Hope In God + This Sunday at Immanuel
Good morning Immanuel. Let's start this morning with a reminder of our true hope as we prepare for Sunday!
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God.” (Psalm 42:5-6a)
David knew what it was like to be in a spiritual desert. His soul was thirsting for God like a deer pants for water (v1). In his mind’s eye, he could go back to sweeter times of rich fellowship and joyful praise in the temple with the people of God (v4). David felt near to God and full of life in those moments, but now those moments feel out of his reach! Many of us can relate to that. Like David, we may have past experiences of spiritual joy and vitality that only seem to frustrate us as we endure a season of spiritual dryness. Why the disconnect? Why the dark cloud? “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” The Bible not only gives us permission to feel this way, but it also gives us permission to wrestle with the tension.
Two realities run parallel in the Christian experience: 1) that we often experience times of being cast down, and 2) that our hope is in God! David doesn’t pretend that all is well in his present experience. That would be dishonest. Neither does he wallow in his current experience, but he directs his attention to God Himself. In light of God, David sees joy as the more abiding reality. Our hope is not ultimately found in a season of spiritual high but in God of hope, the Lord of life, Christ our Savior. He does not change, and His love and salvation do not move with the crashing waves of human circumstances! He’s worthy of our hope, our worship, and our praise!
Sunday Morning
5TH SUNDAY FAMILY WORSHIP - Join us as we worship the Lord and celebrate a dedication (9 AM) and baptisms (10:45 AM)!
SERMON - Pastor Barnabas Piper will continue our Ephesians sermon series from Ephesians 2.
ENGAGE - Sunday morning is an excellent opportunity to participate in the work Jesus is doing. Here are a few ways to engage at Immanuel:
Questions - Submit any questions about the sermon for the Sidebar here!
Park Avenue - Our Park Avenue ministry is collecting $25 Kroger gift cards to help Park Avenue Elementary families put a Thanksgiving meal on the table this November. Please drop them off at the Park Avenue table in the lobby!
Give - Your generous giving enables us to plan for strategic gospel ministry as we seek to make the real Jesus non-ignorable in our city and far beyond. You can give online here.
Connect - If you will be visiting Immanuel for the first time or are new, feel free to fill out our connection card here!
Seminars
9 am: Studying the Bible Together led by Tom Cox in the Staff Lounge (ongoing)
9 am: Student Seminar led by Vince Greenwald in the gymnasium (ongoing for grades 5-12)
No First Word Seminar with Dr. Moore; Class resumes next Sunday!
No Next Steps this week; Class resumes next Sunday with session 1!