Before Nathanael meets Jesus, he wonders if anything good can come from Nazareth. So before he even got to know Jesus, Nathanael wanted to reject Jesus.

​But even though Nathanael wanted to reject Jesus, Jesus doesn't reject Nathanael. Jesus accepts us all. How different would our world be if we acted more like Jesus and less like Nathanael?

We live in a world that can feel obsessed with gaining wealth and power regardless of the cost. We live in a world that can feel obsessed with privilege and pedigree - where who you know is more important than who you are. We live in a world where we're only worried about ourselves.

​But in the book of Mark, Jesus tells us that a new kingdom - the kingdom of God - is near. And the kingdom of God will turn this world upside for good.

As Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan River to be baptized, he couldn't have been in a more ordinary place...but this ordinary place would show us just how extraordinary Jesus is.

​As Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan River to be baptized, Jesus showed us that he is both ordinary & extraordinary. Jesus showed us that he is just like us & greater than we will ever be able to understand.

After Jesus was born, some people were so excited to meet him that they traveled for months on end. But not everyone felt the same way. One man wanted to kill this baby, others wanted to ignore Jesus altogether.

As we try to better understand who Jesus is, we face the same choice these people did. We can meet Jesus with excitement - knowing he will change us. We can want nothing to do with Jesus. Or we can ignore him. But we all have to decide.

Every year countless children sit down with a sheet of paper in one hand and a marker in the other to make their Christmas list. Over the years, these lists have included everything from Rubik's cubes, to Tickle Me Elmo, to the latest video game system. And, with all the emphasis we put on these lists, it can feel like Christmas is all about presents.

​But there is far more to Christmas than just a few gifts. Christmas tells us the incredible story of God becoming one of us, and reminds us that God loves us all.

From presents to buy to trips to arrange, Christmas is filled with plans. But, if we want to leave the ugly to the sweaters, we also need to plan how we will act this Christmas.

But sadly most of us spend way more time picking out the perfect gift or putting together an itinerary than we do thinking about how we will respond when we face difficult situations. But in this sermon, we'll be reminded that the only way to avoid ugliness is to plan ahead.

Everyone loves giving and receiving presents at Christmas. But what motivates you to buy the gifts you buy for the people you love the most? Sometimes our motivations are a little selfish.

And these ugly motivations keep us from truly enjoying this season. So, to leave the ugly to the sweaters this Christmas, we need to be reminded of what should truly motivate us in everything that we do.

How do you feel about Christmas lights or egg nog? Without making you hang a single light or drink a drop of egg nog; these words are powerful enough to make you feel a certain way. 

But we often forget just how powerful our words can be, which can lead us to say some pretty ugly things. But to make sure we leave the ugly to the sweaters this Christmas, in this sermon we'll talk about how we can tame our tongues and keep from saying such ugly things.

From singing carols to decorating the tree, we all have our favorite Christmas traditions. But one tradition may do a better job of capturing what Christmas is really like to do than any other: the Ugly Christmas Sweater.

​Ugly Christmas Sweaters remind us that even during Christmas our attitudes can become pretty ugly. In this series, we'll discuss how we can leave the ugly to the sweaters this Christmas season.

After being forced to cancel our Thanksgiving plans and Christmas celebrations last year, many of us are feeling more thankful than ever to just be able to sit down and spend time together with the people we love the most.

But Thanksgiving should be more than just a time of gratitude. Thanksgiving should also be a time when we remember that this world is filled with people who aren't as fortunate as we are, and we should find ways to give back and help other people.