Fear is all around us all the time. Fear of the future. Fear for our health. Fear of not having enough. Fear of being alone. Fear of strangers. We see it in the mirror. It’s on the faces of family, friends and neighbors. We project our fears onto others and blame them for our lack of trust. Fear is a burden we all carry that wears us down and keeps us apart. Fear immobilizes us from doing the important things that we really need to do right now.

For these reasons, one of the most repeated commands in the Bible is “Do not be afraid.” The angels say it. Jesus says it. So does God. So, why shouldn’t we be afraid? Because God can be trusted.

When you look at the big story of the Bible, you see the people of God continually distracted by fears and temptations. It’s true in our lives, too, isn’t it? We fall away and we wander off. But God keeps coming to us with open arms, trying to gather us in, welcome us home.

Jesus says God is a woman who loses a coin, a father who loses a son, a shepherd who loses a sheep. No matter how far we are from home, God keeps seeking us, loving us, forgiving us. Jesus also said that the kingdom of God is light and leaven and salt and living water. Strange images and difficult to build a church on these ideas unless you are living in a dark place and you don’t know where to turn, or hungry and don’t know where to find good bread, or maybe life has lost its taste, or your soul is just so parched and thirsty.

The Bible says that Jesus is God’s most personal and powerful effort ever to love us and set things right with the world.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. — John 3:16 NRSV

So, why Jesus? The answer is love. A love that goes all the way for us. A love that never gives up and never gives in. A love that makes all of the loves of our lives deeper, richer, truer, real. Love is the antidote to fear and anger and blame. There’s even more good news: God is looking for you. And, God wants to be found by anyone who is looking. Just remember that when you knock, the password is love!

So, go ahead. Get some of that love for yourself this fall. And share some of that love with the world. That’s what it is for. Then join me for worship as we explore exactly what this love does.

One of your partners along the Jesus Way,

Pastor Jim

Why Jesus?

At the center of all that we do as a church is the person of Jesus. Your personal growth and life-change, our social justice work in the world, it’s all done because of Jesus. What is it about this Galilean peasant Jew that, despite two millennia’s distance between his world and ours, continues to claim and inspire our lives? Why in the name of Jesus would you ever give your life to God and to your neighbors in loving service? Because Jesus is the complete answer to all that is wrong with us and the world. Join Pastor Jim this Fall for a 5-week scripture dive into why Jesus is Lord of our lives.

November 1, 2026 – All Saints Sunday
Message: Because Jesus Is Wasteful and Generous with Love
Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9

November 8, 2026
Message: Because Jesus Is a Risk-Taking and Reckless Shepherd
Scripture: Luke 15:1-10

November 15, 2026
Message: Because Jesus Is an Endlessly Forgiving Parent
Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

November 22, 2026
Message: Because Jesus Is Tender and Vulnerable with the Enemy
Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Angels are messengers of Good News from God. This Advent we’ll study the stories of the angel visits to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds. Each hear about the Good News of the Messiah’s coming and each must wrestle with their role in bringing the Good News to all the world. Join Pastor Jim this Advent to learn how you can respond to fear in your own heart and in the world around you with more Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, and Life.

November 29, 2026—First Sunday in Advent
Message: Make Ready a People
– More Hope
Scripture: Luke 1: 5-25, 57-80