Hope Alliance Nazareth

King Solomon was the wise king of Israel that built the massive Temple to house God's presence in the center of Israel.  But in his foolishness he lost everything.  At Christmas we celebrate Jesus, "God's wisdom for us", who brought God's presence near...into our hearts and lives.

David was just a shepherd boy who defeated Goliath, became a national hero, then King of a united Israel.  Despite the promise of an enduring kingdom, his life ended in weakness and after gross sin.  What we find this Advent is the hope of another hero, who defeats the giants and whose kingdom goes on forever!

The book of Ruth provides us with a wonderful glimpse into the redemption of God.  Working through the faith of Ruth and the grace of Boaz, we see God redeem Naomi after her rebellion, blaming, and selfishness.   It's good news for us, too!

Matthew includes Rahab in the genealogy of Jesus to show us that God's heart is to rescue sinful people from all nations.  It is the gift of God to bring the outsider in to the family of God by grace through faith.

In one of the most disturbing passages of the Scriptures we see that Jesus' family tree includes some incredible brokenness.  But, we see that God's gracious redemption is possible!

In the defining moment in his life, Jacob the wrestling, conniving, deceiving patriarch of Israel wrestles with God.  He comes away limping and surrendered.  As followers of the better Jacob (Jesus) who wrestled with God on our behalf, we, too, can surrender and walk humbly with God.

"Abraham fathered Isaac" is a loaded statement.  In Genesis 17 and 22 we find that Isaac is the promised son who would bring joy to the world, but he was also the willing sacrifice.  Jesus is the better, perfect Isaac!

Matthew includes a genealogy to begin his account of Jesus to show us the faithfulness of God to fulfill his promises.  And in tracing the genealogy back to Abraham, he is making it clear that the new family that was supposed to center around him actually finds its true fulfillment in Jesus.

The person that knows Jesus in their life, will use their life to make Jesus known.  At Hope Alliance we call that a "multiplication mindset".  It's the full life that Jesus promised, and it's how the kingdom of Jesus expands in the world!

In a Gospel saturated life and church we can be honest with God and with one another.  We do not need to fake our faith or hide our sin.  Instead, we can find full life by having genuine connections with God, self, and others.

At Hope Alliance we believe it should be casual and easy for people to see Jesus in our church, our lives, and our homes.  But, we also believe it requires depth to stay with Jesus on the journey of life.    We call this Casual Depth.

The Gospel is a proclamation, not a proposition.  It rescues and renews us to produce fruit out in the world.  Through our love of Jesus we begin to live the life of Jesus, one Gospel saturated day at a time.

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.

Choosing to follow God as our shepherd is both a child-like act of faith and a choice we make in wisdom.  

The journey home to God is long and we need strength to endure.  We learn in Psalm 84 that strength is found in God's presence and in the pursuit of Him through worship, serving, and drawing close to Him in integrity and trust.

Using grand poetic language, the author of Psalm 91 wants the people of God to know they can count on God to be their refuge.  And when we intentionally trust God with our lives, we can find tender protection and ultimate salvation under "his wings".

If we do not intentionally remember, we accidentally forget.  David tells his soul (and ours) to both bless God and remember God's compassionate character and covenant love.  

God's design for humanity and the world is one full of good.  In our sin and idolatry we have messed that up.  But God in HIS goodness wants to show us a better way through the Gospel.

In the Psalms there is an overwhelming sense of the "otherness" of God.  The Lord is Holy Psalm 99 declares.  And our response to a Holy God can be nothing other than worship.

Using Psalm 95 as our example we find that the entirety of the Psalms revolves around a key concept: The Lord is God....yesterday, today, and forever.   How will you respond to God today?

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wants his readers to know that we can do the right things but in the wrong way.  The mark of maturity in a Christian individual and church is a life of love.  In the end, our ministry will go away, our faith will become sight, our hope will become reality, and we will fully know that love never fails.

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.  

Love listens to others patiently, without needing to prove a point, perform, or produce.  And in so doing, love can share the good news beautifully and in a timely way.  

The Jesus way calls us to be WITH people in love.  While worry and hurry keep us away from people, love humanizes others and moves closer!

John tells us that we love others because we've come to know and be loved by the God who is love and loved us first.  And when we come to know this God, we cannot help but love others.  And that love of God and for others changes and matures us.