In this week's sermon, Pastor Tommy Hutchison discusses the biblical story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, an elderly, childless priest and his wife who are promised a son by the angel Gabriel. The narrative highlights themes of faith, divine promise, and joy during the Advent season. Initially, Zechariah doubts the angel's proclamation and is struck mute, but when his son John is born, he demonstrates trust in God by naming the child as instructed rather than following traditional naming customs. The sermon emphasizes that joy is found in trusting God's promises and encourages listeners to rediscover the wonder of the Christmas story, whether experiencing it for the first time or as a long-time believer.

In this week's sermon, Pastor Mark Deering explores the biblical narrative of Mary's song from Luke Chapter 1, focusing on the themes of God's faithfulness and humility. Using Mary's response to the angel Gabriel and her subsequent visit to Elizabeth, Pastor Mark highlights how a young teenage girl demonstrated profound spiritual insight by magnifying God despite her extraordinary circumstances. Pastor Mark emphasizes that God's faithfulness is not a chapter in our personal stories, but rather the foundational narrative to which our lives contribute. He encourages listeners to saturate themselves in biblical stories, recognize God's faithfulness in both prosperous and challenging times, and approach life with humility and a deep understanding of God's ongoing work.

In this week's sermon, Pastor Anthony Caples discusses the importance of prayer as a fundamental aspect of Christian life, focusing on Paul's teachings in 1 Timothy. He encourages us to view prayer as communication with God, emphasizing that it should be our first option, not a last resort. Pastor Anthony explores different types of prayer, including supplication, intercession, and thanksgiving, highlighting that prayer is about building a relationship with God through honest, detailed conversations and praying for others, including political leaders, with the ultimate goal of living peacefully and demonstrating God's love.

In this week's sermon, Pastor Mark Deering explores the concept of being a "citizen of the kingdom of God". Drawing from scripture, he emphasizes that Christians should live differently by submitting to human institutions, honoring everyone, loving fellow believers, and fearing God. The key message is about living in the present world while keeping one's heart anchored to a greater, future hope. By imitating Jesus and responding to challenges with grace, respect, and love, we can demonstrate our faith authentically and silently prove critics wrong through our distinctive way of living.

In this week's sermon, Pastor Jacob Michalski explores the complex relationship between Christian citizenship in heaven and earthly citizenship, particularly examining how believers should relate to governing authorities. Pastor Jacob discusses Paul's teaching that Christians should submit to governing authorities, pay taxes, and show respect and honor to leaders because all authority comes from God. He acknowledges the tension this creates, especially in politically divided times, and shares a personal story about how meeting a state senator who knew his late father helped him see politicians as human beings rather than just political figures. He leaves us with a challenge to humanize political leaders by learning about them and praying for them, regardless of political affiliation.

In this week's sermon, Pastor Mark Deering discusses how Jesus' interactions with Pontius Pilate in the Gospels reveal important truths about the nature of Jesus' kingdom. While Pilate saw Jesus' kingship as a political threat, Jesus made it clear that his kingdom was not of this world, but rather was based on people knowing and following the truth that He embodied. Pastor Mark emphasizes that the cross is central to understanding Jesus' kingdom, as it shows both how we become citizens (through Jesus' atoning sacrifice) and the way we are called to live as citizens (by imitating Jesus' self-sacrificial example).

This week's sermon by Pastor Mark Deering discusses a pivotal moment in the life of Jesus when he is confronted by the Pharisees and Herodians who try to trap him with a question about paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus masterfully navigates the political tension, telling them to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Pastor Mark explains that this reveals an important principle about the cost of citizenship—whether in an earthly kingdom or the Kingdom of God. Just as the Israelites had to pay taxes to an oppressive Roman government, those who would be citizens of God's Kingdom must be willing to sacrifice and give everything to Him. The sermon challenges us as listeners to examine where we struggle to fully trust and obey God, just as the Israelites did when paying taxes.

In this week's sermon, Pastor Frank Gil discusses how the books of Ezra and Nehemiah depict the rebuilding of the temple, the people, and the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. However, Pastor Frank notes that despite these physical restorations, something is still missing—true repentance and a relationship with God. He explains that the key ingredient is Jesus, who can transform people's hearts and restore them in a way that the law and religious rituals cannot.

In this week's sermon, Pastor Mark Deering's message centers around the biblical story of Esther and the theme of faithful action in the face of fear. Using a social psychology experiment about smoke-filled rooms, he explores how people often remain inactive due to social pressure and fear. Pastor Mark then analyzes Esther chapter 4, focusing on the interaction between Mordecai and Esther, highlighting how Mordecai's famous "for such a time as this" statement was about personal sacrifice rather than personal gain.