Home for Christmas
Dec 3 - 24, 2003
Extreme Reno - Christmas Edition
December 17, 2023 • Pastor Bryan Eckelmann • Matthew 1:18–25
Joseph is engaged to a woman with an emerging ‘baby bump’ – what on earth could he do? Once people noticed, he would be considered by his people as ungodly either for sleeping with Mary before their marriage or for choosing to marry an adulteress. By all of that day’s standards of what a proper and God-fearing person should do, Joseph had to divorce Mary. But when an angel appears, Joseph’s understanding of righteousness gets an Extreme Renovation. God’s will begins with commands and rules – but it doesn’t stop there. His will, fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 5:17-18), is observed when we go beyond, and fully trust the One who (as the angel said to Joseph, “came to “save his people from their sins.”
Empty Nesting
December 10, 2023 • Pastor Bryan Eckelmann • Luke 1:57–66, Luke 1:5–25
Zechariah & Elizabeth expected their home to stay empty of children. Years of waiting and disappointment can cover a soft heart with a concrete layer of cynicism. So when the gift of God arrives, we hesitate to accept it; we (like Zechariah) skeptically ask “how can I be sure of this...?” Faith comes from desiring a relationship with God without requiring a guarantee from God.
Say "Hello" To Your Dream Home
December 3, 2023 • Pastor Bryan Eckelmann • Haggai 2:1–9
The prophets looked to a day when God's House (the Temple) would be better than anyone could ever dream. Christmas fulfilled that promise in ways none could even imagine -- Jesus himself WAS the Temple (Jn 2:18-22). Christmas shows us that we are never truly at home until we receive Christ into our hearts.