Valley Church

Sunday, November 8, 2026

In this message from James 3:1–12, Pastor Jacob examines how genuine faith in Christ transforms not only our actions but also our speech. Beginning with James’s warning to teachers, he explains that those who teach God’s Word face greater accountability, while every believer will answer for their words. He then explores how the tongue, though small, steers the direction of our lives and can cause damage far beyond its size. James also exposes the contradiction of praising God while cursing people made in His image, showing how our words are a reflection of our hearts. This passage calls us to examine our speech, repent of words that have wounded others, and depend on the Holy Spirit to grow in meekness and self-control.

Sunday, November 1, 2026

In this message, Gary Merksamer (Director of Venue) walks through James 2:14–26 to show that we are not saved by our works, but saving faith expresses itself through love. Beginning with the difference between earning a position at work and receiving grace in Christ, he explains why good works are the fruit of salvation, but never its price. James challenges believers to move beyond kind words and meet practical needs, beyond knowing truth to trusting God, and beyond professing faith to costly obedience. Through Abraham and Rahab, we see that living faith takes action. Gary also shares a deeply personal example of trusting God through suffering, reminding us that obedience does not require perfection. The invitation is to rest in Christ’s finished work and take one concrete step of love toward someone else this week.

Sunday, October 25, 2026

In this message from James 2:1–13, Pastor Jacob explores why favoritism has no place among people who hold to faith in Jesus. James confronts a church that honored wealthy visitors while dishonoring the poor, reminding believers that the gospel is for everyone. Moving from the command to love our neighbors to the holiness of God’s Law, Jacob shows why every person stands in need of Christ’s mercy. The message challenges us to examine both our hearts and our treatment of others. Because Jesus bore the judgment sinners deserve, those who trust Him are called to reflect His mercy in their speech and actions. The invitation is: love your neighbor by showing everyone the mercy Christ has shown you.

Sunday, October 18, 2026

In this message, Pastor Jacob walks through James 1:19–27, exploring how genuine faith in Jesus produces a life that looks increasingly like Jesus. Through four qualities of Christlikeness—meekness, righteousness, action, and mercy—James challenges believers to examine the visible evidence of their faith. Pastor Jacob explains how the Holy Spirit transforms our speech, emotions, and attitudes, calls us to put away sin, and leads us to become doers rather than merely hearers of God's Word. He also emphasizes God’s heart for the vulnerable, including widows, orphans, and sojourners. While good works cannot save us, they are the fruit of genuine faith in Christ. This message invites us to consider how God is changing our lives and calling us to reflect Jesus more clearly to the world.

Sunday, October 11, 2026

In this message from James 1:9–18, Pastor Jacob continues our series through James by exploring how genuine faith changes the way we live. James reminds us that new life in Christ is a gift from God, and that this new identity begins transforming every part of our lives. Pastor Jacob looks at three areas where faith produces change: where we put our trust, how we respond to temptation, and who we serve. Instead of trusting temporary wealth, following broken desires, or living primarily for ourselves, followers of Jesus are called to find their security in Christ, flee temptation, and offer their first and best to God. Because Jesus has made us new, faith is never meant to remain disconnected from everyday life. Faith in Christ changes everything.

Sunday, October 4, 2026

In this message, Caleb Whitten opens our series through the book of James by walking through James 1:1–8 and asking what it looks like to have a battle-tested faith. Writing to believers facing hardship and displacement, James calls followers of Jesus to respond to trials with joy, endurance, wisdom, and wholehearted trust. Caleb explores four marks of a battle-tested faith: it seeks joy, endures relentlessly, desires wisdom, and lives expectantly. Along the way, he reminds us that God is present in our suffering, uses trials to mature our faith, and generously gives wisdom through His Spirit, His Word, and His people. The message closes by challenging us to examine where our trust may be divided and surrender every area of our lives to Jesus.

Sunday, September 27, 2026

In this message, Pastor Jacob walks through John 15:18–27 and the third part of Valley Church’s vision: Life on Mission. Jesus reminds His disciples that they no longer belong to the world—they belong to Him—and sends them to bear witness to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our mission flows from an abiding relationship with Jesus and reaches the people God has placed around us where we live, learn, work, and play, while also extending to the Merrimack Valley, New England, and the nations. Along the way, we should expect that some will reject the message, but rejection does not change our calling. As people on mission, we belong to Jesus, bear witness from the overflow, and remain faithful through every response, trusting God with the results always.

Sunday, September 20, 2026

In this message, Pastor Jacob continues Valley Church’s mission and vision series with “Life in Community,” exploring Jesus’s command in John 15:12–17 to love one another as He has loved us. Jesus invites His people to rest in His unconditional and infinite love, demonstrated through His sacrifice on the cross. That love shapes how we care for one another as a spiritual family—not simply by attending church, but by sharing life, praying, serving, and walking through difficult seasons together. Pastor Jacob explains how Life Groups and serving on teams create opportunities to take meaningful steps toward community. He also shows how sacrificial love, unity, and peacemaking become a visible witness to a watching world. Discover how loving God’s people helps others see Christ in us.

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Vision Series: Life with Jesus

In this message from John 15:1–11, Pastor Jacob walks through Jesus’s words, “I am the true vine,” and shows that Jesus alone is the source of a fruitful and joyful life. As Valley Church celebrates one year of meeting weekly, this message looks back on God’s faithfulness while pointing forward to the church’s mission of connecting the Merrimack Valley to Jesus, the source of Life. Jesus invites us not simply to be connected to a church, but to come to Him by faith and receive new life. For those who already follow Jesus, the call is to remain in Him through His Word, prayer, obedience, and the ongoing work of sanctification. The life we were made for is found in Jesus—a life that bears fruit, grows in joy, and remains connected to the source.

Sunday, September 6, 2026

In this message, Pastor Jacob walks through Luke 14:12–24 and Jesus’s Parable of the Great Banquet. Through the story of invited guests who make excuses and refuse to come, Jesus exposes the pride that can keep us from receiving God’s invitation into His Kingdom. The banquet then opens to the poor, the outcast, and the overlooked—those who recognize their need and humbly receive the invitation by faith. Pastor Jacob also highlights the mission that follows grace: those who have received the invitation of Jesus are called to extend it to others. This message challenges us to examine what may be competing with Jesus for first place in our lives, to receive His invitation with humility, and to invite others to experience the hope, joy, and life found in Him.