Podcasts about in your name

Daily Dose of Hope July 11, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 24:36-51   Prayer:  Almighty God, We thank you for a new day and we praise your perfect name.  We are grateful that your mercies are new every single morning.  Help us see you in this day.  Help us recognize your voice.  Lord, help us reflect you today in our words.  Help us reflect you in our behavior.  Help us remember who and whose we are.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  I apologize for this devotional being late.  My rhythm got knocked off a bit with Vacation Bible School.  It was absolutely wonderful and exhausting in a good way.  We had just over 200 kids and roughly 65 volunteers.  Please continue to be in prayer for every child and every family – may those who don't know Jesus grow closer to knowing him and may those who don't have a church home come join us at New Hope.   Today, we are finishing up Matthew 24.  This is really a continuation of the discussion in the first portion of the chapter.  Jesus is saying that the time and hour he will return are not known.  And we are not supposed to be guessing and predicting.  We are simply told to be ready.   Certain groups of Christians have focused a great deal on the coming judgment and the end times. I think what we find in this chapter is that there is more that we don't know than what we do know. For thousands of years, people have predicted Jesus' return and the coming judgment and each and every time, they were wrong. I'm always a bit skeptical of anyone who makes predictions like these. I mean, the Scripture says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” If Jesus doesn't know, then why should we?   Keep watch. Be ready. We don't need to worry about the coming judgment because we know Jesus. But we do need to be actively living as a follower. We need to be sharing the Good News with others. We need to be genuine, loving, and truthful in how we do life. Do your neighbors know that you love Jesus? Do your coworkers know that you follow Jesus? Is your faith obvious and real? Why or why not? Let's take this Scripture seriously, friends.   The chapter ends with a parable about a faithful and unfaithful servant.  Jesus says that blessed is the servant whose master finds him working diligently when he arrives.  That servant will be put in charge of many possessions.  But the unfaithful servant is the one who assumes his master is delayed so he mistreats his fellow servants and drinks instead of working.  When the master arrives home unexpectantly, the servant will be cut into pieces and thrown in with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Well, that sounds pretty terrible.   What is the meaning of the parable?  Basically, Jesus is saying that our actions, our behavior, shows what we truly believe.  If we believe in Jesus, then we obey him and choose to do the right thing.  We live a faithful life, ready for when he will return.  If we don't obey and don't live faithfully, it's like saying we don't believe.   Don't deny God with your actions.  Know God and be ready for his return at any time.    Are you ready?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope July 10, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 24:1-35   Prayer:  Lord, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth!  We magnify your precious and powerful name.  How often we forget how mighty you are.  You created all.  You created us.  Thank you, Lord, for who you are.  Most of all, thank you for loving us with all our flaws and brokenness.  In all we do, in who we are, help us to be more like you.  We pray for humility, mercy, and compassion.  Help us see others through your eyes.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we start Matthew 24.   We start with this interesting discourse about the Temple.  Jesus has taken awhile to get to this point.  He has given plenty of warnings as to what is going to happen.  But the disciples just can't let it go; it's all a lot for them to understand at this point.  They draw attention to the size and grandeur of the Temple buildings.  Even though they were from Galilee, most of these men would have seen the Temple before.  They were required to attend multiple festivals each year at the Temple in Jerusalem.  But they continue to be enamored by the Temple.  And it was a beautiful sight.  Psalm 84:1 reads, How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty!   Thus, when Jesus tells them that the Temple will all be knocked down, they don't know what to make of it.  They want to know all the nitty gritty details.    What's interesting about this is that Rome destroys the Temple roughly forty years after Jesus said this.  This would be an ugly season in Jerusalem's history, with lots of persecution and oppression.  Is this what Jesus is referring to in nation rising against nation, famines, earthquakes, and so forth?  Scholars don't all agree but I think it's safe to say yes and no.  Yes, the Roman armies destroying Jerusalem in AD 70 was pretty horrific.  Much of the population was starved and/or eventually massacred.   But there is more to this.  This is more than just a “in the near future” scenario. It's also likely that Jesus is referring to the end of times and when he will return to judge all people.  We certainly have images of Jesus returning on the clouds with the loud trumpet call; this echoes prophecy in Daniel.  Look at verses 30 and 31, Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.   And up until this point, Jesus has often alluded to this.  He never tells people to be scared or worried, just to be ready.  As believers, we have nothing to fear.  We belong to Jesus.  Just be ready.  But there is still an urgency to this – how seriously do we take this?  Are we busy doing God's business, which includes leading people to Jesus?  Is sharing the story of Jesus a regular part of who we are as believers?  If not, why?  Do you believe that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead?  These are serious questions that every single one of us has to reckon with.    One other thing to mention about this passage.  At this point, the disciples still don't understand that God's presence now dwells in the person of Jesus Christ.  From their perspective, the Temple still holds the presence of God.  But the Good News of Jesus is that God's presence is no longer in a building but in Jesus.  God is Jesus and Jesus is God.   If that isn't enough to blow your mind, consider that the presence of God is now also in the person of the Holy Spirit.  Where does the Holy Spirit dwell?  Well, in us as believers!  So that means that the presence of God is in Jesus' church, his people.    That being said, are we living and acting like the presence of the Living God is in us?  I'll be honest; I always find this question so convicting.  Think about your day.  Think about what you said and did.  Was there anything that you would change if you could, thinking about how you represent the Living God?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope July 9, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 23   Prayer:  Almighty God, Thank you for a new day and a new chance to give you glory and praise.  You are an amazing God.  How incredible it is that you, who created everything, know my name.  You know every hair on my head.  While I am so grateful for your love and care, it is sometimes difficult for me to adequately wrap my brain around your expansive love and mercy.  Help me be a better reflection of you, Lord.  Help me see others through your eyes.  Help me be merciful, kind, and good.  Lord, I know I fall short.  So often.  But I want to do better.  In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, hear my prayer...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are working our way through a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are deep diving into Matthew 23.   Throughout most of this chapter, we see Jesus strongly denounce the Pharisees. Their system of rules and regulations was originally designed to help people seek godliness but their extremism only harmed people. The rules had become an end in themselves and the teachers of the law were much more concerned with following the letter of the law than they were about the people themselves. This gives the appearance of godliness but it is all a facade. The heart is still far from God.   We begin the chapter with a warning about hypocrisy.  You may remember this from Mark, but hypocrisy involves a discrepancy between one's outward actions and one's inner character, essentially acting a part rather than being genuine. The Pharisees were all about looking holy.  Jesus mentions how they don't practice what they preach.  He reminds his followers that the greatest among them will be a servant.    Let's think about this.  Think particularly about our faith community.  For most of us listening, that means New Hope Church.  Are the greatest among us serving?  Are we rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty?  My prayer is that no one thinks they are too good or too important to do the dirty work.  We are all equal at the foot of the cross and if we think otherwise, we have a big problem.    Okay, it's time to move on to the woes.  The word woe is an exclamation of grief, denunciation and means great sorrow or distress. The woes criticize the Pharisees for hypocrisy and illustrate the differences between inner and outer moral states.  The seven woes are addressed specifically to the teachers of the law and Pharisees; in one of the woes, He calls them “blind guides.” At the end of the woes, Jesus calls them “snakes” and “brood of vipers.”  He isn't kidding about hypocrisy.  What's interesting to me is that Jesus prefaced the seven woes by explaining to the disciples that they should obey the teachings of the Jewish leaders—as they taught the law of God—but not emulate their behavior because they were so far from God.    Jesus' final words in this chapter about Jerusalem are quite sad. Jesus loves Jerusalem and had longed for the people to love him back. He wanted to gather the people under his protective wings and offer them true solace and hope. Remember, this was the holy city where the temple of God resided. And yet, over and over again, the people of Jerusalem had rejected God's efforts to care for them. It was no different with Jesus. Jesus' words were also prophetic. When he says...”Look, your house is left to you desolate,” we understand from history that it isn't long before the Romans totally destroyed the city in AD 70. But besides the physical desolation of the city, there is this tone in the text that suggests God had forsaken it as well. And, of course, when Jesus states that they will not see him again, we know that he is indeed heading to the cross. His earthly ministry has come to a close until God does a new thing.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

A deep, personal devotional from Vivian Bricker. When life unraveled after the death of her mother, Vivian found herself standing at a spiritual crossroads. Her story is honest, raw, and deeply relatable. She trusted Jesus for salvation—but everyday faith? That was harder. Like many of us, she knew the truth in her head before it reached her heart. She believed God could heal and redeem, but wrestled with why He hadn’t stopped the pain in the first place. Yet through grief, studying Scripture, and time in His presence, her fragile faith grew into deep trust—one small act of belief at a time. ✨ Highlights: We often trust God with eternity but struggle to trust Him with tomorrow. True faith isn’t blind; it’s based on knowing God’s heart and seeing His faithfulness. Jesus still turns toward us, sees us, and says, “Take heart, daughter.” Faith grows when we take our pain to Jesus instead of pushing Him away.

Daily Dose of Hope July 7, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 22:1-22   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you this morning in awe of your blessings and love.  Thank you, Lord, for the ways you continue to guide our lives.  Lord, we want more intimacy with you.  We are desperate to know you better.  In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, please speak to us.  We need to hear your voice...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is the first day of Vacation Bible School (VBS) at New Hope.  We are expecting close to 200 children.  Please pray for every single child and their families, may they come to know Jesus.   Today, we are starting Matthew 22.  We are starting with the parable of the wedding banquet and it's a hard one.  Let's remember that parables are not meant to be taken literally.  Parables are intended to surprise the audience to make a point.  What can we learn from the Kingdom of God from this parable?  Let's be careful not to make arbitrary links between the text and God.  For instance, the king is like God in some ways, but he is not the same as God.  Also, his son is not Jesus.    This particular parable is somewhat complex and difficult to make sense of.  Why did the king not invite everyone to his banquet from the beginning?  Why did the invited guests reject the king's invitation?  That would have been unheard of in their culture!  And then, the king's violence against the guests who didn't attend does not make a lot of sense.  What is the radical message of this parable?   One possibility is that Jesus is actually continuing the parables of the Two Sons and the Wicked Tenants by making the point that there is nothing more important than doing God's will.  Even though people are called or invited to do God's work, they may neglect or refuse it, consumed with their own needs and self-interest.  But God isn't giving up on his work of saving people and calling others to join him in that task.  The subversive message might be that the position and status of religious leaders, such as the Pharisees, will not last forever.  God is going to achieve his purposes no matter what.  It may mean breaking traditions and doing new things.    And then we have the passage about paying tax to Caesar.  The Jewish leaders are really trying to find a way to trap Jesus.  By this point, they can't stand him and they simply want him out of their way.  He threatens their authority and what they find important.  Thus, they ask him about the poll tax.  We discussed this in Mark too.  This was a flat tax that every person living in the Roman Empire was forced to pay.  To the Jews, it was a reminder that they were far from free.  If Jesus had responded with a positive remark like “yes, definitely pay it!” then he would have turned off a lot of his audience.  If he had said, “don't pay it!” then he would have been seen as turning against Rome, a dangerous thing.  The way that Jesus answered the question blew everyone away!   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 27, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 18:21-35   Prayer: Holy God, Thank you for your incredible mercy.  Your compassion is never-ending and your love is powerful.  We are overflowing with gratitude.  Help us demonstrate this same compassion and love toward others.  May we become people of grace and see people through your eyes.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  I just want to remind you all of our amazing worship night tonight at 7:30pm AND our special guest on Sunday.  Dr. David Wilkinson is giving the message in the English-speaking service.  He is a PhD in both astrophysics and theology and his life's work has centered on the intersection between the Christian faith and science.  After the 9:30 service, he has also agreed to a Q&A in the social hall, where a pancake and sausage brunch will be available by donation.  All donations will go to the Residing Hope Children's Home.   Today is part two of Matthew 18.  Here we have this very uncomfortable parable on forgiveness.  Peter wants to know how far should forgiveness be extended.  I mean, Jesus had just offered this conflict mediation model for churches to ensure that justice is upheld.  But what about mercy?  Jesus' answer is really fascinating.  He basically is saying, “Stop keeping count!”   Let's talk a bit about the parable itself.  A servant owes his master a huge sum of money, something like 10,000 bags of gold.  The servant was facing both imprisonment and the sale of his family to compensate for the debt.  He goes to the master and asks for mercy.  The readers are totally surprised – the master shows tremendous compassion and mercy.  He totally forgives the huge debt.  Unheard of and an act of extravagant compassion.   That same servant then goes demanding payment of a debt that a fellow servant owes him.  This isn't a big debt, but something smaller and more manageable.  When the fellow servant asks for more time, the forgiven servant refuses, denies compassion, and has the poor guy thrown in prison.   Seeing the injustice of all of this, there are whistleblowers that see what happens and let the master know.  The master is enraged and reinstates the man's debt.  How could he fail to show compassion after such great compassion was shown to him.  He is imprisoned and tortured.    While the ending is really horrific, Jesus is once again making a point.  Forgiveness is critical and yet it is very hard.  If we look at the whole of Matthew 18, we see the need of both holding people accountable and offering extravagant compassion and forgiveness.  How do we even begin to reconcile this as a church?  Upon doing research on this topic, one scholar suggested that the most powerful and instructive model is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-apartheid South Africa, guided by Bishop Desmond Tutu. Reconciliation entails both the offer of forgiveness and the naming and acceptance of responsibility for wrongful, wounding conduct. This approach to mercy and justice is congruent with Jesus' call in Matthew 18 as a whole: while the faith community prioritizes grace and mercy, it also holds its members accountable for what they do to others.    But what else might Jesus be saying in this parable?  Pay compassion forward.  God has been extraordinarily compassionate toward us.  He gave his Son for us, so we might live abundantly now and in the future.  Our sins are forgiven, our slate has been wiped clean.  We owe Him a debt of gratitude.  And yet, here we see what that looks like in a practical way.  Show mercy, demonstrate compassion, love well, and forgive.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 25, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 17   Prayer:  Almighty God, As we move into our Wednesday, we pray that today will be a day that we see glimpses of your glory.  We need you, we yearn for you.  Lord, help us set aside our distractions and settle our scattered thoughts so we can focus on you and you alone.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Just a reminder, it's Wednesday so that means it's Recharge night!  Come join us, if you are local, at 6:30pm in the Garage, which is on the New Hope campus, on the Moon Ave. side.  We will have worship, fellowship, prayer, and small community.  It is a wonderful time and I hope to see you there.   Today, we are diving into Matthew 17.  Scripture says that Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of this mountain, most likely Mt. Hermon because it was close to Caesarea Phillipi, where they just were. Matthew writes that Jesus was transfigured before him. His clothes became a dazzling white, and his face was a bright as the sun.   Now, put yourself in the position of these three men. They had only know the flesh and blood Jesus. We know Jesus as risen Lord and Savior. I think we would expect him to wear dazzling white robes and be all shiny and glorious. But they didn't. Right before their very eyes, they get a glimpse of Jesus' glory that was unexpected and they had never seen before. Jesus was radiating the very presence of God and they got to see it. And then the Scripture continues–Moses and Elijah appeared before them and they were talking to Jesus. We don't quite know why Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with Jesus except that they were two Old Testament figures that anticipated the coming of Jesus, the final prophet to come and deliver God's people once and for all. Their work, their ministries, are basically fulfilled by the person of Jesus. They are servants of God but they weren't God. Jesus, on the other hand, is God and the disciples get a glimpse of that right here.   Peter struggles to simply rest in the presence of God's glory. He doesn't know what to do so he says, “let's set up three shelters–one for you, Jesus, and one for Moses and Elijah.” Now, Peter is referring to the festival of booths or tabernacles which faithful Jews participating in every year. They make structures in their yards as a sign of when God will tabernacle with his people. So, this might seem like a weird thing for Peter to say to us but it wasn't too off the wall. He is like, “umm...I think God is tabernacling with us and we need to make the shelters.” He is kind of panicky. It seemed like a good thought at the time. What Peter doesn't quite understand yet is that before his eyes God's dwelling with humanity is present, for Jesus is the new tabernacle of God dwelling with humanity. The shelters aren't needed. God is present with his people through Jesus Christ.   That's all pretty amazing but the mountaintop experience isn't done yet. There is a cloud that appears and covers them–remember the presence and glory of God appeared in a cloud in the tabernacle and throughout the Old Testament. And here is the presence of God appearing before them and the voice of God says “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” Jesus is clearly set apart from Moses and Elijah, only he is God's Son, the one to be listened to. The one who reflects God's glory and presence.   There is something about mountain-top transfigurative experiences – times in which we get a glimpse of the glory and presence of God in our lives. I'm hoping you have each had some kind of mountaintop experience in your walk with Jesus, times in which the veil was removed, you've gotten a taste of the presence of God. These are times in which we are confronted with God's power and it can't help but change us. You realize that Jesus wasn't just a good, wise man who walked the earth 2000 years ago but rather was God himself, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.   Now, we have to decide, what are we going to do with this? Have you had a mountaintop experience? They can happen in a lot of different ways, in many different kinds of places. A miracle, a conference, the Walk to Emmaus, a trip to Israel, in the midst of a tragedy or an epiphany, a literal trek up a mountain. An encounter with the living God can happen in a myriad of different ways but it is always life-changing.   I was reflecting on the importance of mountain-top experiences. They sustain us when we come down from the mountain. We can't stay on the mountaintop. Real life happens on the bottom of the mountain. What happens when Jesus and the disciples come to the bottom of the mountain? Well, some good stuff–teaching, healings, miracles, but also bad stuff–rejection, betrayal, crucifixion. It's our time on the mountains with Jesus that sustain us for the inevitable hard times to come.  These experiences also help us put things in perspective...God is God and we are not---but we are loved by God, we are his children, and we belong to God. Revelations like this change us, they transform our hearts.   After the transfiguration, we see Jesus get right back to the work of ministry.  He heals a demon-possessed boy that the disciples could not heal.  Jesus appears to easily rebuke the demon and it comes out of the child.  When they ask Jesus why they could not do the miracle, as they had done miracles before under Jesus' authority, he tells them it was due to their lack of faith.  If only they had faith like a tiny mustard seed, then nothing would be impossible.  What?  This doesn't make sense.  Let's dig deeper.  During that time, it wasn't unusual for Jews to use certain rituals or tactics to try to cast out demons.  Could it be that the disciples were trying to cast out the demon in their own authority (or through their own power) rather than by the authority given to them by Jesus.  Afterall, just a little faith in Jesus can yield big results.  But faith is a unique thing, unlike anything else.  It isn't a substance, in the more you have the more power you have, nor is it a kind of magic to be manipulated, but confidence that we can do what God calls us to do. Jesus is not saying if you had more faith, you could pray and impossible things would happen (you get suddenly rich, someone is miraculously healed, etc.)  That's kind of absurd.  Jesus spoke in hyperbole.  But he is making a point. The disciples were given authority over demons, but they failed because they were trying to manipulate God like an ancient magician. Having shown his power to his closest disciples on the mountain, Jesus demonstrated his authority once again over demons. He continues to teach his disciples so that they fully understand who he is, and that leads to the second of three predictions of his coming death and resurrection. Finally, let's move to the temple tax discussion because its an interesting one. The tax collectors asked Peter if Jesus is going to pay the temple tax. The temple tax was an annual tax collected from Jewish men over age twenty used for the temple up-keep, festivals, and so forth.  It was based on regulations in Exodus 30. Keep in mind that the Jews recognized the temple as the biblical earthly representation of God dwelling with humanity.  As a Jew in that time period, Jesus would have paid the temple tax. We would have expected nothing less from Jesus, in his humanity.  But Jesus was also divine.  He was actually the Temple now, the place where God dwelt.  And that is why he asked Peter, From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?  And Peter answered “from others.” As the Son of God (the second person of the Trinity), Jesus didn't actually need to pay the temple tax.  He was the Temple.  But he did it anyway, in the most interesting way! Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope June 24, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 16:13-28   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us.  We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name.  As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are covering the second portion of Matthew 16.   Jesus has taken his disciples on a retreat of sorts, and they have traveled away from Judea, further north into Gentile territory.  Maybe it's to get away from the crowds, maybe it's so they can speak more freely.  Caesarea Philippi is pretty far north in Israel.  It was a quiet place at the headwaters of the Jordan River but also a place filled with idol worship and signs of Roman occupation everywhere.  And it's here that Jesus decides he is going to settle his identity with these men.  So he asks each of them, “Who do people say I am?”    Over the two years that the disciples had been with Jesus, people had all kinds of thoughts about who Jesus was.  Some thought he was the precursor to the Messiah, others (like King Herod) thought he was John the Baptist reincarnated, others thought he might be one of the prophets returned.  But Jesus presses them, “who do you say I am?”  Now, it doesn't matter what the others say – who is it you say I am?  That's really the question for all of us, isn't it.  It doesn't matter who others say Jesus is.  If I were to do a man on the street interview right now, I'm sure I'd get all kinds of answers to who is Jesus?  A teacher, a healer, a crazy person, Son of God, the Savior.  But it doesn't matter what others say, what matters is what you believe and what YOU say about Jesus.  And that's what Jesus is asking his disciples.  What do you say about me?  What are you willing to confess about me?  This was really a rubber meets the road question for them, as it is for us.  What are you willing to confess about me, to others, publicly?   Jesus asked all of them but it was Peter who spoke up.  And he says, “You are the Messiah, Son of the Living God.”  The word Messiah means anointed one or God's anointed.  And the term “Messiah” was the Hebrew word for God's anointed, the term “Christ” was the Greek word for it.  Messiah and Christ mean the same thing, different languages.  I know this might come as a surprise to some of us but Christ is not Jesus' last name.  It is a title.  And Peter is giving Jesus this title, you are the Messiah, the anointed one.   What's the big deal with being anointed?  In ancient Israel, when someone was given a position of authority, oil was poured on his head to signify his being set apart for God's service. I Samuel 10:1 is an example, Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?  Kings, priests, and prophets were anointed in this way. Anointing was a symbolic act to indicate God's choosing.  Although the literal meaning of anointed refers to the application of oil, it can also refer to being chosen or set apart by God, even if oil is not literally used.  So, Peter is saying you are the anointed one, chosen, set apart by God, the Messiah.   But there is more to this.  Throughout the OT, there are many, many verses that point to the Messiah delivering the Hebrew people from captivity, from pagan kings.  The Jews expected the Messiah to deliver them from Roman occupation via military might.  That was the expectation.  The Christ, the Messiah is the one who God sent to deliver his people, to make things right for them – the one they had been waiting for hundreds of years.  So when Peter says this, you are the Messiah, he probably doesn't quite understand how Jesus is going to deliver them.  No one really got it that the Messiah would be the one to deliver people, not from the Roman occupiers, but from their own sin.    Peter says that Jesus is Messiah but then he says that Jesus is the Son of the living God.  Just to clarify something, in the OT, there are a number of men, particularly prophets, who are called a son of God.  That was not an uncommon title for a Godly man.  But that is not what Peter is saying, Peter says that Jesus is THE son of the living God.    Let's clarify something here because I think we can get confused - Jesus is not God's Son in the sense of a human father and a son. God did not get married and have a son. God did not mate with Mary and, together with her, produce a son. Jesus is God's Son in the sense that He is GOD in human form – John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Keep in mind, the term “Word” is referring to Jesus.  Jesus was there in the beginning.  Jesus was there with God in the beginning.  Jesus was there with God and Jesus is God.  Brain cramping yet?  Let's read v. 14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  So, the “Word”, Jesus, became human and lived among us.  Of course, that is the Christmas story, Jesus became a human being, was born to a woman named Mary, who became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.  When the angel comes to Mary in Luke and explains the situation, he tells her that this holy one you will give birth to will be called the Son of God.   This clearly separates Jesus from the prophets. He is not a son of God but the Son of the living God.  Jesus walks with a very distinct, specific authority.  I mean, look at his miracles.  He heals people with a word or touch.  He rebukes a storm and it listens to him.  He could read people's minds.  He raises Lazurus from the dead.  He doesn't argue with demons.  Think about it – when Jesus encounters a demon, they tremble.  Colossians 1, The son is the image of the invisible God…  He walks in a distinct, divine authority.  Because he is the Son of the living God – the second person of the Godhead.    So, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, and he is Lord.  I didn't count this myself, but I read that Jesus is referred to as Lord almost 300 times in the New Testament.  Lord was the most common title for Jesus in the early church.  Why is that significant?  When the Hebrew Bible, what we call the OT, was translated from Hebrew to Greek, the term Yahweh (which was the Hebrew word for God) was translated to Lord in the NT.  That means, to say that Jesus is Lord is to say that Jesus is God.  It is saying that Jesus is divine – he is God – and Caesar is NOT, a claim that was quite dangerous at the time.    To say that Jesus is Lord means that Jesus has claim over all things; he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He is LORD over all things – over the cosmos, over the whole earth, over all nations and their leaders, he is Lord over Vladimir Putin, he is Lord over Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, he is Lord over all the celebrities in Hollywood, he is Lord over Florida and Brandon, he is Lord over each of us.    Now, here is where I'm going to get kind of personal.  At least I'm giving a warning.  What I've found working in ministry is that people like the idea of Jesus as Savior.  Yes, I've said yes to Jesus as my Savior so I'm going to heaven.  That feels good and it should.  But man, do people struggle with this concept that Jesus is Lord.  Because saying Jesus is Lord is one step further.  It's saying that he is Lord over everything and he is Lord over my family and me.  That means, I defer to him in every area of my life.  I trust him with everything.  That means, before I make a decision, I ask Jesus for his will.  It means I have given my job over to him, my children and grandchildren over to him; it means I have given the words I speak, my actions, my thoughts over to Jesus.  My finances belong to him.  That means that tithing isn't an issue because, well, it all belongs to Jesus anyway.  I have no claim on my life.  I belong to Jesus.    I struggled with this for years.  In a culture that tells us that its all about us, how hard WE work, the fruits of our labor, its OUR money, OUR children, OUR lives.  Maybe it sounds weird, but turning over my money to Lord Jesus wasn't that difficult.  I made a decision.  We are supposed to tithe so we are going to do it and I had been around people who tithed for a long time.  What was hard for me was giving my marriage to Jesus, giving my kids to Jesus.  I might have had a bit of a control issue.  And if you have a control issue – teenagers will humble you.  And it was in the midst of some real struggles that I just turned it all over to him.  They are your kids first, Lord.  They were never mine to begin with.  If I make it sounds easy, it isn't but it's life changing.  It's a shift in perspective that really brings a tremendous amount of peace.  Alright, that was pretty important, but so is the next portion of text.  Jesus is beginning to reveal to the disciples that he will die; he will be leaving them.  They aren't quite getting it.  And when they do get a hint of where he is going, Peter isn't happy.  And the Scripture says that Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him.  Here is where we miss something significant in English.  In the Greek, this word rebuke is much stronger.  Peter is really laying into Jesus here, saying “This is not the way it's going to be.  You are supposed to be the messiah who saves us from the Romans. This is not what we signed up for.”  And Jesus' response to him is interesting.  Jesus rebukes Peter right back, same word in the Greek, and says, “Get behind me, Satan!”  He tells him that he is setting his mind on human things, not on the things of God.  This is one of those moments in Scripture that highlights the vast distance between us and God. Though Jesus is God with us (he was God in human form), we cannot tame him or make him over into our image. We would like a savior who is a winner, and one who makes us winners, but Jesus insists on identifying with the lowliest of losers. He will allow himself to be judged and condemned as a blasphemer by Jewish religious leaders. He will allow himself to be mocked, tortured, and executed as a criminal by the Romans. And that's not all. Jesus actually expects his disciples to follow him on this path of suffering and death.  After telling them that they don't understand the mind of God, he says this very hard thing, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  We tend to think of taking up our cross as dealing with really annoying circumstances.  In Jesus' day, no one thought of beating one's cross as a persistent annoyance or burden. So bearing our cross does not mean we need to have patience with difficult neighbors or coworkers.  Furthermore, Jesus is not talking about the suffering that is part of living in a broken world, things like serious illnesses, broken relationships, and even natural disasters. That isn't what he is talking about.  Nor is he telling us to seek out suffering or martyrdom. We don't have to become monks and live in the desert.  Jesus did not go seeking suffering, although he ended up having to endure it for his mission.  To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by crucifixion. And the Romans made the people who were about to be killed carry their own cross to the execution location.  It was humiliating and horribly painful and the condemned person had no choice but to submit. Bearing one's cross was and is a show of complete and utter submission. A call to bear one's cross as part of following Jesus, then, is a call to be as submitted to Christ as the condemned criminal was to his death.  When Jesus says this, he's claiming authority. Following Christ means disowning the self and giving allegiance to him instead. And it means giving him allegiance down to the very depths of our being.   Are you willing to surrender all to follow Jesus?  What needs to change in your life and thinking to be more consistent with the ways of Jesus Christ? Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope June 23, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 16:1-12   Prayer:  Almighty Father, We come to you today on this Monday morning with a sense of expectancy for the week.  For some of us, we are tired.  For others, we are hoping for a better week.  Lord, work in and through us as we go about our day.  Give us glimpses of your glory.  Keep reminding us over and over again that we belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  We are now roughly halfway through the book of Matthew.  I don't know about you, but I love digging into the Gospels with such detail.  I have learned a lot.  I hope you have too.   Today, we begin Matthew 16.  We start with the Pharisees and Sadducees looking for a sign again.  It's never enough.  While again their question really isn't that bad, Jesus can see through their words and into their hearts.  Jesus could arrange a voice from heaven to yell down at them but it would not be enough either.  Their hearts are hard.  They are far from God.    Jesus uses their discerning of the weather as an example of how they are pretty good with signs.  And yet, Jesus has given them all kinds of signs to look at and they refuse to believe.  It's not the lack of signs, it's their lack of openness to what God is doing right in front of them.    The next portion of the text is oddly funny to me.  The disciples head off somewhere and Jesus tells them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  They get off on this tangential discussion about bread and how they didn't bring any with them.  Do you think Jesus knows we didn't bring bread?  Is that what he is talking about?  Jesus was sinless so I don't think he would roll his eyes, but if he did, this would be the place.  Are they dense or do they just not listen well?   Jesus tells them that he isn't worried about their lack of bread.  And why in the world would they be worried?  They have just witnessed two miracles of abundance, where Jesus takes a little bread and fish and feeds thousands upon thousands.  Do they still not understand that Jesus can provide for all their needs?  What part of those miracles were lost on them?   But then Jesus said, “No, I was talking about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, you dumdums.”  No, he didn't say dumdums because he was grace-filled, but I might have.  Then, the disciples begin to get it.  Jesus wants them to beware of the hypocrisy and false teaching of the Jewish leaders.     While the word Pharisee has almost become synonymous with religious hypocrisy for us, it wasn't so in Jesus' day.  We've talked about this group before.  These men were considered very devout and they firmly believed that they could please God (and receive eternal life) through these really rigid laws regarding purity, cleanliness, prayer, tithing, and fasting.  There was nothing wrong with wanting to follow God's law, but they took this to the extreme, becoming legalistic and making it incredibly difficult for the average person to actually measure up.    The Sadducees were a little different.  They were the wealthy religious aristocracy.  They controlled the Temple, so they were a powerful group.  They differed in a number of ways from the Pharisees, particularly in that they didn't believe in resurrection or angels.    And Jesus is saying to beware of both of these groups.  Avoid their “yeast.”  If you think about yeast – just a little bit in the dough can easily permeate the rest of the dough.  In this case, the little bit of yeast would contaminate the whole lot.  A little bit of hypocrisy can cause harm.  A lot of hypocrisy can ruin the bunch.  Beware.   Hypocrisy has been so very damaging in the church.  Just a little bit turns someone off to Jesus.  Just a little bit can do a lot of damage.  Beware.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope June 19, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 14   Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today in awe of your love for us.  Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice.  Thank you for sitting high and looking low.  We give you all the glory and praise, Lord Jesus.  Help us to be less selfish and more like you.  On our own, we mess it up.  We need you, Jesus.  We need you minute by minute.  Guide our thoughts today, Lord.  Guide our words and guide our actions.  May we look more like you today, Lord, than we did yesterday.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are diving into Matthew 14.  We start with the murder of John the Baptist.  We read about this in Mark as well.  Herod was an evil guy.  We can see there is little value placed on human life in the Roman Empire. Herod is far more concerned about how he looks in front of his guests than how he looks in front of God.  Then, we have the feeding of the 5,000.  This miracle is in all four Gospels so we need to lean in and really pay attention here.  After Jesus heard about his cousin John being killed, he decided to get away.  You can't blame him; I'm sure he needed time to grieve and he just needed some solitude.  But the crowds followed him.  You would think he might get annoyed but he doesn't. Verse 14 says, When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Jesus really doesn't miss a beat.  No matter how physically tired he is, he keeps taking care of the people, giving them what he knows they need.  Some people today might suggest that Jesus had poor boundaries.  He could have said, “You guys, we really need a break.  I'm off today.”  But that isn't what he did.  He had compassion on the people.  He tolerated and even welcomed interruptions.  He would frequently be planning to do this one thing but pulled away in a different direction.  But it was in those interruptions, those distractions that Jesus did amazing work, that we get to see God at work in amazing, miraculous ways.  He heals the woman who had been bleeding for many years because she “interrupts” him on his way to the Roman official's home.  Think of the man whose friends created a hole in the roof to lower their friend in front of Jesus and “interrupt” his teaching.  He was interrupted by a demon-possessed man at the synagogue and he heals him.  I counted something like 35 “interruptions” and it was in those interruptions that Jesus healed, taught, loved, and demonstrated God's glory.  Back to the miracle. There were roughly 5000 men there, which doesn't include the women and children because at that time, women and children would not be in the official count.  So we are talking probably 10-15,000 people being present.  When the disciples wanted to send the people away, they were simply being practical, right?  They were on the outskirts of Bethsaida, and the closest village would have been a several hour walk.  It makes sense that they would immediately think to send them away.  And they were tired.  And they were probably a bit annoyed and wanted them to just go away.  But that isn't what Jesus decided to do.  Jesus tells the disciples “You give them something to eat.”  This is so interesting to me because Jesus is putting the responsibility on the disciples to solve the problem.  You do it.  In Mark, the disciples complain “but that would take half a year's wages to feed all these people.”  So Jesus talks them through it.  What do you have?  Well, we have five loaves of bread and two fish.  Jesus takes the food multiplies it.  I often wonder if Jesus knew he was going to do this all along or it just kind of happened in the moment.  Exactly how it happened, we don't know.  What we know is that it happened.  Jesus took a little and turned it into a lot.  In that moment, we see God's Kingdom in all it's fullness.  In God's Kingdom, there is no sickness so Jesus healed.  In God's Kingdom, there is no hunger so Jesus fed.  Most of us are pretty well fed but that was not the norm in first century Palestine.  People did not get enough to eat.  Those 10-15K people that Jesus was caring for in Bethsaida, these were peasants.  They were hungry people.  The social structures of the day ensured that these people were always a little hungry, always a little desperate.  That way the Roman government could stay in control.  It was quite effective. But Jesus was demonstrating a different way of life, one in which “God” is on the throne, one in which all people are valued and cared for and fed.  I love that line in verse 20, “they all ate and were satisfied.”  That would have been very unusual for that group of people, to eat and be satisfied.  And there were 12 baskets left over, a basket for each disciple to carry.  I wonder if Jesus did that so that as they were carrying these baskets home, they would continually be reminded that God is so much bigger than they ever could imagine, that Jesus will find a way no matter how impossible the situation might seem.  Jesus can take five loaves of bread and two fish and feed 15,000 people.  He can defy the laws of nature.  I mean, he created the laws of nature.  I'm not sure how many of you are currently dealing with something that seems impossible, that seems like there is no solution – a health crisis, a broken relationship, a financial mess.  If you hear nothing else today, I want you to hear that NOTHING, no problem, is too big for our God.  God can and will make a way but we have to release it to him.  We have to allow him to take care of it the way he sees fit.  It might not be, it probably won't be, the way we would do it.  But there is always a way.  Finally, the chapter closes with Jesus walking on water and this fascinating interaction with Peter.  Jesus had been off praying, as he was apt to do, and he goes to find the disciples. They see him walking on water and at first, think he is a ghost. Peter, in his normal partly bold, partly impulsive way, asks Jesus if he can walk on the water too. Specifically, he says, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” So Jesus says to come and Peter steps out on the water. Can you even imagine what must have been going through Peter's head at the time? For a while, Peter does fine. He is actually walking on water. But as soon as he takes his eyes off Jesus, he sinks. Think about that–the very minute he looks away, gets distracted, and begins to doubt–he starts to sink. Think about your own life. How often have you taken your eyes off Jesus and begun to sink? The author of Hebrews tells us in chapter 12 to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we have confidence that we aren't alone, that God is present, and that there is a purpose to all of this. The very minute we begin to look away, the sinking begins. We become stalled. We falter. We forget who and whose we are.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 18, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 13:24-58   Prayer:  Holy and Merciful God, We come to you today rejoicing in your holy name.  It's amazing that you, the God of all, care about the minute details of our lives.  I mean, who are we?  But yet, you love us, you care, you died for us!  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Help us, as we move on throughout this day to remember your presence.  Guide our words, our actions, and our thoughts.  Help us hear your voice as we engage with your Word today.  We love you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is Wednesday and that means Recharge Day!  Hope we see you tonight, in the New Hope Garage, at 6:30pm for worship, prayer, fellowship, and small community.   For our Scripture, we are finishing up Matthew 13.  This portion of Scripture includes many more parables.  Let's start with the wheat and the weeds.  Y'all, this parable is powerful.  It has really been important in my own spiritual journey.  Here is where I have landed on it...   In the parable, the owner sows good seed but the enemy comes in the dark of night and sows weeds. The workers are understandably upset and ask the owner if he caused this. This is actually a theodicy question–how can a good God allow bad things to happen.  Basically, God, we thought you were good, why did you allow the “weeds” to grow in our lives? As believers, it is okay to question God and ask why the horrible occurred. This theology of protest doesn't demonstrate a lack of faith, but actually is an “expression of faith.” It's okay to be angry with God, question God, shake your fist so to speak, but stay in the conversation! This is, in itself, an act of faith.   Jesus also addresses the source of the weeds–the enemy has spread them. God is not the source of evil–God does not cause evil to occur so that we might grow spiritually or to perpetuate some grander divine plan. Rather, God's enemy is the source of all evil. Matthew 13:39 refers to the devil as God's enemy. Satan is real and there is real evil in our world, which both inhabits and transcends individuals, families, communities, nations, cultures, and economic structures. Why doesn't the owner in the parable want the workers to pull the weeds? Because in doing so, both the weeds and the wheat would be pulled out (Matthew 13:29). God can't just do away with all evil because, whether we like it or not, we are all are a complex and confusing mix of both good and evil. Furthermore, this isn't how God deals with the world. Although God has the power to eliminate evil using brute force (the way humans might deal with it), this goes against God's character. God instead acts through the loving and yet “weak” power of the cross. God's answer to evil was sending Jesus Christ, the one who truly understands what it means to suffer and also the only one through which true and complete healing can occur.   But the parable doesn't end there. In Matthew 13:41-43, Jesus explains how in the end, evil will be vanquished; it will not have the final word. Although I firmly believe this is true, it fails to offer much comfort in the midst of counseling someone who is grappling with the death of a baby or a sexual assault in the here and now. What is helpful, however, is to point out how God's work in the world is often difficult to understand (think about the parable of the mustard seed and the yeast). We might not always see God's power at work, but it's there in the smallest and most unusual ways, changing and transforming us, guiding us, and leading us closer to Jesus (power in the form of “loving weakness”). God is waging war on evil, just not necessarily in ways we see or understand.   It makes sense, then, that Jesus would follow up this parable with the mustard seed and yeast.  You see, in God's Kingdom, small things can yield really big results. A tiny seed can produce a big tree, so big that birds can nest in it. Seeds are really interesting things as well. They can reproduce themselves exponentially. It takes one seed to make that big mustard tree and from that tree, many, many more seeds are produced. A little bit of yeasty dough can be mixed with flour to make enough bread to feed hundreds of people.    God's economy is different.  In the world, our default setting, big things are valued–big money, big jobs, big cars, big houses, big, flashy, noticeable---these are all things that indicate power, prestige, control. In God's Kingdom, it's okay for things to be small. Small, seemingly insignificant things can make a huge difference. Mustard seeds, yeast, loaves & fishes, a random act of kindness, a kind or encouraging word, spending time with God in prayer, offering a prayer over someone else, the widow's mite, a humble life lived with integrity, sharing our faith story with someone, or our willingness to serve others. Small things that all can yield huge results for God's Kingdom. Our daily prayers can yield huge, miraculous results.   These parables, along with the others from this chapter, all give glimpses into God's Kingdom.  What is it like living under the reign of God?  We are getting snapshots.    But that doesn't mean people get it or appreciate it.  As we read at the end of the chapter, when he went to his hometown (which we know is Nazareth), the people were amazed at his teaching.  But they were also skeptical.  He was too familiar to them.  They saw this boy grow up.  They knew his parents and his siblings.  It created an obstacle to belief.  So there, he didn't do many miracles.  He moved on.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 17, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 13:1-23   Prayer:  Holy God, We start by praising your name.  You are a good God, a mighty God, and a wise God.  Work in our lives.  Speak to us.  We need you, Lord.  Over and over again, we need you.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements the daily Bible reading for New Hope Church.  As you all know, we are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are starting Matthew 13.   Picture this: Jesus is sitting by the lake (Sea of Galilee). Large crowds of people have gathered around him, so many in fact that he got into a boat and started teaching from the boat while the people stood on the shore. And he begins to tell stories, parables. These were stories that people could relate to, they understood about farmers and seed,t hey could picture them in their head as he talked, but they pointed to deeper spiritual truths about living under the Kingdom of God.   Jesus says that a farmer goes out to sow seeds. But the farmer doesn't worry so much about where he is throwing the seeds. He seems to be pretty indiscriminate with his seed-throwing. He is literally just throwing seed everywhere. Some of the seed falls right on the path, where all the people walked and the soil was hard and had been packed down. So the birds ate most of that seed. Some of the seed fell in rocky places (there are lots of rocky places in that part of the world) and while it would sprout, the soil was shallow, and there wasn't enough root for the plant to survive. Some of the seed fell among thorns, and the thorns were invasive and took over. The plants had no real chance of survival there. But then some seeds fell on good soil, which produced an amazing crop---100, 60, or 30X what was sown.   First, I think it's important for us to not dwell on the different kinds of soils too much. I think one of our first temptations is to go, I know someone who is like that soil, and then that group of people are like this soil, and so forth. We'll get to the soil but I want us to start with what is most important. Who is the star of the story? Well, the farmer or the one who is sowing the seed. He throws that seed everywhere–he is generous with the seed, throwing it everywhere there is any chance it might take root. Friends, we are the sowers. We are the ones called to throw seed. What's the seed we are supposed to be throwing around? Well, the Good News of Jesus.    The Good News is for ALL. We aren't supposed to decide who to share our faith with. No, we are truly to share our faith, in word and deed, with everyone. This is so important. We aren't just supposed to share Jesus with those in our congregation, with our friends who are “safe.” We are supposed to be kind of reckless, sharing the love of Jesus Christ, sharing our faith story, telling people the source of our hope, with all kinds of people - people who don't look like us, people who we don't know, and people we do know. This is one thing we know about God's Kingdom: If God has brought us to a certain place, a certain store, a certain vacation spot, a certain meeting---we trust that there isa greater purpose. We always should be on the lookout for ways to have spiritual conversations, to share the Good News.   I want you to think about your past week. Think about the places you went, the people you spoke to, the things you did. I want you to think about each of those situations. What would it have looked like if you had sowed some seeds at each of those places?   We aren't responsible for what happens to the seeds. We are just called to sow. Sow with joy wherever we go. Sow with love. Sow obediently and abundantly. Then, we trust that God will do the rest. Trust God with the harvest. For me, this takes the pressure off...we are not responsible for the harvest, we are simply sowers.    As the sower, we truly have the desire for all the soil to bear fruit. That's why we keep throwing those seeds, having those conversations, offering to pray for someone, telling people how much Jesus loves them. God loves all people, we are called to love all people. Remember that love of God and love of others cannot be separated. They are intricately linked.   But we have to recognize that some soil has had people trample on it. It has not been nourished, it might be filled with rocks. It may take years to get to the point in which the soil can bear fruit. I read that to get soil just right, really nourished, it can take years. And it usually means continuing to add nourishment to it, continuing to add things to it to develop it and enrich it so that it can be fruitful. People are no different. We love on people, we pray for them, we tell them Jesus loves them. We listen to their stories. We ask questions. And this could go on for years. But we never give up on anyone. We trust that God is at work in ways we can't see or understand. We trust that God is working behind the scenes to nourish the fields, to strengthen the roots.   Is there someone you have given up on? Remember, God isn't done with any of us yet. Who is it you have gotten discouraged with? Maybe you've stopped praying for them. Maybe you are simply angry with them because they have made bad choices or turned away from the faith. Let's ask God to bring that person to mind. Say a prayer for that person, specifically that God gives you the wisdom how to continue sowing in their life.    We can trust that God is working in the most difficult places, in difficult people, in difficult circumstances. And God gives us beautiful glimpses of hope.  I recently learned about the church in Iran and how it is growing under the harshest and most difficult of conditions.  But God is there, growing his church.  These are rays of hope in the midst of hardship. When God is involved, when the Kingdom is at work, there is ALWAYS HOPE.   Now, let's talk soil.  The soil is an important element in this story. There were three ways the poor soil was described, “hardened”, “shallow” and “cluttered.” And then, there was the well-nourished soil. As Floridians, we live in a climate and environment in which you really have to amend the soil if you want anything to grow. We basically live in sand. There is no nourishment in sand. Weeds seem to grow well but not a lot of other desirable plants. My mother-in-law is an avid and successful gardener and she constantly is amending her soil, putting nourishing elements in it to ensure that the plants will grow and be healthy.   Friends, we have to pay attention to our soil. We need to enrich the soil in others' lives but we have to ensure that our soil is cared for as well.   How is the soil of your soul? Is it hardened? Is it shallow? Is it cluttered? Or is it nourished? How is your soil?  How is our soil here at New Hope?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 16, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 12:38-50   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Mighty God, Holy One...We come to you this morning with humility and gratefulness.  Thank you that your mercies are new every morning.  Thank you that you continue to love and guide us, even though we mess up again and again.  Thank you for your patience and your never-ending care.  Lord, we are so very grateful.  Help us, on this Monday, to start our week with the right attitude.  We belong to you and we are under your authority.  Help us see others the way you see them.  Help us produce fruit in our lives.  Oh, Lord, how we need your help.  Please, Jesus, may we hear your voice today.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and the book of Acts.  Happy Monday!   Our Scripture reading for today is the last half of Matthew 12.  We start with the discussion about the sign of Jonah.  The Pharisees have asked Jesus for a sign to demonstrate that he is the Messiah.  Apparently, all the miracles he has done thus far aren't enough for these guys.  Remember, the Pharisees were even attributing some of his miracles to Satan.  Understandably, this request doesn't go over too well with Jesus.    On the surface, there isn't anything wrong with their request.  There are times in the Old Testament in which people asked God for a sign.  But Jesus can see right through their request.  Nothing he does will make these guys believe in him.  In fact, they are looking for more ammunition to use against Jesus.  There is nothing sincere about the request.  Matthew Henry writes in his commentary, "Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy desires and prayers, yet he will not gratify corrupt lusts and humors."   Jesus does promise the sign of Jonah.  The Jews believed that the Ninevites repented when Jonah preached because they knew it was the God of all who spoke through him.  And they knew this because God kept him from dying in the belly of the big fish.  In the same way, Jesus' resurrection will signify God's vindication of him and affirm the truth of what he says and his divinity.  But Jesus knows that even the resurrection won't be enough to make most of these Jewish leaders believe.  Their hearts are hard.    Now, let's take a look at the text about Jesus' mother and brothers.  I'll be honest, growing up I used to really struggle with this passage. It seemed so harsh! But deeper reflection yields a different perspective.   Can you imagine what it must have been like for Jesus' immediate family? We know that Mary knew that Jesus was special but did she really understand the significance of his life at this point? What must his siblings have thought?   We see in this text that his mother and brothers are wanting to talk to him, interrupting a teaching session. Are they chatting about Sunday dinner or do they want him to stop making such a ruckus around town? Again, we don't have details but it's clear they don't really know him as the Son of God (yet).   Jesus' reaction is a bit off-putting. As a mom, I might have gotten my feelings hurt more than a little bit. But he is making a point. Jesus' family has become much wider than Mary, Joseph, and the boys. There are no bounds to who may be part of it. Anyone who does the will of my Father is my brother and sister and mother.  Jesus is redefining family for those who profess faith in him.  Yes, biological family relationships are important but spiritual family relationships (and this might be hard to hear) are even more important.    Given the strong emphasis on family ties in first century Palestine, Jesus' words here would have been shocking.  But what he is saying is that believers should consider themselves family and care for one another like they are family members.  In the words of Sister Sledge, we are family.   The apostle Paul in his New Testament letters expanded on this idea of believers being a family of faith:  In Galatians 6:10, Paul speaks of our need to care for those in the household of God, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  Family was a big deal at the time.  People lived with extended family.  Who you were related to mattered.  You were under social and moral obligation to care for your extended family.  And Paul is saying who you are related to in Christ is also a big deal.  Those people in your church family, those other believers that worship with you, those other people who profess faith in Jesus --- these are your brothers and sisters as well.  These people are family. In Ephesians 2:19, Paul writes, Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household…  We are members of God's household.  We are members of God's family.  If you have said yes to Jesus as Lord and Savior, then God is your father.  You are a child of God.  And you have many siblings.  We are brothers and sisters.  We are family.  We are no longer strangers.  Think about those people at church, at New Hope.  Some you know and some you don't know.  Some you like and others you might not like.  But we are family and we will spend eternity together. And the early church clearly behaved in the way biological families behaved.  They ate together, they spent time together, they sacrificed and worked together.  Acts 2:44-47, All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.   They behaved like a family.  They loved each other like a family.  They sacrificed together like a family.  There was nothing fakey about this.  Notice it doesn't say they came together on Sunday morning, shook hands, and then went their own way.  No, they did life together.  It was real.  It was genuine.  And guess what?  God added to their numbers. Because people see that and they want that. It's no different today.  We have an epidemic of loneliness.  People are disconnected.  People are struggling.  Even those who aren't struggling are always looking for sincere, genuine places of love and acceptance.  The family of faith is intended to be a place in which you are loved, accepted, cared for, held accountable, belong, where you know people have your back, where you can learn and grow…. It's far from perfect because it involves human beings.  Over the years, the church has too often been exclusive, cliquey, fake, and judgmental.  Sometimes, we have been more dysfunctional family than healthy family.  We have done harm.  I think we need to repent of that.  If we at New Hope have ever been part of putting walls up, then we need to repent of that.  If I have ever been part of mistreating my brother or sister, if you have been part of excluding or hurting your brother and sister, then you need to repent of that.  Period. We are a family.  And families are funny.  Families are not polished and pulled together.  Families love each other, they are loyal to one another, but they sometimes get annoyed with one another.  They sometimes hurt one another (I am thinking of my own three kids – they love each other fiercely and yet, they can really push each other's buttons).  It's no difference with our siblings in Christ.  Family is a place where we do a lot of forgiving, a lot of extending grace, but it's also a place where we know that we belong no matter what.  Strong families are places where when you come together, you can just take a deep breath and say, “I'm home.”  It isn't the building but it's the people.  This is the thing.  When a church family loves like Jesus, people get a glimpse of Jesus.  When we care for one another sacrificially, people see Jesus.  When the family of faith sacrifices for one another, then people get to see Jesus in action.  Lives are transformed.  Hearts are changed.  Our faith grows stronger.  Jesus Christ is glorified. And the Lord added to their numbers those who were being saved.  Think about the relationships you have made within the faith family. Are they strong? Why or why not? What holds you back from creating strong, meaningful connections to your brothers and sisters in Christ?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 13, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 12:1-37   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are Lord of all.  How often we forget that.  There are times we even put ourselves in your place.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to remember that you are God and we are not.  Help us simply live the way you have called us, serve the way you have called us, and love the way you have called us.  We know that we fall short over and over again.  We need you.  All the time, we need you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Friday!   Today, we start Matthew 12.  The text begins with Jesus' disciples walking through fields of grain on the Sabbath and picking them to eat because they were hungry.  This infuriates the Pharisees who have made the Sabbath incredibly complicated for the people.  In fact, they had instituted a complex system of Sabbath laws of their own that was oppressive and legalistic. There were strict laws regarding how to observe the Sabbath, which included 39 categories of forbidden activities. In essence, these religious leaders had made themselves lords of the Sabbath, thus making themselves lords over the people.    As he often did, Jesus was pushing back against this.  He speaks about how David and his men ate consecrated bread from the Temple when they were hungry, even though it was off-limits.  There are times when rules make sense and there are times when they don't.  People are always more important than rules.  The original intent of the Sabbath was to give humans rest, not to create a more confusing and restrictive guidelines.  The Pharisees had lost sight of this.    Jesus declares that he is Lord of the Sabbath.  This really gets the Pharisees upset.  By saying this, he is declaring that he has authority over the Sabbath.  Jesus can overrule the Pharisees' rules and regulations because he is the one who created the Sabbath in the first place.  He has the power to correctly interpret the meaning of the Sabbath and the rules pertaining to it.    Keep in mind, that by saying this, Jesus is making a bold statement about who he is.  The Pharisees are looking for something that will allow them to arrest Jesus.  Of course, Jesus is God and he knows this, but it doesn't stop him at all.  He is making a point so he then heals a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath.  It's after this that they begin to plot how to kill him.   How often do we get distracted with our own rules and traditions?  And do those rules and traditions get in the way of doing the work of Jesus?  Do they become obstacles to people knowing Jesus more or receiving healing?  While I think we are pretty good about keeping this in check at New Hope, I think it's something we need to be very much aware of.  We have to be careful what is most important to us – our traditions or people?    Jesus knows that they are plotting his death so he goes away in an attempt to retreat.  But that is nearly impossible for Jesus now.  People continue to come to him for healing and Jesus is not about to turn them away.  Every interruption is important to Jesus.   The Pharisees accuse Jesus of healing by the power of Beezelbub, who was the prince of demons.  Jesus points out the absurdity of this.  Why would he cast out demons with the power of the prince of demons?  It just doesn't make sense.    Jesus then makes an incredibly bold statement regarding the Pharisees.  He says that whoever is not with him is against him.  Whoever is not helping expand the Kingdom of God is by definition working against it.  The Pharisees, who think they are defending God, are actually working with Satan, inhibiting the work of God through Jesus.  They are putting themselves up against the Holy Spirit.    It makes sense to judge the quality of a tree by the fruit it produces.  The Pharisees are demonstrating that their spiritual fruit is rotten by accusing Jesus.  They are showing the true nature of the hearts.    What kind of fruit are you producing?  If someone were to look at your life right now, an objective observer, how would they rate your fruit?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 12, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 11:20-30   Prayer: Holy God,  We are weary.  We are tired.  We need you.  You are great and mighty.  You are merciful and loving.  How we need that right now!  Lord, speak to us today.  We need to hear your voice.  We pray that your voice will be louder and clearer than all the other voices that crowd our thoughts.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, please speak to us...  God, we give you all the glory.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish up Matthew 11.   There is so much substance in this chapter. I feel like there is no way for me to even brush the surface. Let's start with the woe on unrepentant towns.  Jesus is denouncing certain areas in the northern region of Galilee, including Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, because even though they saw many of his miracles and heard his teaching, they didn't repent.  Jesus is saying if he had done the same miracles in Gentile cities like Tyre and Sidon, they would have already repented and believed.  Jesus is speaking harsh words here.  The cities that should have responded well and come to believe have largely rejected him.  Jesus has not met their expectation of the Messiah, but that does not absolve them of guilt.  They will very much be held accountable, as will all of us.   And then, there is this discussion that the Father is revealed in the Son.  Those who think they are really smart and learned might reject Jesus but we must have faith like little, vulnerable children.  Humility is an asset in God's Kingdom.    Where I really want to focus today is on the last few verses.  Jesus says, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.  Is he simply talking about people who are physically weary? That's certainly part of it. Think about the culture at the time of Jesus. Most people were poor and they worked really, really hard. This whole idea of rest would have been very appealing to them. But it goes much deeper. We know from scripture that the Pharisees were kind of obsessed with following the law and the manmade traditions they had created. In fact, they had created hundreds of additional rules that they felt were necessary to follow the law well. God's law, Torah, was certainly fine and it was a good thing to keep Torah. But this group took it to the extreme, creating an additional burden on people to follow. Matthew 23:4 said, “They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” This created constant striving, but always failing, never being able to be good enough. Their souls were being worn down and worn down and worn down. And Jesus said, “NO–come to me all of you who are experiencing this soul weariness, all of you who are tired and need rest–physical rest, emotional rest, and spiritual rest.”   We live in a culture where being stressed out is the norm (we almost wear it like a badge of honor). People are tired and weary. The truth is that life can wear you down. Once we overcome one challenge, there seems to be another right around the corner. I know that many of you are dealing with really serious difficulty like health problems, broken relationships, and significant financial issues.   But the weariness of life is not just about the big burdens, is it? Sometimes, it is the everyday busyness of life that wears us down, the feeling of running on the hamster wheel, the getting up and dealing with the same stress day end and day out. The end result of all this weariness isa kind of restlessness. And yet, this isn't the kind of restlessness that just goes away by watching TV or going on vacation. Could it be that our need for rest is different than we think it is? Is rest simply the freedom from work OR is it something very different? True rest is impossible apart from Jesus Christ. We can never be at rest in our soul apart from Jesus. This restlessness of our soul is truly what ails so many of us. No amount of money, no amount of power or prestige can keep you from this restlessness. No one can escape it.   So what in the world can we do? Well, Jesus gives us the answer. He says to take his yoke upon us. A yoke was essentially a wooden frame that was used to harness together a pair of oxen at their necks so that they could pull a plough or some other kind of load. It was kind of a balancing device. Often a younger ox that needed to be taught to work would be paired with an older, more experienced ox.   This is a wonderful picture of our relationship with Jesus (or maybe I should say what our relationship with Jesus ideally looks like). The people that Jesus was speaking to would have known this–their yoke was hard. The Pharisees put this really difficult, ill-fitting yoke around their necks. But being yoked together with Jesus is so much better. The fit is better, it doesn't hurt so badly. When we allow him to walk alongside us, sharing our burden and yoke, the load does not disappear but is made lighter.   Being yoked together with Jesus does not mean we won't have to work, we will. We will still have problems, we will still have difficulty. But his yoke is not harsh or oppressive. Jesus' company is gentle. Just picture being yoked together with him as you plow a field. I know it might be a ridiculous thought for some of us non-farming people, but it is also a comforting thought. He wants us to attach ourselves to him. Not just hang around him every now and then. Not just go and have dinner with him once a week and then do it our way the rest of the week. No, he wants us to become permanently yoked with him, day in and day out. In doing so, our load will be lighter because he will share it with us. His peace and his comfort will walk alongside us and enable us to keep going.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 10, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 10   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you today with humility and awe.  You are the Alpha and the Omega.  You created all things, are above all things, and yet you care for each of us.  You know us and love us.  Thank you, Jesus.  I pray that as we get ready for our devotional today that you help us set aside our distractions.  Help us gather our scattered thoughts and focus on you and you alone...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are reading and discussing Matthew 10.   Here we are–back to the sheep! Jesus sends out the disciples to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near. But the danger is real. Jesus warns them that they would be sheep among wolves. Remember, sheep are vulnerable. While Jesus is saying they are like sheep, he is also telling them to be shrewd and cunning, like a snake. Yes, sheep are vulnerable but they don't need to be stupid. When faced with difficult circumstances, Jesus-followers need to use their brains and really think about what they say and do.   Yet, while shrewdness is important, so is innocence. Be as innocent as a dove, Jesus says. This means to stay faithful and gentle as well. Remember who you are, who you represent, and that you can be faithful to Jesus and grace-filled AND also not be a doormat.   Jesus is clear. There will be consequences to following him. The world around us won't be happy about it. Thankfully, we aren't flogged or jailed for our belief in the United States. But let's remember that Christians in other countries certainly experience this on a regular basis. I know that the Holy Spirit guides their words and gives them strength that we can't even imagine.   That being said, we will experience difficulty if we are open and bold in our faith. When we speak out for our faith, we often will see opposition. In those cases, allow the Holy Spirit to speak through you. Trust God. Set aside your own fears and anger and allow the God of the universe to allow his words to flow through you.   Some of the language toward the end of the chapter is really difficult.  Jesus says he didn't come to earth to bring peace but a sword.  Wait, I thought he was the Prince of Peace?  And he goes on to say that whoever loves his parents, siblings, or friends more than him doesn't know him at all.  As believers, we are to pick up our cross and follow him, totally and completely.  What are we to make of all of this?   Jesus certainly is the only source of peace between God and human beings.  And in most places in the Gospels, Jesus promotes peace between people.  But it's inevitable that conflict will arise between those who believe in him and those who don't, even within biological families.  Sometimes, people will be forced to choose Jesus over a loved one.  Maybe you know someone who's had to do this.  The bottom line is that we should seek to be at peace with all people but we can't forget that Jesus warned we will be hated for his sake.   The only other thing I wanted to mention about our Scripture for today is how Jesus lifts up our value.  Did you catch what he said about the sparrows?  God cares about every single little bird.  How much more does he care about you?  The hairs on our head are numbered.  God knows us intimately.  God knows everything about you.  You are valued.  So we don't need to be afraid.  Jesus has our back.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope June 6, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 9:1-17   Prayer: Abba Father, Prepare our hearts for your Word today.  Help us approach this Scripture with an openness to learning something new from you.  Jesus, thank you for your perfect example of mercy and love.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we start Matthew 9.   We start with Jesus heading back across the lake into Capernaum, as the scripture refers to his own town.  It seems in no time at all, a paralyzed man is placed before him.  While Matthew does not give the details about the man's friends digging a hole in the roof and lowering him down, this is most likely the same story we find in Mark 2.  Notice how he sees the faith of the friends and heals the man.    But what does Jesus say to the man?  Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven.  This stirs things up.  Of course, the teachers of the law speak among themselves, thinking this is blasphemy.  But it's Jesus and he is God so he knows exactly what they are thinking and he calls them out.  What the teachers of the law cannot see is that Jesus is authorized to speak and act on God's behalf. He is God's anointed, the Messiah. As a demonstration of his authority to forgive sins, Jesus tells the paralyzed man to stand up, take his mat and return home, which the man promptly does. Jesus boldly demonstrates his power to bring both spiritual and physical healing, and the crowds respond by being amazed and glorifying God.   We go right from this healing to the calling of Matthew.  I love how Matthew writes about his own conversion.  He doesn't give a lot of details.  It is most likely that he has seen and heard Jesus before.  After all, tax collectors were usually set up in visible places in town.   By the way, the phrase “sitting at the tax collector's booth” is filled with meaning.  At the time, tax collectors were hated.  The Roman Empire took bids for the right to collect taxes.  These tax agents paid a set amount to Rome, and could keep all the rest that they collected.  Thus, tax collectors were quite wealthy.  But they enriched themselves by preying on the poor, stifling trade, and operating kind of like a local mafia.  They were also despised for how they collaborated with the oppressive Romans.   One thing that is interesting about this whole situation to me is that Matthew did not choose Jesus, but rather Jesus chose Matthew.  In the Greek, the word “follow” is in the imperative.  It was a command.  Jesus isn't giving Matthew a choice.  And Matthew got up and followed him.    What would you have done?  Jesus' call is always action-oriented.  When we follow Jesus, it is a call to do something for his Kingdom.  It is also a call to leave the past behind.  How many of us try to follow Jesus without fully leaving our past commitments and issues behind?   Later on, at Matthew's house, Jesus is dining with some of the less desirable folks in town.  Scripture says he ate with tax collectors and sinners and those two groups were seen as pretty synonymous.  This very much perturbs the religious people.  How dare he cavort with such scum?  But Jesus says that it is the sick people who need a physician, not the well.  He came to call sinners.    My guess is that part of the Pharisees' frustration is that Jesus seems to be simply be eating and drinking with the sinners, not providing treatment.  But Jesus was all about relationship.  I think we can learn a lot here.  There were times in which Jesus preached and called for people to repent.  There were times when Jesus performed miracles to demonstrate his power and authority.  But much of the time, Jesus simply sat at the table with people and built relationships.  It is through relationship that life change is most likely to happen.    Think about your own life.  How have your grown the most in your spiritual walk?  Was it through a sermon?  Probably not.  Was it through a Bible study?  Again, maybe not.  Was it through relationship with other Godly people who taught you, poured into you, and showed you the life of Christ?  Most likely.    To effectively point people to Jesus, we have to first get to know them.  Especially for those who have been hurt by the church or just by life, we have to earn the right to speak into their lives.  Jesus did just that.  And he was genuine and loving at the same time.  My guess is there was no condemnation at that dinner table with Matthew and his friends.  They were talking and getting to know one another.  Maybe Jesus did a little teaching at times, but it was probably subtle.  He was giving them the opportunity to get to know him, as he listened to them.    Who sits around your table?  When is the last time you invited some people “on the fringe” to dine with you?  How about unbelievers?  How are you intentionally building relationships with those who don't yet know Jesus?    Our text for today ends with a discussion on fasting.  John's disciples ask why Jesus' disciples don't fast like them.  We don't know if this is a dig but it kind of feels like one.  Jesus responds with an analogy to a wedding feast.  Fasting might be appropriate on some occasions, but certainly not at a wedding feast when the groom is right there. Right now, Jesus is with them.  Thus, this isn't the right time for fasting.  It is time for feasting and enjoying his presence. The point is that Jesus is with his disciples just as the wedding guests are with the groom. It is a time for celebration—not deprivation. It is a time to enjoy the relationship and absorb his teaching and example while they can. When the bridegroom is taken from them, there will be a time for fasting.  As we know, that's going to happen pretty soon. Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 5, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 8:18-34   Prayer:  Dear God, We come to you today with sorrow.  We know that we are sinful and broken.  We know that we have fallen short.  Lord, how we need you.  Help us to grow closer to you.  Help us seek holiness.  Help us love others the way you love them.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, please help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish up Matthew, chapter 8.  As always, I would love to hear from some of you.  What are you learning?  What has surprised you?  What has distressed you?  What have been your a-ha moments?    Matthew offers us a glimpse into the variety of miracles that Jesus performed, including physical healings, spiritual healings, and even miracles of nature (calming the storm.) In between those miracles, we find this brief interaction between Jesus and someone described as a teacher of the law and a would-be disciple. I would guess that by this time in Jesus' ministry, there were all kinds of people hanging around him. There were those who were bedazzled by his teaching and miracles, there were those who were curious and seeking, and there were those who truly believed.   In a world before technology, I'm sure that Jesus was often the main show in town! All kinds of people crowded around him for many different reasons. Of course, Jesus knew this; he knew their levels of attachment to him varied. Thus, when a teacher of the law approaches him and says he will follow Jesus wherever he goes, Jesus gives a warning of sorts. Jesus has no ties to the things of this world. He does not even have a regular home, no place to lay his head at night. Those who follow him must be willing to give up ties to worldly things as well. Jesus must have known this man wasn't ready to do so. Then, another would-be disciple implies that he wants to follow Jesus but he must first go bury his father. We don't know if this means the man needed to literally bury his dead father, take care of a father who was old, or even simply take care of family affairs. But Jesus' reaction is clear–discipleship is not something that Jesus wants someone to put off. The demands of the Kingdom are now, they are immediate.   Jesus heads to the other side of the lake.  Remember, this means he was going from Jewish territory to Gentile territory.  Jesus had a way of crossing all kinds of boundaries.  It's on their way across the lake (otherwise known as the Sea of Galilee) that a big storm comes up suddenly.  You may recall from Mark that this body of water was known for sudden storms.  And the boat that Jesus and his disciples were in was taking on water fast.    Where was Jesus?  Well, he was in the boat but asleep.  So the disciples cry out to him, Lord, save us!  When Jesus wakes up, he scolds them for their lack of faith. It's like he is saying, “Guys, we are you such cowards? You have seen my power and authority. You have seen what I can do. And yet, you are still afraid?” I can't help but think he asks that of us as well. You have seen what I can do. I've shown up over and over again. And yet, you still have no faith? I mean, I'm right here in the boat with you. I'm not somewhere far off. I'm here, in the boat.   And then just like that, Jesus calms the storm.  The wind and rain stop totally.  The disciples are amazed and ask “Who is this guy?  Even the winds and rain obey him.”  So, who is this man?  Who is this man to you?   To me, Jesus is God.  Period.   I don't want to close today without at least briefly talking about the healing of the two demon-possessed men.  Jesus has gone across the lake for a purpose.  There are people there who need healing.  They are violent men who live in the tombs (a pretty horrible place to live.)  And Jesus knows immediately that there are demons that need to come out of them.  The demons themselves speak to Jesus and ask him to cast them into a herd of pigs.  Jesus does so, and the pigs promptly drive themselves over a bank and into the lake to die.   You may notice that this miracle is different in Matthew than it is in Mark.  In Mark (and Luke as well), there was one demon-possessed man who identified himself as Legion.  In this chapter, we have two men.  Does the difference matter?  I would say no.  Each author is choosing to emphasize different things.  Matthew is demonstrating Jesus' authority over a larger demonic presence.  Think about it – there may have been a number of people living in the tombs and all of them were inflicted with the demonic.  Mark, on the other hand, is focusing on individual life transformation and the personal invitation for the man to follow Jesus.  The single man could have represented more people or been simply a single man.  We don't know.    What's interesting to me in this passage is that the people aren't moved by the healing, after all these men were healed of terrible existences.  Nor do they ask Jesus questions, such as by what power he is healing.  No, they immediately ask Jesus to leave.  They are fearful of him.  Think about it, why do you think they feared Jesus?   One last comment: true healing always starts with Jesus. In fact, there is no true healing without Jesus. And healing ourselves, our churches, and our land, begins with healing the wounds of our own heart. Before we can heal the many demons that our nation is facing, we must address the evil within ourselves. Friends, have you faced the evil within yourself? We have to admit where we have fallen short. And don't think just the other side needs healing.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 4, 2025 Day 3 of Week 9   Scripture – Matthew 8:1-17   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you that your mercies are new every morning.  Thank you, that no matter what this week has held, we can come to you and start over.  We are grateful for your forgiveness.  We are so very grateful for your care and your love.  Help us, Lord, to set aside our distractions, to set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you right now.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is Wednesday, which means it is Recharge Day.  Come join us at 6:30pm in the Garage for worship, prayer, fellowship, and small community.  It's one of my favorite times of the week!  If you haven't been, you are missing out.   Let's move on to today's Scripture.  Today, we read about a lot of healing.  Remember, Jesus is embodying what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.  In God's Kingdom, there is no sickness so Jesus heals.    We start our reading with this beautiful story of Jesus healing the man with leprosy.  One of the striking aspects of this healing is that Jesus reaches out and touches the man.  No one was allowed to touch someone with leprosy.  They were basically pariahs.  Jesus didn't have to touch the man to heal him; he had healed others without touch.  But Jesus chooses to touch him because Jesus' healings were not just physical but also emotional and spiritual.    The healing was obviously life-changing in many ways.  Even though Jesus asked him not to share, my guess is that he was overcome with how the power of God had worked in his life. Thus, he shared his story with all who would listen. "I was sick and my life was a mess. Then I met Jesus and he healed me. You need to meet him too!" How could he keep it to himself?   Next, we have the passage about the faith of the centurion.  This is such a great text!  One of the most interesting components of this story is that the centurion came up to Jesus at all.  There is no indication that he was Jewish or that his servant was Jewish.  Up until this point in Matthew, Jesus had only healed those of the Jewish faith.  It's also interesting that this Roman centurion cared so deeply for his servant.  After all, the Roman soldiers were not known for their compassion.  But this man traveled a long way to meet Jesus, humbly approach him, and ask for help.    When most of us approach this passage, our biggest takeaway is the faith of this man.  And it's impressive.  He tells Jesus that he understands authority and chain of command because of his military experience.  He knows that Jesus has authority enough to heal from afar.  That is pretty incredible.  The Jews don't understand Jesus' authority but this Roman soldier does.   But there is also the fact that this man does not feel worthy to have Jesus walk into his home.  He is a soldier and has probably done plenty of things he isn't proud of.  He sees Jesus' holiness and knows that he simply doesn't measure up.  His family doesn't measure up.  His sick servant doesn't measure up.  His self-awareness and humility are probably the most incredible part of the passage for me.    How many of us would feel worthy having Jesus in our home?  What would our hesitations be?    Jesus, of course, is amazed by his faith.  Jesus has all these Jewish disciples, Pharisees, and others around him.  It's the faith of the Roman centurion that he lifts up.  I wonder if the others feel a bit slighted.    Faith in Jesus can often come from unexpected places.  I remember when I worked more closely with homeless individuals that some of them had amazing, genuine, real faith.  When have you seen faith in Jesus come from unexpected places?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope June 2, 2025 Day 1 of Week 9   Scripture – Matthew 7:1-14   Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today with gratitude.  Thank you for loving us.  Thank you for wanting a relationship with us. Thank you for never leaving our side.  Help us to follow you more closely, Lord.  We need your truth.  We need your guidance and direction.  With every fiber of our being, we need you.  As we read your Word today and reflect on it, Lord, speak to us.  Help us grow closer to you.  Let us know where we are falling short so that we can be the people you have called us to be.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Monday!  Yesterday, we had a big baptism celebration at New Hope and it was such an amazing event.  We had roughly 30 people get baptized or remember their baptisms between the English and Spanish-speaking congregations.  What a day of joy, as we celebrate new life in Christ!   Today and tomorrow we are finishing up the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus has been teaching us that while outward actions matter, what really matters to God is our heart.  We are to behave and think fundamentally different from the world around us.  Up until this point, we have learned about the different groups that God honors, such as the poor in spirit, the merciful, and those who are persecuted for belief in Jesus.  We've learned about what it means to be salt and light in our world, pointing others to Jesus.  We have also talked a lot about how Jesus took concepts like divorce, adultery, giving to the needy, fasting, and prayer, and turned them on their heads.  Jesus is raising the bar for his people.    Today, the teaching is just as difficult and yet, critically important.  The first portion of the chapter deals with judging others.  Judgement is something that has gotten Christians in a lot of trouble with the world around us.  In fact, being judged by Christians is one of the main reasons people say they have avoided the church or left the church.  This should be heart-breaking to all of us.  Something has gone terribly wrong.    Jesus is saying you will be judged by the same measure you use to judge others. Think about this. How do you want to be judged? I can tell you that I want to be judged with mercy and compassion. Jesus talks about not trying to take the speck out of a friend's eye without taking the plank out of our own.  Why do we obsess over others' specks, over their short-comings? Well, because it's easier, it's more fun, but most of all we feel so much better about ourselves when we point out someone else's stuff. It distracts me from dealing with my own stuff.  I wonder if sometimes we don't even notice the plank hanging from our own eye. Maybe we just aren't very self-aware or we don't want to be self-aware. We are happy being ignorant about our own issues.    Jesus brings up hypocrisy again.  It's worth a review.  A hypocrite is someone who is more concerned with what's wrong with someone else than what's wrong with themselves. Urban dictionary has three definitions:1) A person who engages in the same behaviors he condemns others for. (2) A person who professes certain ideals, but fails to live up to them. (3) A person who holds other people to higher standards than he holds himself.  Sounds about right.  And as Christians, we have often been accused of hypocrisy.  Some of it has been fairly earned.   Jesus is saying, before you start pointing out other people's issues, examine yourself. Stop to see where you have traces of sin in your own life.  We all have it. Sometimes when we notice sin in the lives of other people, it's time to do a self-examination.  We need to examine our own behavior, speech, and thoughts.  We have to look deep in our own hearts and see what we need to fix. Just FYI – we all have something to fix.   So do we just stop there?  No.  Following Jesus means we never stop with what's in it for us. Sure, we've looked at someone else and seen their mess and it's been a big signpost to what's wrong in our lives. But that is not where it ends. Jesus says, “First get rid of the log in your own eye; THEN you will see well enough to deal with speck in your friend's eye.” This is where it gets really hard.   One of the main points of Jesus' ministry was teaching his followers to love each other. Love your neighbor. Love one other. John 13:34-35, So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.  This teaching on judgement is not just about letting people do whatever they want, about never confronting people. Judge not is not just about letting people live and think and speak in whatever way they want to because, well, Jesus said “Don't judge others.” It is so much more than that. It's not just about dealing with our own stuff either, although we do need to do that. When we see others' issues, it should be an impetus for us to look at ourselves and say, “Do I have that issue? Am I addressing it? What issues do I have that I need to address? What do I need to do to become more like the person Jesus wants me to me?” This is called being self-aware, knowing where your weaknesses are, and trying to deal with them.   But Jesus' lesson on not judging is more than that. We deal with the log in your own eye and then we may need to approach someone else about the speck in their eye.  Part of loving others well is holding other believers accountable.  We need each other.  Judge not does not mean care not.  It doesn't mean act not.  It doesn't mean don't get involved.  We need to keep our motives in check and be humble, but there will be times in Christian community where we truly need to get involved and let others know that while we care about them, they are off the mark.   Moving on in the passage, Jesus then teaches about praying expectantly.  This is the ask, seek, knock passage and many of you have probably heard this a lot.  It's powerful.  But does this mean that if we ask, God will give us whatever we want.  Not exactly.  But it does mean to pray expectantly; pray expecting that God will us an answer.   This can be a difficult scripture to teach. Some of you might be thinking, “Well, I prayed for my mother, or my son, or my husband to be healed and I prayed both persistently and expectantly, and it didn't work. They still died.” How do we make sense of this? I believe that part of it is understanding the context. Just as Jesus often used parables in his teaching he also used hyperbole in his speech, which is an overstatement or an exaggeration.  This was a really common way of explaining things at that time, in that culture, and it would have just made a lot of sense to first-century people. We, on the other hand, are products of twenty-first century modern life. In our culture, we tend to read everything very literally. And this isn't a bad thing–we just need to consider that Jesus was trying to make a point.   The reality is that this world would be even more chaotic if Jesus' words on prayer were actually meant to be taken literally. For instance, if we could just pray to have money and it appeared, well, then why work a job? If we could just pray to have an A on that Calculus test without studying for it, then everyone would have A's and grades wouldn't really have much meaning. That doesn't mean we don't pray, and it doesn't mean we don't pray boldly, because God intends for us to do so.  He says to pray without ceasing.  But it means we know that prayer isn't a get rich quick scheme or a way to get all our dreams to come true, but rather a way to get closer to God, a way for God to sustain us, a way to know that God is always with us. Pray expectantly because prayer does change things, but not always the way we want them to be changed. Pray expectantly because God always answers prayers, sometimes just not the way we want them to be answered.   The last few verses in today's reading are short but powerful.  Jesus tells his listeners to enter through the narrow gate.  This means following him and his ways.  Most people will enter through the wide gate.  On first glance, the wide gate seems easier.  It's the way of the world, it's living for yourself, it's doing what you want when you want and how you want.  Less people choose the narrow gate but it's that road that leads to Jesus which leads to life.   This Scripture always reminds me of Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken.  Many of you probably know it.  I would close with the poem except for Frost was a complicated man who was never that clear about his faith.  He had some kind of belief but never professed Jesus as Savior.  I think he struggled with this narrow door/wide door issue.  And there really isn't anything more important in life, getting the doors and roads correct.  Yet, elements of Frost's work point to exactly what Jesus is saying, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”    Which door have you chosen?  Which road will you pursue?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope May 30, 2025 Day 5 of Week 8   Scripture – Matthew 6:19-34   Prayer:  Holy God, We rejoice in your name today.  You are almighty and wise, the Alpha and the Omega.  You are the one who was, and is, and is to come.  We give you all the glory and praise.  Help us now, Lord, gather our scattered thoughts and focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Friday!    Today, we are finishing up Matthew 6, as we continue to work through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  He is continuing to preach on the importance of not just our outward actions, but our heart.  He begins by talking about fasting.  Don't be like the hypocrites when they fast because they let everyone know how miserable they are.  Again, a warning about being hypocritical.  Between yesterday and today, we are definitely seeing a theme.  Don't be the kind of person who does one thing but your heart is far from God.  Those who are fasting to honor God will do so discreetly, so that no one will know.  Fasting is between you and God.  It isn't something to gloat about.  It's about increasing our dependence and focus on God, seeking his will, or interceding on behalf of others in prayer.  It's not about attention and others' approval.  God always knows our hearts.   Then, Jesus moves onto treasures in heaven.  Don't store up things here on earth because earthly things simply do not last.  Besides, all of our stuff has a way of tethering our heart to earth.  Material things get a hold of us.  And there is always more stuff to get.  Whether we are rich or poor, there is always something else to buy.   It may seem like these earthly things are substantial and important and lasting, but they will eventually go away.  But there is treasure that cannot be lost…that which is stored up in heaven.  What does Jesus mean here?  To store up treasure in heaven is to invest in those things which will have lasting effects for eternity, things that make a different for the Kingdom.   While earthly treasure depreciates in value, heavenly treasure appreciates.  We invest in Kingdom things and God takes that investment and multiplies it. Remember, God's economy is different.  He takes our little heavenly investment and makes it huge in his Kingdom.  Think loaves and fishes, or the mustard seed, or the yeast.   Jesus has a way of saying things with embarrassing directness.  No mincing words with Jesus. Might he really be asking us “So where are you building up your treasure?” Jesus doesn't specifically define treasure here and my guess is he did that on purpose because for each of us, it's going to be different but it's clearly what we value and invest in.”   It's what we are holding onto.  What is it you hold onto?  I mean, we all have something.  And why do you think that is?    I have to remind myself, sometimes over and over again, that none of “my stuff” is really mine at all truly belongs to God.  This is hard; it goes against everything society and culture teaches us.  In fact, right now you might be thinking, but I'm the one who earned this money.  I'm the one who made this sacrifice or earned this degree or did this or that to have a nice salary, to buy a home, to purchase a nice vehicle.  You might be thinking that really, “I did this on my own.”    Deut. 8:17 says, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me,' But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…”  Despite how economically self-sufficient we think we are, God created us and it is God who gives us the ability to work, the ability to earn money, the ability to provide a living for our families…all we have is his; we are not independent from him.   Jesus is certainly pointing to this truth.    As Jesus closes his teaching on money, he flows right into a discussion on worry. It points to the relationship between money and worry. When we don't have enough money, we tend to worry. When we have a lot of money, we tend to worry about its safekeeping or what we will spend it on.   Think about the first listeners to this teaching. Most would have been quite poor and truly just living hand to mouth. And to this group, who we might think had legitimate cause to be seriously anxious, Jesus tells them not to worry about the basic things of the world. God's going to take care of them.   I once read that 98% of the things we worry about never come to fruition. Worry, my friends, is a royal waste of time. It is useless. It causes us serious distress and steals today's joy. I am not saying this because I have somehow mastered the art of not worrying. I worry way too much but I am working on it. I recognize that the root of worry is a lack of trust in God. Thus, we all must make a decision every day to trust God.  It's a lifestyle of constantly giving things to God, and being intentional about not taking them back.   Which worries do you need to give to God today?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope May 29, 2025 Day 4 of Week 8   Scripture – Matthew 6:1-18   Prayer: Lord, We come to you today with humble hearts.  Help us think less of ourselves and more about others.  Help us focus more on you, and less on our own wants.  It is our inclination to complain and whine.  Forgive us, Lord.  We need you.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements the New Hope bible reading plan.  We are currently going through the Gospels and the book of Acts.  Today, we look at the first half of Matthew 6.  We are continuing to study the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus is giving us this beautiful picture of what it means to follow him --- your outward actions matter but so does your heart.  Citizens of heaven act differently.  There is a different way of living, a new way of being human, one in which is drastically different from the ways of the world.   The first portion of the Scripture from chapter 6 speaks about giving to the needy.  Don't give like the hypocrites who want attention and honor.  Rather, give quietly and discreetly.  I've had a few acquaintances over the years who really loved to talk about all the wonderful causes they gave to and all the wonderful ways they served.  It was hard to listen to.  Maybe you have been there.  Jesus is basically saying that our giving is an act of the heart.  It's between us and God.    The next portion of the Scripture talks about prayer.  Jesus again speaks of the hypocrites, those who pray loudly in the temple courts and how they have already received their reward – the attention and adoration of on-lookers.  The word hypocrite refers to a play actor on a stage; these people were acting out a part, looking for attention, looking for people to think they were so holy, they were seeking to impress others with their prayers.  Jesus was saying don't be like that – prayer is not about getting attention.  It's about a connection with God. The world tells us that it's influence and approval that matters.  Jesus says not so in the Kingdom of God.  Pray should be sincere and intentional.   Thus, Jesus gives us a pattern of prayer that allows us to be very intentional.  We call this the Lord's Prayer.  We say this almost every week as a family of faith.  This doesn't mean we have to pray exactly like this, but this provides an outline or guideline for us to follow. Let's unpack this.  Jesus starts the prayer this way, “Our Father in heaven...” This first line encourages us to start our prayer with some words about who God is to you - God is my father.  We tend to think of heaven as far off place, but in Greek, the word heaven was equivalent to the sky and all that is in it.  So God is my father who is close to me.  And then he continues, “hallowed be your name.”  This is acknowledging that God is holy, he is worthy, and we give thanks for all he has done for us and all he has blessed us with. Jesus then says, “your kingdom come...”  Remember, God's Kingdom was the way God always intended his world to be, a place where Jesus is ruler and his values are in practice.  These are values like love, justice, mercy, righteousness, and so forth.  So God, help me be part of making your Kingdom a reality right here, right now.    Then we have, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” What you might notice is that using this outline that Jesus offers us, we haven't asked God for anything yet!  There's been no list of stuff we want or need, we are just affirming who God is, thanking him, and praying that we can be part of making his will a reality here on earth.   Then, we get to the asking.  Jesus continues, “Give us today our daily bread.” Please notice, we aren't asking for filet mignon, it's give us today our daily bread.  It's provide us what we need for today.  I think this is where we struggle in western culture.  We tend to ask for a lot of wants rather than needs.  I include myself in that one.     The next line Jesus offers us is this, And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. This is acknowledging that unconfessed sin gets in the way of our relationship with God.  Unforgiveness does the same.  It breeds bitterness, it's like a poison that seeps throughout the body.  We have to take care of that to ensure our connection with God and others. And finally, Jesus closes with, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Although God isn't the one who tempts us, here we recognize that we are easily tempted.    In the second century, the early church added a closing portion from 2 Samuel that said, “For thine is the Kingdom and the glory and the power forever.”  This just provides one more reminder that it is not about me but about God – it's HIS Kingdom, not mine, HIS glory, not mine, and HIS power.    Again, this was not meant to be legalistic but to provide an intentional structure for our genuine, sincere prayer.   What are your big takeaways about prayer from these scriptures?  What has resonated most with you.    Take a moment and think about all of Jesus' teachings from the Sermon on the Mount thus far.  What has made the biggest impact on you?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope May 28, 2025 Day 3 of Week 8   Scripture - Matthew 5:38-48   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you for loving us despite our many faults.  Thank you for showing us a different way of doing life.  Help us seek holiness in all we do.  Help us become the people you desire us to be.  As we work through today's Scripture and devotional, I pray that you speak to our hearts.  Help us see things differently.  We want to hear from you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are back in the Sermon on the Mount and learning more about what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.  We are finishing up Matthew 5.   The first portion of this Scripture is regarding an eye for an eye.  It was said an eye for an eye, but now I tell you to turn the other cheek.  I want to be clear, Jesus is not saying that we should never resist those who are trying to harm us.  He isn't say to be Christian doormats.  The Old Testament law about taking an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth actually promoted justice rather than vengeance.  If someone gives you a black eye, you can't then break their leg or kill them.  Jesus was also all about justice.  What exactly is he requiring of us?   Let's talk about what it means to turn the other cheek.  We think of a slap as a pretty terrible thing.  If someone slapped me, I would really be taken aback and consider it an assault.  Not so much in Jesus' day.  A slap on the cheek would have been an insult but not an assault.  Jesus specifically mentioned a right-cheek slap, which would have indicated a backhand slap.  That was a real insult, it was the kind of slap someone would give to a person beneath them.  It was patronizing and demoralizing.  By turning the other cheek, it challenged the offender to now strike the left cheek with an open palm.  And open palm slap, at that time, was something done to an equal.  Basically, turning the other cheek means that the victim is not taking the backhanded slap as a form of condescending shame.  They will face their offender face on, forcing them to either back down or treat them as an equal.   Then, we have Jesus saying that if someone wants to sue you for your shirt, give them your coat as well.  The shirt would have been the inner garment and the coat the outer garment.  The Old Testament law allowed someone, usually a poor person, to use their coat as collateral for a loan.  But it also required the lender to give it back by nighttime in case they get cold.  To give up the coat voluntarily would have been extraordinary.  Jesus is challenging people to think creatively in responding to an evildoer.  It forces the greedy person to confront what they doing.  It also provides a stark contrast between the one who is greedy and the one who is exceedingly generous.  In God's Kingdom, generosity is the virtue.    This is the thing: In God's Kingdom, things are turned upside down.  We don't respond to violence with more violence or greed with more greed.  We resist those things in creative ways.  This does not mean being victims or getting walked all over.  It means asserting power differently.    One of the most intriguing of the teachings is to love our enemies. This would have been unheard of in first-century Palestine. Love your enemies? What? Jesus' basis for this teaching is founded in God's own nature. God is, first and foremost, a God of love. He gives sun and rain to the good and the evil alike. He does not discriminate. Nor should we. The Pharisees cast judgment on others but we are not to do the same. We should seek to be perfect, as God is perfect, to have a heart willing to love those who seem to be unlovable.   Be honest with yourself. Who have you deemed unlovable? Spend some time with God reconciling this.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope May 26, 2025 Day 1 of Week 8   Scripture - Matthew 5:1-12   Prayer:  Almighty God, We come to you today with humble hearts.  We are broken and we need you.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you this morning.  Help us set aside distractions so we might hear your voice.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us just focus on Jesus...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin the Sermon on the Mount, a block of Jesus' teaching that is pretty life-changing; these are teachings that emphasize purity of heart.  While the Sermon on the Mount runs neatly from chapter 5-7 in Matthew's Gospel, the reality is that this teaching probably took place over several days.  Matthew then organized it into sections and presented it in a way that he felt made the most sense, emphasizing the most critical parts of Jesus' teaching.   I want us to think about to whom Jesus was speaking.  He was on a mountain, preaching mainly to Jewish farmers and laborers, people who had truly been hurt by the Roman oppression.  They are tired of being bullied, mistreated, and facing such a heavy tax burden.  Those who live in Galilee were often seen as unclean by the Pharisees and Sadducees, as well, because of their ethnic diversity.  These are people who are being hit hard from all sides.  They are eagerly awaiting the Messiah, the one who will save them.   The portion of Scripture we are covering today is called the Beatitudes.  The word “beatitude” means to be blessed.  And when we dig further, the term blessed is to be full of honor.  So, contrary to what culture says, Jesus is saying these specific groups are to be honored.  In the Kingdom of God, groups that would not normally be honored will be.  God's economy is different.  That being said, who does Jesus say should be honored?   -The poor in spirit – This may include those who were economically poor (most of Jesus' audience would have been) but also those who were socially poor, such as without family or standing.  When you were poor, you were not able to defend what was yours. The poor in spirit also indicates people who are humble, dependent on God, and have a desperate need for him. This would not have been a group that the culture at large would have found honorable at all, but Jesus says they will gain the Kingdom of Heaven.   -Those who mourn – In a society such as theirs, mourning would have been a fairly common experience.  Death and illness would be have been a regular occurrence. It is estimated that half of all children died before their first birthday.  The life expectancy was around 35 but that number is skewed because of the high level of child deaths.  Basically, there were a lot of grieving moms. Jesus says that those who mourn are worthy of honor and will be comforted.   -The meek – Those who are meek demonstrate strength and integrity through gentle, kind, submissive behavior.  They are not aggressive.  This would not have been an attribute the rest of society would have honored and yet, Jesus does.  He says they will inherit the earth.   -Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure at heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness – I recognize that these attributes are not all the same but for the sake of today's discussion, I'm going to lump this group together.  These people would have been justice-seekers.  They speak up for the vulnerable.  To be a peacemaker is one who actively works to resolve conflicts.  To be merciful is to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged you.  All require a certain humility and purity of heart to care for others more than yourself.  And Jesus highly values them.   Jesus closes out this section by saying that there is another group who should also be honored – those who experience persecution for his sake; those who are insulted or harmed because of their faith in Jesus.  Great is their reward in heaven.  I think about the people of great faith over many centuries who have been burned at the stake, fed to hungry lions, or been sentenced to death by firing squad.  Many who should have been honored were killed.  Such is the state of our broken world.  Let's remember those Christians around the globe who are still being persecuted.  And Jesus himself said it would occur.    What are we to make of the beatitudes?  They certainly give us a barometer of sorts for our own lives.  How is your heart?  What are the things you really value?  Do you put the needs of others before yourself?  Are you merciful?  Do you stand up for the vulnerable (not just in theory but in practical ways)?  Do you sit with those who mourn so they will receive Jesus' comfort through you?  Are you humble?   Today's devotional isn't that long.  I hope you will take some time to read through the Beatitudes again.  Think about every group that Jesus says will be honored.  Are you part of that group?  Do you honor those attributes?  These go contrary to what our society honors as well.  But we are to be different.  Dig deep here, friends.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope May 21, 2025 Day 3 of Week 8   Scripture – Matthew 3   Prayer: Amazing Father and Lord, Thank you for who you are.  Thank you for how you care for us.  We get distracted.  We veer away from you and your Word.  For that, we are so very sorry.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to abide in you.  Help us to remain close so that we can be fruitful and effective for your Kingdom.  Help us get outside ourselves and see others as you see them.  Lord, we belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are taking a look at Matthew 3.   Matthew begins by quoting from the book of the prophet Isaiah about a messenger who would be sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for him.  And this person, Scripture says, is John the Baptist.  We learn from reading other Gospels that John the Baptist is actually Jesus' first cousin.    The whole Judean countryside came out to see John the Baptist.  Picture this, masses of people were leaving their villages and coming into the wilderness (which looks more like desert than forest) to get baptized by John.  But why?  I mean, he was a weird dude, wearing camel hair and eating locusts dipped in wild honey.  He had taken a vow of poverty.  Maybe they wanted to check out this really bizarre guy but that doesn't explain everything.  John was offering them something they desperately needed – good news, forgiveness, cleansing.  And the good news he offered wasn't that they would receive something good when they die, but that there is good news, there is hope, for life right now.  And remember, these were dark days.  The people were yearning for hope.   He also calls out the Pharisees and Sadducees.  He knows their hearts are evil so he refers to them as a brood of vipers.  Vipers are venomous so John is not hiding his dislike.  He is saying that the Pharisees (the religious teachers) and the Sadducees (the wealthy Jewish aristocracy) are evil, deceitful, hypocritical, and connected to Satan.  Those are fighting words. It's surprising John didn't get in trouble right then and there.    But then John says something interesting.  He says that someone else is coming, one more powerful than him, whose sandals he is not worthy to stoop down and untie. That's pretty extreme. I mean, slaves were typically the ones who untied sandals because they were so filthy.  And John says that while he baptizes with water, the one coming after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit.  For those who were listening to John, this may have been scary.  What kind of person would John feel so humbled by?    And then, we meet him.  It's Jesus, whose birth we have just heard about.  He comes to John to be baptized.  John is hesitant.  He knows that Jesus should be baptizing him.  But he relents.  John knows that this needs to happen. Remember, Matthew is clearly pointing out here that Jesus is Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy for the Jews. Then, there is this beautiful scene, depicting the Trinity, in which God the Father announces his approval of God the Son and then God the Holy Spirit descends as a dove.  There is a voice from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”   Before we move on in Matthew, let's spend a little bit of time talking about repentance.  The people were coming to John to confess their sins, repent, and receive cleansing.  Every single one of us need that.  When is the last time you have spent time in confession and repentance?  Talk to God right now.  Receive the ultimate cleansing as only he can give.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope May 20, 2025 Day 2 of Week 8   Scripture – Matthew 2   Prayer:  Dear God, You are amazing!  How awesome it is that you who created all things are also so intimately involved in our lives.  We give you glory and praise for who you are.  We are so thankful for your love.  We want to know you more.  We want and need to hear your voice.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen. Welcome back, friends, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a devotional and podcast connected to the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, FL.  Today, we are digging into Matthew 2.  This is pretty familiar Scripture to many of us.  Let's try to see it with fresh eyes. The text begins with foreign Magi visiting King Herod.  These men are an interesting and mysterious group. We don't really know much about the magi who come seeking Jesus from eastern lands.  Some translations call them wise men or kings.  Matthew doesn't include a lot of details.  We have no idea how many there actually were (despite the popular carol, Scripture does not say there were just three of them).  Like the shepherds, the magi seem an unlikely group to seek out and worship Jesus. They were pagans, gentiles, involved in the occult, and yet they knew there was something more.  They were searching for something more.  So these magi embark on a long journey, carrying expensive gifts worthy of a king, eager to pay homage. Their efforts lead them to an encounter far beyond their expectations. Unlike an earthly king who would have been found in a palace, the magi are led to what we can probably assume is a modest home of a Jewish family and it's there that they find Jesus with his mother and Scripture says they bow down and worship him.  Maybe it wasn't what they expected but they see God's hand in it nonetheless and worship the one they know to be the Messiah, the savior of the world.  They were outsiders but they recognized the Messiah when so many insiders failed to do so. Up until now, it all sounds great, right?  But there is another character in this story.  His name is Herod the Great. The Herod family ruled over the holy land both before and after the time of Christ, they were somewhat like puppet kings, put in place by the Romans to keep order.  And they don't have a great reputation at all.  They were, for the most part, insecure and power-hungry. One reason I don't think it's accurate to refer to the magi as wise men is because they did one thing that was really unwise.  They go straight to King Herod, “So where is the NEW king? Where is the one who has been named king of the Jews?”  Keep in mind, Herod the Great considered himself to be king of the Jews.  The man is insecure and vicious so he tries to trick the magi into divulging Jesus' location.  But no amount of earthly power can get Herod what he wants.  The magi are warned in a dream to not return to Herod.  And this angers him more.  Herod was both feared and hated. The Jewish historian Josephus painted a picture of Herod as a suspicious and cruel client king, with a history of killing anyone whom he saw as a threat, including three sons and his wife. So even though the magi remind Herod of Micah's prophecy that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), his response was not to pay homage but to destroy the newborn king.  In Matthew 2:16, we read that Herod decides to take matters into his own hands and kill all the baby boys who might be in the age range of Jesus, When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.  Truly dark and horrific.  The extent to which human beings will go to gain power surely demonstrates the brokenness of our world.  Then and now.  But through all of this, Jesus is saved.  The baby's family is warned in a dream and they head down to Egypt for a period of time to keep the boy safe from Herod before they come back to Israel and settle in Nazareth.  Because God's purposes will prevail.  God had promised long, long ago to send a Savior for his people and there is nothing that could get in the way.  Listen to this prophecy from in Isaiah 9:6-7, spoken 700 years before the birth of Jesus, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.  It's like God was saying “I'm going to send someone who will restore the people of Israel to me.  This person will be a light to the Gentiles, and will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth AND it will be obvious once more that your God reigns.”  No power-hungry king could mess that up as hard as he tried.  No earthly power could thwart God's plan of redemption for his people.  It's true that bad things to happen.  God allows human beings free will and that is too often used for evil.  But that doesn't mean God isn't involved, it doesn't mean he isn't invested, God can and has orchestrated, changed, and/or stopped the plans of all kinds of people to get done what needs to get done.  God has been working, in his time, over the course of thousands of years, to achieve his bigger purpose. And what was the bigger purpose?  God's mission from the beginning was to redeem his world.  He did this through Jesus.  That little baby that the wise men knelt down and worshiped, that child that Herod felt so threatened by --- that child would grow to become the Savior of the world.  He would bring sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed, he would proclaim good news to the poor.  He would preach the Kingdom of God and show the world a different way of living, ultimately giving up his own life voluntarily on a Roman cross.  In doing so, he became the final sacrifice for sin, providing a way for you and me and all people to be redeemed.  Because of Jesus' sacrifice, our sins can be forgiven and we can walk hand in hand with a holy God.  Because of Jesus, nothing separates us from God.  And then, three days after he died, he was resurrected, defeating evil and death and demonstrating to the world who HE is.  He is, after all, God.  Jesus is the Lord. Jesus is LORD of all.  Paul writes this in Colossians 1:15-20, The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  Jesus is above all things.  Jesus is Lord. And over the course of 2000 years, rulers and kings and dictators and autocrats have tried to wipe out his influence.  They have misused his teachings, they have twisted the Gospel.  Like Herod, they have done all kinds of things to either try to eliminate the influence of Jesus or to use the Gospel for their own deceitful purposes.  And at times, it's been ugly and violent and really sad.  But this is TRUTH:  God will ensure that his purposes prevail.  Yes, in our sinful and broken world, all kinds of horrors will occur.  Vladimir Putin will think he's invincible.  Kim Jong Un will declare himself supreme ruler.  American politicians will think themselves unshakable.  You and I will experience heartbreak, loss, and illness.  And yet, Jesus is still Lord of all.  God is still working in our lives, God is still present with us in the middle of the mess, and Jesus is still in the business of transforming lives.  Friends, Jesus is on the throne, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The rulers of the world may oppose him but they are ultimately answerable to him.  Because he will come again. I'll stop there for now.  But I do have to ask this question:  Is Jesus Lord of your life?  More tomorrow. Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope May 19, 2025 Day 1 of Week 8   Scripture – Matthew 1   Prayer:  Almighty God, We come before you on this Monday, as we start a new week, with both humility and gratefulness.  You are so powerful, so holy, and so wise.  We need you.  We seek you.  We are desperate to hear a word from you today, Lord.  We also know that we have failed over and over again.  Lord, forgive us for our sins, for the ways we fall short.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...Jesus, help us stay focused on you and your Word today.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we start the book of Matthew.  While the author does not identify himself, most scholars agree it was written by Matthew the tax collector.  He actually mentions himself a couple times in the Gospel.  The events in the book take place in the first 40 or so years of the first century.  It was actually written somewhere between 50 and 90AD.   Let's keep in mind that all the Gospel accounts were passed down and taught orally for about 30-40 years before they were written down.  Each Gospel author collected and arranged these accounts to highlight certain themes about Jesus.  Mark, who we just finished, emphasized Jesus' authority.  Matthew, on the other hand, very intentionally uses his Gospel to demonstrate the continuation and fulfillment of the whole Biblical story of God and the people of Israel.  Thus, he emphasizes how Jesus is the Messiah in the line of David, and he focuses on how Jesus is Immanuel (which means in Hebrew, God with us.) Matthew 1 starts with a genealogy.  Sometimes, our inclination is the brush over the genealogies, but this one is pretty unique.  First, we can see the connection between the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus. As we read through the names on the list, we get a picture of God's history of redemption for his people.  Abraham and David are highlights, as both were recipients of God's promises for the people of Israel, significant parts of redemptive history.  Another reason I love this genealogy is that five women are specifically mentioned. This was at a time when women were basically never mentioned in the history of patriarchal societies. And here we are, five very unique and interesting women–Tamar (who was quite tricky to achieve her purpose), Rahab (at one point a prostitute), Ruth (a Moabite), Uriah's wife (Bathsheba), and Mary.   The first four women were Gentiles or married to Gentiles, they were outsiders to a certain extent, and yet they had tenacious faith, the kind that would be critical for faith in Jesus.  This focus on Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba leads to the introduction of Mary.  It's like the author is saying, “Don't discount Mary!”  She may not be who you would expect to be the mother of the Savior of the world but God uses all kinds of people!  God lifts up all kinds of women, those who are proper and those who aren't. What a beautiful reminder that the Gospel is for ALL. Then, we have Joseph's story.  Joseph is probably the most underrated person in the Christmas story. He is like the father of the bride at the wedding. No one notices him yet he gets to help pay for the whole shin-dig. But Joseph is an example of faithful, unquestioning obedience in the middle of fearful, life-altering circumstances.   Scripture says that Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.  Remember, Mary was a very young girl and was probably very poor.  Joseph would have been older than her.  We tend to think of Joseph as a carpenter but really it's more likely he was a general builder. He was from a kind of backwater, remote area of Palestine. He was probably illiterate (education was generally just for merchants and aristocrats at the time). Both Mary and Joseph were humble people from a very humble part of Israel.   Scripture continues, "before they came together, it was found that Mary was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit." Joseph, being a righteous man, faithful to the law, didn't want her to be publicly disgraced so he had decided to divorce her quietly. At the time, when one became engaged, it was much more formal than it is today. Most likely, Joseph had made an agreement with Mary's father, perhaps years earlier, to take Mary as his wife. This would have been a binding agreement. In the eyes of the law, they were as good as married already, even though the relationship had not been consummated.   Mary was found to be pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind that all Joseph knows at this time is that she is pregnant. His fiancé is pregnant and he knows the baby isn't his. We don't think much about Joseph's feelings. We focus a lot on Mary (and rightfully so) but Jospeh must have had all kinds of feelings too.  The whole thing must have been crushing for him. He had hopes and dreams. My guess is that he was hurt and betrayed. Despite that, he doesn't fly into an angry rage or have a desire to hurt Mary even though this would have amounted to adultery in their culture.   Joseph had compassion. He doesn't want to bring additional shame onto Mary if he can help it. Part of this could have been that Joseph was older than Mary. He might have known that a girl of that age didn't really have much control over her sexuality in that culture. Joseph is in a predicament. He wants to be faithful to the law, so he can no longer marry her, but yet he doesn't want to humiliate her either. So he decides to quietly divorce her, not make too much of a big deal about it. Regardless, Mary would face humiliation and be ostracized. That was the nature of the situation.   But before Joseph breaks off the engagement, he goes home and goes to sleep. It's always good to sleep on big decisions. While he is sleeping, an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” And here is the amazing thing. Scripture says that when he woke up, Joseph did what the angel told him and took Mary as his wife. If Joseph had doubts, they weren't recorded. If he made excuses, we certainly don't know about them. It appears he was simply obedient.    It's worth mentioning that the angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to marry Mary because the baby she is carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit. We know that Mary was risking a lot, but Joseph was also taking big risks here. He also will make some pretty significant sacrifices. People are generally pretty good at counting and they would know that the baby was conceived before they got married. He also faces being ostracized and being an outcast in his community. It was scary! What would their lives look like? What would their families do? What would become of them? Joseph models for us that we can be obedient in spite of fear. He did what was commanded of him, even when it was hard.   Being obedient to God doesn't always look like we want it to look. Let's be real. We want being obedient to God to be a good job with a comfortable salary, a nice home, good schools for our kids, plenty of leisure time and fun activities, a fairly decent social standing, and occasional church attendance. For most of us, if we are honest, that's what we want obedience to God to look like the typical American dream.  But we learn from Joseph is that obedience to God might not always make sense, it might not be popular, and it might not be comfortable.   Obedience to God may also require sacrifice. In the case of Joseph, obedience may have cost him his reputation and his place in the community. We know that later it means he has to drop everything to go to Bethlehem for a census. Then, he has to go to Egypt to keep the baby safe from an evil king. This probably wasn't what Joseph envisioned for his young family.   When God calls us to something, there are often things we have to give up. Joseph gave up stability and safety. Think about what God has called you to. Maybe God has called you to minister to someone and give up your time. Maybe God has called you to share your faith with your neighbor, coworker, or that person at the gym and risk rejection. Maybe God has called you to volunteer in a specific area or give sacrificially to a mission partner. Maybe God has called you to go back to school, change jobs, reconcile with an estranged friend or family member. Maybe God has called you to full-time ministry. However God has called you (and I can guarantee he has called you in some way), it typically involves some kind of sacrifice, discomfort, and hard work. Being obedient to God doesn't always look like we want it to look.   The last thing I'll mention is that God calls us to obey even when we are fearful of the future. This is so hard but God calls us to obey through the fear. We trust that if God has called us to it, God will see us through it. What I've come to learn is that obedience and trust go hand in hand.   Have a wonderful Monday.  We will chat again tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope May 16, 2025 Day 5 of Week 7   Scripture – Mark 16:9-20   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We come before you today in awe of your Word. Thank you for speaking to us through Scripture.  Help us commit to being grounded in your truth.  Help us make learning more about you a priority.  We get so distracted!  The world comes at us from all sides.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish the book of Mark.  Keep in mind that the text we read today was added on much later than the original Gospel text.  As we talked about yesterday, some of the church fathers weren't thrilled with Mark's abrupt ending and added some additional verses to make things have a nice neat resolution.  Of course, real life doesn't have nice neat resolutions.  Neither does Scripture because it's very, very real.   The text for today has Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene and then the disciples.  We can see that the author of these verses took text from other Gospels to write this.  He is essentially filling things in – a visit to Mary Magdalene, a visit to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and then a visit to the eleven.   There are quite a few issues with this text.  First, it says that Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of belief.  If we look at Luke 24, we find that Jesus appears to the disciples but does so with grace.  He shows them his scars, he ate with them, and he opened their minds so that they could understand Scripture.  But in this Mark text, Jesus seems almost angry with the disciples “stubborn” refusal to believe.  This is our first red flag.   And then things really get weird.  We begin to read about theological concepts that are unusual for Mark.  There seems to be a requirement of baptism for salvation – this isn't found anywhere else in the Bible.  Then, there is this statement about the ability to handle snakes and drink deadly poison; if done in the name of Jesus, then they won't be harmed.  Okay, that is terrible theology.  No where else the Bible does it tell believers that they are exempt from poison and dangerous snakes.  What's a bit crazy about this is that whole traditions have been created where snakes are handled in church – from one verse in a portion of text that was added well after the original Gospel was written.  The justification for snake-handling is that it is supposed to be a demonstration of faith.  Y'all, good Biblical interpretation is SO critical!   The last portion of the text is pretty straightforward and consistent with other Gospels.  Jesus ascends to heaven and sits at God's right hand.  He empowers the disciples to perform signs in his name.    Let's talk a little about solid Biblical interpretation.  The Bible is God's Word, it's authoritative.  It provides a framework for our life and whole worldview.  At the same time, it needs interpretation.  We can't simply pluck out a verse and drop it into our lives without looking at the author's intent, the context, and the original audience.  Plus, we have to recognize that we, as 21st century believers, bring a lot of our own presuppositions to the Scripture.  Whether we realize it or not, we bring our own learned ideas and cultural norms to the text when we read.    The Bible is the primary way that God has chosen to reveal himself to us.  I like to call it the inexhaustible word of God.  It's critical.  Hebrews 4:12 states, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The miracle of Scripture is that we can read it over and over again and God can keep teaching us, keep revealing new things to us.  Jesus is revealed to us on the pages of Scripture.   Reading the Bible regularly is the number one way we grow in our faith.  Why is that? It's not simply a book; rather, it's a unique collection of ancient documents, diverse in style and written for different purposes, but all revealing some piece about the nature of God. The more we read, the more we consume of God's Word, the more things begin to fall into place for us.  The fascinating thing about the Bible is that it arose in vastly difference historical settings, written to different audiences, over thousands of years.  Yet, it tells one continuous story.  It's absolutely amazing.  But a serious reading and understanding of the Bible requires wrestling with the context, the purpose of the text, the symbols, and the historical and literary setting. But it also means relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide our study and to make the Scripture come alive for us today.   In the case of Mark, we need to look at today's text as interesting but not authoritative.  These verses weren't in the oldest texts.  It appears that new concepts were added, things that don't seem to add up.  They simply don't sound like Mark.  While we need to read this and understand it, it isn't something I would ever preach from the pulpit.  Basically, we need to be careful here.  There won't be any snake-handling at New Hope if any of you were worried.    Psalm 119:105-106, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it,  that I will follow your righteous laws.   We'll chat again on Monday.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope May 14, 2025 Day 3 of Week 7   Scripture - Mark 15:33-47   Prayer: Holy God, How amazing it is that we can come before you today.  You are God of all things, Lord of everything, and yet you care about each of us.  We give you glory and praise.  We thank you most of all for Jesus, who made it possible for us to walk hand in hand with a holy God.  Help us see today's Scripture through fresh eyes.  Keep teaching us, Lord.  Continue to reveal yourself to us.  We are open and grateful.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a devotional connected to the daily reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Today, we are finishing up Mark 15, which is the death of Jesus Christ.    The text detailing Jesus' death on the cross is what we call the Good Friday scripture.  It may seem odd that we would call the day that Jesus was crucified and died “good.” Apparently, the term came into common use in the 1200s because for us, it was a truly good day, as Jesus became the final sacrifice for all sin for all people for all time. As the full expression of God's love for us, Jesus voluntarily gave his life so that we could be reconciled to holy God.   The text starts with darkness.  How appropriate.  And it says that at the ninth hour, Jesus spoke his last words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  This statement was in reference to Psalm 22.  At the time, people would reference a psalm by stating the first line and the rest of the psalm would be assumed.  Psalm 22 was written by David, and it's a psalm that expresses abandonment and despair in the face of sorrow.    But this leads to some questions.  Did Jesus really feel abandoned by God at that moment on the cross?  And how would that work?  Here is a thought - by quoting Psalm 22, Jesus is actually expressing confidence in the face of suffering, trusting that God will ultimately deliver him. We gain confidence in this interpretation because it is faithful to our understanding of the Trinity as inseparable - one part of the Godhead can't abandon another part of the Godhead.  There is also a distinct union of Jesus' divine and human natures.  All of this comes together on the cross.  Let's read Psalm 22, verses 1-8...   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me,    so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,    by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;    you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust;    they trusted and you delivered them.5 To you they cried out and were saved;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me;    they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,    “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him,    since he delights in him.” And as the psalm continues (it is a bit long to real in full here), we see how the psalmist begins to express trust in the Lord and praise his name.  He knows that God will deliver him.  The bottom line seems to be that on the cross, Jesus bore the weight of our sin as the God-man, but the Father did not literally abandon him, as that would divide the Trinity and undermine Christ's saving work.  Jesus knew that God would deliver him but also provide a way to deliver the whole world.  Right before Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross, the curtain in the Temple was torn down the middle. This is the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holiest of Holies) where the ark of the covenant was kept and the presence of God remained. When the curtain tore, it was a sign that the New Covenant was instituted. Because of Jesus' sacrifice (the final sacrifice for sin), those who believe in him can now go directly to the throne of God's grace. When holy God looks at us, he doesn't see our sinfulness but the blood of Christ. Thus, there are no more barriers that can separate us from God.  Hebrews 10 refers to this incredible phenomena...   Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22   The chapter closes with Joseph of Arimathea taking Jesus' body and placing it in a tomb.  Joseph was a wealthy man and also a member of the Jewish ruling council.  It is implied that he is a believer in Jesus and if he tried to hide it before, there is no hiding it now.  Joseph has gone to great risk and expense to make sure Jesus' body is wrapped and buried.  Of course, at this point, they are deep in grief.  All feels heavy.  But Sunday is coming.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope May 12, 2025 Day 1 of Week 7   Scripture – Mark 15:1-20   Prayer: Dear Almighty God, Thank you for this new day.  Thank you for the way you care for us.  We are so very grateful for your presence in our lives.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and distractions, help us focus on you...Holy Spirit, come and sit with us as we work through this Scripture and devotion.  Speak to us about it afresh and anew.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin the Passion narrative.  I've read this so many times and each time, I am struck by the brutality of what happens to Jesus.   We start with Jesus before Pilate.  Pilate seems to understand that Jesus is innocent.  The chief priests were jealous of him, they felt threatened, so they simply want him gone.  And they have a way of stirring up the people.  Maybe they know which crowd of people to bring to the trial.    One thing that Mark emphasizes greatly is human agency.  We get to see the human capacity for coming toward Jesus and now for killing him.  We have seen throughout the first portion of Mark's Gospel the way the crowds are drawn to Jesus' ministry.  He heals the sick and he welcomes the outcast; he brings human wholeness with no real regard for accepted or approved methods and timing.  Now, Jesus' indifference to accepted or approved methods brings on the anger of those who believe they are the authority.  How dare Jesus defy them? As we can see, this eventually leads to crucifixion.   There are two aspects of today's reading that I want to touch upon.  First, I'm always fascinated by Jesus' silence before the chief priests and before Pilate.  He doesn't try to talk himself out of the situation or even stand up for himself at all.  He does not lie but he answers very few questions.  We know that his silence fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah 53:7, He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.   Why did he remain silent?  He could have used this as a powerful teaching moment.  He could have put his accusers in their place.  Afterall, he was totally innocent! But his silence was even more powerful.  These men wanted him to crack.  They wanted him to do something to incriminate himself.  But by remaining silent, Jesus remains the one in control.  His ability to maintain self-control in the face of deception and evil is miraculous.  He is steady and calm.  On some level, Jesus must have known this was part of what he had to do.  Getting angry or defending himself was not going to help the situation.  He allowed God to be the one to intervene in the hearts of those who abused and killed him.   Second, it's interesting how Mark really emphasizes the humiliation piece of the Passion narrative.  He has already been abused by the chief priest and Jewish ruling leaders.  Now, we see the Roman soldiers mocking him.  They put purple cloth on him and a crown of thorns.  They hit him on the head with a reed.  They pretend to bow down and worship him.  We can picture this scene of bullies making fun of Jesus' Kingship.  All the while, he is silent.  The whole process of Roman crucifixion had been perfected – humiliation and total dehumanization.  The Romans knew what they were doing; the horrors of their punishment was quite effective at preventing any hint of subversion.    Tomorrow, we will walk through the Good Friday scripture – Jesus' death on a cross.  It's become so familiar, I hope we are able to see it all through fresh eyes.  God is always teaching us new things from his Word.    What new thing did you take away today?  What did you learn from Jesus before Pilate that you never noticed before?     Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope May 9, 2025 Day 5 of Week 6   Scripture – Mark 14:53-72   Prayer:  Lord, Let us start by thanking you for a new day.  You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who was, and is, and is to come.  You are all powerful and all knowing.  We give thanks for your love and wisdom.  We give thanks for your presence.  Help us, Lord, gather our scattered thoughts.  Help us set aside distractions and listen to what you have for us today.  In these next few moments of silence, hear our prayers...Jesus, we love you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  We are finishing up Mark 14.  This has been quite a chapter.   Jesus is taken before the chief priest and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council.  Things don't go so well.  Testimony against Jesus is clearly false and most is conflicting.  The case appears to be nonsense; they have nothing to charge him with.    The chief priest is desperate and tries to get Jesus to confess by asking him if he is the Messiah, the son of the blessed one?  So Jesus does confess, he says yes.  But Jesus is laying claim to the title Messiah on his terms.  He isn't Messiah as the Jews anticipated, but in a totally different way.   Jesus calls himself the Messiah, the Son of Man, and tells the crowd they will see him sitting on the right side of the Mighty One and coming on clouds of heaven.  This means not only was the Messiah, but it means that next time the chief priest sees Jesus, he will see him blazing in power. This would not occur in his lifetime on earth however.  This really upsets the chief priest, who considers it blasphemy that Jesus would elevate himself to God's right hand.    Then, we have Peter's denial.  He is in the courtyard of the chief priest.  Peter, who said even if everyone else betrayed Jesus, he would be there until the end; he vehemently denies even knowing Jesus.  He could have taken this time to witness to Jesus' ministry.   Instead, he invokes God as a witness to his falsehood.  He hears the rooster crow and he knows he has betrayed the Messiah.   Our temptation is probably to vilify Peter.  But we have to be very careful here, as we betray Jesus all the time.  How often do we deny him by our speech, our character, or our actions?  We are no better than Peter.    Tomorrow, Jesus will go before Pilate.  Prepare yourself.  It doesn't get any easier from here.   Let's close today with Psalm 31:1-5, In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. 2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. 3 For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. 5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.     Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope May 8, 2025 Day 4 of Week 6   Scripture – Mark 14:27-52   Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father, We are so grateful that your mercies are new every single morning.  No matter what our week has been like, we can come to you today afresh and anew.  Lord, forgive us for our many failings.  We want to do better.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are back in Mark 14.  We will cover Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial, their time in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus' arrest.    Let's start with the first portion of today's text.  Jesus and the disciples have celebrated the Passover meal in the Upper Room and have moved on to the Mount of Olives.  It is here that Jesus predicts that all the disciples will scatter, essentially fall away, when the going gets tough.  He refers to a prophecy from Zechariah 13:7 that reads, “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered...' clearly indicating that the shepherd is Jesus Christ himself.    Interestingly, Peter makes a very bold, ambitious claim that even if everyone else fell away and disappeared, he would not.  Jesus doesn't mince words.  He tells Peter that he will betray Jesus three times by that night (or as the text says, by the time the rooster crows two times).  But Peter, and all the others, insist that they will follow Jesus even until death.    I've thought about this a lot.  At this time, the disciples still don't understand Jesus' ministry or purpose.  They think they will follow him no matter what but we know what happens.  They all scatter once Jesus is arrested.  Peter does deny him three times in just a few short hours, consumed with fear for his own safety.  When push came to shove, they weren't quite as invested in Jesus' mission as they thought.   But then things changed.  After the resurrection, the disciples were changed in fundamental ways.  Peter, who was initially impulsive and fearful, becomes strong and bold, a superb leader in the early church.  After experiencing both the risen Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit, their whole outlook on life is transformed.  And all of them, except for John, are martyred for the Gospel.  They do end up following Jesus to their own earthly death, just not in the timing they expected.   So, I will ask again, would you follow Jesus to the point of giving up your life?  If you were being tortured and persecuted for your faith, would you stay faithful to Jesus or would you give in to the pressure and deny Christ?  It is not outside the realm of possibility that such a situation could exist for us.  Afterall, it does exist for Christians all over the world.   I read this quote recently, “If we have not prepared ourselves and our twenty-first century churches to die for Christ's name if necessary, we have not completed our responsibility of preparing disciples.”  If this makes us uncomfortable, it should.  Because Jesus has called us to a faithfulness that involves more than what we typically think of when we call ourselves Christ-followers.  What does it mean to be a disciple?  Jesus makes it quite clear and we read it just a couple weeks ago, Mark 8:34-35, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.    With that, let's move on in the text.  We are heading to Gethsemane, into the garden with Jesus and the disciples.  Jesus' soul was restless, he was anguished, and he needed to spend time with the Father.  He asks the disciples to pray as well.  This is the time when Jesus pleads with God, “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.   Jesus knows what he is about to endure.  Is this the human side of him not wanting to endure the physical pain and humiliation?  Or, is this the divine part of him not wanting to endure the weight of the sin of the world?  It could definitely be both.  But Jesus was obedient.  He knew this was God's will and design.  While he asked, my guess is he already knew the answer.  Jesus knew what had to be done and he was willing to do it.  But we do get a first row view as to the struggle going on within him.   Jesus struggled and so it isn't surprising that we will also struggle.  Obedience can be really hard.  But Jesus gives us this beautiful example of yielding to God's will, no matter what.  And he was going to face a tortuous death.  Most of the time, our dilemma isn't quite as intense or painful, but it might be.  Think of a situation in your life in which you yielded to God's will even though it was hard and painful.  How did that affect your faith journey?   I just wanted to briefly mention the disciples falling asleep.  They have no idea what is going to happen.  They are tired after a big Passover dinner and several glasses of wine (there is a lot of wine involved in a traditional Jewish Passover).  We see their human weakness here.  I feel a little sorry for them.   Finally, we head to Jesus' arrest.  Judas has already betrayed Jesus.  He and the soldiers head into the garden with the intention of arresting Jesus.  Judas kisses Jesus on the cheek, letting the soldiers know who to arrest.  I can imagine this whole scene being chaotic.  No one really knew what was happening, except Jesus.  Then, one person standing near him (who we know is Peter from other Gospel accounts) panics and cuts the soldiers ear off.  One young man flees naked (some people say this person was Mark, the author, but we really don't know).  The whole thing probably happened quickly and the disciples scatter, just as they said they would not do.    More tomorrow...   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope May 6, 2025 Day 2 of Week 6   Scripture – Mark 13   Prayer:  Almighty God, We give you glory and praise.  Thank you for the ways you care for us.  Thank you for the ways you care for our church.  Lord Jesus, help us set aside our scattered thoughts.  Help us push away distractions and truly focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...Holy Spirit, guide our reading and devotional time today.  May we hear a word from you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, friends, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we work our way through Mark 13 and I want to warn you, this is a difficult chapter.  Jesus is speaking about the destruction of the Temple and signs of the end times.    Before we begin to walk through the text, let me start by stating that there are different interpretations of today's Scripture.  I am going to do my best to offer you different things to consider and reflect upon but scholars do not agree on what this text means.  I personally would be skeptical of anyone who claims to understand it completely.    Jesus has just finished teaching at the Temple.  As he and his disciples are leaving, one of the disciples comments on the magnificence of the stones and the building.  It seems kind of an odd comment, except for the fact that these men were from Galilee where things were much smaller and less extravagant.  The Temple was, in fact, quite amazing and something to behold.    Jesus' response probably isn't what the disciple was expecting.  He says that eventually the whole Temple would be destroyed.  Not surprisingly, the men ask when this would occur.  Here is where things get tricky. Jesus begins to speak of when false teachers will come, wars, earthquakes, famines, and many other catastrophic events.  He speaks of the disciples being turned over to be arrested and flogged but also the need for the Gospel to be preached to all nations.  There isn't a timeline presented but Jesus does state that in the midst of all this threat and disaster, the Messiah will be the one to come and gather his people.  Was he referring to events that would happen soon or events at the end times?    The general consensus is that Jesus is speaking of both.  This is an example of apocalyptic literature but it is also speaking of things to come in the lifetime of the disciples.  They would be tortured, arrested, and killed, for their faith in Jesus.  There would be wars.  In fact, the siege of Jerusalem took place in 70 AD, just less than forty years after Jesus spoke these words.  It was then that the Temple was destroyed by the Romans, just as Jesus mentioned.  And over the centuries, we have seen many wars, earthquakes, and famines.  The earth has no shortage of catastrophes to list.    At the same time, there is a warning by Jesus to be ready.  The Messiah is coming and we don't know when that will occur.  Jesus is returning to judge the living and the dead.  The disciples thought his return would be in their lifetime but it wasn't.  Many people have predicted when it will happen and they have all been wrong.  Jesus himself is quite clear that the day and the hour are unknown.    I find it fascinating how people have been trying to predict the end of time for hundreds, possibly thousands of years.  Around the world, people have pointed to various geographical and sociological signs and said, “This day will be doomsday!” I've been around many people in Christian circles who want to point to this event or that event and say, “The end times must be near.” And yet, Jesus clearly warns us against doing this in today's reading.  As Christians, there is not anything for which we need to fear.  We simply have to be ready.  Are you ready for when Jesus returns?    Take some time today and think about this.  Spend time with Jesus in prayer.   Let's close today's devotional with Psalm 24, which points to Jesus' second coming as the King of Glory...   The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,    the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas    and established it on the waters. 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?    Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,    who does not trust in an idol    or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the Lord    and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,    who seek your face, God of Jacob. 7 Lift up your heads, you gates;    be lifted up, you ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory?    The Lord strong and mighty,    the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates;    lift them up, you ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory?    The Lord Almighty—     he is the King of glory. Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope May 5, 2025 Day 1 of Week 6   Scripture - Mark 12:35-44   Prayer:  Lord, We come before you on this Monday as we start a new week, and we pray for you to speak to us.  We need you.  We need a new word from you.  We need your guidance, your wisdom, your help.  Help us set aside the distractions of our day, our many scattered thoughts, and focus on you.  During these next few moments of silence, Jesus, help us remember that we belong to you...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  We are finishing Mark 12 today.  We will learn more about what it means to be the Messiah, as well as how different God's economy is from the economy of the world.  Let's get started!   The first part of the text is a little puzzling.  What is Jesus speaking of here?  Whose son is the Messiah?  The scribes and the Jewish leaders knew that the Messiah would be a son of David.  They thought he would be a human descendant of David, someone who would come to save them from the Romans with strength and military might.  Again, they are purely thinking in human terms.    But when Jesus quotes from Psalm 110, he is showing that the Messiah would be more than simply a son of David.  The Psalm calls the Messiah, “my Lord.”  In Jewish thought, a descendant of someone could never be also the Lord of that person.  Jesus is saying, if the scribes agree that Psalm 110 is talking about the Messiah, how then could David call his son his Lord?   Essentially, Jesus is telling the scribes and Jewish leaders that the Messiah would be greater than they thought, greater than simply a human leader who would come to defeat the Romans. He is wanting them to stretch their thinking and begin to consider that the Messiah may come in a totally different form than they are expecting.  Remember, at this time, even the disciples still have a narrow view of Messiah.    Think about Friday's Scripture from earlier in Mark 12.  Jesus had a conversation with a particular scribe/teacher of the law.  When Jesus tells him that the greatest commandment is to love God with his own heart and mind and to love his neighbor as himself, he tells Jesus that he has taught truth and answered well.  This scribe seems open to what Jesus is teaching, possibly open to changing his ways of thinking.   It's on the tail end of this discussion that Jesus brings up the “whose son is the Messiah” topic.  Jesus gives everyone who is listening, including this one scribe, enough information to stretch their thinking about Messiah and possibly get them to consider changing their minds.  This scribe is open to Jesus and Jesus sees that.  He wants to offer him another piece of the puzzle.  He wants to see if he will consider new information about the Messiah and possibly be open to true belief in Jesus.  We don't know what this scribe does with the information.  Did he come to believe in Jesus as Messiah and Lord?  Does he come to accept faith in Jesus Christ?    But it got me thinking.  When someone is open to new information about Jesus, are we open to sharing more?  Are we paying attention?    The second part of the text is pretty harsh.  Jesus is still speaking of the teachers of the law and scribes but this time it's a warning.  He speaks of how they seek the best seats in the synagogue, they wear flowing robes (that clearly identify who they are), and they pray obnoxiously long prayers.  But it's all insincere.  It's all for show.  Really, their hearts are far from God as they “devour widows' homes.”  What does this mean?  It's possible that the scribes find ways to take the widows' homes, either legitimately or illegitimately.  Or, it could be that traveling scribes used up the few resources that widows had in their possession.  Basically, they are without mercy.  They take advantage of the vulnerable in order to serve their own selfish needs.  We have already learned that whoever wants to be first must be last, but these teachers of the law have things totally upside down.  Jesus is clear that they will be punished for their lack of compassion.    While we hopefully don't have hearts that devour widows' houses, we definitely need to look at our own lives here.  What is our motivation for giving?  Do we want our names on a donors' plaque?  Is recognition important?  And most importantly, are we demonstrating true compassion for the poor?    Mark is telling this story to provide a stark contrast with the next portion of the text.  This is what we typically call the “widow's mite” story. The widow, who is desperately poor, gives all she has.  And Jesus holds her up as an example, saying she has given so much more than those who have much and give a fair amount.  Does this mean we should give everything we have to the Kingdom?  Maybe, I don't really know.  It's definitely challenging.    What we can discern is that the things valued in the Kingdom of God differ from the human realm.  Should we give our money to buy a new A/C unit for the church?  Should we give to a new roof?  I mean, those things are necessary for sure.  Are they valued in the Kingdom?  Or should we give the money to a homeless shelter?  How do we make these decisions?  How do we know what Jesus is calling us to do?  It's clear that he expects giving to be sacrificial.    Here is something even more challenging.  In our world, time is money.  Maybe Jesus is calling us to give our time in a sacrificial way.  What does that look like?  Sometimes, its actually easy to write a check but what if Jesus is calling us to give of our time in a way that is really hard?  What would that look like?   There is a lot to think about and pray about today.  Spend some time with Jesus before you end your devotional time.  How is he speaking to YOU personally about sacrificial giving?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope May 2, 2025 Day 5 of Week 5   Scripture - Mark 12:18-34   Prayer:  Lord, How we need you.  Thank you for your presence, thank you for the way you continue to pursue us.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is day 2 of Mark 12.  Like I said yesterday, there is a lot here!  Today, we will talk about Jesus' comments regarding marriage at the resurrection and the greatest commandment.   Let's start with marriage at the resurrection.  The Sadducees were a group of Jewish wealthy and aristocratic leaders who did not believe in the resurrection.  It's not clear if they were trying to trap Jesus or possibly discredit him, but they ask him a question based on levirate law as outlined by the law of Moses.    Levirate law was intended to protect widows without a male heir.  When a brother died, leaving his wife without children, a surviving brother marries the widow with the sole intention of producing an heir.  If a son is conceived, he is actually considered to be the deceased brother's child.  In ancient near-East culture, a widow without any connection to a male would either starve or be forced to beg or prostitute herself.    Thus, the Sadducees question makes a little more sense even though it is a bit absurd.  A woman's husband dies and she marries a brother.  That brother dies and she marries another brother and so forth until she has been married to all seven brothers.  Then she dies.  Whose wife will she be at the resurrection?  Keep in mind, they ask this question knowing that they think the resurrection is false.  They have an ulterior motive here – possibly make a fool of Jesus?   Jesus basically tells them they are totally missing the point. In the resurrection, our bodies will be different – perfect and glorious.  There will also be a change in our spiritual nature.  Jesus is saying that in regard to marriage and sexual matters, we will be like the angels (note that he did not say we will be angels but we will be like them.)    But the Sadducees were mistaken so significantly not because of this absurd question but because they didn't believe in the resurrection.  This is a fundamental aspect of Jesus' teaching and they missed it entirely.  “You are badly mistaken!” Jesus says to them.   Let's move on. To the other part of today's text, the greatest commandment.  A scribe comes up to ask Jesus a question.  Unlike the Pharisees and Sadducees, he isn't combative and patronizing.  He saw how well Jesus answered questions and he genuinely wanted to hear from Jesus.  He asks Jesus for the greatest commandment.   Jesus begins his answer with the Shema which comes from Deuteronomy 6, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.    The Shema recognizes the uniqueness and oneness of God. There aren't other gods but only one true God.  God calls his people to love him and obey him with every part of their being.  He called the ancient Israelites to this this and he calls us to do this as well.  Jesus took the Shema and added an important element.  In Mark 12, we read that Jesus says this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no commandment greater than these.”  Yes, we love God with our whole being but we also love others.  In fact, love of God is demonstrated by love of others.  As Christians, we cannot separate the two.    Love of God and love of others cannot be separated.  How often do we try to say that we love God while we hate another person?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope April 30, 2025 Day 3 of Week 5   Scripture – Mark 11:12-33   Prayer:  Almighty God, We belong to you.  Sometimes, we get distracted and wander.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us stay fully focused on you.  Help us remember who and whose we are.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us hear a word from you...Jesus, this is your day, we are your people.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish Mark 11 and there is a lot here to discuss.   Let's start with the cursing of the fig tree.  It seems out of character for Jesus to curse anything, much less a fig tree.  At that point in the season, the tree should not have been full of leaves but it was an early bloomer.  That being the case, it should have had some figs as well.  But upon further examination, the tree was all leaves and no fruit, so Jesus curses it so it will never bear fruit again.  It's an odd story for us.  What in the world does this mean?   I think we can look at the cursing of this tree as a parable of sorts.  Keep in mind, the crowds have just hailed Jesus as king (think of yesterday's Scripture).  But their fervor won't last; it won't be long until Jesus is rejected and killed.  The spiritual depth of God's people is shallow.  There is no spiritual fruit.    This tree cursing is followed by Jesus entering the temple and turning the tables of the money changers.  Again, we see the lack of spiritual fruit.  There is much hustle and bustle, a lot of activity, but no righteousness.  All leaves and no fruit.  It looks good on the outside but there is no real depth to faith.  It's a lot of spiritual busyness without real desire to please God.   I did want to briefly address why Jesus was so angry with the money changers.  This was the one area of the temple designated for Gentiles (the nations) to pray. They weren't allowed in any other area of the temple. And the Jewish people had taken over the entire area for trade and profit. Lots of money was being made here.  This isn't about worshiping God, it's about financial benefit for the wealthiest Jews.  Again, all leaves and no fruit.    This, of course, begs the question:  How is our spiritual fruit?  What evidence is there in our own lives that we are bearing fruit for the Kingdom?  We can look really good.  We can be covered with beautiful green leaves – we can look like perfect “Christians,” attend Bible studies, show up at all the ministry events – but if our root is withered, none of that matters.  Are we living holy lives?  Do we have evidence of the fruit of the Spirit at work?  This Scripture is pretty clear that Jesus expects fruit.   The religious leaders have an interesting reaction to all of this.  They are scared.  I'm thinking that they know they are in the wrong but they don't want to submit to this Jesus character.  Thus, they begin to plot how to kill him.   This gang of naysayers approach Jesus the next day and ask him what authority he has to clear out the temple.  They aren't looking to understand; they are looking to trap Jesus in his words.  Afterall, they have already heard his claims of authority as Son of God and they have seen his miracles.  They are simply seeking more evidence on which to bring charges against him.    But Jesus knows this and he doesn't answer their question directly.  Instead, he asks them a question – by what authority did John the Baptist baptize?  Was his power from heaven or earth?  If they could answer that question, then they would also know the source of Jesus' authority.   This group knew that either answer would lead to other problems for them so they just said they didn't know; they pleaded ignorance.  And just like that, Jesus made his point. Jesus revealed their inconsistencies and their insincerity.    Do you trust in the authority of Jesus, specifically that Jesus is God?  He is Lord of all.  Have you submitted everything, your whole life, to his authority?  Spend some time in prayer about his today.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki              

Daily Dose of Hope April 29, 2025 Day 2 of Week 5   Scripture – Mark 11:1-11   Prayer: Holy and Almighty God, We come to you today in humility but also with expectancy.  We need to hear a word from you.  We need to sense your presence and be reminded of how you walk alongside us.  In these next few moments of silence, help us settle our mind and gather our scattered thoughts, focusing on you and you alone...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin Mark 11.  This is what we call Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and it is typically referred to as the Palm Sunday passage.    As a little girl going to Sunday School, I can remember making palm branches and waving them on Palm Sunday. Jesus' triumphal entry was described kind of like a parade. Think about parades with their marching bands, large balloons, and dancers. They are often about celebration and national pride. But Jesus' entry into Jerusalem this wasn't that kind of parade, especially as the book of Mark describes it.   The disciples have been on a journey toward Jerusalem and they are almost there. They have come to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives.  Jesus tells two of the disciples to go on ahead and fetch a colt that has never been ridden. He tells them exactly where to find the colt and what to say if anyone questions them. Jesus may have known the owner of the colt and set it up ahead of time or he may not have.  We know that Jesus is also God, all-powerful and omniscient, so how this happened exactly, we don't know. Regardless, they get the colt, put their cloaks on the animal, and Jesus rides on it as he enters the city. Others spread branches on the road. Others run ahead and shout, “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming of our father David.”   What's interesting here to me is all the themes of royalty we see in this short passage. Some of us may think it's strange that Jesus rode on a donkey rather than a horse but at the time, horses were only used for battle, specifically for warfare.  In the Old Testament, new kings would come riding in on the donkey or mule of the previous king. We see this in 1 Kings 1 when King David puts his son Solomon on his own mule, the trumpet is sounded, and the people rejoice and shout.  Then, the priest and the prophet Nathan anoint him as king of Israel. The mule is like the presidential limo, a sign of power and prestige that says this is the new leader.   What is different in this case is that Mark specifically states that Jesus is not riding on a previous king's colt or donkey. He is riding on a colt that has never been ridden before. This is a sign that God is doing a new thing. Jesus is king but a different kind of king.   Then, we see Jesus being given a royal welcome. The people are laying cloaks and branches down for him. They are running ahead in the streets to give him this royal kind of treatment. This is the kind of welcome that the emperor or a high official of the Roman government would have received. Think of it kind of like the red carpet being rolled out---a sign that a very important leader, the new king, has arrived.   For the Jews in the crowd, they would have also known that this a fulfillment of prophecy.  Zechariah 9:9, Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. All the signs point to the fact that Jesus is the king!   But there is more.   We see them running ahead and shouting, “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”   The word hosanna means “pray, save us.”  The people in the crowd are expressing that this is the messiah, this is the anointed one, the one they had been waiting for that God had sent to save them. These words are based on Psalm 118:22-26, The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.  LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.  Then they say “blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.” Surely, this is the messiah who has come to sit on the throne of David, just as God promised 600 years before. You see, it's all coming together for them. Thus, there is joy and celebration. God has sent King Jesus to save his people.   But the enthusiasm is short-lived. Jesus makes it to the city gates and goes into Jerusalem. He looks around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. And just like that, the celebration is over. The people have moved on.   Of course, we know that people are fickle. They get distracted and disillusioned fairly quickly. We get distracted and disillusioned fairly quickly. While there is something clearly royal about Jesus, he is the promised figure, but not in a way they expected or wanted. They think Messiah has entered the royal city to stage a royal takeover, to save them from the Romans. And we know what happens...he has actually entered to royal city to suffer and die. Yes, Jesus is Messiah. He is Savior. But he wasn't a military leader on the way to stage a coup. He was actually God himself who had come to save us in a much more fundamental way, to be the final sacrifice for sin so that we could be reconciled to holy God and live life abundantly. No more barriers, no more veil of separation.   Jesus, Messiah, certainly could have overthrown the Romans and reinstituted Israel as they desired it, as it was in the days of King David. But Jesus' mission wasn't just to save the Jews, but rather to usher in the Kingdom of God, in which all people for all time could be part of God's greater work in the world and have a relationship with a God who loves them, adores them, and calls them to something bigger and more important, more eternal. Jesus was king, they were right, he just wasn't the king they expected.   How often has Jesus not been the king we expected? We think, if that were us, we would celebrate and praise Jesus for who he is – King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But do we do that now? What are your expectations of Jesus? How do we respond when Jesus does not meet our own expectations?   How often have we expected Jesus to ensure us that nothing bad will happen? If only we believe and are faithful, then my loved ones will be protected and I won't get sick, my marriage will be secure, my job will be stable.   How often have we expected that if we follow Jesus with enough fervor, then he will give us the material desires of our heart?   How often have we thought that if we follow Jesus and have enough faith, then we will be protected from loneliness, depression, anxiety, or other kinds of internal torment?   How often have we relied on Jesus as counselor or self-help guru rather than Lord of our lives?   How often have we wanted Jesus to simply be wise teacher and not Lord of our lives? How often have we wanted him to be provider and sustainer but not really Lord of all?   As Eugene Peterson (who put together the Message translation of the Bible) wrote, “Jesus does not always meet our expectations, does not always give what we ask for or what we think we need. When he doesn't, we feel let down, deflated, disappointed, or we surf to another channel on the TV, or we try out another church that will, hopefully, give us what we ask for.”   We will chat some more tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope April 28, 2025 Day 1 of Week 5   Scripture - Mark 10:17-52   Prayer:  Dear Lord, After a hurried weekend, sometimes we rush into the week.  Help us slow down and focus on you.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and distractions.  Help us have laser focus on you and your Word.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, we yearn to hear your still small voice...Come Holy Spirit and guide our reading, our interpretation, and our thoughts.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  We are finishing up Mark 10 today.  We might call this the chapter of Jesus saying a lot of hard things.  Let's get started.   The first part of today's text is familiar to many of us.  A man comes to Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus says, “Well you need to follow all the commandments.”  He lists them, you shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, or give false testimony.  You shall honor your father and mother.  Then, he adds one - you shall not defraud.  This wasn't in the ten commandments, possibly Jesus added it because many of the wealthy were wealthy because they had taken advantage of the poor.  If that was the case with this man, we don't know.   The man simply says, “Yes, I've done all those things since I was a boy.”  Then, Scripture says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”  The word for love used here, in the Greek, is the highest form of love in the New Testament, meaning love that characterizes God.  There must have been something really rare and admirable about the man, because this is the only place this form of love is used in Mark.  Because he loved the man, Jesus looks at him and says there is still one thing you lack.     It was assumed that if one followed the law perfectly (we know that's impossible but if one did a good job following the law) then they would receive eternal life. Jesus is saying, that is not the case.  Jesus isn't denying that this man is following the law.  This is obviously a man of high integrity who is clearly doing all he can to be obedient to God's laws.  “One thing you lack,” Jesus said.  “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”    The text says that the man's face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. This is the irony. The children in the former story (we read this on Friday) who possess nothing are told that the kingdom of God is theirs; yet this man who possesses everything still lacks something!  Only when he sells all he has—only when he becomes like a vulnerable child—will he possess everything.  But he isn't willing to do that.  He decides to walk away from Jesus. The man wasn't expecting to have to make that kind of sacrifice.  He had no idea following Jesus would be so hard.    The disciples are really confused by this.  At that time, most people believed that being wealthy was a sign of God's blessing.  Jesus is saying that this man has to sell everything and give it to the poor.  And that's when Jesus says the really, really hard thing...it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  They ask, “Then who possibly can be saved?” Jesus says, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”    Most of us should feel at least slightly uncomfortable when we read this passage. Don't dismiss that feeling, rest in it a bit before you move on.  The reality is that we are all wealthy in comparison to the rest of the world.  Jesus isn't saying that having possessions is a bad thing.  I want to be clear that he is NOT holding poverty up as a value.  But, with many of us, our resources do get in the way of us fully committing our lives to Jesus.   Full submission is hard for those of us who have much.  We also don't have to rely on Jesus in the same way that someone who is desperately poor has to rely on Jesus.  Our refrigerators are full – we aren't pleading with Jesus for our next meal.  It is different.   What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?  I think we have so often fallen into the trap of thinking that following Jesus, being a disciple, is about following a list of rules: following commandments, generally being a good person, going to church, giving some money to good causes, and doing good “Christian” things.  But here Jesus is saying that being a disciple is not about following a list of rules.  If that were the case, then the rich young ruler would have been a shoo-in.  Jesus is saying, following him is about denying yourself and picking up your cross.  We just talked about this, how we don't like to deny ourselves. We don't like to be uncomfortable.  I mean, this means looking at our lives and renouncing any part that gets in our walk with Jesus.   Following Jesus isn't simply one activity in a busy life filled with lots of great stuff.  No, following Jesus means radically reorienting our life.  Jesus comes first and our devotion to Jesus as Lord and Savior affects every other area of our lives.  Our dedication to Jesus affects how we treat other people, it affects how we spend our money, it affects how we spend our time, it affects how we behave.  Following Jesus means a radical adjustment to priorities.    What is it that keeps you from fully following Jesus?  What part of your life have you not yet submitted to him?  What do you need to renounce in order to submit your whole life to Christ?   We could stop there and it would be enough but this chapter holds even more truth.  Next, we have Jesus predicting his death for the third time.  While the disciples might not have understood, Jesus was pretty clear that he would be rejected by the chief priests, condemned, executed, and he would rise three days later.  I think the disciples heard what they wanted to hear.  They wanted Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom in which the Romans would be overthrown.  They wanted to sit on a throne.  They didn't want to hear what was really going to happen.  They didn't want to think about the kind of Messiah Jesus really was.  They wanted him to be who they wanted him to be.    You can see how their expectations are kind of warped with the next element in the text.  James and John are asking to sit next to Jesus, to his left and right, when they arrived in glory.  Again, they just don't get it.  They can't get status and earthly kingdoms out of their heads.  To be fair, it was all they understood.  They had it in their head that things would be one way, the way the Jews always expected them to be.  Jesus was turning things upside down.  It won't be until after the resurrection that things will begin to fall into place for them.   How often have our expectations of Jesus been different than who Jesus truly is?  We spoke about this in yesterday's message.  How often do we want counselor Jesus, patriotic Jesus, pacifist Jesus, judgmental Jesus, champion Jesus, or even militant Jesus?  So often, we make Jesus into our own image rather than being formed into his image.  Jesus is not like us.  He is God.  His values and thinking are far different from ours and we might not always like that.  He is going to challenge our American values and norms.  He is going to stretch us in ways we might not want to be stretched.  That is kind of what is going on with the disciples.  They are getting challenged and it's really hard.   The final part of the text today is the healing of blind Bartimaeus.  Jesus is walking through Jericho and Bartimaeus calls out to him.  He is determined for Jesus to hear him, even though the people around him are rebuking him and telling him to be quiet.  But Jesus hears him.  “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks him.    Bartimaeus replied that he wanted to see and Jesus heals him, telling him that his faith had made him well.  There are two things I want to point out about this text.  First, Jesus heard him.  Jesus heard a poor, desperate, blind man on the side of the road in the middle of a huge crowd.  Jesus hears his people.  Jesus hears YOU.   Second, just as he asked Bartimaeus, he also asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?”  What do you want Jesus to do for you.  Take a few moments now to spend some time in prayer.  Try to picture having a conversation with Jesus, just the two of you.  Tell him exactly what you need from him right now.  Be honest, be sincere.  This is just you and him.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope April 25, 2025 Day 5 of Week 4   Scripture - Mark 10:1-16   Prayer: Lord Jesus, We come before you today with humility.  Thank you for who you are.  Thank you for loving us despite our many flaws.  Thank you for being present with us, listening, protecting, caring, and forgiving.  We give you all the glory.  As we prepare for this devotional time, Lord, help us settle our scattered thoughts and distractions and focus totally on you...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  I hope you have had a blessed week.  Remember, we take Saturday and Sunday off, it's your rest or your catch-up time.  Whatever you need.  Also, please know that if you need anything, if you have a question, a prayer need, or another pastoral need, please feel free to reach out to me at any time.  My cell is 813-310-3884 or my email is vicki@findnewhope.com.  Text will always get the fastest response from me because I can answer wherever I happen to be.  With that, let's get into our Scripture for today; we are starting Mark 10.   Jesus is teaching that following him will affect how we behave in the most fundamental parts of our lives.  He starts the chapter by teaching on divorce; teaching that marriage is not simply a contract, but a creation of God, and that both men and women are equal partners in the marriage. At that time in Jewish marriages, divorce was common but the men were clearly in control, as they could easily discard their wives and remarry.  But Jesus is turning this upside down.  He is saying, no, in God's Kingdom, marriage is a covenant between the man, the woman, and God.  The commitment is sacred.    I've had a lot of people ask me about this over the years.  Will they be accepted in Jesus' church if they experienced a divorce?  What happens if they are in a really toxic relationship – does Jesus want them to stay in that relationship?  These are not easy questions.  I think the best answer is to say that Jesus values marriage very much.  He wants to be at the center of every marriage.  He wants us to go to great lengths to try to preserve our marriages.  Afterall, we believe in resurrection of relationships.  God can do miracles.  At the same time, I don't believe he wants us to be in marriages that are toxic to us or our children.  In no way should we ever remain in a marriage if there is abuse.    Divorce is painful but its also a product of living in a broken world.  Jesus wants you to seek him in the midst of your pain and grief.  If you are going through a divorce, seek Jesus for his comfort and peace.  And please, if you have experienced or are experiencing a divorce, know you are always welcome in Jesus' church.  We are the body of Christ and we want to be part of your healing!   Jesus goes on to teach about children. Parents were bringing children to him to be blessed and the disciples scolded them.  Jesus intervenes and says, “No, let the little children come to me.”  We mentioned this yesterday but keep in mind that children in the first century weren't seen as having much value.  They didn't earn money, nor did they bring status or prestige to the family.  Again, Jesus is flipping things upside down. He says that to follow him, we have to actually become like little children–vulnerable, powerless, needing someone else to provide safety and sustenance.  We have to become totally dependent on God.  I wish I could see the faces of his listeners as he said this.  They were probably shocked.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope April 24, 2025 Day 4 of Week 4   Scripture – Mark 9:30-50   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Help us start this devotional today with a time of silence, a time to pause before you...Lord, hear our prayers.  Speak to us.  We want to hear from you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish Mark 9, where Jesus says some really hard things and turns the status quo upside down once again.  Let's get started.   In today's Scripture, Jesus tells them a second time about his upcoming death and resurrection.  This time Peter does not rebuke him; actually, no one said anything.  They were all too scared to ask questions.  Maybe they don't want to show their ignorance or maybe they are worried they will be rebuked too.    On the road, the disciples begin arguing with one another.  Jesus asks them what it's about and they are embarrassed to share.  He is God, so he obviously knows exactly what's being said.  They are arguing about who is the greatest.  Wow.  Something has gotten lost in Jesus' teachings.    Once again, Jesus says some hard things.  He is turning the status quo on its head.  In God's Kingdom, things are different.  The first are last and the last are first.  Those who are great become servants.  You can imagine the puzzled looks on the disciples' faces.  This is totally different from what they've been taught.    And then Jesus brings a little child over and says that whoever welcomes a child also welcomes Jesus and the one who sent him, God.  Children at the time had a very low social status.  They didn't earn anything for their families.  They had no prestige and brought no honor to their people.  They were totally and completely dependent and vulnerable.  And Jesus is identifying with them.  He is saying that we are to care for those who can offer us nothing.  Again, turning things on their head.  He also says not to do anything that would cause these little children or vulnerable people to stumble.  Don't get in the way of their knowing and experiencing Jesus.    The incredible grace of God that Jesus proclaims and lives completely contradicts with our worldly notions of greatness based on status, wealth, accolades, etc. Maybe that's why we resist grace so much.  It isn't a fair thing.  It's just a love thing.  It is so much more appealing to be great and wonderful according to worldly standards than according to Jesus' standards.  Greatness, to Jesus, means being humble, lowly, dependent like a child.  It's a risky proposition and it can even get someone killed.  But Jesus also teaches that his way is the path of life and salvation.  How do you define greatness?  Spend some time in prayer about this.  Jesus calls us to be humble and walk alongside the vulnerable.  How do you feel about this?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope April 23, 2025 Day 3 of Week 4   Scripture – Mark 9:1-29   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you today rejoicing in your powerful name.  Thank you for who you are and all you do.  Thank you for loving us.  Help us gather our scattered thoughts, help us set aside distractions, and truly focus on you right now.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, we want to hear your voice...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are starting Mark 9, where we read about the transfiguration and Jesus casting a demon out of a little boy.   The Scripture says that Jesus took Peter, James, and John, to the top of a mountain, most likely Mt. Hermon because it was close to Caesarea Philippi. Mark writes that Jesus was transfigured before him. His clothes became a dazzling white, whiter than any bleach could every make them. Put yourself in the position of these three men. They had only known the flesh and blood Jesus. We know Jesus as risen Lord and Savior. I think we would expect him to wear dazzling white robes and be all shiny and glorious. But they didn't. Right before their very eyes, they get a glimpse of Jesus' glory and it was totally unexpected. Jesus was radiating the very presence of God and they got to see it firsthand.   Moses and Elijah appeared before them and they were talking to Jesus. We don't quite know why Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with Jesus except that they were two Old Testament figures that anticipated the coming of Jesus, the final prophet to come and deliver God's people once and for all. Their work, their ministries, are basically fulfilled by the person of Jesus. They are servants of God but they weren't God. Jesus, on the other hand, is God and the disciples get a glimpse of that right here.   But there is something about being confronted by the power and glory of God which can make us uncomfortable and even fearful. In awe, yes, but also frightened. Maybe you've been there. Peter is there. He struggles to simply rest in the presence of God's glory. He doesn't know what to do or say so he blurts out, “let's set up three shelters–one for you, Jesus, and one for Moses and Elijah.” Now, Peter is referring to the festival of booths or tabernacles which faithful Jews participating in every year. They make structures in their yards as a sign of when God will tabernacle with his people. So, this might seem like a weird thing for Peter to say to us but it wasn't too off the wall. He is like, “umm...I think God is tabernacling with us and we need to make the shelters.” He is kind of panicky. It seemed like a good thought at the time. What Peter doesn't quite understand ye tis that before his eyes God's dwelling with humanity is present, for Jesus is the new tabernacle of God dwelling with humanity. The shelters aren't needed. God is present with his people through Jesus Christ.   That's all pretty amazing but the mountaintop experience isn't done yet. There is a cloud that appears and covers them–remember the presence and glory of God appeared in a cloud in the tabernacle and throughout the Old Testament. And here is the presence of God appearing before them and the voice of God says “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” Jesus is clearly set apart from Moses and Elijah, only he is God's Son, the one to be listened to, the embodied presence of God.   There is something about mountain-top transfigurative experiences–times in which we get a glimpse of the glory and presence of God in our lives. I'm hoping you have each had some kind of mountaintop experience in your walk with Jesus, times in which the veil was removed, you've gotten a taste of the presence of God. These are times in which we are confronted with God's power and it can't help but change us. Think about a time in which you were confronted with God's glory and power.  Reflect on that moment.  How did it change your spiritual journey?   If you haven't experienced God's glory in that way, then this is the perfect time to pray for it!   Today, we also read about Jesus healing a boy who was consumed by a demonic spirit.  He had been that way his whole life, and the evil spirit had often thrown him into fires and other dangerous scenarios.  The disciples who did not go up the mountain with Jesus tried to heal the boy of the evil spirit but nothing happened.  So Jesus came back from the mountain just in time.  He is easily able to cast out the spirit and the boy is healed.    Later, the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn't do the miracle.  Afterall, they were working under Jesus' calling.  But Jesus said that some kinds (of evil spirits presumably) can only be cast out by prayer.  What did this mean?   Just because God has called us to ministry and we say yes, doesn't mean that we have the power to do that ministry.  We don't, absolutely not.  It's God working through us every single time, every single day.  The disciples did not have the power to do the miracle.  It's possible they were trying to cast out the demon in their own strength.  Afterall, Jesus had told them to go do so and there were times in which they had been successful.  But they needed the power of God in them, they needed to recognize it wasn't them, it was Almighty God.   This is the scary thing:  There is a lot we can do in ministry in our own power.  We can create great programs.  We can have good counseling.  We can say brilliant prayers and lead amazing Bible studies.  We can even give decent sermons.  But none of it is anointed.  And that will only take us so far.  It's also really dangerous.  We begin to think it's about us and our skills rather than Jesus Christ.  We honor ourselves rather than God.  Ministry without Jesus at the center will eventually fail.  The power is always in Jesus.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope April 22, 2025 Day 2 of Week 4   Scripture – Mark 8:22-38   Prayer:  Holy and Merciful God, Thank you for a new day and thank you that your mercies are new every morning.  Help us, Lord, gather our scattered thoughts and focus on you and your Word.  In these next few moments of silence, help us be still and know that you are God...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  Today, we are finishing up Mark 8.  There is a lot to cover so I'm going to do my best to do this text justice.   The portion from yesterday that we didn't get to cover was the healing of the blind man, verses 22-26.  This is the only miracle that Jesus does in stages.  I think we need to start by saying that Jesus didn't fail to heal in the first part and needed to try again.  Jesus could have healed him instantaneously if he chose to do so.  He had done it many times before.  Why not now?    We could probably draw a lot of different conclusions.  But what makes the most sense to me is that physical and spiritual healings often don't happen all at once.  They can be multi-step, gradual processes.  Jesus is at work in every single part.  Answers to prayers are the same way.  Sometimes, they come quickly and other times, they are given a little bit at a time.  Regardless, we trust Jesus.   After this healing, there is a pretty big shift in the chapter.  Jesus takes his disciples on a retreat of sorts up in Caesarea Philippi, in the northern part of Israel.  Maybe it's to get away from the crowds, maybe it's so they can speak more freely.  It was a quiet place at the headwaters of the Jordan River but also a place filled with idol worship and signs of Roman occupation everywhere.  And it's here that Jesus decides he is going to settle his identity with these men.    Jesus asks each of them, “Who do people say I am?”  And they list a few things.  Then, he asks them, “Who do you say I am?”  And it's Peter that speaks up, we can assume he was speaking for the disciples, and he says, “You are the Messiah, Son of the Living God.”  The term “Messiah” was the Hebrew word for God's anointed, it was a title.  Peter is saying you are the anointed one, chosen, set apart by God, the Messiah.    Throughout the Old Testament, there are many, many verses that point to the Messiah delivering the Hebrew people from captivity, from pagan kings.  The Jews expected the Messiah to deliver them from Roman occupation via military might.  That was the expectation.  The Christ, the Messiah is the one who God sent to deliver his people, to make things right for them – the one they had been waiting for hundreds of years.  When Peter says this, you are the Messiah, he doesn't quite understand how Jesus is going to deliver them.  No one really got it that the Messiah would be the one to deliver people, not from the Roman occupiers, but from their own sin.  When Peter calls Jesus the Messiah, he gets the title right.  But we soon find out, he got the meaning wrong.  He wanted Messiah to mean what he wanted it to mean.  At this point, the disciples still think this is going to be a very earthly kingdom and they will be sitting on 12 thrones.  And then we have Jesus saying that actually, I am going to Jerusalem and I will be rejected by the chief priests.  I am going to killed there and will rise again in three days.  And the Scripture says that Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him.  Here is where we miss something significant in English.  In the Greek, this word rebuke is much stronger.  Peter is really laying into Jesus here, saying “This is not the way it's going to be.  This is not what we signed up for.”  Jesus doesn't miss a beat.  He rebukes Peter and makes that very famous statement, “Get behind me Satan.”  Peter doesn't understand that the ways of the world are not like the ways of God.  As much as I try to understand this, I think I'm definitely still learning. Jesus goes on to talk about what it means to really follow him.  (This is what I'm preaching on this Sunday so you are getting a sneak peek.)  Jesus actually expects his disciples to follow him on this path of suffering and death.  After telling them that they don't understand the mind of God, he says this very hard thing, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.  Jesus is not asking for a small thing – he is asking for self-denial and cross-bearing.  What does this mean?  Basically, self-denial means our primary focus is not ourself and our own needs, our own pleasure, our own ambitions, our own desires, you get it.  Our primary focus becomes JESUS and his values, his Kingdom, what brings Jesus glory.  Bearing one's cross was and is a show of complete and utter submission. It was the condemned person in the Roman world that had to carry their cross before their own execution.  Thus, a call to bear one's cross as part of following Jesus is a call to be as submitted to Christ as the condemned criminal was to his death.  When Jesus says this, he's claiming authority. Following Christ means disowning the self and giving allegiance to him instead. And it means giving him allegiance down to the very depths of our being.   Some of you might think this doesn't sound very appealing.  The irony here is that the more we surrender to Jesus, the more of ourselves we yield to him, the more free and peaceful we become.  We are not our own.  We belong to Jesus and ultimately, that leads to hope, love, and freedom like no other.  How have you experienced this?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope April 21, 2025 Day 1 of Week 4   Scripture - Mark 8:1-21   Prayer:  Almighty God and Risen Lord, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We come before you today with praise and a sense of awe.  Even after we have just experienced the glory of the resurrection, we still struggle to keep focus on you.  Help us gather our scattered and distracted thoughts.  Help us take a moment of silence and remember who you are...Holy Spirit, speak to us today.  We want to hear your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts. My prayer is that all of you had a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday.  Today, we begin Mark 8 and learn about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.  Let's get started!   Mark 8 begins with another abundance miracle.  There were a group of people who had been following Jesus and the disciples for several days.  Jesus is worried about them because he suspects they don't have food.  If he sent them away, Jesus says, they might collapse on their way home.     The disciples are a bit indignant.  They don't have enough food to feed all the people.  I find this so strange.  It wasn't long ago that Jesus fed the 5,000.  Why do they not just look at Jesus and say, “Can you do that thing again?”  But it's as if they have totally forgotten.  How quickly life can get back to normal and doubt or cynicism can kick in.  I feel like I see this sometimes with someone who was terminally sick and receives a healing.  They are elated and grateful.  Some people keep that gratefulness, but others gradually forget.  They become disengaged once again, almost like it never happened.    But Jesus does do his thing.  He takes seven loaves of bread and a few small fish and he feeds the entire crowd of thousands until they are full.  This time, there were seven basketfuls left over.    From this place, Jesus and his disciples head to another town on the Sea of Galilee.  The Pharisees are there and ask Jesus for a sign from heaven.  Jesus won't give them a sign, or the one they want.  The whole thing is ironic.  Jesus has been giving all kinds of signs!  He just fed thousands of people with seven loaves of bread.  He has healed all kinds of people very publicly.  I'm not sure the kind of sign they were wanting, but Jesus is clearly a walking signpost for the Kingdom.    I want to spend some time on the next statement that Jesus makes.  He tells the disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.  Now, what in the world does that mean?  Let's think about yeast.  Just a little bit of yeast can work through a whole lot of dough.  When it comes to bread, we usually think of that as a positive thing.  A little yeast can make a huge amount of bread.  But the yeast that Jesus is speaking of here is more like a contamination.  The yeast of the Pharisees, the religious yeast, or the yeast of Herod, political yeast, can contaminate a large number of people.  It doesn't take much of it to throw us off, to infect a whole crowd, to get people distracted by the wrong thing.  A little bit of this bad yeast can get people focused on religion or politics and away from the bread of life.   This is something we may not want to hear.  But Jesus does not want us to be more religious or more political.  He wants us to be more focused on him.  There is a big difference between being “religious” and being “Christ-focused.”  Religion is not a bad thing at all, until it is.  Likewise, politics is not bad, until it is.  Jesus is making a statement here:  Politics and religion are not the answer to the worlds' problems – he is!  How often do we get this mixed up?   The disciples still don't get it.  They still think he is talking about physical bread.  I read this and think, “Man, these guys are so dense.”  And yet, if I was in their position, I probably wouldn't have gotten it either.  Jesus is turning all they know upside down.  He is saying and doing things that were so foreign to them.  No matter how many miracles they see, they don't get it.  It won't be until after his death and resurrection that any of this begins to make sense to them.    We have the advantage of the whole Gospel story right now.  We can see Jesus' ministry, his miracles, his teachings, the cross, the resurrection, and the beginning of the church.  And yet, how often is the radical nature of the Gospel still lost on us?  How often do we place our own hopes on politics or religion rather than on Jesus? Let's close today with Philippians 2:1-11, Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God,     did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing    by taking the very nature of a servant,     being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,    he humbled himself     by becoming obedient to death—         even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place     and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,    in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,    to the glory of God the Father.     Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 18, 2025 Day 5 of Week 3   Scripture - Mark 7:24-37   Prayer: Holy God, Thank you for your kindness, mercy, and love.  As we remember the cross today, help us be reminded of how you got there.  We all put you there.  We have all betrayed you.  For that, we are so very, very sorry.  Forgive us for the many ways that we have failed you just today.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, hear our prayers...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back!  This is the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we will finish Mark 7.  Before we do, however, I did want to mention that today is Good Friday.  It's the day we remember Jesus' crucifixion and death.  While Good Friday is often a day of sorrow and fasting, it doesn't have to be.  Afterall, we know the rest of the story.  Sunday is coming!  Resurrection is almost here.  Tonight, at 7:30pm in Logan Hall, we will have a Good Friday service led by our Spanish-speaking congregations.  While most of the service is in Spanish, everyone is welcome and we will have a translation app available.  If you have never been to this Good Friday service, I highly recommend you come.  I think we do an excellent job of remembering the cross in light of the resurrection.  Hope to see you tonight!   Now on to the Scripture for today.  We have two healings and both of the people who are healed remain nameless.  Let's start with the woman who asks Jesus to heal her daughter.  This is a text that bothers me or I should say that Jesus' interaction with the woman bothers me.  He seems annoyed that this woman approaches him.  What do we know from the text?  We know that Jesus has tried to go unnoticed but this woman, somehow, figures out that he is there.  He simply cannot get alone time, that is for sure, but the words he speaks seem very out of character for him.  The text also says she is Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia.  Thus, he must be in Gentile territory and this woman would have been considered a Canaanite.  She is breaking all the social taboos of the time by seeking out Jesus.  Not only is she considered unclean but she is a woman alone trying to get the attention of a Jewish teacher.  But the woman is determined.   The woman begs Jesus to heal her daughter, who has an impure spirit in her.  Jesus' reaction is jarring, as he refers to her and her people as dogs.  This would have been a derogatory phrase that Jews did use to refer to pagans but it does not sound right coming from Jesus' mouth.  Some scholars have suggested that the term Jesus used could mean puppies and he said it tongue and cheek.  Maybe he was testing her, to see the depth of her faith.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus also says to the woman, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  It's possible he wants to see how she will respond.   If that is the case, she does quite well.  Her quick reply is that even dogs get the crumbs dropped from the table.  Basically, there is enough of what Jesus has that he can afford to share it with her and her daughter.  And Jesus agrees, he sees her faith and heals the daughter immediately.  There is enough of what Jesus has for outsiders to be included.  God's Kingdom is more than big enough.  And that's good for us because most of us are Gentiles too.   From there, Jesus heads to the Decapolis, another pagan area, where people bring him a deaf and mute man.  He is also an outsider and someone, because of his disability, who is really cut off from community.  But Jesus heals him as well.    Sometimes, I hear people say things like “we need to do mission right here” or “we need to make sure our church people are cared for first.”  Yes, we do need to do mission in our own neighborhoods and community.  Yes, we do need to make sure our faith family is cared for.  But Jesus is showing us that mission in God's Kingdom is really big.  While providing love and care for the insider, there is more than enough love and mercy to go around.  We are also compelled to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the outsider; Jesus is calling us to constantly expand our boundaries.  Who do you know that is very different from you that needs the love and care of Jesus today?  Your challenge today is to reach out in some way.   Galatians 3:28 ,“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 15, 2025 Day 2 of Week 3   Scripture – Mark 6:14-29   Prayer:  Almighty God, I come before you today with a sense of gratefulness.  You are Lord of all and yet you care for me.  Thank you, Lord.  Help me walk through this day with humility and your wisdom; help me represent you well.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help me gather my scattered thoughts, I want to hear your voice...Come Holy Spirit, and guide this time.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is day two of three in Mark 6 and our focus is shifting back to John the Baptist.   Our section starts with King Herod asking about Jesus, who was gaining quite a bit of fame in the area.  One person answered that he might be John the Baptist reincarnated.  This gets Herod concerned, as he had John executed not long before.    Let's talk briefly about the Herods.  These were political figures appointed by the Roman government to oversee Judea.  Most people consider them very insecure puppet kings.  They did what the Romans wanted and in return got to keep their power and wealth.  While they considered themselves to be Jewish, they really were not and they certainly didn't behave they obedient Jews, which certainly did not endear them to the “real” Jewish residents.  Just for some context, Herod the Great was the ruler at the time of Jesus' birth (remember the one who ordered all the male babies to be killed in Bethlehem?)  He was an extremely violent king and is said to have killed his wife, her two sons, and anyone he perceived as a threat.  Not a nice guy.  His own son, Herod Antipas, is the one in today's Scripture.    This Herod had decided to divorce his own wife to marry his brother Philip's wife, Herodias.  It was quite a messy family situation.  Philip was still alive and Herodias was both Herod Agrippa's and Philip's niece.  Basically, Herod was trampling all over God's laws and John the Baptist had called him out on it.  Herod could have easily executed John because he spoke out against the marriage, but he chose not to do so.  Herod keeps John in prison but alive. It seemed that Herod actually had a lot of respect for John because he considered him a righteous man of God.   But Herodias, the wife/niece, was a different story.  She hated John for the way he spoke out.  So she bided her time until she was able to get her revenge.  The time came when at Herod's birthday party.  Herodias' daughter performed some kind of very seductive dance for the guests (keep in mind the dysfunction of this family).  In return for her provocative dance, a probably fairly drunk and lustful Herod offers the daughter anything she wants.  She asks her mother what to ask for and Herodias knows this is her opportunity to get rid of John the Baptist.  Herodias instructs the girl to ask for John the Baptist's head on a platter.  Herod was distressed at this, as he did admire John, but he felt the need to honor the very public request.  He sends the executioner to the prison and John is beheaded immediately.    The brutality of this narrative is a bit shocking.  Because Jesus was a man of peace, I think we sometimes forget how violent the Roman world was at that time.  The Romans, and in turn, the Herods, ruled with an iron fist.  They had perfected the art of frequent execution.  Keep in mind, there was no due process.  People could be killed or tortured for just about anything.  There was political tension, frequent uprisings, heavy taxation, and people were jailed for not being able to pay their fair share.  There was desperate poverty and the poor faced incredible hardships.    It was into this world that Jesus came.  You can see why the people were so ready for his message.  But is our world any different?    I'm going to close today with John 16:33.  These are the words of Jesus, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 11, 2025 Day 5 of Week 2   Scripture – Mark 5:21-43   Prayer – Holy and Merciful God, We are so thankful that your mercies are new every morning.  No matter what yesterday held, help us start afresh and anew with you.  Lord, help us set aside our distractions and gather our scattered thoughts so we can fully focus on you and your Word.  Help us sit in these next few moments of silence, remembering that you are God and we are not...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we are finishing up Mark 5.  Remember, yesterday we spoke about Jesus' healing of the man possessed by evil spirits over in Gentile territory.  Now, he is back to the Jewish side of the lake and more healing awaits him.   It starts with Jesus being encountered by Jairus, a synagogue leader, whose daughter is very ill and dying.  He wants Jesus to come to his home and heal her.  I want you to think about this situation.  Jairus had high status in this community.  He was a Jewish leader.  We can surmise that he didn't want to have to go see Jesus, this odd teacher and healer.  Jairus was desperate – he had probably tried all kinds of healers by this point and nothing had worked.  As a parent, he was willing to do anything to save the life of his daughter, even lower himself to ask Jesus for help.   But while they are walking to his home, Jesus has an encounter with someone else, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.  It was a massive crowd, with everyone pressing up against him, but she touched the edge of his robe but he felt the power go out of him.    Let's talk briefly about this woman.  Bleeding made this woman unclean according to Jewish law.  Bleeding for twelve years probably had ruined her life.  If she had been married, the husband would have left her by now, meaning she would not have had a way to support herself.  She would have depleted all her resources trying to get better.  Physically, she would have been extremely fatigued and weak.  And finally, this would have alienated her from community.  Being unclean, she could not go to the synagogue and she really wasn't allowed to be in that crowd.  But she is also desperate, so she breaks the rules, desperate to touch Jesus.    Jesus knows who has touched him but he asks out loud anyway, “Who touched me?” She couldn't stay hidden anymore so she comes forward.  I can imagine how terrified she would have been.  And then Jesus says the most amazing thing, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”  With just a phrase, Jesus healed not only her bleeding but also her soul.  She isn't alienated.  She is worthy.  She is a daughter of the one true king.    I find this such an extraordinary narrative.  Some people have to encounter Jesus and others need to be empowered.  But desperate people come to Jesus and are healed.  Even when something seems too far gone – the daughter who is almost dead or the woman whose life has been practically destroyed by twelve years of bleeding – Jesus can take care of it.  Jesus is a miracle-worker for all of us.  His power and healing are offered to all people in every strata of society.    Is there anything in your life for which you have stopped praying?  Nothing, nobody is too sick, too addicted, too depressed, too angry, too bitter, too lazy, too ___________ (you fill in the blank) to bring to Jesus.  Jesus, the ultimate physician, caregiver, and healer, isn't done with any of us yet.    By the way, he does make it to Jairus' house.  The girl has already died and the people are crying and wailing.  But Jesus goes in anyway.  The girl wakes up.  Even death can't stop Jesus.    Let's close with Psalm 30... I will exalt you, Lord,     for you lifted me out of the depths     and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 Lord my God, I called to you for help,    and you healed me. 3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;    you spared me from going down to the pit. 4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;     praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment,    but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night,    but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6 When I felt secure, I said,     “I will never be shaken.” 7 Lord, when you favored me,    you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm; but when you hid your face,    I was dismayed. 8 To you, Lord, I called;     to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 “What is gained if I am silenced,    if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you?    Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;    Lord, be my help.” 11 You turned my wailing into dancing;     you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.     Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 10, 2025 Day 4 of Week 2   Scripture – Mark 5:1-20   Prayer:  Almighty God, you are so good.  Thank you for your love, your mercy, and your forgiveness.  How amazing it is that you care so much for me.  You are my everything.  Help me take my scattered thoughts this morning and focus on you and you alone.  In these next few moments of silence, help me center myself on you...Holy Spirit, come and speak to me through your Word.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin Mark 5.    Jesus starts out this chapter going to the other side of the lake.  Just a reminder, the other side of the lake means he is leaving the Jewish towns and heading to the Gentile side.  As we have and will continue to see, Jesus has a pattern of going to the other side, responding to the need of the “other.” While Jesus cares for the insiders, he is constantly reaching out to the other–the Samaritan woman at the well, the bleeding woman, the lepers, the tax collectors, the woman caught in adultery–he is always reaching out and offering care and healing to those on the outside, the outcast, to those who don't belong, who have been pushed to the fringe. I do think this is a lesson for the church, that we also have been called to go to those who are “others” in our community.  Who is that for us?  How hard would it be for us to go to them in the name of Jesus?    Jesus gets out of the boat and sees the deranged man.  The man was so disturbed, he was living in the burial caves. Most likely he was a burden to the townspeople, an outcast, and their way of dealing with him was to force him to live far away.  The burial caves were most likely nasty, smelly, dirty. This is where the dead, decaying bodies were kept. And what I am struck by is how they had tried to subdue him, to chain him up, like an animal...and then day and night he howled and cut himself with sharp stones. I can't help but feeling overwhelming sadness for this man.  Cutting (self-harm) is usually the result of trauma. This was someone's son, someone's brother, maybe someone's father. He was a human being made in the image of God. And yet, his life had little value to the people of the town. He was an “other.” But Jesus saw him.   When Jesus was still a way off, the evil spirits inside the man recognize Jesus. Isn't it interesting that the evil spirits that were possessing the man knew Jesus immediately? In fact, they call him Son of the Most High God; there is instant recognition that this is the Son of God. The evil spirits know him but often the people that Jesus is ministering to fail to recognize him.   When Jesus asks the man his name, he replies, “Legion.” The word legion in that world would have referred to a group of 3000-6000 Roman soldiers. Here we have a legion of evil spirits. Maybe we think this is interesting but doesn't really apply to us. But aren't we also infected with many, many demons? As a land/nation–the demon of racism, of pandemic, of materialism and the love of money, of division, the demon of hate or distrust of the “other,” selfishness, envy, I could certainly go on. We are legion. As a church–we deal with the demon of apathy, of complacency, of self-reliance, of protecting our own, of division, we are legion. As individuals–think of all our demons–anger, rage, unforgiveness, pride, arrogance, bitterness, fear, disobedience, not loving our neighbor; His name was legion because there were many inside the man.   What does Jesus do? Well, he heals the man. He totally and completely heals him–physically, emotionally, spiritually.  It's amazing.  However, what's interesting here is that when the townspeople see the man healed, what do they do? Do they rush over to him and say, “How wonderful to see you healed and whole so you can have a nice life.” No, they're scared and they beg Jesus to leave. Why was that? Clearly, the loss of 2000 pigs would have been a terrible economic loss. But I think that would have made them mad not afraid.   I can't help thinking they want Jesus to leave because they didn't want to face their own demons. Rene Girard, a 20th century philosopher said, “Clearly the drowning of the pigs bothers them less than the drowning of their demons.” Is it that they didn't want to be healed? My guess is they wanted to be healed but they didn't want to do the work that leads to healing. And what work is that? Well, first it means admitting you have some issues. It means admitting they we don't have it all together. It means admitting that we are wounded and we may have wounded others. It means admitting that we can't handle it on our own, that we can't fix it, that we have been wrong, that we are hurting, that we need help, that we need healing deep within us. We don't need surface level healing because that's what got us here in the first place. We need deep soul healing.   TRUE healing always starts with Jesus. In fact, there is no true healing without Jesus. And healing ourselves, our churches, and our land, begins with healing the wounds of our own heart. Before we can heal the legion of demons that our nation is facing, we must address the evil within ourselves. Friends, have you faced the evil within yourself? We have to admit where we have fallen short. And don't think just the other side needs healing.   There is so much about this narrative that is incredible.  But I love, love, love what happens next. God gives this man a physical and spiritual healing. Then as a result, he goes and shares the Good News with all who would listen and “everyone was amazed at what he told them.” He receives new life and he can't keep it to himself.  He becomes an extraordinary missionary, sharing with whoever will listen what Jesus had done for him.  This is the thing: God heals us, God gives us stories of transformation, and then our response is to share them. God works through broken, flawed people like this man, like you, and like me.  Do you believe this?  When is the last time you shared your story of transformation?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope April 3, 2025 Day 4 of Week 1   Scripture – Mark 2:13-28   Prayer – Holy God, We come before you today distracted and with scattered thoughts.  Help us focus, Lord, on you and your Word.  Help us, in the next few moments, to be silent, still, and remember that you are God...Thank you, Lord, for your care and concern for our lives.  Thank you for how you show up in amazing and unexpected ways!  We give you glory, Lord Jesus.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are finishing up the second chapter of Mark.  As we will see in today's narratives, Jesus is turning everything “normal” upside down.  He is upsetting the status quo and pushing up against some pretty sacred rules.    Let's start with his meal dining with Levi.  Jesus has been teaching and we should note this is a very public scene.  Jesus always had a lot of people around him.  He sees Levi, sitting in his tax-collector booth, and Jesus asks Levi to follow him.  Surprisingly, he does.   Most of you probably know that tax collectors at the time were not well-liked.  Levi would have been a local guy, a Jew, who was working for the Roman government, collecting taxes from the people of his community.  Not only would he have been seen as a sell-out, working for the Roman occupiers, but he would have been seen as a crook.  Tax collectors were known to charge more than they needed to so they could keep a good chunk for themselves.    And here Jesus is calling Levi to follow him.  Then, Jesus goes and eats at Levi's home.  Remember, table fellowship with someone at that time would have indicated that you accepted that person and were sharing a connection.  It was more than getting a bite to eat and chatting; it was truly making a statement about being in the same social and religious circle.  You didn't eat with people who were below you in social stature or who were from a different religious or ethical background.  But Jesus did.  And he made no apologies for it.  He is making a statement about what it means to be part of God's Kingdom.  All are welcome here; all are invited to Jesus' table.  Afterall, who needs a doctor – the healthy or the sick?    Think about your own table.  I think we can have some pretty powerful conversation over a meal.  Guards are let down, people laugh, they tell stories, healing occurs.  This is the perfect place to begin to begin to build relationships with people who aren't like you – people who think differently, look differently, and act differently.  Just like in Jesus' time, the table is one place where we can begin to get out of our comfort zones and allow the Holy Spirit to guide conversations and open doors.  Who might God be calling you to invite to sit around your table?   I also want to talk a bit about the end of the chapter, the discussion regarding the Sabbath.  The Pharisees are upset with Jesus and his disciples for walking through the grainfield on the Sabbath, and picking off the heads of grain.  Why would this have been such a big deal?   Let's talk about the Sabbath.  It was sacred among the Jews.  Over thousands of years, God's people were taught to keep this day set-apart and holy.  Having a day of rest was one thing that noticeably made the Jews different from the pagan cultures.  Their God ensured that they did not work and toil endlessly.  They were to have a break and have a physical, emotional, and spiritual rest.  Most likely, the Pharisees weren't upset with them for eating (everyone needed to do that), but that they trekked through the field and then broke off the heads of the grain.  In their mind, they should have avoided a hike on the Sabbath and already had their snacks prepared the day before.  Part of Sabbath is preparation for rest and renewal.    But Jesus is making a bigger point here (which he will continue to make in chapter 3 when he heals a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath.)  The Sabbath was created to provide rest for humans.  The man-made rules that the Jews created around the Sabbath had become so very overwhelming.  Would a poor laborer really be able to follow these?  Would a struggling young mom with four kids be able to follow the Sabbath as the Pharisees required?  Of course, the answer is no.  Thus, all these rules were creating a structure of haves and have nots, the clean and the unclean.  Jesus is saying to them – you are missing the point.  You are making things harder and God intended this to make things better.  Finally, what he really is stating, which the Pharisees are really struggling with, is that he is Lord of the Sabbath – he has the power to determine which rules really lead to God.  He is making a statement here about who he is, his identity as the Son of God.   Psalm 145:9-13, The Lord is good to all;     he has compassion on all he has made. 10 All your works praise you, Lord;     your faithful people extol you. 11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom     and speak of your might, 12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts     and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,     and your dominion endures through all generations.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope April 2, 2025 Day 3 of Week 1   Scripture – Mark 2:1-12   Prayer – Heavenly Father, you are almighty and all-powerful.  You are God of all and yet you care for us.  Thank you, Lord.  Help us settle our scattered thoughts and be silent before you...Thank you, Jesus.  Please guide us as we reflect on your Word today.  Meet us in the midst of our reading and this devotional.  In Your Name, Amen.    Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  We start Mark 2 today, specifically the first twelve verses.  This is a narrative that is familiar to many of us, but I want us to be open to what God may have for us today.  That is the miracle of Scripture.  We can read the same verses at one point in our life and receive one thing from God and read them again several years later and hear something new.  God's Word is truly alive and active.    Jesus is teaching in Capernaum, in someone's home.  Now this house was packed with people listening to Jesus and we can picture them flowing out the front door.  No one is willing to give up their spot.  Have you ever been someplace like that?  A place where people are just packed in like sardines and no one is going to give up their space because if they do, they know someone else will take it quickly.  I've been to concerts where the place was super-packed and there was no way I could leave, even to go to the bathroom, because I would lose my good spot.  You get it.    Well, there were four men who are determined to get their paralyzed friend before Jesus.  But they quickly note that the front door just wasn't going to be a possibility.  No one was leaving the house.  No one would budge to let them by.  So, they get him to the roof, which was probably no small feat.   The house would have been made of basalt stone because timber was scarce in that area.  The ceiling/roof was made with plaster. Rollers were used to compact the plaster to make it waterproof.  To make a hole in the roof, the plaster had to be scraped off and they would even need to remove some of the thinner slabs of stone used to support the ceiling.  They would keep doing this until a space was made large enough through which to lower the paralytic man.  This was lots and lots of work.  I don't want this to be lost on us 2000 years later.   But their persistence pays off.  The four men lower their friend on his mat right in front of Jesus.  What a surprise to everyone in that room!  Jesus isn't upset about the interruption, at least that we can tell.  Instead, he uses it as a profound, life-changing teaching moment.  Scripture says that when Jesus saw the faith of the men, he said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.”    This causes all kinds of ruckus.  The Pharisees or teachers of the law who were there were thinking, “This is blasphemy.  Only God can forgive sins.”  But it's Jesus and he is God so he knows exactly what they are thinking and he calls them out.  What the teachers of the law cannot see is that Jesus is authorized to speak and act on God's behalf. He is God's anointed, the Messiah, God's beloved Son. As a demonstration of his authority to forgive sins, Jesus tells the paralyzed man to stand up, take his mat and return home, which the man promptly does. Jesus boldly demonstrates his power to bring both spiritual and physical healing, and the crowds respond by being amazed and glorifying God.   This is such a powerful piece of Scripture.  Could it be possible that God is suggesting that we create a stir, in a good way, in our social circles and do some interrupting?  Could it be that God is suggesting that we are not passive bystanders?  These friends put themselves out there.  They took risks and they went to great lengths to bring their friend to Jesus.  What kinds of efforts do we make to bring our friends to Jesus?  Are we spending time building relationships and praying for our friends?  Are we doing all we can, putting true effort, into bringing them before Jesus?      The other question that this passage prompts is what does it means to stand in the gap for others?   In this text, we are told nothing of the faith of the paralyzed man.  It was the faith of his friends that Jesus was wowed by.  They are the ones who were so very determined that their friend be brought before Jesus.  This really got me thinking about our role as believers.  Oftentimes, people aren't aware of their need for Jesus, maybe they are struggling with faith or doubt, maybe they have a bad history with the church, or maybe they think God is irrelevant to their lives.  But Jesus healed the man because of the faith of the friends.  Are we regularly, consistently standing in the gap for others?  Jesus healed the man because of the faith of the friends.  Let that sink in.    Let's close with some beautiful truth from John 15:12-17,  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope April 1, 2025 Day 2 of Week 1   Scripture – Mark 1:14-45   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, we start by pausing before you.  You are God and we are not but we forget that sometimes.  Help us be still before you in these next few moments of silence...Lord, we rejoice that you are with us right now.  You are a good God who wants to be part of our lives.  You put the stars in the sky and yet you care about the most minute details of our days.  Thank you, Jesus.  Join us as we read your Word.  We pray that you do a new thing in each of us.  In Your Name, Amen.   Hello, and welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  I do hope you are able to set aside the distractions of the morning and focus on God and his Word right now.  Even in this very first chapter of Mark, there is so much to learn.  Yesterday, in the first thirteen verses, we met John the Baptist, saw Jesus get baptized, and discussed how he was then led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.   Today, prepared by his baptism and wilderness experience, Jesus is ready to begin his public ministry.  But first, we get this little blip about John being put in prison.  Mark barely mentions it but it will come up again.  In short, John speaks truth and gets in trouble with the guy in charge.  This offers us a bit of a foreshadowing of what will happen to Jesus too.  Speaking truth to authority, specifically authority that is easily threatened, doesn't always end well.  Things aren't that different today.  Can you think of a time in which you had to speak truth to authority?  How did that go?   Let's get back to Jesus.  What are his very first recorded words?  “The Kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe the Good News!”  Now, there were probably a lot of others words said, but this is the way Mark sums it up – repent, believe, and know the Kingdom is here.  What's interesting to me about this is that the end of the Old Testament, Malachi, has the prophet calling the people to repent.  Now, Jesus' first public words in the New Testament are for people to repent.  There is something to this.    Repentance means a sincere turning away from sin and selfishness and turning toward God.  This is more than just being sorry.  It is a real change of heart and mind with a desire to be obedient and not sin again.  We often have a negative view of repentance, but it is actually amazing.  Repentance frees us of guilt, restores relationships, and makes us right before a holy God.  If we feel like something has come between our relationship and God, it probably has and it's time to come clean.  I think of Psalm 51:10-12, which is beautiful truth, Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.   Is there anything for which you need to repent?  Is there a tugging on your heart, something that you know it's time to give to God?    There is still a lot more in this first chapter.  Jesus calls his first disciples.  We don't get all the details in Mark, but we do get a feel for the significance of this.  I mean, the brothers James and John simply left their fishing boat and went to follow Jesus.  I should mention that there was probably a relationship there already.  While we don't know for sure, it's most likely that Jesus wasn't walking up to complete strangers and asking them to give up their livelihoods to follow him.  These were people who knew Jesus, who had heard his teaching, had interactions with him, and who were seeking something more.  They trusted him and so they followed him.   It made me think about how we introduce Jesus to others.  It is ALWAYS best done in relationship.  There may be times in which we can share the Gospel with someone we meet for the first time and they are open to it.  But I think most often, there need to be many moments, building relationships, getting to know people, listening to them, and gradually offering them glimpses of the Gospel.  I think the listening piece is probably the most important!  People need to know that we actually care about them before they trust what we have to say.  Who is it that needs to see the love and care of Jesus in you?    Finally, I want to mention the healings in this first chapter.  Jesus is getting a name for himself.  There is no way in an impoverished, desperate community, such as Galilee, that someone could do that many healings and not become quickly famous.  But Jesus is not doing this for attention.  He is beginning to show the people a glimpse of God's Kingdom.  In God's Kingdom, people are not sick so Jesus heals.  They are not hungry, so soon he will feed.  They are victorious over the demonic, so he casts out impure spirits.  Every single thing that Jesus is doing right now has a very specific purpose of showing the people a different way of doing life.    We'll chat more about this tomorrow.    But we will close today with Psalm 146,   Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life;     I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes,    in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;    on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,    whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,     the sea, and everything in them—     he remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed    and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8     the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,    the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the foreigner    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,     but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The Lord reigns forever,     your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki