New Beginnings Lutheran Church

Preppers have a basic tool box, and then a variety of other kits (e.g., demolition; cleaning; gardening). We are wise to assess our tool collections. When need arises, we will likely need to pool our resources to get a job done.

Someone said that the best defense is a good offense. Some seem to think this means we need to be as offensive as possible! You might be surprised what has proven most successful in the Christian arsenal over the centuries.

In the best of times we need shelter. Catastrophe or not, real estate’s number one rule, “location, location, location,” remains true. We’ll learn this week that a roof over-head is about more than just protection from the elements.

Without food, your body will not function properly. The average person will not survive ten-days without food, but it seems many like to test their limits. But we do not have to suffer food-insecurity. We are prepared.

Preparedness is necessary for survival and good hygiene is critical. Besides, it feels good to stay clean. Some have said cleanliness is next to godliness, let alone healthiness. How do we wash-up after a collapse?

Uncertain times lay ahead. Access to water is critical. Water is a precious resource, necessary for life. Water makes us alive, defines who we are as well as how we live. Never forget the water!

Are you prepared for when the grid goes down? A burgeoning market of media, books, and preparedness expos have spawned to help you. If you want the best resource available, you’ll want to lean into Sunday’s gathering.

Do you want to see Jesus? I’ll tell you how you can see Him. He is closer than you ever thought. Jesus promised He would never leave us. We too easily miss Jesus ‘cause we’re not looking in the right direction.

How on God’s green earth can I muster the right motive? Can love be demanded? Certainly not. So if giving to another is transactional at worst or mere obedience at best, then what? Maybe giving is just practice for something more important.

What child is this? That’s the question posed by Mary, her husband, shepherds, peasants, angels, and kings. Do you know the answer? Who is this Jesus? After some 2000 years, we’ve only just begun to know!

How do you measure an act of generosity? If one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, then one person’s sacrifice may be insignificant to another--and vice versa. So, what you treasure may provide the measure.

When we are looking out for ourselves, it’s hard to see others. It’s hard to see Jesus. But Jesus is looking out for us. To the degree we are confident of Christ’s care for us, we will in the same measure be set free to take care of others.

The wise men came from the East to worship the Christ. But news of the birth of Jesus upset King Herod—so he sought to kill his rival. From day one, people were either for or against Jesus.

I love to pose the question: If everyone wants to go to heaven, then why does nobody want to die? Something in us resists the “consolation” prize of heaven. Consolation is for those who lose, but we win in the end! Accompanying reading: Revelation 1-5; 19-22 The Story, Chapter 31

If you were going somewhere and were told at your destination you would be bound and sentenced to death, would you turn around? Or would you continue to your inevitable demise? Accompanying reading: Acts 20-23; 27-28 Ephesians 1-6 2 Timothy 1-4 The Story, Chapter 30

One of history’s greatest U-turns is the story of the Apostle Paul. What about you? Do you have a U-turn story? Are you ready for a U-turn now? Accompanying reading: Acts 13-14; 16-20 Romans 1; 3-6; 8; 12; 15 1 Corinthians 1; 3; 5-6; 10; 12-13; 15-16 Galatians 1; 3; 5-6 1 Thessalonians 1-5 The Story, Chapter 29

To be a good Christian, you gotta be a good Jew. You should be circumcised, eat kosher food, and observe the prayers and rites of Judaism. That’s what everyone thought at first in the earliest expressions of “church.” So God scheduled a corrective zoom session with Peter. Accompanying reading: Acts 1-10; 12 The Story, Chapter 28

Let’s face it: if Jesus didn’t really come back from the dead, would anything else He said be worth listening to? Yes, it would! But Easter did happen, and that makes everything Jesus said worth living! Accompanying reading: Matthew 27-28 Mark 16 Luke 24 John 19-21 The Story, Chapter 27

On April 8, 1966, the cover of Time magazine asked, “Is God dead?” So what if He was? In Jesus, God died. And life has never been the same since. Accompanying reading: Matthew 26-27 Mark 14-15 Luke 22-23 John 13-14; 16-19 The Story, Chapter 26

Most of us have learned about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit--not three gods, but one God, yet three persons! What’s all the hullabaloo about the Holy Trinity? Accompanying reading: Matthew 17; 21 Mark 8-12; 14 Luke 9; 22 John 7-8; 11-12 The Story, Chapter 25

What if God were one of us: not a stranger on the bus, not tryin’ to make His way home, and not a holy rolling stone! What does it mean that Jesus was God (and man)? Accompanying reading: Matthew 5-7; 9; 14 Mark 4-6 Luke 10; 15 John 6 The Story, Chapter 24

For much of the Bible, the stress was upon going to, staying in, and returning to the promised land--all because God promised His people He would make them a nation. Then Jesus shows up and priorities seem to have changed. Accompanying reading: Matthew 3-4; 11 Mark 1-3 Luke 8 John 1-4 The Story, Chapter 23

The Old Testament often stressed that God set Israel apart to be holy; they were not to intermarry with other nations. Then the promised King of the Jews arrives with anything but a pure family tree! Accompanying reading: Matthew 1-2 Luke 1-2 John 1 The Story, Chapter 22

We never want to be that person who says, “Do as I say, not as I do.” We believe actions are as important as words and we will learn their power for transforming others where we live, work and play.

You can live a holy life through Jesus because He was completely holy – and your faith and hope is in Him.