Christians and not Christians agree that Jesus of Nazareth is a real person in history. But how and why was he born? Does the virgin birth matter? Can we have all of what’s good about Christmas without Jesus’s unique conception or his virgin birth? We continue our Advent series Christmas Explored, seeking answers to these questions from the Gospel of Matthew.“… for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:20-21)

We will conclude our series in the first half of Daniel with the sermon “Faithful to Exile’s Finish” from chapter 6, the story of Daniel in the lions’ den. Thriving in spiritual exile requires God forming our character over a lifetime. Developing, deepening and living out godly character is essential to exile survival. “As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Daniel 6:20-22

Our series in Daniel continues in chapter 5, in which Daniel’s message to Babylon’s king is that the one true sovereign God rules over all (see Dan 5:21). Pastor Patrick unpacks for us themes of God’s sovereignty – in human history, over our earthly treasure, in the judgment to come – and how the cross of Christ transforms the way we think about the justice and judgment of God.

The Church remains relevant in a broken world when Christians realize that God saves His people in His time and for His glory.

Daniel 3 helps us to see that mission always happens when Jesus’s followers live biblically faithful lives in an unbelieving world.

God’s people were in exile and were anxious, looking for hope. With that came the opportunity to put their confidence in the God who would reveal to them an eternal kingdom, one that they would tell the world about. “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever…” (Dan. 2:44).

In light of this, we encourage you to join us as we gather to begin a six-week series in the book of Daniel, with the sermon “Faith In Far Away Places” (Dan. 1:1-2)

We conclude our Generate series with the sermon, “Unseen Impact and The Message of Missional Generosity” (2 Corinthians 8-9). We hear stories of our members engaging in discipleship and outreach so that others might hear and believe the gospel, and experience the riches of Christ. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)