Luke 9:57-62 | Our church-wide, yearlong theme for 2021 is Fit! The Holy Spirit seeks to make our lives “fit for service” in God’s kingdom (see Luke 9:62). During the January worship series, we considered five areas of fitness:

1)     Mental Fitness

2)     Fiscal Fitness

3)     Relational Fitness

4)     Physical Fitness

5)     Spiritual Fitness 

During our October focus on Christian stewardship, we are revisiting the Fit theme. What does it mean to be fit stewards in God’s kingdom?

Nehemiah 13:29-31

Today, we are culminating our fall worship series entitled Fixer Upper: Welcome Home! There’s a place for you at Northside Church, and we welcome everyone home. However, we realize that there’s a lot of fixing-up left to do! 

 During the series, we have explored the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Together they describe the Jews’ return from Babylonian Exile. The 23 chapters cover 110 years of Israel’s history as waves of Jews returned to Jerusalem. 

Nehemiah 2:17-20

Zerubbabel. Ezra. Nehemiah. Three different men, three different times, three different situations. They shared ONE thing in common: They dared to dream! God’s vision became their mission. Divine inspiration and human perspiration combined to make their dreams come true. 

Nehemiah 1:1-10; 1 Peter 2:4-10

During the series, we are exploring the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Together they describe the Jews’ return from Babylonian Exile. 

Over the past weeks, we have heard how Zerubbabel led the first group that rebuilt the altar and temple. Years later Ezra inspired a religious restoration. Today’s story focuses on Nehemiah who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. 

Ezra 7:1-10

There’s a place for you at Northside Church, and we welcome home everyone today. However, there’s a lot of fixing-up left to do! Today’s sermon is entitled Construction Blueprints.

There’s a place for you at Northside Church to KNOW the love of God, to GROW as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and to GO into the world to serve others. 

Our church is an ongoing project, but the foundation is firm and the bones are good. Today we are celebrating our homecoming. Northside Church, are you ready to see your fixer-upper, dream home?

Rev. Jeff Rogers shares a message from Matthew 8: 23-27. May we always remember that Jesus is with us, and he is bigger than any storm. 

The only dumb questions are the ones we don’t ask. Our uncertainties and doubts can develop a deeper faith. So, frequently ask questions with the assurance that those who ask will receive.  

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, wrote in a sermon:

I am passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God . . . I want to know one thing, the way to heaven—how to land safe on that happy shore.

We share Wesley’s desire to know the way to heaven. You see, this earth is not our home. According to 1 Peter 2: 11, we are “aliens and strangers in the world.” Christians are pilgrims traveling through this world to the next. Therefore, we sing hymns like *“I am bound for the promised land,” *“We’re marching to Zion,”and *“When we all get to heaven.”

We’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground to fairer worlds on high. Eternal life is our goal, and heaven waits at journey’s end. In theApostles’ Creed, we profess our belief “in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” Amen!

By definition, miracles are difficult to comprehend and even harder to believe. Little wonder that people have doubts and questions about the miraculous. 

However, the pages of Scripture are filled with stories of signs and wonders. Do miracles still happen today? What do we believe as Christians?