Message from John Allen on December 15, 2025

Advent reminds us that God brings light into dark places. When Mary said, “Let it be according to your word,” she wasn’t just agreeing to God’s plan - she was trusting God Himself. That’s real faith.

Faith invites God’s presence to fill our lives and learns to hold onto what He’s spoken, even when the road gets hard. Mary remembered God’s promises through confusion, waiting, and pain.

This is Christmas: Jesus stepping into our chaos, paying our debt in full, and giving us new life the moment we trust Him. The way won’t always be clear, but God is faithful. This Advent, God is inviting us to say “amen”, not just to the promise, but to the process and trusting Him to guide our next step.

Advent reminds us that hope isn’t fragile or fading - it’s anchored in Jesus who came, who rose, and who’s coming again. We light the candle of hope because Christmas is God stepping into our real lives with real mercy.

Zechariah and Elizabeth show us what it looks like to wait in the dark, yet even there God is moving. Zechariah’s doubt wasn’t rejected; God used silence to grow his faith. Advent leads us into steady trust, to still our anxious thoughts, look to the Light, and declare with joy that Jesus has already come near.

Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is not merely about being a “good person.” It reveals our tendency to justify ourselves and limit who we love, while showing that we are the wounded ones in need of rescue. Religion cannot save us, but Jesus, the true Good Samaritan, draws near, heals our wounds, pays our debt, and brings us into His community. The church is the inn where we are restored and equipped to join Christ in His mission. Our call is not to ask who deserves our love, but to become a neighbor to those in need, loving, forgiving, and serving others as Christ has done for us, and carrying His Gospel into our city and beyond.

Jesus’ parable of the soils is an invitation to let the Holy Spirit reveal the true condition of our hearts. As Jesus describes four types of soil, He’s really describing the different ways we receive God’s word and the gospel.

So, the question is: How’s your heart? Are you open to the Spirit’s work, willing to let Him break up the hard places, deepen your roots, and clear away the thorns? Jesus invites us to come to Him, to abide in Him, and to let Him bring true shalom: restoration, wholeness, and fruitfulness.

Everything we have - our time, gifts, relationships, and resources belong to God and is entrusted to us for His glory. The parable contrasts servants who invested what they were given with one who hid his talent out of fear. It’s a picture of how our view of God shapes how we live. When we trust His goodness, we’re freed from fear and step out boldly in faith. But when we doubt His heart, we tend to hold back and miss the joy of partnering with Him.

Faithful stewardship isn’t about earning God’s approval, it’s our response to His grace. Because we’re already loved and secure in Christ, we can live generously, courageously, and on mission for His kingdom.

The story of Joseph invites us to trust God’s promises even when life feels contrary to them. His faith wasn’t defined by his power or success, but by quiet confidence that God would fulfill His word, symbolized in his request to have his bones carried to the Promised Land. True faith is often forged in ordinary moments of obedience that echo through generations, leaving a legacy that points others to God’s faithfulness. Like Joseph, we are called to look beyond the temporary comforts of this world and anchor our hope in God’s eternal promises in Christ.

Message from John Allen on October 19, 2025

True fruitfulness in the Christian life begins not with striving for outward results, but by sending your roots deep into the love of God in Christ. When you focus on the root - abiding in His love, receiving His grace, you are transformed from the inside out. As you worship, pray, and immerse yourself in His Word, you are reminded of your true identity: perfectly loved, redeemed, and called to live from that place of security.

As Noah and his family stepped out of the ark, they entered a world both renewed and broken - a world still marked by the scars of judgment and the persistent stain of sin. Instead of doubling down on judgment, God established a covenant of grace, sealing it with a rainbow, a sign of mercy and a a pointer to the greater mission of God.

The bow, once a weapon of wrath, now hangs pointed toward heaven, foreshadowing the day God Himself would bear that wrath in Christ Jesus. The rainbow reminds us to live in gratitude, honor every image bearer, and proclaim His grace until He returns.