Life is full of ups and downs, with moments of great pleasure and deep suffering and pain. Our world often tries to ignore this suffering with excess, or buries itself in despair – but how does God call us to respond to suffering? What ways does Peter instruct us to walk through suffering with Christ? Join us this Sunday as Ministry Coordinator Tara Farrell brings us a message from 1 Peter in our series on Gentleness: A Beautiful Way in a Chaotic World.
Sermons by Tara Farrell
Bulletin
After the emotional blow of Jesus’ death on a cross, and the emotional high of his victory and resurrection, the ascension of Jesus can feel a bit… anti-climactic. Whether you’re a follower of Jesus or not, you may be asking yourself: why did Jesus leave so soon after he resurrected? What are we supposed to do now without Him here on earth? Join us this Sunday as our Ministry Coordinator, Tara Farrell, brings us a message about the relevance of Christ’s ascension and casts a vision for how we can continue working with him even now, thousands of years later.
This week we look at a third priority for Hope in the coming year – being a church where friends feel welcome. Ministry Coordinator, Tara Farrell, brings a discussion on who in our lives are friends and neighbors who could benefit from what Hope Church has to offer – and how we can continue to make Hope a welcoming place for people of all nations, backgrounds and kinds. Join us this Sunday at 9 a.m. as we worship together, engage ideas together, and welcome all who would come and discover the unimaginable love of Jesus!
Whether you grew up going to church, or found Jesus later in life, there are always moments we learn something about our faith that feels upsetting, difficult, and confusing. Scripture is not always immediately clear and there are passages and ideas that feel contradictory. In church we also hear many different voices and opinions from many different leaders – maybe even those who are trying to lead us astray. In short, as a Christian, it can be hard to know who to trust. In the next installment of our Hebrews series, Ministry Coordinator Tara Farrell brings us a message titled “Jesus is the Better Priest” as we explore some difficult questions of faith and exalt Christ as the ultimate and trustworthy priest!
Have you ever been in a difficult season where you didn’t know what to do? When it was hard to hear God’s voice or you felt distant or without guidance? How do we walk faithfully with God during times of hardship and despair? This week, Tara Farrell brings a message on story of Ruth and Naomi and how their boldness and courage brings them through tragedy and suffering – and how God is faithfully working with us and for us no matter what.
Are we alone in this world? Maybe this question brought to mind images of UFOs and alien life forms, but what about the supernatural? Humans have been wrestling with God for thousands of years, and we often wonder why He feels distant or if He cares about our own small lives. Join us this Sunday at 9 a.m. to sing, pray and ponder these questions as our Ministry Coordinator Tara Farrell continues our series through the stories of the Bible entitled, “Knowing God.” This week we explore the extraordinary faith of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob and how they walked not alone but with God as His plan to save humanity continued to unfold.
This Sunday, as we reach the final chapter of I Corinthians and the end of our series, we reflect on all of the ways the body of Christ has struggled with political division and cultural controversy since the very first century. Yet in this final chapter was also see Paul encouraging us to continue to strive for unity and generosity in the faith, and demonstrates that love is not measured in quantity – but in quality. Join us at 9 a.m. as Ministry Coordinator Tara Farrell brings a message on how to love the church with generosity, abundance, and joy.
Two weeks ago, Lead Pastor Dean Wertz established the problem of disunity in the church – both in the at Corinth, and in the world today. Last week, Elder Rob Cupp gave a message on how exalting Christ as our King and surrendering our love to Him can bring us together again. This week, we will discuss how listening to wisdom of the Spirit (and not the wisdom of the world) is absolutely essential to living our lives authentically in unity with Christ and the church. We will also be inviting two special guests onstage to share their personal stories about what it’s like to deny the wisdom of the world, and trust fully in the Spirit of God.
Have you ever wondered if going to church is really that important? Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, our world still feels more isolated, and it’s more and more common to stay home, work from home, and even “church” from home. This week we discuss the value of gathering with fellow believers, and take a look in the book of Acts at the early church’s extremely communal lifestyle. We remember that we can’t do it alone – we can only be the bride of Christ as we come together to worship, sing, learn and grow.