Renewal Church

The word, community, is so overused these days that we are in danger of missing the point of it entirely.

Community is God’s family on earth, believers scattered from one end of the globe to the other. Yet, we come together to practice a new way of life, to live out our identity as God’s redeemed community – a community of love.

You see, Jesus delivered his people from the power and the ways of this world by his death and resurrection. And he filled us with the Holy Spirit, giving us his strength to live in this new way. This strength is his grace.

And this powerful grace is actively engaged by us when we live as God’s family – as we walk together, we learn how to part with our old clunky, rebellious ways of living and turn to Jesus’ beautiful new ways.

We honor the God who saved us by walking together as one body. As a community.

Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul reminds us that the gospel is the truth in which we stand, the power by which we are being saved. This is why he said that the gospel is “of first importance.”

The gospel is everything. Without it we are lost. The gospel is our life. By the gospel we come to God and by the gospel we are transformed, day by day, into Jesus’ image.

The gospel is our identity as followers of Jesus. It not only defines our values and beliefs, it morphs our hearts from self-fascination to God-adoration. It gives us a new vision for living – way better dreams and a glorious new hope!

The gospel equips us with the skills and perseverance to live in this harsh world. The gospel carries us from the barren land of envy and malice to vistas of love and joy.

Come. Let us gather together, worship Jesus, and re-center our hearts and minds on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The first Sunday of 2018 is a great time to focus—or refocus—on what really matters in the year ahead. Whether you are full of hope or of fear as you think about the coming days, you will be encouraged by a timely message this Sunday morning based on the Book of Revelation. Come and join us as we seek to understand that it’s the “Who” that really matters in 2018 more than the “What.”

2000-years ago dwelt in Jerusalem an elderly man, Simeon, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel as he served God in the Temple. Another aged Israelite waiting for Israel’s redemption prayed every day in that same Temple. Her name was Anna.

They had seen so much pain in their day. God’s people, the Jews, oppressed by yet another vast military power, this time Rome. For centuries the stories of humiliation and suffering had been piling up.

Israel was gloriously called to bring the blessings of Abraham to the whole earth as part of God’s master plan to save humanity. But the Israel Simeon and Anna knew was beleaguered and oppressed. Few had memories of triumph; only enslavement.

Yet the pain of this tragedy shaped a singular longing in many a Jews’ heart for the coming of the Messiah.

And come he did. With power, glory, and hope.

The key that unlocks the mystery and wonder of Christmas is one short refrain called the Canticle of the Angels.