Casting Hope: Recent Episodes
Hope Presbyterian Church: Columbus, OH
We all have hearts made for love of God and neighbor, but our hearts are broken by sin, and the "love" that flows from them is so often out of whack. Luke gives us two side-by-side stories; one takes place on the Jericho road and the other in Martha's home. They both illustrate what it looks like to negatively and positively "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself”.
In this season of disorientation, it is always important to recalibrate ourselves to what Jesus says about discipleship. Every instrument that has a standard - whether it is a guitar, a thermometer, or a clock - must constantly be "recalibrated" or tuned. We are learning that our journey with Jesus works the same way. In this passage, the disciples return from their mission, rejoicing in their ministry success. Jesus sees this as a teaching moment. He doesn't rebuke their joy, but he elevates and expands it. In particular, Jesus recalibrates them to three things: security, intimacy, and mystery.
Luke 9-19 is a ten chapter travelogue. It serves as a "high level map" that should orient those who are following Jesus in the wilderness. You could call it a manual on “mere discipleship.” Jesus tells us what to expect before we even set out. And right away we learn three things: following Jesus in the wilderness is cross-shaped, compassion-forward, and costly.
James assumes that seasons of hardship will expose "lack." Lack of wisdom - which for James means more than just "decision fatigue." How do respond when we realize our lack?
We may be tempted to neglect the book of James in our "diet." So what are the reasons we are excited to spend the Fall in this letter?
Psalm 148 is a way of looking at the world. It is radically God-centered, so by singing it and praying it, we too will become more and more God-centered.
Why do we sing in church? What's the point? And what makes our song different from all others songs?
Why are we so resistant and sluggish when it comes to the things in life that bring us the most joy? This reality means that the greatest gift God can give us is an "holy push" into his presence to experience him and the joy he offers.
Praise is basic. But too often we neglect it. How can we recover the centrality of praise in our life? And why is it so important?
Our vision of the future sets our agenda today. What vision of the ultimate future does God provide for the church that should set our agenda today?
The good news of Jesus is that God accepts us by grace alone, which has personal soul-implications. But what are the community implications of this truth?
The Kingdom of God is multi-ethnic. So what does this mean for the church? And what does it mean for Hope?
The gospel is good news. But it is also big news. It reaches not just into our souls, but into the world; not just our vertical relationship to God, but our horizontal relationships.
Is the great commission only for clergy and vocational missionaries? If not, what does it mean for disciples of Jesus to be a missionary
We are a church not just near campus, but we are a church for campus. What does that mean, and why are we uniquely shaped for this mission?
Does God care about how we carry our conversations? How can we start to enfold our conversations into the mission of God?
Redemptive Hospitality involves what some have called "the lost art of neighboring." What is that? And how can we learn this lost art?
Why is experience with God necessary for holistic Christian maturity? What are some helpful habits (or invitations) to experience the goodness of God? This is Part 2 of our conversation on holistic Christian maturity with licensed clinical counselors Amanda Hullinger & Bernadette McNamara, and spiritual formation guide, Elisabeth Badenhop.
The past 12 months have knocked us all to the ground. Allow the empty tomb to cause you, like Peter, to rise and run.
When we envision our church in 10 years, one of the clearest things we see is a thousand or more conversations happening each week about how Jesus changes everything. And the way these conversations happen is mainly through redemptive hospitality. There are three components to redemptive hospitality, lost arts even. The lost art of conversation. The lost art of neighboring. And the lost art of table-setting. First we will talk about table-setting. Table-setting is just another way of saying "making room for others in our life." We intentionally and purposefully “set the table” not just for our family, or our church family, but especially for others.
Licensed clinical counselors Amanda Hullinger and Bernadette McNamara, gather with spiritual formation guide, Elisabeth Badenhop, to discuss holistic Christian maturity (the integration of head, heart, and habits). What does our body and our emotions have to do with maturity in Christ? And why is that important?
What place does habit have in the Christian life? And why does Hope think paying attention to our habits is a very important part of holistic Christian maturity?
What does it mean to be mature? Is it just thinking correct thoughts? Or is there more to being mature in Christ?
Hope has a sermon podcast, where we publish our Sunday sermons. But every once in a while we want to host a conversation with people we know, telling stories about how God is at work in their life. And that’s what this podcast is. It’s called Profiles in Hope because they are profiles of ordinary people like you and me who have tasted the extraordinary hope God offers. And we think sharing these stories has a cascading effect to all who listen.
Hope has a sermon podcast, where we publish our Sunday sermons. But every once in a while we want to host a conversation with people we know, telling stories about how God is at work in their life. And that’s what this podcast is. It’s called Profiles in Hope because they are profiles of ordinary people like you and me who have tasted the extraordinary hope God offers. And we think sharing these stories has a cascading effect to all who listen.
Vocation is a strange word. What does it mean and why does Hope think it is at the center of who we are as a church?
What does it mean to be called a Kingdom of Priests? How could this obscure sounding designation from God be our calling card as a church?
Being on God's mission is not challenging, it's impossible - so long as we rely on our own strength.
Jesus reveals himself to the world, and then calls us to do the same. What does that look like?
How could a baby lying in a feeding trough be "good news of great joy"? What is unique about this baby? And how will he transform not only this world, but our hearts?
We become what we pay attention to. Come explore why John the Baptist would have us give our attention to Jesus.
Mark has us behold John the Baptizer. John will help orient us during this Advent season. Ultimately, he will point us to Jesus.
The Apostle James gives us one of the most straight-forward pictures of tenacious faith during tumultuous times.
While under house arrest, the Apostle Paul prays for the church. What does he pray would happen to our hearts? What would happen if we prayed his prayers, and they were answered in our lives today?
What can we learn from the early church in Acts about faithful mission when everything right now feels hindered?
What do we do when we feel like we are sinking? And especially when God doesn't seem like he cares?
What do we do when we see the church in shambles? And what do we do when we are disappointed with church?
Worship is at the center of what it means to be a Christian. Not merely a mind with correct thoughts about God, but also heart that is on fire.
There is a battle out there for your attention. It's a battle of voices. Which voice will get your attention these days? Only one gives you life and joy.
What place does this dark psalm have in our life? Isn't it better to ignore these kinds of expressions in church? Come explore why God wants this Psalm on our tongues.
Are you feeling drained by constant fear? How could this very ancient worship song (Psalm 56) help us entrust our fears to God?
These days we are all searching for comfort. But what is real comfort? And where can we find it?
Gentleness is at the heart of Christianity because gentleness is at the heart of Jesus.
We live in an age of distrust. But we are all hungry for faithfulness. What is faithfulness? And how can we grow in our faithfulness?
Kindness is not what you might think it is. So what is real kindness, and how can we cultivate it in our lives?
We often say that God is loving, but often God’s love feels so abstract or even dutiful that this truth of God's character may not sink into our hearts. But what if God isn’t only loving, what if God is kind? And what difference might the kindness of God make in our lives?
One of the most common sayings related to patience is: “patience is a virtue”. Much of the reason patience is a virtue, is because impatience is also one of our greatest vices. But what might it mean that God, Himself, is patient?
What if we moved from a bunker mentality to a greenhouse mentality in these days of shut down?
Each week we share God's Story with our sermon podcast, but every so often we want to hear people share their story, and how it fits into God's Story. This is PROFILES in Hope.
Each week we share God's Story with our sermon podcast, but every so often we want to hear people share their story, and how it fits into God's Story. This is PROFILES in Hope.