From the Inside Out

Joy that bubbles up unexpectedly. Sorrow that won’t abate. Anger that sparks. Fear that whispers. Over the past six weeks, we have been discovering that our emotions are not a distraction from faith; on the contrary, our emotions can become holy ground when we let God meet us there.

Through the first half of our Inside Out sermon series, we have explored five core emotions that shape much of our human experience -- Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust -- and discovered how Scripture sheds light on each one.

We have learned that Joy is more than fleeting happiness; it is the deep, abiding gladness that comes from knowing God’s presence. Sadness, often dismissed or avoided, can actually draw us closer to others and to God, who is “close to the brokenhearted.” Anger, when surrendered to the Spirit, can become a force for justice rather than destruction. Fear reminds us of our dependence on God, leading us toward courage and trust. And even Disgust, when rightly ordered, helps us discern what is pure and good in a world that often blurs the lines.

Together, these emotions have helped us see how God designed our inner lives not as something to suppress, but as something to steward -- a sacred landscape where His Spirit works from the inside out.

Now, as we prepare to watch Inside Out 2 together, we are turning the page to the next chapter of our journey. The sequel introduces new emotions -- Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui, and Nostalgia -- each offering fresh opportunities for reflection and growth. Over the next six weeks, we will consider how these emotions show up in Scripture and in our own hearts, and how the Gospel meets us right there: in the complexity of being human.

If the first half of our series helped us understand what we feel, the second half will help us discover why we feel, and how God transforms even our most complicated emotions into pathways of grace.
As we continue this journey, I hope you will invite God to search your heart and continue shaping it to reflect His own. May every emotion -- whether joyful or anxious, confident or uncertain -- become a place where we meet Him anew.

Because when we allow God to do His work from the inside out, we discover that emotional honesty and spiritual wholeness are not opposites ... They are companions on the same road toward becoming more like Christ.