Lent is the season of preparation for Easter, a time to reflect deeply on Jesus' - identity, teachings, and death on the cross—so we can fully understand and celebrate His resurrection. This year, we will focus on the "I am" statements in the Gospel of John. While all four Gospels include instances where Jesus uses the Greek phrase "ego eimi," meaning "I am," John's Gospel records Jesus doing so over 30 times, more than twice the other Gospels combined. Among these, seven instances feature profound metaphors that Jesus used to describe Himself.  Throughout Lent, we will explore these seven metaphors, gaining a deeper and richer understanding of who Jesus was and is.

We live in uncertain times.  Wars rage, our nation is deeply divided, and as Christians, we find ourselves in a culture that is increasingly resistant to our faith. In the book of 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul writes to a church that was also dealing with uncertain times.  The Thessalonians lived in a world that was hostile to their faith, enduring persecution and even violence at times. As new believers, they also grappled with confusion about their doctrines and faced the divisive influence of individuals sowing discord among them. Yet, unlike most churches Paul wrote to, he offered the Thessalonians no correction, only encouragement and praise.  The Thessalonians provide a great model to learn from as we seek to live our faith in these uncertain times.

This Advent and Christmas season, we’ll focus on the profound theme of God's glory. It can be challenging to define God's glory since it manifests in numerous ways throughout the Bible. It embodies the greatness and perfection of His character and attributes. Additionally, God’s glory reveals His special presence in the world, evident in both creation and His redemptive acts. We can also glorify God through our worship and praise. However, it was on that first Christmas that the ultimate expression of God's glory entered our world with the birth of Jesus. Yet, Jesus came, not only to display God's glory but to invite us to embody and reflect it in our own lives. This may surprise us; we might think God's glory is reserved for exceptionally spiritual people, for extraordinary acts, or even for the realm of fantasy and escape, but we can experience and reflect God’s glory right here and now by following Jesus and living out God's call in our everyday lives. In fact, Isaiah 43:7 says that we were created by God for His glory!