It could not have been a more awkward scene. Things began fairly normal, as Jesus arrived for dinner at the home of Simon, a respected and prominent Jewish religious leader---a Pharisee. But any social decorum was about to be cast aside when a woman who had lived a very sinful lifestyle crashed the dinner party. Not only did she enter the room, she came up behind Jesus, weeping and emotionally undone.

 

Simon was shocked, but Jesus was not at all put off by the awkwardness of the moment. I encourage you to read the account of these events in Luke 7:36-50 in preparation for our time together this weekend. We will unpack these verses together and learn about the virtue of Love as we conclude our series on "The Virtues of the Christian Life."

 

As our nation remembers the tragic events that unfolded 15 years ago this Sunday, we could not be talking about a more important topic than the virtue of love. How desperately our world needs the love of Jesus Christ. "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

 

I want to welcome Vince Weimer to our staff team. Vince will be working as our Facilities and Technologies Manager, giving oversight to these important and growing ministries. Vince is currently working on a new Hope Church website, which will be finished soon!

 

I look forward to worshiping together with you,

 

Pastor Jim