Our third Sunday of Advent brings us to Malachi 3:1-4. He is an Italian prophet.... see what I did there? Never mind. But seriously, Malachi is the last prophet in chronological order and he closes the Old Testament. It has been a 100 years since the exile ended. The walls of Jerusalem are back up and the temple has been rebuilt. Neither are like the original versions, but at least they are a back up. However, it is clear, the glory of God is not in residence. Why? Though it has been a century since Israel was in exile, they are just as enslaved as before. The sin has turned from paganism and license to religiosity and legalism, but the idolatry of their hearts is still very much alive. So, in this last word before 400 years of silence, God makes a promise. One day a messenger of His Word is going to show up, and before He blesses He must burn. That is a hard picture, but it is essential. The baby in the manger would be the holy and terrifying Purifier of Israel. And yet, He would take the purifying pain for us, in our place.

As we continue Manger in the Minors, we will be in Zechariah 9:9-10. The prophet haunts and yet pursues the people of God with the need for the presence of God to return to His people in order to save, restore, and stay. With images of rubble, physical and spiritual, Zechariah signals hope. God is going to rebuild the Temple, the place of His presence. Then all of a sudden we have another picture... that of a King returning the the city of God. He is an odd king. Not flexing power in a Rolls Royce. But a humble king, riding on a donkey, who will give His life as the way to speak peace and to rule in holiness and love, forever. This King is the presence of God. His IS the temple! So, in that manger was nothing less than a Temple!

We begin Advent this Sunday with the theme "Manger in the Minors". I know, a bit corny, but hey, this is the Bible Church! 🤪

We are going to take a well known prophecy of the coming Messiah from four Minor Prophets, beginning this Sunday with Micah 5:2-5. Then we head to Zechariah 9:9-10, Malachi 3:1-4; and finally Haggai 2:6-9. Each prophecy will teach us who that baby was in the manger. Each will remind us what life is all about. And each will help us see the areas of our beliefs and feelings that don't line up with the gospel, because we have likely replaced the gospel with another narrative.

May this Advent be a time for our body to level set again with Jesus - all that God is for us in Him. And let us be in prayer that many will come to see Jesus and believe in Him through the proclamation of Jesus in the Word at our services.

The last chapter... Genesis 50. One chapter closes, another begins. My prayer is that we have had our understanding of the Gospel deepened in Genesis, from creation to the start of Exodus - a garden, a couple, a family, and now a nation; God's covenant promises; the terrible reality of sin; the glorious reality of redemption and a coming Redeemer as promised in Genesis 3:15. We are left on the note of redemption in chapter 50 - Joseph fully forgives his sinful brothers because God is ultimately judge and God is sovereign in His grace, to work the triumph of good from evil. Jacob and Joseph die, but in hope their bones would be delivered and one day raised to a new body. And then, finally, back to Forever Eden. The Gospel is the key of Genesis... the final movement.

After an adoption ceremony (Ch 48), Jacob now turns to his Last Will and Testament. He leaves his legacy to his sons - a legacy of blessing, prophesy, and discipline. Actually, the whole thing is blessing, but sometimes blessing comes in the form of warning, consequence, and exhortation, so that the inheritor turns toward grace. In each of these blessings, we see honesty and hope. But some blessings stand out. We will take note of Judah and Jospeh in particular. They are the longest blessings, but they are also the ones that lead us to the One who purchased and applies our blessings, Jesus.

We conclude our Spiritual Gifts focus week looking at the chief text on spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12. Our aim is to see what gifts are for: the glory of God, the building of the body of Christ and the advance of the gospel, in tune with spiritual maturity, and used in love. Each of you has at least one Spirit-given gift. Probably more! Learn more about the grace gifts, your grace gifts, and the importance of using them with a pivot foot in the local church.

Pastor Ryan McKee gives an overview of Spiritual Gifts at our November 6th Membership Gathering.

The first in a two-Sunday emphasis on how God has gifted us to worship and serve, we open with the question, "Who Can God Use?" Focusing on 1 Peter 2, we will see that the entire Bible answers this question with themes emerging from its first pages. We often think that there are certain parts of life, certain behaviors, even certain people that God deploys while others are not important. Maybe that's not the whole story.

We begin our final lap in Genesis, and a final scene before the Book of Exodus. In this final scene, it is time for final blessings. Jacob is almost home. Not almost dead, but almost home! He calls Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. In a spiral of Gospel twists, he blesses Joseph as firstborn by adopting the two boys, so they can share the firstborn status with Joseph and thus be fellow brothers who receive land and heritage... and ultimately God himself. Do you see Him? Who? Jesus. Jesus is all over this, as always; the cross-purpose, cross-armed blessing of the gospel.

The Joseph story is nearing the conclusion. In Genesis 47, we now see the re-creating power of God at work as Joseph is reunited with his family and brings his family into Egypt so they can take possession of fruitful land. In fact, the text even says that in that place they are fruitful and multiply, as if this is an echo of Eden! The climax of this scene is when Jacob is presented before Pharaoh. I did not see that coming - rather than begging or demurring, Jacob blesses Pharaoh. The little guy blesses the king! Of course he does, because by this point, Jacob has a heavenly identity even though he lives within the world. Jacob knows that he and this little nation are children of God and the world and the authority of God belong to them. So in exile, Jacob lives and will die as a prince. Perhaps you are in a difficult season. Perhaps you need to be reminded that God is for you, with you, and has bestowed on you authority to bless not beg.