Spiritual Disciplines ~ Sabbath Rest: Rest or Productivity?

Today, we will further emphasize the importance of Sabbath rest in terms of what it is and is not. We will clarify that Sabbath rest is not merely inactivity but actively enjoying God’s presence and creation while trusting in His provision. By reclaiming the true meaning of the Sabbath, believers can experience the fullness of…

The Wonder of It All

Today, we emphasize that Christmas is a season that lasts for 12 days, calling believers to continue celebrations and reflect on the wonder of Christ’s birth and using Mary’s example from the Gospel of Luke, highlighting her practice of treasuring and pondering significant events in her heart, encouraging us to do the same with our…

Advent 2024: Those Who Wait ~ Wait with Peace

In today’s message, we will highlight the chaotic hustle of the Advent season, contrasting it with the peace that Jesus offers. It will emphasize how we look for peace in all the wrong things and that true peace is not found in worldly activities or material pursuits but in a personal relationship with Christ, the…

Advent 2024: Those Who Wait ~ Wait with Joy

Today, we explore the theme of joy during Advent by reflecting on the message of Isaiah and the anticipation of Christ’s coming.  We will emphasize the importance of waiting with expectation and a profound understanding that true joy is a choice rooted in faith, not fleeting emotions. The sermon will remind us that even in…

Spiritual Disciplines: Pray ~ Rejoice

Today, we move to the R. in our acrostic on how to pray P.R.A.Y. P. was to pause, and R. is to rejoice. We will emphasize the importance of rejoicing in prayer, highlighting Psalm 103 as a hymn of praise. We will be encouraged to seek instruction from God and to maintain focus on rejoicing…

The Peculiar Kingdom of God & its People ~ Persecuted

Today we examine the final beatitude in the introduction of the Sermon on the Mount.  In this, we tie them all together to show how they are a collective whole, and how you cannot have one without the other. We also examine what it is Jesus means when He says blessed are those who are…

Advent 2022 ~ Entertaining Angels: Joy That Makes Way for Praise

Can you recall a moment in your life when you fully experienced the joy of the Lord?  Not the joy found in this world, but the joy you found in the Lord?  That moment of joy, that to this day, elicits joy deep inside your inner being when you think of it because it gave…

Advent 2021 ~ Joy that Lasts

It is the third Sunday of Advent.  As it has been our tradition for the past several years, and the greater church’s tradition the past 1600 years we lit the candle of joy today in our celebration and anticipation for the coming of Jesus our Lord. For Jesus brings us great joy as proclaimed by…