Jesus speaks directly to our anxieties and fears, reminding us that our Heavenly Father knows what we need. Rather than being consumed by worry, we are invited to trust God and seek His kingdom first. We’ll look at how wonder, gratitude, and trust can replace fear and striving.
In a world of likes, clicks and shares, Jesus warns against practicing faith for attention or applause. Instead, He invites us into a sincere and deeply personal relationship with God through generosity, prayer, and fasting. We will reflect on our motivation when it comes to spiritual habits and practices.
Jesus challenges the instinct to get even and instead calls His followers to radical love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. In God’s kingdom, strength is shown not through revenge but through grace toward others — even enemies.
In a culture where words are often careless or manipulative, Jesus calls His people to honesty and integrity. Our words should reflect hearts shaped by truth and trustworthiness. We’ll consider how simple faithfulness in what we say can become a powerful witness to the kingdom of God and surprise those around us.
Jesus moves beyond outward behavior and speaks directly to the condition of our hearts. Anger, lust, resentment, and broken relationships reveal deeper spiritual struggles that God wants to heal and transform. Jesus shows us that the work in our hearts might be the most important work as those who follow Him.
Jesus calls His followers to live differently — like salt that preserves and light that shines. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we are invited to influence the world around us while staying rooted in God’s truth. Jesus names what it means to surprise the world with grace, purpose, and faithfulness.
Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with a surprising picture of who is truly blessed. In a world chasing power, success, and comfort, Jesus reminds those who are on the margins and struggling that God is still at work in their lives. Together, we’ll discover how God’s kingdom reshapes our expectations of the good life.
Even after profound encounters with God, waiting can expose impatience, fear, and misplaced trust. The golden calf reminds us that in-between seasons will always form us toward either deeper faith or false substitutes for control and certainty.
At Mount Sinai, Israel arrives at a defining moment between rescue and covenant identity. God shows them that salvation was never only about leaving Egypt—it was about becoming a people shaped by His presence.
Moses discovers that carrying everything alone is neither faithful nor sustainable. In the in-between seasons, God often forms us through community, shared burdens, and the humility to receive help.
When the people run out of water and face enemies, the wilderness exposes both their fear and God’s faithfulness. Formation happens as Israel learns that God can sustain them even when resources, strength, and confidence run low.
In the wilderness, God gives daily bread instead of long-term security, teaching His people to trust Him one day at a time. The in-between season becomes a place where dependence replaces self-sufficiency.
Caught between Pharaoh’s army and the sea, Israel faces the terrifying reality that freedom often feels uncertain before it feels victorious. God leads them into impossible places so they can learn that His presence makes a way where none exists.
On the night of Passover, Israel learns that deliverance comes not through strength or certainty, but through trusting God in vulnerability and surrender. Before they ever reach freedom, they must learn what it means to belong to God and move when He says go.
After Moses’ initial obedience leads to greater disappointment and pain, Moses and Israel must wrestle with their discouragement and confusion. God reminds them that formation often happens when faith must survive in between promise and fulfillment.
At the burning bush, Moses discovers that God often calls people in the middle of ordinary, hidden seasons. The “in-between” becomes holy ground when God reveals that His presence—not our readiness—is what prepares us for what comes next.
In 1 Peter 3:15 we hear “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” On this Sunday we will hear three stories of that hope from people in our church, and how being part of this work has impacted them.
This week we will continue the series called “Stories.” We will be looking at Ruth 4 this week.