Opening Music
Opening Prayer
The Goodness of God
I love You, Lord
Oh, your mercy never failed me
All my days, I’ve been held in your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
I will sing of the goodness of God
And all my life you have been faithful
And all my life you have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God
Reconstruction of an Ancient Israelite House
A full scale replica of an ancient Israelite home from the ‘Houses of Ancient Israel: Domestic, Royal, Divine’ exhibit. Previously located at Semitic Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
Distance to Mt Carmel
https://goo.gl/maps/6QZurk8KpbdG3Vm19
Word Study: Hope
Related to the attribute of God: Good
Good: We see God’s goodness in His love and faithfulness. All of God’s ways are righteous. He is good to all people. God’s blessing is His goodness to us personally. God is compassionate. He satisfies those in need. He offers hope, refuge, and care to all who come to Him. God’s children experience His goodness even when bad things happen.
define:
- a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
- a feeling of trust
- grounds for believing that something good may happen:
synonyms:
aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, plan, dream, longing, yearning, craving, expectation, anticipation, to look for, to wait for, conviction, assurance, confidence, faith
Biblical definition:
Hope is a characteristic of genuine faith in God. Such hope is different from the hope that people in general might speak of. It is not a mere wish for something, but a strong confidence that is placed in God. It is the assured belief that God will do what he has promised
Until Christ returns, the world will continue to be a place of imperfection and suffering. Christians must therefore persevere and be patient through all the difficulties they meet. Our hope in Christ means that our endurance can be characterized not by grudging tolerance, but by positive enjoyment of all that life offers. Hope gives our lives purpose and stability.
Scripture: Hope
Closing Prayer and Music
Lectio Divina
- Notice what words or phrases stand out to you. Repeat that phrase or re-read the scripture to yourself while listening with your heart.
- notice what feelings and reflections arise. ask: what might God be telling you through scripture? What truths do we know about God from this scripture? Listen.
- Pray back to God anything this scripture has brought to mind — a prayer of gratitude, praise, a prayer asking for guidance or help or reassurance
Romans 5:1-5
NIV Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
The Message
1-2 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
3-5 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
CEB Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory. 3 But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.