April 7, 2024 • Trevor Harrison • Luke 23:43, John 21:15–17
At some point in life, we all carry it. It weighs us down and keeps us from being our true selves. Sooner or later, we all feel guilt and shame over something we’ve done. We may try to shift the blame to our circumstances, or onto another person, but those tactics don’t really change anything inside of us. Guilt can destroy our relationships, and keep us isolated from the people we’ve hurt.
We do this with God too. When it comes to our relationship with God, we tend to back away. But, God doesn’t want us to live that way. He wants us to be free. Jesus died on the cross to wash away our guilt and shame.
Peter is the perfect example of this freedom extended. If there was ever a reason to carry around guilt and shame, Peter had it. On the night Jesus stood trial, Peter denied even knowing Him, three separate times. What makes it even worse is that Jesus warned Peter he would do it. Thankfully for Peter—and us—Jesus’s death wasn’t the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead to offer us grace and forgiveness, no matter how much guilt and shame we’re carrying.
AFTERLIFE - Week 2
March 31, 2024 • Trevor Harrison • John 20:11–18
Have you ever wondered what would happen if, one day, you just didn’t show up? Would anyone at work miss you? Would the people at church even notice that you’re not there? Would your friends have a fun night out on the town without you there to share in the laughs? Sometimes, it’s easy to feel that you just don’t matter, that life would go on without missing a beat even if you weren’t around. But the truth is, you do matter to God, and the resurrection of Jesus proves it.
Mary Magdalene must have felt as though she didn’t matter. She was no one important in the eyes of the world. Her past was filled with suffering; she had once been possessed by seven demons. That is, until Jesus set her free. Even still, she was a woman. Her testimony didn’t even count in a court of law. Who would care if she just disappeared one day? Jesus. That’s who. When He rose from the dead on the third day, He chose to appear to Mary before he revealed Himself to anyone else. Mary was the first eyewitness, the first evangelist, the first one to proclaim the good news! Because of the resurrection, Mary knew she mattered—and so can we.
AFTERLIFE - Week 1
March 24, 2024 • Trevor Harrison • John 20:25, 1 John 4:8–10
Jesus died for you. If you’ve spent much time in church, you’ve probably heard it before. Maybe when you hear that phrase, you think about the afterlife—about going to heaven when you die. If so, you wouldn’t be wrong. Jesus died and rose again to make a way for you to spend eternity with Him. But that’s not all. Following Jesus isn’t just about the afterlife; it’s also about life after Jesus, here and now.
The people who knew Jesus best during His earthly life, His disciples, were as surprised as anyone when the tomb was empty on Sunday morning—and yet, they were changed by it, forever. When they saw the risen Jesus, they knew in an instant that God loved them, that they mattered to Him, and that their sins could be forgiven. All of that was enough to transform them into joy-filled people of purpose. They were able to lay aside their fears and their guilt, their past regrets and their grudges; Jesus had set them free.
It’s two thousand years later, and nothing has changed. The risen Jesus still offers the same, abundant life. God really does love you. You matter to Him. Your sins can be forgiven. Now that’s good news!
