The end of the year is a time when we reflect on the year past and the year ahead. We are now swept along in an avalanche of information and news that is unique to the human race and profoundly unsettling. Sometimes we get so caught up in the frenzy that we forget who we are and whose we are. This morning Shelley will be talking about "Timid Christians in a Terrifying World" Tune in for some good news.

We have begin a new sermon series called "Restoration". Just as every snowflake and star is different, so God's work in each of us produces a unique individual with a distinctive purpose and story. Today we are going to hear one of those stories. Tom Eaton will share what God has done and continues to do in his life through a lot of adversity.

"'Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?' Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed." -John 21:15-19
We know what failure looks like. It's easy to relate to Peter's denial of Jesus. We've all failed. It seemed like a final failure, too--Jesus died without a chance for Peter to even ask for forgiveness. After the resurrection, Jesus invited Peter to breakfast. Peter might have expected to hear "I told you that you would fail." Instead, listen this morning to what Jesus really said.

"Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"
When we are offended, we fell just in being angry, righteous in resentment and entitled to revenge. It is an empowering and energizing experience that is the heartbeat of half the movies made in Hollywood and many daydreams of ordinary people. Surrendering such an attractive and natural dream is the last thing we want to do. Yet, Jesus insists on it. He requires it. He commands it. But how can we let it go?

"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her"
This passage is not an endorsement of adultery--It is rather a condemnation of prejudice. Prejudice is "pre-judging" people because we have decided already that they are guilty and need not be treated according to the Golden Rule. Jesus does not argue that she is innocent, but he treats her as a human being whose worth is not limited to her behavior. Listen again to the words of James MacDonald on the cover of the bulletin. "If you are wrong in the way you are right, you are wrong even if you are right."

The first in a series about forgiving others.

Revelations 20:11 -14; Daniel 7:9-14
The book of Revelations is filled with judgment. Each of the repeating cycles (seals, trumpets, signs, and bowls) expand on the consequences of rebellion against God and the practice of evil. In this chapter we come to the end of the age and the final judgment. "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life" (Revelations 20:11-12)

Revelations 12:1-14:5
The seven "signs" found in these chapters form a unit that gives us a vision of God's sweeping plan of salvation. The key verse in this section is "They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death" (12:11 NIV). Follow along as we explore this passage together.

Matthew 6:5-8, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Last week, we talked about the simple fact that prayer has power because the one listening to the prayers has the power to answer, to reward, and to bless. So does it even make any difference how we pray? After all, God knows what we need before we even ask.

Jesus says, "...pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." The secret of prayer is not the words we use or the place where we pray or even the sincerity of our prayer. The secret has to be the on to who we pray. Otherwise, prayer is just an exercise in meditation or self-delusion. But if God is listening...then prayer has the potential to change everything.