God With Us, December 22 Worship

On this Fourth Sunday in Advent, we celebrate our Emmanuel (God with us).  Long ago the prophet spoke of this, that God himself would come to be with us. As this promise was about to be fulfilled we
hear the angel tell Joseph to name his new son “Jesus, because he will save his
people from their sins.” This is what we prepare to celebrate: God has come to
be with us, and we know his name is Jesus.

God Brings the Flower of Joy to Bloom, Advent 3 Worship, Dec. 15

When God comes things change toward joy. Isaiah the prophet writes that it is like the desert turning green, flowers bursting into bloom where there was only parched land. When Jesus came among us things changed for many who were blind, deaf, and sick as they were healed. Change begins for us when we see that we are God’s children, loved, cherished, forgiven and blessed with strength and hope.  Our joy is given to us by God. Isaiah says “everlasting joy will crown their heads.”

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 Due to technical difficulties, there is no sermon audio for Sunday, December 15.

God is True to His Word, Second Sunday in Advent, December 8th

One man stands at the cross roads of God’s Word. John the Baptist strides between what we know as the Old Testament and the New Testament. He was the first prophet to appear in hundreds of years. His message was extraordinary. In the past God had made promises. “Now,” said John, “God is fulfilling His promises.” John reminds us that those who hope for God will indeed see Him, and even now, God is not far from us. God is true to His Word

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, First Sunday in Advent, December 1st

Happy New Year! The Church Year begins anew today. Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. One Advent tradition is to mark the four Sundays in Advent with four words that encompass what Jesus brings as He comes into the world to be our Immanuel—God with us. These four words are hope, peace, joy, and love. Today we focus on hope. We unite our hearts to greet the humble king, Jesus. In His incarnation, death, resurrection, and return we have great reason to hope.

Christ the King Sunday, November 24

Jesus, the King of Kings did not need a throne. Instead of a throne He took the cross. On it He prayed for forgiveness for His executioners. From it He promised paradise for the thief on a neighboring cross. And because of His royal sacrifice, the Father “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” We may not understand all that is happening in the world around us. But we can trust that Christ Jesus is King of Kings. So as the hymn says, “lift high the cross!” For here is our King.

The Son of Man is Coming in the Clouds with Power and Glory, November 17 Worship

As the end of the Church Year draws near, we can take heart that God will finish what He started. God has promised to orchestrate the events that shape history to a good end. Throughout the church year we celebrate that God himself appeared and Jesus won our salvation from sin, death, and the devil. In these last days of the church year we hear Jesus tell us that hard things may come but in this God is completing the fulfillment of His Word and oath. No matter what comes we can live in a sense of expectation: “Stand up,” He says, “and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” “The Son of Man is coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

God of the Living, November 10 Worship

Today might just be another day, but on this day we can celebrate that God is taking us to the day when we will join with all who have hoped for the gracious blessing of eternity in heaven. In this hope we celebrate that God is with us even now. God came to Moses in a burning bush and told him, “take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” God said to Moses, my name is “I am who I am.” The name Yahweh means “pure being.” Jesus tells us, “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” That gives us a lot to celebrate today and for an eternity of days.

All Saints Sunday, November 3 Worship

What does it mean to be called a saint? We can still live in the here and now where everything can become routine and predictable and yet a saint knows there is something holy and sacred about the whole of life. Saints know that everything is a gift from God. Saints learn to depend on God, and count on his goodness, mercy, love and compassion. Saints do not give up, always believing and hoping in God’s amazing and ingenious ways. Saints take heart in the great reversal of Jesus, who left His grave alive again to show us, that for His saints, God has an eternal life in heaven.

Reformation Sunday Worship October 27

Five hundred years ago Martin Luther knew that he needed the strong fortress of God. He struggled and studied and prayed, but still the security he sought eluded him. Finally he realized that God had made it very simple. Our salvation was won for us by Jesus Christ. It is not about what we need to do, it’s all about what God has done. God has made a strong and eternal fortress for us. Not sin, or the devil, or even death can knock down the walls of the strong fortress God has built around us in Christ Jesus.   

Confident in God, October 20 Worship

Jacob wrestled with an angelic messenger from God. Jesus tells us a story about a woman who persistently petitions an unjust judge until he finally grants her justice. We can be confident that God is ultimately good and just. Our loving Father always hears our prayers. Though His answers may not always be what we want or expect we can forever be confident that God is always good.