December 27, 2015 | Joshua 3-4 |
When you look back on the previous year, was it everything you hoped for? Was last year something you want to forget? Here is the more important question: are you looking back at last year and forward to next year through God’s eyes? God told Joshua to prepare the Israelites to enter the promised land by following him by faith and remembering his faithfulness in their past. We too can remember God’s faithfulness to us and commit to follow him.
December 20, 2015 | John 1:1-14 |
Christmas carols. All of us have our favorites. I don’t know what mood you’re in this Christmas. Perhaps because of this warm North Carolina weather you’re singing along with Bing Crosby: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.” Or maybe you’re missing someone this Christmas and you’re humming along with Elvis: “I’ll have a blue Christmas without you.” Whether it’s a white one or a blue one, there’s just something about Christmas that makes us want to sing.
When did all of this caroling begin? It was a little over 2,000 years ago when Christ was born and an angelic choir sang “Glory to God in the highest” to an audience of shepherds in Bethlehem. Faithful followers of Jesus have been singing ever since!
December 13, 2015 | Luke 2:1-14 |
What would move you to “fall on your knees” in worship today? Many of us have lost the wonder and worship of Christ’s coming. For some the holidays are a reminder of the empty chairs at the supper table this year. Or of the trials that challenge us to fall short of our expectations for the perfect Christmas season. But the carol, “O Holy Night”, inspired by Luke’s gospel, invites us to contemplate the story of Christmas anew
December 6, 2015 | Matthew 1:18-25 |
In Matthew’s gospel, he showed that the birth of Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament’s promises. Writing to a predominantly Jewish audience, he desired to give them the hope that they had long awaited. We too can experience this hope that we have been truly searching for. In today’s passage we will study the fulfillment of God’s promise to send His Son who is Emmanuel, God with us. Today we will see three ways to experience “God with us” in our lives.