In this Advent reflection, we journey with Abram as he receives God's extraordinary call in Genesis 12 to leave everything familiar and step into the unknown. This passage reminds us that God's plans for our lives are infinitely better than our own carefully constructed blueprints. When we surrender our comfort zones and trust him with open hands, we discover that the blessings we receive aren't meant to be hoarded but shared generously with everyone we encounter. The beauty of this divine design is that God doesn't just bless us for our own sake — he blesses us so we can become conduits of his grace to all the families of the earth.

As we reflect on the song 'Joy to the World' during this Advent season, we're challenged to recognize that joy isn't diminished when given away; it multiplies. The simple yet profound truth is that when we spend time getting to know Christ through his Word and prayer, we naturally overflow with a joy that transforms not only our own lives but the lives of everyone around us. This season invites us to look back and see how God has woven together circumstances we didn't understand at the time into a beautiful tapestry for his glory.

🎧 For additional encouragement, listen to Joy to the World (Joyful, Joyful) from The Chosen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vnB8xAqzjE&list=PLSVdWmL3WBddbSuPfppFGa_c2KyQwXxdx&index=2

In our first week of Advent, we’re talking all about hope — but not just the kind of hope where you wish for something, like a new toy. This kind of hope is strong and real because it comes from a promise God made a long, long time ago.

In the Bible, when Adam and Eve made a big mistake and sinned, God didn’t walk away or give up on them. Instead, He made a promise! He said one day, someone from their family — Jesus — would come and defeat evil once and for all. Even though things looked dark, God gave hope right away.

God even made clothes for Adam and Eve from an animal’s skin, which showed that one day Jesus would come and cover our sins, too — just like those clothes covered them.

That’s what Advent reminds us of: Christmas isn’t just about when Jesus was born — it’s also about knowing He’s coming again one day to beat all the bad things in the world for good!

What if the story of Christmas actually begins in the shadow of humanity's greatest failure? In this profound exploration of Genesis 3:14-15, we discover something remarkable: God's promise of redemption comes immediately after the fall. Before Adam and Eve even leave the Garden, God is already announcing his rescue plan. This passage, known as the proto-evangelism or 'first gospel,' reveals that Jesus was never plan B. The Messiah was promised before sin could even fully take root, showing us that nothing in our lives catches God off guard. The imagery is striking — the manger becomes a battlefield where the promised child enters enemy territory to begin crushing the serpent's head.

As we journey through Advent, we're reminded that authentic hope isn't found in our circumstances but in knowing how the story ends. Like watching a replay of a close game where we already know our team wins, we can rest in the assurance that God has already secured our victory through Christ. The question becomes: are we living with that same expectation and longing for his return?

🎧 For additional encouragement, listen to Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFloWX1yuyQ&list=PLSVdWmL3WBddbSuPfppFGa_c2KyQwXxdx

This sermon explores the universal law of the harvest found in Galatians 6:7-10 and its implications for our spiritual life. We'll examine how what we sow, when we sow, and how we sow directly impacts what we reap — not just in our gardens, but in every area of our lives. This cosmic principle reminds us that we cannot mock God's design: we will always reap what we sow. Whether we're planting seeds of righteousness or seeds of the flesh, investing in the Spirit or feeding our sinful nature, the harvest is inevitable. This truth calls us to be intentional stewards of everything God has entrusted to us — our time, focus, relationships, and yes, our finances.

What if everything we have — our jobs, our homes, our talents, even our next breath — isn't really ours at all?

This message challenges us to reimagine our entire relationship with possessions, work, and purpose through the lens of stewardship. Drawing from Genesis and the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, we're reminded that we were created in God's image, not as owners, but as managers of His creation. Unlike ancient accounts that portrayed humans as mere slaves to distant gods, the biblical narrative reveals something radical: God invites us to be co-creators with Him, bringing order to chaos, light to darkness, and life where there is none. Whether we're teachers, surgeons, stay-at-home parents, or sanitation workers, our work matters eternally when we understand it as worship.

 This perspective transforms even mundane tasks into acts of worship and releases us from the anxiety of ownership into the freedom of faithful management. The question becomes: are we living as if everything is ours to keep, or as if it's all God's for us to steward?

The sermon explored how many of us grew up with a truncated gospel — one focused primarily on personal salvation and going to heaven — when Scripture actually reveals a much fuller story. Dr. Wright helped us understand that the resurrection of Jesus wasn't simply proof of His divinity or a ticket to heaven, but rather the launch of God's new creation project. Jesus stepped out of the fog of the future into our present reality, and now the Church is called to be a working model of that coming new creation. This has profound implications for how we live, worship, engage our community, and participate in the public square. We are not waiting to escape this world, but rather demonstrating what God's renewed world will look like when He is all in all.

This conversation with Dr. Jeff Warren and N.T. Wright explores a transformative understanding of the gospel that goes far beyond "getting souls into heaven." Dr. Wright helps us see that God's plan has always been about bringing heaven and earth together — not evacuating us from creation, but renewing and redeeming it.

From the tabernacle to the temple, from Jesus himself to the church filled with the Spirit, we see God's consistent pattern: making dwelling places where His presence fills His people. The resurrection of Jesus wasn't just proof of His divinity — it was the first installment of new creation, demonstrating that God is committed to renewing all things. As the church, we are called to be the "working model" of this new creation, showing the world what life under God's loving rule looks like. reconciliation.

This sermon explored how joy — our most precious possession after salvation — is constantly under threat of being stolen by our circumstances, anxiety, and the enemy. Drawing from Philippians 4, we discovered that joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ. Paul's command to "rejoice in the Lord always" isn't just wishful thinking; it's a supernatural response made possible through prayer, gratitude, and contentment in Christ. The message challenged us to recognize that losing our joy is often an "inside job" — we allow it to be stolen by failing to apply God's Word and maintain proper internal spiritual stabilizers in our lives.

What if the very thing we think makes us righteous is actually keeping us from God? This exploration of Philippians 3 confronts us with a startling truth: our greatest obstacle isn't our obvious sins, but our self-righteousness. Paul, the ultimate religious overachiever with an impeccable spiritual resume, discovered that everything he counted as gain was actually garbage compared to knowing Christ. We learn that righteousness — being made right before God — is our deepest need, yet we cannot achieve it through performance, religious activity, or moral excellence. The scandal of the gospel isn't that God accepts sinners; it's that He rejects our attempts to earn His favor. Many of us live as functional Pharisees, presenting our resume of good deeds to God when circumstances go wrong, asking why He isn't rewarding our faithfulness. But the Christian life isn't about replacing a secular checklist with a spiritual one. It's about receiving Christ's perfect righteousness as a gift and then becoming who we already are in Him.

In "Joy in Humility," we're challenged to embrace humility as our best defense in a world that constantly pushes us to puff ourselves up. Drawing from Philippians 2, we're reminded of Christ's ultimate example of humility — not grasping at His divine status, but emptying Himself for our sake. This radical approach stands in stark contrast to our culture's obsession with self-promotion and social media influence. We're encouraged to adopt a different mindset, one that values listening over speaking, serving over being served. This isn't just about personal growth; it's about how we interact as a church community. Are we working out our salvation together, or are we quick to abandon each other when times get tough? This message calls us to a deeper, more authentic faith that shines like stars in a dark world.