New Beginnings Lutheran Church

We were made to see and know other people. This requires “attention over efficiency.” The faithful relationship between Ruth and Naomi shows how relationships ripple outward, shaping families and communities.

We were made for friendship. If you want a friend, be a friend because to have a friend you need to be a friend. The famous bond between David and Jonathon demonstrates how a friend can stick closer than a brother.

We spent weeks before Christmas waiting and learning the lessons of expectation. Some wait for the unexpected. Would we miss God if He showed up in ways contrary to our expectations? Or might we learn to see God in the places that we’ve been conditioned not to look?

Advent season teaches us how to look forward to the future by being joyfully and fully present now. Again, waiting is active. Waiting for the future involves transforming the present. In fact, waiting for Christmas is life transforming so that this time of year is more than a season, but a way of being. Mary, the mother of Jesus, portrays a lifetime of waiting.

Advent is a time we learn (or relearn) how to wait and discover (or rediscover) the art of savoring the future. No expecting parents want to rush their baby’s arrival, but want their child to arrive in the fullness of time. Likewise we practice expectancy without seeking to rush the process. John the Baptist embodies how we wait between two times.

Advent involves four weeks dedicated to waiting. Waiting is not about doing nothing, but can be immensely active. Even though some stores stock Christmas decorations beside Halloween candies in September, we practice anticipation in Advent. Isaiah and the prophets exemplify how we wait for the day of the Lord.

Waiting is a counter cultural pursuit today. We live in a culture of immediacy. Advent is a season in church time—appreciated only by those in the church. We get to wait for something that has already happened… and will happen again. Abraham and Sarah show us what it means when God calls us to wait.

“I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.” These words, inked by an apostle, were not intended to be screened onto a powerlifter’s muscle-shirt. This Word is about facing bull-and-bear markets in confidence with Christ.

Concern over the economy, inflation, and whether or not we’ll outlive our money let alone have too much week left at the end of our paycheck has become the American curse. Are we really as insecure as we have come to believe?

The American Dream has become a story about economic opportunity, freedom and independence, personal fulfillment and happiness. As we spend our lives attempting to fulfill this narrative, when does “contentment” arrive?

Where is God taking you? How do you see your future? The future appears to us like the waves of the sea: always changing. So even as we pursue what we see ahead, we hold loosely and move forward in faith that God will direct us, like Abraham.

Your when measures your success. You’ll know it when you see it. When will you know you’re accomplishing your mission--when you hit the bullseye? Nehemiah had clear goals and tangible outcomes to pursue. So will you.

Your how is the method you employ to accomplish your mission. Your how is the process that translates into action. Joseph exhibited this strategic thinking and Pharoah set him in place to implement his logic. Are you ready?

Your what is your mission. Your mission is your compass, your guiding north star. Your mission is your God-given mandate. This clarifies what you do. Moses knew what he had to do--God told him. God has told you too.

Your why explains your motivation. Why do you do anything? Or why don’t you? Your why also determines how you respond to what life throws at you. Job didn’t know why things happened, but he knew his why. Do you?

We’ve learned in this series that miracles help us see significance (the word “sign” is in significance) in the past, present, and future. Hopefully, we focus not on the miracles so much as the miracle worker. Like a window, we are meant to see through them.

We’ve learned in this series that miracles help us see significance (the word “sign” is in significance) in the past, present, and future. Hopefully, we focus not on the miracles so much as the miracle worker. Like a window, we are meant to see through them.

Miracles were around before Jesus. And claims of healings and even exorcisms point to more than one source. What makes a miracle work and, just as important, what work does it do in us? Miracles work a variety of outcomes.

People followed Jesus for more than just the catchy stories He told them. Jesus demonstrated authority and power. But the miracles of Jesus are about more than feeding people and curing their diseases. They mean far more.

Jesus cured the sick, cast out demons, and showed power over nature. Accounts like these are not unique to Christians. So what is the meaning for us behind the signs and wonders Jesus performed─both then and now?

Do you believe in miracles? Stories of miracle workers appear throughout the history and various religions of the world─even today. How would the message of Scripture have us see the signs and wonders Jesus performed? What do they mean for us today?

The Bible is not just one book but a collection of 66 individual books written by 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers, and kings. Despite the differences in occupations and the span of years it took to write it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book that leads to Jesus. There is one main plotline w...

THE CROSS IS NOT ABOUT WRATH | Jesus’ death on the cross is about redemption and atonement. But why do we need to be redeemed, what is atonement? Because of wrath! Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the debt that we had to God. Now we are free to live in faith. During this lesson, we will remember that Jesus’ death was because of our sins, not because of anything that Jesus did. The Father killed...

GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES | Poor Richard's Almanac was created by Benjamin Franklin in order for him to make a living. Inside each addition, he would include short ‘proverbs’ like this one. But it is not true. While the sentiment might flow out of the thought from our last study, we must understand that we cannot do anything on our own. It is only through the redemption of Jesus and the...

THIS WORLD IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT | Classic inspirational poster material. Rise to the occasion and make a difference. While not wrong on their own, this line of thinking can become our god because we make ourselves to be gods. While it is true God has placed us in this time and place to make a difference, it is not for our glory, for God’s name to be proclaimed and worshiped above all things.