Podcasts about in your name

Daily Dose of Hope October 6, 2025   Scripture – John 16   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 to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the New Hope daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are going through the book of John currently as part of our deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are taking a look at John 16.   Jesus starts by telling the disciples that he is teaching them all of this because things are going to get hard.  He wants them to know just how hard.  Not only will Jesus be arrested and killed, but the disciples themselves will experience persecution.  I'm not sure that this has crossed their minds.  Remember, they are still thinking that Jesus will establish an earthly Kingdom that will overthrow the Romans.    Jesus reiterates that he will be going away, there will be grief, but then there will be joy.  He uses the analogy of a woman having a baby.  There is lots of pain during childbirth but when the child comes, it's all worth it.  There is so much joy in holding that new baby.  So Jesus says that the disciples will have tremendous grief but then they will have tremendous joy.  They question him, of course, because they really don't understand.  This is still very confusing to them.  This doesn't fit their idea of what it supposed to happen.    But the final verse of this chapter is one of my favorites and definitely worth memorizing.  "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."   Jesus knows that they don't get it and that the next few days are going to be excruciating.  Really, the next few years will be hard.  But we live in a broken world.  He didn't come to take away pain and suffering.  In fact, he says that in this world, we will have trouble.  Expect it.  But because of Jesus, we can actually have peace in the midst of trouble. We can have the kind of peace the world does not offer, a peace that only makes sense connected to Jesus.  Jesus is the one who conquered death, he overcame evil, he won victory over Satan.  Because of his victory, we also can experience victory.  Because of his resurrection, we also can experience resurrection.  All the troubles of this world won't go away for us, but we can get through them.  Jesus can make a way when their seems to be absolutely no way.  He can bring peace to our chaos.  He is the one who overcame the world.  And that, my friends, is such great news.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope November 5, 2025   Scripture – John 15   Prayer:  Almighty Father, You always know what is best for us.  Thank you for that.  We are sorry for the ways that we resist.  Help us to want what you want for us.  Help us to want to be patient, to want to be kind, to want to be obedient.  Conform our will, Lord,  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.  As most of you know, we are right in the middle of a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are deep diving into John 15.   The Scripture that we read from John 15 is incredibly powerful.  Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."   Jesus is talking to his followers about how to walk closely with him, essentially what it means to be a disciple.  What is a disciple? A good working definition, for our purposes, is  an apprentice, someone who wants to learn all they can from another person so they will do what they do and become like them.  To be a disciple of Jesus, that means we have to actively learn about Jesus, know him, become like him.   And this Scripture gives us a really important clue as to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  A disciple remains in Jesus. Older translations use the term abide. To remain or abide in Jesus means not simply to have said yes to Jesus, but to have a connection with Jesus, we are in union with him, we stay with him, we rest in him. Let's think about this. The presence of Jesus is always with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is always there, but we tend to move away from him. Jesus is saying here, remain in me. Stay close to me, stay connected to me, stay in conversation with me. How do we do this?  Well, through prayer, reading Scripture, worship, and other spiritual disciplines. If we don't pray, if we don't read the Bible, if we don't worship, we will not feel connected to Jesus. We are not remaining in him and the result will be evident. We will feel dry, parched, alone, we will start to gradually make choices that don't represent who we are in Jesus, the world will begin to seep in, gradually, so gradually sometimes that we don't even notice.   I've used the teacup example before.  If you drink tea (and use teabags), then you are either a dipper or a steeper.  If you dip that teabag in the water, you go up and down and up and down and the tea never gets that strong.  A lot of people are like that with faith.  They are dippers.  They dip into prayer and dip out of prayer.  They dip into Bible study and dip out of Bible study.  They dip into church and dip out of church.  But Jesus wants us to be steepers.  He wants us to steep in prayer, Bible study, and worship.  He wants us to soak in his presence so we are like really strong tea.   Now, part of abiding is to acknowledge that we need Jesus and are totally dependent on Jesus. Think about this---the branch is totally dependent on the vine. Without the vine, the branch is useless, lifeless, powerless. Sap flows from the vine to the branch, supplying it with water, minerals, and nutrients that make it grow. And believers receive the "sap" of Christ's grace through our life-giving connection to him. Intentionally remaining in Jesus is recognizing that we can't do this life alone. We need Jesus. I need daily, sometimes hourly, times of prayer to abide with Jesus.  How are you doing abiding in Jesus?  (Use a scale of 1 to 10 right now to assess how well you abide in Christ, 1 being not at all and 10 being totally soaking him in all the time).   Let's take a look at the next part of the Scripture, John 15:5-8, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."   So we can see the other characteristic of a true disciple is producing fruit.  When we abide or remain in Jesus, then fruit should be the natural result.  Resting in Jesus makes us changed people – our attitudes are different, our behavior is different, it's noticeable.  We are more patient, more kind, more loving, more generous, more gentle; basically, we look more like Christ.  We bear fruit not by squeezing it out of ourselves but because we are extensions of the vine, pruned by the gardener.   Think about a grapevine.  I've never been very successful growing grapes in Florida but most of us have seen a grapevine at some point.  They are typically grown on a trellis.  They have to be pruned and trimmed by the gardener in order to produce new healthy branches that bear fruit.  If you don't prune, then you are going to have a lot of leafy green but it won't produce new branches that bear fruit.  It will look good but it won't produce anything.  And the point is of course, not simply to look pretty on the trellis, but to actually produce some fruit.   Of course, our purpose is not simply to look good, to look Godly or righteous, but to ACTUALLY produce fruit.  So, God may need to prune us to ensure that happens.  I used to be afraid of God's pruning, but I've found in my own life that God prunes me because he loves me. He wants to remove those things in my life that are hindering my spiritual growth.  This could mean bad habits, bad relationships, things that are toxic, generally anything that is getting in the way of me becoming the person God wants me to be. Sometimes God removes things directly (like he simply removes something from our life like a relationship or a job or you name it – think of something God removed and in retrospect, needed to remove from your life).  Other times, God convicts us so that we will make the move to remove whatever it is that is creating a wedge in our relationship with him.    Think about your relationship with God right now.   What has hindered you from bearing more fruit or bearing fruit at all?  Fears and insecurities from your past?  Selfishness? An unhealthy attachment to stuff? Unhealthy friendships, unhealthy behavior patterns?  Complacency, being too comfortable, laziness, fatigue, lack of passion? Whatever it is, acknowledge it now.  God wants better for you.  He wants to walk closely with you.  In fact, God wants HIS best for you.  He wants you to live a fruitful, abundant life.  Do you want that?  Really, do you?    Let's spend some extended time in prayer, asking God to reveal himself to us right now.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope November 4, 2025   Scripture - John 14:15-31   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 devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive of the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish John 14.   We have just read about how Jesus has washed his disciples' feet, shared a Passover meal with them, and even predicted their denial.  Now, he has moved into this long extended time of teaching.  He wants them to understand what is coming.  Jesus is saying, there are confusing, hard days ahead. In fact, over the next few chapters, he warns them of this several times–things are going to get really tough. Jesus knows that in a few short hours, he will be arrested in the garden, his trial will soon begin, and cross is looming large. He is preparing them for what's to come...He won't be with you them body anymore—but will send the Holy Spirit (he calls the Spirit the Advocate, which comes from the Greek word Paraclete meaning the helper, the one who comes alongside).   Jesus basically says this is what I promise that Spirit will do in your life: The Spirit will constantly be with you and constantly be guiding you, leading you, teaching you, reminding you of all the truths I have taught you. In fact, you can think of the Holy Spirit as a gift.  You can think of the Spirit as my presence with you always.  And if my presence is with you always, then even in the midst of confusion and trouble, you can have peace. It's the Holy Spirit that will allow you to experience a special kind of peace that is only possible connected to Jesus; it's a peace the world absolutely does not offer.  How incredible.    Jesus then tells them he has to go away.  Remember, they really don't understand any of this.  It's going to take time, reflection, and perspective, and the Holy Spirit, for this all to really come together for them.    But it's worth mentioning that 50 days later, in Jerusalem, in another room, the believers are gathered together, hiding and waiting, not really sure what's going to happen...when the Holy Spirit shows up and fills the believers.  This changes absolutely everything.    While we will talk more about Pentecost when we cover Acts 2, I do want to talk a bit about the Holy Spirit today.  What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?   Assures believers that they belong to God. I can't tell you how many I've counseled that worry that they haven't really been accepted by God. They have asked for forgiveness and said yes to Jesus Christ, been born again, but there is something within themselves that still makes them think they aren't deserving or that God doesn't want them or love them. The Holy Spirit, working within us, has the power to assure each of us that yes, God has accepted us and adopted us as his own.   Romans 8:14-16, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.   Galatians 4:6, "And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."   Helps us become more Christ-like, more holy. It is the Holy Spirit's job to produce Christ-like character in you. When we talk about the Holy Spirit changing us from the inside out, this is what we are talking about. This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification. You can't reproduce the character of Jesus on your own or by your own strength. New Year's resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. They will only get us so far. It is the Holy Spirit that has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives.   Philippians 2:13, God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.   When we hear the phrase, "the power of the Holy Spirit," many people think of miracles and intense emotions. But most of the time, the Holy Spirit's power is released in our lives in quiet, unassuming ways that you aren't even aware of or feel. The Holy Spirit convicts us when we have done something wrong, The Holy Spirit often nudges us, sometimes with "a gentle whisper" and other times with a not so gentle whack to the head.   Strengthens Our Faith.  It is through the power of the Holy Spirit within us that our faith grows stronger and stronger, even in the midst of hard circumstances.   Ephesians 3:16-18, I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.   I love this imagery of roots going down deep into God's love to keep us strong. How deep are your roots? Are they shallow?   When we are weak, when we don't know the words to say, the Holy Spirit prays for us on our behalf, kind of holds us up if you will.   Romans 8:26-28, And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.   Do you need deeper roots? Is your faith wavering? Spend some time asking the Holy Spirit to help.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope November 3, 2025   Scripture - John 14:1-14   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you for a new day and thank you that your mercies are new every single morning.  How grateful we are that we can start afresh and anew each day.  Forgive us for the many times we fell short, for when we weren't loving, for when we were easily angered, for when our patience wore thin. Today, help us represent you well.  In all things, may we be reminded who and whose we are.  We are yours.  In Your Name, Amen.   This is the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin John 14.    This is a phenomenal passage.  I know I say that a lot but it truly is.  It's a text we often hear read at funerals because it provides a tremendous amount of comfort that God has truly prepared a place for us in heaven.    In this text, there is a great interaction between Jesus and Thomas.  The disciples are experiencing a lot of anxiety.  Jesus has just told them he's going away but he is trying to reassure them.  Jesus is like, I'm on my way to get your room ready.  I'll be coming back to get you, trust me.  But anyway, you already know the way.  And Thomas is like, "Umm…actually, I don't know the way, is there a map or something?"  And that's when Jesus says, "You do know the way because I am the way.  The only way to get to my Father is through me."  And he reiterated what he has been teaching them, "to know me is to know the Father.  If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father."  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  As the passage progresses, Philip is included in the conversation.  Again, there is this focus on, "If you know me, then you know the Father."  When Jesus says, "I am the way," he doesn't say "I am a way." How the Greek sentence is constructed makes it absolutely clear and irrefutable that Jesus is making an exclusive claim here.   He is basically saying, don't go looking to anyone else to point you in those directions, because I am the only one who can!"  Well, that feels pretty exclusive, doesn't it?  Yes, it is.  And exclusivity makes a lot of us feel uncomfortable.  So much so, that many people, including Christians, pastors, and scholars, try to find a loophole here.   People want to discount the validity of the Gospel of John, they want to find a problem in the Greek, you name it.  Yes, John was written later than the other Gospels but scholars believe that it is still accurate and authoritative.  John was written for the purpose of demonstrating that Jesus is the son of God and that is what he does.  Thus, he makes this very exclusive claim that Jesus is the only way to the Father.  But the Scripture I just read isn't the only one.   What other Scriptures point to the exclusivity of Jesus?   1.     John 3:16-18 (Jesus speaking to Nicodemus),  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.  2.     John 3:36 (later in the conversation)- Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them. 3.     Acts 4:12 (Peter, speaking before the Jewish ruling council) –  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." 4.     Rom. 10:9 – If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 5.     I John 5:12 - Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.   And there are many others but I'm going to stop there for now.  I do believe in looking at the full narrative of Scripture – if we look at all of the Bible – it points to Jesus as the way to heaven.  I've searched to see if the Bible allows for other options, possible openings, that might allow for another way and I haven't found any.  There are some things in the Bible in which there is tension – it says this but it also says this – and we have to really dig and pray and interpret.  But there isn't tension here at all --- Scripture clearly points to Jesus as the Son of God, the fulfillment of God's promise from Genesis to Revelation, and the only way to the Father, the only way to receive salvation, the only way to heaven.    And that makes logical sense to me.  Why would Jesus have voluntarily died on a Roman cross for us if he was just one option among many to provide a way to be saved?  If there were other ways to receive salvation and get to God, then why would Jesus even need to do all that?  Why would Christians throughout the ages have needed to stand their ground and lose their lives?  Why would Christians around the world today be risking their lives to follow Christ?  Some may say they are disillusioned but I personally don't believe so.  If we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, proving his divinity, proving he is Lord of all – then that means we have to also believe everything he said.  We can't pick and choose.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 30, 2025 Scripture - John 13:1-17 Prayer: Almighty God, we start by pausing before you. Help us set aside the distractions of the morning or the day and focus on you. In these next few moments of silence, help us gather our scattered thoughts and think only of you...Help us be still and know you are God. God, we rejoice that we can freely read your Word and we are grateful that you speak to us through it. It's truly a miracle. Holy Spirit, we also invite you to join us as we seek to grow deeper in relationship with you. In Your Name, Amen. Welcome back, friends, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently working our way through the Gospels and Acts. Can you believe we have already done a deep dive through Mark, Matthew, Luke, and we are half way through John? I would love to hear about your big takeaways thus far from the Gospels? What is Jesus teaching you? Today, we begin John 13. This is familiar and beautiful Scripture. The time for the Passover meal has come, the disciples are sitting and reclining at the table, and Jesus himself gets up to wash their feet. This might not sound that odd to us but foot-washing was a lowly task in 1st century Palestine. Think about it: their feet were very dirty; the men wore sandals, they walked everywhere, and the roads were filthy with dirt, dust, and animal droppings. Thus, this was the job usually saved for the lowliest of servants. Peers did not wash each others' feet. In Luke's Gospel, the disciples actually start arguing about is the greatest among them; their attitudes certainly indicated that they weren't going to stoop so low as to wash each others' feet. In today's Scripture, when Jesus gets up to wash the disciples' feet, the disciples are shocked. How could he? Of course, Jesus always has something deeper in mind. Jesus is a perfect example of humility and selflessness, which will ultimately be demonstrated in its most extreme form on the cross. This Sunday at New Hope, we will be talking about Christian leadership. This passage is such a powerful picture of the way God intends Christian leadership to be: Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (v.3-5) Jesus knew who he was. He understood his relationship with God, so he was free to serve others without worrying about what people thought of him. And, you know, that goes for us too. As Christian leaders, we can do the most lowly task or the most amazing task. Nothing is too high and nothing is beneath us when we are serving other people. I know you have probably met Christian leaders and pastors who have been arrogant jerks and I'm apologizing for them right now. That wasn't the way God intended this job to be. We are chief servants. All of us as Christian leaders, in the church, at our job, at our hobbies, in our homes, we are all to be chief servants, doing our best to imitate the servant leadership style of Jesus. We serve others --- we serve our spouses, we serve our friends, we serve our employees, we serve our neighbors. That doesn't show weakness, it shows strength. Our identity is found in our relationship with Jesus Christ, not in our role or our job. And when we start to get that mixed up, that's when we will get in real trouble. More tomorrow. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 29, 2025 Scripture – John 12:20-50 Prayer: Almighty Father, Thank you for a new day and thank you that your mercies are new every single morning. How grateful we are that we can start afresh and anew each day. Forgive us for the many times we fell short, for when we weren't loving, for when we were easily angered, for when our patience wore thin. Today, help us represent you well. In all things, may we be reminded who and whose we are. We are yours. In Your Name, Amen. Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast which goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we finish John 12. In the beginning of today's reading, the Greeks ask to see Jesus. Something I discovered in researching today's devotional is that first-century synagogues welcomed Gentiles. I had no idea; I assumed they were the domain of Jews alone. We know that Gentiles were actually drawn to Jesus. They were outsiders and there was something about Jesus that outsiders flocked to. We are seeing that in this passage. Jesus speaks of his coming exaltation. The hour is coming in which the Son of Man might be glorified. In fact, the Son of Man is the seed who will fall, die, and produce much fruit. He is one who will willingly give up his life for the benefit of others in obedience of the Father's will. Jesus knows his mission. He understands his mission. He doesn't need reassurance here, but a voice from heaven comes to help the divided crowd gathered around him. So, let's go back to the beginning of this passage. The Greeks want to see Jesus. But will they be able to actually see him? How well do we see him? I do want to briefly touch on the rest of the passage. There is a lot of substance here. Jesus says that if someone believes in him, they also believe in the one who sent him. So, if you believe in Jesus, you believe in the Father. Jesus is saying that he is a light that points to the Father. He is, essentially, the image of the invisible God. We can't separate God and Jesus. God is Jesus and Jesus is God. Let's talk a little bit about verse 47, which is often misunderstood. "If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world." The purpose of Jesus' first coming was not to judge the world, but to save the world. Jesus' first coming was all about showing us a different way of doing life, dying on a cross for our sins, and offering us salvation. But let's be clear, that doesn't mean there won't be a judgment. Jesus' second coming will be about judgement. Every single one of us will be judged. God will look at the card catalogue of my life and yours and we will see all the appalling things we did. But we will also either be marked guilty or not guilty based on if we know Jesus or not. Where do you land? Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 28, 2025 Scripture – John 12:1-19 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 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 begin John 12. There is a lot going on this chapter. It begins with Mary anointing Jesus with an expensive perfume, much to Judas' dismay. The other Gospels don't name the woman who anoints Jesus' feet, but John says that it's Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha. By doing so, Mary is pointing to Jesus' identity as Messiah King, but also as Servant King. She wipes Jesus' feet with her hair, a lowly position, but one that foreshadows Jesus' own actions at the Last Supper when he washes his disciples' feet and demonstrates love through sacrificial, humble service. Judas was all about the money. Remember, he wasn't complaining about the "waste" because he truly wanted to help the poor but because he was skimming from the money bag. He wanted more money for himself. One more quick comment about this. I once had someone tell me that there was no real need to give to the poor because Jesus himself said the poor you will always have with you. I think most of you know that context is everything. Jesus took care of the poor all the time! He was not telling us not to care for the poor in any way, shape, or form. Rather, in this specific instance, he was responding to Judas' superficial complaint. He knew that Judas didn't care about the poor but about his own pockets. In that moment, Mary was caring for Jesus. There would be plenty of time for her to care for the poor in her community and I'm sure she did because she followed Jesus' example. But there is a time and a place for everything. There is a brief discussion, before the Palm Sunday passage, about the need to kill Lazarus. The Pharisees are getting desperate. It isn't enough to simply target Jesus, they also plan to target Lazarus because he is also getting attention for being raised from the dead. These are men of God whose hearts have grown hard. Fear has a tendency to do that. With that, let's move on to Palm Sunday. As a little girl going to Sunday School, I can remember making palm branches and waving them. 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 John describes it. Basically, we see Jesus being given a royal welcoming. The other Gospels go into even more detail. The people are laying palm 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. While the disciples appear to be confused, some of the Jews in the crowd would have known that this a fulfillment of prophecy. John quotes 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 this Jesus is the king. By making this announcement, Jesus knows what this means. His death will be soon. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 27, 2025 Scripture – John 11:45-57 Prayer: Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We give you all the glory and praise. Thank you for being a God who provides. Thank you for being a God who heals and cares. God, we pray protection over Jamaica and the other Caribbean islands which are in the way of Hurricane Melissa. Be with the people in the path of the storm. Help them find safety. And we pray that the storm will turn in the name of Jesus. May there be as little destruction as possible. 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. We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we are finishing up John 11. After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, many believed. In fact, he was getting to be quite popular. As a result, the Jewish leaders were scared of Jesus. That is the bottom line. They were scared that too many people would believe in him and they would lose the limited power they had under the Romans. They think seriously about wanting him dead. The high priest, Caiphas, even says that wouldn't it be better for one man to lose his life rather than a whole nation to be wiped out. Caiphas' words actually have a bit of a double meaning, of which he wasn't aware of at the time. However, John picks up on it. Let's reread verses 51-52, He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. While the Jewish leaders decide it would be better for Jesus to die, they had no idea the enormous truth that they set out to accomplish. They didn't understand Jesus' mission at all. Not only would Jesus' death be better for them, but it would open up salvation to all people, everywhere. The Jewish leaders' vision was much smaller than Jesus' vision of his mission, but it was large enough to allow Jesus to do what he needed to do and accomplish what he needed to accomplish. But what their plans did mean was that Jesus could no longer walk around publicly. He had to be very careful. He knew his time would come but he didn't to rush it. There was still work to be done. Tomorrow, we begin Passion Week. Get ready. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 24, 2025 Scripture - John 11:1-44 Prayer: Almighty God and Risen Lord, King of Kings, We come before you today with praise and a sense of awe. Forgive us, for we struggle to keep a focus on you. Help us gather our scattered and distracted thoughts. Help us remember who and whose we 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, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. We are currently working our way through the Gospels and Acts. Today, we begin John 11. In today's text, we again meet Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. This is a family that Jesus loves dearly. Mary and Martha definitely know that Jesus had the ability to heal Lazarus. They request his presence when Lazarus becomes ill. After he dies, they still want Jesus to come. Afterall, when we are grieving, we desperately need those in our inner circle who will offer comfort and give us a shoulder to cry on. The sisters knew that Jesus loved them and their brother, and that alone would have been enough reason for Jesus to come. But it's precisely because he loves this family that we wonder why Jesus didn't rush to their side earlier. We all know, based on his miracle-working skills, that Jesus could have healed Lazarus with the first sniffle. But Jesus stayed. He didn't go anywhere. It was like he intentionally waited before heading out to go see the siblings. But we soon learn that it is precisely because Jesus loves them so much that he waits. He knows that his glory will be revealed in a tremendous way, and it will be one more sign that Jesus is Lord. It isn't surprising that Martha does not hide her disappointment from Jesus. She goes out to meet him an tell him that if he had only been there, then Lazarus would not have died. At the same time, we can see in Martha a faith that is quite strong. Even though her brother is dead, she knows Jesus can still do something. But will he do it? The short answer is yes. Jesus has something much bigger planned. But I do love that we see Jesus' humanity here in a very real way. When an anguished Mary finally leaves the house to meet Jesus, along with all the mourners, Jesus himself is moved to tears. Think about it. Jesus knows that he will raise Lazarus from the dead. That was his whole reason for delaying his visit. But when he sees Mary's grief and the tears of the people around him, he is moved to weep as well. When we see grief around us, when people are sobbing, and you can just feel their pain and anguish, it isn't unusual to begin to cry as well. We can feel the pain of others. It's called empathy. Jesus loved Lazarus, he loves Martha, and he loves Mary. He feels their pain. He is pained that they are having to go through this. And he weeps. But there is also great dialogue here and I don't want us to miss it. Lazarus has been in the tomb four days. There was no refrigeration, no embalming. The body would have deteriorated in that climate. So, Jesus asks the sisters to remove the stone from the tomb where Lazarus was laid. Martha protests that the smell is going to be really bad. But that's when Jesus says this in verse 40, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" Don't we all want to see the glory of God? Don't we want to see the beauty of God's Spirit? Don't we want to see his goodness and his power? It's here that Jesus says if we believe, we will, in fact, see the glory of God. With that, Jesus prays to the Father and then invites Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Lazarus did come out. He was still bound up with grave clothes. Before the body was placed in the tomb, it was wrapped with linen clothes and treated with various spices. And Jesus says to unbind him. Lazarus was alive. How often do we live bound up in grave clothes? We continue to be tied to old, destructive habits and attitudes. Even though we may know Jesus, we still are bound by old patterns of behavior. It's only Jesus that can remove those from us so we can experience new life in him. Lazarus was alive but he still needed to remove the remnants of death. He needed to be loosed. Do you need to be loosed? What aspects of your old life do you continue to hold onto? Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 22, 2025 Scripture - John 10:1-21 Prayer: Almighty God, We come before you on this Wednesday, in the middle of our 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 to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. As most of you know, we are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we begin John 10. Today, we have come to our third and fourth I AM statements from Jesus, "I am the door of the sheep" and "I am the good shepherd." Let's go deeper here. Jesus begins the chapter with an analogy about sheep. Most of us aren't going to get the deeper meaning because we generally don't know a lot about sheep. From what I understand, a shepherd has a distinctive call for his sheep. His sheep know his voice and his call. They aren't going to respond to a stranger, they know the voice of their own shepherd. It's the shepherd that enters the sheep pen by the front gate. He doesn't need to sneak in by climbing the fence. He safely leads the sheep out to pasture. He is the one that the sheep can trust. Then, why does Jesus say he is the gate? Afterall, we expect him to say he is shepherd, he has literally just given us this shepherd language that makes a fair amount of sense. Why a gate? This took some research. In the middle east at the time, the sheep slept in a pen without a gate; there was just an opening. The shepherd was literally the gate for the pen. He would lay his body across the opening. No sheep would step over him and a wolf couldn't get in without getting past the shepherd first. He was literally the gate. If this is the case, we can see how Jesus could easily be both the gate and the shepherd at the same time. Other scholars say that Jesus is speaking of a literal gate and they cite his use of the word doorkeeper as evidence. Regardless of a literal gate or a shepherd using his body as the gate, I think the meaning is the same. Jesus is protecting the sheep. The thieves and robbers come to wound and destroy. Jesus, as the gate, protects life at nighttime and offers life during the day by taking the sheep out to pasture. It's all about living the life abundant. If you haven't figured it out by now, we are the sheep and Jesus is our shepherd. He is the voice we need to seek, he is the one who provides and protects, and he is one who offers abundant and full life. And Jesus is a very good shepherd. He laid down his life for his sheep, for us. He wasn't coerced into this, but rather he voluntarily died for our sins. There will be other religious leaders, hired hands as Jesus calls them, who will abandon their followers at the first sign of trouble. But Jesus, on the other hand, is our eternal protector. He is always with us and will always be with us. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 21, 2025 Scripture - John 9 Prayer: Dear God, We come to you in repentance. We are sinful and broken people. We fall short over and over again. 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, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. As most of you know, we are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we start John 9. When we started the Gospel of John, we talked about how the author calls the miracles in his book "signs." Each sign points to a deeper meaning about the identity of Jesus. Turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana demonstrated that Jesus is the abundantly generous host of the messianic banquet. The feeding of the 5,000 demonstrated that Jesus is a gracious provider who gives manna but also his own body and blood. The sign in John 9, the healing of the man born blind, shows that Jesus is the giver of sight and revealer of truth. Jesus restores the man's physical sight, and he also states that he is the light of the world in verse 5. There is the literal sign and then deeper themes beneath each one. Let's talk about the sign a little more. We become quickly aware of an assumption that for a person to be born blind, someone must have sinned. After seeing the man born blind, the disciples ask the blunt question – who is to blame? Jesus makes the statement that neither he nor his parents sinned; he was born this way so that God's power could be revealed in him. There is definitely a bit of debate about whether the words "born blind" were in the original Greek. I don't think it's relevant. The bottom line is that the Jews at the time believed that someone who was blind (born blind or not) must have some connection with deep sin. Yet, this man expresses belief in Jesus. He confesses faith. He calls Jesus, "Lord." On the other hand, the Pharisees who think they are morally superior are actually the ones who are sinful. They may have physical vision but they are spiritually blind. Things are not always as they seem. What does it mean to be spiritually blind and live in darkness OR it's opposite, to live in the light of Jesus? Depending on where you stand, it drastically affects your perspective. Symptoms of spiritual blindness could include a hardened heart, trouble understanding the bigger picture of faith, being controlled by emotions rather than truth, or the feeling of being disconnected from God. Other symptoms could be doubt, hopelessness, and a strong focus on rules (legalism) which can lead to judgement and self-righteousness. When we live in darkness, we are also easily deceived when it comes to spiritual truth. We can see this in the Pharisees. The more important question is to we see this in ourselves? When we walk in the light of Jesus with spiritual eyes open, we are changed people. We seek to know Jesus more deeply. We seek truth and we have clarity about those things that are not pleasing to God in our own lives. We are filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Living in the light also makes our identity very clear. We are children of God. We belong to Jesus and we are created to bring glory to God in everything we do. One more thing from this chapter and the book of John: There are seven "I AM" statements in this book. Keep in mind, that throughout the Old Testament, it was only God, Yahweh, who used the words I AM to describe himself. Jesus is now using these statements to further emphasize who he is and where he is from. We already encountered "I am the bread of life" in chapter six. This chapter has the second "I AM" statement, "I am the light of the world." Jesus says he is the light and then he proves it with the sign of healing the blind man. Tomorrow, we will talk about "I am the door" in chapter ten. Each of these statements tells us more about the identity of Jesus and his purpose. More tomorrow. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 20, 2025 Scripture - John 8:12-59 Prayer: Holy God, We pause before you. We become still, recognizing that you are God. You are Creator, you are Provider, you are Sustainer. Thank you, Lord. We repent for how we have failed you. We repent for our pride, our anger, our bitterness, our flawed view of others. We repent for not putting you first. Forgive us, Lord. We are broken and sinful people. Lord, use us anyway. We pray that you can lead us to a place of healing and peace so that we can then be useful to your Kingdom. Help us be your servants, open to your leading and direction. We are yours. We belong to you. In Your Name, Amen. Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. As most of you know, we are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts. Today, we finish up John 8. This chapter is an interesting and complex set of narratives about Jesus' identity. In verses 12-30, Jesus attempts, unsuccessfully, to explain that he does not need the two witnesses required by the Law in any testimony because he already has them: his own and the Father's. To the Jews, this would have been impossible. No one could testify on their own behalf. Afterall, the Law, to ensure fairness and objectivity, required at least two witnesses. But let us not forget that the gospel is not necessarily historical but theological. We are reading the account of an early Jewish-Christian community engaged in heavy theological debate with the synagogue, a sort of family feud if you consider that everyone here is Jewish. Beginning in verse 31, John states Jesus is speaking to Jews who had believed in him. I think the tense is important here. These were once followers of Jesus but now they are not. Jesus tells them that if they hold to his teachings, they are his disciples. And Jesus continues to say that it is then that they will know the truth and the truth will set them free. But this gets them all confused. But why in the world would they need to be set free? They are Abraham's descendants and they have never been enslaved. Jesus explains that they are, in fact, slaves to sin. Keep in mind, that this is a group who thinks they will go to heaven simply because of their blood line. They are Jews, they are God's chosen people. How they think and behave is far less important than to whom they are related. And yet, Jesus pushes up against this. As the text continues, in verses 37-59, Jesus and the Pharisees and other Jewish authorities throw accusations at each other. Jesus says they are being children of the devil; they accuse him of being demon-possessed and a Samaritan. One can hardly think of a worse situation. No one was listening to one another. But John is making a point. He is leading up to Jesus saying in v. 58, Before Abraham was, I am. Of course, he is speaking of himself using the Biblical way of referring to God. He is saying that he is God. This escalates things. The Jews begin to pick up stones to begin to throw at him but he slips away. Jesus is God. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 17, 2025 Scripture – John 8:1-11 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 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 starting John 8. Today's passage is one of the most beloved in the Gospel of John. The line, "he who is without sin can throw the first stone", has become a common part of our vocabulary. And the story itself is amazing. The Pharisees have brought a woman caught committing adultery to Jesus. Notice the man was not brought. It always makes me think the whole thing was planned. They were trying to trap Jesus and this was one more opportunity. And the woman was just collateral damage. She probably would have been naked or partially dressed and the whole situation was dehumanizing for her. While the Torah did say that stoning was punishment for adultery, my understanding is that it was not actually carried out often. But it could have been. So, these Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus to ask what should be done. Keep in mind, they didn't really care Jesus' serious thoughts about the situation, but they did care to catch him saying the wrong thing. What did he do? He started writing on the ground. I always wonder what he wrote. Was he writing the men's sins? Was he listing the things the people in that group had done? It would be fascinating to know for sure. And that's when he said that very famous line, ...let he who is without sin cast the first stone. And they all started to walk away, the oldest first down to the youngest. And Jesus asks the woman, "Who has condemned you?" Of course, no one had because they all left. "Go and sin no more." Jesus saw into the hearts of both the accused and the accusers and dealt with the situation accordingly. Probably, for many of you, this passage is in italics in your Bible. The reason for this is that there is significant debate as to whether this passage is original. In fact, most scholars agree that it was added at a later date. The first manuscript of John to include this story is Codex Bezae (D), which dates to the fifth century. There is also an argument that the way the story is written seems to be contrary to John's vocabulary and grammar. So, if this text isn't from John, where did it come from and how do we handle it? It's very possible the story is historical but was part of the oral tradition and just stuck in the Gospel of John later on. Other scholars I read said that the style looks like Luke's handiwork. There is also the possibility that the story is absolutely true but was left out of John by early scribes because they thought Jesus was too lenient and grace-filled. Despite all of this, the church fathers often taught on this passage. I personally think there is a lot to learn from this passage. We see Jesus' compassion and boldness. It seems consistent with the kinds of things Jesus did and said. We also know that there were many things that Jesus did that were originally omitted from the Gospels. Could this be one of them? I don't know. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 15, 2025   Scripture: John 7:1-24   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, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are starting John 7.    This is kind of the beginning of the end of Jesus' public ministry.  He has been doing a lot of teaching and a lot of miracles.  At the beginning of chapter 7, we learn that it is the Festival of Tabernacles, one of the most important Jewish festivals.  Jerusalem would have been filled with visitors for this important event.  His brothers want him to come and essentially show off at the festival.  He can come do miracles and make a bigger name for himself.  A mocking tone is implied here.  They are not supportive of Jesus, they are goading him.  We can assume these are Jesus' half-brothers, the biological sons of Mary and Joseph.    Jesus decides the timing isn't right.  He has his brothers go ahead and he comes later, presumably to be more discreet.  But by this point, it was hard for Jesus to do anything discreetly.  People begin talking about who Jesus is.  And Jesus begins to teach several days into the festival.  His teachings are not well-received by the Jewish leaders.  He says that his teachings are not his own but the Father's.  That does not go over well.  He speaks of the ridiculousness of Sabbath-keeping without keeping to the spirit of the law.  Again, not well-received.  What were the intentions of the law vs. what it had become?  A person's intentions are always more important than evidence or reason.    The Jewish authorities had turned the law into something that God never intended.  It became a way to entrap people and an obstacle to people coming to God.  Keep in mind, that by Jesus criticizing their interpretation of the law, he was hitting at the core of who they were.  There was nothing more sacred to them.  But what Jesus is essentially saying is that their refusal to believe him was a rejection of the Scriptures that point to him.  Their rejection of Jesus' message was a rejection of the law which he fulfilled.   The leaders want to silence Jesus.  They begin their conniving to find a way to get rid of what they see as a blasphemous nuisance.  And they are not kidding.  They feel so threatened by Jesus that they begin to plot his death.    The leaders then continued to miss the point, over and over again.  It's easy for us to point fingers but how often do we miss the point?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope October 10, 2025   Scripture – John 5   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 back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  As most of you know, we are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we dive into John 5.   The chapter starts with a narrative about the disabled man who had not been able to walk for thirty-eight years.  There are a couple reflections I had from the text.  You may have noticed them too.   First, when Jesus asked the man if he wanted to get well, the man did not say yes.  Instead, he blamed his circumstances for why he was disabled.  “Well, no one will help me into the waters and then people go ahead of me.”  He takes no responsibility, and he puts all his trust in this mystical pool.  How many times have we done the same thing?  Maybe we haven't put trust in a pool, but we have wanted to blame others or blame the whole world for our deep-rooted problems.   Second, when the religious leaders find out Jesus healed on the Sabbath, they become angered.  They say nothing about how this man experienced healing after thirty-eight years of disability.  How crazy is it that all they care about are the rules?  They have no concern for individual people.    Jesus turned social and religious norms upside down.  He was less concerned with convention and more concerned about the souls of people.  The Pharisees totally were missing the point.  How often do we miss the point?    Healing on the Sabbath only makes Jesus more of a target for the religious establishment.  This begins a discourse of Jesus' authority.  One of the more important questions we have here is – what is the relationship between the authority of the Father the authority of the Son?  Jesus says that the son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.  This is where we have to be careful in our interpretation.    What can we learn from these verses? The Son doesn't operate independently of the Father. The Son is in constant touch with the Father. The Son does what he discerns the Father is doing. The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.   The key to Jesus' Sonship is constant communication with and obedience to the Father. Thus, he is the perfect expression of the Father here on earth. In chapter 1 we read, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (1:18)   The chapter ends with testimonies about Jesus.  The reality is that anyone could come and make claims about divinity and sonship.  Jesus knew this.  He says if it were just his personal testimony, then basically no one should believe what he has to say.  But Jesus says there are other witnesses that can attest to who he is.  First, there is God the Father.  He comes in his Father's name.  Then, there is John the Baptist.  Next, there are many signs and wonders which attest to his divinity. There is plenty of testimony that Jesus is who he said he is.  Basically, everything in the Scriptures points to Jesus.  John says that if we fail to recognize that, then his Word doesn't dwell in us.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Have you ever looked back and felt the sting of a missed opportunity? In Missed Opportunities and Growth, Vivian Bricker reflects on Ephesians 5:15-17 and reminds us that while fear can cause us to step back from God-given opportunities, His grace still leads us to growth. Even when we stumble, God redeems our regrets and uses them to strengthen our walk with Him. Highlights Ephesians 5:15-17 calls us to live wisely and make the most of every opportunity. Fear often blocks us from stepping into new seasons of growth. Missed opportunities can lead to regret—but also reflection and transformation. God provides continual chances to grow in wisdom, courage, and faith. Learning from setbacks prepares us for future opportunities aligned with His will. Join the Conversation Have you missed an opportunity God placed in your path? How did He use that moment to help you grow? Share your story and encourage others to walk in wisdom and courage. Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #FaithAndOpportunities #GodRedeemsRegret #WalkInWisdom to join the conversation.

Daily Dose of Hope October 9, 2025   Scripture - John 4:43-54   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 to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are finishing up John 4.   Today, we read about one of only three healing miracles in the book of John.  But in this Gospel, Jesus is careful to call them signs, not miracles, and there is an important distinction.  A sign is something that is not only a miracle but it also reveals Jesus' divinity and his mission.  They point to who Jesus is as the Son of God and Messiah.  Jesus himself functions somewhat like a sign in the book of John.  We read in chapter 1 that he was with God in the beginning, he was the Word made flesh, and he makes the invisible God known.   John is really unique from the Synoptic Gospels.  He very intentionally shares seven specific signs that Jesus performs and each one reveals something about Jesus' identity and why he is here.  We already read about Jesus turning the water into wine in Cana, sign #1.  Jesus made a tremendous amount of wine and it was the very best at the wedding, showing the amazing abundance of God in Jesus Christ.  Now, we have Jesus healing the son of an official, demonstrating his willingness and ability to restore health and life.  It's interesting that Jesus ignores the official's first plea and instead kind of talks down to him for his need of signs.   Jesus wasn't crazy about turning the water into wine either.  Each sign so far has been met with what seems like reluctance or ambivalence. Could it be that Jesus is concerned about how these signs will be interpreted?  We know from the other Gospels that signs and miracles often led to Jesus being following by thousands of people.  Might they get caught up in the sign and miss the importance of the one who actually allowed the signs to happen?  Or maybe Jesus doesn't want people to simply come to him for signs of God's favor.  What were God's intentions here?  I do find the wording interesting in John.  I tend to think of all of these signs as miraculous.  Why not call them as such?  I'm wondering if God wants us to see past the miracle here.  God is present in so many other ways in our lives.  Yes, he is present in the miraculous.  But he also gives us many, many other signs.  God gives us signs, nudges, or strong feelings that indicate he is at work in our lives.  He gives us signs about whether or not to take a job, signs about which direction to head in educationally, and signs about how to continue in a relationship.  God is always giving us signs, showing us he is right here, pointing us to him.  It might not seem miraculous, like water into wine, but it's still real and powerful.  Regardless of the sign, God is always trying us to point us toward his love.  Whether he is healing a friend, directing us to a certain job, or giving us the words to say to a friend in need, it's always signs pointing us toward his love.  He loves us and he wants to be involved in our lives.  Is Jesus an everyday presence in your life?  What signs does he give you? Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope October 7, 2025   Scripture – John 3:22-36   Prayer: Almighty Father, You always know what is best for us.  Thank you for that.  We are sorry for the ways that we resist.  Help us to want what you want for us.  Help us to want to be patient, to want to be kind, to want to be obedient.  Conform our will, Lord,  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Currently, we are doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish John 3.   After the nighttime conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus and John the Baptist are in the same storyline again.  They are both baptizing in the same part of the river.  John's disciples are a little miffed that people are headed over to Jesus for baptism and not to John.  And this would have been understandable, as disciples had a tremendous amount of pride in their rabbi.  When you were a student of a rabbi, you basically dedicated your life to that person.  You sit under his teaching and learn everything about faith from him.  So, there would be a certain amount of pride and protection of that rabbi.  And that is kind of what we have here. They recognize Jesus as the one to whom John bore witness but they don't understand why he is now standing down.   John tells them that their ministry, as well as Jesus', receives what heaven gives, not what they earn or create with their own skill.  John knows he isn't the Messiah, but Jesus is.  John feels privileged to just be a part of what Jesus is doing.  There is no envy.   Then John gives an analogy of a wedding.  John basically describes himself as Jesus' best man – he does all the prep for the big day and he measures his success by the groom's happiness and joy at being united with his bride.  Receiving the groom's kind words at the end of the day are the only reward he needs or wants.   It's interesting that John uses the picture of the bridegroom to describe his relationship with Jesus.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus refers himself as the bridegroom several different times and the New Testament letters describe the church as the bride.  There was no way John could have known this, so we can see how the Holy Spirit was guiding his words even here.  While John may not have understood his purpose initially, it's clear that he does now.    John tells his own disciples that being a rabbi is not the greatest thing one can be.  Jesus came from heaven, and thus is greater than him or any other rabbi.  But if we think of John like the best man, then it makes sense.  He is there to support Jesus, to prepare the way for him, to point to him as the one who is the guest of honor.  We really see John's heart here.  There is no jealousy.  He understands that he must decrease so that Jesus can increase because Jesus is the true Messiah.  He is the Son of God.   John's joy will be complete when his disciples also understand that Jesus, the bridegroom, wants to have a relationship with them as well.  John is willing to do anything, even look like a failure, if it means more people will come to Jesus.    Are we willing to do anything for Jesus?  Take a moment and think about this today.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope October 3, 2025   Scripture –– John 2:13-25   Prayer: Lord, We come before you on this Friday, and we pray for you to speak to us.  We need you.  It's the end of the week and 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 to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts which will last through the end of 2025.  Happy Friday!    Today, we finish up John 2.  Our reading for today begins with Jesus cleansing the Temple courts.  It's interesting that this text is at the beginning of Jesus' ministry in John and at the end of Jesus' ministry in the other Gospels.  As we will see as we walk through the Gospel of John, the author reorders several different events in the life of Jesus.  Some scholars say there may have been two Temple cleansings but there isn't a lot of evidence for that.  Most likely, John felt there was a theological need for moving up this story.  For instance, beginning Jesus' ministry with the Temple clean-up may provide a kind of theme for the whole Gospel.  It demonstrates the corruption present in first-century Judaism.  It also speaks to who John believes Jesus to be.  Remember, the Temple was typically seen as the dwelling place of God on earth.  Now, John is making the point that God dwells in the person of Jesus (remember John 1:14).  Jesus is taking on the role of the Temple and John wants to make that clear from the beginning of his Gospel.   Let's talk about the text itself.  We've mentioned this before but the need to have the animal salesmen and the money changers was a necessary evil in the Temple.  Being part of the Roman Empire, the rest of the country used a different currency from the Jewish shekel.  But the law in Exodus stated that the temple tax was half a shekel so the money had to be changed.  This ensured a very rigorous interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures.  The Old Testament law also assumed that families would have their own animals to bring as offerings.  By this point in time, not all families had their own flocks. People had other occupations or were day laborers.  Thus, they had to purchase the animals for their sacrifice and this had become quite the money-making industry.   There are details in John's Gospel about the Temple cleansing that we don't find in the other gospels.  For instance, Jesus prepares a whip.  Thus, it seems Jesus knew ahead of time he would do this.  In the other Gospels, it all feels very spontaneous.  It's also a fairly detailed summary of the event.  Read through it again and look at all the detail John uses to describe Jesus' anger.  Jesus is livid that the place where God is to be worshiped has become a marketplace.  Where God should be central, making money has become the focus.    After the turning of tables and the animals being thrown out (that had to have been quite the scene), the Jews ask by what authority Jesus is doing this.  In fact, they ask for a sign to demonstrate his authority.  Jesus replies that if they destroy the Temple, then he will raise it in three days.  They are appalled at the idea of this, but what they don't understand is that Jesus is referring to his own body.  His body, the temple of God, will be destroyed on a cross and raised again in three days.  It says that it isn't until after his death and resurrection that his disciples remember his saying this.    The chapter concludes by saying that Jesus performed many signs and many people believed in him.  But it also indicates he was wary of many of the people who said they followed him.  He knew the nature of humanity and that many were simply following him for what they might get, not give.   Have a wonderful weekend.  We will touch base on Monday.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope October 2, 2025   Scripture – John 2:1-12   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.  And help us trust.  Lord, we belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!  This is the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin a deep dive into John 2.   We meet Jesus at a wedding celebration.  Weddings are usually wonderful celebrations. And they are so different and unique. Some of you probably had huge, elaborate affairs, while others had small backyard barbeque weddings and most of us were somewhere in between. My wedding was very nice but not excessive in any way. I was the first of my friends to get married so I had nothing to compare it to, I didn't have any idea what was expected, and I think that was probably a gift.   Weddings in first century Palestine were very different from American weddings of today. In fact, they would last about a week. It was the responsibility of the groom to provide food and care for the guests for that week. In an honor-shamed based culture, which we find in this part of the world, that was a big deal. In this case, the groom runs out of wine three days in. This would have meant that the family was not prepared, it been a source of shame and embarrassment for them. Some of you might be thinking that after three days of drinking, they probably needed to be cut off. But this actually would have been very serious. I read that guests could actually have sued the family for their lack of care in this case.   This wedding must have been a relative or someone close to the family, as Jesus, his mother, and the disciples were there. And Jesus' mother is obviously pretty concerned about the wine issue. She knows that the family's reputation, their honor, is on the line. She cares for this family. So she goes to Jesus and she's like, ummm...there is no more wine. Hint hint. You wonder how she knew he could do something about it. What was it about his growing up years that she knew he could handle it? And his answer is, “Dear Woman, my time has not yet come.” Some translations simply say, “Woman.” He isn't being disrespectful but he is being kind of firm. My time has not yet come. I love this passage because there are so many layers of meaning. His time had not yet come.   And yet, Jesus takes matters into his own hands.  He tells the servants to fill the jars with water.  These would have been really large jars for storing clean water.  Some pictures I've seen have the jars almost waste high.  And then, after the jars were filled, some of the liquid from the jars was taken to the master of ceremonies.  The Scripture says this, He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”   Jesus does not make mediocre wine.  When Jesus is involved, it's a miracle of abundance and excellence.  Jesus made the best wine of the night.  And the servants, who knew exactly what happened, their lives were changed forever.  They had witnessed Jesus do something extraordinary.    This got me thinking.  How often do we settle for mediocre wine?  I'm not talking about wine here.  How often do we ask Jesus to take care of something and then we step in and kind of take over.  What would happen if we totally trusted Jesus to just take care of it all?  We may just end up with the best wine of the night.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope September 23, 2025   Scripture – Luke 22:39-71   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, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  As most of you know, we are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are finishing up Luke 22.    Yesterday, we joined Jesus in the Upper Room with this disciples.  Today, we find them praying together on the Mount of Olives.  The only problem is that the disciples cannot stay awake.  Jesus is pouring out his heart to the Father, asking that the cup be taken from him, and the disciples (in their humanness) can't keep their eyes open.  Luke says that they were exhausted from sorrow.  They don't know what is about to happen but they do know that it's going to be bad.    I love how Luke mentions that an angel comes down to strengthen Jesus.  Remember, he freely chooses to go to the cross but he knows it's going to be terrible.  In his humanity, he dreads it.  But God knows what he needs and provides it.  Just in case you don't know, God knows what you need and will provide it.  That doesn't mean he will save you from pain and sorrow.  I mean, Jesus is about to be executed on a Roman cross.  But God will walk with us and give us the strength we need. Jesus is then arrested.  Luke tells us that Jesus is approached by the chief priests, officers of the Temple guard, and the elders.  They come at him with swords and clubs.  Verses 49-51 read, “When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.  But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man's ear and healed him.  Even in this situation, Jesus responds with love.  Jesus kept his disciples from fighting back with violence.  He trusted God to the end.  He also made it clear that his kingdom doesn't follow the pattern of this world.  This world's pattern is violence, power, and control.  Jesus' way is love, truth, justice, mercy, and peace. I did want to spend a little time on Peter's denial of Jesus. I don't know why but I've always been fascinated by this passage. Peter was Jesus' closest friend. He swore that if all the others fell away, he would not. And yet, he did. What made Peter deny Jesus? Probably fear. Fear does all kinds of things to us as human beings. Maybe he was scared of being arrested himself, or of being ostracized by the Jewish leaders, we don't really know.  But whatever the reason, he vehemently denies Jesus three times.  When Peter realizes this, he has tremendous remorse and begins to cry.   Maybe I'm fascinated by this text because I have so often found myself in the same boat.  I have denied Jesus.  I haven't spoke up when I knew I should have, I haven't stood firm on certain issues, I haven't loved others the way Jesus calls me to, I haven't put Jesus first, I could go on and on.  I have denied Jesus.  I hope that I've gotten to the place in my spiritual walk in which I deny Jesus less.  But I know that I am far from perfect and there are still those times.  When I realize my denial, like Peter, I cry and I'm filled with sorrow and I have to go back to Jesus and repent.  And just like he did for Peter, I'm forgiven and restored.    Think about your own life. How have you denied Jesus? What has been your reaction when you realize this?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope September 22, 2025   Scripture - Luke 22:1-38   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 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, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Monday!  This is the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.    Today, we start Luke 22.  First, we encounter Judas.  Satan has entered him and he goes to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus.  This is a scary and intriguing Scripture.  From what I've read, this is the only place where Satan himself enters a person. All other evil possessions involve demons. This was a crucial time in salvation history. Satan would not delegate this task to anyone else. So important was this time that Satan himself “entered Judas.”    But how could this happen?  While Satan is the one who initiated entering Judas, this only occurred because Judas allowed it to occur.  He opened the door to his heart.  We don't have any evidence that Judas tried to resist.  We don't have any indication that Judas prayed to God for help, dug into Scripture, or did anything to prevent this from happening.  In fact, we do get the impression that Judas' heart had become hard.  We don't know anything about his inner thought life or prayer life, but we can surmise that things had gone south here.  None of this happened quickly.  Gradually, Judas allowed himself to fall prey to evil.    We then come to the time in which the disciples will share the Passover meal with Jesus.  When I read this text, it reminds me of the Palm Sunday Scripture in which Jesus had planned everything out.  Here, it is the same thing.  He tells the disciples that when they enter the city, there will be a man carrying a jay of water, follow that man.  And that all happened.  The man showed them an upstairs room that was furnished and that was the place they were to prepare for the Passover.  Jesus had taken care of all the details.    And then we have the Passover meal.  But this wasn't a Passover meal like the disciples had experienced before.  Jesus took something that was so familiar and transformed it.  He knew what was going to happen.  He knew that he would soon suffer and die.  And he uses this sacred meal to do a new thing.  (God is always doing a new thing.) The bread and wine become his body and blood.  They represent a new covenant and a new meal.  Of course, this is what we celebrate as a body of Christ when we come together for Holy Communion, also called the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist.   One thing that's particularly interesting to me is that Jesus knew that Judas would betray him.  Does he make him leave the table?  Does he force him to leave the Upper Room?  No, not at all.  He allows him to stay.  He is still welcomed at the table.    Another interesting element in Luke's account is the dispute over which disciple is greatest.  Can you imagine just having this holy moment with Jesus and then arguing over who among you in greatest?  It seems absurd and yet, these disciples were human and they really didn't understand the kind of Kingdom being ushered in by Jesus.  But Jesus stops them and tells them quite bluntly to be careful what you wish for.  In Jesus' Kingdom, to lead is to serve.  The greatest becomes the least.    We then have Jesus predicting Peter's denial and we have this confusing discourse about swords.  Jesus tells them to go buy a sword.  Several disciples present him with two swords and he yells, “Enough!”  Okay, I'm lost – how about you?   Some pastors have used this passage as evidence that Jesus is saying we are to defend ourselves.  But that doesn't seem right.  Two swords would not be enough for eleven disciples.  Plus, the Sermon on the Mount does not seem to allow for any kind of violence.  Most scholars say that this command to buy a sword means to be ready for hardship and self-sacrifice.  It points to being ready for persecution, not ready for revenge.  The term sword needs to interpreted figuratively.   What are your thoughts?   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

Daily Dose of Hope September 18, 2025   Scripture –  Luke 20:20-47   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, the devotional/podcast that goes along with the daily Bible reading at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently deep diving into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish Luke 20.   In this chapter, we get a pretty clear picture of how hard the Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus saying or doing something punishable by Jewish law. They keep trying to trick him; they have no idea with whom they are dealing!   No one enjoys paying taxes, and in first century Palestine, this was a particularly sticky topic. The Jewish leaders are trying to trap Jesus so they ask him if it is lawful to pay taxes, meaning according to God's law. If Jesus says it isn't lawful, then he could get in trouble with the Romans. The Jewish authorities are hoping he will be in trouble no matter which way he answers.   But Jesus is not deceived. He asks for a coin, which had Emperor Tiberius' image stamped on it, and asked who was on it. When they said Caesar, he told them to give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what it God's. It left no room for argument and his enemies are literally stunned silent.   Jesus is making the point that we are citizens of both earth and heaven at the same time. While we have allegiance to both our nation and God, there is no question that our first and primary loyalty is to God. Jesus is Lord over all the earth, over our nation, over the church, and over our lives. Think of Paul's words in Philippians 3, But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.   After the coin incident, there are some Sadducees who want to grill him on the concept of the resurrection of the dead.  By addressing Levirate marriage, they also are trying to trap Jesus in his words.  The Sadducees, the intellectual aristocracy of the day, did not believe in resurrection.  They were pressing Jesus on the topic, hoping to make him look foolish.  If you will recall from Mark and Matthew, 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.    Jesus basically tells them they are 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.    Rather than allowing the Pharisees to continue trying to trap him, Jesus decides to ask a  hard question of them.  He asks the group, “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?”  They immediately respond, “The son of David.”  How then, Jesus asked, could David call him by the Spirit ‘Lord' when he said, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”' (Psalm 110:1). “If David”, Jesus said, “Calls him ‘Lord,' how can he be his son?” The Pharisees were unable to answer and “from that day on no one dared to question him any longer”. Jesus' point was missed.  Of course, Jesus had descended from David. He was the Son of God.  He was the Messiah, the one the Jews had been waiting for, for hundreds of years.  He was right before their eyes and they were missing it.  How often is Jesus right before our eyes and we totally miss it? More tomorrow. Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope September 17, 2025   Scripture - Luke 20:1-19   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Provider, Sustainer, Thank you for being the God who creates, cares, loves, and saves.  All we have is from you.  As we talk about today's text, give us a fresh revelation; help us see your Word in a new way. Lord, thank you most of all for Jesus.  Thank you for his sacrifice.  Thank you for showing us a different way of doing life.  Help us actually live the way you taught us.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin a deep dive into Luke 20.   We start today's text with the Pharisees asking Jesus by what authority he speaks and teaches.  Keep in mind, this was right after Jesus cleanses the Temple and the Pharisees are a bit annoyed.  In Jewish culture, authority was based on lineage and education.  Jesus' authority was divine and so these earthly leaders are feeling incredibly threatened.  They are more concerned with losing their own power and authority than anything else at this point, or so it seems.    I do love how Jesus so often answers a question with a question, as he does in this text.  He asks the men where the authority of John of Baptist came from.  They were in a bind and knew that whatever they answered, it would get them into trouble.  So, because they said they didn't know, Jesus told them he had no need to say from where his authority came from either.   We move from there to the parable of the tenants.  This is a hard parable with violence involved in every aspect of it.  A landowner, presumably a man of means, builds a vineyard and gets it set up with all the right equipment.  He has tenants plant the vines and run the farm for him, while he lives in another place.  When the harvest comes, the absent landowner sends a slave to collect his portion of the harvest or profits.  The slave is beaten up pretty badly by the tenant farmers and limps away.   You would think the landowner might do something different next time but he doesn't.  He sends another slave.  Actually, he sends a lot of different slaves to collect on his behalf.  Some are badly beaten while others are actually killed.  We get the impression this happens over many growing seasons.    The landowner decides he has one option left, his beloved son.  He feels assured that the tenants won't hurt him.  Did the son feel the same way?  Not sure.  But things don't go so well.  The tenants know this is the heir and they kill him too, throwing his body out to the wild animals.   The question that Jesus asks is what will the landowner do?  The answer is that he will come there himself, kill the tenants, and give the land to others (or possibly get new tenants.)  What in the world is meant by all of this?  There are several possible things to think about here and none of them are pleasant.   First, throughout the Bible, the concept of the vineyard is associated with the people of Israel.  With that as a backdrop, could it be that God is the stubborn landowner, the slaves are prophets, and the son is Jesus?  That would make the tenant farmers the corrupt religious leaders.    Second, there are aspects to the parable that the first-century hearers would get that aren't necessarily evident to us.  It wasn't that unusual for the wealthy to obtain the land of those who were poor, possibly because of outstanding debts or because the impoverished are forced to sell land to feed their families.  Life was hard.    It also wasn't that unusual for landlords to live elsewhere and demand a large percentage of the harvest from those who are performing the labor.  The reaction of the parable will be different for different people, depending on where they fall on the social ladder in Israel.  There are those who will identify with the slaves.  There are those who will see the landowner as uncaring and reckless and possibly identify with the plight of the tenants.  There are those who will identify with the landowner and his son.  Every single reaction is unsettling.   One thing I do want to mention is that people have used this parable over the years in an antisemitic way, stating that it was the Jews who killed the son and it is the Jews who should then be killed by the landowner.  Jesus is not speaking of ethnicity or religion here, he is speaking about faithfulness.  The big issue in the parable is not the identity of the players but rather the failure of the tenants to respond faithfully to their obligations.  It's no secret that Christians over the centuries have also treated the cornerstone with disrespect, irreverence, and indignation, while Jews can (and many have) responded faithfully to God's revelation.   What do you make of this parable?  Why do you think Jesus told it?  What are your takeaways?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope September 16, 2025   Scripture – Luke 19:28-48   Prayer: Lord, We need you. Our world is unstable and unjust. It is a place where innocent people die and power and control take precedent over mercy and compassion.  While we know that sin and brokenness are everywhere, it is still hard to take it in.  We don't know which way to turn.  So, we need you.  We need your peace, your justice, and your wisdom.  Help us be the people you have called us to be, even when it's hard.  Fill us with your courage to speak truth and grace.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish up Luke 19.   We start with Jesus entering Jerusalem as King; this is what we call the Palm Sunday passage.  We are so used to this narrative that sometimes we don't see the strangeness of it.  This is an odd scene.  Jesus sends two of his disciples to go on ahead to the village and find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.  If someone asks why you are taking it, then just say the Lord needs it.  What this says to us is that Jesus has taken care of every single detail.  We don't know how he has done it, but Jesus is God and he has made sure everything is right.    So, they get the colt.  They put their cloaks on the colt and Jesus rides on it.  Others spread their cloaks on the road.  As he makes his way down the Mount of Olives, a crowd of his disciples gather and begin praising God.  Now, this isn't just the twelve disciples.  This is probably a fairly large group of believers that have seen his power, the people who have heard his teaching, watched his miracles.  And they shout out, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”   A couple things to note here: ·      All of this is very intentional.  This is not a coincidence.  This is a very intentional show of power.  Jesus is being given a royal welcoming.  First, he is riding on a colt.  In the Old Testament, new kings would come riding in on the mule or donkey of the the previous king.  We see in 1 Kings 1 that David puts his son Solomon on his own mule, a 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 that this is the new leader. ·      What's interesting here is that Jesus is not riding on the previous king's mule or donkey.  He is riding on a colt that has never been ridden.  Scripture makes a point of telling us this.  Why?  Because God is doing a new thing, Jesus is a different kind of king. ·      Then, there is this whole issue of the cloaks being thrown down on the path for Jesus to pass.  The people are running ahead and shouting his praises.  This is the kind of welcome that a royal official of the Roman government would receive.  Think of it like the red carpet being rolled out.  This is the sign that a very important leader, the new king, has arrived.  All of this has meaning.   And for the Jews in the crowd, and most of them would have been Jewish, they would have known that this was 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 of this is pointing to the fact that Jesus is the king.   This large group of disciples were praising God joyfully and shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord…” What might not be apparent to us is that when they shout this – Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, Peace in heaven and glory on highest” they 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 echo Psalm 118:22-26, The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. 25 Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.   Surely, this is the long-expected Messiah, this is the one that God sent to sit on the throne of David, just as he promised some 600 years before.  You see, its all coming together for them.  And thus, there is much joy and celebration for God has sent King Jesus to save us.    But what happens next is worth noting.  The Pharisees tell Jesus to make his disciples stop.  Stop the praising.  Stop the quoting of Scripture.  In fact, what they say is, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  Seriously, make them stop.  Why was it that the Pharisees wanted the people to stop praising Jesus?  What was behind this rebuke?    Could it be that they know exactly what's going on?  They know that Jesus is declaring himself to be the long-awaited Messiah.  Maybe they are scared, maybe they are angry, we really don't know.  What we know is that they want it to stop quickly.  And Jesus refuses this request.  He says, “...if they keep quiet, then the rocks themselves will cry out.”  Creation itself will cry out and proclaim that Jesus is Lord.  Think about that.    And this narrative ends with Jesus crying over Jerusalem, this city that he loves but he knows will reject him.    I want to focus briefly on the crowd.  What kinds of people were part of this group of disciples, praising Jesus and hailing him as King?    I would imagine that some of them were those who saw his miracles.  They were those people who had life-changing encounters with him.  People like Zacchaeus, Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus (who Jesus raised from the dead), the Roman centurion whose slave was healed, Mary Magdalene, the bleeding woman who Jesus healed…people who experienced the expansive love and miraculous healing power of Jesus.  They received grace in ways they never knew possible.  I'm guessing they were in the crowd, cheering loudly and throwing their cloaks on the ground.  They know Jesus as Lord and King.   But who else?  What about those who so badly wanted a king to overthrow the Romans?  Everything about Jesus screamed revolutionary.  Wasn't the long-expected King going to return the Jews to their rightful place?  Wasn't he going to put an end to this oppression and take care of these stupid Romans for good?  Yes, there were probably some of those in the crowd.   So, let's get this clear:  There were those who wanted something from Jesus, there were those who liked the idea of Jesus, and there were those who truly worshiped Jesus.  What group would you fall into?  Before you quickly make a decision, really think about this.  What kind of king is Jesus to you?  What are your expectations of Jesus?    So often in the Christian life, we give lip service to Jesus being King of Kings and Lord of Lords but we don't really live like it.  What kind of king is Jesus to you?  What are your expectations for King Jesus and what happens when they aren't met?  How often have we expected Jesus to ensure us that nothing bad will happen?  If only we believe and are faithful, maybe my loved ones won't get sick, my job will be protected, my marriage will be secure, you get the idea.  How often have we wanted to lean on Jesus as counselor, as self-help guru, as protector, as doctor, but we aren't really that keen on making him Lord of our Lives.   You see, Jesus as Lord means turning everything over to him.  It means giving him our desires, our relationships, our resources, our thoughts, our time, everything, and saying --- Jesus, your will be done, not mine.  Lately, I've been really wrestling with this whole concept of seeking God's will, not my own.  I've found that my prayers too often are a list of what I want to see happen and I'm not really, truly asking Jesus for his will to be done.  I'm working on this.  Because if Jesus is my King, then it's his will I desire.  It's his solution to the problem.  It's his desire for this church, for my children, for my marriage, for my future.  How often do we want Jesus to be provider, sustainer, protector, and friend BUT not Lord?  What kind of king is Jesus to you?   I don't want to end this devotional without talking, at least a bit, about Jesus in the Temple.  According to Luke's Gospel, he enters Jerusalem as King and goes directly to the Temple.  Things are a mess there.  To put it mildly, there was much unholy commerce in the Court of the Gentiles. There were many merchants selling animals for sacrifice and there were money changers present for foreign Jews to exchange their money to the local currency for the temple tax.    So why was Jesus so upset?  Wasn't this all part of the sacrificial system?  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.  Jesus is beyond angry.  The religious leaders have an interesting reaction to 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.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope September 12, 2025   Scripture - Luke 18:18-43   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 to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish our deep dive into Luke 18.   Today's reading begins with people bringing their babies to Jesus.  The disciples rebuke them.  At the time, children really had very little value.  I know that is hard for us to understand because we value both human life and the innocence of children. But in the ancient world, children had the absolute lowest status.  Jews would have considered children a blessing but they were also needed to be part of the family workforce.  Young children worked full time and they worked hard.  There was nothing innocent or romantic about being a child in the first century.   Enter Jesus.  He had a totally different idea about the value of children.  He said the Kingdom of God belonged to those who are like the little children.  Basically, Jesus picks up a toddler and says, “You have to be like this little one.  You have to be willing to be nothing, to totally give up your status.  Why?  Because my Kingdom is not about raising up rulers of this world but its about giving dignity and life to the least of these.”  You see, over and over again Jesus is showing us that he is not interested in what the world values and sees in people.  Rather, he is actually interested in the people themselves.  They have value to Jesus.   We move from the children to the rich ruler.  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.” And he lists them, you shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony. You shall honor your father and mother.   The man simply says, “Yes, I've done all those things since I was a boy.”  Jesus looks at him and says there is still one thing you lack. Yes, you follow all the laws, but there is still something 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, he isn't disputing that. 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 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.   This is confusing.  Jesus talks about the sacrifices needed to enter the Kingdom.  Jesus tells the disciples, “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. Allowing our stuff, our resources, to get in the way of our relationship with Jesus is a bad thing though.    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. And we don't like to deny ourselves. We don't like to be uncomfortable. It means looking at your life and renouncing any part of it that gets in the way of your walk with Jesus.   We go from here to Jesus proclaiming his death for the third time.  He basically spells it out for them, but the disciples do not understand.  Things will be clear in due course.   The chapter closes with Jesus healing a blind beggar on the road to Jericho.  The man knows that Jesus is passing by and he calls out to him.  Jesus asks the man, “What do you want me to do for you?”  The man says he wants to see and Jesus immediately restores his sight.    So this is how I want to end today.  I want you to picture Jesus walking by you.  Maybe you are at home, maybe you are at work, or the gym, whatever makes sense in your case.  Anyway, Jesus asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?”    Think about it.  What do you most need from Jesus right now?  Spend some time in prayer and just ask him to intervene in your life in a powerful way.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope September 10, 2025   Scripture – Luke 17:20-37   Prayer:  Almighty God, we start by pausing before you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the morning or the day and focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, help us gather our scattered thoughts and think only of you...Help us be still and know you are God.  God, we rejoice that we can freely read your Word and we are grateful that you speak to It's truly a miracle.  Holy Spirit, we also invite you to join us as we seek to grow deeper in relationship with you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  This is the podcast and devotional that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.    It's Wednesday so that means Recharge day.  If you are local, I hope to see you tonight at New Hope, on the Moon Ave. side of campus, for worship, fellowship, prayer, and small groups.   Today, we are finishing up Luke 17.  Jesus is initially asked by a Pharisee about the Kingdom of God.  Keep in mind, the Pharisees expected God's Kingdom to be an earthly one, a Kingdom that would overthrow the Romans and allow the Jews to govern themselves, as they once did.  But when Jesus speaks of God's Kingdom, he is talking about something quite different.    We've discussed the Kingdom of God quite a bit in the Daily Dose of Hope, but let's do a little review.  God's Kingdom exists anywhere that God reigns as king and his values are at work, where the world is working in the way that God always intended it to work. The kingdom of God was central to the message of Jesus and wherever he traveled, he proclaimed its coming. Jesus truly lived out the Kingdom in all he did, in all he taught, and in the way he did life. In God's Kingdom, there is no sickness, so Jesus healed the sick. In God's Kingdom, there is no discrimination, so Jesus elevated the oppressed, he ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. In God's Kingdom, there is justice, there is mercy, there is love. So Jesus offered forgiveness, he offered acceptance, he offered LOVE in all he did, ultimately giving up his life in the greatest act of love in the history of the world.    Thus, it makes sense that Jesus says to the Pharisee that the Kingdom is not something that can be observed, but rather it is something that is in your midst.  Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God.  The disciples and the early church continued Jesus' mission of growing the Kingdom.  Even we are part of expanding the boundaries of God's Kingdom today.  It is here in our midst.  But at the same time, there are elements of God's Kingdom that will not be fully realized until Jesus returns in final victory.  The Kingdom has a NOW and a NOT YET quality about it.  It's possible that Jesus is alluding to this.  And then, Jesus not so subtly steers the conversation to the last days.  He speaks of how people in the time of Noah and with the destruction of Sodom were caught off guard by the judgement.  They should not have been, as there were warnings, but they were.  And people will also be caught off guard when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead.    We get this warning once again – be ready.  Be watchful and be prepared because Jesus will return again and it will be at a time that is most unexpected.  When the disciples ask Jesus where this will happen, he responds with a proverb, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”  Basically, the location is not the point.  Rather, the fact that judgment will occur is the point and it will occur wherever there is sin and spiritual death.  The vultures gathering gives us a word picture for what's going to happen --- they will gather around the spiritual “carcass” or dead body.    What are your thoughts about the end times?  Media and Hollywood have given us a lot of bad information about what will happen when Jesus returns.  The Left Behind series, while entertaining, is not very scriptural accurate.  As believers, we really don't have a lot to fear.  In fact, we have nothing to fear, we simply need to be ready.  Are you ready?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope September 9, 2025   Scripture – Luke 17:1-19   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 back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently working our way through a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we start Luke 17.   As we start this chapter, Jesus is listing some pretty serious requirements for discipleship.  He warns against causing little ones (children, new believers, those who are vulnerable) to stumble.  He tells his followers that radical forgiveness is required toward one another. Jesus continues to remind his followers that being a disciple is life-changing in the most extreme way.    This obviously challenges the disciples.  They proclaim, “Increase our faith.”  Jesus' answer probably wasn't what they wanted to hear.  He tells them about just needing the faith of a mustard seed.  I picture the disciples rolling their eyes at this.  “Really, just a mustard seed-sized faith?  I feel like I need a bit more.”   So what was Jesus' point?  Faith isn't easily quantified.  It doesn't just magically increase with some special prayer.  Faith increases through our life experiences.  Faith increases only through practice, as we begin to trust God and see him come through for us.  Faith increases as we begin to see Jesus at work in our lives, giving us comfort, peace, and strength, in the good and bad times.  It's usually not a fast process.   How have you seen your faith grow through experience?  What kinds of things in the past few years have had the most impact on your faith journey with Jesus?   The next portion of today's reading is another miracle.  Jesus heals ten men with leprosy.  This is such a wonderful text!  A couple things to note...   First, Jesus told the men to show themselves to a priest while they still had leprosy. It was as they went that they were cured. If the priest examined them and they were no longer sick, then they were able to behave like normal people again, socialize, and live normal lives. Walking to the priests while they still had leprosy meant trusting God even when they didn't really have grounds to do so. They really didn't know what was going to happen. They could have gotten to the priests and still been sick and been yelled at or banned or worse. But they had faith and trusted Jesus.   That's a definition of faith–trusting in what we cannot prove. In Hebrews 11:1 it's described as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." If we want everything plain and clear before we take a step of faith, it's not really faith. Faith is trust, even when we don't understand and even when the evidence is against us.   It's interesting that the one who comes back is a Samaritan. As you know from previous readings, Samaritans were enemies of Jews; they hated each other. So why was he the one to come back, rather than the Jews? Maybe he had a deeper sense of what had been done for him. Maybe the Jewish men felt entitled, like they deserved a healing and the Samaritan man did not. Regardless, it speaks of God's grace to everyone. The men's healing doesn't depend on them coming back to say thanks. Jesus heals them anyway; it's not as if the healing of the other nine would be miraculously withdrawn because they didn't return. God does lots of good things for everyone, whether they acknowledge it or not. He makes the sun shine on the righteous and unrighteous and the rain fall on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).   There are many people who are not Christians, but who are still blessed. At one level, Christians ought just to be the people who acknowledge what God's done for them, and turn back to say "Thank you." What do you need to thank God for? Even when circumstances are hard, we are called to spend time rejoicing in what God has blessed us with. It's so easy to fall into an attitude of negativity and complaining. But God wants us to have an attitude of gratitude, spending more time recognizing how he has healed us, blessed us, saved us, taken care of us, and loved us rather than focus on all the crummy stuff.   We will finish up chapter 17 tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope September 8, 2025   Scripture - Luke 16:19-31   Prayer: Heavenly Father, We come to you today rejoicing in your holy name.  You are such a good God.  It's so hard for us to conceive that the God who put the stars in the sky and put the planets into motion is the same God who loves us and has numbered the hairs on our heads.  We thank you so much for your love and care.  Open our minds and hearts as we approach your Word today.  Help us hear a word from you.  How we yearn to hear from you, Lord.  We need you.  Over and over again, we need you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts and today we are deep diving into the second half of Luke 16.  Let's get to it.   Today's text is not an easy one – the parable of destitute Lazarus and the rich man.  It follows a series of parables – the lost coin, the lost son, and the shrewd manager - which deal with some aspect of money and how money affects our relationship with God and other people.  Today's parable focuses on how wealth comes great responsibility.    A brief review: Lazarus is impoverished with sores all over his body.  He lays at the rich man's gate but never receives anything from the rich man.  The only mercy shown to him is by the dogs who lick his wounds.  Both men die.  Lazarus ascends to Abraham's table, which we can assume is heaven, where he is cared for and finally eats well.  The rich man is doomed to spend eternity in Hades, where he will be in eternal torment.  The rich were not normally tortured while living; they lived well, ate well, dressed well, and had a comfortable roof over their head. In life, it was the poor and enslaved who suffered torture.  In fact, the legal testimony of an enslaved man was only received and considered truthful under torture.    The rich man gets a glimpse of Abraham in heaven and begs for mercy, the mercy that he denied Lazarus and Abraham refuses.  And when the rich man asks Abraham to warn his family so their fate wouldn't be the same as his, he refuses as well.  According to Father Abraham, they should know the right way to live simply by listening to the prophets.    There are many different directions we could go with this parable.  A lot of people want to understand what is meant by rich and poor in this story.  How rich is considered rich?  Are we rich? Compared to Lazarus who has nothing, we are all rich.  And the reality is that there are many with nothing in our world.  They may not sit by our personal gates, but they exist.  They are real human beings.  The parable implies that the rich man should have done something different to avoid his fate.  He should have helped.  He should have offered the man something.  There is plenty of room for imagining what a faithful response would have been for this man.   Regardless of whether we fall into the rich or poor category, we need to remember to keep Lazarus at the center.  This rich man saw Lazarus every single day.  He was laying outside his gate.  But he never saw him until it was much too late.  Who represents Lazarus in our life?  Do we see them?  Do we really see them?   The danger here is not really in our wealth, but in becoming complacent, self-righteous, or unloving in our wealth.  All we have is a gift from God.  But our resources can become a huge snare for us if we fail to remember where our gifts come from.  And the one who has blessed us with the resources has an expectation for how we use them.    This reminds me of Jesus' visit to Zaccheaus, the wee little man who was also a rich tax collector.  In Jesus' discussions, Zaccheaus is convicted and decides to give away half his possessions to the poor and to make restitution to the people for whom he took advantage. Salvation came to Zacchaeus while he was still alive and he shows himself to be a son of Abraham.    Jesus came to call people to repentance.  “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near,” was one of the earliest parts of his message.  Repentance is always possible during one's lifetime.  To those who earnestly repent, there is hope.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope September 5, 2025   Scripture – Luke 16:1-18   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, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan for New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  It's Friday, yay!, and we are beginning Luke 16.   This chapter has us interpreting more parables.  Just as Luke put like parables together in Luke 15 (the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son), Luke pairs the parable of the shrewd manager that we read today with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man which we will read tomorrow.  Both address the topic of money from various perspectives.   In today's parable, we meet a manager who is accused of not being a good steward of his master's possessions.  In fact, it seems he had been a bit careless and the master was planning to hold him accountable.  The manager, seeing that his fate wasn't good, decided he needed to get to work.  He made shrewd deals with the master's debtors and recovered not all, but at least a good portion of what was owed.  This pleases the master. After Jesus offers this teaching, he goes on, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”  Basically, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? If you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? Jesus continues his teaching in verses 10-13,“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”  It says that the Pharisees, who loved money, were very displeased with Jesus, even sneering at him. Jesus is making it clear – people in this world are pretty self-serving.  The manager and the master in the story are both really looking out for themselves. Jesus also wants his followers to look out for themselves, but not in the same way, in a more eternal way. He's encouraging them to think long term, to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). He's encouraging us to use our finances in a way so that God enthusiastically welcomes us as good and faithful servants.  What God has given us is a gift and we need to be good stewards of God's precious gifts.  We are to be careful and wise with what we have because none of it is really ours to begin with. Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope September 4, 2025   Scripture - Luke 15   Prayer:  Lord, We give you glory and praise for who you are.  Who are we that you love us so much?  We thank you for your love and care.  Help us be even but a small reflection of your love toward those around us.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan for New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are reading through Luke 15.   This is a great text, all the parables have to do with things that are lost.  We start with the parable of the lost sheep.  A man has one hundred sheep and loses one.  He leaves all the others to go find that one sheep.  Lost sheep matter to God.  Every single person matters to God and he will go to great lengths to search for them.   In our tradition, we talk about prevenient grace.  That is God's grace that goes before us, that seeks after us before we know God or recognize God or even believe that God is real.  It is God putting people and circumstances in our lives to keep pointing us toward him.  He is wooing us toward him.  He is seeking us out.  Why?  Because he loves each of us so dearly.  He is willing to leave the ninety-nine to go seek out the one.    And one of my favorite parts of this Scripture is when Jesus says, I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  When someone gives their life to Jesus, heaven throws a party!  How amazing is that? Jesus follows the parable of the lost sheep with the lost coin.  It's a similar story, in which a woman tears her home apart looking for one lost coin.  When she finds it, she rejoices!  Again, Jesus says, In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  There we go again, heaven is partying and rejoicing when one person is saved. But Jesus closes this teaching with the parable of the lost son.  We also know it as the parable of the prodigal son and many of you are probably familiar with it.  I want to point out a few things from this text.  The Scripture says that when the son was a long way off, his father saw him coming and it says he was “filled with love and compassion” so he ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him. Now, respectable Middle Eastern men did not run. Maybe women and kids ran but men did not. Here is this father lifting his robes, baring his legs, and running to his son. This would have been unthinkable. Then, the father embraces his son and kisses him. This probably wasn't the reception his son was expecting.   Remember, the son is ready with his speech that he practiced about being a hired hand. But the son doesn't even geta chance to finish his speech. The father stops him and says, “Bring the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.” The finest robe would have been the father's robe and here he is asking for the servants to bring it quickly and put it on the youngest son. Wearing the father's robe was a sign of restored standing in the family.   The father didn't say, “We will work on you repaying the debts or I'll take you back after you've groveled a bit.” Rather, he covered his poverty and his ragged clothes with all the signs of the honor. Next, the father asks that the fattened calf be cooked in celebration. Keep in mind, meat was reserved for special occasions and the fattened calf would have been for very rare, very special occasions. And all are invited to celebrate the return of the son.   Most of us know that the story isn't quite over, we have the whole issue of the older brother, and that's an important piece but I'm not going to unpack it today. For now, let's reflect on the father and the youngest son. By now, I'm sure you have figured out that the father is God. We are the sons. We aren't going to get into deep theological analysis of each son, I just want to make a couple points:         God loves us with a love that is so incredibly deep and intense. We can't, in our human brains, really imagine it. If you are a parent, you might understand it to a certain extent. But what is hard for me to understand is that God gave up his own son to die for us (John 3:16).       We have all done things that separate us from God. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23). We have all done things that create a barrier in our relationship with God. We might like to rationalize our sins (think well my sins aren't that bad), the reality is that sin is sin. God sees sin the same, and no matter how big or small in our human way of thinking, it prevents us from being in a restored relationship with God.      Many of us have had our gutter moments. Regardless of how far away from God we are, God is always seeking us, wooing us toward him. He is like the father in the story, looking out the window–is he close by? Is he getting closer? This is certainly an example of prevenient grace.      When we decide to turn back to God, to seek God, God is more than willing to receive us. When we seek Jesus AND decide to say yes to him, he is ready to welcome us into the Kingdom.       When we ask forgiveness from God for our sins, God freely offers it. It doesn't matter what we have done, when we say to God, “I believe in you, I believe in Jesus, I want a relationship with you, I've been wrong, I need your forgiveness.” Just like the father in the story, God is like “YES! Let's celebrate. Let's have a party! I've been waiting for you! Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope September 3, 2025   Scripture - Luke 14:15-35   Prayer: Lord, We come before you today on this Wednesday, 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, your courage.  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...Give us the confidence to stand firm in YOU today.  In Your Name, Amen   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we dive into the second half of Luke 14.  I should also mention that today is Wednesday so it's Recharge day! Yay!!!  If you are local to the Brandon, Florida, area, please consider joining us at New Hope Church at 6:30 for a time of worship, prayer, fellowship, and small community.  We meet in the Garage, on the Moon Ave. side of campus.   Our reading for today starts with a parable about a great banquet.  Many important people were invited but they all send excuses for why they cannot attend.  As a result, the host (who we can assume is God) asks his servants to go and invite those in the streets – the poor, the downtrodden, the sick, the lowly, in order to fill the seats.  These are people, after all, who will come with both faith and humility.    So what does this all mean?  What is Jesus' point?  The invited guests were initially the Jews, the ones who held on tightly to the law.  They saw themselves as God's people and they thought they were the only ones worthy to come to God's banquet table.  But Jesus was right in front of them and they chose to reject him.  His own people did not receive him.    In the parable, after the spiritually “worthy” send their excuses, the host invites in those who the Jews saw as unworthy – the unclean people, the sick, the weak, even the Gentiles.  The host wants the whole banquet hall to be filled.  God wants as many people as possible to receive his invitation of salvation.   We move from this parable to the cost of being a disciple.  It keeps getting harder.  Jesus speaks of the need to hate those close to us, including our mother and father, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even our own life, in order to follow him.  What do we make of this?  Jesus usually talks about loving others, not hating them.  Remember, whenever a Scripture feels off, we need to go deeper.  So let's do that here.   There are a couple different ways to interpret this Scripture.  Some people might want to go with a literal interpretation but I quickly dismiss that.  Jesus cannot mean to literally hate our family members.  That would contradict so much of his earlier teaching.  It also would contradict his character in general.  So something else is going on here.   It could be that Jesus is using hyperbole.  Remember, hyperbole is an overexaggeration to make a point and Jesus was prone to this kind of speech.  But Jesus is not one to exaggerate commitment.  That also seems out of character.    It seems most likely that there is something going on in the word usage.  When we dig deeper, we find that the word “hate” is sometimes used in ancient Hebrew to mean, “love less.”  One example of this is found in Genesis, when the author writes that “Leah was hated” by Jacob but it is more correctly interpreted as Jacob “loved Rachel more than Leah.”  We see this same kind of language here.  Jesus is saying that those who follow him need to love everyone else less, to such an extent that it might look like hate.  To become a follower of Jesus means to put Jesus above all people and things that we hold most dear.   Jesus also speaks about the necessity of carrying our cross if we want to follow him.  Remember, the cross was a method of execution.  To follow Jesus, we are to carry the thing that will cause our death.  Think about that.  There is pain and suffering in following Jesus.  That isn't something we like to focus on much.  We love the comfort of the Gospel, but what about the cost and challenge of the Gospel?    Would you still be willing to follow Jesus if it meant walking to the gallows?  This is such a foreign idea to us in the United States.  But around the world, there are people who regularly face this threat.  Following Jesus has true cost.  Here's a question for us:  If I were being tortured and persecuted for my faith, would I stay faithful to Jesus or would I give in to the pressure and deny Christ?   What cost have you experienced in following Jesus?  I think this is something for which we need to spend some time in prayer?  What cost have you experienced in following Jesus?  And what if that cost were to get more real? More intense? What if it threatened your very life?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope September 2, 2025   Scripture - Luke 14:1-14   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, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan for New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are beginning Luke 14.   We start by joining Jesus at a dinner party on the Sabbath.  Jesus is quite the dinner guest.  He makes things really uncomfortable!  He begins by having a discussion about healing on the Sabbath, which we all know is a sensitive topic.  There is a man there who is desperate for healing (and Jesus does heal him) but he knows that the others will judge his actions.  Jesus speaks preemptively by asking, once again, wouldn't you save a child or an animal who falls in a well on the Sabbath?  They don't answer him but we know that they would in fact save the child or animal.  Do they think this man is less valuable than their own child or animal?  It's a worthwhile question.   But the dinner party isn't over yet.  Jesus looks around and he sees that people have already taken the places of honor.  He speaks of how the guests vie for the best spots, the ones that indicate honor and prestige. But that's dangerous, Jesus says. For the host may actually find someone more distinguished and ask that individual to sit in the seat of honor. Then, the one who originally worked so hard to gain that seat will have to sit somewhere less important. In the end, they will experience humiliation.   While the advice is wise, Jesus is teaching people to be genuinely humble. Before Jesus, the whole concept of humility was unusual. In Roman culture, to be humble was to be weak. Jesus is saying that to be humble is actually smart. It is more in tune with what God calls us to do. In the end, God is going to settle things anyway. God will ensure that the truly humble person will end up where they are supposed to end up and receive the honor that is theirs. But those who think highly of themselves and place themselves on a pedestal risk the very real chance of being knocked off.   Are you humble? I think that's an important question for us all to ask occasionally. Do you think you deserve more honor than others? Where does that thought come from? Let's close with some Scripture from 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,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,     did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,     being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,    he humbled himself     by becoming obedient to death—         even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place     and gave him the name that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,     in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,    to the glory of God the Father.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope September 1, 2025   Scripture – Luke 13:22-35   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, the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan for New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Happy Monday!  We are currently working our way through the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are finishing up Luke 13.   Jesus tells his listeners that the way to heaven is through the narrow door.  He doesn't directly answer the question about how many will be saved.  It's less an issue about how many (which is out of our control) but rather you will be saved (totally in our control).  The door is narrow because only a few choose to truly follow Jesus through it.  Most people would choose the wider door or the wider road; it's easier and most of the people are headed that way.    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? We close today's reading with Jesus' sorrow over Jerusalem.  This text has always touched me.  People are warning Jesus to leave Jerusalem.  Even Jewish leaders are warning Jesus that Herod is out to get him, although we have no idea if their concern is sincere. But most people know Jesus is no longer safe there.  The stark reality is that powerful people want him gone, as in dead.  But he continues to lament over his people, he laments over the city.  Keep in mind that to Jews, Jerusalem was the center of everything.  This is where the Temple resided.  This was God's city.  Jesus proclaims, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”  And when he says this, he is grieving over his city, God's city.  But he is also making a point.  Jesus knows his fate.  He tells them to warn the fox (Herod) that he already knows his fate.  Jesus knows what will happen and he knows that it will happen in Jerusalem.  He will be killed but he will rise in three days.  God will have the last word.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope August 28, 2025   Scripture – Luke 12:35-59   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are the hope of the world but you are also our hope.  I pray for all those who need hope today.  May they seek you.  I pray for all those who need healing.  May they run to you. I pray for all those who need forgiveness.  May they come to you.  Lord, we all need you.  Before we run to the things of the world, may we rest in you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we finish Luke 12.   In today's reading, the servants (the disciples in this case) are told to be ready for the return of the master, Jesus, from a wedding banquet.  In the Old Testament, wedding banquets often represent the eschatological hope of God's people.  When we say eschatology, we are referring to the last judgement or the last things, the ultimate destiny of God's people and world.  In the New Testament, the wedding banquet imagery would be centered around Jesus and the hope he brings.  He is the one who came to redeem the world and he is the one who will ultimately come to judge the world.  The disciples are called to be ready and actively waiting for Jesus' return.  And so are we.    The return of Jesus is certain.  When he will return is not.  Are you ready?   The next portion of our reading is difficult.  If I were to ask you why Jesus came to earth, how many of you would say “to bring conflict?”  Hmmm...probably not many.  And yet, Jesus says here that he has come to bring fire on the earth.  He has come to bring division.  How do we reconcile this with Jesus being a Prince of Peace?    I think it's important we look at the context.  Jesus is speaking of the conflict and division his coming will cause.  There was and is division in families because some believe and others don't.  Jesus is saying to expect this rather than be surprised by this.  Following Jesus well is a revolutionary thing.  Maybe following Jesus as a cultural Christian doesn't bring much discord, but truly following the ways of Jesus (as described in the Gospels) puts us at odds with our culture and the greater society.   In the final portion of our reading today, interpreting the times, we find Jesus again referring to the Pharisees as hypocrites.  Afterall, he says, they can interpret the weather, understanding when it's going to rain, but they can't interpret the meaning of Jesus' presence.  They have no idea how significant it is that Jesus is there, nor do they understand his teachings or purpose.  They truly have no idea that the God of the universe has come down among them.    How often do we fail to recognize God in our midst?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 22, 2025   Scripture – Luke 10:25-42   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 back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Friday!  Today, we dive into the second half of Luke 10.   The first portion of today's reading is the parable of the Good Samaritan.  The story begins with an expert in religious law asking Jesus, “What should I do to inherit eternal life?” It's possible this lawyer/religious academic type is actually trying to trap Jesus.  These guys tended to think Jesus had a low regard for Law. But this man didn't realize that Jesus was actually smarter than him. Jesus answers, “What does the law say?” As you know, the Old Testament law is really long and rather than just starting to read the whole law in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, it was not uncommon to summarize it with two precepts: ·      Deut. 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with your soul and with all your strength.” ·      Lev. 19:18 says, “...love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”   Now, these are really, really hard principles.  The law expert, a smart man, would have known there was really no way for him to obey this law on his own. But he wanted to justify himself.  He wanted to keep trying to find a way that he could obey the law in his own power, so he asks Jesus, “Well, who is my neighbor?”  And, as we know, Jesus uses this opportunity to share a parable.    He says that a man was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Now, the first thing we need to understand about this road is that it was really, really dangerous. Think more dangerous than Nebraska Ave. at midnight. But there weren't a whole lot of options so people did it. Now part of what made the road so dangerous was its geography. It was 17 miles long and drops 3,000 ft. during those 17 miles. The geography also lended itself to lots of caves and nooks where bands of thieves and robbers could hang out and just wait for their next victim.   What's kind of interesting here is that Jesus does not give us a lot of information about the man who is traveling. The people Jesus was speaking to would probably automatically assume the man was a Jew like them. What we do know is that he was beaten, stripped, is probably unconscious, beaten, bloodied, and is unidentifiable. The guy was left for dead.   Now, the first man that walks by this poor guy, lying half-dead on the road, is a priest, a man of God. The Scripture says that “he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by.” Then a temple assistant, a Levite, walked by. This time, we are given information that he looked at the man lying there, but he also decided to walk to the other side and pass the dying man without providing any help.   Next comes a Samaritan man. Many of you know that the Samaritans were despised by the Jews. 800 years before Jesus, the Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians. What the Assyrians did was disperse the Jews living there and sent groups of pagan peoples to settle in the area. The result was a lot of intermarrying between the Jews and these other people groups. So, the “purer” Jews, from the Southern Kingdom, considered the Samaritans half-breeds and looked on them with extreme contempt. In fact, the relationship between the Jews and Samaritans could probably best be described by the relationship between Jews and Palestinians – conflict, violence, and hatred.   The Samaritan finds the man half-dead along the road and he decides to care for him. He treats the man's wounds, puts him on a donkey, and carries him off to an inn. He pays for his care and makes sure that he is nursed back to health. He offers over the top kindness, the kind that is never expected and never could be repaid.   Okay, let's start with the most obvious questions.  Why did the priest and Levite walk by the dying man?  Why did the neglect someone who was obviously suffering?  Well, it would have made them ritually unclean to come into contact with blood.  They were afraid of that.  They would have found it time-consuming and maybe even embarrassing to arrive at the Temple and say, “Hey, guys, I'm unclean, can't do my work today.”    There was also the fear of physical harm (are the guys who robbed him still around?) and the reality of inconvenience.  All of these are excuses that could have been overcome and dealt with but they weren't willing to do it.   The Samaritan man could have been plagued by the same fears. He could have been attacked, he dealt with inconvenience, he gave sacrificially in order to save this man's life. But he did it anyway.  And that is what we are called to do.  What does it mean to be a neighbor?  It means being like this Samaritan.  It means dealing with the mess, the risk, and the inconvenience to show love and mercy to another person.   The last portion of today's reading is the story of Mary and Martha.  I think we often misunderstand this story. Afterall, the problem with Martha is not that she is busy serving and providing hospitality. Certainly, Jesus commends this kind of service to neighbor many times, notably in the parable of the Good Samaritan that we just read. The problem with Martha is not her serving, but rather that she is worried and distracted. She is fluttering about, messing with the food preparations, legitimately more concerned with finishing dinner than anything else.   Martha's distraction and worry leave no room for the most important aspect of hospitality--gracious attention to the guest. In fact, she breaks all the rules of hospitality by trying to embarrass her sister in front of her guest and by asking her guest to intervene in a family dispute. She even goes so far as to accuse Jesus of not caring about her (Lord, do you not care...?). Martha's worry and distraction prevent her from being truly present with Jesus. She has missed out on the “one thing needed” for true hospitality: listening to your guest (especially if the guest is Jesus!) Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.   Jesus' words to Martha may be seen as an invitation rather than a rebuke. Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. The one thing needed is for Martha to receive the gracious presence of Jesus, to listen to his words, to know that she is valued not for what she does or how well she does it, but for who she is as a child of God.   In a culture of hustle and bustle and over-scheduling, we are tempted to measure our worth by how busy we are, by how much we accomplish, or by how well we meet the expectations of others. We are often Marthas, thinking the busier we are, the more productive we must be. But being distracted and worried often gets in the way of our spiritual walk. Being distracted and worried gets in the way of us listening to Jesus.   When is the last time you sat at the feet of Jesus and simply listened to him? How often do you set aside time to just be still before God? Even Jesus himself made time, in the midst of a very busy schedule, to be alone with God. We know that God calls us to be listeners of his Word and doers of the Word. But how often do we participate in activities without really soaking up God first? When we do that, we are bound to serve without joy, with pride, for the wrong reasons.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope August 20, 2025   Scripture - Luke 9:28-62   Prayer:  Almighty God, We come before you today, in the middle of our 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 to all my Daily Dose of Hope friends!  Today, we are finishing up Luke 9. I always mention Recharge on Wednesdays but today is a special Back to School Bash Recharge Night.  Kids are to be dropped off at the Life Center Gym for all kinds of fun activities, including inflatables.  Adults are heading to the main sanctuary at 6:30pm for worship and a special time of community.  Hope to see you there!   Now, let's get to our reading.  A lot happens in this chapter.  Let's start with the transfiguration.  We read about this in Mark and Matthew as well.  Jesus has brought his three closest disciples with him up the mountain – Peter, John, and James.  They think they are heading up there to pray but Jesus transfigures before them.   Luke says that Jesus' face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.  Remember, this would have been shocking to the disciples, as they had only known the flesh and blood Jesus. We might expect Jesus to wear dazzling white robes and be all shiny and glorious. Afterall, he is Lord of the universe. 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.   Then, Moses and Elijah appear before them.  Here we have 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.   Not surprisingly, Peter struggles to simply rest in the presence of God's glory. Wouldn't we?  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 participate 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.” It seemed like a good thought at the time. What Peter doesn't quite understand 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.   Things keep getting weirder though.  A voice, God's voice, comes down from heaven and announces that this is his Son, the one he has chosen, and they should listen to him.  With that, the disciples were alone with Jesus and head back down the mountain.  Luke says they don't share this with anyone (although they must have eventually shared it because here it is, written down.)   We go from the transfiguration to Jesus healing a demon-possessed boy.  The disciples had tried to heal him but it didn't work.  Just as a reminder, earlier in the chapter, Jesus had already given them actual authority and power to cast out all demons and to heal the sick.  He commanded them to go and heal the sick.  Why couldn't the disciples do it?  Jesus seems to indicate that their lack of belief was a big part of the problem.  In the same story in Matthew, Jesus rebukes the disciples for the lack of faith.    I wonder what it would be like to be in the disciples' shoes.  Everything going on around them would be new and a bit overwhelming.  They are watching miracles, hearing powerful teaching, and pushing up against the powerful.  At times, they probably felt like they were on top on the world and other times, it might have been horribly uncomfortable.  We may, without even thinking about it, judge the disciples for their inability to cast out the demon.  But would we?  How is our faith?  Do we have faith to cast out the demonic?   It keeps getting harder.  Jesus predicts his death again.  The disciples still don't get it.  This is a lot.  There is opposition from all sides.  The Samaritans are mad that they are headed to Jerusalem.  The Jews are mad that they fraternize with Gentiles.  Boundaries are being pushed and broken and it's getting messy.    I was trying to think about what a similar analogy would be today when it comes to pushing boundaries.  What do you think?   Luke ends Chapter 9 with the cost of following Jesus.  It's high, y'all.  Maybe not if you are entrenched in cultural Christianity.  Maybe not if you never get uncomfortable.  Maybe not if you never push boundaries.  But Jesus has called us to something else.  We can't accept the comfort of the Gospel without the challenge of the Gospel.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 15, 2025   Scripture – Luke 8:1-25   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.  Thank you for giving us glimpses of how this world is supposed to be.  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, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we dive into the first portion of Luke 8.  Chapter 8 is a mix of parables and miracles, truly a beautiful picture of the Kingdom of God. We get glimpses of the Kingdom here, the way God always intended his world to be.   Let's begin with the parable of the Sower. We read a version of this in Mark and Matthew as well.  In this teaching, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom by telling a story about a farmer who goes out to sow seeds.  The farmer doesn't worry so much about where he is throwing the seeds. In fact, he seems to be pretty indiscriminate with his seed-throwing; he is 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 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-30, 60, or even 100 times what was sown.   What is Jesus teaching us about the Kingdom of God in this parable? The different soils are important but they aren't necessarily the main point. Who is the star of the story? Well, the farmer is 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? The Good News of Jesus. The Good News is for ALL.   We aren't supposed to decide with whom to share our faith. 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 or 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: those who don't look like us, those we don't know, and those we do know. If God has brought us to a certain place, a certain store, a certain vacation spot, a certain meeting, trust that there is a greater purpose. We always should be on the lookout for ways to have spiritual conversations and share the Good News.   I've had you do this exercise before but 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?   And yet, 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.   Then, there is the lamp on the stand.  It is meant to be out in the open where it can give light not hidden under a bowl or bed.  What is hidden is meant to be disclosed and brought out in the open.  Truth is not meant to be hidden.  The Gospel is meant to be brought out in the open and shared.  Another glimpse of the Kingdom.   Then, there is the interaction with Jesus' mother and brothers.  Someone comes to get Jesus to tell him his mother and brothers were wanting to see him.  And then he says, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.”  As a mom, this stings a bit.  But even here, we are getting another glimpse of the Kingdom.  In God's Kingdom, the bonds that connect us go far beyond bloodlines.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ with other believers.  We are one family.  The bonds between us are strong, possibly stronger than those between biological family members.  How have you experienced this in the family of God?   Our final part of the reading today was Jesus calming of the storm.  This is another one we have read about in other Gospels.  Luke's version is pretty similar.  The storm is really, really bad and the disciples think they are all going to die.  And where is Jesus?  He is sound asleep.  The storm doesn't bother him at all.    One of the disciples wakes up Jesus, telling Jesus that they were all going to drown.  Really, his question was more like, “don't you care that we are going to die?”  How often have you asked this question–Jesus, don't you care? This is our ultimate cry to God, isn't it? It's a cry of fear, doubt, abandonment, rejection.  As a pastor, I hear it repeated in this community, in this church, in your own lives. Where is God? Where is Jesus as I deal with illness and pain? Where is God as I deal with grief or depression or loneliness? Where is God as our world seems to be imploding?  Jesus, don't you care? Where are you as I struggle?   Jesus calms the whole storm with just a few words and then asks the disciples, “Where is your faith?”  Basically, why 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.    The disciples were amazed and marveled at his power, saying “Who is this?”  Without realizing it, the disciples ask the most important question there is - who is Jesus?  Who is this man???  Who is this man to you?   Who is Jesus to YOU?  To me, Jesus is God. He has been given authority over all things because he is God.  He is also my Lord and my Savior. But we each have to settle that in our own hearts.  Who is Jesus to you?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope August 14, 2025   Scripture – Luke 7:36-50   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 to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Thursday!  Today, we finish up Luke 7.   In today's reading, Simon the Pharisee and the forgiven woman illustrate two different reactions to Jesus. Simon sees Jesus as merely another teacher not even worthy of common courtesy.  He has invited Jesus to dine in his home, but he has not shown the typical forms of hospitality appropriate for an honored guest.  There is no water to wash feet and no kiss of welcome.   The woman, on the other hand, has a radical reaction to Jesus. She reacts with great sacrifice (pouring out the expensive perfume), and undignified affection (wiping his feet with her hair). The woman's reaction flows out of her profound recognition of Jesus forgiveness of her great debt. She is so very, very thankful.  While she is a sinful woman in that area, we don't have any information about her past.  Most scholars believe that this woman was NOT Mary Magdalene, nor is she a prostitute.  What's interesting is that Jesus refuses to play into Simon's judgment of her.  Jesus looks at her with compassion and even possibly appreciation.  She is showing extreme hospitality and generosity, exactly what Simon did not do.   Note that in Luke's version of this story, Jesus can read Simon's unspoken thoughts about Jesus and the woman.  Simon thinks to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”  So Jesus has an interesting interaction with Simon, directly confronting his thought.  He speaks to Simon about how those who are forgiven much are more thankful and those who feel like they don't need much forgiveness are less grateful for what God has done for them.  Of course, Simon's reaction comes from the fact that he does not believe he needs much forgiveness (i.e. he believes his debt is small). And he believes that all he has, all he has done, comes from his own effort. He's good. He's self-reliant. He might need God but only a little bit.   One of the greatest obstacles to being changed by God is not recognizing our own weaknesses, our own sins, and our own need for inner transformation. But when we recognize how much God has done for us, when we truly understand how much God loves us, how he has forgiven us totally, how all we have comes from him, then and only then do we experience the kind of gratitude and thanksgiving that this woman is demonstrating.   Pretend you were at the banquet, standing along the wall observing. What would your thoughts be about her behavior? What would you want to say to this woman?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope August 13, 2025   Scripture – Luke 7:1-35   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 back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we start Luke 7.   At the beginning of this chapter, we meet the Roman 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.  He would have been part of the Roman occupying force in Judea and Galilee.  It's fascinating that he is presented in such a positive way and that he responds so favorably to Jesus and his message.    It's interesting that this Roman soldier cares so deeply for his slave.  Roman centurions weren't known for their compassion.  But he went to great lengths to reach Jesus and ask for his help.  In fact, this Roman centurion sends Jewish elders to speak on his behalf to Jesus to prove that he has been a patron of the Jewish people.   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. Jesus responds in amazement at the man's faith and heals the slave.   Jesus is surprised to find such faith in a Roman centurion, faith that far exceeds what he has seen from others in Israel.  It's interesting that Jesus himself is surprised that an enemy soldier could be a model for faith for the people of God.  I think this points to how we shouldn't be surprised that faith can show up in the most unlikely of people and places.    The next part of today's reading always moves me.  There is a woman from Nain whose son has died.  Unlike the Roman soldier, she doesn't seek out Jesus.  She may not have known Jesus at all.  She was most likely consumed with grieving for her only son.  Thoughts of the Messiah and his healing were probably not in her thoughts at all.  Just all-consuming grief.    But Jesus has compassion on her.  He initiates raising her boy from the dead.  And this shows his power over death.  He isn't just a great teacher, prophet, and healer.  He is the Son of God.  Jesus addresses the boy's corpse with a sentence and the boy sits up and begins talking.  A miracle like no other occurs and a mama has her boy back.  I love this.   The last portion of today's reading was Jesus being asked about John the Baptist.  John sends messengers to ask Jesus – Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?  Based on his answer, Jesus is the one and he gives all kinds of reasons why – the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the dead rise, and so forth.  Jesus is already doing the things that the Messiah will do and they are beginning to see signs of heaven on earth.    Well, if Jesus is Messiah, then who is John?  That is what Jesus addresses to the crowd. By saying that Jesus is the one, that means that John the Baptist is not the one.  Jesus points out that John is truly a great man and a great prophet.  He preached repentance of sin and is the one prophesied to pave the way for the Messiah.  Why did so many people go into the wilderness to be baptized by him?  They were yearning for something he had.  John was offering them something they desperately needed – forgiveness and cleansing.  And now Jesus is offering them a different kind of Good News.   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope August 7, 2025   Scripture – Luke 5:1-26   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We give you all the glory and praise.  Thank you for being a God who provides.  Thank you for being a God who heals.  Thank you for being a God who sees past our brokenness and invites us into relationship with you.  Help us, Lord, to grow more deeply in love with you every day.  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 begin diving into Luke 5.   This chapter's calling of the first disciples is a little different than Mark or Matthew.  It's not an immediate drop everything and follow Jesus kind of scene.  Luke writes about how Jesus is teaching and then does a miracle with the catch of fish.  It's a miracle of abundance and provision.  At a time, having enough to eat was truly a big deal, and Jesus is providing exactly what the disciples need in a physical sense.  It's in that context that he then invites Simon Peter and the others to follow him and become fishers of people.  Jesus wants to provide what the disciples need in a spiritual sense as well.    How do the disciples of 2025 become fishers of people?  By definition, disciples make more disciples. This is something we have historically struggled with as modern Americans.  We struggle with sharing our faith in a sincere, genuine way.  We struggle with living out our faith in ways that create impact.  What has been your own experience being a fisher of people?  Who is the last person with whom you had a spiritual conversation?   We then move on in the text to a healing of a man with leprosy.  I did a deep dive today on what it was like to live with leprosy in first century Judea.  Leprosy, also called Hansen's Disease, was pretty destructive to the Bible.  It is still in existence today in places and environments that are very unsanitary, but it isn't nearly as contagious as the stigma around it suggests.  However, in the Bible, leprosy was a catch-all term to describe all serious skin diseases.  And remember, any skin disease would have made a person unclean and unable to worship in the synagogue or even live a normal life (under the Old Covenant, a leper wasn't allowed to come within six feet of another human).  To make matters worse, it was generally believed that God inflicted leprosy on people for the sins they committed.    Being cured of leprosy would have been life changing.  The world would open back up for that individual.  As we have read through the Gospels, we've seen how Jesus would heal those with leprosy.  In doing so, he gave that person the gift of physical and spiritual community again.  What I love the most about this miracle is that Jesus physically touches the man with leprosy to heal him.  Of course, Jesus didn't have to touch him, but he chooses to.  Jesus touched the untouchable of his time.  He loved the unlovable of his time.  And he gives us that example as well.   The next section of the reading is Jesus healing the paralyzed man.  We read about this in Mark and Matthew as well.  This is the man whose friends lower him through the hole in the roof, because they couldn't get him through the crowd blocking the door.  They were determined to get their friend to Jesus.  They knew it was the only way for healing.  How determined are we to get our friends to Jesus?   Jesus gets bold in this interaction.  He tells the paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven.  Of course, this infuriates the Pharisees.  In their minds, only God can forgive sins and Jesus even suggesting this would be considered blasphemy.  Of course, they have no idea of who they're dealing with.  Jesus is God himself.  Jesus is God and God is Jesus.  His healing goes so much deeper than the physical.    The final portion of today's reading is the dinner party at Levi's house.  Levi is a tax collector.  That means he is an outcast among the Jews.  Remember, tax collectors at that time worked for the Roman government.  They collected the necessary taxes plus they took an extra chunk for themselves.  But Levi believes in Jesus and turns his life around.  And then he invites his friends to join him for dinner.   Jesus invites all of us to join him for dinner, even in our brokenness.  He sees past our brokenness and mess and meets us where we are.  What is important to realize is that he doesn't want us to stay there though.  He wants us to repent and move forward and then invite our friends to join us!   Blessings, Pastor Vicki        

Daily Dose of Hope August 4, 2025   Scripture – Luke 3   Prayer:  Almighty God, Thank you for today and new week.  Thank you for providing for us, caring for us, and protecting us.  Over thousands upon thousands of years, you have taken care of your people.  We give you glory and praise, for who you are.  Thank you, most of all, for sending Jesus, who moved into our neighborhood so that we could begin to understand your love.  Wow.  There are no words to adequately thank you for the sacrifice that saved our lives.  Lord Jesus, we love you and we thank you.  Help us grow in holiness, continue to transform us so we can be a better reflection of you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.   Today, we dive into Luke 3. I find it particularly fascinating how Luke begins by listing all the rulers of the time.  He is showing us that John and Jesus are doing ministry within a particular geopolitical landscape.  Luke identifies some of the most important rulers of that region. Tiberius was the Roman emperor from 14-37 AD.  Like many emperors, he was known to be cruel, corrupt, and self-obsessed.  His rule served as a significant contrast from the kind of Kingdom ushered in by Jesus Christ.   Then we have Pontius Pilate.  He was governor of Judea from approximately 26-37 AD.  Of course, we recognize him for his role in Jesus' trial and death, which also landed him a mention in the Apostles' Creed.   Herod Antipas is also mentioned.  He was the son of Herod the Great.  The Herod dynasty was set up by the Roman government to rule over the Holy Land.  They considered themselves Jewish, although the Jewish leaders might have argued that point.  The Herods in general tended to feel easily threatened and rule with an iron fist.  Herod Antipas was ruler over the region of Galilee and Luke refers to him a few times.   The high priests who Luke mentions are Annas and his son-in-law, Caiaphas.  Caiaphas was officially the high priest during this time but the presence of Annas still was clearly felt.    Mentioning these real people was important to Luke.  He wanted to show that God is bringing about salvation not in the abstract but in real time, through real events, real people, and in actual places.  It's in the messy, difficult, and complex event of history that God reveals himself and continues his work of redemption.   And the work starts with John the Baptist, who gathers people in the wilderness at the Jordan River.  He quotes some prophecy from Isaiah, suggesting that God's people will be restored among the nations (of course, no one quite understands how they will be restored.) And of course, John talks about Jesus, for whom he has been called to prepare the way.  John is a forerunner of sorts, preparing the hearts of the people for what is to come.  John has no problem speaking truth, he has some pretty harsh words for the people, calling them to repentance and baptism.  Keep in mind, repentance means a sincere turning away from sin and a 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.  John addresses the common people, the soldiers, and even the tax collectors, and how they can repent and begin to produce good fruit.    When John baptizes Jesus, it marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. This call to ministry was accompanied by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and confirmed by God's voice from heaven. It is a beautiful picture of the Trinity. What's interesting and even a bit puzzling about this scene is that John's baptism, as I just mentioned, was one of repentance. It was for sinners to come, repent, and be cleansed. But Jesus was sinless. He had no need of a sinner's baptism. And yet, he chose to go through the ritual. Jesus sought to identify with the people he came to save.   This is a critical part of the incarnation, God coming to earth to become a human being. It's in the incarnation that Jesus becomes one of us. Jesus goes to the people, identifies with them, and gives them a real-life demonstration of who God is and how much God loves them. The baptism was simply the beginning.   The chapter closes with a genealogy of Jesus, according to Luke.  Luke attempts to trace Jesus' family tree all the way back to Adam.  While Luke isn't literally listing every single generation, he is making a point.  Jesus did not come to just save the Jewish people but all people.  We know from the book of Romans that Paul calls Jesus the new Adam, the one who restored what was lost in Adam's sin.  While Adam infected all people with sin, Jesus opened the door to redemption and eternal life for all people who believe in him.   Take a moment and read through this genealogy again, as well as the genealogy in Matthew 1. What are the similarities and differences? How does each author go about telling the story of Jesus' family?   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 31, 2025   Scripture – Luke 2:1-21   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Provider, Sustainer, Thank you for being the God who cares, who provides, who sustains, and who saves.  As we talk about the Christmas story today, help us remember how you became one of us, and lived among us, to demonstrate the full extent of your love.  Thank you for Jesus.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  Thank you for showing us a different way of doing life.  Help us actually live the way you taught us.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we start Luke 2 and read about the birth of Christ, what we know as the Christmas story.   We have kind of sanitized the Christmas story. It's a sweet story we tell our kids with friendly donkeys and smiling shepherds. But the world that Jesus was born into was a rough one. It was a world of poverty, violence, and division. The Jewish people had been expecting a Savior for 700 years since Isaiah prophesied that God would send a king–a wonderful counselor, mighty God, holy one, Emmanuel. They had been waiting 700 years! Things were tough. Living under the rule of the Roman Empire was no picnic–it was a violent and oppressive place; they were waiting for this one that God would send to save them, to rescue them from the trouble and darkness of their lives. They were restless, weary, and impatient.   And then, God sends a Savior in the form of a baby. Just like the world he was born into, the circumstances around Jesus' birth were troubling and dark. Jesus' mom was a poor 14 year old girl, who appears on the surface to get pregnant out of wedlock (we know it was the Holy Spirit, but can you imagine the gossip in her little town of Nazareth?) And toward the end of her pregnancy, the government requires all heads of households to go to the town of their ancestors to register for a census. That meant that Joseph, Mary's fiancé, needed to go to Bethlehem, because that was the town of King David and he was descended from David. Most likely, Mary didn't have to be there but she does go with him, possibly to get away from the scandal in her own village. It was a 90 mile trip, over hills and rough terrain, and it probably took about 9 days. In her 9th month of pregnancy, she walked for 9 days straight (no mention of a donkey in Scripture).   When they arrive, Mary goes into labor (surprise, surprise after all that walking )but there is no place for them to stay. We don't know if everything was occupied, as there were many people who had entered the city for the census, or they simply didn't have enough money to pay for a proper room. Mary has the baby in a stable of sorts, maybe not a stable like we think of a stable, but the place where the animals were kept. Some think it could have even been in a cave. But it was warm and cheap and she has the baby and places him in a manger, which is the animals' feeding trough. I'm sure this wasn't anything like Mary had dreamed about when she thought about starting a family. It wasn't pleasant and magical and peaceful, it was hard and uncomfortable and scary.   After Jesus was born, an angel, a messenger from God, appears to the shepherds and says, I bring you Good News of great joy that will be for all people. For a baby has been born in Bethlehem and he is the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord. These were the names that the emperor used to describe himself and now the angel is saying that the true ruler, the true Savior of the people, the true bringer of Good News and peace, was in fact this little baby. And the angel told them that they would find this baby laying in an animal's feeding container and wrapped up in strips of cloth. And then we go from one to many, many angels (the armies of heaven) saying, Glory to God in Highest Heaven and peace to all those whom God favors. For even the angels and all the company of heaven rejoiced at the birth of this baby.   This is a story most of us have heard many, many times.  So, what was the Good News of great joy?   First, this child was called the Messiah, the anointed one, the one they had been waiting for over a period of hundreds and hundreds of years.  Would this child be the one to save them?  Remember, the Jews thought they needed saving from their oppressors.  They had trouble wrapping their brains around any other kind of savior.   Think about what it means to be a Savior – someone who rescues another from destruction, ruin, or defeat. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that our world is quite a mess and we need saving. We can't fix any of this mess ourselves. If we could, we would have already done it.   The Jews thought the only kind of saving they needed was from their Roman occupiers.  But they had no idea that there was a deeper, more insidious need.  What do we need to be saved from? Well, SIN.  We need to be saved from ourselves, our brokenness. On the cross Jesus saves us from our own failings, from our own darkness. Early Christians called Christmas “the light piercing the darkness” because at just the right time, just when humanity needed it most, God sent Jesus to be light in our darkness.    And this, my friends, is just the beginning.  Let's see what else Luke has to say about the incarnation.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 29, 2025   Scripture – Luke 1:26-56   Prayer:  Almighty God, We rejoice in your holy name.  We give you glory.  Thank you for a new day.  May we experience you, today, Lord.  May we hear your voice and hear you when you call us.  We want to do your will.  We want to say yes.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back, friends, to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are covering part 2 of 3 in Luke 1.  We are reading about Mary.   We read that the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her that she is highly favored. She is immediately troubled with this greeting.  Think about this – Mary was a poor, humble girl, probably around age 14.  Why in the world would an angel greet her this way?  But we soon find out.  Gabriel tells Mary that she will become pregnant and her son will be called the Son of the Most High; she is to call him Jesus.   Some context is helpful here.  Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. In those days, girls were married very young. As soon as they became able to have children, they were betrothed. It could have been as young as 12, as old as 15. (Life expectancy was low.) And once the marriage was arranged (by the parents), the betrothal was marked by a party, which would be followed up by another party a year later, and it is at that time that the couple would start to live together as husband and wife. It was definitely more formal thatn what we think of as engagement. A divorce was required to end it, and if the groom died during the year, the woman was considered a widow.   I say all this to show how serious an engagement was during the first century.  And now the angel is telling Mary that she would become pregnant.  Mary would have known that this kind of incident put her in real danger. Virgin births were no less unusual two thousand years ago than they are today. And Mary, despite her young age, would have known where babies come from. She knew that to be pregnant meant that she had to be impregnated. She supplies half the genetic material. Someone else had to supply the other half and Joseph would have know that he did not do it.   We probably don't read between the lines as quickly as someone in the first century. Probably one of the first things to go through Mary's head was “Umm...this could get me in some real trouble.” And I don't mean it would just upset her parents. This threatened all her plans. She risked losing her upcoming marriage. She risked being ostracized by her family. She risked being the butt of the gossip mill in little Nazareth, being called names and being subjected to hardship. She even risked being killed by the Jewish authorities. The consequence for adultery was death according to Jewish law and although this wasn't always carried out, it certainly could be, and a young, unmarried, poor girl from Nazareth would sure be an easy target.   So, you would think this information would make Mary hesitant.  But after the first question of “well how in the world could this be,” Mary responds with “I am the Lord's servant...May your word to me be fulfilled.”  I've often wondered what went on in Mary's mind between “how can this be” and “I am the Lord's servant.”  She had every excuse in the book to say, “NO! Not me!” But she doesn't.  She trusts God and allows him to use her.    God is telling us a lot about his character and what he values. We know that God uses and God values the meek, the humble, and the lowly. He uses a poor, young girl from a poor little town to be the mother of the savior of the world. We know that, over and over again, God identifies with the poor, the weak, and the oppressed. This ends up being a central theme in Jesus' ministry as well. God values meekness and humility and because of that, so should we. It also shows that God chooses to work in places and through people that the world would not choose. He is more concerned with someone's willingness to say yes than their pedigree or resume.  That is certainly the case with Mary.    So what can we learn about God through the person of Mary? The reality is that God sometimes calls us to do things that are hard. God calls us to things that aren't on our agenda, things that might derail our hopes, plans, dreams.  He may even call us to do things that are dangerous and be with people we don't want to be with or go places we don't want to go.  This is the hard truth – Just as he did with Mary, God may call us to make sacrifices, to give up things we would prefer to do, all because he asked us to do it.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 28, 2025   Scripture - Luke 1:1-25   Prayer:  Everlasting Father, We thank you that you are a God of hope.  You are a God who keeps his promises.  You are a God who always has our best interest in mind.  Forgive us for those times that we want things to go the way we want things to go.  Fill us with your wisdom and discernment.  Help us try to think about things from a more eternal perspective.  How difficult that is for us!  Lord, we submit to you our lives, our families, our jobs, our burdens, our physical bodies.  We give them to you and we trust you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin the book of Luke.   Luke is considered a Jewish Gospel.  There are connections to the Old Testament throughout, specifically the fulfillment of God's promises and these promises are bigger than anyone expected.  We will highlight those as we walk through the text.  The point, though, is that the God who sent Jesus is the same God who operated throughout the Old Testament.  There is a continuity with the nation of Israel but now salvation in Jesus is being offered to everyone.  Luke is making a specific point here.   Let's talk about the author, Luke himself.  Who was he?  He gives us a brief intro in Luke, saying he is writing to a man named Theophilius, a name that means lover of God.  Some scholars say he is writing to generic believers but most think Theophilius was a specific person.  We just don't know much about him.  Luke also states that he has done a lot of research into the things that have happened but he doesn't tell us a lot about himself.   What we know is that Luke was a physician and a Gentile.  He is actually the only Gentile to write any portion of the New Testament. Paul briefly alludes to this in Colossians 4, when he makes a distinction between Luke and other colleagues “of the circumcision,” meaning the Jews.  Paul calls him the beloved physician.  Actually, while Luke doesn't name himself as author of Luke and the book of Acts, Paul refers to Luke several times.  Besides the Colossians reference, he also mentions Luke in Philemon and 2 Timothy.  Luke writes about Paul in Acts quite extensively and mentions himself a few times in subtle ways.   In today's reading, we get the first portion of the story of Zechariah.  Zechariah is a priest from the hill country near Jerusalem. Two weeks out of each year his division of priests was on duty at the temple in Jerusalem. Of course, this is where we find Zechariah faithfully going about his ordinary priestly duties. But this year, Zechariah is chosen by lot (which means he is chosen randomly, like drawing a name out of a hat) to be the one to go into the sanctuary and offer the incense offering.  So, up until this point, all is pretty ordinary and expected.  But then Scripture says in v. 11-12, Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. Whenever we read about an angel appearing to people in the Bible, they are usually afraid – angels are fierce beings.   The angel tells Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, will get pregnant and have a son who will be a source of joy and gladness for them.  This son will be filled with the Holy Spirit and set apart by God for a special purpose – to prepare the way of the Lord, to make people ready to receive Jesus Christ.   But this clearly catches Zechariah off guard.  He isn't convinced; in fact, he is skeptical.  So Zechariah asks the angel, “Are you really sure?  I mean my wife is kind of old.”  He is a man who has probably had years of heartbreak and disappointment. You see, Zechariah is married to Elizabeth (Elizabeth is the cousin of Mary, who becomes the mother of Jesus) and Zechariah and Elizabeth have never been able to have kids.  Now, they have gotten to the point in which they are too old to conceive.  Zechariah will soon be forced to retire from the priesthood.  Life surely hasn't happened the way he planned.  So what happens?  V.19-20, The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”   Zechariah is in the temple for a while and then when he comes out, he cannot speak.  The people assume he has seen some kind of vision because he is just making signs to them but no words are coming out of his mouth.  Nevertheless, the speechless Zechariah goes home to his wife Elizabeth, and she gets pregnant.  And Elizabeth sees the Lord's hand in these events. She exclaims in verse 25, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me to take away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”   Not to spoil the story, although I figure most of you have heard it before, but Zechariah does not speak again until his son, John, is born.  This is a story about a miracle, a birth that is not just unexpected but seemingly impossible.  But it's also about how God keeps his promises.  God is faithful.  And while this is a portion of the Christmas story that we may often gloss over, it's really critical for us.  Remembering how God has proven faithful in the past—even when all hope seemed lost—builds confidence that God can be trusted in the present and the future.   There are so many times in our lives when problems seem overwhelming and when it's hard to see a way forward, when it seems like things aren't going as planned, when it feels like all hope for the future has reached a dead end.  And maybe that's where you are right now.  It's possible that you look at your life and you think, “This wasn't what I expected, God.”  Maybe you are dealing with health issues or a loved one is ill or in pain.  Maybe you are crippled by depression or anxiety.  Maybe there is a broken relationship or a financial burden or you simply feel empty.  Maybe, like Zechariah, you are feeling discouraged and a bit hopeless.    I'll be the first to tell you that I don't understand God's ways or God's timing.  But this is what I can say…the story that we read about in God's Word shows us that God is always faithful.  God is never late.  We may doubt him, we may get mad at him, we may defy him, but God will be faithful.  In Scripture, we meet a God for whom there are no dead ends – detours perhaps – but not dead ends.  You see, we meet a God who is always working for our good, even when we make a mess of things, a Jesus who specializes in making a way in the wilderness, opening up a future when none seems possible.  If you ask him, he will show up in surprising, unexpected ways; maybe not the ways we want him to, but he will be there.  You see, with Jesus, there is always HOPE for a way forward.  Always, always, always.   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope July 25, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 28:16-20   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you for a new day and thank you that your mercies are new every single morning.  How grateful we are that we can start afresh and anew each day.  Forgive us for the many times we fell short, for when we weren't loving, for when we were easily angered, for when our patience wore thin. Today, help us represent you well.  In all things, may we be reminded who and whose we are.  We are yours.  In Your Name, Amen.   Today's reading includes the Great Commission, which we find in Matthew 28:16-20.  If you don't recall, this is when Jesus tells his follows, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”   There is a fair amount to unpack here but what I want to focus on is making disciples.  Keep in mind that Jesus wasn't merely suggesting we make disciples.  It feels much more like a command here.  As his followers, we are to make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them the ways of Jesus.  We don't do this alone, but we rest in the promise that Jesus is with us all the time, guiding and leading us through the power of the Holy Spirit.   But here is the big question: What does it mean to be a disciple?   It's fairly simple.  A disciple is an apprentice of Jesus. It is someone who actively is working/training to become more like Jesus (to do what Jesus does). A disciple is not someone who has simply said yes to Jesus, a disciple is someone who is actively training in the ways of Jesus and training others in the ways of Jesus.   Discipleship is not simply some acts of personal devotion in the morning, some bible study, prayer, and meditation. That may be a component of discipleship but there is so much more to it!  Being a disciple is not something we do at church and then set it aside as we go back into the real world. Being a disciple is about devoting our whole life to being like Christ. Our whole life. It effects every area of our life. How can it not?   Let's think about Jesus. In every area of his life, he taught about God. He taught about God's Kingdom, he showed people this new way of being human. There was never a time where he said, “No, now this part of my life, faith doesn't affect this. Leave me alone and let me do my own thing.”  Discipleship is intricately connected to Lordship. There is no part of our life that does not fall under God's reign. There is no part of our life that we don't submit to God.   But how do we make disciples?  Well, first, we have to become disciples ourselves.  We have to be training to be more like Jesus.  There is intentionality in this.  How are you training to be like Jesus?  What is your plan for spiritual growth?  Once you have reflected on this, then think about how you will teach and train others.  This is a privilege and responsibility that every single Christ-follower has.  Every one of us.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope July 24, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 28:1-15   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, We give you glory and praise.  You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Thank you for your giving your life for us.  Your love is overwhelming and all-encompassing.  As we think about our day and our week, help us focus on when we have seen your love at work.  Show us those moments when you were with us, walking alongside us, guiding us, directing our thoughts and our words.  Lord, how we need you.  How we yearn to see your glory.  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.  Currently, we are doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin Matthew 28.   Today, we will talk about the Easter story, the best story in the history of the world.  Yes, Jesus was crucified.  Yes, Jesus died on that horrible cross.  Yes, he was laid in the tomb.  But he did not stay dead.  On Sunday morning, everything changed.  The women went to the tomb and were greeted by an angel.  The Scripture said that the angel rolled the tomb away and was sitting on it, waiting for the women.    That's when he reveals to good news.  Jesus has risen and is going ahead of them.  It's then that Jesus actually appears to the women.  In Matthew's Gospel, it's Jesus himself who tells the women to go share the good news of his resurrection with the others.   Now, let's talk a little bit about the resurrection itself. Now, there are some Christians who see the resurrection in only a metaphorical sense. At New Hope (and in the GMC), we believe that Jesus experienced a real, physical, bodily resurrection.  In fact, I believe that Jesus' resurrection really only has TRUE significance if we understand it as a real bodily resurrection. Clearly, the early church believed it was a bodily resurrection...they risked and often gave life and limb to proclaim the Good News about Jesus Christ and his resurrection.   There is much evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus (significantly more than for other historical events that we tend to take for granted) and some great books out there that deal with some of these issues–Lee Strobel has some good ones. If this is a question for you, I would strongly encourage you to settle that for yourself.   That being said, even for the average churchgoer who believes in a real bodily resurrection of Jesus, is it making a significant difference in their lives OR is it perhaps simply providing a vague consolation that there is something beyond death? I want you to really think about it–how has resurrection changed your life?  Have you personally been transformed by the power of the resurrection?   Paul says in I Corinthians 15 that without the resurrection, our faith would be futile, useless, a hoax. Those who have died for the faith, their suffering would be pointless. You see, so much hinges on the resurrection. Jesus' whole life was vindicated with the resurrection. The resurrection provides evidence of Jesus' divinity. Romans 1:4 says, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.  Because Jesus is God, then we need to take everything he says very, very seriously.  The resurrection also provides assurance and hope that our physical death is not the end...it not only points to life after death but also the future resurrection of believers. Romans 8:11 says, The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.   The resurrection is life-changing for us as well.  The resurrection provides the power to bring the dead to life, the power for complete transformation, to bring what was essentially dead to something that is alive, vibrant, and productive. When someone says yes to Jesus Christ, a spiritually dead person becomes united with a life-giving Savior. When that happens, his resurrection produces a resurrection in us. The word resurrection actually comes from the same root as resurgence or rising again. We become connected to a life-giving power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. This resurrection power has the ability to revive us, restore us, and transform us.   How amazing that we have become united with Jesus Christ, become filled with the Holy Spirit, and connected with God's mighty power. Think about it. This is a power than can perform miracles, this is a power than can make the dead come to life, this is the power that will ensure our eternity is secure.  Certainly, if it has the power to do all those things, this resurrection power can also transform us in radical ways. When we become united with Christ, we die to our old life & become new creations.   How have you experienced resurrection power in your life?   The last portion of today's reading is the guards' report.  They experienced the power of the resurrection and they tried to cover it up.  Why do you think they were so afraid?   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 23, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 27:57-66   Prayer:  Holy God, You are a God of order and a God of purpose.  The world may seem chaotic, but you are not.  You have ordered your world with perfection.  Help us trust you.  Lord, fill us with your perfect peace.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is Wednesday so that means Recharge night.  I hope to see you at 6:30pm in the Garage for a time of worship, fellowship, prayer, and small groups.   In our reading today, we finish up Matthew 27, which includes putting Jesus' body in the tomb and the Romans securing and sealing the tomb.  There isn't a lot here to cover, so I would encourage you to take your extra time from today and just spend some time with Jesus in prayer.  I think the Passion narrative is difficult to take in.  I know it's a story we have heard a lot, but when we really focus on the details, it's both distressing and extraordinary at the same time.  What do all these different elements mean to you?    Let's finish up today's chapter.  A wealthy man and member of the Jewish ruling council, Joseph of Arimathea, requests Jesus' body from Pilate, who orders it to be given over to him.  Joseph wraps the body in burial cloth and places it in a new tomb, one he had just purchased.  At this point, everything feels very heavy.  And the women are there watching it all.    I don't want us to miss the significance of this.  Joseph has gone to great risk and expense to make sure Jesus' body is cared for with respect.  Now, everyone will know he is believer of Jesus.  There is no keeping anything secret at this point.  Joseph is also making himself ceremonially unclean by touching a dead body right before the Sabbath.  Finally, Joseph is fulfilling prophecy from Isaiah, spoken 700 years before Jesus.  “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death” (Isaiah 53:9).   The chapter ends with Pilate making sure the tomb is very secure.  It's interesting that they recall Jesus' words about rising again.  The disciples seem to have forgotten this but the Romans remember it clearly.  They post a guard in front of the tomb and seal it.  They want to ensure that no one can steal the body.    I love how God basically took care of every detail here.  More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope July 21, 2025   Scripture – Matthew 27:1-31   Prayer:  Almighty God, We come before you this morning, rejoicing in your powerful and holy name.  You are everything, Lord – Creator, Sustainer, Provider, the one who sees, the one who is most high, Mighty, Everlasting.  There are times that we are overwhelmed by your love and care.  How could the one who created all, also care about me?  God, we give you glory.  We are so grateful for how you involve yourself in our lives.  Most of all, we thank you for Jesus.  Oh, Lord Jesus, we give you glory, honor, and praise.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Monday. Today, we are starting Matthew 27.  This is another long chapter that is filled with a lot of substance so we will once again take three days to walk through it.   Today's narrative about Judas' suicide is found only in Matthew. Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. I'm not sure what Judas thought would happen when he accepted the bribe. Maybe Jewish independence? Maybe some extra favors? Maybe some sense of satisfaction? But when Judas actually sees that Jesus is arrested and condemned, a man he knew was totally innocent, Judas is filled with remorse. He sees the consequences of his decision.   In his anguish, Judas brings the silver back to the religious leaders. Maybe he was looking for some kind of reassurance or guidance but they gave him none. They were, after all, simply using him to get what they wanted. When Judas realizes this, he appears to be consumed by both remorse and anger and hurls the silver into the temple. It's then that he kills himself. It seems that Judas was overcome with remorse.   If you think about it, remorse produces extreme sorrow and grief. The goal is that remorse will lead to repentance and life change. This happened for Peter. He denied Jesus three times, a very significant betrayal. He must have felt incredible sorrow after what he did but he didn't stay there. He allowed God to move him to repentance. But Judas, for whatever reason, could not get past the grief. Maybe he was overcome with fear about what his life would be like when people discovered it was him. Maybe he didn't think he would be forgiven or he thought he would lose social position. Whatever it was, he couldn't get past it.   Friends, I don't know what you are dealing with right now, but there is ALWAYS hope. Things can be really, really bad. Life can feel totally dark. But God is light. With God, there is always hope for a better day. For some reason, Judas didn't think so but he was wrong. Jesus would have forgiven him and loved him, just as he did Peter.   Jesus loves you. Jesus will always forgive you. Your life is valuable. If you ever get to the point where the darkness feels all-consuming, reach out immediately. Reach out to me or to a friend. And don't forget that God is always there, just waiting, ready to listen and comfort. You are never alone.   In the next portion of today's chapter, we have Jesus going before Pilate.  Pilate was a Roman, the governor of Judea who was serving under Emperor Tiberias.  While Pilate has been mentioned outside of the Gospels by several secular writings of the time, he is certainly best known for his role in Jesus' crucifixion.  Let's dive into that.   In Matthew's Gospel, we get the impression that Pilate is reluctantly asking Jesus questions.  He doesn't feel that Jesus is guilty of anything and this is weighing on Pilate.  Then, his wife sends him an urgent message, begging Pilate to ensure that nothing is done “to this innocent man” for she had suffered a great deal in a dream because of Jesus.   Pilate ends up seeking a compromise. Knowing Jesus had been handed over by the religious leaders out of envy and spite, Pilate appealed to the crowds at the Passover, asking which “criminal” should be set free, Jesus or Barabbas? Seeing Jesus as innocent, it appears that Pilate believes that surely the people will choose Jesus over the murderous zealot, Barabbas.  But they don't.  The Jewish leaders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released rather than Jesus.    Pilate gives in to political pressure.  He knows Jesus is innocent.  Pilate, exasperated, declares that he is “innocent” of Jesus' blood but then he hands Jesus over to be flogged and crucified.  He did what was easy, not what was right.  And Pilate will be forever remembered as a leader who chose the expedient route, rather than the one with integrity.  He is immortalized in the Apostles' Creed and remembered by Christians around the globe when we say that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate.”   The final portion of today's Scripture has the Roman soldiers mocking Jesus.  This was one more form of punishment and humiliation before the ultimate torture instrument of the cross.    More tomorrow.   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.