Hope Church

Join us for Easter this Sunday at 10:30am either virtually or in person. Virtually - zoom.us/s/935172591 In Person - Message for the address

In the Gospel of Luke, Luke repeatedly reminds us of the context of Jesus’ ministry - that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. Wherever Jesus went, Luke presents ...the image of crowds following and gathering around Jesus, and Jesus healing many and responding to some. In Chapter 13, Luke tells us, Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, Lord, are only a few people going to be saved? He said to them, Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. The text continues, but let’s stop for a minute and think about that someone, the man in the crowd who asked the question. It’s obviously a great question (are only a few people going to be saved?). But I wonder what prompted him to ask. Had he been following along in the crowds for a while and was beginning to understand that Jesus’ message was different? That just being Jewish alone did not guarantee being saved? Did the things he saw and heard - like people being healed on Sundays, and phrases like Kingdom of God and ‘repent or you will perish’ - alarm him? Did he sense a shift occurring that would impact his way of life? And I wonder what the man in the crowd thought of Jesus’ indirect response, His reply to make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many will try but won’t be able to. As a member of the nation of Israel, did he still see himself as one of few who would be saved simply by virtue of his birth? Or was it beginning to dawn on him that he could be part of the many unless he yielded to the shift he was sensing? Did he understand that that shift, that narrow door, was faith and belief in Jesus no matter what? That the ‘making every effort,’ the striving to enter, was about coming to and persevering in faith? In the case of this man and of all of those in the crowd their growing belief that Jesus was the Messiah would soon be tested. Jesus was going to Jerusalem. They would see Him beaten, betrayed and hung on a cross. Some in the crowd would be the betrayers; they would turn their backs on Jesus and listen to a different narrative; a narrative that would not change their lives. And so, this same challenge is ours today. Will we persevere in faith even when our faith is tested? Will we resist shifting our focus to an easy or more comfortable or more desirable narrative? Will we fight against complacency and pursue an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus? Will we not quit and turn our backs on Jesus? In other words, or rather, in His words, will we make every effort to enter through the narrow door? May it be so. Amen.

Earlier this week, on Ash Wednesday, we reflected on the pivot in Jesus’ life when, as stated in the Gospel of Luke, He resolutely set out for Jerusalem, the place where He resolved to go, where He would ultimately hang from a cross. Several verses later Luke shares with us 3 separate exchanges Jesus had with men who were walking along the road, on the way to Jerusalem, with Jesus. Each exchange centered on the demands of following Jesus. What it would be like - that in fac...Continue reading

Today is the first day of Lent. Ash Wednesday. For the next 40 days, until Easter, Christian tradition honors the 40 days Jesus was in the wilderness without food being tempted by Satan. It is the period when Christians around the world enter a time of prayer, fasting or sacrifice to emulate Christ’s obedience to the Father, to contemplate Him, and to draw closer to Him. These next 40 days are a journey. A journey that ends in Jerusalem, the place of Jesus’ death and resurrec...tion. And, although, all of Jesus’ life was a journey to Jerusalem, the Gospel of Luke in Chapter 9, verse 51 shows us a pivot point of His journey: As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Resolutely. Jesus knew His destiny of torture and persecution and hanging from a cross, but He resolutely went there anyway. He resolved to go. He made a clear decision to move toward Jerusalem without looking back, without equivocation. And He asks the same of us. To resolve to follow Him. To stay with Him. To be with Him. Forever. So we ask that you resolve to join us over these next 40 days; to resolutely walk with Him and lean into the scriptures and gain a deeper understanding of Him. Resolve to a new or renewed spiritual practice, maybe fasting from something or daily meditation or prayer journaling. We will be sharing weekly reflections each Sunday and we encourage each of you to reflect on your own experience - as we journey together, with Jesus, to Jerusalem. Amen.

Celebrating 4 years!! Friends moving, couples getting engaged, friends buying houses, and Hope turning 4...there is still so much celebrate pandemic aside. #blessed

When we see someone hurting, we can either walk by or walk up. I often walk by. I pretend not to see or convince myself they don’t need my help. Other times, I ...walk up hoping that helping won’t keep me too long or cost me too much. Compassion causes us to walk up, stay longer, and give more. I heard someone describe compassion as the ability to put on the shoes and live in the skin of another for a time (Luke 10:29-37). Here is a glimpse into the challenges these kids face in the urban area. Imagine not having internet at home. Try to picture having over ten kids in a small 800 sq ft apartment like one of the families. Many lack grade-level skills so they easily get discouraged with assignments. Others struggle with basic addition and multiplication making it impossible to complete math assignments. One struggled with a journal assignment not knowing how to form the letters in the sentence I like school. Almost all of them only log on when they are with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is hard to walk around and look past these kids falling through the cracks. The needs are greater than any of us anticipated. We have seen a little coaching reengage their learning, personal attention get them back on track, and encouragement give them hope to succeed. If you are able to volunteer even for just one hour on Tuesday or Thursdays during the hours of 9:00am-2:00pm, please reach out to us. We already have a waiting list of kids. CityOf Refuge Sacramento - Providence Sacramento - Hope Church

Join us Sundays at 10:30am on Zoom (Meeting ID: 935 172 591)

Hope Tech will be starting a new free virtual class Tuesday July 7. Students will learn the basics of video game development as they build a simple one player game. There will be a live session from 2-3 pm every Tuesday and a pre-recorded session will also be available for those that can not attend the live session. The course is designed for students 6-12 grade and is 7 weeks long. Click on the link to register for the class and to be added to the Google Classroom. https://www.hopetechsac.com/summer2020

This is a must-listen-to message! Thank you Chris for giving direction to our church this morning to live and love like Jesus in times like this. I am thankful for how you have always pointed me to Jesus and centered me on the gospel. You are a passionate and compassionate man of God that inspires me to be more like Jesus. I am grateful for your leadership in all seasons and especially in shepherding us in seasons like this. #honorblackmen - Chris Martin

Join us Sundays at 10:30am on Zoom (Meeting ID: 935 172 591) https://vimeo.com/419593415

My brother-in-law Mark Beuving just wrote a very timely book for the moment we find ourselves as a church. Some leaders may read this book and say they already have thought through what the church should be during this time. But have we as leaders invited our people into this process? I know I am guilty of robbing people of the process of thinking for themselves through the Scriptures. This book can help the everyday believer think through and live out the everyday practices of the church that we as leaders have programatized and professionalized. Now is the time to put the church back into the hands of the people. https://amzn.to/2YXz0Y3

Women's Day at Hope https://vimeo.com/416793029

Women's Day at Hope! https://vimeo.com/416811125

Join us Sundays at 10:30am on Zoom (Meeting ID: 935 172 591) https://vimeo.com/414381542

Join us Sundays at 10:30am on Zoom (Meeting ID: 935 172 591) https://vimeo.com/411916640

Easter Worship Set 1 Join us Sundays at 10:30am on Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/935172591) https://vimeo.com/406861758 - Blake A. Milton, Samantha Henson, Leah Hanks

Easter Worship Set 2 - Join us Sundays at 10:30am on Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/935172591) https://vimeo.com/406852222 - Blake A. Milton, Samantha Henson, Leah Hanks