The gospel is called that! It means “good news.” If the story ended with everyone being separated from God because of sin, it would be terrible news. But God is full of love, mercy, and grace and He wants to be glorified. So He provided a way for people to be forgiven and made right with Him again.

Thank you to our children for triumphantly waving their palms this Sunday! Click HERE to view the service. 

The kids will lead worship this week.  They’ll parade with palms to help us remember the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem for his final week.  The crowds that day were full of joy and anticipation of who they hoped Jesus was.  By week’s end, of course, Jesus died on a cross and was buried in a grave.  

Camp Foster was an incredible place to connect with God and with each other last weekend on the high school retreat. Our group of students focused on developing habits that would bring them nearer to the heart of God, and it was evident by the end of the retreat that all of them were growing in their faith. We had …

Green is one of the many colors of Easter.  It’s the color of new life.  It reminds us of the palm leaves that greeted Jesus when he entered Jerusalem. We should welcome Jesus into our hearts, thanking him for what he has done for us. Here are some great discussion starters this week. How did Jesus enter Jerusalem?   What …

This week, Jesus injects calm into a sea of anxiety.  We’re sitting with Jesus as he speaks to the disciples on the night before he dies.  They are finally understanding that the end is near.  We can almost feel their anxiety as they lean in to the conversation. Jesus promises something beyond their (and our comprehension): it is to their (and …

David sinned against God, but even through that, God, in His grace, restored David when he repented. One night David was on the roof of the palace and saw Bathsheba, bathing. He called for her and the result was that she became pregnant. After orchestrating her husband Uriah’s death, David married Bathsheba and she soon gave birth to a son. …

This week we walk with Jesus as he leaves the feast of Passover with his disciples and begins his journey to a Roman cross.  He walks through streets and comes to gardens.  Somewhere along the route he grabs a grape vine and gives us one more example of what it’s like to follow him.

Already he has set an example for us: he washed our feet in John 13.  Last week, Jesus painted a picture of our true home in his kingdom: it’s like getting ready for a wedding.  This week he takes us deeper and uses a new word to describe the closest possible relationship we can have with him.  

The word is abide. 

David had become the king of Israel. When David assumed the throne of Israel, God had given the nation peace from its enemies. David was concerned however that the ark of the covenant still dwelt in a tent and did not have a permanent home. 

This week is a very special week.  We are sending out dozens of people on mission experiences over the next two weeks.  Students, faculty, and staff, from Northwestern and Dordt will be heading north and south and east and west.  Some will go to Europe, to Haiti, and to Nicaragua.  And, Pastor Bob and elder Karen Barker will be our representatives on a visit to our sister church in Japan.  

All this reminds me of a phrase from Pastor Rick Warren, “It’s not your seating capacity but your sending capacity that counts.”  Thanks be to God!

The message may seem out of place for a day of sending, but it actually fits quite well.  Jesus is in the middle of his last talk with the disciples before he goes to the cross.  They fear what comes next. Jesus sets them at ease as he talks about home, about the home he prepares for them in his Father’s house.