Faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are fruits that express themselves through our character. They also give us a window into how God wants us to love ourselves.

The fruits of love, joy, and peace gave us a window into our connection with God. Patience, kindness, and goodness give us a chance to see how God is growing us in our relationship with each other.

It is no mistake that love finds itself at the front of the line in the Fruit of the Spirit, as this is repeatedly the facet of God and sign of a faithful life that Paul elevates. Joy and peace are also ones that are deeply rooted in our connection to and focus on God.

We began the year exploring spiritual practices that help us better recognize the presence and activity of God in our lives. But how do we know if we’re growing? How do we know if we’re fulfilling our original calling to be fruitful.

Jesus has been raised from the dead! His appearances continue for 50 days, and then Jesus ascends to the Father just before Pentecost. Is Jesus still around? Is the only access we have to him through prayer?

By Friday evening, it looked like the forces of evil had won and God had lost. Sin and death had done their worst, and as a result, the Son of God was dead and buried. But on Sunday morning, it became clear that the power of life and love were stronger.

The answer to the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” is incomplete if we only seek to understand the mechanics. The crucifixion is infused with the most important message of all time: God loves you.

Psalm 78 reminds us that faith has always been meant to be shared from one generation to the next. But the story we pass on isn’t one of perfect people—it’s the story of God’s enduring grace and faithfulness, even when we fall short. In this message, we’ll reflect on how the church can model integrity, honesty, and compassion so that young people encounter a faith worth inheriting. As each generation decides what story it will tell, we are invited to consider how our lives can help the coming generation set their hope in God.

When the angel Gabriel told Joseph his soon-to-be step son Jesus would save people from their sins, he was talking about more than just the individual mistakes we make. Through the selfless example of Jesus, we are to be transformed.

It is no coincidence that Jesus brought his conflict with the earthly authorities to a head at Passover. Jesus intentionally ties what he will do on the cross to the events of the Exodus in which God brought both freedom and covenant.

One of the most common understandings of why Jesus had to die is that Jesus needed to pay the penalty for our sin. Another atonement theory that focuses on solving the problem of our sin involves seeing Jesus’ death as a sacrificial offering.

Christians agree that the death and resurrection of Jesus put us right with God, but there is not universal agreement on how. Before we dig deeply into the question of how, we begin by first asking what God is saying to us through the crucifixion.