Courage in the Chaos.

Today, Pastor Michael discusses how “Faith finds courage in the chaos,” our central theme.  We start at a place that is typically after most Christmas stories.  It’s the story of a tyrant trying to find the baby Jesus, and the Magi are at the center of it again.  The Magi made their visit and gave their gifts, and this is where most Christmas stories end.  But we’re going to dig a little deeper today.

The Magi had dreams of an angel speaking to them, warning them not to return to Jerusalem.  They followed the angel’s advice and returned to their lands without stopping in and saying hello to Herod.  Herod was a bit ticked, to put it mildly, ordering his soldiers to Bethlehem to break down and search all homes and kill all male children under 2 years old.  Joseph had a dream where an angel spoke to him, telling him to hightail it to Egypt.  That very night, Joseph packed up his family and fled.  They stayed in Egypt until Herod died.

Yet again, an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, telling him to return to Israel, specifically Nazareth.  But Joseph had placed his faith in the Lord, and we shall soon see Jesus’s earthly ministry start.

Today’s verses can be found in Matthew 2: 11 - 23.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The Shepherds

Today, Pastor Michael is talking about the birth of Jesus.  Here, he’s talking about the shepherds.  Farm kids growing up in the country.  The shepherd’s story shows us that God doesn’t see value like people.  God chooses those who are overlooked.

In those days, it was hard for shepherds to participate in Jewish customs and rituals due to them being ceremonially unclean.  But the announcement of the birth of Jesus came to shepherds!  Just to the north of Bethlehem is Migdal Eder, “Tower of the Flock,” where a special group of shepherds raised the temple flock of sacrificial lambs.  Most likely, these shepherds were the shepherds in the Christmas story.  

The shepherds remind us what Jesus’ birth was all about.  It’s the story of God sending his son to give his life so we can live. 

(CSB Bible Notes) Though the social position of shepherds was lowly, the role is often viewed positively in the Bible. God is pictured as a shepherd (Gn 49:24; Ps 23:1). King David was the shepherd of God’s people (2Sm 5:2). Jesus called himself “the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11).

Today’s verses can be found in Luke 2: 8-20. 

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. 

Three Christmas Gifts

Today, Pastor Michael is continuing the story of the Three Wise Men. At this point in the story, they have found Jesus and begun worshiping him. He is no longer at the stable where he was born, the Wise Men finding him in a house. They came with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.   Gold is a tribute paid to kings.  It represents royalty.  The gift of gold is the promise of a great king.  Frankincense is a resin that comes from a rare tree in the Middle East. The gift of frankincense points to Jesus as a priest.  Lastly, myrrh is another resin primarily used in funerals to anoint bodies.  Myrrh represents the gift of Jesus as savior.

Jesus is gold, our frankincense, and the gift of myrrh, the gifts of the Magi.  They remind us that “Jesus is the king who leads us, the priest who connects us to God and the savior who gave his life for us”; the heart of today’s message. 

Today’s verses can be found in Matthew 2: 11.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. 

Peace for the Restless Heart

Today, Pastor Michael is looking at the Three Wise Men looking for Jesus at His birth.

The wise men, the magi, were coming from Persia.  They arrive in Jerusalem, asking where is the King of the Jews that was just born.  However, the message had not spread at this point, so most simply didn’t know.  They followed the star to Bethlehem and found Jesus and worshipped Him. 

What did the Magi need that they didn’t have?  Peace.  After years of studying and research, they found the peace they needed in Jesus.

Today’s core idea is “Restless Hearts Find Peace in Jesus”.

(CSB Bible Notes) In contrast to the stable in which Jesus was born (Lk 2), Jesus’s family now lived in a house. This shows that the magi visited Jesus after the visit of the shepherds described by Luke. The magi worshiped Jesus openly, as did many other people during his lifetime (8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 20:20; 28:9,17). Jesus’s reception of worship reinforces his identity as Immanuel, “God is with us”

Today’s verses can be found in Matthew 2: 1 - 12.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Grateful for the Gravy.

Today, Pastor Michael is returning to the Old Testament, in 2 Kings, about a lesson in the ministry of Elisha, the prophet.  One day, he’s going through Shunem, and a couple invited him to dinner.  After one of many visits, the wife asked her husband to build a room for Elisha when he came through.  Gahezi traveled with Elisa through Shunem, so Gahezi retrieved the woman from the house, and they asked her, “What can we do to repay you for your generosity?”

The woman wanted nothing, but Gahezi reminded Elisha that she had no children.  So, Elisha prophesied to her that she would bear a son, and she did!  That son was in the fields with his father and collapsed, dying.  So the woman went to Elisha and told him the story, so Elisha went back to their house and found the child dead.  Elisha went to the child and prayed to God over the boy, and the boy came to life!

Later, the Lord told Elisha that a famine would come, so Elisha told the woman of this and that she needed to leave the country.  She left the country and lived with the Philistines for seven years.  Finally, it was time to come back.  But while they were gone, strangers had moved into their house and taken over.  She took her cause up with the king, and Gehazi was visiting with the king when she was there!  And Gehazi talked about numerous miracles, concerning Elisha’s ministry.

The woman relayed that the stories Gehazi told were true and that she and her son were the recipients of some of the miracles.  The king was impressed enough to restore her home and lands.

Had she not experienced the tragedy years before, she would not have experienced the triumph later!

(CSB Bible Notes) The next episode introduced a flashback seven years earlier when Elisha advised the Shunammite woman to sojourn outside Israel during a famine (8:1–2). Because she now has to reclaim her land from the king, one wonders if the king somehow appropriated the land in her absence (8:3). There is a miracle of timing: at the very moment, the king is asking Gehazi about Elisha’s mighty deeds, the woman shows up with her son!

Today’s verses can be found in 2 Kings 4: 8-37 and 2 Kings 8: 1-6.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Gratitude Defeats Grump!

Today, Pastor Michael is talking about gratitude and thankfulness.

Paul wrote a letter to the Thessalonians about thanks.  It has one of the most famous lines in the bible, “…give thanks in everything…”

Michael asks the pertinent question, “Do we really worship God, or do we worship the idea that God owes us an easy life?”

Gratitude isn’t something God doesn’t have; it’s good for US! 

“It’s not happy people who are thankful; it’s thankful people who are happy” is today’s takeaway thought.

(CSB Bible Notes) The third exhortation of this trilogy (5:18a) is a call, not to give thanks for every situation, but rather to give thanks in every situation. The Christian affirms that God can use any situation for his or her own good (Rm 8:28) and that one can triumph in the midst of any circumstance, even adversity (Rm 8:31–39).

Today’s verses can be found in 1 Thessalonians 5: 18.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Gratitude Makes Room

Today, Pastor Michael is talking about gratitude.

Today’s core idea is, “Gratitude for what you have now makes room for what God wants to give next.”  We are in James, Chapter 1 today, James being the half-brother of Jesus.  

Central to our reading today is the fact that all good comes from God.  Even knowing that we are human and when life is going good, we feel grateful; when life is negative, it’s harder to feel grateful. But, remember: gratitude is not a feeling but a choice. 

Think of something you need a blessing on and think about this: then ask the hard question: are you fully grateful for what you have in that area?  Are you using the things in that area for the glory of God?

Gratitude prepares your heart for blessings from God. 

(CSB Study Bible Notes) James 1: 18 - Word of truth refers to the gospel, by which new birth comes. First fruits refers to the best that the harvest produces. God gives good gifts that yield wondrous fruit, not temptation that leads to death through wayward desires.

Today’s verses can be found in James 1: 16-18.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. 

Empowered to Proclaim

Today, Pastor Michael is finishing our long study on Mark, ending with Jesus’s charter to His disciples and telling them to spread the word of all they have seen and done.

We are starting with what is called “The Great Commission.”  Our central mission is to share the good news of Jesus and help them to learn of His love and make disciples.

Do you know what to say to someone about how to share the Great Commission?  Michael offers the following verses to help spread that message:

1. Romans 3: 23—(CSB) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

We have the privilege of sharing this message with the world!

So, what things concern us about sharing the gospel?  Examples include:

1. Rejection

But, to our advantage, communication barriers cannot stop the spread of the Gospel, especially today. 

Whatever you feel is standing in the way of you sharing the gospel, God steps in!

So, that leads to our big idea of the day, which is, “When you step out, God steps in!” 

Today’s verses can be found in Mark 16: 15 - 20.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The Elephant, The Donkey, and The Lion.

Today, Pastor Michael is talking about politics but not talking about politics. This is a timely segue due to next week’s elections.  Far greater than any political position is this: Jesus Christ, the son of God, lived a perfect, sinless life. He gave that life on the cross, He spent three days in the grave and rose to immortality, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

That IS the message…the Good News.

So, in our message today, the Pharisees are up to trying to trip Jesus up by trapping Him into saying something.  And, of course, Jesus’s answer is perfect: yes, we have responsibilities to our government (State and/or Caesar).  But more important is the second part of His reply, being loyal to the things of God.

More than anything, here’s the key idea:  When choosing between the Elephant and the Donkey, choose the Lion!  Choose Jesus.

CSB Bible—Matthew 22:15 - 22. The Pharisees intended to trap Jesus in a position that granted loyalty to Caesar and not to God. They wanted to level a charge of blasphemy against Jesus. By getting him to declare non-loyalty to Caesar, they could get him charged with a civil crime. Both attempts failed. Jesus’s response does not resolve all of our questions regarding the responsibilities we have with church and state, but he does provide some beginning places to inform us. His answer implies that we do have responsibilities to the state. These extend only to those “things that are Caesar’s.” A yet higher authority commands our allegiance. We must be faithful to those things of God.

Today’s verses can be found in Matthew 22: 15 - 22.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Meet Jesus, be Transformed

Today, Pastor Michael is continuing our study in the book of Mark.  We’ve been following Jesus through the gospel of Mark, and now He’s done the greatest miracle of all, rising from the dead, just as He predicted.

After Jesus was risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, who told others of His appearance.  Curiously enough, others did not believe her!

What’s up with that?

Why don’t we accept things, even today, in things that we shouldn’t struggle to believe?

1. Doubt.

Our catchphrase today is “Meet Jesus, be transformed!”   What needs to be transformed in your life?

Today’s verses can be found in Mark 16: 9 - 12.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.