Sermon 01-01-12 :: Hope

New Year

A clean slate. A fresh start. A new beginning. January is a time to reestablish routines. What will this year hold? What should I do? What can I change? Today our Scripture readings deal with names and identity. What we do is based on who we are. We begin 2012 grounded in our foundational identity.

Pastor Jeff Cloeter preaches on "Hope"

Luke 2:21 - And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Numbers 6:22-27 - The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance1 upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”



Galatians 3:23-29 - Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.