Speaking of Life 4030 | The Myth of Isolation
Greg Williams

Have you ever participated in a large, multi-day event that was spiritually exhilarating and yet physically exhausting? In July 2021 we held the GCI Denominational Celebration as an online event. This was the first time we ever did a virtual gathering of this magnitude, and the post-celebration comments were extremely positive and grateful, yet the on-site staff were still physically and mentally recovering weeks later.

The Old Testament story of Elijah has similar elements. Having demonstrated the power of God, having laid low the prophets of Baal, having revealed God’s supremacy beyond all doubt, and having those who witnessed the sacrifice at Mount Carmel turn and repent, Elijah is exhausted. Then when the death threats of Jezebel come, he feels alone, flees, turns inward, and becomes deeply depressed.

Elijah cannot see a way out. The salvation of Israel seems beyond hope and despite an amazing day of victory evil appears to have once again gained the upper hand.

God’s response to Elijah’s fatigue, despair, and loneliness is one of compassion and encouragement.

 God provides Elijah with food and drink to gird him for the journey of revelation ahead of him – which lasted for 40 days. At the end of this journey, Elijah finds himself in a cave, where God meets him and asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Let’s listen to his response:

“I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
1 Kings 19:14 (ESV)

“I only am left.” This is the falsehood Elijah tells himself. Have you ever told yourself this — have you ever convinced yourself that no one understands you, no one can help you? In our darker moments, many of us have been there.

Yet in his compassion, God reveals to Elijah the truth; he is not alone. God tells Elijah to go to Mount Horeb, where he witnesses the power of God over nature and then hears God speak to him in a low whisper. He helps Elijah wrestle with his thoughts and fears and then he reveals to Elijah that there are 7,000 who have remained pure throughout this time of apostasy in Israel.

God then goes further and sends Elijah on his way, knowing that he will encounter a companion – Elisha – whose faith and faithfulness match his own. God delivered Elijah out of loneliness and despair through the powerful reminder that he was with Elijah.

The next time you have a crisis of faith, a moment of weakness, a feeling of despair and loneliness, remember you are in the company of the great cloud of witnesses, where the greatest prophets (after Jesus) once trod. Just as God never forsook them, he will never forsake you.

God always comes to us in strength and in our dark nights of the soul – always without condemnation, always filled with love and grace. He is always there to deliver you out of the darkness, and into his eternal light.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

Trinity Sunday—God Is Father, Son, and Spirit

Imagine standing at the center of a great dance. The movements are harmonious, flowing with beauty and grace. Each dancer moves in perfect unity with the others, creating something far greater than any individual could achieve alone. This is a glimpse into the mystery of the Trinity — a relationship of perfect love and unity between Father, Son, and Spirit.
The Holy Trinity is not a distant theological concept; it is the heart of our faith and the foundation of all creation. God, in his very being, is a community of love, inviting us to share in that love and reflect it in our relationships with one another and with all of creation. On Trinity Sunday, we celebrate the divine union of humanity with Father, Son, and Spirit — a mystery that draws us deeper into the love of God and into communion with each other.

The Trinity reveals a God who is relational. From the beginning, God’s love has overflowed into creation. The Father’s love is expressed through the Son, and the Spirit carries that love to all the earth. The divine relationship is not just something we observe; it is something we are invited to participate in. The Trinity shapes the way we see ourselves, others, and the world. It reminds us that we are not isolated individuals but part of a larger story of love and connection.
Psalm 8 beautifully captures this dynamic. It begins with awe at God’s majesty.“ Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!” And then it marvels at the way humanity is woven into this majesty. “What are human beings that You are mindful of them, mortals that You care for them?” The psalmist recognizes that God’s love and care extend to all creation, binding everything together in a divine relationship.

Today, as we reflect on the mystery of the Trinity, we are reminded of the union between God and humanity and of our calling to live as people shaped by that union. The Father, Son, and Spirit invite us into a love that heals, restores, and reconciles. Through the Trinity, we are drawn into a relationship with God and with one another that reflects the divine unity of heaven and earth.

The mystery of the Trinity is not something to be solved but something to be celebrated. It is a reminder that God is not distant but near, not singular but communal, not static but dynamic. As we marvel at the majesty of God revealed in creation, may we also embrace the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Spirit.

1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Let us rejoice in the majesty and mystery of our triune God — Father, Son, and Spirit — who unites us with himself and with one another in love.

Pentecost—Holy Spirit, Promise Fulfilled

The Church is often compared to a body — living, dynamic, interconnected, and filled with life. But it is also like a flame, ignited by the Spirit, burning brightly to bring warmth and light to the world. On Pentecost, we celebrate the day the Church was truly set ablaze. The Spirit of God descended like fire, empowering Jesus’ followers to go into the world with the message of hope, healing, and restoration. Pentecost was not just the birth of the Church; it was the fulfillment of a promise — the promise that God would dwell with his people, not in a temple made of stone, but within us.

This day is about the presence of Jesus with us through the Holy Spirit. It is about how this presence transforms us, bringing healing to our brokenness and equipping us to bring that same healing to the world. But Pentecost is also about something much larger: the restoration of all creation, the uniting of heaven and earth, and the fulfillment of God’s vision for the world as it was meant to be.

In Psalm 104, we see a vivid picture of God’s creation, teeming with life and flourishing under his care. The psalmist speaks of God’s Spirit as the life-giving breath that sustains all things. When the Spirit is sent forth, creation is renewed, and the earth is filled with God’s glory. This is the promise of Pentecost — the Spirit’s presence brings renewal, healing, and restoration, not just to individuals but to the entire created order.
At Pentecost, the Spirit ignited the Church, empowering ordinary people to carry the extraordinary message of God’s love into the world. This same Spirit equips us today to be part of the healing work that unites heaven and earth. Every act of love, every word of forgiveness, every moment of justice we participate in becomes a spark of God’s transformative work. Through the Spirit, we are not just observers of God’s kingdom; we are active participants, bringing God’s vision to life.

Pentecost is a reminder that the Church is more than a building or a gathering — it is a people empowered by the Spirit to live out God’s promise of healing and restoration. The Spirit does not simply dwell among us; the Spirit dwells within us, giving us the strength and courage to continue Jesus’ work. And as we embrace this calling, we glimpse the fulfillment of God’s promise to restore the created order, to unite heaven and earth, and to bring all things into harmony as God intended.

On this Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the Spirit’s presence with us — bringing healing, guiding us, and calling us into God’s mission. The promise of Pentecost is not only fulfilled in us but through us, as we become instruments of God’s love and restoration. Let us open our hearts to the Spirit’s work, trusting that through us, God’s kingdom will come, and his will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
27 All creatures look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Praise the Lord.

So let us rejoice in the Spirit’s presence, celebrating the promise fulfilled and the joy of God’s healing work in us and through us.

Speaking Of Life 4027 | Living Water
Jeff Broadnax

A commonly held assumption for treating people suffering from heat exhaustion is to just give them more water. The problem is that the person who is suffering could drink a gallon of water and still not get better. What is really happening here is that the person’s body is lacking something vital. They have depleted the salts in their body to a point that no amount of water will fix. Once they get a sports drink or two in their system to replenish the electrolytes, they will tend to perk up. The solution is to get the right substance in them.

In life, there exists commonly held beliefs about vital things we humans feel are missing to provide true fulfillment in our lives. We know that something just isn’t right and so we attempt to fill our longings with a better job, more money, a new romantic relationship, or acquiring fame. But history has shown us again and again how people who often appear to have it all have found out that they were still missing something.

The answer to the human dilemma is found in an interesting place in the Bible. In the book of Revelation, John gives us a picture of heavenly hope. He quotes Jesus saying:

“Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17

This passage, reminds me of the story where Jesus encountered the woman at the well. Jesus tells the woman that whoever drinks the water that he is offering will never thirst again. Not only that, but once ingested, this living water will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Jesus describes Himself as the living water. He is the key ingredient; He alone gives life. When we acknowledge Christ as our life, our thirst is satisfied. We no longer need to ask the question about what will satisfy us and what will make us whole. We are satisfied and made whole in Him.

In our passage from Revelation, Jesus reassures us that he possesses all that we need to experience a full and satisfying life. In Him, we have been raised to new life. A life without end. Our thirst is quenched.

Having things in our life like money, relationships, respect, and admiration can all enrich our lives. But those things, in and of themselves will never fill the empty space that only Christ can occupy.  

Does your life feel exhausting? Do you feel like your life is one big attempt at filling something deep inside you that is missing? Just know that Jesus is the answer. He offers you his living water. He offers you nothing less than Himself. He is our life. It’s time to satisfy that thirst once and for all with the only thing designed to make you whole – Jesus Christ.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.

Speaking Of Life 4026 | Don’t Settle for Less
Greg Williams

Have you ever settled for less in your relationships? Healthy relationships don’t come easy and there is always a temptation to avoid the hard work they require. So, when there’s conflict, we may opt to settle for “agreeing to disagree” instead of working through the painful process that leads to reconciliation and peace. Or, we might opt to settle for shallow relationships that do not require the continual investment that deep ones demand. Whenever we settle for less in our relationships, we rob ourselves of the joy they can bring.

What about our relationship with God? How much joy do we abandon when we settle for less in our relationship with the Lord? Why would we settle when there is so much to gain?

C.S. Lewis provides some insight to answer that question. He says, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Thankfully, our Lord is not so easily pleased when it comes to relationships. He aims to continually bring us into the deeper waters of our relationship with him. He has already done the hard work of reconciliation so we can now, by the Spirit, participate in the joyous relationship the Son and his Father share. And when we are tempted to settle, Jesus never will. Because of his strong and unshakable desire to be with us, we can continually seek to know him with all our heart, soul, and strength.

Listen to this Psalm and the joy expressed that comes in knowing the Lord, not just for us, but for the entire world.

“May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.”

 Psalm 67:1-7 (NRSV)

The word “selah” is like an intermission – a pause to consider what was just said or sang. David wants you and I to pause and consider the truth that the Lord’s face is shining on you today, bringing more joy and blessing than you can possibly imagine. I encourage you to turn to him to enjoy the relationship he desires to give you. Why settle for anything less?

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

Speaking Of Life 4025 | No One Special, Just Chosen
Cara Garrity

“Circle, circle, dot, dot, now I got my cootie shot. Circle, circle, square square, now I got them everywhere.” Is a common playground rhyme chanted to tease or exclude another kid.

As humans, it is easy for us to focus on what makes us different, or ostracize a person or group to create an in-crowd. We see a situation like this occur in the life of the early church, about how to welcome Gentiles—non-Jewish people—into the community of faith. This conversation seems especially foreign to us—a mostly Gentile audience, centuries removed. We must keep in mind that for generations keeping the law was the marker of the faithfulness of God’s chosen people of Israel. A big part of that law included dietary restrictions.

So Peter’s strange dream in Acts 11 tells us that God is doing something new:

“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me,
‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’
Acts 11:5-7 (ESV)

According to Jewish law and custom, the animals in Peter’s dream were considered unclean. Anything “unclean” was considered contagious and invoked experiences of separation from God and others. It was one thing that separated Jews from Gentiles. The invitation to Peter to rise, kill, and eat was an invitation to break down that separation and participate in a new way of being God’s people.

This was a revolutionary statement that wholeness and redemption are found in Jesus alone, not by external laws and customs. Inclusion of Gentile Christians then, was not conditional upon adopting the practices of Jewish law and custom but upon Christ. God’s chosen people were no longer marked by custom but by faith.

Sadly, we the Church, still lean toward separation as we struggle with questions of chosenness and inclusion. We sometimes rely upon a behavior or external indicator to prove our worth as a follower of Jesus. Or we use our understanding of normative Christian customs as criteria to dismiss or exclude someone else. This negates the inclusive message God gave to Peter. All are included and invited to participate in what God is doing – bringing many sons and daughters to glory.

This Easter season as we celebrate the newness of life found in our resurrected King, I invite you to participate in a new way of being God’s people. A new way that relies on Jesus alone as proof of our chosenness. A new way of radical inclusion in Christ. In Jesus, we are reconciled to God and one another, not by custom, but by his broken body raised to glorious life again.

I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.

Speaking Of Life 4024 | Not Wanting the Shepherd
Greg Williams

Have you ever misheard the lyrics to a song in a way that drastically changed the meaning? Most of us have done this at one time or another, perhaps you even had a favorite song that you only discovered years later that had a very different meaning than what you originally understood?

We have a word for that, it’s called ‘mondegreen’ – a misunderstood or misinterpreted phrase resulting from mishearing the lyrics of a song.

The consequences of mondegreen can be amusing or absurd. The next time you listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival sing Bad Moon on the Rise, instead of singing the song title during the chorus interject “There’s a bathroom on the right,” and you’ll see what I mean.

A colleague of mine shared a mondegreen he had as a child regarding the famous Psalm 23. This didn’t come from mishearing the words, so much as misunderstanding their meaning.

When he heard “The Lord’s my shepherd I shall not want” sung at church, he took it to mean that we shouldn’t want the Lord as our shepherd. Why wouldn’t we want Him as our shepherd you might ask?

Well because he’ll force you to lie down in green pastures all day!

It’s amazing how a glitch on a record, a syllable out of place, or a word changing its meaning over time can totally change how we perceive and understand a piece of music.

Part of the reason my colleague read the words of Psalm 23 in such a negative light, was because in the authoritarian church he grew up in, it made perfect sense to him why someone would not want to follow the judgemental and condemning image of God he had been presented with. He had been taught that God was a strict and demanding shepherd, not at all like the shepherd we read about in the book of Revelation.

In Revelation we are blessed with a glimpse of the end to come, the lamb sits upon the throne, and all are drawn before Him. Using language drawn from Psalm 23 and Isaiah 25 we are told in no uncertain terms what kind of Shepherd he will be:

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
Revelation 7:17

In other words, he is the Good Shepherd.

The truth is that many people do not want the Lord as their shepherd. Often, this is because they have encountered a theological mondegreen. They’ve misheard, misunderstood, or have been deceived when it comes to the truth about God. As far as they’re concerned, there’s nothing good about him.

Without knowing the Good Shepherd, no other scripture, whether psalm, prophet, gospel, or epistle will be understood in its proper context. Without knowing Jesus, the Bible itself becomes an endless series of misheard lyrics drawing us down some theologically dubious rabbit holes.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd under whose care we shall want for nothing, the Shepherd who, filled with love and compassion, will wipe away every tear from our eyes. The Shepherd’s whose voice we will never mishear as He calls us by name.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

Speaking Of Life 4023 | A Different Sort of Power
Jeff Broadnax

The historian and moralist known as Lord Acton held the opinion that a person’s sense of morality diminishes as their power increases. You have probably heard quoted some version of his statement, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

That’s a pretty bold statement. However, with every passing chapter of history, Lord Acton is continually proven to be right. Notorious examples of absolute power can be seen in people like Napoleon Bonaparte who reached a point where he saw fit to declare himself an emperor. Even worse are the Roman emperors who went further to declare themselves gods. This kind of power is a self-determining power where might makes right. If you have the power, you can do whatever you want and be whoever you want. You answer to no one.

Today, we still have power players who crown themselves arbiters over everyone else and declare themselves to be all-knowing demigods who are above question. There is a long list of powerful people whose corruption stains the pages of history. It seems Lord Acton knew what he was talking about.

But, it’s not just the powerful elite who suffer from such corruption. It is in all of us to want to be masters of our own fates and captains of our own souls. And this futile pursuit has not only stained the pages of world history, but it has left a stain on our personal histories as well. And there is no amount of power that we can possess to undo it.

There is one, thankfully, who is powerful enough to rub out the stain. Only, his power is of a different sort. It’s the power that comes in the form of a slain Lamb. He ushers in his kingdom not through brute force and domination, but through the power of sacrificing his very self. Rather than, leveraging power for the sake of himself, he leverages his power for the sake of all of us.

It’s the power the Apostle Paul equated with the Cross. This is not how we think of power. For the powerbrokers of the world, this sounds like foolishness. But, Jesus, the slain Lamb of the cross has broken the chains of our self-determined sinfulness and erased the stains of our corrupt history.

Listen to the vision of his throne recorded in the Book of Revelation:

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”
Revelation 5:11-14

Jesus’ power does not come by self-appointment. It is received from his Father, who sent him into our world to rescue and redeem us. For this reason, the Father gave him the name above all names. He is the one we answer to. For this reason, we bow down to the only one who is worthy, and whose power never corrupts.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.

Speaking of Life 4022 | The Great Disruptors
Greg Williams

In the 2008 musical comedy Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog the titular character, Dr. Horrible struggles to explain his motivation for being a villain and wanting to disrupt society. He tells the viewers of his vlog: “And by the way, it’s not about making money, it’s about taking money. Destroying the status quo because the status is not… quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.”

Like Dr. Horrible we can also have difficulty explaining exactly how to fix or change the world. All we know is that the “status is not quo” and something needs to change.

In first-century Jerusalem, the political and religious leaders of the time found themselves dealing with a gang of agitators who sought to change the status quo. This upstart group of fishermen and tax collectors had the nerve to accuse their leaders of an absurd crime: murdering God!

Since they were obviously dangerous malcontents, the leaders placed them under lock and key, warned them to be quiet, and considered the matter resolved. But the next day, the men were at it again—they’d escaped from prison without a soul noticing, and there they were in the courtyard, talking about this man Jesus who had been crucified.

Led by Peter, freed by an angel, and guided by the Holy Spirit, the apostles had entered the temple courts and begun preaching the Gospel boldly!

But the Gospel confounded the Pharisees who were defined by the status quo. When a group came declaring an exciting and hope-filled message of redemption, they threw them in jail to maintain their power and influence. They could not comprehend the inverted world order implied in Peter’s words:

“We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.”
Acts 5:29b-31

Peter chose his words carefully, by referring to the Crucifixion as Jesus being hung on the tree, he brought to mind Deuteronomy 21:22-23 where we are told that such a man is cursed. For the Jewish rabbinical leaders this was inconceivable, here was this man Jesus, who should be cursed by the death he died – yet this man is now raised and exalted by God? Such a thing should not be! Who are these men that they would make such extraordinary claims?

Peter and the apostles were the great disruptors, the forerunners of every Christian since who has endured imprisonment, torture, and deprivation even to the point of death for the sake of the Gospel. For the sake of obeying God and not man.

Christians today are no strangers to acts of social disruption designed to bring about societal change. Yet in the clamour of opposing voices, the solutions being put forward usually aren’t much better than Dr. Horrible’s desire to rule. Unlike Dr. Horrible, Christians have been given insight into what needs to change. We are called to be great disruptors to the status quo by pointing to the solution – Jesus. We acknowledge the world’s a mess but we also acknowledge the mess is because we humans are trying to rule it without God.  

Peter reminds us to obey God and not man. When we do, we bring a message of hope that can transform the world. We share the good news that God has exalted Jesus. He is the prince and Savior who brings about repentance and forgiveness. He is the great disrupter. Disrupter for the good! He is the solution to the messes we see around us. He is the gospel. Let’s participate with him in disrupting the status quo and bringing beauty out of our messy world.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

Easter Sunday—The Joy of His Salvation
Voiceover by: Mike Rasmussen – Surrey Hills, Oklahoma, US

The darkness of the tomb has been shattered. The silence of death has been broken by the triumphant cry, “He is risen!” On this glorious Easter morning, we gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has defeated death and ushered in the promise of new life. The empty tomb is more than a miracle — it is the fulfillment of God’s promise to renew all things, to bring about a new heaven and a new earth where weeping and sorrow will be no more, and joy and gladness will reign forever.
This is the joy of salvation — a joy that flows from the heart of our faithful and loving God. Through Jesus, we have been given not just hope for today, but the promise of a future where every tear will be wiped away, and every cry of distress will be silenced. Easter reminds us that God is making all things new.

The resurrection of Jesus is the turning point of history. It is the moment when death is conquered, and life begins anew. It is the first glimpse of the new heavens and the new earth that Isaiah prophesied — a world where pain and sorrow are replaced by joy and celebration. This is not just a future promise but a present reality. In the risen Christ, we see the firstfruits of God’s kingdom breaking into our world.
Through the resurrection, Jesus gives us the joy of salvation. It is a joy that cannot be taken away, even in the face of hardship or loss. It is the joy of knowing that death is not the end, that sin has been defeated, and that God’s love has triumphed. This joy is not a fleeting emotion but a deep and abiding confidence in the faithfulness of God, who fulfills all His promises.

Isaiah 65 paints a picture of what this new creation will look like — a place of gladness, where God’s people will rejoice forever. A place where life flourishes, relationships are restored, and peace reigns. The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of this new creation. It is the assurance that the brokenness of our world will one day be healed and that God’s kingdom will come in its fullness.

On this Easter Sunday, we celebrate the victory of our faithful and loving God, who has given us the joy of salvation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us live as resurrection people, filled with hope, proclaiming the good news that God is making all things new. And let us hold fast to the promise that one day, there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more death — only joy and gladness in the presence of our God.

For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.
Isaiah 65:17–25

Rejoice, for Christ is risen! Through Him, our faithful and loving God gives us the joy of His salvation. Alleluia!

Good Friday—Jesus’ Humble Self-Offering
Voiceover by: Julie Frantz – Cincinnati, Ohio, US

The weight of the moment is almost unbearable. A man stands in the garden, knowing that the soldiers are coming. He doesn’t run. He doesn’t resist. Instead, He steps forward. He allows Himself to be captured so that we might be free. The next day, He will stand silently as false accusations fly, willingly bearing guilt so that we might be declared innocent. He walks a road of suffering, carrying a cross meant for criminals, so that we might one day rejoice. And then, as nails pierce His hands and feet, He willingly gives Himself over to death so that we might live forever.

This is Good Friday. It is the day we remember Jesus’ humble self-offering — a profound act of love that changed everything. Jesus didn’t resist the Cross; He embraced it. He gave Himself completely, not out of weakness but out of divine love. Every step, every moment, was an intentional choice to fulfill God’s plan to save us.

On the Cross, we see the fullness of Jesus’ love. He endured pain and shame so that we could know freedom and hope. His willingness to suffer wasn’t forced upon Him; it was His choice, driven by His desire to reconcile us to God. Jesus chose to humble Himself, to bear the sins of the world, and to open the way for us to draw near to God with confidence.
Hebrews 10 reminds us of this: through Jesus’ sacrifice, a new covenant was established. His body became the curtain that opened the way into God’s presence. His blood became the cleansing that allows us to stand before God without fear or shame. This is the power of Good Friday — not just the suffering of Jesus, but the love and purpose behind it.

Good Friday also calls us to respond. Jesus’ humble self-offering invites us to approach God with confidence, to hold fast to the hope we have been given, and to encourage one another as we walk this journey of faith. It is a day to reflect on the depth of Jesus’ love and to recommit ourselves to live in the light of His sacrifice.

As we stand at the foot of the Cross today, let us remember that Jesus’ act of love was not the end of the story. It was the beginning of a New Covenant, a new relationship with God. He chose to be captured so that we might be free. He chose to be found guilty so that we might be declared innocent. He chose to suffer so that we might rejoice. And He chose to give His life so that we might live forever.

This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,”
and he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:16–25

On this Good Friday, may we remember, reflect, and respond to Jesus’ humble self-offering. His love has made a way for us to be free, to rejoice, and to live forever in the presence of God.

Liturgy of the Passion
Voiceover by: Tommie Grant – Ladson, South Carolina, US

There’s a moment in the Gospel story when Jesus “turns His face to Jerusalem.” It’s a deliberate and resolute decision, knowing full well what lies ahead. He enters the city to cheers and palm branches, a fleeting moment of celebration. Yet, His path is not toward an earthly throne, but toward suffering, rejection, and the Cross. Still, Jesus presses forward, fully committed to fulfilling God’s promise to redeem the world.

On this Palm Sunday, we are invited to walk with Jesus as He begins the final steps of His earthly journey. His entry into Jerusalem is both triumphant and solemn, a moment that highlights His compassion for humanity and His unwavering submission to his calling. Jesus embraces the suffering that awaits Him, not out of resignation, but out of love — love for the people cheering, love for the disciples who don’t fully understand, and love for a world in desperate need of salvation.

Jesus’ decision to turn toward Jerusalem reflects the heart of God’s promise — a promise not to abandon humanity but to save it. Through His compassion and obedience, Jesus fulfilled this promise, facing suffering and death so that we might know life. His journey was not easy. The shouts of “Hosanna!” would soon turn into cries of “Crucify him!” Yet Jesus’ love for humanity never wavered. He carried the weight of our brokenness, walking this path so that we could be reconciled to God.

As we reflect on this moment, we are reminded that Jesus’ compassion and submission were acts of profound strength. He chose to endure suffering, not for His own sake, but for ours. Psalm 31 gives voice to the anguish Jesus would experience, but it also speaks to the trust and hope He carried in His Father’s plan. “I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands.” This trust is the foundation of God’s promise — faithful, unchanging, and fulfilled through Christ.

Today, as we remember Jesus turning His face to Jerusalem, let us reflect on the depth of His compassion and the cost of His obedience. He walked this path for us, fulfilling God’s promise to redeem and restore. May we respond with gratitude and trust, knowing that His journey was one of love — a love that holds us even now.

Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
Psalm 31:9-16

May we follow Jesus with hearts full of trust, knowing that His path to Jerusalem was for us — a fulfillment of God’s promise of redemption and love.

Speaking Of Life 4019 | A Path Through the Jackals
Cara Garrity

Have you ever been to a place you’d call a wasteland? Perhaps the depths of a junkyard or the parched ground of a dry riverbed? Isaiah 43 brings some similar imagery to mind talking about Israel in exile, describing the landscape as populated by wild beasts, owls, and jackals. This is a place where there is nothing left—nothing grows and the wind never blows.

Perhaps this describes how you feel at times – especially in this season of Easter preparation. The celebration of Jesus’ birth is long behind us, the celebration of his resurrection is ahead of us, but we are nearing the liturgy of the passion when we focus on his suffering and death and we can find ourselves feeling overwhelmed and in a kind of spiritual wasteland.

This is the kind of environment Israel seems to be in—exiled, away from home, under the thumb of Babylon. But this passage in Isaiah 43 is right here at the turn of hope. God’s deliverance was soon to appear for Israel.

[Look Down]

This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

Isaiah 43:16-17

[Look Up]

The first thing Isaiah does here is remind them who they are dealing with—the God who brought them out of Egypt, who brought them through the desert. He draws their attention to the past—God the way maker.

Isaiah then used the familiar desert imagery to show God turning the tables—bringing their deliverance:

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. 
The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
Isaiah 43:19-20

Even in this wasteland—a place only populated by scavengers and bone-pickers—God makes the way. In this place of uselessness and complete loss, he shows up.

Has this happened to you? Has God met you in the wasteland—economic ruin, a disintegrated marriage, the depths of depression? Has he made a path through the jackals for you? Or maybe something in or around you seems like a wasteland right now. There is good news for us. No wasteland is too barren for our God to meet us there.

In the incarnation, God meets us, once and for all, in the wastelands of the human experience and reveals to us that Jesus Christ himself is the way in the wilderness, the river in the desert, a well of living water for the thirsty.

During this season of Easter preparation, we recognize the wastelands in and around us and embrace our deep need for Jesus. We do this in confidence that the victory of resurrection is upon us, that our God is making all things new.

Until that time when the Kingdom comes in fullness, watch for signs of life in the wasteland—for the flowers coming up through concrete and that trickle of water on the desert floor. Jesus is HERE; he is HERE for you.  

I am Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.  

Speaking Of Life 4018 | Labels
Jeff Broadnax

Have you ever gone into a pantry and found a can of food without a label on it? The only way for you to figure out what’s inside is by opening the can. After opening the unlabeled item, what is the likelihood that the reality would actually meet your expectations? Probably, pretty slim.

This is why labels are so important at a grocery store. They can give us a glimpse of what to expect on the inside. Oftentimes, the label will even include a picture of the product inside to add that extra level of confidence that what you are getting is what was being advertised.

Labels are vital to a grocery store’s business, but when it comes to human beings, labels can be incorrect and downright damaging. Have you ever heard someone remark, “He’s the forgetful one,” “She’s the slow learner,” or “He’s the problem child.”?

Sometimes we can be quick to label someone without having much knowledge of who they really are. Maybe we just saw the color of their skin, or their political bumper sticker, or something else that triggered a judgmental reaction.

Several years ago, I remember reading how our brains are wired to make those kinds of snap judgments as a means of self-protection and decision-making. I don’t remember the source, but I found it fascinating. It may be true, but what I do know is those snap judgments raise a huge red flag for interpersonal relationships – especially if we don’t monitor our biases.

In the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, he addressed a similar situation that was taking place among them and gave us a different perspective.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5: 16-17

The church in Corinth may have been a diverse congregation but accepting and receiving one another as equals were in short supply. They were still employing a worldly point of view by placing discriminatory labels on each other. And because of this, you had people that were separating themselves into their own groups according to their own biases, be it their race, wealth, statuses, or culture. Their judgmentalism was not only disrupting their fellowship, but it was also a bad witness to those outside the church.

What the church in Corinth failed to recognize is that through Christ we receive our true identity, and all other labels, whether to race, social status, or political ideology,  pale in comparison. We haven’t had something merely added to us or even just an upgrade to a 2.0 version of ourselves. Our true identity, in Christ, brings us into wholeness and is the fullness of who we are. It is not merely a picture but the substance of who we are. We are the blessed, free, and highly favored children of God. It is the truth of who we are, something we never have to question. And that is how we are to see each other.

What label will you choose to wear? Will you consign yourself to what the world has to say about you, or will you agree with the only assessment about you that reveals the whole truth about who you are? The label of being a new creation in Christ Jesus and accepted by The Father. That’s a label that cannot fall off.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.