In the beginning, God breathed light into a dark world. As the light of the Lord pierced the darkness, we got a glimpse of a powerful and loving Creator who continues to stay connected to His creation.

Only fully engaged followers of Jesus embrace the "fiery trials" of life as opportunities to rejoice. This scripture gives us a new perspective that produces joy when Satan attacks.

While the "weeds" of evil continue to grow amid our world, one day evil and sin will be removed forever. Until then, we fix our eyes on things above with great anticipation of the Final Harvest.

Before sending them out, Jesus informed his disciples they would be like "lambs among wolves." Accepting our role as ambassadors of Christ does not ensure an easy or comfortable life. But being part of what God is doing in this world is exhilerating!

As Christians, we are called out from the world, but we also are called to enter the world with the good news of Jesus. The challenge, at times, is not let the world enter us.

The religious leaders of Jesus' day thought they could see clearly, but they were actually "blind." In contrast, the blind man was made to see by Jesus. We must open our eyes and develop spiritual vision so we can see who and what God wants us to see.

Message following New Baby Blessing:

When other people--including our children--ask important questions, we don't have to know ALL the answers, but we should know THE answer. Are you ready to give an answer for the hope you have?

His disciples could only see the social norms and infractions as Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus, who was focused on something much bigger, encouraged them to "open their eyes."

Fully engaged disciples of Christ dedicate themselves to using and developing their God-given gifts and talents to advance the cause of Christ. We are called to invest our lives and resources so God can use us to accomplish His will. Matt walks us through the 2020 involvement form, and Kent takes a look at the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25.

Giving is a reflection of God's heart, an act of worship and an expression of love to God and others. God calls us to give from the heart with gladness.