This morning we gathered together for a special Christmas Eve service as we celebrated the birth of our Savior.

It's an exciting couple of days, but especially for the kids. Maybe they've had their eyes on the gifts under the tree already. Or maybe they're excited for Christmas morning to see what Santa has left for them.

Think back over your own Christmases past; what is the greatest gift you ever received? Was it a special family heirloom that was passed down to you? Maybe it was that shiny new bicycle you'd hoped for all year long. Or maybe a special hand-made gift from your children or grandchildren? We all have that special, memorable gift that we remember.

But The Greatest Gift Ever Given wasn't any of those things. Instead, it was the gift of Love, wrapped in the body of a baby, given to all of us by a Holy God, placed in a dirty, stinky barn in the middle of nowhere 2,000 years ago...

Fear not is found many times throughout the Bible. But, interestingly enough, it is found no fewer than 4 times in the Christmas story. Why is that?

This morning special guest preacher, Bro. Scott Pauley, shows us the Fear Nots of the Christmas story and what they really meant. Joseph, Mary, Zacharias, and the Shepherds were all told Fear Not. But the meanings behind those two words were different for each of them.

As our church enters into a season of the unknown, we are reminded to Fear Not when facing difficulties, when God is doing the unexpected, when God is directing or disrupting your life.

Fear Not.

Life is a series of ups and downs. One day we are in the valley, and the next we are on the mountain top. No one chooses to be in the valley. We all want to experience the mountain top experiences.

But did you know that there are things that we can only experience within the valley? There are things that God can only show us when we are deep within the valley, things that those on the mountain top can not see or experience. Your valley has a purpose and a reason. Do not waste your valley.

Ezekiel was brought to a valley by God Himself, and experienced something within that valley that he would have missed out on if he had not been there. During the times of life when we find ourselves within the valleys, remember Ezekiel and use him as an example of how we should walk through our own valley.

Get your eyes off the people on the mountain top and focus them on God instead. Let Him show you what He has planned for you within the valley.

By now, most of you know that our church is entering a season of transition as Pastor Justin follows God's Will to Pastor another church. While it is undoubtedly a difficult time for our church, we are trusting that the God who is leading our beloved Pastor away, is also the same God who will lead the right man to lead our flock.

This morning Bro. Justin encouraged us to stand together, Shoulder to Should, Heart to Heart, during this time. Just as the Israelites stood firm on dry ground as they crossed the Jordan River, we must stand firm, in unity and one in accord as we enter the days ahead.

Make no mistake; Valley View stands united, in transition, through the trials, and in truth! God is not done with our church!

VVBC is STILL the Place to Be!

Tonight, in his final message as the Pastor of Valley View Baptist Church, Bro. Justin Pratt shared his heart with us as he offered his official resignation to become the Pastor at another church where God's Will has lead him.

He showed us that if we truly love a person or a group of people then we will always have each other in our minds, in our hearts, and in our prayers.

Just as Paul told the church at Philippi, "I thank God upon every remembrance of you," we share the same sentiment for Justin Pratt.