Suffering and Hope
Life with the Loving Father, the Good King, and the Wild Goose
April 14, 2019 • Peter Mueller
Have you ever seen and loved a good parade? This Sunday we reflect on two parades - that of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as coming king, and that of our 2019 Hope Confirmands publicly affirming their faith as their own as they grow towards adulthood. As Jesus was received as a king, so the life of the Christian is about receiving Jesus as king into the deepest parts of hearts, minds and lives and welcoming Him to work in and through us.
Jesus: Even When the Sky is Dark
April 7, 2019 • Peter Mueller
Thankfully, God does come and rescue us in one way or another when we’re suffering. Sometimes it’s through total relief and healing, other times of mix of partial healing and an unmistakable confidence in His presence with using the midst of it. The love and presence of Jesus rises in our lives and our suffering like the morning sun even when skies are still dark. This is a great gift of Jesus, the one who is our strength even and especially when we’re weak, the one who fills our heart even when we’re falling all apart. There is hope in Jesus!
In the Pit Again - Lift Me Up!
March 31, 2019 • Peter Mueller
Even as God begins to heal and restore us, it is rare (yet beautiful) that He heals us in a moment. In the process, we inevitably encounter bumps in the road along the way, some of which land us in the pit of despair and discouragement again. From the bottom of that pit, we can join David in crying out to God to lift us up to see the light of day again, to put a new song in our heart, to even be so audacious as to request that God not delay that work.
Long Road - How Many More Miles?
March 24, 2019 • Peter Mueller
When you’re suffering, some days it can seem like there will never be an end to it all. The days blend together and all you know is that you;re miserable and it seems like there really might not be any reliable hope for relief or healing. These can be dark and difficult moments. They ache in the depths of our beings. The psalmists often asked God “how long?” regarding their own suffering. In these moments of seemingly no present hope are exactly the moments where a deep and defiant and robust hope in the future renewal of our bodies and hearts and minds and souls can break in our painful present and give us a vision of the future to sustain us even in the here and now.
Running While You're Crawling
March 10, 2019 • Peter Mueller
Thankfully, even in the midst of deep and awful suffering, God will sometimes give us the gift of a positive moment of joy. These moments can be rare, but when they come they are a sweet and soothing balm to the soul. These moments can also become a taste of the healing that is coming - preferably in this life, but if not then for sure in the next. These are the moments that can renew and sustain our hope that one day, we’re going to run again!
Meltdown: Anger and Frustration
March 3, 2019 • Peter Mueller
This week's message kicks off a new series called “Suffering and Hope”. The reality of life in a broken world is that suffering of one kind or another is a universal experience and is often even more so for followers of Jesus. Each week we’ll look at the stories of the suffering of Hope people as well as the suffering of Jesus as we look and long for hope in the midst of our own suffering. This week takes a look at the shock and the anger that can come when you first begin to realize that you are deeply in pain and that it is not going to get better anytime soon. What do we do with that? How do we pray when we feel like that? This week’s message will offer hope in the form of permission to let your heart speak, scream, and cry to God when you’re in the midst of suffering.