Bridging the Divide

“If another member of the church sins against you,
go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.
If the member listens to you, you have regained that one."

---

All of us bear wounds and scars from things others have said or done to us. And, if we are honest with ourselves, we have hurt others too. As people that are still a work in progress, it is not a question of if we will hurt each other, but when.

To those who are more comfortable avoiding conflict, Jesus says go. To those who want to punish people who have hurt them, Jesus says seek resolution.

To all of us, Jesus calls us from retribution and into the ministry of reconciliation.

Scripture passage for this Sunday:
* Matthew 18:15-17
* Philippians 1:12-18a

---

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/5ZHPDIcucjk

Growing Up

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child, whom he put among them, and said,
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

---

We often think of childhood as something we are to grow out of, but Jesus, as he often does, reveals that the kingdom of Heaven is different than human sensibilities. He invites a child to come to him and teaches his closest and most devoted followers that true greatness is found in becoming humble like the child.

Rather than growing out of childhood, the humble heart of a child is something we are called to grow into.

Scripture passages for this Sunday:
* Matthew 18:1-5
* Philippians 1:3-11

---

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/wVeCGwSu3HU

Joy Amid Despair

I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work among you
will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

---

Scripture passages for this Sunday:
* Psalms 145, 3-5, 10
* Philippians 1:1-6

The Apostle Paul is in prison and yet experiences joy and gratitude, particularly as he remembers and prays for his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ in Philippi. When most of us would be filled with despair, he is filled with joy.

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/Apwmd3qfh_M

Lens of Grace

"Are you envious because I am generous?’
So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

---

Scripture passages for this Sunday:
* Matthew 20:1-16

There are many perspectives for seeking, loving and serving God, the best allow to see and celebrate who God truly is, rather than who we want him to be. Unfortunately, us humans often miss out on fully experiencing God's love and grace because we seek God through our expectations rather than God's nature.

Jesus tells the Parable of the Laborers to reveal God's great generosity. The vineyard owner infuriates workers who were paid exactly what they were promised when others were given the same pay for far less work. The vineyard owner chose to be generous with all of his workers. Rather than being angry, the first workers could have been happy with what they were paid and celebrated with the recipients of the owners generosity.

Jesus concludes, "Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/2WSziBfrEpI

Out of Our Comfort Zone

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,
but whoever loses their life for me will find it."

---

Scripture passages for this Sunday:
* Matthew 16:21-28
* Romans 12:9-21

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/4NnJNYe3QIs

Setting Our Course

 On this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

---

Standing in the midst of a center of pagan worship, Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?"

Peter responds, inspired by God, that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus replies that God has revealed this great truth to Peter and that "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."

It must have seemed strange to his disciples when moment's later Jesus announces that he must go to Jerusalem where he will suffer, be killed, and on the third day be raised.

His disciples never imagined that Jesus would head to Jerusalem to die, but as Jesus proclaimed, that gates of Hades will not prevail, he would be raised.

Scripture passages for this Sunday:
* Matthew 16:13-20
* Romans 12:9-21

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Belonging & Becoming

Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”

---

Jesus celebrates the faith of a Canaanite woman, that others tried to chase away, praising her and condemning the religious elite.

All too often, Christians can be more concerned about drawing dividing lines and categorizing people by who is in and who is out, when our hearts and faith ought to be seeking and loving the people that Jesus loves.

As we do, God's spirit works within us transforming by the renewal of our minds, so that we might truly know and seek God's will in our life and in the world.

Scripture passages for this Sunday:
* Matthew 15:21-28
* Romans 12:1-3

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.
What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them,
but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

---

This pandemic has disrupted what we often think of as church. But how much of what we miss is human traditions rather than God's purposes? Jesus was confronted by Pharisees and scribes that complained that his disciples did not follow their traditions. Jesus responded that what comes from the heart is what matters to God, not what goes into our mouths.

May all of us take the opportunity to look past our expectations of how we encountered and worshiped God in the past, to encounter the risen Christ in the present.
Today's scripture includes:

Psalms 67
Matthew 15:1-20

God Remembers Us

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified.
‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them:
‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’

---

We will experience danger and storms in our lives. Rather than escaping difficulties, Christians are far more likely to experience storms than those who don’t venture far from shore.

The good news is that even in the storm we are not alone. If I know the one who can calm the seas, he can calm even me.

Today's scripture includes:

Psalms 105:1-6
Matthew 14:22-33

All In

“"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls;
on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold
all that he had and bought it.”

Jesus calls for us to go "all in" fully investing ourselves in the kingdom of heaven. But we are not alone, God is "all in" for us and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Today's scripture includes:
Romans 8:31-39
Matthew 13: 44-46

---

This worship service is produced through the combined efforts of Hope Presbyterian Church at Lake Nona and Oviedo Presbyterian Church and we pray that God will use it to bless people far beyond our congregations. We are very grateful to all who contribute to these services.

Please share them with your friends and families.

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/0PwcQKvA04A