What’s in a name? Today when naming a child we consider whether it’s in fashion or perhaps it’s a family name, – but when God reveals His name, He is revealing an important dimension of Himself. Today, we look at the story behind God revealing Himself as El Roi, the Lord Who Sees.

God wants the posture of our hearts to be one of peace. This kind of peace is not just the absence of conflict or hardship in our lives, but more about the presence of something bigger in our lives that leads us to courageous acts of worship, trust and obedience. In this message, we learn these insights and more from Gideon’s encounter with God’s peace in a dark time of his life.

One of the ways to understand our awesome God is to look into the meaning of His names as revealed in Scripture. In this message, we look at God’s encounter with Moses in the burning bush. This was the first time God revealed Himself personally as Jehovah. God not only revealed His name – but His essence as the great I AM – the only eternal, unchanging, self-sufficient God. The faithful God who keeps His promises and who calls us to join His redemptive mission.

The fourth Advent candle is the candle of love. Love can be expressed in different ways – but choosing to be with a person IRL (in real life) is one of the greatest. Jesus, while never ceasing to be God, came to be with us – as expressed in the famous Christmas carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing, “Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.”

Who doesn’t want to be happy or experience joy? We are made for happiness but find happiness rather elusive. Part of the problem is we have different ideas when it comes to happiness and joy. In this third week of Advent, we focus on JOY: it’s true source and how we can cultivate a defiant joy in light of a year like 2020.

The four themes of Advent can be looked at as gifts from God. Who doesn’t need more Hope, Peace Joy and Love – especially at this unique Christmas in the middle of a global pandemic? In this message we explore three dimensions of peace that Jesus, the Prince of Peace brings into our lives.

Trials and suffering to varying degrees seem to be a normative part of life. The key question then is, how will they be used for good in our lives? Peter ends his letter with hope and encouragement despite present hardships, and calls us to humble ourselves, stand firm and trust God as we look to God to make all things right.

While Jesus told his followers that they would receive an abundant life through Him, that doesn’t mean we have a life free from suffering. In fact, Peter uses the word suffer or suffering sixteen times in his letter. Further, Peter stated that he was the witness of not the great miracles of Jesus, but the suffering of Jesus. This sermon looks at what suffering is and how we should approach this unavoidable part of life in a hopeful manner.

Like anything worth pursuing in life, it will take resolve (a firm determination to pursue a course of action). In today’s passage, we look at 4 specific resolves if we are going to follow Jesus no matter what.

Since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking. 1 Peter 4:1

Has 2020 put a strain on your levels of hope? No doubt it has tested even the most optimistic amongst us. And yet, perhaps one of the gifts 2020 offers us is a chance to reevaluate not just what we hope for, but what we place our hope in. In this message, we are encouraged to re-align where our true hope lies.