In Matthew 19:20–24, we are struck by the urgency of repentance. The Lord’s wrath is real and we must not confuse His patience with dismissal.

How does the beginning of Jesus’ ministry provide us with a foretaste of the new creation? Join us as we see Jesus call his first disciples, preach and teach, and heal every disease and affliction among the people in Galilee and reflect on what it means for us in the midst of our suffering as we anticipate the new heavens and the new earth.

After three and a half chapters of preparation Matthew brings us to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, only for us to find Jesus withdrawing back into Galilee. Yet this move is in fulfillment of prophecy, and shines the light of the gospel into a dark and forgotten corner of the world. As Jesus the king begins to preach, the first word of the gospel is “Repent!” And yet this announcement is gracious. Join us as we consider the beginning of Jesus’ preaching.

Who is this Jesus who appears and wants to be baptized by John? Why would he want such a thing? And what does Matthew tell us about his identity? Join us as we consider Jesus as the one who follows John, as King and Christ, and as God himself.

John the Baptist prepares the way by preaching repentance, proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven is near, and facing off with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Anticipation builds: if this is Elijah, who is to follow? Join us as we consider John’s challenge and its connections to Jesus’ later preaching.

Nehemiah seems to end on a downer as we see once more the rebuilding community failing to keep themselves unstained from the world. In a chapter prefaced by the subtle seduction of the world and placing on full display the fundamental reality of compromise, do we yet find a word of hope? Are we able with Nehemiah to look beyond the sin and disappointment of the present to final victory and blessed reward? Join us as we wrap up Nehemiah pondering both failures and a future.

What does repentance look like in the life of a community? What will happen among the returned exiles after they have heard and understood God’s word (ch. 8) and prayed a penitential prayer (ch. 9)? Here in chapter 10 the community gathers once more to renew their covenant commitment. We see in the chapter that 1) a renewed community is the aggregate of individuals waking in repentance; 2) true repentance manifests in a sincere resolve to new obedience; and 3) new obedience, as a fruit of repentance, targets specific areas of struggle.

How does the history of God’s mercy free us to confess our sin and give us hope for the future? Join us as we walk through the next chapter of Nehemiah and see a people poised to hear God’s word, worship for a wondrous creator and redeemer, sweeping cycles of sin and salvation, and a penitential prayer that is finally resolved in salvation in Christ.

A grievous and extensive sin comes to light among God’s people gathered in a fragile community with a precarious existence. Will God in his wrath finally snuff them out? How do we consider their sin in light of our own setting in redemptive history? What can we learn from them of the nature of true repentance?