The End of the Beginning: Do You Have Spiritual Need? 8.30.26 9:30 am Worship

This sermon opens a new series called "The End of the Beginning," exploring the paradox that what Jesus declared finished on the cross is simultaneously a new beginning for all who follow him. Drawing on the story of Matthew the tax collector in Matthew 9, the sermon examines what it means to place hope in something lasting rather than in the fleeting things of this world. Using the insights of psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl alongside the Gospel narrative, the sermon argues that genuine hope must be tangible and rooted in love -- a love that points beyond the temporary to something everlasting. Jesus models this kind of hope by calling the outcast, defending the marginalized, and declaring that he came for mercy, not sacrifice. Christians are called to release their grip on false sources of hope and anchor their souls in the resurrection love of Christ.