2024 Map

 

We stand on the threshold of a new year. Even though we may think we are too sophisticated to believe that a certain day of the year means more than other, more common days, most of us would like to think that with the start of a new year, change in our lives is possible. While making resolutions isn’t as popular as it was in the past, mostly because of our widespread inability to continue to keep our proposed lifestyle changes, we still hope that positive change is possible. And while new, healthy habits are definitely attainable, the key to 2024 is not what we are going to do for ourselves, it’s going to happen when we allow God to begin molding us into the people he intends for us to be. 

If we head into 2024 thinking all about “my dreams and goals”, we could be very well setting ourselves up for failure. As followers of Christ, life is no longer about me, it’s about Christ living in me. The 2024 map of our lives needs to have Jesus in the center of everything, whether it be our careers, hobbies, holidays, finances, friendships, or family. 

If you have a chance, give the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes a read before you head into 2024. If you haven’t spent time in this ancient work, you might be surprised to find it in the Bible. You’ll be even more astounded at how current this book is having been written 3000 years ago. It’s a powerful reminder that no matter how hard we try, no matter how educated we are, no matter how influential we are, we can’t make life work apart from the One who created us. 

Is it time to change the map of your life? Join us for our worship service Sunday morning. You might find the map God offers is a whole lot more exciting than you thought. 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am

Is Peace a Possibility or a Pipe Dream?

 

The human race has a love/hate relationship with war. For those who have experienced it firsthand, war has left an indelible mark of brutality, agonizing suffering and death. For some, they are never able to return to the life they lived before going to war because of the horror they witnessed. 

And yet, our television screens are filled with movies celebrating war. Societies which have lost millions of young men and women in a past conflict are ready to have blood spilled again just a few years later. War can be addictive if you are on the winning side. Even typically peaceful people accept war if it brings economic prosperity, national prestige and requires little sacrifice on their part. 

Strangely, the same principles for fighting between nations holds true in our personal conflicts with the people with whom we live, work and play. No one likes to fight if we get the bad end of it all, but if we come out dominant, that’s another matter. 

The truth is, if left to human beings, peace is only a pipe dream. We may have brief periods of international or personal peace, but fighting will continue to erupt on an ongoing basis. The reason is, in and of ourselves, the driving motive in our lives is to get what we want, what we have determined is best for our survival and personal happiness. If someone is a threat to that goal, the only logical human reaction is – fight, dominate, get what we want. 

If a person is going to be serious about peace, then you have to get serious about Christmas. Left to ourselves, we will end humanity through our wars. Peace can only come from outside of us. And that is exactly the message of Christmas. God invades human history to bring the peace option we can only find in him. The one great question each one of us must ask this Christmas is: “Will we give peace a chance?” 

Christmas Eve Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am

Christmas Eve Sunday Evening Worship – 7:30 pm

Christmas Day Monday Morning Worship – 11:00 am

Aliens, Miracles, and Christmas

 

Years ago, there was a fringe movement in the world of science which suggested that life was brought to the planet earth by some type of alien existence. At that time, this idea was brushed off as quasi-religious, even a bit ridiculous. Today, scientific opinion has changed radically. Faced with the seemingly insuperable obstacles of finding a way that life can naturally arise out of non-living materials, more and more people in the scientific community are embracing the alien theory. 

On the other hand, the concept of miracles remains an object of extreme skepticism for the 21^st century cosmopolitan citizen. Some may accept that things do happen for which there isn’t a logical explanation, but the spectacular inexplicable events recorded in the past, well, they are just myths that uninformed people invented. 

It really is confusing as to why aliens are legitimate and miracles taboo. If we accept that there are events for which there is no natural explanation, why limit the character and quality of those events? Maybe the whole issue boils down to this: if God exists, then miracles – any miracle – is possible. The debate over the existence of God rages on. But whatever side a person finds themselves on, it is a matter of faith. 

The story of Christmas is full of miracles. In fact, Christianity itself is one big miracle, beginning with the most spectacular miracle of all – God becoming a human being. And what a joyful miracle it is. Consider the implications of Christmas: 

      Our lives are not the result of an unguided accident.

      We are not at the mercy of an unknown alien power.

      Our lives are not meaningless.

      Death is not the end.

      God is all powerful, involved in our lives and committed to our eternal good. 

If you’re skeptical about God, but still think there’s a pretty good chance that he’s out there, give yourself the opportunity to consider what that might mean. Give God the opportunity to do a miracle in you. That’s really what Christmas is all about! 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am

God on Trial

 

Looking back at the history of how people viewed God in the past, one notices that they were very concerned with what God thought of them. We find an unbroken record of people offering animal sacrifices, grain offerings, money, even their own children, all for the purpose of trying to get God on their side. There was a deep sense that people needed God in some way, either to help them out of a problem or to simply not create more difficulties in their lives. 

Today, our thinking is very different. The modern person, in many cases, doubts the existence of God. And even those who are open to considering the possibility of there being a God who is involved in human life, they demand that God prove himself to them on their terms! God is very much on trial, and we human beings see ourselves as his judge. Regarding our understanding of God, humanity has regressed in the last 200 years rather than progressed. For if God exists, we don’t find him, he reveals himself to us. We don’t judge him, he judges us. And above all, he does not need us, we desperately need him. That is why Christmas is so incredibly necessary. 

The message of Christmas is simple, straightforward and addresses our greatest need. In the birth of Jesus Christ, God becomes a human being, revealing himself clearly and understandably. However, the most shocking part about Christmas is why God became a human being. He came not to judge the world but to save the world. Take a few moments and think seriously about the following two Bible passages, both spoken by Jesus. If they say something to you, join us for our Sunday morning worship service. 

^{John 14:9}“Have I been with you so long,” Jesus answered, “and you still do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. 

^{John 3:16}“For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am

Do You Believe in Fairy Tales?

 

Fairy tales are great stories. All of us remember Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, and many more. Not only were they exciting, but they also taught us important lessons we still remember. Yet, fairy tales are just that – tales. They are not true stories. Somebody created these myths in their minds and then put them down on paper. They are entertaining and insightful, but they never took place. 

A significant number of people today would like to put the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the same fairy tale category. The problem with that proposition, however, is a great deal of evidence exists to the exact contrary conclusion. When we examine closely the history of the Gospels, we find there is a wealth of information supporting the truthfulness of these documents. 

This is no dry academic matter. If what Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about Jesus is not historically accurate, then we as Christians, have no basis for our belief in Christ or the promises he makes to us. The Jesus of faith rests on the Jesus of history. 

For the next six months, each Sunday we’re going to be examining the life, ministry, death, resurrection and meaning of the life of Jesus Christ. Before we embark on that quest, we need to know why we can be confident that what we are going to find out about Jesus is true. Join us this Sunday for our worship service. The Gospels always have been and continue to be: “The Greatest True Story Ever Told”. 

Sunday Morning Worship – 10:00 am