Message:
Matthew 2:1-12 “The Glory of Christmas: The Wisemen”
This
week we’ll watch as Tony, one of the wisemen in our play, sets himself aside to
remember that it is Christ who is the center of the Christmas Story. In the
same way, we remember that we are not the center of God’s Story, but Jesus is,
and our attention and devotion turn toward him!
Message: Luke 2:8-15 “The Shepherd”
The
announcement of the Good News that a Savior has been born was first proclaimed
by Angels to shepherds tending flocks in a field. Shepherds were considered
lowly compared to others. That God chose to reveal this Good News to them first
was to demonstrate that this was Good News for all people. The Gospel and New
Testament letters show how this message began with a few, but was always
intended to be carried to the whole world. We have been entrusted with carrying
this Good News forward to all who need it in our own day and age.
Message:
Matthew 1:18-25 “Joseph”
It is a recurring theme in the Bible that God chooses the most unlikely people to play the most significant roles in HisStory. Joseph is no exception. We’ll see how Joseph had to work through his fairs and second thoughts about his own role in God’s story. Then we’ll move toward a better understanding of how God has uniquely shaped us to do what only we can do as we take our place in HisStory.
Message: Luke 1:26-38 “The
Glory of Christmas: Mary”
Advent
begins this week and so we begin a new Advent message series. This first
message will focus on a truth we can learn from the life of Mary. Mary’s plans changed
that day the angel of the Lord encountered her with a new set of plans leading
to the glory of that first Christmas in a Bethlehem stable. She could tarry and
worry, or she could trust and wait on the Lord over the next nine months to
fulfill His plans and carry her into motherhood. Mary chose to trust and wait.
She chose to let God carry her through upcoming days of uncertainty, questions
from society about her character, hardships on her husband who also would need
some time to process this new change of plans.
Our
God knows the plans He has for all of us. As crazy as those plans may seem at
times, they are plans for our welfare and not for our evil. They are plans to
give us hope and a future. And that future includes a capacity to experience
and enjoy the glory of Christmas.
Message:
Romans 7 7-25 “Faults & Faith”
In this final message we’ll take a look at how Torah wasn’t prescribed to fix our faults, but rather to reveal them. Since Torah, or the Law, which is rules and regulations, can’t fix us, the Gospel turns us toward the solution, which is the Grace of God in Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit at work in our lives. We’ll see how facing our faults is a mark of the mature believer.
Message:
Romans 6:11-23 “Everyone Serves Something or Someone”
Last
week we talked about the two ways that are open to us. There is the Way of Adam
and then there is the Way of Christ. This week we continue that discussion in
more vivid detail. In Romans 6 Paul essentially says that everyone services
something or someone, so who or what do you serve? We were made to serve God,
which actually brings us greater freedom. Yet, we often choose to serve lesser
beings or ideas, which ultimately place us in bondage and lead to death.
Message:
Romans 5:12-21, 8:1-12 “There’s Another Way”
In these passages, Paul reveals the two ways that are open to humanity. One is the Way of Adam, which is the way of ‘men.’ That way leads to destruction. But a new way has been opened up, which is the Way of Christ. This is the Way of Grace, and is not brought about by anything we can do, but received by faith in what God has done for us. This is a faith requires incredible trust in God rather than taking situations into our own hands by means of control. It is a faith that extends grace to others.
Message:
Romans 4:1-25 “Replacing the Law”
The
Jewish people replaced Faith with the Torah (right practice). Christians
replaced Faith with Theology (right belief). Both are a form of salvation by
works. But Faith was never meant to be replaced by anything. Genuine faith
ultimately leads to both sound beliefs and good works. Rather than replacing
faith, they flow from faith. So the question is, why do we do what we do? Are
we seeking to earn something, or does what we do simply flow out of our faith
because our faith makes us who we are? Faith does not seek a reward because the
life that flows from it is it’s own reward.
Message: Romans 3:27-31 “The Path of Descent”
This week we return to our previous series that
was cut short by Covid, “Reading Romans Backwards.” In this week’s message
we’ll be looking at how the Romans and Jews both thought they had the
advantage. Each considered themselves better than the other. But this was based
on a misunderstanding of both the intention of Torah and the meaning of being
Chosen in Christ. Instead of finding ourselves ‘worthy,’ Jesus invites us to
follow him on “The Path of Descent,” where we realize that the only thing we
should be boasting about is the Goodness and Grace of God.
Message: 2
Corinthians 7:8-10 “Why Can’t I Forgive Myself?”
In this final message in our series “The Grudge” we’ll be looking at the topic of forgiving ourselves. Sometimes the person that is hardest to forgive is ourselves. In this message we’ll look at the difference between two types of guilt: shame vs conviction. We’ll see how God applies conviction, but we often get trapped in shame. Once we understand the purpose of conviction, we’ll be more ready to forgive ourselves and move into the future God has for us.
Message: 1 Samuel 1:1-20 “Forgiving God?”
In
this week’s message, we continue our series “The Grudge.” We’ll be talking
about those incredibly difficult things in our lives where God doesn’t seem to
show up for us. The desperate prayers that seem to go unanswered. The times
when we find ourselves thinking, “God, you could have done something. Why
didn’t you?” We’ll see that God’s delays are not necessarily denials. And that
though we don’t always get what we want, God always gives more than we knew to
ask for. Our call is to trust God even when we don’t understand.
In
this Sunday’s message from the series “The Grudge” we’ll be looking at the why
and how to forgive those that have hurt or betrayed us in significant ways.
We’ll talk about what forgiveness is and what it is not. We’ll also talk about
God’s forgiveness of us and how forgiving others frees us!
Message: Proverbs 19:11, 10:12, 17:9 "I'm Over It"
We're going to begin a new 4 part series this Sunday called The Grudge" and it is all about forgiveness.
We have a tendency to carry painful parts of
our past with us: resentment against people who’ve hurt us, mistakes we’ve
made, or even bitterness toward God. This series will show attenders how to
recognize the grudges they’re carrying against others and themselves, and how the
pain we hold on to weighs us down and keeps us from stepping into the freedom
that God has for us. Each week of The Grudge will teach us how
to let go of the past for good and embrace true forgiveness for the
future.
This first week's message will be called
"I'm Over It" and will talk about not being so easily offended.
Message:
John 1:10-14 “The Practice of Embracing the Unknown”
In this final message in our “The Soul of a Pilgrim” series, we’ll be talking about accepting our place as newcomers to this strange thing called existence, humanity, and creation. We are a people who like to have all the answers, but there is so much we don’t know about God, who is bigger than all we can imagine. There is so much we don’t understand about life and what we go through. There is also a lot we don’t know about ourselves. Embracing the unknown is about trusting in God over ourselves.
Message: Matthew 26:31-35 “The Practice of Beginning Again”
In
this week’s message we’ll talk about how Beginning Again is a normal and
necessary part of our spiritual pilgrimage. There will be many times in this
life that we’ll be called to ‘start over.’ The wonderful part is that we have a
God who is gracious enough to invite us to start over again and again. We must
consider ourselves to always be beginners, because beginners know there is
always more to learn. Whenever we begin again, we begin with the lessons we’ve
learned from previous experience, so we are always building upon what has come
before.
Message:
John 6:53-67 The Practice of Being Uncomfortable
This
week we’ll be looking at “The Practice of Being Uncomfortable.”
The root word of the word ‘pilgrim’ is peregrini which means ‘stranger.’ Being a pilgrim requires that we stretch, that we travel to wild edges, and risk being uncomfortable. It is in that discomfort that we encounter new dimensions of our own capacity and new faces of the sacred. When have you been tempted to ‘leave’ because it was the easier thing to do? What is God calling you to go ‘through’ so that you might be stretched, overcome, and grow?
Message: Luke 5:1-11 “The Practice of Making the Way by Walking”
When
we are called to follow Jesus, as the disciples were, it isn’t only an
invitation to take a step toward an unknown outer journey. It is also the
invitation to step into an unknown inner journey, toward uncharted territory.
Just as God has led us on unfamiliar paths in this physical world, he also
invites us on a spiritual pilgrimage into unchartered territory. How do our
outer and inner worlds overlap and intertwine?
Message:
Matthew 6:19-24 “The Practice of Packing Lightly”
This
week we will begin a new series called “The Soul of a Pilgrim.” It will
introduce us to a number of practices from our eight week retreat based on the
book by the same title. The first practice we will look at this week is “The
Practice of Packing Lightly.” When a person sets out on a pilgrimage, they must
pack only what they absolutely need so they won’t be weighed down on the
journey. This week we’ll talk about what it is we are seeking on our spiritual
pilgrimage. We’ll also take note of the things we must consider leaving behind
so as not to be hindered as we make Christ our destination.
Message: Isaiah 49:8-16 "Do I Really Matter"
Guest Pastor: Rev. Cal Compagner
