Love Down The Line (9AM)

Grace of Christ

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Love Down The Line (9AM)

December 18, 2022 • Curt McFarland • Matthew 1:1–17

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Today is the final Sunday of Advent (Advent being the four Sundays prior to Christmas morning set aside to prepare for the miracle of Jesus’ birth). Christian faith claims that at Christmas God voluntarily left heaven and entered human history. When we rejected God He did not reject us. When we walked away from Him He did not walk away from us. Instead, He came for a specific purpose. Several times He stated, “I came to seek and save the lost.” That’s us. His birth was the first stage of a rescue mission.

Our theme throughout these past weeks has been a line from the beautiful Christmas Hymn “O Holy Night” … “‘Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” When He appeared, and only then, did we begin to understand God’s love, and our worth.

Today’s sermon passage is another unusual choice for an Advent message (as has been the previous three). This morning we will read through a long list of names found at the beginning of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life. Why would Matthew open his story of the greatest life ever lived this way? Why would he remind us, in this list, of all of the unsavory and questionable characters in Jesus’ lineage? What does this list of names tell us about God, ourselves, our worth?

As we gain in years we often find a growing curiosity about our ancestors. Organizations, websites, DNA tests, are dedicated to helping us discover where we came from and who we are related to. Many hope to find a direct connection with someone famous, someone of influence, someone who helped change the world. When we find such a connection we can’t wait to tell others. “I’m the great, great, great, great cousin of …” Our past plays a role in defining how we see ourselves today. As we explore Jesus’ ancestors we will find something there that will define us too. When He appeared...

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.

7PM Christmas Eve 79th Carols & Candles

December 24, 2022

Christ the Savior is born! Join us early for the 79th Annual Carols & Candles with the organ prelude beginning at 6:45. Refreshments before the service. Childcare will not be available.