Jesus-followers are called to a Living Hope – hope that is alive and a hope that is lived.
This is a profound challenge, living when we live in a world that seems to be full of doom and gloom on a daily basis. What’s more, Jesus-followers in the West, including Hobart, have found themselves on the end of much criticism and hostility over the past few decades.
How can we live hopefully, amid such an avalanche of bad news and hostility?
Sermon Series, 1 May to 12 June 2022
It’s a profound reality: wherever light shines shadows are created. In fact, we only fully appreciate light through its contrasting opposite, darkness.
Pure light is blinding, and shadows help us see more clearly. This is true in so many ways.
In this series we will explore how darkness is no enemy to God’s purposes. We will learn how God embraces darkness as a powerful ally to bring about deep transformation in our lives both individually and corporately.
When Jesus taught about the kingdom of God, he invited us to into a new way of seeing.
Our vision series this year focuses on the life of Jesus exploring how we might see and live like Jesus did.
To envisage what it is to be church God wants us to be we need to return to learn again from Jesus of Nazareth who, “through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power” (Romans 1:4) and how he lived out the kingdom of God on earth, and ask the question, “Do I see the world as Jesus sees it?”
Isaiah 40
After 39 chapters of narrative, the Book of Isaiah takes a dramatic shift and becomes a book of poetry.
Up to this point the focus has been the future exile of the northern kingdom of Israel before it is conquered and its people taken into captivity. But from chapter 40 the book of Isaiah skips ahead about 150 years into the future and speaks to those living in captivity.
In exile, the Israelites are discouraged, depressed and suffering deeply.
They are filled with deep questions such as:
They answer is an emphatic “yes!” God calls the prophet to “comfort” Israel in exile. He is to bring the people bringing hope, encouragement, and good news to ease and soothe their troubled hearts.
Thousands of years later, God still speaks to us from Isaiah 40. We can learn from the experience of the exiles and draw from their promised hope. Amid the challenges we face in our world and our communities, we too need to be reminded that God is with us even in the middle of our troubles, questions and challenges. Isaiah gives us insights into how God can comfort us today and give hope in the days ahead.
