Series: Right Side Up

There is only one thing that we can say for sure will happen this year: change. But, for some of us, that’s the most terrifying guarantee of them all. How can Jesus help us face challenges with more confidence? What does it look like to follow Jesus into a world of change? This week we’ll finish our series by looking at Jesus’ promise to be with us and guide us through even the biggest challenges 2024 has to offer.

We like to imagine that our income is what brings us security – but what if the truth is just the opposite? What if our reliance on our resources is exactly what brings us the most stress, panic, and worry? This week, we’ll explore God’s economy and how trusting him fully can bring us the hope, peace, and engagement we’ve always wanted.

Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that if what happens in our lives doesn’t get recognition, doesn’t get likes, doesn’t get people’s attention, then it isn’t valuable. But in God’s view of life, our most important connection – the one that we have with him – thrives in secrecy. Why is that? What’s the benefit of developing a healthy personal relationship with God? How can we become more intimately connected to Him this year?

This year will be full of opportunities to respond to other people’s poor decisions, unkind words, and unwise actions. But what if we didn’t wait for the moment of those events to see what our response would be? What if we prepared for our inevitable stresses by practicing Jesus’ upside-down way of living? This week, we’ll explore what it means to really put Christlike characters into action and prepare to share God’s love at every opportunity.

Many of us enter 2024 with a healthy bit of trepidation: What will our lives be like? How will the 2024 election season shape our culture? What big decisions and challenges will we face this year? Thankfully, Jesus has a message of hope and peace in times of challenge – but that message comes from thinking and acting in ways that are far out of the ordinary. Instead of opinionated and strong, Jesus tells us to be tender and meek. Instead of fighting to be right, Jesus tells us to be pure and peacemakers. We’ll begin this year by taking an important look at Jesus’ upside down teachings and how they can help us transform our 2024 for the better.