Grace for New Life

With all the disorder in and around us, it is hard for us to have peace. Who can calm the storm within our heart? Jesus. He has defeated all the threats we face and gives us a greater and grander new life with him. How do we know this is true? Because Jesus has risen from the dead. How do we receive peace from Jesus? Through faith in him. (Based on John 20:19-31.)

The natural inclination of humans is to think that the path to greatness requires gathering more: more power, more wealth, more people, and more possessions. But Jesus shows us that true greatness is found on a Path of Sacrifice. As we give up our lives for Jesus’ mission to love, restore and renew the world, we find that he has given us a life that is greater than anything we could ever ask or im...

Bombarded by online scammers and opposing opinions on paths to health and wholeness, we are naturally skeptical. How do we know who really has our best interests at heart? The One who laid down his life for us to give us eternal life with him. Let’s listen to his voice and follow him. (Based on John 10:1-10, 27-30.)

This Sunday, we continue to celebrate the birth of our Savior in song as the choir blesses us with their Christmas Cantata. As we begin this New Year, may our hearts still be filled with Christmas joy!

It may seem like life has no meaning or purpose, but the Bible tells us that God created all things and still loves this world even though it has fallen into brokenness. He is directing human history toward a Grand Conclusion when He will restore and renew all things for a new forever life with him. And we find our purpose in life when we find our place in His story. (Based on Rev. 20:11-21:7.)

It might seem gloomy to think of the Day of the Lord in the days leading up to Christmas. But this broken world needs to be set right, and the Messiah born in Bethlehem is the One who will banish all evil and make all things right, including us. The Day of the Lord is the day when our faith will be vindicated. Therefore, we can look forward to that day with hope and thankfulness. (Based on 2 Peter...

Join us as the Sunday school presents “Little Benjamin and the First Christmas”. The children of Walnut Grove Lutheran church will share the story of the first Christmas in a reader theatre style. Come and see what happens when Benjamin discovers the very special guest that comes to his father’s inn.

Holiness is an impossibly high bar for us humans to reach. However, with Jesus, holiness is not an accomplishment we achieve, it is an identity we receive, an identity that will be fully revealed at the end of time when Jesus comes back to make us and all things right. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to be who God created and redeemed us to be, his holy people in this world, glorifyin...

Advent is all about God's preparations for Jesus first coming affirmed through Old Testament predictive prophecies.  What makes this so exciting is that all the First Coming prophecies were filled precisely, and because of that, we can look to at least 614 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus' Second Coming being fulfilled as certain as well.  On this first Sunday of Advent, our message...

This Sunday our focus will be on Jesus and his teachings about the End Times. These are found in Matthew 24 and 25; Mark 13; and Luke 21. These give us the Signs of the Times. But there is so much more, as we examine Old and other New Testament scriptures. Join us as we see what Scripture says and how we as Christians try to put all these Scripture texts together.

Each day we cross another finish line, with an evaluation of how we can live and serve others and the Lord better.  It's like running a race with a finish line - a few minutes to a few hours.  But there is a final end of life finish line as well that we all must pass through. It's the one that really counts.  What are the personal and Biblical preparations we make for crossing that finis...

When people don’t get what we think they deserve, we consider that to be an injustice and we are offended. But there would be no hope for humanity if God gave us what we deserve. In spite of the fact that we are all sinners, God gave us what we do not deserve: grace, his love and salvation. (Based on 1 Timothy 1:3-17.)

Being skeptical about anything that we cannot detect with our senses may seem logical, but it cuts us off from comprehending the mysterious nature of God. It takes the wisdom of faith in Jesus for us to see the wonderful treasure we have in him. (Based on Col. 2:1-15.)

God created us to live in community. We need other people and other people need us. And as we live our unique life in an interconnected and interdependent web of relationships, people are blessed, lives are enriched, and God’s kingdom grows. (Based on Philippians 1:1-11.)

The greater our need the more we appreciate a gift that meets that need. A meal is more satisfying when we are hungry. A financial gift has greater value when it wipes out our debt. In the same way, Jesus’ gift of new life is dearer to us when we realize that, without it, we were dead. (Based on Eph. 2:1-10.)

We celebrate events and accomplishments that are important to us. For a Jesus-follower, life in this world with all its challenges can seem dour. What helps us to persevere is our focus on the celebration to come at the end of time. Because of Jesus, and his death and resurrection, we already know how the story will end! (Based on Rev. 21:1-7.)

When life gets hard and our strength and energy are depleted, it is easy for us to get discouraged and consider giving up. But then we remember that we are not running alone, nor are we running in our own strength. Our hope is in the Lord, who renews our strength. (Based on 2 Tim. 4:1-8.)

The driver of an F1 race car needs to shut out all distractions and have a laser-sharp focus on their race for them to have any chance of success. And it is the same with us as we run the race of our life. We are attuned to our surroundings so we can navigate them successfully, but our focus is on Jesus, who both begins and completes our race for us. (Based on Heb. 12:1-13.)

For those who work in potentially dangerous situations, their training is paramount, for training well is what enables them to automatically respond appropriately in such situations. It is the same for us who follow Jesus. Trials and tribulations are inevitable in this life, but when we train for those eventualities with the gifts that God has given us, we are better equipped to navigate them succ...

Becoming an F1 driver is a rare and daunting task. The only way to have a hope of accomplishing such a thing is to see that as your desired future and work wholeheartedly toward it. It’s our vision that coalesces our energy, resources, and attention in a drive toward our desired goal. Having a vision for the one and only life that God has given us is also important, and our vision is Jesus. (Based...

When we encounter someone who looks, thinks, or acts differently than us, our natural tendency is to distance ourselves and look down on them. In doing so, we forget what we share: we are both lost and broken sinners who need a Savior. That Savior has come to us, his name is Jesus, and in his power and grace, we reach across the barriers that separate humanity so we can all share in the salvation...

All of us have said, thought, or done things that fill us with guilt and shame which pulls us away from God. But with the forgiveness we have in Jesus, and the courage of the Holy Spirit within us, we go deeper into Jesus’ love and love others with the love that he has first given us. (Based on John 21:15-25.)

When we insist on things going our own way, we are often blind to the negative impressions we make on others and the way we negate any influence we may have with them. By his example, Jesus reveals true leadership to us. He humbly took the lower place to lift us up to a higher place: rich, full, abundant life with him forever. (Based on John 13:1-17.)

When the fast pace of life and other forms of stress take their toll on you, how can you get relief? When you get weary, what does a good rest look like? Let’s explore what Scripture tells us about entering God’s holy rest. (Based on Hebrews 3:7 – 4:13 & Matthew 11:28-30.)

Throughout life, there will be times when circumstances threaten to overwhelm us. Our optimism dims and our mood can darken. In such times, we need help from outside ourselves, we need Jesus. He has the power and the authority to make all things turn out for our good, and when we trust in him to do that, our perspective takes on a whole new, and more positive, direction. (Based on Luke 7:1-10.)