In the fight against anxiety, we battle on multiple fronts. In previous weeks, we addressed the theological and spiritual aspects. In Philippians 4:8-9, we see that we must also battle in relation to our thought patterns as well as our behavioral patterns.

How is your prayer life? Shallow or deep? Guarded or intimate? Filled with requests, or flowing with gratitude? God invites us into a deep relationship with Him. Come and abide in the Lord Jesus, and allow His word to abide in you so that His peace can overwhelm your anxiety.

“Anxiety is the common cold of the emotional life.” It’s anxiety season. The apostle Paul offers help to fight anxiety. It is a battle to be fought on numerous fronts: spiritual, mental, and physical.

What’s your “anxiometer” reading? The Bible instructs us to “be anxious for nothing.” What does that mean? How can that be? To grow in Christ implies we grow out of worry - that as our faith grows our anxiety lessens. First, we need to identify the sources of our worry. We also need to be reminded of God’s care, His sovereignty, and His kingdom. We can also pray the prayer of Mark 9:24, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

In this special service, we look ahead to consider how we can better center our lives on Jesus in 2018, as well as look back to praise God for his faithfulness in 2017. It's our "open mic" end-of-the-year tradition.

Matthew 1, though an unlikely Christmas passage from the perspective of modern readers, contains wonderful news. The God of the universe comes through and for broken, sinful, and unlikely people. Mary and Joseph would not likely be our choice to parent God’s only Son. Nevertheless, they were God’s choice. That’s grace. That’s the story of Christmas.

During the Christmas season we work and rush to make many things look good. The house, the tree, the lights, the family picture - it can be a slavish pursuit of perfection. The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 shows us that perfection belongs to Jesus only. His family tree is full of mismatches, brokenness, and amazing grace. While we rush to present well and perform to perfection, Jesus offers us rest from the pressure.

Jesus' family tree includes a young Moabite woman named Ruth who bravely overcame the death of her husband to achieve a happily-ever-after life. On its face, it looks like Ruth earned her redemption, but look deeper to discover that only by God's grace could this alien, this foreigner, this outsider be brought into the family of God and the bloodline of the Savior.

Jesus’ family tree is not what one might expect. But with its surprise comes the power to relax in a season that is all too often stressful. What comfort to know that Christ’s coming through sinners and for sinners means that we don’t have to perform or measure up to holiday standards. Advent shows us that God doesn't come for the deserving; He comes because we’re undeserving.

Thanksgiving is not just a holiday for Christians; it’s a way of life. “Guilt, grace, and gratitude” is shorthand for the Christian story. In this message, Pastor Ross challenges us to express our gratitude to someone special, and to offer our lives to God. Additionally, take part in our special prayer gatherings over the next two weeks.