"Patience is a virtue." This proverb has been highly touted as a wise sage through the centuries. It has been declared as an innate truth. It has been shared as a source of comfort and encouragement by many a well-meaning friend. For nearly a millennium we find it in higher philosophical thought and classical writings.  But, although we recognize it as a proverb, it is not in the book of Proverbs nor anywhere in the Bible. So really, is patience a virtue? In fact, why can't Impatience be a virtue? As someone who likes to move things along, I think there is a lot of potential virtue in "hey, hurry up!"

Well, although the phrase, patience is a virtue, is not directly found in the Bible, there is plenty of reference to the reality that our lives are lived out in time -- and time can be hard to live out. So we are instructed to wait upon the Lord. We are to lean on the Lord and not our own understanding. Even Jesus said there were certain times to come for which he himself did not know the details. In all this we are encouraged to place our confidence in God and his ability and good will to bring forth promises and blessings in our lives.

Yet, the questions continue to plague us.  How long, Lord? How long do I have to trust and wait when I see no evidence of anything changing? Am I doing something wrong, because this feels like struggle, not the blessing of a father? How long am I expected to hold out hope?

These questions are as real as they get. We believe in a God of unconditional love for us his children, and who has all power and authority to his name. We believe in a victory of Jesus our Christ who has ushered in his kingdom. And yet he instructs us to pray that his kingdom would come and that his will would be done, soon!  In the meantime we wait and hope, but sometimes the weight of hoping seems more than we can withstand.  Even the Scriptures bear witness to this truth. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing [a hope] fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

Sunday we will look at a story in the Bible where the Lord God introduces himself as El Shaddai.  What is this new name that he uses for himself, and what is he trying to reveal to us about his character? What does he want us to understand, and how can we apply this to our lives, especially under the weight of unfulfilled hope.  I invite you to come this Sunday as we hit this topic head on.  But don't come empty-hearted.  Bring with you any unfulfilled hope, and let's see how the Lord might want to deal with it.

Of course, also remember that our year verse for 2012 declares, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Better than new. That is a phrase we have all heard, maybe even said at one time or another. What does it mean? How can something be "better than new"? When something is new it is ideal and ready to go. It is not tarnished or damaged or worn out. It is as good as it can get. It's as good as new.

We understand the phrase "better than new" to mean that something has been restored, refurbished, and quite possibly improved upon. Not only has the original luster returned, but the purpose and function are calling out to be activated. When this thing was new it was really good, but now look at it, wow, it's better than new!

Revelation 21 declares a new world. In this end-time vision we get a peek at the great magnitude of the comprehensive transformation the Lord has in store for all creation and for all those who take up his invitation to align themselves under his Lordship. He declares that the earth is new, the heavens are new. The residence or the society of humankind is new (new Jerusalem). And, the dwelling place of the Lord himself will be among the people. We will be his people and he will be our God. A covenant the Lord established from ages past will be fulfilled when all is made new.

However, this newness is not simply a buffing and polishing from the outside which makes everything gleam and glisten again. It is a newness from the inside out. There is no more pain, mourning or crying because there is no more reason for it to exist. There is such a transformation from the inside that even our worst enemy, death, will not exist.

This declaration of the ultimate transformation of all creation is contained in the simple expression of verse 5. The Lord himself, who sits on the throne and has authority over all he has created declares, "I am making everything new!" He isn't throwing out the old earth. He isn't so disgusted with society that he is casting it into oblivion. He isn't turning his back on humankind, you and me, made in his image. No, he's not throwing it away. Behold, he is making all things new. Not only will his creation's radiance return, but it will be so transformed from the inside that it will be declared new. Everything is being made new. Thank you Lord for it will be, better than new!

What is the most difficult part of the resurrection story for you to believe? Is it that Jesus physically rose from the dead, not as a resuscitation but with a transformed body that would never die again? Is it that through the cross and then the resurrection ALL your sins have been paid for in full? Is it that God loved you so much that he would die for YOU? Is it that Jesus was fully man and fully God? Is it that Jesus was the first born of the resurrection and we too will one day experience our own resurrection? All these mind stretching truths can be a lot to understand and fully grasp.

What about this question: Does the fact that Jesus rose from the grave, his resurrection declaring victory over sin and death, actually impact our lives more than any other event in history? The facts do stretch our minds. Belief in them demand a genuine faith. But I believe the biggest hurdle we face is living in the "already but the not yet." This is a phrase that captures the era of history that we live. The resurrection and victory of Christ has 'already' happened. His power and perfect sacrifice has defeated the enemy and opened the way for the full redemption and restoration of all creation (for all who chose to receive the free gift). We also live in the 'not yet'. The fulfillment of the victory and it's rewards are yet to be fully realized. We still live in the battle of good and evil, both in the cosmic realm and in our daily lives. This fact stands in stark reality: ever before us, before our minds, before our understanding, before our faith. And we can find ourselves asking, where is the victory of the resurrection? This is the context for the sermon series that Pastor Rick began this past Resurrection Sunday. Together we will ask questions and pursue a deeper understanding and impact of the resurrection in our lives. Here is the introduction to the series:

Resurrection. More than just a topic to talk about at Easter and funerals, resurrection is a reality that impacts every aspect of the Christian's life. To Jesus' disciples, their Lord's resurrection changed everything they knew about the world. It meant, at the very least, that the Creator's world (heaven) was now bursting into their world (earth). Equipped with the reality of Jesus' resurrection and the insight and promise of their own future resurrection, the disciples and the early church forged into a brand new way of life. In this series we will face the central reality and impact of the resurrection, and how it impacts us today. In other words: The Resurrection, in real life.

"Overflowing with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom. 15:13

What a great year verse. Who doesn't want to overflow with hope, specially when it comes from the Holy Spirit! Let's hang it on our wall. Let's print it on our T-shirts. We want it to encourage and even inspire us. There are enough other things to discourage us, so let's be encouraged. We are confident in the message of hope. It is neither wishful thinking nor blind faith. It is the word of God given to us and for us. For the year 2012, it is our banner verse.

However, the reality is that it is often difficult to be hopeful in all areas of our lives. Often there is a disconnect between the declaration of hope, and a genuine embrace of hope in a particular situation or circumstance of our lives. We can hope in general, but not in this particular aspect. We can be hopeful in some areas of our lives, but then there are those difficult situations. In fact, we label them "hopeless."

Let's get real. Real hope...in real life. Let's talk about the "hopeless" situations: when discouragement mounts, or injustice mounts, when we see no answers to our prayers, when things are getting worse not better, when hope seems to deny the reality of our lives.

Beginning this Sunday and over the next two months we will look at Hope, In Real Life. We'll take the declaration of God through his holy Scriptures and apply it to the reality of our lives and our world. We will ask the tough questions and face the answers head on. The difficult situations and circumstances of our lives are real. It would be false to deny that, but the message of Jesus and his Kingdom is always hope. In fact this is why Jesus came: to bring hope to the hopeless and the hopeless situations. A real God and Savior, a real Kingdom, and real hope applied to real life. We invite you to join us this Sunday and for the whole series. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.