Words fail us. There are just some areas, some topics, that cannot be described well in words. We can try and it is good and right for us to do our best, but we must live with the tension that our words just can’t quite get us there.
This Sunday we begin a series on the Gospel of John. John opens with some of the most important words ever written; they change everything. They soar and penetrate and inspire, but as you read them you can tell he is straining to express what words can barely describe.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”
John writes his gospel so that his readers ”may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John writes so that we would see Jesus, his beauty and majesty and unrivaled significance, and thereby place our complete trust in him. This is the doorway to life. Close your eyes and you can see the glory of that light shining under the door. This winter we open the door of John’s gospel.
I can’t wait to worship together.
Pastor David
In the Beginning, Jesus
January 12, 2014 • Rev. David Juelfs
The Visit of the Wise Men
January 5, 2014 • Rev. Adam Feichtmann
Listen to Sermon Audio Player 00:00 00:00 Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. Download Files Download Sermon Audio (.mp3) Download Order of Worship (.pdf) Summary Happy New Year! 2014 has arrived, but Christmas is still here. Sunday is the 12th and last day of the Christmas season. To give Christmas one last celebratory hurrah, before we have to wait another 353 days, we will be opening our Bibles to Matthew 2:1-12 to study The Visit of the Wise Men. Who were these men? Why were they wise? And why are they in our Christmas nativity scenes if Jesus was 2-years-old when they visited? Join us on Sunday to find out these answers and to explore how God’s wisdom turns the wisdom of the age upside down. I look forward to worshiping with you. Adam Feichtmann
Exponentially More
January 19, 2014 • Rev. David Juelfs
When you meet someone for the first time what kinds of questions do you ask them? This Sunday we will take a second look at the opening paragraphs of John’s Gospel. He is introducing us to Jesus. The apostle John want to show us the beauty of Jesus, so that we would believe and entrust our lives to him. Last week I asked you to find someone you trust and who knows you well, and to ask them to help you honestly answer these questions: Where am I placing my trust? What am I functionally trusting in to get the kind of life I want? Asking these question will help us engage with the gospel of John. Page by page John wants to show us the beauty of Jesus, his worthiness to be trusted, so that we actually want to entrust our lives to him instead of the many other options around us. Take a few minutes and ask those questions. Then read and pray through the opening words of John’s Gospel. Jesus offers us exponentially more than we can imagine. Look for his beauty in John 1:1-18 and entrust yourself to him. I look forward to worshiping together. Pastor David
Abundance
January 26, 2014 • Rev. David Juelfs
Who doesn’t enjoy attending weddings? Weddings are rightfully some of the most joyous celebrations that we get to witness. To watch a father walk his daughter down the aisle, to listen to the marriage vows, to enjoy good food and wine, and to dance the night away… weddings are worth traveling across land and sea to attend. Our culture’s weddings & celebrations typically last a handful of hours, but in the the first century it was typical for the celebration to last a week or more! Those were true parties. In the context of a joyous wedding celebration in the town of Cana, Jesus decides to perform his first miracle. To begin his public ministry of announcing the Kingdom of God by turning water into wine. Weddings are amazing and unforgettable, but they are never ends in themselves. They always point to something more. Similarly, Jesus doesn’t perform miracles for them to be ends in themselves. Wine in itself is great, but it is so much more. As his first public miracle, it acts as a sign that points to another reality. I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday to unpack the good news and significance of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Pastor David