Have you ever noticed that the church gains influence during hard times, then loses it during good times? When we have periods of discomfort & unrest, we,like Paul, can find joy in the security Christ brings through His grace.

Just as acceptance of God's Grace gave peace and power to Paul while he wasimprisoned in Rome, so His Power can enable us to do great works here.Pastor Chris explains in today's message.

The only time that Linus lets go of his security blanket is when he is telling the Nativity story.This should tell you something....Pastor Chris explains in today's message.

When choosing his Christmas tree, Charlie Brown had an insight into what thatscrawny little tree could be. Of course, Charlie had Jesus for an example. Jesus sees the potential in each of us & forgives our shortcomings as only He can do!

All of us have problems in our lives & we all search for solutions.We like to have control of everything, thinking this will bring us peace.Our only hope for peace in our daily lives is to relinquish our desire forcontrol; God is already (and has been!) in control.

Like Charlie Brown, we are all searching for answers. What is the meaning of life?What is my purpose here? All is revealed in the presence of God; He sends usHis Son Jesus, Our Savior, whose birth we anticipate during this Advent season.

The Pharisees swore that they were better than their ancestors, who killed prophets for speaking truth.At the same time, they were plotting to kill Jesus! Often, we say that we'd never be like those who treat people poorly.Yet our actions tell a different story. We need to face our sin, revise our habits, and ask forgiveness for our actions.

An Israelite who contacted a tomb, gravesite, or carcass, was considered unclean for seven daysand was denied access to the temple until purified. The Pharisees took to whitewashing tombs &marking gravesites to minimize this. Jesus turned this back on them & noted how they presented a good outward appearance, but were dead & decayed on the inside. Are we guilty of this too?

The Pharisees roamed far afield to get converts. The problem was that they wereonly interested in increasing the size the their own sect. Instead of preaching the unifying love of God, they increased divisions among the people.

The Pharisees of Jesus' day were so focused on details of "law" that they failed to seethe real problems of the Israelites. Their hypocrisy in their religious observances was covering their failure to guide the people to a relationship with God.