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Psalm 61 provides some strategies for enduring seasons of discouragement and distance from God by showing us how to cry out in prayer and take refuge in him. David reminds us that God is both strong and tender—our rock, tower, dwelling place, and sheltering wings. God is experienced as a refuge through his promises which find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Christ was the one who experienced the ultimate exile from sin so that we would never have to. In the gospel of Christ we find security, hope, and joy that leads us back to God in worship.

In Luke 24:36-53 we learn how the resurrection of Jesus is both a historical reality and a deeply personal, transformative truth.  The resurrection turns sorrow into joy, affirms the hope of a real, embodied resurrection life for believers, and commissions us as Spirit-empowered witnesses to proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all nations. Far from being a distant theological concept, the resurrection has profound implications for everyday life. It assures us of peace with God, promises redemption of our deepest pain, and invites us to live with hope and purpose as we await the return of our King.

In Luke 24:13–35 we follow two discouraged disciples traveling on the road who unknowingly encounter the risen Jesus. Through their story, we are challenged to consider how our expectations and misunderstandings might blind us to Christ’s presence in our lives. What kind of Jesus are you looking for? Are you seeking someone to help you or someone to redeem you? As Jesus opens the Scriptures to these travelers their hearts burn within them, and they finally recognize him during the ordinary act of breaking bread. This invites us to recognize the risen Lord not only in dramatic signs, but in the quiet, faithful rhythms of Scripture, community, and grace. Have you encountered the risen Christ? If so, who can you tell?

Luke 24:1-12 captures the moment when a group of women were stunned by what they didn't find in the tomb of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus shook the world with life. This means Christians have much more than the profound sayings of a religious leader who died long ago. Christians relate with a living Lord through the living word. The Lord still speaks, transforms, and calls each of us into new beginnings. The empty tomb means the story of Jesus isn’t over and there is room in his story for you. What do you see when you look in the empty tomb?

As Jesus breathes his last breath in Luke 23:44–56, his death is marked by signs that prove its profound significance: darkness covers the land, and the temple curtain is torn. Jesus, the Light of the World, enters into the darkness of sin and death so that we might enter into the light and life of God. His final cry is not one of defeat, but one of trust in the Father and triumph over evil. His death cry was not one of earthly defeat but eternal hope. What do you hear in Jesus’s cry? Do you hear a man defeated, or do you hear the voice of a Savior?

In Luke 23:1-12, Jesus stands before two powerful Roman politicians, Pilate and Herod. Pilate, wrestling with political convenience, finds no guilt in Jesus but refuses to act justly. Herod, craving entertainment, mocks Jesus when he doesn't speak or perform miracles on command. Through these encounters, we see the innocence of Jesus affirmed even by hostile figures. We also witness the sovereignty of God orchestrating redemption through even human injustice. This passage challenges us to confront our response to Jesus —not as a figure to manipulate for personal gain, but as the true King who invites us into his kingdom through repentance and faith.

In Luke 22:54-71 we see more responses to Jesus. Peter denied, others mocked, and some accused. Through all of this we are also able to observe Jesus's response. When given the chance, he doesn't defend himself. In a way, he provides the testimony that brings about his conviction. In a theological sense Jesus is on trial for us. He stands on trial where we ought to be standing. The judge becomes judged so sinners can be rescued from judgment.

The betrayal of Jesus in Luke 22:47-53 reveals both the pain of betrayal and the sovereignty of God. Judas’s act of betrayal underscores the deep emotional wound caused when trust is broken, especially by someone close. Yet, in the face of this treachery, Jesus responds with compassion, healing the ear of the servant and demonstrating that his kingdom is not advanced through violence but through sacrificial love. Even as the forces of darkness appear to prevail, Jesus acknowledges their limits, declaring, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” This evil moment unfolds under God’s sovereign plan, turning betrayal and suffering into the means of redemption. Jesus’s response challenges us to face wrongdoing in the same way, while his acknowledgment of God’s control assures us that no trial or evil act lies outside God’s redemptive purpose.

In Romans 8:28-30 we learn two promises that provide Christians with a joy that cannot be taken away (John 16:22). Because of the resurrection of Jesus, 1.) your bad things will turn out for good, and 2.) the best is yet to come. Bad things turning out for good doesn't mean bad things are somehow reclassified as good. It does mean that if the worst thing to ever happen in the world – the execution and death of the Son of God – worked out for good, then Christians can be assured all of their bad things will turn out for good too. And knowing the best is yet to come means all the good things in this life are gifts, not gods. All of the joys, delights, pleasures, and loves of this life are precious gifts from God given as a taste, an appetizer, of an eternal and glorious life to come. A life so glorious that "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).

Palm Sunday is all about the fact that Jesus is King. But what does the kingliness of Jesus consist of? Luke 19 and John 13 give us three vignettes about the kind of King we have in Jesus. In Luke 19:34-41 we learn we have a king who weeps. In Luke 19:45-46 we learn we have a king who has anger, because he wants us. And in John 13:1-5 we learn we have a king who loves us to the end. In all of your efforts for true love and for the deepest kind of friendship, in all of your efforts to find a genuine and true leader you can follow, Jesus is the one you ultimately seek. Jesus is everything you need and all you want. He is a lion and a lamb.

When pain and anguish and feelings of betrayal and disillusionment flood our souls what are we to do? Thankfully, God has given us the resource of biblical lament. Lament is not a denial of faith; it’s actually an expression of it. It is what happens when people who believe in God turn to him with their pain—not to hide it, not to fix it quickly, but to bring it honestly before Him. In a world that often rushes past grief or avoids it altogether, lament invites us to slow down, speak the truth, and be held by a God who listens. This sermon offers practical guidance in learning what biblical lament is and how to do it.   

In Luke 20:41-21:4 Jesus asks a question of his own to invite his adversaries to give deeper reflection to who the Messiah really is. When Jesus quotes from Psalm 110 he reveals the Messiah is much more than simply a descendant of David. He is the Lord over all who will overcome the worst of our enemies - sin and death. When he warns his disciples not to become like the Scribes he demonstrates he is the better ruler. The Scribes were looking for too little in a Messiah. They couldn't see that in Jesus God had given them a beautiful King. A king who gives instead of takes. A king who sacrifices himself instead of exploiting others for gain. A king who gives his life so others might live. Is this the Jesus you know? 

In Luke 19:45-20:8 we learn about a cleansed temple and a questioned Savior. Jesus throws the sellers out because the temple was supposed to be a place to worship and communion with God; not a busy marketplace of big business. This shows us it's possible to be busy about religious things and still miss what's most important -- worship of God from the heart. When the religious leaders questioned Jesus's authority they reveal their own hardheartedness and blindness to the many demonstrations of divine authority he had already given. Do you see and believe who Jesus really is?

In Luke 18:35-43, we learn about a blind beggar meeting Jesus on the roadside. Not only is this blind beggar destitute and entirely at the mercy of others, he is also an outcast and excluded from the worshiping community. He cries out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" This blind beggar stands in marked contrast to the rich ruler (Luke 18:18-24). The rich man had everything the world could offer, but he could not see that Jesus was the greatest gift he could ever have hoped for. In contrast the blind beggar has nothing, yet he saw in the darkness of his blindness the light of heavenly promise in Jesus. Do you see what the blind man sees?

In Luke 18:9-17 Jesus teaches a parable about two people and two destinies to confront any notion that we can trust in ourselves to be righteous. The Pharisee shows us doing good things does not get you into God's Kingdom. The Tax Collector shows us even the worst of the worst can enter God's Kingdom. Entering God's kingdom doesn't require our self-righteous efforts, it requires depending on God's work of atoning mercy. You will only experience God's Kingdom if you depend entirely on God's mercy like an infant depends entirely on its mother. Do you?