This week in Anchored: The Creed for a Confused World, we confess God as maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. Creation is not random, disposable, evil, or meaningless. The world is God’s good creation, and Christ is Lord over all things. Today’s Message: Not an Accident: The World God Made Series: Anchored: The Creed for a Confused World Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5; Colossians 1:15-17; Mark 4:35-41

We begin Anchored: The Creed for a Confused World with the First Article of the Creed: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty.” In a world that tells us to define ourselves, make ourselves, and sustain ourselves, the Christian faith teaches us to receive our lives as gift. God has made us, preserves us, provides for us, and cares for us out of fatherly goodness and mercy.

Jesus restores sinners and then entrusts them with responsibility. Christian leadership and discipleship are not earned by strength, but given by grace and sustained by the Shepherd’s Word. Law: We replay failure, define ourselves by weakness, and either despair or overcompensate. We try to lead from pride or guilt. Gospel: Jesus meets Peter with questions that heal, not crush. He restores, calls, and keeps His people: “Follow me.”

Scripture Readings John 21:1–14 Isaiah 6:1–8 2 Corinthians 13:11–14 Big Idea Before Jesus sends, He provides. He feeds His friends, reminds them who He is, and turns failure into future. The mission of the Church flows from the Triune God’s grace. Law: We assume our failures disqualify us. We try to power mission by energy and strategy, and we come up empty. Gospel: Jesus fills empty nets and empty hearts. He feeds His people and restores them by grace, then sends them with His own authority and peace.

Scripture Readings John 20:19–31 Joel 2:28–32 Acts 2:1–21 Big Idea The risen Jesus meets fearful disciples with peace, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is not hype. It is Jesus giving His Church what it needs to live and to be sent. Law: We hide behind locked doors. We are ruled by fear and doubt, and we assume our failures define us. Gospel: Jesus comes through barriers. He speaks peace, gives forgiveness, and breathes His Spirit. Faith is created and strengthened by His Word.