Moses’ journey is our next stop on our survey of Life-Changing Encounters with God. He is a towering figure in the Bible, and yet quite refreshingly he struggles with a sense of identity, struggles with perseverance in the face of ongoing challenges, and even at the end of his remarkable life he falters in his trust. He is very human. Yet he is a man of faith, walking with the God who discloses himself, quite strikingly, in Exodus 3:1-14. We will spend some time primarily in that passage under the title, “Moses’ Encounter with God: All That is Sacred.”

We continue in our series as we look at Joseph's encounter with God, which took place in the very act of trusting Him over a long period of time. In stark contrast to Jacob and Jonah, Joseph was a man of remarkable integrity and perseverance - but that fidelity to faith did not seem to "pay off" in the short term. He mostly experienced pain, abandonment, shame, rejection, and disappointment. But, through it all, he had an "All-In Trust" that did not seem to waver, and eventually all of his dreams quite literally came true. You can read Genesis 39 in advance for a glimpse of Josephs's life.

We are continuing our new series called "Life-Changing Encounters with God," which explores how ordinary people are transformed by God's grace. This week, we will examine Jonah's dramatic journey of faith, specifically looking at the crucial moment when Jonah was trapped in the belly of the fish. We will hope that when the habit of inwardly gazing Godward becomes fixed within us, we shall be ushered onto a new level of spiritual life more in keeping with the promises of the triumphant God. Read Jonah 2 in preparation.

This week, we debut a new series called "Life-Changing Encounters with God." Our plan is to do a survey of how ordinary people are transformed by God's grace. The story of Jacob in Genesis 28:10-22 is definitely a story of transformation! We will do out best to lay out the entirety of his life and highlight some key moments of learning and growth.

As we continue in our our series, "Good News is Coming," we shift from Old Testament to New Testament, from Isaiah to Luke, from anticipation to arrival. The birth of the long-awaited suffering servant, of the one born of a virgin, certainly makes a difference to everyone who encounters him in Luke 2:13-20, our text for Sunday.

As we near the end of a challenging year for all of us, it's comforting to know we have a Savior who is acquainted with grief, as we read in Isaiah 53:1-7 this week. He know our sorrows, and more than that: he can meet us in them and bind up our wounds both because he understands, and he has the capability to attend to our needs. We are, after all sheep - and he is the great Shepherd and our suffering servant. Come, let us adore him!

Take a moment to read Isaiah 42:1-9 in preparation for this week's message, "Good News is Coming...in the Form of a Servant." Into the heaviness and darkness of our world, light comes to the nations in the person of Christ. He is the king who serves and the God who suffers. With the approach of our Advent celebrations that culminate on Christmas morning, we are called to do more than simply remember the one who serves: We are called to walk in his steps as well. Let's pray together that the full weight of this passage will humble and inspire us.

Advent is the season in the church calendar where we remember the anticipation associated with the first arrival of Christ, and also look forward to his return. With that in mind, we are starting a new five-part series that will take us to the end of the year and remind us that "Good News is Coming!" It's a message vitally important to those waiting for a Messiah, and clearly for those of us in 2020 desperate for things to change. Let's find hope together as we look this week at Isaiah 11:1-11.

This week, we finish the letters from Christ to the seven churches (found in Revelation 3:14-22), and hear the words written to the believing community in Laodicea. This church was known for being lukewarm, or "The Tepid Church." They lack zeal and have forgotten that Christ is their center of dependence and trust. Christ's rebuke, strong and sobering, is an admonition to an affluent congregation whose misplaced confidence has robbed them of spiritual vitality. But hope is not lost. Christ can once again be at their center if they will but respond to his appeals. So may we!

This week, we look at the next letter from Christ to the church in Philadelphia: "The Faithful Church." The message to this small congregation is refreshingly encouraging, and reminds them of the doors of opportunity that have been opened up before them if they will simply remain faithful to their calling. May we be inspired to do the same.