Clutter in the house. Clutter in the yard. Clutter on the desk. Clutter everywhere. Just like our environments, our hearts can become cluttered, leaving little room for Jesus. This week, Fr. Ben Williams admonishes us prepare room for Christ during the Advent season by clearing the clutter of sin, anxiety, and triviality.

What is the season of Advent? Why do we spend a month preparing for Christmas? The church calendar gives us ways of participating in the life of Christ together. Advent is a season of preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth by reflecting on our great need for a savior. Although Jesus’ first advent (his birth) has passed, we also look forward to his return, or second advent. This Sunday, Fr. Ben Williams explores the ominous, yet hopeful passages of Scripture assigned for the first of four Advent Sundays. Rather than fear the judgment that comes with Christ’s return, we can actively wait by growing in love and holiness.

Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbors? Aren’t we supposed to serve others? These questions arise when we see Martha serving the Lord and her guests only to be told that her sister, Marry, is doing the right thing by sitting at Jesus’ feet. This week, we wrap up our Hi, Neighbor, series with the end of Luke 10 and the story of Mary and Martha. Join Fr. Ben Williams as we are reminded that we simply join God in the work he is already doing. The work of mission still persists, but not at the expense of sitting at the feet of Jesus.

What does it mean to be sent by Jesus to prepare the way? How does the local church participate in Christ’s commission to make disciples of all nations? It all starts in the neighborhood. This week, we continue our series titled, “Hi, Neighbor,” where we’ve been exploring what it means to love our neighbors…literally. Fr. Ben Williams looks at the first “mission trip,” when he sent 72 disciples out to preach the kingdom of God. As we settle into a new neighborhood, where it can feel a bit foreign, we are reminded that Jesus sends us out to labor in the harvest as lambs among wolves.

When asked by a lawyer testing him how to receive eternal life, Jesus tells him to do what the Law tells him to do. It wasn’t enough to simply know the law, it has to be obeyed. This week, Fr. Ben Williams continues a sermon series titled, Hi, Neighbor. As we look at the Parable of the Good Samaritan a second time, we see that being a neighbor to others means meeting practical needs, sharing the gospel, and doing it all at our own expense. Join us as we look at Jesus as the ultimate example of what it means to be a neighbor to others.

What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? What is love, anyway? This week, Fr. Ben Williams begins a 4-week sermon series called, Hi Neighbor. Now that Mission Saint James has moved to a new neighborhood, we’ll be looking at what it means to be a neighbor. This week, we look at the parable of the Good Samaritan and ask what it means to be a neighbor.

What does humility look like and why is it so important to the Christian life? This week, we wrap up our series in the Book of James and discover the key to double-mindedness. James tells us to submit ourselves to God, to resist the devil, and humble ourselves. In this final installment, Fr. Ben Williams looks at James’ three examples of humility with a special focus on judging other Christians. Humility requires all Christians to see themselves and one another as sinners saved by grace, thereby leaving no room for judgment.