If there was a way to bottle up peace and sell it, it would be the hottest gift this Mother’s Day. In our text today, there has been chaos in Israel for 20 years. Deborah, a mother in Israel, rises up and to bring peace to her people. But there’s a surprise! It’s not Deborah but someone else who brings peace and gets the glory.

What was it about the death of Jesus that brought two men out of hiding? For some time both Joseph and Nicodemus had been secret disciples of Jesus. They had faith but only enough to follow him from a safe distance. When they saw Jesus die, they were radically changed. They came out of hiding to be all in for Jesus. John tells us what happened to them so we too can believe and live the all in life.

We have a deep longing for justice. Has your desire for justice ever made you ask hard questions of God? In this sermon, Jesus answers the people asking questions about God’s plan for justice and he confronts those who falsely accuse him. In God’s plan, he never brings justice without first offering mercy.

Making plans for 2023 gives us an opportunity to peak behind the curtains of our heart to see what we think about God. It also helps us see Jesus as the ultimate person who surrenders all to the Father’s control as the ultimate act of trust about what is coming.

Staying connected to Jesus gives us all we need for the life we long for. Confidence replaces shame. Intimacy with Jesus drives out sin. We find meaning and purpose for the life God designed us to live.

John was an ordinary man who fell in love with an extraordinary man named Jesus. He shows us Jesus was a real man who really loved us and made a way for us to dwell with him forever.

Sometimes God has unusual ways of showing up in our lives like he did with Moses and the burning bush. God wants us to know he sees, hears and is truly concerned about our suffering. He offers to be with us if we will put our trust in Him.

The way Jesus teaches us to pray would seem to indicated he knows forgiveness is not easy for us.  In fact, what we are going to see today is “It is the prayer that moves our hearts so we actually want to forgive.”  What does Jesus want us to know and learn about His Father and forgiveness and how does prayer interact with that?

Jesus wants us to see that His Father is good! He uses his sun and rain to create a safe space where all people can see his goodness. And this is how he wants us to treat others.

There is one thing that makes us invincible until the day our work for God is finished. Today, Pastor Steve Gibb takes us to Acts 23 and 24 and we see that our mission can not fail because Jesus is alive and walking with us each step of the way.