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To Those in Rome

Romans 1:1-7

January 6, 2020 • Pastor Bill Riedel

As we start the new year, we also will start a new series in Romans. Martin Luther said of this book, “This Epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel, and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.”

This week we begin with Romans 1:1-7, which is one long sentence that lays out the most theologically rich greetings that I can imagine. We see the purpose of the letter very early in the first chapter: the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

Hope Against Hope

March 15, 2020 • Pastor Bill Riedel

This Sunday we stay in our series in Romans and close the chapter with Romans 4:16-25. It is an incredibly timely text for us. This passage takes us into a further exploration of Abraham and Sarah’s life and shows us how to respond when we are living in the gap between the hopes we have and the reality we experience. How do we respond when the promises of God feel distant? What does it mean to have faith when things are uncertain and scary? How can we have hope when we get knocked down over and over again?

Faith Counted as Righteousness

March 8, 2020 • Pastor Bill Riedel

As we begin a new chapter in the letter to the Romans, the argument turns to the Hebrew Bible to support the idea that it is God's grace alone through faith alone that we are declared righteous in God's sight. Over the next two Sundays, we will explore the story of Abraham and see how it points ahead to what was accomplished through Christ.

Redemption in Christ Jesus

March 1, 2020 • Pastor Bill Riedel

Some have said that the first paragraph of this section is the most important paragraph ever written, and Luther called it the center of the whole Bible. After spending 2 1/2 chapters setting the stage with the intense need we have for a Savior, the text takes an abrupt turn to show us that there is great hope!