Claremont United Church of Christ

The 4th of the 10 commandments tells us to rest. BUT do we have to? Sabbath rest insists that we are valuable outside of our work. BUT why is that so hard to believe? Jesus teaches that the Sabbath is made for us--we are not made for the Sabbath. BUT how do we live that out? Join us as we explore our final Big Buts of Bible sermon!

This week we expand our exploration of the "Big Buts of the Bible" to "Tiny Heinies" as well. To be specific, Pastor Jacob looks at the Hebrew word hinneh, which is used over 1,000 times in the Old Testament, but is rarely translated into English. Pastor Jacob explains how this small but powerful word can help us learn how to listen for God, even in our darkest moments.

Feeling anxious these days? Paul says the remedy for worry is prayer, BUT how does that work? Is it possible to feel peace when we talk to God? Join us as we explore Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Jesus' biggest "but" comes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. In it, Jesus teaches us the way of life that God intended, indeed, our very purpose in life.

Our first "big BUT" comes from Paul's letter to the Romans. He writes, "Do not be conformed to this world, BUT be transformed by the renewing of your minds." That's easier said than done, Paul! Why shouldn't we conform? And do we go about being transformed anyway? Join us as we explore this powerful letter and head into the new year together.

We all have names and our names are part of our identity. As we celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus, how does the name of this child help shape our own lives? How does Jesus help free us from the confines of the names and labels that people tend to use to divide each other?

Simeon waits his entire life to see the Messiah, and just before he dies, he gets a glimpse of Baby Jesus. Yet, he'll never know what becomes of this child. What does it mean that so much of what we hope for never takes place in our own lifetimes? Join us for the last installment of "The Original Christmas Album," as we travel to the temple forty days after the birth of Jesus to hear Simeon sing of his satisfaction in life.

Today we examine another song on "The Original Christmas Album," the Benedictus by Zechariah. Surprisingly, we find that Zechariah mostly sings about Jesus, not his own newborn son John! Join us as we explore the reasons!

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In Luke 2 the angels sing out, "Gory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace among those whom God favors." We sing the Latin version of these words each year in the hymn Angels We Have Heard On High when we sing "gloria in excelsis deo", but is there more to the angels' lyrics than we know? Tune-in as Pastor Jacob explains how these words were meant to serve as protest to the Roman Empire and empires everywhere.

After the sermon, keep listening as percussion, brass, and choir performs John Rutter's Gloria, based on the song of the angels.

Today we kick off Advent with our new sermon series, "The Original Christmas Album." Our first song is Mary's Magnificat, a song of hope and awe. Join us as we explore who Mary was and what her song means for all of us today!