Our world and nation are going through a season of difficult division—evidenced most recently in the partisan back and forth applause on the floor during the Tuesday evening State of the Union speech. Politics easily divides, as does religion. The apostle Paul launched his letter to the Corinthian church because he was deeply grieved that partisan bickering and divisive behavior had begun to dismantle the unity within the spiritual family. They had allowed celebrity pastor preferences to displace the Lordship of Jesus and the power of the cross. We Christians have our [sometimes silly] differences, and sadly these often tear churches apart. This Sunday we will consider Paul’s urgent appeal as a pathway forward—it is keeping the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and his cross central, pulling us in toward each other, and Him. Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 and see what you think.

Bill

Our new series, A Beautiful Kind of Broken is an in depth study of I Corinthians, a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a growing and influential church in a lively Seaport that earned its place in the Roman colonies. Here's a story for you. It's the story of a prosperous, adventurous, diverse, influential, and growing city called Corinth. There lived a wonderfully diverse church community filled with a handful of magistrates, city officials, land owners, merchants, artisans, home owners, and for most, families living at poverty level every day, all united as part of this new growing church. How will it survive? Will it break apart because of division, conflict, and class distinction? This was a church with tremendous potential yet tremendous challenges. How do the rich and poor unite together in Christ? Oh, and the story continues. The church in Corinth found itself deep within one of the most worldly cultures in the Roman world. Wealth brought lots of opportunities to stray from choosing life in Christ. A city diverse in religious expression easily could have watered down the potency of a Jesus way of living. Sexual freedom of expression and diverse sexual opportunities challenged their walk in Christ. What did they do? How did they circumnavigate these challenges? God never expected them to be perfect. In fact in their brokenness facing these challenges, God is most able to do his greatest work in their lives- To build something beautiful. Let's find out together as we explore this amazing story of a church much like ours facing many of the same challenges we face, and learn how they became a beautiful kind of broken.

Todd

Last year, the big health company, Cigna, did a massive study across our country to investigate their hunch about Americans and their connections. Their discovery: most of us are lonely, or at least wish we could experience better friendships. Deep in the DNA of The River Church is the hope and drive that no one should have to live life alone. The church is God’s gift to help alleviate loneliness. But I have discovered, and maybe you too, that “going to church” is no panacea. I want to think deeply with you this Sunday about our connections with each other, and especially what happens in our homes and around our tables. Get a start by reading Acts 2:42-47.

Bill

This Sunday Karl plans to encourage us from John 14 and talk about HOPE. Social commentators describe our world as being VUCA- volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. (Sounds like we need a little hope) Jesus says Hope is a father. The deep answers for our lives and our world are not going to be found in political solutions, referendums, economic uplifts or New Years resolutions but in a Dad.

Karl Martin

As a kid, I always wondered what it would have been like to be Charlie. He finds the final golden ticket, a chance to meet the mysterious Willy Wonka. Except I didn't grow up poor like Charlie and my grandparents were not bedridden living out their days in our family room. Nevertheless imagine the excitement of a young boy getting the chance of a lifetime to meet the one who creates what every kid craves, candy creations, gum drops, chocolate bars, Gobstoppers. For most of us, God in many ways follows the same storyline as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He's mysterious. He lives separate from all the people in the surrounding hamlets. He has what everyone wants. To meet him face to face would be a dream come true. Maybe too scary for some. But those young at heart and willing to step out and risk, what if the opportunity were made available? Would you step forward? Like this story made into a well known musical based on a previously published book, Paul in Colossians 1:9-14 prays that all of us would be filled with the knowledge of God's will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. Did you get that? We have the golden ticket! You have it in your hand. It's an invitation to meet the creator of all that is good, all that we truly crave. You are invited in. I pray 2019 will be a year we all cash in on the golden ticket and meet God personally in all wisdom and understanding, continuously, daily, regularly. May it be a year of new discoveries and deep delight as God reveals himself to you and all that He has for you.

Todd

Generally no one likes a show off. In fact, there is something in us that kind of rejoices when a "show off" gets "shamed up". C'mon now tell the truth. It doesn't make you a bad person, just a person with bad thoughts sometimes- like me! However, in Proverbs 27 it's said, "let another man sing your praises and not your own mouth, even a stranger and not your own lips. Come join us this Sunday as we get to see this new year how God's world (the creation), his word (the Bible) and his people (us) get to show him off.

Jazz

I love, love, love the wonder of Christmas, but also find intoxicating the buckle-up drive of starting fast and fresh in the New Year. My unrealistic idealism has softened over the years, but I still set good goals and strive to see them accomplished. But as I seek renewal in my walk with Jesus, it is ironic that Christmas grace can so easily turn into New Year's duty and law. Why do I keep on trying to prove myself to God and to you? A line or two in a Christmas carol captured me this year: "Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining. It is the night of the dear Savior's birth! Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth. We are invited to start 2019 held by the storyline that threads from the beginning to the end of our sacred Scriptures-you, your whole being, just as you are right now, have immense worth to God.

Bill

“Prepare the way for the Lord!” These are the words of the prophet anticipating the coming of God’s chosen King. We worship the King Jesus at Christmas and celebrate the fact that he was born to Mary and Joseph over two thousand years ago. Christmas has come and gone, yet Scripture tells us Christ will come again. Prepare the way!

As we look forward to a new year, a new beginning, new diets, new initiatives, new friendships, new additions, new addresses, and newly innovated forms of newness….let us look forward to the coming of the Lord in new, fresh ways on earth as it is in heaven. God moved in a radical new way two thousand years ago, sending His Son to make his home among us. God is still on the move. You and I are witnesses to this movement. What new ways will God move in 2019? Prepare the way for the Lord!

Tommy

Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Devotional by The River Church of the South Bay

Of the many things I love about Christmas, near the top of the list is the fact that it sets the table for reflection on the past year. Where have I been in these last 12 months? Where do I find myself this Christmas and how does it compare to Christmases of the past? Where have I invested my life, relationships, mind, materials? Importantly, what's the status of my spiritual health? This year I've been asking a very specific question: Where have I been trusting God? How's my faithing been this year, this month, this moment? There is perhaps no better figure to reflect with than the Joseph of Matthew's Gospel-a character we meet in the first chapters and never hear from again. In these brief but beautiful vignettes, we enjoy a glimpse into authentic, non-glamorous, elegant faithing.

James