"Few words used in the Bible can claim to be

misunderstood as much as the word "love." It is essential in our

understanding of what God feels toward us and how He acts for us. In

this passage, John the Apostle writes to us with a staggeringly

important truth about both God and love: "God is love." How do we

make sense of the love of God? John directs us to Jesus: we can't

understand love without understanding atonement. There is no love

without atonement; no Christmas without the cross. It was because

of the love of God that Jesus came, and that same love sent Him to

the cross so that we could both receive and experience love."

Peace is often desired and rarely found. The human condition makes peace a natural impossibility! Yet, during Advent we celebrate that God made a declaration that peace is possible. In fact, that's the message that was announced in the skies above Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. This grand message of peace was for the whole world, but what exactly was God saying? And to whom? How is His peace received? In this week's message we will examine how all peace (or lack of it) is downstream from our peace with God.

The coming of Jesus includes a gospel announcement of peace in Luke 2:8-14. Yet, this peace is different than anything we can create for ourselves. Where does peace come from and how can we have it? In this week's episode, Pastors Ryan and Jake talk about the peace of Jesus that we celebrate during Advent.

In this week's episode Pastors Ryan and Jake discuss how the story of Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-45 teaches us about the Joy of Jesus

The Advent season is meant to point us toward joy. If there is one word that we could use to describe what Jesus' coming means for humanity, joy would be an obvious choice. People all over the world share the desire to experience true joy, and go to great lengths to get it. In this week's passage we explore the story of Mary and Elizabeth meeting, and why true joy only can only be found by recognizing Jesus, responding to the Holy Spirit, and receiving God's grace.

In the night sky, there are a lot of places to look for direction. The question that ancient navigators had to answer was: "which star will help us get where we need to go?" It's hard to imagine setting sail with no map and only the night sky to guide you, but when you've got the right star to follow, it makes all the difference. In the same way, the Scriptures describe the coming of Jesus as the dawning of a new day, the rising of a new star that would serve to illuminate for us the way back to God. If we step out to follow the light of Jesus, it will lead us into everlasting life and rejoicing, but the path that gets us there is the path of faith. If we learn to look at Jesus instead of other shiny objects, He will lead us faithfully. The question is: which star will we choose to look at?

In the leadup to a big thunderstorm during the summer, you can always tell that a storm is coming. The air gets heavy and things get still. You can almost feel the pressure and sense of expectancy in the air, until all of a sudden the wind picks up and the fireworks begin. The 400 years in the leadup to Christ's birth must've felt the same way; a buildup of anticipation that God's Messiah would arrive and save His people. In the meantime, those who feared and trusted the Lord waited in hope for that day to come. The coming of Jesus was the fulfillment of their hopes and the prophets' promises. Jesus showed us that those who put their hope in Him will never be disappointed. As we celebrate the first week of Advent, we look back to the first coming of Jesus and are invited by

God to renew our hope that all of God's promises to us will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again.

There are few things more disgusting than lukewarm food. It's

not appetizing. Some dishes are best served hot and some are best served cold, but lukewarm is food no good. According to Jesus, neither is lukewarm faith, yet that's exactly what was being served in the church at Laodicea. Jesus has nothing good to say about it. Their faith is devoid of Gospel passion because they've been cooled by their own comfort. If we're not careful, the same thing can happen in our faith. Comfort is the enemy of passion, and if there's on thing the Gospel should do in our hearts, it's to light us ablaze with passion for Jesus.

Knowing the right person can sometimes open all the right doors. As the old adage goes; "it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know." In today's passage, that saying happens to ring true. Jesus' letter to the church in Philadelphia reminds them that He's the one that has the keys. Even though they're in shaky times, He has opened doors for them to walk through so that they can experience unhindered access to His Kingdom. In our own day, there are plenty of things that are shaky, but if we look to Jesus, He will help us see the doors He opens for us and focus our eyes on what is permanent.

The stories that surround the Christmas story in Luke 1-2 are stories of ordinary people swept up in an overwhelming story. Why did God choose them? Only He knows, but the text suggests to us that each of the characters we read about was a person who demonstrated true faith. They weren't the most gifted, significant, or important, but God involved them in His work because their hearts were full of faith. In this week's episode, Ryan and Jake discuss the meaning and everyday practice of Biblical faith will studying the text of Luke 1:5-20