Holy Cross Lutheran Church

We live in a world that rewards productivity, praises busyness, and quietly teaches us that rest must be earned. But Jesus offers something radically different: rest not as a reward for finishing your work, but as a gift for weary souls. In Him, we discover a surprisingly better way to carry the weight of life.

Often times, the water begins to get rough well before one encounters rapids. It doesn’t take long before the early church would encounter rough water. But, rather than retreat, the early church presses into prayer, asking for the strength and endurance to keep going…even if it means rougher water still.

Anyone who has ever rafted down a river quickly recognizes the power of moving water. Jesus promised that His disciples would do “greater things than Him,” and it’s the Spirit who keeps us connected to the POWER. As the church begins to expand, Jesus’ ministry of power — particularly in healing — continues to be a primary tool for witness. And while all that power could go to one’s head, the disci...

Learning the pace, tempo and rhythm of the water is key to any rafting trip - especially as one approaches the power and unpredictably of the rapids. In the wake of the Spirit’s outpouring, the early church discovered spiritual rhythms that kept them intimately connected to Christ - and prepared them for the rough rapids that would come.

The work of Christ, on a cross and through a tomb, created a ripple that touched the edge of every human experience. Yet, it was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that opened the floodgates! While Jesus attracted a good number of disciples, it’s in the wake of the Holy Spirit’s coming that the church sees exponential growth. Today we celebrate the opening of the floodgates and the outpouring of th...

The resurrection ripple touches everything, affects everything, and redefines everything. The resurrection is THE defining moment of all human history. And it is worth dying for. Stephen - the first martyr - was so convinced of Jesus’ resurrection, His Lordship and the life He brings…that he was willing to lay his life on the line rather than deny the life that was his in Jesus. And yet, in his de...

The pivot from disciple-arresting Saul to disciple-making Paul is his encounter with the Resurrected Jesus. The Jesus Who died, Whom the disciples claimed had risen from the dead, Whose teaching was unraveling everything Saul loved - that Jesus met Saul on a road. And his interaction with the resurrected Jesus - left him so that he could see the world anew. That’s what the resurrection does - it a...

The resurrection ripple affected each disciples - but perhaps, none as profoundly as Peter. Peter’s journey from “I don’t know him” to “Jesus Christ IS the Cornerstone” can be indicative of each an ever one of us - our past failures hidden in the blinding light of Jesus’ resurrection.

The resurrection life is an abundant life - both now and in the world to come. But, the abundance that Jesus speaks about is often at odds with the abundance the world desires. In fact, the abundant life will only be found when the desire for the abundance of the world…dies. The resurrection ripple brings death and life.

The implications of an empty tomb were not immediately known. In fact, some disciples lived in fear — talking in hushed tones and wondering what’s next. No doubt, the journey to Emmaus was exactly that. But - it’s there, on the journey, that Jesus meets those wrestling with “implications” and questions of “what’s next.” And it’s there - that Jesus provides the guide needed to keep walking in faith...

Christ is risen! The resurrection is an event that alters the world as we know it. And yet, in those early hours, doubt is present…and not just from crowds…from within Jesus’ close-knit group of friends — his own disciples. Like lots of people, Thomas needs assurances. He needs proof. His doubt is written into history but not for the reason most assume. His doubt is not shunned by Jesus, but embra...

The weight that crushed Christ on Good Friday does not rise with Him on Easter. Death remains in the grave; sin remains condemned; wrath remains satisfied. Christ emerges without the burden He carried—and because He rises without it, so do we. Easter is not just victory after suffering. Easter is the removal of the entire weight of the world’s sin. The burden that has followed humanity from Genesi...

Jesus enters Jerusalem as the long-promised King—but He does not come to take power. He comes already bearing the full accumulated weight of Scripture: the first sin, the broken Law, Israel’s failures, their laments, their exile, their sacrifices, and their stone-hard hearts. The crowds cry “Hosanna,” but the King rides in carrying the burden they cannot see—the sin of the world. Palm Sunday is no...

Even after returning from exile, Israel’s deepest captivity remains: the hardened, unresponsive heart that cannot keep God’s covenant. The problem is no longer Babylon—it is within. Sin is not just what we do; it is what we are. Into this hopelessness, God announces the New Covenant—a promise to give His people a new heart, a new spirit, and forgiveness that will not be revoked. This promise leads...

Exile confronts God’s people with a devastating truth: everything they trusted—land, temple, king, identity—can be stripped away. Captivity exposes the fragility of human security and the depth of spiritual dislocation. Yet God promises deliverance from an unexpected source: a Persian king named Cyrus, called His “anointed.” Through this unlikely rescuer, God restores His people and foreshadows Ch...