Mendham Hills

The message of Christmas, embodied in the helpless Christ child born in a manger, was subversive and unnerving to the powers of the day. So much so that King Herod, fearing for his own kingdom, considered infanticide a right response. Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol, retells the same subversive message - Christmas still has the power to upend the kingdoms of man. This Sunday, we look at our present, this Christmas, and we ask the question, "Has anything really changed?" Jesus is still threatening kingdoms two thousand years later - sometimes even our own. Opening our eyes to the Ghost of Christmas Present, this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Ebeneezer wasn't always a scrooge. Sure, that was his last name, but it wasn't always his personality. He wasn't born greedy, selfish, and miserable. Yet, the circumstances he was born into and the choices he made in is life, the ghosts of his past, haunted him. The truth is that all of us have this in common with Scrooge; we all wrestle with the ghosts of our past. Regrets - we've all had a few, none of which we want to mention. The story of Christmas is not only about the birth of the One who would change our future, it is the truth of the One who can heal our past. Regrets turned to Redemption - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Jacob Marley had it all: wealth, fame, renown, and respect. All the things that make for a life well-lived, and then he died. He was gone and so was everything he had lived for. As we kick off our new Christmas series, "The Four Ghosts of Christmas," based on Charles Dickens' famous "A Christmas Carol," we look at business warnings from Marley's ghost. He told Scrooge, "Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence were all my business." This Christmas, the question is, what's yours?

This Sunday, we finish up our "The Reason for God" series with maybe the most difficult question of all: "How could a loving God send people to an eternal Hell?" Even within Christian circles, this topic has been much debated over the last few years. If this is a tough question for those of us who are committed to Jesus, imagine how hard it is for folks outside of the church to fathom. Yet, the question is important, and even more so is getting the answer right. So this week, we take a look at the question, the answer, and what it means for us as a church.

Ready for the next tough question about Christianity? "What gives you the right to tell me how to live my life?" It's a great question. After all, shouldn't each of us get to decide for ourselves how to live, and what is right and wrong? You have heard it said, "Just because it is right for you, doesn't mean it is right for me." In a culture founded on individual freedoms, how can Christianity and all of its rules make any sense? This Sunday, a new understanding of the basics as we try to comprehend - "What's with all the rules, anyway?"

As we kick-off a new church year at Mendham Hills, we will study Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. This brand new study together is called "Thrive" - you were not meant to merely exist, you were meant to Thrive!

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"

-Epicrus

Have you ever struggled with this question? Why does an all-powerful, good God allow evil, pain, and suffering to exist? You're not the only one. Join us this week as we continue our series, The Reason for God.

We've almost all done it. At some time or another, we've all sat down and put together a resume'. You know the drill…highlight your successes, accentuate your strengths, and disguise your weaknesses. In the corporate world of our day, much of our lives are given over to building up our resumes. Yet, the Scriptures seem to indicate that it is just this kind of resume building that leads us away from lives of meaning and passion, and into false confidences and fear. To THRIVE in a world gone mad, one needs to be building the right resume. Come find out what your should look like this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Perhaps nothing keeps us from living the kind of abundant life Jesus desires for us more than fear. Anxiety and worry are like cancers to our soul, they literally paralyze us and often lead us down very wrong paths. Jesus was aware of this - that is why the one statement He made more than any other was "do not be afraid". So how about you, what are you afraid of and just importantly what is it holding you back from? This week in our series Thrive together we look at how to overcome one of our greatest adversaries and live a life without fear.

In week 3 of our series, THRIVE, we continue to reflect on how to find joy in a world gone mad. Our country is founded on three principles: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We often hear parents say, "I just want him/her to be happy." Yet, happiness always seems to elude us. Every time we get what we think will bring us happiness, somehow it always escapes us. What if the pursuit of happiness is really the problem after all? What if there was something more meaningful than happiness, and in its pursuit, you actually wound up with joy? This Sunday, the beauty of a life poured out - a meaningful life!