Acts 17:24-31

This message is when we talk about the way in which God provides for the life he creates. It is an amazing thing to dig into science and see how miraculously he has designed ecosystems, critters, and humans to coexist and thrive on this planet. Most of all, we will celebrate the special calling he has given to people to join him in investing in life, caring for creation, and protecting the vulnerable. God wants to intimately connect with his creation, such that all creatures on this earth live, move, and have their being in him!

John 3:16-17 & John 3:1

Romans 4

Welcome to the second installment of our recurring Heidelberg Catechism series! In this next 8-week set of messages, we will dig into the sections of the Catechism that break down the Apostle's Creed and its teaching on the Trinity and salvation. Today, we look at the issue of faith, itself. The Creed summarizes the teaching in which all Christians are called to place their faith. But what even is faith? Is it just intense believing? Is it a work? True faith is a gift from God; the articles of our faith are at the heart of the gospel, and it is essential that we know them.

Luke 2:41-52

It is an often-missed element in the Christmas story, but if you read the Bible closely, you'll see that God waits, too - it is an amazing and deep mystery, but eve Jesus, himself, grew stronger through waiting! Today's passage tells us the story of Jesus' childhood and the way he willingly chose to grow up in the normal way, even though he was God. The amazing truth is that God the Father, God the Spirit, and God the Son all participate in waiting, in the sense that they are willing to set aside their own rights and delay their deserved outcomes in order to see people saved!

Luke 2:21-40

Waiting is not just a once-in-a-while activity. Anyone who is honest about how broken the world is and how much needs healing will find him or herself waiting more and more. This story is about two people full of wisdom and year who were waiting to see something good that would help them finish their race with hope for the world and the next generation. Their joy at meeting Jesus is very compelling and inspiring! Simeon and Anna teach us that, sometimes, waiting takes a lifetime or more; but some things are just so good and worthy that it's worth it!

Luke 1:26-56

Our wait for Christmas' arrival is getting closer to its end! In this sermon, we will talk about Mary and Elizabeth, the mothers of John the Baptist and Jesus who were both pregnant with their special child and waiting for a healthy birth. As these two pregnant women waited, they learned that God never forgets to bring justice to save, even if he seems to be slow. When we wait on God and his promises, we can be sure that he wont' forget to fill us with good things and take great care of his children!

Luke 1:5-25; 57-80

Hebrews 11:8-16; John 8:56-58

Advent is the season in which we prepare for Christmas by kindling our longing for Jesus in our lives. We celebrate his first coming to earth in the miracle of Christmas, and deepen our anticipation of his second coming to save his people and restore the while earth. This is all great stuff, but it involves a LOT of waiting. This series explores the idea that we are not the first of God's people to be frustrated, excite, challenged, and formed by season of patient waiting and hoping!

This series has been focused on dealing with the bad-news-first starting point of the gospel. It is exciting that we are now taking a turn into the Good News part! As we leave behind the Heidelberg for the rest of 2019, it is good that we focus on the news about our amazing Redeemer Jesus! One of the best miracles of Jesus is the one we celebrate at Christmas - the Incarnation. In it, we learn about the dual nature of Christ; he is fully God and fully human. This is more than a clever miracle; it is the otherwise inconceivable and only way of salvation!

Hebrews 2:14-18, Isaiah 53

After all we've seen in this series, we now know that all humans have a sin problem and are trapped in misery unless God intervenes. This is no small problem, and there is no natural way for anyone to escape the consequences of their disobedience. In fact, in all of creation and history, nobody has ever existed who could thread the needle on this conundrum. No creature or normal person could pay the price for human sin; a sinless human Savior is more than a one-in-ten-trillion shot, and the work of Jesus Christ is totally unique and miraculous.