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Trinity Church of Portland - SermonsAuthor: Trinity Church of Portland
Trinity Church Exists To Faithfully Exalt The Triune God, Transform All Of Life, And Reach Our City And World With The Goodness, Truth, And Beauty Of The Gospel. Language: en Genres: Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Eucatastrophe
Sunday, 25 January, 2026
In this sermon from John 17:1–5, Paul Hoffman invites us into the climactic moment of Jesus’ farewell discourse—the prayer that stands on the edge of the cross.Drawing on J.R.R. Tolkien’s idea of eucatastrophe—the sudden, joyful turn in a story—Paul shows how what appears to be tragedy in the eyes of the disciples is, in fact, the triumph of God’s redemptive plan. As Jesus lifts His eyes to heaven and prays for glory, we see that the cross is not a defeat but a victory, not chaos but sovereign purpose.This passage points us backward to the incarnation and forward to the resurrection, revealing the shared glory of the Father and the Son, the supreme authority of Christ over all flesh, and the gift of eternal life found in knowing the one true God through Jesus Christ. Paul unpacks how the work Jesus accomplished becomes the foundation for the church’s mission today—carried forward not in our own strength, but through the power Christ shares with His people by the Spirit.Ultimately, this sermon calls us to see Jesus as the true King, the perfect revelation of God, and the model for what it means to be fully human. In a world longing for transcendence, meaning, and hope, the gospel stands as the true story—one that begins and ends in joy.
