GSLCVA Podcast

Jesus helps us find the right path, the narrow road. No matter the circumstances, He is with us. When we are at the end of rope, or full of sorrow, we can depend completely on God. Join us today as Pastor Johann discusses how by believing in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, we can find comfort in our sorrows, persecutions, and poor spirits. Jesus turns our attention away from what we lack and toward what we seek the reality of the Kingdom of God, one that is here and now.

Wise men, current and past, do not have the wisdom, reasoning, or philosophy needed to worship God in an acceptable manner. Therefore, Christ put his trumpet to his mouth and warriors clad in fishermen's garb rose from the Sea of Galilee. Join us today as Pastor James discusses how these humble fishermen, these warriors, show us the acceptable way to worship furthering the glory of God.

We have all received an invitation to an event and been excited to attend and be included. While exciting, these events pale in comparison to the invitations issued by Jesus and the Calls of Christ. Join us as Pastor Johann discusses the transformation we undergo by understanding Jesus, what He is about, and what it is to "come and see Him." By doing so, we are able to be in a relationship with Him, and through our acts of love towards others.

In this week's gospel text, John baptized Jesus. Even though John objected, Jesus demanded that John baptize Him. In his message, Pastor James will examine the question "Why did John baptize Jesus?" He had no sins or any need to repent. Join us, as we are heartened to hear that through Jesus' baptism a new spiritual family was created, welcoming all who are baptized in His name to join a family of faith, love, and power until we are all worshiping side-by-side in the kingdom of heaven.

Christmas is more than the story of God's coming into the world. It is the story of a rising king that has serious consequences, such as violence, bloodshed, and innocent people getting hurt. Like most similar stories, we are left with two choices: we can ignore the cries of the innocent or we can listen to them. Join us today as Pastor Johann discusses how God has equipped us to listen to the cries of the innocent and answer through our prayers, faith, and good works.

What child is this? This child born in a stable, perhaps no more than a cave, where animals, not people, are kept. Why these humble conditions in a little village called Bethlehem? Why has the Eternal Creator of all things been born on this earth? Join Pastor James as he, along with you, travels the journey to answer those questions with the Word and song as we rejoice this Christmas morning! For Christ is born! The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Time stops for no one, and we are all bound to it. We cannot hurry it up, slow it down, or even control it. Therefore, it is no wonder that God used the right time to send His Son into the world as seen in the story of Christmas. Join us today as Pastor Johann discusses how we have a lifetime to learn and to love the time that God became one of us, to die for all of us, and to rescue us for all time.

When it comes to telling the Christmas story, Joseph appears on the sidelines while Mary, the baby Jesus, the shepherds and the angels receive most of the attention. Even the account of Christ's birth from Joseph's perspective, in the Gospel of Matthew, gets little airtime on Christmas Eve. Why? Perhaps because it is so very ordinary. Join us today as Pastor James discusses Joseph's apparent lack of purpose and how we can see what the Lord was up to yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Prison is a difficult experience, filled with horrors beyond the bars and cells. Do you create your own virtual or interior prison? Have you lost your way? Are you confined by unmet expectations and narrow views that feel like a prison? Join us today as Pastor Johann tells us how God does not make our lives easy, he calls us to live more deeply. We need to ask ourselves if we have any prisons in our lives and ask the Holy Spirit in to transform them.

Why do we have warning labels? Is it because we have dangerous products and labels avoid liability? Are they to alert us of the need for precautions for every possible risk? We can avoid them and consider them silly; but the only person we are hurting is ourselves. Join us today as Pastor James discusses the Advent Warning of John the Baptist. We can choose to repent later and look for shortcuts to salvation, or we can prepare to receive God's Christmas Savior and the real peace he brings.