Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, a series of rapidly unfolding events in the life of Jesus and his disciples that leave us gasping for air! The triumphal entry into Jerusalem; the Last Supper; the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus... all carrying us toward the day of Christ's resurrection the following Sunday.
As we shout "Hosanna" this Sunday, we should remember that many in the crowd who gave him a triumphal entry into Jerusalem on that day cried "Crucify Him!" just a few days later. Their story is a reminder that our faith in Jesus must be constant, whether we are basking in the light of a glorious day or weeping in the shadows of His cross. Christian faith isn't based on our surroundings - it is built on the soul-saving, death-defeating truth of His death and resurrection.
May our Holy Week and Easter gatherings fortify our faith in the One who died to set us free and rose from the grave to give us life everlasting!
- Apr 9, 2017Hosanna In The Highest – Everyone Loves a Parade
Hosanna In The Highest – Everyone Loves a Parade
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, a series of rapidly unfolding events in the life of Jesus and his disciples that leave us gasping for air! The triumphal entry into Jerusalem; the Last Supper; the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus... all carrying us toward the day of Christ's resurrection the following Sunday.
As we shout "Hosanna" this Sunday, we should remember that many in the crowd who gave him a triumphal entry into Jerusalem on that day cried "Crucify Him!" just a few days later. Their story is a reminder that our faith in Jesus must be constant, whether we are basking in the light of a glorious day or weeping in the shadows of His cross. Christian faith isn't based on our surroundings - it is built on the soul-saving, death-defeating truth of His death and resurrection.
May our Holy Week and Easter gatherings fortify our faith in the One who died to set us free and rose from the grave to give us life everlasting!
- Pastor Bob WeeksMatthew 21:1-11 - Mar 19, 2017The Gifts of the “holy Spirit”
The Gifts of the “holy Spirit”
March 19, 2017 The “Gifts” of the Holy Spirit
Have you ever wondered where you fit in in the Church? How God has gifted you to serve? This Sunday our message at all services will focus on the variety of spiritual gifts God provides to each of us so the Church can fulfill its mission.
Pray for our church, its ministries, its leaders and its members so that we might glorify God in all we do!
- Pastor Bob Weeks
Romans 12:1-13
I Corinthians 12:1-11
- Mar 12, 2017Jesus, the Heart of the Bible
Jesus, the Heart of the Bible
March 12, 2017 Jesus, the Heart of the Bible
My message Sunday will focus on the importance of remembering that Jesus is the heart of the Bible. It is so easy to forget what it means that He is the Living Word and that every part of the Bible points to His coming. That He is the focus of Scripture, whether in the Old or New Testaments. When we come to recognize His persistent, pervasive presence in Scripture, the Bible comes alive and its truth lights our way.
- Mar 5, 2017March 5, 2017 The Gospel in The Old Testament
March 5, 2017 The Gospel in The Old Testament
It's amazing how bleak a view the average American has of the Old Testament. To most it's a record of wars and murders, of rebellion and wandering in the wilderness. God is seen as distant and dispassionate. It is the flip side of the record of God we find in the New Testament?
So how can there be Gospel, i.e. good news, in these ancient books that canvas the story of God's people through centuries of deliverance and rebellion?
This Sunday we'll seek out the good news in the Old Testament. It was the Bible Jesus and his disciples knew and it remains the foundation for our understanding of human sin and the need for a Savior.
- Mar 1, 2017Ash Wednesday Service March 1, 2017
Ash Wednesday Service March 1, 2017
March 1, 2017 Ash Wednesday Service
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, marking the beginning of a season of repentance and preparation as we approach the death and resurrection of Christ during Holy Week and Easter. During our Ash Wednesday worship service, a cross is marked on the forehead of each worshiper, symbolizing our repentance and re-commitment to the holy way of Jesus.
- Feb 26, 2017We will be with the Lord Forever
We will be with the Lord Forever
February 26, 2017
We will be with the Lord forever
The expectation, the hope, the promise - what lies ahead for those who have placed their trust in the resurrected Savior Jesus Christ - is beyond human description.
The Apostle Paul puts it this way: "As it is written: 'What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived' - the things God has prepared for those who love him (I Corinthians 2:9)."
But because human beings are a curious, impatient lot, we cannot leave it at that. We demand narratives and detailed descriptions in novels and movels. We create elaborate, imaginative scenarios around the return of Christ.
Still, as Paul states, what God has prepared for us is beyond human conception. So our sermon this Sunday will not be an attempt to capture what cannot be caught. Rather, we will search through the Scriptures for what God has revealed about the nature of Christ's return and what we should be doing now to prepare.
- Feb 19, 2017The Apostle Paul. John Wesley. and Fanny Crosby
The Apostle Paul. John Wesley. and Fanny CrosbyFebruary 19, 2017 The Apostle Paul. John Wesley. and Fanny Crosby.
When I think of what it means to know the assurance of God's love and his saving grace, these are the three names that first come to mind.
The Apostle Paul, once a persecutor of those who followed Jesus, would later share his assurance of God's saving grace in his second letter to a young Christian named Timothy:
"I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."
John Wesley, who as a young man sought God's approval through works of righteousness and founded the Methodist movement as an Anglican Priest, tasted the joy of assurance for the first time at the age of 34 when he wrote in his journal:
"I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
Fanny Crosby lost her sight in infancy but described in thousands of poems and hymns the ecstasy of the assurance she received through God's grace:
"Perfect submission, all is at rest I in my Savior am happy and blessed Watching and waiting, looking above Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.'
Assurance of salvation is elusive for many Christians. We lapse into sin and doubt we were ever saved. We strive to "feel" God's presence but feel instead a the pangs of an empty inside. We wander through spiritual deserts, wondering if God will ever quench our thirst again.
This Sunday we'll explore Christian assurance - it's challenges and God's promises. I hope you'll come and find a greater assurance of his love and salvation.
- Feb 12, 2017Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be savedFebruary 12, 2017 Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. - God is a God of grace, mercy, and love.
God is a holy, just, and righteous God.
Both statements are true according to the Bible. But for many people, they present a view of God that is contradictory. A God of love would not punish sinners. A God who is just and holy cannot overlook our transgressions.
Therein lies our personal and corporate quandary: who will God save? Many people live in a limbo of uncertainty about their personal salvation, i.e., "I know I've done what the preacher said I needed to do, but I don't feel saved and I don't believe I'm good enough."
Others worry about loved ones who died without confessing Jesus Christ as Savior. Or about a friend who turned from faith to atheism in their adulthood. Or about a spouse who is "as good as gold" but hasn't made a commitment to God.
- Feb 5, 2017FAITH – Faith is the victory that overcomes the world
FAITH – Faith is the victory that overcomes the worldFebruary 5, 2017 FAITH - Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Romans 5:1-9
Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. The Bible teaches us that through faith we are justified and gain access to the grace that allows us to stand in the midst of a fallen world. I hope you'll join us Sunday morning as we look at the power of faith in God to transform our lives.
- Jan 29, 2017The Riches of God’s GRACE
The Riches of God’s GRACE
January 29, 2017 The Riches of God's GRACE
I've always loved the opening verses of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. It overwhelms. It soars. Above all it communicates the awesome wonder of God's grace in a way that leaves no doubt that Jesus came earnestly, lovingly, and mercifully to save even the lowest of sinners. Ephesians 1:1-14