Living the Carols
Living the Carols: Joy to the World
December 19, 2021 • Pastor Tammy Long • Luke 2:8–14
"The noise of the cultural aspect of the holiday is drowning out the true reason for the season and also preventing us from holding the sense of preparing for, and celebrating this Advent season. For some, joy is easy to come by, while the reality for others is facing challenges for joy during this season. We are here to share with you that indeed, joy is real and more than that, joy is available to each of us! Yes family, joy is real because Jesus is real..."
Living the Carols: Love. O Holy Night
December 12, 2021 • Reverend Scott Loo • Luke 1:26–38, John 3:16–17
We continue the sermon series, “Living the Carols,” Verse 1 of the carol, “O Holy Night” is: “O holy night, the stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth; Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.” How do we feel our worth? How do we help others feel their worth? Let’s explore the Christmas scripture of how Mary feels her worth. The soul feels its worth when we say “Yes” to God, when our story connects with God’s story, and when our story connects with other people’s story.
Living the Carols: Light from Jesus as Star and Sun
December 5, 2021 • Reverend Harry Cox • Micah 5:2, Psalm 19:1–4, Matthew 2:1–2, Revelation 22:16, Micah 4:2
"The theme is Peace for this second week of celebrating Advent. This week we are focusing on biblical truth in the Christmas Carol: “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.” The lyrics of this Christmas Carol lead us to biblical texts. This Christmas Carol and related scriptural texts have much to say about order in nature and how God uses the natural order all around us and in the sky to provide divine revelation consistent with science and in terms we can understand. This message explores profound biblical truths about Jesus providing shining light as Star and Sun..."
Living the Carols: O Come, Emmanuel
November 28, 2021 • Pastor Tammy Long • Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23
"Our culture has a countdown because the holiday season has officially begun, with the usual consumer craziness of missing out on the current sale or an item being out of stock. As followers of Christ, there is another countdown that has been happening for centuries. The countdown of Advent is marked with patience, hope, and anticipation birthed from a deep longing for change, relief, and salvation. This Sunday begins the four Sundays before Christmas celebrated for centuries marking the period of preparation for the coming of Christ. As we begin a sermon series called Living the Carols, we will be focusing on the biblical truths found in four Christmas carols, and how these truths apply to today as we ponder, wait, and prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord. We are waiting even now for Jesus' second coming. This Sunday of Advent is marked by confident hope because God is faithful to His promises..."