Renewal Church Denver

We open this series looking at the person of Paul. Paul, who was a fast riser in the Jewish community encounters Jesus and comes to the determination that all his past glory and honor was nothing compared to the great gift He had in Jesus. We look at Paul's quest for "righteousness" finds it's answer not in climbing up to God through His works, but through Jesus's grace in coming down for us.

We are promised forgiveness "through his name," that is, through the name of Jesus. But what does Jesus even mean, and why is his name so powerful? It's because in a world where nothing else can save, Jesus is the one and only.

Above Jesus's head, they charged him as "King of the Jews." But they didn't seem to want him as their king. From the first time Jesus was pronounced the king of the Jews to the very end, the very people he was given to as a king rejected him. In reflecting on Good Friday, we see that whether we want a king or not, Jesus is king. And even if he's the kind of we want, he's the very king we need.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, the crowds shouted "Hosana to the Son of David." The name, Son of David, was not just a nice reference to Jesus's family line, but rather a declaration of who Jesus is and the what promises that he fulfills. In being the Son of David, Jesus promises to be a king who will reign forever. Being a part of His household, we, like David, ask God t...

As we finish the book of Ruth, we look back at Naomi's journey. In seeing the redemption at the end, we have a better view of her struggles earlier in the story where she couldn't see God's care for her. In doing so, we see God's working of redemption in our lives even in the midst of suffering.

In this big moment in the story, Boaz makes a public, clear, and costly commitment to take Ruth as his wife. In doing so, he gives us a picture of Jesus's commitment to His Church and our responsive commitment to Him.

We zoom out in the story to reflect on God's work in the book of Ruth. Remarkably, God's actions haven't been mentioned, but He clearly is moving things along to bring Naomi and Ruth to a place of redemption. We explore God's work through His created world and how he works in the ordinary aspects of life and the seemingly ordinary gifts of His Word and Sacraments. In seeing this, we see how God us...

In a surprising sequence, Naomi sends Ruth on a mission to Boaz to ask him to redeem her. In doing so, Ruth demonstrates a level of faith and is rewarded for such, and Boaz shows a willingness to follow God's order above his own desires. These give us room to reflect on Jesus, and how our hope in him will not put us to shame and frees us to do things his way.

In this section of Ruth, we're introduced to the most important word of the story, "Redeemer." This one word changes the whole story from a nice one about a man helping some women in need to God making things right. In doing so, he shows us how he'll redeem his people through Jesus and how he redeems even the hardest challenges we face.

Boaz sees Ruth in need and then goes above and beyond in helping her. This reflects both God's attitude towards us and sets an example for how we are called to meet the needs around us.

We're introduced to our third primary character in this story, Boaz. And we're told that he's a "worthy man." What makes someone worthy and what qualities and characteristics should we be striving for? In this message, we reflect on Boaz's character and the worthiness that is given to us in Jesus.

Ruth makes an incredible decision to stay with Naomi even though she's giving up her home, her family, and her life as she knows it. In reflecting on her love, sacrifice, and reception, we see a glimpse of Jesus' love, our sacrifice, and the Church's reception towards outsiders.

Naomi has experienced tremendous loss. This pain begins to metastasize into bitterness towards God and towards her lot in life. And yet, God works to thaw her cold heart through his loving presence and care through Ruth. In exploring this, we see how bitterness plays out in our lives and how God's love and forgiveness can overcome it.