Welcome to Wellspring Church!

On this first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Billy Waters invites us to begin the season with a heart check—not merely preparing for Christmas, but preparing our hearts for the second coming of Christ. Walking through Jonah 1, he shows how the prophet’s reluctance exposes the gap between knowing God’s heart and actually sharing it with the world.

Jonah is called to preach to Nineveh, a violent enemy of Israel, yet he runs—fast and far. Not out of simple fear, Pastor Billy explains, but because Jonah knows God is merciful… and he doesn’t want that mercy extended to people he considers undeserving. Even still, God’s mercy moves relentlessly: toward pagans, toward enemies, toward stubborn prophets who would rather drown than obey.

📖 Key Themes in This Message:

🔹 Advent as a season of heart preparation—aligning our hearts with God’s mercy

🔹 Jonah as the “anti-prophet” whose resistance reveals God’s unwavering compassion

🔹 Why we often flee from the people God calls us to love

🔹 The irony of pagans crying out to God while God’s prophet sleeps

🔹 God’s mercy reaching pagans, enemies, and even a reluctant prophet

🔹 Our calling to move with Jesus into brokenness, bringing light, salt, and freedom

Pastor Billy shares the powerful story of a Rwandan pastor whose congregation now includes people who killed his own family—an embodied picture of mercy that refuses to stay away from “the other.” Likewise, we are called to move toward those we find difficult, different, or even painful to love.

Faith isn’t passive. We are ambassadors, fishers of people, salt, and light—sent into dark, hurting places with Jesus to reveal the mercy that changed us first.

📅 Join us this week at Wellspring Church! Want to grow deeper this Advent season? Visit www.wellspringenglewood.com to learn more.

💬 How is God inviting you to respond in mercy this week?

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