Elder Team member Terry Szymanski is back in the pulpit for the third time in 2025 to bring us a topical sermon about struggles with doubt among the people of God. After sharing precious and personal good news about the recent birth of his first granddaughter, Terry centers his message on John the Baptist in Matt. 11:1-15: “Our Response to Doubts” (vv. 1-3); “Jesus’ Response to Our Doubts” (vv. 4-6); “Jesus’ Love for Us” (vv. 7-10); “Responsibility to Spread the Gospel” (vv. 11-14); and “Building Faith Through Our Doubts” (v. 15). Terry contrasts truth seekers (e.g., John the Baptist) with skeptics and cynics (e.g., Pharisees) in their respective approaches to doubts. Terry also quotes Charles Spurgeon and ends with an illustration from the film “Remember the Titans” (2000) from which he adopted his family motto, “Leave No Doubt.” Terry concludes, “Jesus is the only Truth in which we can have no doubt…He is our Single Source of Truth” (see John 14:6).

Pastor Brent brings us his final Advent sermon in the book of Ruth. This precious OT book features Boaz as a type of Christ; Ruth as representative of Gentiles being graciously brought into the family of God; and the genealogy of King David which foreshadows the genealogy of Jesus Christ (see Matt. 1:1-17). This final passage has “Hope for Renewal” (vv. 13-17) and “Hope for a King” (vv. 18-22). God works through imperfect people and redeems sticky situations for His glory! Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Redeemer, is Prophet (final revelation from God), Priest (final mediator to God) and King (final ruler and Lord). Pastor Brent ends by honoring the life of Jim Bzoskie, long-time Hastings pastor and Dakota County chaplain who died suddenly at age 76 on 12/19/25 while helping a person stuck in a snowbank. Pastor Jim was a mentor to Pastor Brent through the Hastings Ministerial Association and he played a leading role in the Hastings Prayer Breakfast each May, bringing together some 200 community leaders from churches, police, fire, local government, and the school district. His life mission was to tell others about Jesus and to “keep the main thing the main thing”.

On this third Sunday of Advent, Pastor Brent brings his fourth sermon in the book of Ruth. By way of introduction, Pastor Brent reminds us that the purpose of giving gifts is relational, costly, and caring on the part of the giver—all ultimately reflecting Jesus’ sacrificial love in redeeming us. In this longest passage in our Advent 2025 sermon series, Pastor Brent preaches that “Redemption is Relational” (Ruth 3:1-18) and “Redemption is Costly” (Ruth 4:1-12). We need to approach our Redeemer with repentance and humility, knowing that in the gospel, we have the greatest news that Jesus Christ paid the price for us! Pastor Brent ends with a parallel passage in Rev. 5:9-10: the redeemed have a family LINE and a family LAND!

Pastor Brent brings us the third of five Advent sermons in the book of Ruth. He opens with an illustration of the life of Susanna Wesley, who through may hardships and trials committed herself to daily Bible reading, prayer and journaling and raised two giants of the Christian faith, John and Charles. Similarly, the hardships of Ruth 1 have led to “God’s Providence” in Ruth 2:1-7; “God’s Favor” (vv. 8-16); and “God’s Kindness” (vv. 16-23). Boaz is introduced not only as a central figure in Ruth, but he points ahead to Christ in several ways! His worthiness to serve, protect, provide, and redeem all reflect Jesus (see in order Mark 10:45; John 10:11; 4:14; 6:51; Gal. 4:4-7). Celebrate Jesus, our great Redeemer-King, as seen through the book of Ruth and in the line of her great-grandson David!

We continue our Advent series in Ruth. Pastor Brent’s opening illustration focuses on a family from within our congregation, the Killams, who are faithfully enduring painful trials. This leads into Ruth 1:6-22, where the word “return” is repeated 12 times, reflected in this sermon’s outline: “Returning Home” (vv. 6-7); “Returning or Turning?” (vv. 8-18); and “Returning Empty” (vv. 19-22). Key lessons in this passage are: 1) Walk toward God; 2) Be willing to give up everything; and 3) Let God be sovereign. As the same root word in Hebrew for “return” is “repent,” the Redeemer welcomes all who will return (or turn) to Him! NOTE: For further commentary on this Ruth sermon series, you may listen to our Roots & Branches podcast Episodes 130 and 133.

On this pre-Thanksgiving Sunday, Pastor Brent begins our 2025 Advent sermon series in the book of Ruth. Key theological themes in Ruth include Suffering and Pain; Trust and Commitment; Redemption and Restoration; and Unworthy and Worthy. In this opening passage, Pastor Brent sets the stage with “Troubles” (vv. 1-2) and “Tragedy” (v. 3-5). A key to this passage is that “God’s lovingkindness, his wisdom, and his gracious forgiveness enter into the story in the midst of our foolishness and lack of faith!” He concludes by addressing head-on a few of the troubles of our current day (assassinations, wars, personal tragedies) and asserts that rather than quick takes and social commentary, what we need most as a church family is maturity in Christ, contending for the faith, and resting not in human wisdom but in God’s power. As we talk about Ruth and the Redeemer over the next few weeks, we need to recommit ourselves to “the centrality of the gospel, the sacred teaching of God’s Word, the allegiance to God’s kingdom above all, and glorifying risen Lord Jesus.”

It’s time for some good news! After investing seven weeks focusing on the bad news of human sin in Rom. 1:18-3:20, Pastor Brent shifts gears to the glorious GOOD NEWS—the gospel—in Rom. 3:21-31. This foundational passage for the Christian faith defines “Righteousness Given” (vv. 21-26) and “Boasting Taken Away” (vv. 27-31). In addition to reviewing common objections to Christianity and the two dangers of becoming Rebels or Pharisees, Pastor Brent challenges us with three questions about God’s justification of sinners: 1) How is it received?; 2) Who can receive it?; 3) What do we receive? Justification (the same Greek word as righteousness) is received by faith; available to anyone who admits to being an unworthy sinner; and provides atonement for our sin! Faith is the MEANS of our salvation; Christ is the SOURCE of our salvation!

Pastor Paul tackles the last in a series of “bad news” passages which began with Romans 1:18 and continues through 3:9-20. We are all sinners, whether unrighteous or self-righteous. The hard truth in this text is that we are all under “The Power of Sin” (v. 9); we all experience “The Pervasiveness of Sin” (vv. 10-18); and we all know the clear verdict of our condition through “The Perspective of Sin” (vv. 19-20). We are all guilty before God. To emphasize the cliffhanger of this bad news, Pastor Paul uses a literary reference to The Lord of the Rings; a cinematic-historical reference to the 2017 film Darkest Hour; and biblical references to Isa. 53:6, John 11:38-44, and the lives of Old Testament saints Isaiah and Job. Christianity offers a clear diagnosis, but also the remedy—the Redeemer—in Christ. Pastor Paul ends with two encouraging texts from Heb. 3:12-13 and Phil. 2:3-5.

Pastor Brent opens this week’s sermon by quoting Matt. 5:17-20. This sets the stage for his examination of Rom. 3:1-8: “Is God’s Promise of Salvation Conditional or Unconditional?” (vv. 1-4); “How is This Fair?” (vv. 5-6); and “Why Does It Matter How I Live?” (vv. 7-8). The gospel destroys both legalism and license, as both the conditional and unconditional are fulfilled in Christ! Because Jesus perfectly kept the law, He gives us His righteousness; because Jesus went to the cross, He takes away our sin. Because He fulfills both, only He gets the glory!

Rounding out our 3rd week in Rom. 2, Pastor Brent opens with Matt. 23:25-28 and a convicting illustration that salvation precedes true moral and behavioral change. He then preaches on “Self-Righteousness of Moralism” (vv. 17-24); “Self-Deception of Moralism” (vv. 25-27); and “Solution to Moralism” (vv. 28-29). Within his three main sections, Pastor Brent also outlines “Symptoms of Moralism” (false humility; over-sensitive; judgmental; anxious; anger) and the errors of righteousness and superiority as often seen through legalistic churches, experiential churches, and sacramental churches. A key to this passage and this entire chapter is the Apostle Paul’s assertion that the gospel requires a “circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit” (v. 29).