In Mere Christianity, CS Lewis writes, “If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.” Stay with me. Read that again slowly. Why does the world have no meaning? Because there is a contrast. Darkness and light are contrasting one another. In a world without light there would be no contrast and no knowledge that we are missing something that we have to find. Right? Lewis is making a case for Christ. The moment we knew the universe has no meaning is when the light of the world shines down into it. The contrast is stunning. Jesus is said to be the light of the world. John 3:19 tells us that the light has come into the world. The moment light arrives you can see the contrast between meaninglessness and purpose. This Christmas is all about celebrating the light that came into the world to bring us purpose and meaning. The Magi from the east found that light. They sought hard after it. They sacrificed much to find it. And when they found it, everything made sense to them. How about you? Are you seeking after Jesus? Having found him, does everything now make sense? It should. That’s why I can hardly wait for Christmas. The light has come. I will worship that light.

Todd

The Christmas season always brings so much joy and warmth for me, with the anticipation of the little family traditions and celebratory moments: decorating a Christmas tree, walking through the Christmas light section in South Torrance, eating lots of my Nana's famous English Toffee, and watching lots of football. And this Christmas I get to celebrate with Sterling. I’ve heard there is nothing like watching your own kids experience Christmas, so I’m looking forward to this Christmas more than usual. In short, the Christmas season for me is full of positive moments and tons of excitement.

Yet, as we will see in our passage this Sunday, Christmas brought trouble to lots of people. It gave Joseph, Mary, the Magi, King Herod, the chief priests and scribes, and the whole towns of Jerusalem and Bethlehem trouble. With my experience of Christmas, it seems a bit odd that a little baby could bring so much trouble (Sterling, don’t get any ideas!) In Matthew 2:1-18 fear and anxiety seem to be the dominant emotion, not the warm fuzzies. So what could a Christmas full of trouble teach us about God and God’s Kingdom?

As we will see, while all experienced trouble and uncertainty, some reacted in fear with defiance to what God was doing while others responded in hope with faith. This offers us a paradigm for our lives because in the face of fear, we follow Jesus in the path of hope.

Matt

December 2, 2018

What kind of gift un-wrapper are you?

a. The kind who folds and saves the paper, careful to peel the tape up without ripping anything.

b. The kind who tears it all off ... and gets stuck on that huge lame bow that's been triple knotted (who triple knots a bow anyway?!)

c. You have to wait for everyone to tell you three times to open your gift because you like to watch everyone else open theirs first.

d. Long before Christmas morning you've found every gift under the tree with your name on it and opened one end of the package or scooted the tissue paper over ... no surprises here!

It's a little early to be opening Christmas gifts but this Sunday I want to talk about your style. Most of you have heard the Christmas story a million times - you know all about the gift that Mary was given and the gift that YOU have been given. But the way you receive THAT gift THIS season matters. Join us Sunday as we kick off our Christmas series at the River with all-things Christmas including candles, carols, cute kids, and a whole lot of cheer.

Brooke

Who's hot right now? What's trending? Who's the game-changer? Front-runner? Paradigm-shifter? Leading Innovator/Expert/Entrepreneur? What will make my resume pop? How can I distinguish myself in the workplace/classroom/community? Am I Ivy League? Top tier? Avant-garde? How am I different? Fresh? Eye-catching? How many likes did that get? What's my legacy? Does this sermon blurb outdo my last one??? In our 21st-century historical moment of personal media platforms, startup pitches, impacted majors, and political pyrotechnics, "Distinguish yourself!" has quickly become one of our national anthems. As we close out our "Arise and Build" series with the last three chapters of Nehemiah, we will discover that in our mad scramble to sparkle, we might just be missing one of the richest gifts God has to offer: the extraordinary beauty of the ordinary.

James

I am a task-oriented person. I love projects and getting things done. I make lists and check things off with the joy of accomplishment—sometimes I even go back and write down what I have already done just so I can create a box and check it off my to-do list. Nehemiah was also a “get ‘er done” guy too. He was the right leader to rally the people and rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. But he knew his construction project was more than bricks and mortar. Beyond building the wall was forming a people. People were Nehemiah’s priority. He knew that exile had taken a deep toll on the Jewish soul and identity. As we near the conclusion of Nehemiah’s personal memoir, his attention focuses onto the spiritual formation of the people of God. Read Nehemiah 9-10 and see how he guides his people into honest confession and a tangible commitment. What good is a secure city if its people are crumbling from the inside out?

Bill

November 11, 2018

Neh 8:10 is a well known verse: The joy of the Lord is my strength." How is joy our strength? How can we be stronger people because of joy? The answer lies within Neh 8. Strength comes when we find our joy not in our circumstances but in what we know is true of us according to what God says about us. Yet, we'll never know unless we pick up and read. People read a lot of things, the newspaper, blogs, magazine articles, online postings, twitter. Twitter truly baffles me. At any rate, what you read matters. It determines whether you are a happy person or a joy-filled person. Nehemiah gathered the entire city to one place for the reading of God's word. Their response was joy. Something they read triggered an emotional response that far supersedes momentary encounters with things that make us happy, like a new toy or an uptick in the market, or even a huge gain. Something got them going. The wall is built, the city is slowly being inhabited by God's faithful returnees. They are on the verge of becoming great again. And they stop to read the word. I like that.

Todd

Many years ago I heard a speaker say these words: "Leaders are most challenged by two things, finishing well, and replacing themselves." I never forgot those words. I wondered when they would apply to me. Maybe some day in the future. Yet, I don't think you wake up one morning and say to yourself, "Today is the day I finish well and replace myself." I think it is something you live for. Paul mentions finishing the race. He also refers to entrusting what you know to others. Both are critical to the life of a leader as well as a follower of Jesus. The same is true for an employer and employee. The same for a parent. Nehemiah did both well. He didn't boast, he just finished well and replaced himself. It's all found in Neh 7. The wall is complete but the job is not done. My wife and I were in one of those reflective conversations with a potential new member of our church leadership team last night. We were talking about where it all began and then it shifted to where we want it all to be some day. I said, "What I want more than anything is to leave behind my life's work in one amazing place, a church, for benefit of future generations." It's not about me and it is not about you. It's about finishing well and clearing a path for someone else.

Todd

It is one thing to conceive and start a great project; it is another to finish it. Great projects need great finishes. But all too often leaders and dreams fizzle before the job gets done. Fatigue, discouragement, and distractions can slow, and even stop us in our tracks. Nehemiah has shown us what it looks like to step into a calling from God and give great energy to rally people around a grand vision. But his opponents are relentless, even desperate as they near the goal line. Nehemiah’s courage, character and convictions will show us the way to finish well. What is the “great project” God has called you into? Are there distractions tempting you to give up? Nehemiah 6 tells the story of the “great finish.”

Bill

"What if there's not enough? What if I run out? What if this half-empty cup runs dry? In different seasons of life we've all asked these questions. They are perfectly rational. Applied with wisdom these concerns can even lead to healthy planning and conservation. Too often, however, these questions operate with a dark side in our lives. The fear of not having enough has haunted so many of the desperate failures in human history and the atrocities recounted in stories populating the Scriptures. In Nehemiah chapter five, the mindset and heart-set of scarcity that underlies these questions comes close to rotting Israel's rebuilding efforts and community from the inside-out. Nehemiah, however, inspires in a different direction. He leads his people from the wastelands of tightfisted self-interest to the God of abundance. This Sunday let's take the same journey.

James

Murphy's law - if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. Ever feel that way? It's just gonna. Ever buy a depreciating asset like a car, a boat, a plane or a prosthetic? It's all good at the start. Everything seem to be humming along. But something will go wrong. Something's gonna go wrong. Just wait. Too many moving parts. The same for home improvement projects. Same in God's economy. It doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad idea. It just means you have to learn to overcome. Last week we talked about what it's like to be an underdog. God bets on underdogs. This week in Nehemiah 4, it's about being an overcomer when things go terribly wrong- when you are opposed by an enemy who wants to see you fail, when everyone quits on you, when it seems all hope is lost. This week is about defeating discouragement when you are opposed. What do you do? Nehemiah prayed his enemy into the ground and got his people back onto the wall with new perspective and some armory. Nothing like a spear in hand while building a wall. What do you do when you encounter opposition? Murphy's law says it will. Give it time. Pray like it's all up to God and plan like it's all up to you.

Todd