Oftentimes the darkness of the present seems all-consuming. But the good news of Advent is that no matter how dark the present, Jesus is eternally the Light of the world!

Isaiah 9:1-7

Oftentimes the darkness of the present seems all-consuming. But the good news of Advent is that no matter how dark the present, Jesus is eternally the Light of the world!

John 1:1-5

When crises hit, we fear our most basic needs won’t be met. Our fears often times make us question everything we know. We often ask, If what I believe has led me here, then what's the use. If we believe in God, we oftentimes question his goodness. Why me, God? Why would you do this?

The good news is that God is big enough to handle our questioning. The better news is that God has always provided for his people.

Exodus 15:22-27

God’s presence with us is a gift, and his holy requirements are meant to ensure we experience the fullness of that gift rather than a cheap counterfeit.

2 Samuel 6:1-15

Every one of us longs to be loved unconditionally. This is a longing that God placed in our hearts that can only be filled by himself.

Unfortunately every one of us also knows the sting of rejection and the feeling of being unwanted. This is a brokenness that can only be healed by the unconditional love of God our Father.

Both our longing to be loved forever and the pain of rejection are solved in our adoption by the Father through faith in Jesus!

Various Scriptures

Living in the city can be hard; there's no doubt about it. But God has something to say about what our posture should be while we're here: make yourself at home! Seek the good of the city, and in it, you will find your good.

Jeremiah 29:1-14

For many of us, reading from books like Numbers and trying to understand the Old Testament sacrificial system can feel like drudgery. But when we look at the fulfillment of these passages in the person and work of Jesus Christ, they come alive! This morning we'll look at the sacrifice of the red heifer and see how it points to the gospel and proclaims Jesus.

Numbers 19:1-10

As we age and mature, we begin to recognize that every hero of ours is flawed in some way or another and will always let us down at some point. This is the story of the Judges in the Bible: flawed "saviors" who are appointed to rescue God's people from their enemies. But the failures only serve to make the contrast more pronounced between these human heroes and our God's Hero, who will never let us down: Jesus, the true and better judge.

Judges 13-16

The story of Noah and the flood is often told in children's church but doesn't make its way into adult sermons too often. But if we would listen to the story with fresh ears, we would hear a beautiful message of redemption and preservation, of salvation amidst judgement, and we would see how Jesus is the true and better Noah.

Genesis 6-9

We believe weakness is bad and strength is good. It is at the very core of human nature. And everything around us tells us the same. Pain is weakness leaving the body. Flaws are diminishing, and perfection is the goal. If we show the cracks that we have, then we’ll be less useful, less revered.

We cannot stand to be seen as weak, so we always play to our strengths.

But with God, this is flipped on its head. God makes beautiful use out of what is broken(God makes beautiful things out of the dust), God specializes in using human weaknesses, even yours! This is what Paul discovered firsthand with God, and that’s the truth he’s sharing with the Corinthians in these verses this morning. He wants them and us to know that our weakness shows Jesus’ greatness.