We all know the anxiety of a sleepless night that seems to have no end. We rehearse over and over the relief we will feel when the long dark finally comes to an end. Perhaps we will even lift our voices up in praise just as the prophet Zechariah did after nine months of silence.

Today, as we observe Christ our King Sunday and hang these greens, we declare that despite our darkness, we are people of hope anticipating the dawn breaking at the horizon.

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The post The Night May End (Christ the King Sunday) appeared first on Emmaus Road Church.

In 1956, C.S. Lewis wrote one of the most vivid, joyful, achingly beautiful descriptions of heaven ever put to paper. In post-war England it immediately resonated  with so many readers eager for a new prophetic imagination. 

We see similar visionary work throughout scripture, perhaps nowhere more clearly than in the book of Isaiah. In chapter 65 the prophet is articulating that hope isn’t about escaping our “shadowlands”, it’s about imagining and enacting their true potential.

This morning, we’re going to explore what it means that God’s glory doesn’t ignore an abused creation, but rather glorifies it, restoring glory to the shadows that too often rest heavily on us.

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In today’s scripture, a group of religious elites approached Jesus with what seemed like a theological puzzle, but everyone could tell the question was a trap. They weren’t seekers of wisdom. They weren’t students eager to learn. They were hunters, and Jesus was the prey.

But Jesus took their carefully constructed snare and turned it into a door. A door to a renewed prophetic imagination. He took their weapon and transformed it into an invitation to an embodied faith that glorifies us and those we encounter.

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We have climbed ladders of success, accumulated achievements, built platforms, only to find ourselves perched somewhere high and isolated, straining to see something real, something that makes us feel less alone.

In spite of our striving, we are not finding the satisfaction our souls long for. We hunger for restoration to the peace we all want but cannot seem to grasp.

This restoration has a name in spiritual terms: to glorify.

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Have you ever read a letter written by a departed loved one? Their memories come flooding back, and suddenly the paper and ink feel sacred, more than just words on a page. Their voice seems to reach across time, alive again in the words they left behind. That is what reading 2 Timothy 4 feels like.

Today, as we honor those who have guided and shaped us, it feels right to listen to such words. We remember those who have journeyed before us, the faithful ones, both known and unknown, who ran their race and now rest in the light of God’s presence.

As we hear Paul’s final words, we are reminded that a life poured out in love is never lost. It becomes light on the water, guiding those who follow after.

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How often, when we open Scripture, do we feel like we’re just wandering through empty ruins? We explore a landscape that feels old and strange, collections of odd stories, confusing poetry, and names that feel like tongue twisters. 

But then, somewhere in the midst of that apparent ruin, we catch movement and light beneath the surface. We sense a presence and signs of life and breath. And we realize that these ruins are inhabited. The old house of Scripture is still alive and we are being invited to move in and take up residence there.

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The post Great Hope, The Living Word appeared first on Emmaus Road Church.

Sometimes we just want to feel sorry for ourselves. Our circumstances are hard, we didn’t get the promotion, another unexpected bill, someone treats us badly, or we are just really dreading doing the thing we know we should be doing.

The books of 1st and 2nd Timothy are chocked full of encouraging pep talks aimed precisely at those of us who feel this kind of weight and discouragement. This week, we are reminded to remember the WHY behind this whole life of Christian Faith.

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This Sunday we reflect on God’s call to live with confidence and courage in the gifts He has entrusted to us. Instead of a traditional sermon, our service will weave together scripture reading, reflection, testimony, and prayer—inviting each of us to see how God’s Spirit of power, love, and self-discipline is at work in our lives. Join us for a time of worship that lifts up God’s faithfulness and encourages us to embody His hope in the unique ways we are gifted.

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We live in a world where ideas and beliefs are valuable commodities and our loyalties and attention are being pulled in many directions. 

In 1st Timothy chapter 4, Paul urges Timothy—and us—to discern carefully when we are being pulled in directions that do not align with Christ. Additionally we are encouraged to train ourselves in faithfulness to the life and teaching of Jesus and to live in such a way that everything we say and do points back to Jesus.

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There is no question that the cultural, political, and spiritual environment in which we currently live is tense and complicated, and speaking directly into this angst, scripture provides a frustratingly simple solution. It gives us a method, an action, a prescription that not only leads to common peace, but produces lives that are marked by quiet godliness and dignity.

If you want to step off the treadmill of outrage and retaliation all around us, Paul says, “Pray.” Learning to stop, to lament, to resist striking back, and instead to redirect all that energy into prayer — even prayer for our enemies is the prescription to peace.

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