This means we can "practice resurrection" (Berry) today. We are joined to Jesus in his death and his new life. And so we can walk in new life today. Showing the world what our future resurrection will one day look like.

Luke 13:18–21. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Life is scary. Matthew's report of the resurrection of Jesus does not erase this truth. In fact, the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection were afraid even as they worshipped the Risen Jesus. But Jesus gives us two gifts when we are afraid: 1/ a merciful response to our fear, and 2/ a purposeful mission. We will explore both this Easter Sunday.

Luke 13:10–17. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Jesus describes what it means to follow in his Way. We practice forgiveness and humilty. Both of these practices are humanly impossible. But God gives us a mustard seed of faith.

Luke 12:49–13:8. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Jesus says to the Pharisees: "you are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts." Jesus is calling us to live before an audience of one.

Luke 12:35–48. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Luke 12:13–34. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Jesus tells three stories to describe, and invite us into, his welcome.

Luke 12:1–12. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Luke 11:33–54. Part of the series “The Gospel of Luke”. Preached by Joe Haack. Hope Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Jesus looks at a large crowd of people following him around. And instead of rejoicing in his own fame, he challenges his followers to consider what it means to truly follow him. As Hans Bayer once said, following Jesus is like giving him a blank check. We surrender our life to his purposes. At first this seems impossibly bad. But it is the truest path to freedom.