God's Word

“Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:30) Jesus asked his disciples that critical question just six months before his crucifixion.

Over the six weeks of the Lenten season, we will study the Gospel of Mark to answer that critical question anew. On the weekends, we will work our way through Mark 1-11. During our Wednesday meditations, we will focus on Jesus’ suffering in the last chapters of Mark.

Ash Wednesday will include the Imposition of Ashes and the Lord’s Supper in both the 3:30 and 7:00 pm services. On the following Wednesdays of Lent, the 3:30 service will include a Children’s Message as part of our on-going effort to welcome families back into regular in-person worship.

Join us, beginning January 10, for a new message series The Intentional Life.

In the days of the old sailing ships, the greatest danger sailors faced was not piracy or storms at sea, but simply being “becalmed” hundreds of miles from land.

The word “becalmed” sounds peaceful, but with no wind, a sailing ship could drift aimlessly for days or weeks until the sailors perished from lack of food and water.

In our lives, our most dangerous enemy may be not some sudden temptation, demonic assault, or even the personal “storms” of life, but the danger of simply drifting. The author of the Book of Hebrews warned, “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Hebrews 2:1).

Are you drifting?
As we begin the new year, we pray that the Holy Spirit (in both Hebrew and Greek the word for “spirit” and “wind” is the same) fill the sails of our lives so that we live with purpose and intention.

There are two great miracles of Christmas: God becoming man for us and for our salvation and that he in grace reveals the first miracle to you (yes, even to you!) and blesses you with all its benefits.

The culture and times in which we live make it more and more difficult to know what is real and what is not. Our food is full of synthetic ingredients and artificial flavors. People hide behind facades of pasted on smiles and elegant peaceful homes. Fake news has become a reality that we have to learn to contend with. This time of the year even many of the decorations on our homes and in public spaces are artificial copies of pine, cedar, and mistletoe. It begs the question. Where can we actually find real hope and real joy this Christmas season and beyond?

A Biblical celebration of Christmas is based on realities that have a real impact on our lives—living life in a world in desperate need, heeding the call to honest self-reflection, recognizing the source of true peace and joy in our lives, and worshipping a real baby who is really God himself in human flesh and blood. So often in life we are looking for the wrong kinds of presents. No wonder so many us are regularly disappointed. The presents we will focus on this Advent season are real presents and are able to do for us what they were meant to accomplish — bestow true hope, peace and confidence.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Survivors of 2020 are tired of the pandemic and the political divisions. Stress outside our homes causes stress inside many of our homes. When is this going to end? We are not the first to ask this question. During the End Times season of the Church Year, let’s look to some Old Testament mentors, four composers who ask the same question: When is this going to end?

Often Jesus’ parables take an unexpected turn. The way our God deals with us can also seem unexpected. The “Unexpected” message series takes up both of those issues as we look at Jesus’ parables.

As young people return to classes, we are reminded of the importance of equipping ourselves for the various situations and challenges before us in life. If this is true in a temporal and earthly sense, how much more true spiritually! The Scriptures exhort us to equip ourselves to fight the good fight. But just as students require a team of individuals to guide and encourage them toward higher levels of growth (i.e. parents, teachers, coaches, friends), Christians need both the guidance of God’s Word and the assistance of other Christians to provide support and direction on their journey toward spiritual maturity. We are better together! What’s your plan for Word of God time in the months ahead? Who are the spiritual mentors to assist you on this journey? And finally, what obstacles may be standing between you and attaining your goals?

A Study of Romans 12-16

How do we deal with people who think differently than we do and act differently than we do? How do we deal with people who mistreat us? How do we overcome the racial and economic divides and COVID-19 divides? We can find the answers if we remember to live “In View of God’s Mercy,” looking back to the mercy that we have received as the motivation for our actions and looking from that place of mercy to reflect that mercy in all our interactions.

Many people have begun reading the Bible only to give up because the stories seem impossible. Once you are past the creation account, you are challenged by incredibly long lives, the flood, and a tower reaching to the heavens. Could these stories really be true? How do you answer that question? What is the purpose of these stories?

The Holy Spirit who was active at creation is also active in our lives. As we begin the Pentecost season, we will study the origins of the world and celebrate the power of God that is at work in us.