Saint John Community Church

Pastor Tom Grieb continues our Fruitfulness series with a message about another parable.

 

Gardening takes a lot of work. It left unattended, a garden will spring up with weeds all over the place. Any gardener worth their salt will make sure those weeds don’t get a chance to take hold.

 

In his Parable of the Weeds Jesus has a good deal to say about the final judgement. He also speaks about judging others. More importantly, he addresses the idea of letting him tend to the fields of our lives. With his help, we’d do well to tend to the “weeds” that have a way of springing up and robbing us of the fruitfulness that God wants for our lives. The seed of God’s Kingdom is good in every way. It is the seed of the world we need to be wary of.

Pastor Tom Grieb kicks off our new series "Fruitfulness."

 

This week we consider the great parable often called The Parable of the Soils. In it, Jesus talks about four different soils that receive seed, each with varying results. Those soils speak very clearly to the disposition of our hearts.

 

Some have called this parable The Parable of the Extravagant Farmer. With that in mind, God is the focus of the parable, not the soils. We serve an extravagant God. He liberally broadcasts the seed of his Kingdom. That seed has a way of settling in and, with God’s help, grows and prospers, which is nothing short of miraculous given the state of our hearts at times.

Will Partin, President of GO Ministries, updates us on the discipleship efforts at GO Ministries, shares about his new responsibilities there, and encourages us to “go” as the Lord leads.

Pastor Ashley Adkins delivers a stand-alone message based on Matthew 28:16-20, "The Great Commission." Therefore. An adverb that means for that reason; because of that; or on that ground. When this word is used in Scripture, whether in “therefore” form or one of its synonyms, we know something is coming that commands our attention. When Jesus uses therefore in the Great Commission in Matthew 28, he does it so that not only would the disciples hear and apply his great direction, but so that we would hear it even more so today. It’s a new year. A new day. Will we live it the way Jesus commands us? Or will we continue to do what we have always done and expect different results?

Pastor Tom Grieb concludes our "Images of Christmas" series with a message on how Jesus Christ is hope fulfilled, especially as seen through the eyes of Simeon and Anna when the baby Jesus was presented at the temple.

Pastor Tom Grieb brings a Christmas message in our "Images of Christmas" sermon series.

Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series "Images of Christmas. We shouldn’t be surprised that the shepherds play an important role in rounding out the images of Christmas. The angel of the Lord approached the shepherds with the greatest birth announcement ever with a message of “good news of great joy.” A baby had been born, and not just any baby, but the Savior of the world. God knew just what we needed in sending Jesus. He knew that humanity had become separated from him. Sin had gotten in the way. Through Jesus, God provided the way for us to be reconciled to him once and for all. It’s interesting that the news of Christ’s birth came first to a group of shepherds. Shepherds were somewhat on the periphery of everyday life. They were common folk. They worked hard and kept to themselves. By approaching the shepherds first, God was making the grand statement that Jesus was not just for a few, but for all. God’s good news in Jesus Christ is for all people.

Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series "Images of Christmas." In the minds of some, Joseph the earthly father of Jesus gets lost in the shuffle; not so with me. Joseph plays an important role in the birth of Christ. He also figures heavily in Christ’s early years. Joseph was quick to be present, looked to support and always to protect the precious gift that was Jesus. He is an inspiration for us all and a wonderful example of what it means to love those who are in our families. Joseph is also a great inspiration when it comes to living a life of faith. He sought to be faithfully obedient to what God asked him to do. Despite the challenges that presented themselves in and around Christ’s birth and later during his early years, Joseph remained faithful. He teaches us, above all, that acting faithfully is not only the way of Christmas, but the way God wants us to live the whole of life.

Pastor Tom Grieb continues our series “Images of Christmas.”  It is good to give God praise.  It is good to glorify his name.  God is worthy of our praise.  His presence alone strengthens and guides us along life’s way.  A regular practice of giving God glory will only heighten our sense of his good work in our lives.   This week we will be studying that great passage known as the Magnificat.  It is the faithful prayer of a mother-to-be who seeks to give God glory above all else.  Mary had been set aside by God to give birth to his only Son.  In the uncertainty that this represented, Mary remained faithful.  She would be true to what God had called her to do.  That sort of faithful response is evident throughout the beautiful prayer she prays in Luke 1:46-55.  In reading that prayer we can’t help but be encouraged to pray with the same sort of faith that leads us to glorify God for the things he is doing in our lives.

Pastor Ashlee Adkins begins our new series "Images of Christmas." Angels are a staple of Christmas. Whether on top of the Christmas tree, lit up in a window or on a ledge, or being portrayed by kids in annual Christmas pageants, angels have an important place in the story of Christmas. How much do we really know about these beings? It’s evident throughout Scripture that God uses angels to deliver his messages and carry out important tasks. There are lots of depictions and images we see all around of angels. But will we ever know their true identity and magnificence until we experience them for ourselves in glory? We are kicking off Advent this Sunday and I can’t wait to dig into some Angels 101 and to talk about the angel who launches our way to the manger, Gabriel.