God – in His divine wisdom and foresight – understood our innate need for community and provided a solution: The Church! It's in the context of a church that you're able to experience the power, freedom, love, and strength God intends for you to have. And that's because there is enormous power available to you when you're in a community.

It is estimated that there are somewhere between 350,000-380,000 Christian churches in the United States alone. That's a lot of churches! So when it comes to Meta Church, what makes this church distinct? Why would someone choose to go to this church instead of going to another church?

With all of the talk about Church Hurt and the things the Church has done that has negatively effected people, it's easy to forget about the role and responsibility we each play...

What are we supposed to do when this thing that Jesus loved and gave His life for – the Church – is at the center of deeply hurtful experiences? How do we navigate this kind of hurt? Do we pretend like it’s not a big deal? Do we walk away and write it off? Do we re-engage? And if so, is there hope that things could be different?

What is the "church"? Despite being a word that is widely and broadly used, there seems to be a lot of confusion around what the church, its role in society, and whether or not the church actually matters. More than ever, there seems to be a level of distrust and disdain toward the church.

Psalm 105:1-2 say, "Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds." And that's exactly what we're doing on this first Sunday of 2024! We're grateful for the ways God has used our ministry to impact the lives of people in New York City and beyond, and we're especially grateful that you've chosen to be a part of it!

There is much to learn from the Christmas story, but maybe more than anything is that the birth of the Messiah was an invitation to respond. Every person in the Christmas story that met Jesus couldn't help but stand in awe and respond in worship.

What would it take for you to stand in awe of God once more? What would He have to do? What provision would you need? What breakthrough would need to happen? What miracle would you need to see? And how inclined are you to believe it could happen?

In this week's message, Pastor Ricky Ortiz invites us to look at the Christmas story through the lens of the shepherds in Luke 2. These were ordinary guys, minding their own business and doing their normal job, when they are all of a sudden thrust into the forefront of the Messiah's arrival.

So what if I don't live with legendary faith? What difference does living with legendary faith make? What impact does it have on my life and the lives of those around me? And does it even matter?