WORSHIP
The Light Revealed. Worship: January 15, 2023
The light of Christ expands throughout the Epiphany season as God reveals the many ways in which His joyous light of glory has come among us. His light illuminates even the darkest of days and ultimately guides the way to eternal light. As we gather for worship, we celebrate that we are children of the light in eternal and infinite ways.
Repost from January 16, 2022
Jesus was invited to a wedding and there he turned water into wine. It was the first of his many miracles. Through that moment we see that God has this incredible ability to turn one thing into another. He can turn bread and wine into His body and blood. He can turn a bad day into a good day. He can turn a hopeless situation into one in which we are blessed. It is our privilege to invite Him into our moments. As Psalm 65 says, “Your miracles and wonders inspire songs of joy.”
The Light of Life. Epiphany Worship: January 8, 2023
Our celebration of Christmas now turns into Epiphany when the Magi followed a star that led them to Bethlehem. There they found the Christ Child, Jesus, and worshiped Him as King.
As we consider the mystery of just how that guiding light might have worked, we can celebrate that God has arrived in our midst to guide us. He is a real guiding light. Wise men and women still seek Him because the True Light that enlightens all things has come!
This weeks audio service is a repost from January 9, 2022
God Sweeps into History. Worship: January 1, 2023
Jesus was born into the real world that we live in. The new born Prince of Peace was already changing the course of history. As King Herod was determined to destroy this new threat, Joseph and Mary were warned to escape to the safety of Egypt. This is what we celebrate: that God has come to prove his righteousness and love in the reality of the world we live in. He is why we are forever confident that goodness and truth win out.
This Audio service is a rebroadcast from 1/2/2022
Young King Solomon prayed for the gift of wisdom and God gave him a wise and discerning heart. When Jesus was twelve he wandered into the great temple in Jerusalem and astonished the smartest teachers with his wisdom and understanding. We pray that God bless us with His eternal and practical wisdom in this New Year.
Christmas Day Worship: December 25, 2022
Christmas might bring new gifts and new strength to relationships with family and friends. Christmas creates a point of connection to all the gifts Almighty God has for us. Today in our Christmas worship we connect the manger at Bethlehem to the empty tomb at Jerusalem as we ponder the meaning of this miracle child being the eternal Savior King. The whole story of our salvation in Jesus is packed into this one day. It is as if someone gave you a gift in a great big box and every time you pull something out of the box you see that there is even more down there in the bottom. There is such great reason for joy in Jesus. Christmas reminds us that we have an eternity of gifts and blessings to look forward to because of the Christ Child born this sacred day.
repost from DecemBer 26, 2021
After waiting and waiting Simeon and Anna were blessed beyond measure. There in the great temple their eyes beheld the salvation of God, the baby Jesus brought right to them. Seeing Jesus inspired in them a heartfelt song of thanks and praise to God. One day we will see Jesus face to face, and even now we are in the presence of the sacred mystery: God is with us, our Emmanuel. God bless you with joy, thanks and peace.
Our God Emmanuel with Us. The Fourth Sunday in Advent. Worship: December 18, 2022
We draw closer to the sign we are awaiting---the sign of the Word made flesh, our Emmanuel (God with us). Long ago the prophet Elijah spoke of this, that God himself would come to be with us. As this promise was being 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.
This weeks Audio Service is a repost from 12/19/21
Mary, the mother of Jesus is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells her she will give birth to the Savior of all mankind. Maybe the most amazing thing Mary receives is the ability to accept and rejoice in this with composure of soul and peace of mind. She sings, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.” Our Advent prayer is to welcome our Emmanuel, God with us, and sing with Mary her humble song of joy for the glory of God.
Our God Comes In Glory. The Third Sunday in Advent. Worship: December 11, 2021
John the Baptist was a strong and confident man, loudly proclaiming that the Savior of the world had come. But then John was thrown in prison. Challenged and tested by that circumstance John asked for reassurance that indeed Jesus was the one they had been waiting for. Jesus sent John a message of hope and confidence that echoed back to the words of Isaiah the Prophet spoken 800 years earlier. Isaiah proclaims, “Our God comes in glory, He comes to save you.” God speaks this hope to us even now. He comes in glory for us to see.
The week’s Audio Service is a Repost from December 12, 2021.
Some people are preparing for one day of celebration on Christmas. But we are preparing for an eternity of celebration and rejoicing. The Creator of the whole universe heard our deepest yearning and desire and came himself to answer us. Perhaps the whole season of Advent is embodied in the hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Since the seventh century these prayers have been sung in the days of Advent. They recount the promises God gave to His people before the coming of the Savior Messiah. They propel us forward to the day of Jesus' coming in glory on the Last Day. In this service we will pray these O Antiphons as our prayer for the day. In this we rejoice today and forever!
The Second Sunday of Advent. God Fulfills His Promise. Worship: December 4, 2022.
One man stands at the crossroads of God’s unfolding plan. In the past, God had made extraordinary promises. “Now,” said John the Baptist, “God is fulfilling His promises,” John tells us that those who hope for God will see Him, and even now, God is with us. In the spirit of Advent we sing of this great hope, God fulfills His promise.
The audio service is a rebroadcast from 12/5/2021.
A man named John the Baptist came out of nowhere to point toward Jesus. John made the radical claim that this carpenter from Nazareth was the promised Savior of all mankind. The way of God was opening. He would fill the world with His love. With His love everything can be saved and rescued. We celebrate that God has shown us His way of love. The way is clear for us. God reveals himself in all of His Glory.
The First Sunday of Advent. The King Is Coming! Worship: November 27, 2022
What do we do when an important guest is coming over to visit? We clean the house, prepare the dinner menu, put on nice clothes, and do many other things in anticipation. Beginning a new Church Year is also a time of getting ready. We prepare ourselves to welcome the King—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh to His people. The Advent season is a time of preparation—to prepare ourselves to welcome Him who came humbly as a king by earthly standards, but is the eternal King of heaven and earth. We welcome Him with repentant hearts and an expectant spirit.
The First Sunday of Advent. The Light of the Savior Dawns. Worship: November 28, 2021
On this First Sunday in Advent we all become watchmen in the night. We long for the dawn light to come. Today as Advent begins we get in touch with the deep longing inside us for God to come and show Himself. This is our Watch Night. On our Advent wreath a single candle is lit today. We pray for God to reveal Himself as the One who is dressed in light, who comes to fight away the darkness, and show Himself in Glory to be triumphant
King Triumphant. Worship: November 20, 2022
Christ Jesus is King of King and Lord of Lords; that is what we celebrate on this Last Sunday of the church year. Already at His crucifixion Jesus could be called the conquering king for His victory over death. As time moves forward we are getting closer to the complete and ultimate recognition of Christ’s Kingship. We can live this day with hope and expectation because Christ is the King of all eternity.
This audio service is a rebroadcast from Jesus, The King. Worship, November 21, 2021.
When all is said and done Christ will stand in triumph over all things. He will make the wrongs and injustices right in the end. We put our faith not just in God’s love and mercy but also in His perfect judgment and His ability to fulfill and finish what He started. In the beginning God made a good and perfect world, He will restore it. By His victory Jesus is already our King. In the end we will see that Jesus Christ is truly King of Kings for all of time and eternity. Are you ready to celebrate?
In God's Care. Worship: November 13, 2022
As the end of the Church Year draws near, we 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. In these last days of the church year we hear Jesus tell us that hard things may come but God is completing the fulfillment of His Word and promise. We can live in trust: “Stand up,” He says, “and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” We are in God’s care.
THIS WEEKS AUDIO IS REPOSTED FROM November 14, 2021 Worship.
Jesus, the man who is God, and the God who is man speaks with authority and wisdom. He is the truest and most trustworthy of prophets. He knows what to tell us about the future and what not to tell us. Jesus, the Son of the Living God can the see the whole of the future. He can see us standing firm in the faith and hope. He can see God saving us from the hardest and most impossible things. He can see us celebrating with him the complete revealing of God’s Glory.