It was a typical Saturday in September of 1910. Clarence Hiller had painted the railings of his front porch during the day, enjoyed a good dinner and then retired for the evening. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, he heard someone trying to enter through a window of his home. He went down to investigate.
Hiller’s wife then heard two men fighting on the porch, two gunshots, and then the sounds of a man running away. She went out to see what happened and found her husband Clarence, dead on the porch.
Police apprehended Thomas Jennings a short distance from the Hiller house with the same caliber gun which killed Hiller in Jenning’s pocket. But police didn’t have any other evidence. It seemed Jenkins would go free.
The next day, an investigator who had been recently trained in the new art of finger printing. went to the crime scene. To his amazement, he found impressed in the newly painted porch railings a set of fingerprints. They matched those of Thomas Jennings perfectly. Jennings was later tried and convicted of the murder of Clarence Hiller primarily on the evidence of his fingerprints. 1
Fingerprints – each of us has a unique set which distinguishes us from every other human being. But what do fingerprints have to do with Christmas? The season of Christmas is all about Jesus Christ. The word Christ means Messiah or Savior. In the Old Testament there are many references to a coming Savior. They provide clues to what this coming Savior would be like and what he would do. Today, we look back at those prophecies, most originating more than 500 years before Christ’s birth, and we compare them to what the Gospel accounts tell us about the life of Jesus. What we find is that the life of Jesus matches the prophecies just like that of a finger to its prints.
Join us this weekend for one of our worship services. Your confidence in the truthfulness of the Christmas message will be strengthened.

1 Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (pp. 230-231)

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

The Underrated “Attaboy”

We’ve all been on the receiving end of stinging criticisms which hurt us deeply. Those were painful reminders of the power words have. To be daily bombarded with negative, sarcastic comments can be devastating.

While we could all use less destructive criticism, most people would benefit from a strong dose of genuine, daily encouragement. How many people have expressed the feeling that they were never able to please their parents because they rarely received a simple “attaboy”? “Attaboy” is just one way of saying, “Good job.” “You are looking great today.” Thanks for helping out.” “Way to go.” One doesn’t have to be eloquent nor articulate to give out “attaboys”. All that is required is a genuine desire to build people up.

This weekend we’ll be studying the eighth commandment which teaches us how to use our words in a way which gives glory to God. Each one of us can make a great start in making this study personal just by giving out a few “attaboys” between now and then. It won’t cost you anything, but it could mean everything to somebody who needs some sincere encouragement today.

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

Even the Little Things

We like to describe our behavior which we know is wrong as “bending the rules”. It sounds so much better than, “What I did was wrong.” While rephrasing what we did might make us feel a little better, it doesn’t lessen the significance of our actions.

This Sunday we’re going to be studying the Seventh Commandment: You shall not steal. It is one of God’s commands that we often gloss over because we don’t take the time to dig into what he intends by it. We probably haven’t tried to rob a bank or break into someone’s house lately, so we’ve got to be good on this one, right? Not really, not if the Lord means us to be meticulously honest in all our financial dealings, even to the point of helping other people maintain their money and possessions.

What the Bible says about financial integrity might seem nit-picky. We need to remember that it is not only his authoritative command, but it serves to enable human beings to prosper. The greatest threat to wide-spread wealth is corruption, or in plain words – stealing in any form. When people are honest, economies flourish.

As we head into the 2020 presidential election we are hearing about new economic stimulus plans every day. The best, however, might be God’s simple command, “Don’t steal.” Join us this weekend for one of our services. You might find the subject of stealing is more relevant to your life than you imagined.

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

The New/Old God

Judging by the amount of time people spend watching, reading, and discussing sexuality, it would seem that sex has become the new god for many people. It is seen as the driving force in human life, the one thing people cannot get enough of. This kind of thinking is a dramatic change from the recent past but a return to peoples’ beliefs of centuries ago. Many of what are called the pagan religions were very much rooted in sexuality. People believed there were gods who controlled the fertility of the crops they planted, their livestock and even their own families. Since that was an agricultural era, being fertile was a major issue. And so, people believed the most effective way to worship their fertility gods was to engage in sexual activity.

Modern people might laugh at the simple thinking of the ancients, but things really haven’t changed much. Years ago, people believed sex would bring them wealth given by the gods. Today, much more educated people believe sex will bring them happiness if they can only find the right partner(s) and techniques.

When Christians talk about sex it is usually dismissed as puritanical blackmail to keep young people from enjoying themselves. The truth is, a serious study of what the Bible has to say about sex is that it provides a path to a healthy wholeness which brings tremendous blessings to our lives.

Someone once said, “There isn’t anything new under the sun.” When it comes to the way human beings view their sexuality, that is certainly true. Our culture has embraced the same ideas folks did 3000-4000 years ago with the same tragic results. If you want a fresh view of this important subject, join us for one of our weekend services. You’ll be positively surprised by what you hear.

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am

How Much Is a Human Life Worth?

Sounds like a line from an action movie. The truth is, however, the value of a life is very much an everyday topic in our conversations and political debates. A pregnant woman asks, “Should I keep the baby?” A depressed elderly man wonders, “What is my reason for going on?” Medical experts decide who will receive vital medical services and who will not. Charities must make gut-wrenching decisions of where to send aid.

How much is a life worth? Depends on the person with whom you are speaking. One social commentator openly admits, “all human life does not have the same value”.1 An ethics professor from Princeton states that newborn babies should not have the same rights as adults.2 We live in an age of utilitarian psychology which preaches that right and wrong are based on what brings the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number of people. We’re told not to ask the inconvenient question, “What happens to those in the minority?”

People want relevancy. They want to know how things make a difference in their lives. Often, they equate God with just the opposite – idealistic notions which have nothing to do with day to day living. Nothing could be farther from the truth when it comes to determining the value of a human life. The moment we take that responsibility away from the One who deserves it and place it into the hands of other human beings, we open the way to the annihilation of millions as we witnessed in the last century. As some have put it, “Without God we are only chemical machines.” That’s a scary thought because when machines no longer serve the purpose of their owner, they are thrown on the trash heap.

You are more than a machine and your life has an inestimable value. Join us this weekend for one of our services to find out why.

Saturday evening worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am