Mercy Hill

Happy New Year! The beginning of a new year symbolizes new possibilities. There isn’t anything magical that happens between December 31st and January 1st, but it is a time when many of us reflect on the previous year and intentionally think about what needs to change in the new year. I think this is a good practice and we would benefit from this type of intentional reflection more often, not less. A new year reminds us that we do have a measure of control over what happens in our lives. We can make better decisions, develop healthier habits, and engage in more productive work.

It’s also good to be reminded in a new year that we are not in complete control over our lives. Much of what happens to us and around us is out of our hands. Our lives are a complex web that include the decisions of others, unexpected circumstances, and ever changing relationships. We need more than just our own good choices - we need a good and trustworthy guide to help us navigate the complexity of our life. We need to make good choices and we need wise leadership.

In Psalm 23, David acknowledges that life is complex- full of hardship and suffering, as well as goodness and blessing. He, using the metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep, writes a poem that not only captures the heart of the human condition, but also points us to hope. We can have a good shepherd who walks with us and guides us through every season of our lives.

During the Advent season we are often reminded of what happened, of the facts. An angel appeared to Mary. Mary, a virgin, was miraculously pregnant with the promised Messiah. There was no room for them in the inn. Jesus was born in a barn and slept in a manger. Shepherds and wise men showed up. The danger, of course, is that in telling so much of what happened, we forget about why it all happened. What motivated God to send his Son, Jesus, as a baby into our world as a gift to us?

John, one of Jesus’s disciples, tells us why. He writes, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son…” Christmas is reminds us that God’s motivation is His love for his world.

Join us for the third week of Advent.

Join us for the second week of Advent as we're reminded of the joy we have in Christ's arrival and promise of a second coming.

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is formed from a Latin word meaning “coming” or “arrival.” The season of Advent serves to remind us that God makes good on his promises. The long-expected Savior did come, and since He came once, we can trust that He is coming again. This season celebrates the first advent, or coming, of Jesus, and patiently looks forward to His second. It is a time for celebration and anticipation, remembering and rejoicing, watching and waiting.

Over the next four Sundays, we will gather together as a church to observe Advent. We'll do many of the same things we do every Sunday - we'll sing, we'll pray, and we'll hear from God's Word. We'll also do a few different things, like lighting candles and reading traditional Advent Scripture readings.

There is a story about C.S. Lewis attending an academic conference on religion. During the conference, several scholars were debating what, if anything, makes Christianity unique. Lewis walked in to the room, heard what they were discussing and said, “Oh, that’s easy. Its grace.”

I’m not sure if that story actually happened, but the story does illustrate a significant truth. Grace permeates the story of the Bible. The teaching that God would initiate a relationship with people based on his love for them and not what they might provide for him is one of the most powerful truths contained in the Bible.

Last week we defined the term “justification by faith.” Justification means to be counted righteous by God, or to be declared to be in a right relationship with God. You’d think we’d earn right standing with God by our hard work, good deeds, or religious participation. But Paul makes a completely different argument. He says that we are declared to be right with God through our faith in Jesus. Crazy, right? We’re saved by faith alone.

Last Sunday we also saw that justification by faith produces something - we are at peace with God. We have a settled and secure relationship with God because we have been declared to be in the right with God based on Jesus’s work, not our work. No more looking over our shoulders wondering if God is against us.

This Sunday we continued in Romans 5 and see another attribute of justification, a resilient hope.

Last week’s joint service with Comunidad de Fe was incredible. I was personally encouraged by being able to worship alongside our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters and by Pastor Abner’s message from 1 Peter.

This Sunday we are back on track with our journey through the storyline of the Bible. There is tension in the church in Rome between Jewish and Gentile believers. In his letter to the Romans, Paul addresses the tension by showing that both groups have the same deep need for a savior and points to the only means to salvation, faith alone in Christ alone. As we will continue to see right doctrine (which just means teaching) practically impacts our lives and our relationships. 

The 2024 presidential election is just around the corner. Political ads are at a fever pitch. We cannot turn on the tv, listen to the radio, or surf the internet without a bombardment of political propaganda. Each ad seemingly indicating that either a candidate is the savior we need or that their opponent will bring destruction to our nation. This campaign rhetoric is not new though, it seems for at least the last decade or so this is the new standard. That every four years our country faces a new existential crisis. In reality, things have not changed that much. Yes, prices may be higher, and the culture is shifting, but these are regular occurrences that happen every decade or so. If we are honest, for most, life is not that much different. Yet, we are being sold political saviors to rescue us from the coming storm. Scripture tells a different story though. The story of a broken world, one where the only true savior is Christ alone. Join us this Sunday as Pastor Mike reminds us how we can rest in our faith in Christ alone.

Join us as Pastor Brandon talks through the original church sharing the Gospel and how that should create a zeal in our hearts.