If we put ourselves in Mary's sandals, we realize that while Mary is greatly blessed, she also has a dif-ficult path ahead of her. Most people will not understand what God is doing. As a result she will be the subject of gossip and shame. She doesn't yet know what Joseph will do. What has already pre-pared Mary for this difficult path of blessing? What does she do to be further prepared? Let's talk about practical things we can do to join in the wonderous work that God is doing.

Is making decisions hard for you? There are a lot of decisions around Christmas time. What present should I buy for this person? How do we make time for all of our family? Should I actually go to church on Christmas Day? It can be difficult to make these decisions and even more difficult to make the right decision (obviously the right decision is to go to church on Christmas Day!). In our passage this week we will see that Joseph is faced with a difficult situation, and he has to make a tough decision - does he make the right one?

She was a relatively obscure and seemingly insignificant young woman, in a small rural town. She's getting ready to be married and perhaps wondering what the future held for her - she has no idea! A messenger from God brings her unbelievable news; she's never heard anything like this! God's word spoken to her changes everything for her. In a moment she becomes a central person in God's redemp-tive purpose.

Of course I'm speaking of Mary, but what if I was describing you? Are there any parallels between Mary then and us today? This Sunday we'll look at a familiar Christmas story and try to envision what it could be like to see ourselves in Mary's sandals.

Christmas is coming! Have you seen the signs? People are putting up decorations, stores are playing Christmas music, and Starbucks has switched to their holiday cups. It's easy for us to see the signs of the coming celebration, but what was it like that first Christmas? Did people know what was coming? Was it easy to believe in the coming savior? Or did faith like that take some time to grow into? Join us this Sunday in Luke Chapter 1 as we remember the first signs of the coming Savior and look at the faith in our own hearts as we anticipate his return.

Thanksgiving is only a week away! Are you bombarded with thoughts about the things you can be thankful for? Or are you bombarded with busy schedules and the holiday rush? Thanksgiving should be a wonderful day to be reminded of what we are thankful for, but what should we be thankful for? Maybe that question seems like a silly one, but it is actually far more important than we realize. This Sunday we will dig deep in Philippians to find the secret to thankfulness. See you then!

The picture above is one of my favorite places in Jerusalem. It's a place where Jesus and his disciples walked and it's a scene that Jesus told his followers about. The stones still tell the same thing the Dis-ciples also needed to hear. We'll talk about it on Sunday.

Between now and then, if you can read the Gospel of Matthew chapters 24 and 25, that will help you be ready for Sunday, which in turn is going to be about being ready for his coming. So, I guess this is clearly a good Sunday to read in advance in order to be "ready."

In the closing verses of the book of Revelation, we are reminded again of what this book is all about and what we should do with it. These are the trustworthy and true words of the promise of Jesus' com-ing. No matter how bad the opposition gets, it will not stand; it cannot last because the King returns to reset and restore. But, not only does Revelation reveal God's future, it also reveals God's heart for the present. What do we do with this glorious promise? Or, maybe better, what does this glorious promise do to us?

We might wonder now and again, "What will Heaven be like?" But what if that's the wrong question? What if what we actually mean is after this mortal life on earth is over, what will eternal life with God be like? What if eternity in "Heaven" is actually much more like life on earth - but only in the best of ways? Revelation 21 looks ahead to our ultimate hope: eternity with God in a new heaven and new earth. This Sunday we'll talk about who it is for and what it will be like.

In his second letter, Peter warns the church that their faith will be belittled by some who mockingly ask, "Where is the promise of His coming?" It is clear from Peter's encouragement that the promise of Jesus' coming was meant to strengthen believers in difficult times. It also seems evident that even un-believers would be aware of the promise of Jesus' return. But what is that promise? What happens when Jesus comes?

Revelation 20 is one of the most important chapters in the book because of what it so clearly de-scribes, which many Christians don't actually believe. This Sunday, I want us to be clear on what will happen when Jesus returns and what difference that future makes for us today.

Let me be brief - Jesus is coming back this Sunday! You don't want to miss it so you will really want to be there. Okay, I'm talking about the topic of Revelation 19, not saying for sure that the event will actually happen this Sunday. But either way, you don't want to miss it. Since you may already know that Revelation 19 is about Jesus returning, we'll also look a little at some things you might not know. For example, what is it about Jesus' return that Heaven gets really excited about? And, how does God use a 1st century meme to drive the point home?