The Hallows Church

Continue our study of the Gospel of Luke with Pastor Andrew Arthur and witness the power of God on behalf of His people in today's passage, Luke 1:26-38. Through Mary, a lowly woman living on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, God brings the salvation of the world. Nothing is impossible for our God–the One who dismantles our small and short-sighted dreams to draw us into the bigger Story He is telling. The question is, how will we respond?

Continue our study of the Gospel of Luke with Pastor Jeff Hundley and witness the power of God on behalf of His people in today's passage, Luke 1:26-38. Through Mary, a lowly woman living on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, God brings the salvation of the world. Nothing is impossible for our God–the One who dismantles our small and short-sighted dreams to draw us into the bigger Story He is telling. The question is, how will we respond?

Disgrace. Unfulfilled desires. The struggle to remain devoted to God in the midst of waiting. All of these are hard, yet inevitable, experiences that each one of us must face at times.

Join us this Sunday to worship together, encourage one another, and see how God provides hope to two people, Zechariah and Elizabeth, who struggled with barrenness for years though they remained devoted to God and praying for years for a child. Little did they know when they began their earnest praying and painful wait that the Lord would not only eventually give them a child but a child who would serve God’s saving purpose. By removing Elizabeth’s disgrace, the Lord was even working to remove the disgrace of His people.

Do you realize that what God does in your life is not just for you but for the benefit and blessing of others? How could this help in your struggles? Let's explore Luke 1 and the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah–and ultimately Jesus'–together.

The Gospel of Luke was written to a "Theophilus" who was evidently insecure in his faith. He needed to be reassured that the story of Jesus that he heard was true and still powerful enough to bear the weight of his life. Although Luke dedicated this written story of Jesus to Theophilus, we'll quickly see that it is a story for all of us– for we all struggle with various insecurities that can only be resolved as we repeatedly find ourselves in the story of Jesus. Listen today and be encouraged by how the story of Jesus is:

Reasonable to believe.

-It contains an objective, historical dimension.

-It contains a subjective, personal dimension.

Reassures the insecure.

-To the morally insecure, Jesus says, “I forgive you.”

-To the socially insecure, Jesus says, “I accept you.”

-To the physically insecure, Jesus says, “I help you.”

-To the emotionally insecure, Jesus says, “I love you.”

Renews faith for the journey.

-Let’s be shaped by this story.

-Let’s be servants of this story.

The Gospel of Luke was written to a "Theophilus" who was evidently insecure in his faith. He needed to be reassured that the story of Jesus that he heard was true and still powerful enough to bear the weight of his life. Although Luke dedicated this written story of Jesus to Theophilus, we'll quickly see that it is a story for all of us– for we all struggle with various insecurities that can only be resolved as we repeatedly find ourselves in the story of Jesus. Listen today and be encouraged by how the story of Jesus is:

Reasonable to believe.

-It contains an objective, historical dimension.

-It contains a subjective, personal dimension.

Reassures the insecure.

-To the morally insecure, Jesus says, “I forgive you.”

-To the socially insecure, Jesus says, “I accept you.”

-To the physically insecure, Jesus says, “I help you.”

-To the emotionally insecure, Jesus says, “I love you.”

Renews faith for the journey.

-Let’s be shaped by this story.

-Let’s be servants of this story.

As we come to the end of our Sunday sermon series, "When Mess Meets Mercy," one can't help but wonder how God's mercy can possibly meet God's people in their created mess. 1 Samuel 31 leads us to a sad scene–Israel's first chosen king, Saul, dying with a crumbling kingdom in a humiliating spectacle. And yet, we know this isn't the end of Israel's story nor ours. As you listen today, may you be encouraged to once again accept God's mercy in whatever mess you find yourself.

As we come to the end of our Sunday sermon series, "When Mess Meets Mercy," one can't help but wonder how God's mercy can possibly meet God's people in their created mess. 1 Samuel 31 leads us to a sad scene–Israel's first chosen king, Saul, dying with a crumbling kingdom in a humiliating spectacle. And yet, we know this isn't the end of Israel's story nor ours. As you listen today, may you be encouraged to once again accept God's mercy in whatever mess you find yourself.

When the bottom drops out, can we find strength and encouragement? This is the question that David had to ask after being rescued from an impossible situation only to face another seemingly crueler trial. Join us for a study of 1 Samuel 30 today to see how strength and encouragement can be found in the good news of God’s presence, providence, victory, and grace.

When the bottom drops out, can we find strength and encouragement? This is the question that David had to ask after being rescued from an impossible situation only to face another seemingly crueler trial. Join us for a study of 1 Samuel 30 today to see how strength and encouragement can be found in the good news of God’s presence, providence, victory, and grace.

Life is messy, and many messes are those of our own making. We wind up stuck and can’t get out of them on our own. This is essentially the problem David is facing at the start of this Sunday's Scripture focus in 1 Samuel 29. So what can we learn from David's choices and situation? What hope is there for us when we find ourselves stuck in messes of our own making?