Last week we started a working definition for love. In this message we'll fill it out and begin to see that the kind of love (Agapao) that Jesus spoke about only comes from God and for love to measure up it must be motivated by God, have movement toward another person and be expressed in a material way if they are going to understand it as love.

We love everything. From pizza to puppies and our children we love it all. But how do we distinguish between the love we have for football and the love we have for friends? Surely they are not the same... In this message we'll look at what love is and is not as we lay a groundwork for the rest of the series as we discover the different facets of love and the greatest relationship example of love.

Mark's Gospel is really Jesus' Gospel and Mark leads us directly to a hinge moment that is a critical moment in time where your decision will have serious repercussions on your life. For Mark, it all comes down to this, who is Jesus? And if He's God's King, what are you going to do about it? Will you repent, believe and follow? Or will you reject Him?

Do you know any rule followers? They may make good referees but they can be terrible at relationships because they have little grace. When Jesus came His greatest struggles with the rule following religious leaders who thought as long as they were good, all was good. Jesus showed over and over that relationships trump rules. The religious leaders hated Him because He broke the rules, the people loved Him because He valued relationships.

Do you know any rule followers? They may make good referees but they can be terrible at relationships because they have little grace. When Jesus came His greatest struggles with the rule following religious leaders who thought as long as they were good, all was good. Jesus showed over and over that relationships trump rules. The religious leaders hated Him because He broke the rules, the people loved Him because He valued relationships.

Before Jesus came to earth religious people were obsessed with being "clean." They sacrificed and avoided things, and prayed and dressed and washed all in an effort to avoid anything unclean so that they could stay clean. In contrast, Jesus spent all his time ritually dirty. If you're trying to look like Jesus you're not going to do without getting dirty. Welcome to discipleship.

Mark starts his discipleship Gospel cleverly laying out so much of what we need to know about being a disciple or follower of Jesus. Mark uses John the baptizer as an example of a messenger and preparer who both understands their purpose and their place - to look like Jesus knowing we're not, like, Jesus.

Our Christmas Eve Candlelight service takes a look at the angelic visit with the shepherds and the Good News of Great Joy that was proclaimed for all people.

This is the only non-physical angelic visit in the Christmas story and yet it is packed with more detail and nuggets of truth to be uncovered than all the others. First we're told that this Jesus Mary is carrying will have the title Immanuel - God with us and that one fact changes our entire history and future. But another big surprise happens when Joseph actually changes his mind and obeys the word from God through the angel vision. This is a big story, get ready.

Mary was a nobody from no where who was favored by God, not because of what she had done but because she was devoted to God.