Mary had her plans all laid out. She was going to marry this great guy named Joseph. He was a carpenter and they would move down the road close to his dad’s house. They would have a few kids, make a few trips to Jerusalem and raise a nice, neat little family in the sleepy village of Nazareth. God had another plan in mind.

God had been preparing His people for the Messiah for some time. I think Mark Moore says it best. “Jerusalem was occupied by Rome. Herod, a corrupt Idumean, was the king of the Jews. The Maccabean revolt of some one hundred fifty years earlier was now just a memory. Yet the Scriptures echo across the years that the Jews are God’s chosen people. Through them would come the deliverer. Unfortunately, the materialistic culture of the Greeks, foisted upon them by the Hellenists, blinded them from spiritual hopes and left them searching for a military/political messiah.”

Herod was called King, even though he wasn’t really a king... He was call great, even though he wasn’t really great... Well, he was great at building stuff including among many foreign and pagan temples, the temple in Jerusalem. He was also great at murdering people, including his wife, his three sons, mother in law, brother in law, uncle and many others. The thing Herod was greatest at was being arrogant!

Rome has experience a decade’s worth of the new Pax Romana (Roman Peace). Octavian had negotiated, maneuvered and ceased power for himself as an emperor. Rome believed that the world was all about, well, Rome. No one had a clue that a baby born in a remote frontier of the empire had any significance at all...

We liven a world of worry. On Amazon today you can purchase up to 35,000 books written about worry and anxiety. Since 1988 prescriptions for anxiety and depression are up 400%. I wish it were easier to not worry and just be happy!

Veteran’s Day reminds us of the sacrifice of many to insure that we’re able to live in peace. It is a holiday where we honor and thank the many that have served something greater than themselves. Everyone of us must review our treasure and choose whether or not we’ll serve something or someone greater than ourselves.

First things first; our generosity makes a difference in other people’s lives! This is a good thing no matter what motivates us. Our giving can make a difference in our lives if our hearts are in the right place!

*Check out the resources tab to see the videos played in the sermon.

Serving like Jesus, by Zach Bolin, student pastor...check out the images under "resources" below to view the pictures shared from Zach's trip to Honduras. Don't forget to attend the informational meeting next Sunday after second service on the trip to Honduras next summer.

Prayer is a huge blessing and privilege in the life of a follower of Christ. It is also often misunderstood. Jesus teaches His followers how they should build a meaningful prayer life with His Father.

We all deal with them everyday. Relationships that for one reason or another are really difficult for us to deal with. Sometimes they are people that we want to be really close to, a brother, or a parent, child, spouse, a long time friend. Something happened that broke that relationship and we want to know how to heal the brokenness. There are other relationships that we wish never happened. A boss or a neighbor or someone at work that are just a thorn in our side - how do we treat them? What do we do to reflect Jesus in those relationships?