Journey to the Cross, Part 4—Justin Renton

April 20, 2022

Summary of sermon:

Mark 15 :1—15 The Trial, Crucifixion Resurrection

  1. The trial—Where envy triumphed over justice

Jesus's trial broke many rules of the Jewish criminal justice system.

Verse 10 Envy=they coveted/wanted Jesus's position

Envy put Jesus on the cross.  Do you envy anybody (their position in life or work; popularity, possessions)?


2. Mark 15:16—32 The Crucifixion —Where love triumphed over pain

Beaten, flogged (many people died just from the flogging), mocked and crucified, Jesus walked to let you and I know he loves us deeply; to make it possible for us to have a relationship with God.

Satan's biggest lie to us is that we don't matter to God, yet God paid the price for us by sending his son, Jesus, to the cross. There was no higher price he could pay.


3.The Resurrection — Where hope triumphed over despair

Mark 16:1–8 The Cross is a message of hope. God can turn darkness into light; he took the worst man could offer, and turned it into victory.

What are you facing today that feels hopeless? For example, conflict in a relationship, a job you hate, a health challenge?

Remember the Cross. He can turn the darkest situation/despair into hope.

Remember Jesus' journey to the Cross and see how much he loves you.

Watch the full service and sermon (it starts at 32 minutes) here.

Jesus the Reconciler, Part 2 – by Erick and Vida Li Sik

September 13, 2026
Because Jesus reconciled us to God through the cross, we are called to pursue reconciliation with God, one another, and the world around us.

Jesus the Reconciler, Part 1 – by Danie and Adri Vos

September 6, 2026
Jesus reconciles us to the Father and teaches us to extend his grace, helping us forgive one another, heal relationships, and walk together in peace.

Embracing Divine Tension: Pendulum Swings (Part 10)

By Justin Renton • September 2, 2026
The physics of the pendulum Picture an old grandfather clock in a quiet hallway. Its long brass pendulum swings steadily: tick, tock, tick, tock. Now give that pendulum a hard shove to the right. It does not simply glide back to the center and stop. It races right past the middle and sways just as far to the left. Left to its own momentum, a pendulum never rests at either extreme; it finds peace only when it hangs still at the center, held by gravity and its fixed point. The church behaves in much the same way. Push her too far toward one side of a truth and she does not gently settle into balance, she swings. Often for a whole generation toward the opposite error, and then back again, wounding people at both ends of the arc. And here is the crucial thing the clock teaches us: the pendulum comes to rest not by being frozen in place, but by being held. Balance is not the absence of force; it is the fixed point that keeps opposing pulls in tension so that the weight can finally hang still.
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