Bay Area Community Church

It's about to be the New Year! That means it's almost time for the epic battle that's waged each year in our minds between cynicism and optimism. If you're like me, cynicism sometimes delivers a knockout punch before my post-Christmas blues are even over. But in this weekend's message, I'm going to do my best to convince you that A Chapter a Day for the rest of your life is the most important goal you could set for 2023, and that committing to that goal by yourself would be a mistake.

Emmanuel. Our King has come. There have never been more comforting words! As we live out our everyday lives, filled with chaos, pain, joy, confusion, laughter and anxiety we have the confidence of knowing that our King has not left to figure it out in the messy middle: He was and always will be with us as our King, even in the in between.

At this time of year, many people who would otherwise never consider attending a church service, find themselves drawn to the mystery, majesty and tradition of remembering the story of Jesus. As a Bay Area family, we are eagerly awaiting a chance to be together to do that very thing, and we encourage you to invite as many as you can to join and hear that our King Jesus offers his love to all who will receive it. Can't wait to see you (and your guests!) on Christmas Eve! 

Have you ever walked into a room and then asked yourself, "Why am I here? What did I need?" It's a frustrating feeling to realizing that you don't know why you're doing what you're doing. There's very little that's more empowering (or demotivating) than knowing (or not knowing) your purpose in life. Jesus was crystal clear about why he came to earth, and his life sets an example for us. Have we forgotten our purpose? 

Humility is one of the essential skills of a good leader. Jesus modeled humility for from the very beginning of his life on earth. His very birth modeled humility for us. This week we will dig into the humble birth of Jesus, and how that set a pattern of humility that we can live by today.

Have you ever been in an outdoor hot tub while it's snowing? Or jumped into a mountain stream on a hot day? Sometimes a little contrast is just what we need to better understand the world around us. In this series, we'll be doing just that - contrasting our King Jesus at his first coming with what we've seen of his at his second arrival. I'm praying we'll see both arrivals with greater clarity as we see how starkly different they are.

"The Holidays" either means "joy and cheer" or "utter chaos" for most us. There are traditions that we love, and traditions that we love to hate. But what if this year we took a fresh look at Advent and found that it brought focus and refreshment? Join us this weekend as we explore what practicing Advent looks like for our church family this year, and why it might be just the ritual we all need.

There is part of all of us that longs for “utopia.”   Utopia is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. No more problems. No pain. No relational strife. All is perfect. This Sunday we look at the true utopia that awaits every believer in Jesus: heaven. The King is coming! And when He comes, not only will He put down all evil, He will make a “new heaven and new earth” and we will reign with Him forever. Other than God’s grace poured out on us through the cross, Revelation 21 and 22 could be the most hopeful and encouraging message of all: “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.”

Armageddon. We use the word today to refer to any catastrophic conflict or widespread destruction. But in the Bible, Armageddon refers to the climactic future battle between God and all the forces of evil. Jesus is pictured in awe and glory riding on a white horse with flaming eyes and a sharp sword in His mouth. As King of kings and Lord of lords, He defeats the antichrist, the false prophet, and the armies assembled against Him. Imagine sin completely defeated. Picture in your mind all evil forever vanquished. Hallelujah, the finality of sin is done! Join us this Sunday at ____ as we learn how to live in light of His coming!

Many of us look around our world and are discouraged. Discouraged over the war in Ukraine, increasing homelessness, the political divide, decline in moral values, inflation, record breaking natural disasters, historic persecution of Christians, health issues, and more. This reality easily leaves people without a sense of hope.

One of the things that brings encouragement is the anticipation of something good to come. When we anticipate something in the future, something we are excited about, it helps us endure not only life’s drudgery but also unexpected heartaches and disappointments.

This Sunday we will learn about the most exciting and encouraging thing we could ever anticipate: the coming of our King!

All of this conversation about homosexuality and transgenderism is helpful by hypothetical until it's you or your kid that is struggling or confused. We want to bring Biblical clarity and practical suggestions that can help parents (and everyone) navigate these topics with grace and truth. See you Sunday as we have a dialogue between Greg and Aaron about parenting in light of homosexuality and transgenderism.