This Sunday is the first of Advent, it is HOPE, it is the waiting time for the coming of Jesus our Lord. It is the great moment that changed the history of human beings, children of God. Jesus being rich became man and poor; He came to the world to save His people from eternal death. In today's passage we will learn the story of a rich man with no name and a poor man with a name. The two lived different lives on earth but before they died there was HOPE of an opportunity for the two to truly know each other and through this relationship to know the love of God, their true Creator and the purpose for their lives. Lazarus about to die asked for mercy from the rich man which he never showed to him. The rich man continued to live a life full of good food, luxuries and comforts; he was defined by his material possessions here on hearth and did not accumulate treasures in heaven. Lazarus, the poor man, was waiting for his death as a gift to go on to eternal life to live forever with God his Father.
The Rich Man & Lazarus (11AM)
November 27, 2022 • Alex Rule • Luke 16:19–31
The Story. The Silence. The Savior (10AM)
January 1, 2023 • Mark Bassett • Esther 4
2022 becomes 2023. For many of us New Year’s Day is a day to reflect on the past year’s experiences, relationships, sorrows, joys, decisions, loves. It’s also a time to look forward. We make plans, promises, pledges for the months ahead. Not all of our plans and promises go as we’d hoped. Only 36% of those who make a New Year’s resolution are still at it a month later. Even worse … only 9% of resolutionists (I made that word up) make it to the finish line. I believe the greatest hope of the New Year is the hope for new beginnings, fresh starts, forgiveness. Christians believe God wrote that longing for new beginnings, for forgiveness, into the very fabric of our lives. His gift of love makes peace and forgiveness possible: peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with others. Not once a year, but every day, every hour, every minute. This morning my dear friend Mark Bassett (pastor in Ephrata) returns. He will be leading you through the life of a Queen named Esther. Her entire family, and her nation, were scheduled to die because of a law written due to pride and hatred. She would take a risk, speak up, even though it could have cost her everything, and in so doing, trusting God, she and her nation were given a new beginning.
You Are Worthy 10AM
December 25, 2022 • Dennis Whitcher • Matthew 6:25–34
The title of our Advent sermon series this year was "Till He Appeared and the Soul Felt its Worth." This phrase is found in the beautiful Christmas Hymn, "O Holy Night." Our soul is where our emotions come from. It seeks to be valued and to have a sense of belonging. We can never understand our worth until we accept Jesus’ coming into our lives. That is only when our lives have true meaning and the vacuum in our soul is filled. More than 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son into our messy world, a beautiful world that had been created for us, that man had corrupted, so that we might know our worth. So this baby, this tiny baby, born in such humble circumstances, so many years ago, it is He who gives our souls their worth. I can't help but wonder at this. How beautiful is God's grace? He gave His precious Son to us, letting us see just a glimpse of His love for us. For those of us who have experienced the overwhelming love of God, He wants us to let others see His love through us. There is no better time to express this than Christmas, but we can do this all through the year actually. So let’s make an effort to reach out to someone so that they will encounter Christ through us this year. Let’s not be a hindrance preventing others from seeing the love of Christ. As they experience this love who is Christ, their souls will also know their worth.
